Leftover for Lunch

I spent the weekend leading up to New Year’s Eve manically cleaning my house. I took down all the Christmas decorations (sad) and reorganized them. Then I tackled the garage and spare bedroom. I cleaned and organized and purged. I have so much to donate now! About four big bags and a few boxes, too.

I rewarded my hard work with some things, too. I had lunch with my friend Star and then we got pedicures. We also played with another friends new puppy! Oh my gosh, she was so adorable! Only 7 weeks old, teeny tiny and still a little wobbly on her feet. She was such a sweetheart though. When I held her she tried to kiss my face and nuzzled my neck. She was very playful, too.

Can you STAND the cuteness?? OMG I wanted to keep her! She was a poodle schnauzer mix and so well behaved. Our friend Bob was a dog trainer so I think the little pup is in good hands. I’m sure when Michael and I get a dog we’ll use Bob for training help.

I also got in a few great workouts. I discovered that if I warm up on the bike before trying to run, I don’t have any pain. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Time will tell. Either way, I ran 1.10 miles and felt fantastic!

On Sunday I had the opportunity to meet another blogger! I’ve followed Leah’s blog, Leftover for Lunch, for a few years now. I loved her website because she posted recipes that were usually pretty simple and delicious. I’ve tried many of her recipes. She’s also done a few guest posts for me. If you missed them, check them out here: The Battle of The Calorie Counters and Half Marathon Tips for N00bs.

We’ve talked about meeting in real life a few times. She lives near Seattle and it would have been fun to meet up with her when I visit family. Unfortunately, those weekend trips to Seattle end up being packed full trying to see everyone so we never met. Until now! Leah and her husband were in Portland eating and drinking their way into the New Year and Michael and I met them for lunch.

We met at the Rogue Pub in downtown Portland. I’ve never been to the one here in town, only the one at Newport. I was excited to try it and hang out with new friends. It’s always kind of strange meeting someone you know online in person. It’s like you’re old friends, but new at the same time. There wasn’t any awkwardness, so that was good.

Beer tasting! I got 4 samplers. The red, the Chipotle ale and two IPAs. I loved the two IPAs on the right end. I believe one was called Brutal IPA (so damn good). If I’d ordered a full pint it would have been of that one. Leah was drinking the stouts (too dark for me) and her hubby was an IPA fan like us. It was fun to talk about beer with them since they were essentially in town touring all the breweries. 🙂

Michael went big and ordered a full drink. He wasn’t messing around with little samplers. 🙂 I ordered the chicken pita sandwich. It came with chips and a pickle. It was pretty good, but a tad dry and could have used a little more dressing in it.

Michael got the mac n’ cheese. He said it was okay but obviously it doesn’t compare to his–they rarely do! We chatted a bit and finished up our lunch and beers and then parted ways. They had lots of sightseeing to do. And I had a garage to finish cleaning.

Dinner was a pork chop, baked squash and steamed veggies. We ended Sunday with a blissful and very much needed 90 minute massage. My muscles have been crying lately!

QUESTION: Have you ever had a puppy? Tell me about it!