This past weekend, our friends Jeff & Kristina came down to visit and some shenanigans were had by all.
On Friday, there was bowling and beer:
Saturday, we checked out some houses in the sticks:
Don’t worry, we decided it was a little too country.
Then, there were some pre-baseball game activities:
And, a baseball game:
It’s so nice to have visitors so frequently. We feel so much love. :)
This weekend marked the third weekend in a row we have visitors, and we had a great time exploring the area with Chris’ sister, Lindsay, and her husband, Kevin.
Friday, we headed out to Durham for a spontaneous trip to the ballpark to see the Bulls play. Before the game, we walked around the area where the park is located, and Lindsay won a gift basket of cheese. Random, but super fun!
After we put the cheese on ice and put it in the car, we had a quick dinner at Tobacco Road. Dinner was ok, but I’m not sure I’d make it a regular place to hang out. I’ve heard the location in Raleigh is a Redskins bar, so we might be there weekly as football season approaches….we’ll see. Service and food were both mediocre, but I can’t really complain because while Linds was winning cheese, I won a free entree at Tobacco Road, so, whatevs.
After dinner, we headed to the Durham Bulls Game:
I loved the baseball game. The stadium is nice, the tickets were cheap ($9/each to sit on the 3rd baseline with a good view) and it was a fun atmosphere. We’ll definitely be going to more games throughout the season, but don’t think that because we’re going to be Bulls fans that we’re going to convert to Rays fans. Nats all the way over here!
After about five innings (they were losing 11-2) we headed over to the brewery, Fullsteam that Kevin has been following as they’ve grown for years. They are in Durham right down the street from the ballpark, so it just made sense. I didn’t know what to expect, but I loved this place. They had food trucks parked outside, an open and airy entrance, ping pong, picnic tables, vintage arcade games and darts. Also, the staff was super nice and the beer was crazy good. My new favorite thing on the planet is their Culver beer which is made with sweet potato. Soooo smooooooth.
On Saturday, we went to Aviator Brewery in Fuquay-Varina. We bought a Living Social deal a while ago when we knew Linds and Kev would be visiting and we thought it would be fun. Our deal was supposed to be for a brewery tour, but since they didn’t start them until after 3pm on Saturday, and the Caps played at 3pm, we opted out and decided to just get our growlers and enjoy a few flights of tasty beer before heading back home. After the Culver at Fullsteam, nothing compared, but it was still fun and cool to check out Aviator since we see their beers in a LOT of Raleigh area restaurants.
After the brewery, we were starving and the Caps game was starting soon, so we stopped at the Mellow Mushroom for a late lunch and watched the first period of the Caps game:
I’m just realizing that it looks like we must have been completely wasted all weekend, and for my own piece of mind, I need to note that this was more just a tour de beer in the Raleigh area and NOT wastedface 2012. K, thanks. :)
After the Caps lost (boooooooooo), we all fell asleep for a nice late afternoon/early evening nap and woke up just in time to decide to have frozen custard for dinner. Best part of being an adult? Taking naps whenever and eating dessert for dinner. Sometimes being a grown up isn’t too bad.
This morning, we did brunch at Tribecca Tavern and then went to the Farmers Market. Things I learned today:
1. It’s illegal to serve alcohol in NC before noon on a Sunday
2. Either brunch isn’t popular or Tribecca Tavern isn’t the place to go. Place was DEAD and I honestly didn’t enjoy my breakfast or the overpriced menu. Bummer.
Our impromptu trip to the Farmers Market was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed tasting all of the fresh picked strawberries. It’s definitely strawberry season here in NC and they were yummy and extra sweet.
While we clearly had a non stop weekend, it was super fun and was filled with great memories and lots of laughter. We miss you already, Linds and Kev!!
Time flies when you’re having fun, y’all. :) All week last week, I had been telling Chris how I wanted to try out a sushi place near our house, and when Friday rolled around, he happily obliged and agreed to go for our date night. Little did he know, I had a surprise waiting: Our friends Kristina and Jeff from Maryland.
I had been talking to K & J for over a month, planning a trip for them to come down to surprise Chris and spend a weekend with us, and everything turned out perfectly. Chris and I were walking into the restaurant when J & K came around the corner with their daughter, and Chris was stunned. At first he only noticed the Washington Capitals hat that Jeff was wearing, then he noticed it was actually Jeff and was shocked. He had no idea what was going on, couldn’t understand they were here for the weekend and was hilarious when he asked if they were having dinner, staying with us and hanging out for the weekend. We got exactly zero pictures of his reaction, but that’s okay, because we took enough pictures for the rest of the weekend. By the way, dinner wasn’t really sushi, it was habachi and it was awesome, even though I think Chris was actually kinda disappointed in missing the sushi. Next time!
Here is Friday night in pictures. Dinner at Ginza and arcade/putt putt fun at Frankies in Raleigh.
Saturday, we drove to Ashboro about an hour away to visit the North Carolina zoo. It was pretty rad, I’m not going to lie.
Highlights:
Lowlights:
No lie, I’m actually sore today from walking all over creation at the zoo, but it was fun times nonetheless.
Humans at the zoo. :) Yes, we are all wearing Capitals t-shirts. No judging, we were "team red" at the zoo and the Caps won, so, whatever.
After we drove home in the screaming truck stuck in second gear, we watched the Caps beat the Bruins at home, and then headed to the Mellow Mushroom for some pizza and cold beers and then on to Goodberry’s for some frozen custard.
This morning, we did breakfast at Brigs, did some shopping, watched the Caps lose to Boston and then J & K headed home. It was a super quick but fun weekend and I’m so glad we were able to surprise Chris and have a great time. Thanks for the visit, you guys, it was great to see you!
Happy Earth Day!
All in Good Time 