Weekend Update!

Only one word can describe this weekend -- RELAXING!!!!!  I know that I have mentioned in previous posts that I have been looking forward to a relaxing weekend for quite some time...however, I didn't realize I needed one this bad.  Even though I love staying busy, I also enjoy OCCASIONALLY not having plans and letting the day take me where I want it.  I say "occasionally" because I am a serious planner!  It's really hard for me to just let go of the "to do list" and do something unexpected.  However, this weekend, (at least the end of it) was exactly what I have been needing.

Friday night was spent just hanging around the house, running a couple of errands, and watching a movie...well, attempting to watch a movie...I decided to watch Look Who's Talking because it was free On Demand and I remember liking it as a kid; however, I fell asleep in the middle, so I finished watching the rest of the movie on Saturday morning.

After the movie, I did a few things around the house, and then headed out on my last long walk (TEN MILES!) before my big half marathon next weekend!!!!!  Even though it wasn't easy, I actually averaged less than a 15 minute mile, so I think I'm as ready for the half marathon as I'll ever be.  I have 3 short walks at the beginning of this week, and then no more walking until EARLY Saturday morning!

After resting for a couple of hours, I had a few errands to run in Cool Springs (an area of Nashville that has a lot of shopping...and generally anything in the world you are looking for).  After running my errands I was able to do something I haven't done in a long time...I went shopping and just walked around the mall without rushing around to get the next thing marked off my to-do list.  I did buy a couple of items, but more than anything, it was nice to be able to take my time. 

Around 6:00, I ran home to meet Patrick who was picking me up at 6:30 to go have dinner with Mickey and Kathleen and then the 4 of us were heading to a party at a friend's house.  We had a really nice dinner at Anatolia Turkish Restaurant.  None of us had ever had Turkish food before, but because my beau had heard such great reviews, we decided to check it out.  I thought the food was delicious, and the service was great, too.  If you live in the Nashville area and are looking to try something different, you should definitely head over there.

Sunday morning, after not being able to sleep late (thank you Day Light Savings Time), Patrick and I decided to head out and see where the day may take us.  We first decided to have a quick brunch at this place:

Loveless Cafe -- A Nashville Tradition

And when I say "quick brunch" I really mean, wait an hour and a half and then decide that it's really time for lunch instead of breakfast.  Loveless Cafe is a very popular tourist attraction in Nashville; therefore, the wait on the weekends is ALWAYS lengthy, but it is definitely worth it.  In fact, the wait is really not that bad at all, because there are a few really cute shops on the property, and we were able to do a little shopping/looking around and even a little bit of this:

Me showing off my Boylan Diet Black Cherry Soda

Patrick and I posing in front of the old Motel sign

Once we got seated, we quickly decided what we wanted to eat and dug in...but not before taking pictures of our food first...I mean, who do you think you're talking about here?  =)

My meal -- BBQ Turkey with Mac 'n Cheese and Creamed Corn

Patrick's meal -- Chicken Livers (YUCK!) with Mac 'n Cheese and Hashbrown Casserole

We both LOVED our meals and were so glad we decided to head out there for the day.  After we finished eating, we decided to take one other fun adventure (which I will blog about later this week), then we headed over to the Nashville West shopping complex to do a little more shopping.  Well, I say WE did shopping, but really, just Patrick did shopping.  It was a lot of fun, and he was able to get some much needed purchases. 

After we finished shopping, we realized we still had about 30 minutes before the Nashville Humane Association closed for the evening.  Anyone who knows me knows that I have been trying to get Patrick a dog for Christmas ever since we first started dating.  He has been talking about wanting a dog for a very long time, and had just never really taken the plunge.  Well, this year when I brought it up again, he actually said that it may be a good idea.  Therefore, we decided to check it out this afternoon.  This is not our first trip to the dog shelter, and every time we go, I see a few dogs that I think are really cute, but they definitely aren't THE dog.  Well, today when we walked in, looked around at a couple of dogs, and then we walked into the puppy room...that's when we came across this little guy:

Meet Cowboy (although Patrick has already said that his name would be changed to Dakota)!  He is a 3 month old terrier mix, and came to the shelter a few days ago after being abandoned by his owner.  As soon as we walked in the puppy room, he stood up and tried to start playing with us through his kennel.  When we took him into the visitation room, he seemed really playful, but still a little timid.  After playing for a several minutes, Patrick decided to leave and think about it for awhile.  See, even though he is REALLY cute, and there definitely was a connection, there are several things Patrick has to think about:

1.  We aren't really sure anything about him or where he came from.  In fact, we don't even have a clue of what type of dog he is.  I mean, terrier mix can mean about 1,000 different things. 
2.  We think that, based on the size of his paws that he may end up being a pretty big dog, and that's kinda intimidating when you don't know what to expect.
3.  Quite frankly, being a dog owner is pretty freakin' scary!!!!!  (At least, that's how I feel...not necessarily speaking for Patrick here.)

With all of that being said, I'm not sure if Cowboy will be my Christmas gift to Patrick this year or not.  We may go back and look at him again later this week.  He's so cute that I'm sure if Patrick doesn't end up adopting him, he will definitely end up being in a good place!  I'm still keeping my fingers crossed though!  =)

Well, that's about all for me...I'm pooped, so I think I'll head off to bed.  =)  Have a great week everyone!