Sangria Cures All

Oh Sunday, I always really enjoy you, and I deeply, deeply hate seeing you go. Your departure means one thing: Monday (and back to reality).

How do I fight reality?  With Saturday night post-carwashing sangria:

And Mother-in-law’s Baked Ziti:

After dinner, we met up with an old co-worker of mine and her husband at Culhane’s Irish Pub for drinks.  Culhane’s is actually going to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives sometime early this summer!  I had a “The Cranberries” martini.  The menu touted that the mix of vanilla vodka and cranberry juice tasted like  cheesecake, and I was astounded at how much it actually did!

This morning we nursed our mini-hangovers with breakfast at IHOP with the in-laws, Brandon’s brother, and our two nieces, Sofia & Ella.   I haven’t eaten at IHOP in 5 or 6 years easily!  There was a girl walking around making balloon animals for the kids, and Miss Sofia got herself a butterfly:

And I got myself some whole wheat french toast, turkey bacon, and scrambled Egg Beaters:

See that huge chunk o’ butter?  Yeah, I didn’t even use it.  But I did use some Butter Pecan Syrup.  I could drink that stuff!

In all our gluttonous glory, Bran and I curled up with the dogs for a short nap.  Then we hit the beach.

I ran, and Brandon kayaked.  I forgot how hard it is to run on a softer surface.  While the beach here in Jacksonville is packed a lot harder than down in Melbourne, it was still difficult.  I eked out 3 miles somehow.  My legs still feel like Jell-O!  Mmm.  Jell-O.  Oh, how easily side-tracked I am!

Anyways, my point is this:  I want to run the Tour de Pain in August. Its 3 races in 24 hours.  It starts Friday PM with a 4 mile beach run.  Saturday AM there’s a 5k.  And Saturday afternoon? A mile sizzler.  I really need to get used to running on the beach if I have any hope of survival.  I do realize that running something called the “Tour de Pain” does make me sound a little unstable.  So with that said, anyone want to do it with me?  Ashlee?  Ashley?  Dawn?  Sonja?  Hmmm? Bueller?

Since father-in-law flies out every Sunday night, we typically have a late lunch/early dinner around 4pm.  After my “tough” run at the beach, I was craving beer.  And Brandon?  He was too (he always is though).  I had the Shock Top with an orange, and he had a Dos Equis with a lime:

If it would’ve been Dos Equis Amber with a lime, I would’ve been all over it. And my love for Bratwurst was fulfilled:

Along with some wonderful Asian slaw, grilled asparagus with olive oil and kosher salt, and DORITOS.  If you don’t like Doritos, there is something wrong with you.  There, I said it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!