In this week’s recap you’ll see some shots from Loch Raven, a lot of food and my poor photography skills. Excited??

MONDAY

I started listening to a new true crime podcast called Casefile which centers on the core facts of a random investigation. I like how simple the production is and that it’s a surprisingly mixed bag in terms of case content. Some are strange, some unsolved and others are extremely satisfying. My favorite episode so far is the Sherri Rasmussen case. Do yourself a favor and listen to it right now.

TUESDAY

When I meal prepped the Sunday prior, I scheduled in a lot of dinners to cook each night instead of using the crockpot. On Tuesday, I made one of my favorite one pan dinners – cast iron chicken breast with Brussels sprouts.

WEDNESDAY

I’m not sure if I’ve ever complained about it on here before but Jason buys way too many kitchen gadgets. It’s not that I don’t like them, but we have a tiny ass kitchen so I tend to think that maybe we don’t need a giant cast iron wok. But since we have one, I busted it out to make this delicious orange ginger pork dish.

THURSDAY

In the evening, a whole bunch of us went out to a 90s themed popup event at Sugarvale (hosted by the Bmore Creatives.) The cocktails were great but I did a piss-poor job socializing per usual.

Afterwards, we checked out Mt. Vernon Marketplace (my first time.) I’m a big fan of the food stall setup and can’t wait to go back and try out more spots.

FRIDAY

Friday night, Jess/Rob/Jason + I decided to try out a new-ish ramen restaurant in Fells – Kippo Ramen. Yum!

Then a quick stop into Insomnia Cookies for a sweet treat.

We weren’t sure what to do with the rest of our Friday night. Our bellies were full but it was still early. We had a drink at Bertha’s and enjoyed the live music before heading back home to watch a movie.

SATURDAY

The group decided to go out for a hike. We went to Loch Raven Reservoir, a local spot that I haven’t been to in years. The weather was great and we had an awesome time exploring.

First ‘dog on a log’ shot of 2017.

Ellie couldn’t help jumping in for a swim.

I really needed the hike and I couldn’t have had better company to enjoy it with.

Later in the evening, we ate some delicious meat at Dinosaur BBQ.

Then it was on to Pitango from a quick pick me up.

We ended the night with more friends and board games. A successful Saturday.

SUNDAY

SO…

Sunday morning was very pleasant. Coffee + cuddles + couch lounging.

Then I jotted down my grocery list and hopped in my car for a quick trip to the store. While leaving the store, I heard a loud CRUNK noise and wouldn’t you know it, my car was no longer progressing forward.

Quick back story – I drive a 1994 Nissan Quest with well over 250,000 miles on it. I have been operating under the “drive it til the wheels fall off” philosophy for years now and this is actually the SECOND time my wheel (not tire) has literally come off my vehicle. So in short, this is the end. My little busted mini van that has successfully lasted me years beyond what I deemed possible has finally died. I always said that the car would probably deteriorate before it actually stopped running which is exactly what happened. Farewell, my not-so-sweet Quest.