Galentines With My Girl

 Yeah, we know that Galentines is a made up word. However, language starts with made up words and all words start somewhere before they become official.  Galentines day is one such word. I wanted to celebrate Valentine's day with a girlfriend so Galentines it is!

A Facebook ad caught my eye. Restaurant Colonia in Barrio Escalante was running a Valentine's weekend promo. A choice of one of three select meals from the special menu plus two glasses of wine for a mere $20! It was a steal. I told my friend about the special and we booked our reservation. 

Pleasantly surprised was I when our meal arrived and the plates were huge. The glasses of sangria were full to the brim and the staff made us feel so welcome. I couldn't believe how amazing the promo truly was, especially since the food was absolutely delicious. It actually wasn't some 'scam' to just drum up business. It really was a special promotion without strings attached.

This chicken milanese dish was divine. There was so much flavor bursting from this plate. And like I said, the portion size was huge. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

My friend said her $22 salmon dish was incredible.  Colonia has a customer in me.

A Truly Special Valentine's Day

 I opened my eyes after a wonderfully slow Saturday morning, having slept in, to a beautiful bouquet of roses and some Lindt Chocolates in a shiny heart-shaped red tin. I was filled with Surprise. 

How thoughtful was my husband. He didn't wake me, he allowed me to sleep in and wake up in my own time to the wonderful surprise. 

As I woke, I felt all the love he had poured into his gift to me, so simple yet so incredibly thoughtful.  It was a wonderful way to wake up on Valentine's day.

The surprise didn't end there. I was told to get dressed because we were going to brunch and I was in charge of picking the restaurant, something I love to do. 

This was not on my list of things I expected. My man, my man, my man! Always full of amazing surprises.  So of course,  I got dressed and we headed on our merry way to celebrate lovers day.

I picked a restaurant I'd been wanting to try for some time. We tried making reservations for our anniversary but they were booked for a private event. Caffe Negroni, in Escazu, was our destination for the day and I was super excited. 

The food was good, the atmosphere was very much giving pinterest and the vibe was nice. The perfect Valentine's location. It was was very much the perfect day indeed.

Best thing on the menu was the apple crumble. It's a dessert to die for.

It's Back To School

 Another year, another year of school.  Let's sound the alarm because it's back to school. The humdrum routine where moms never feel like they got enough sleep before that dreaded alarm goes off every morning. It's back to school drops offs and pickups, homework, exams and projects. But I'm ready.

It seems as if summer break flew by. We didn't make any big plans or go on vacation.  But we loved the way we spent our time off, at home.  No plans, just chill and relaxed. Late nights and even later mornings. Slow mornings and even slower weekends. It was glorious.

Aside from my quick Boston trip, we pretty much allowed ourselves to be swallowed up by nothingness, enjoying the four walls of our humble abode. Not every vacation has to have excitement. We don't need to always make plans or go somewhere.  Sometimes all we need is time to just be and that aloneness can feed the soul in so many unmeasurable ways.

The Winter Storm Of The Year

 Winter came fast and furiously as soon as I landed. Not even a week into my trip, Boston dumped almost 2 feet of snow on our heads.  A nice frigid welcome for both my daughter and I.

Classes were canceled and the city urged everyone to stay home so Bostonians hunkerd down for the work ahead. The next couple of days were filled with shoveling out garages and cars and clearing sidewalks. Streets were piled high with snow, pretending to be the winter wonderful it just wasn't. 

I had not experienced a storm of this magnitude in too many years to count. Being sick didn't help but it was nice just staying inside, enjoying the dry heat while my body tried it's hardest to adjust to the ever changing climate outside. 

Once I was brave and well enough to venture outside,  you know I had to take a picture.

A Y2K Party

 As soon as I landed in Boston, it was time to party. The Y2K party at my sister's friend's house was definitely a vibe and a time was certainly had.

There was the most incredible spread of mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, fried catfish and fried chicken, corn, cornbread muffins, egg rolls and salad. Plus a shit ton of candy, cookies and cakes. Plus the music,  oh the music. It was so much fun.

The most amazing plate you'll ever see. Big back activities all around.