Smithsonian Saturday

This week I saw Groupon that I knew Jay and I would enjoy, tickets to the Smithsonian IMAX Theatre (the deal is good through today!)

Without hesitation, I bought it and we planned a little date. I wanted to make sure we got tickets to the show I wanted to see, so we headed downtown a little early to peruse the National Museum of Natural History.

We both really enjoyed the exhibit The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins before seeing the film Grand Canyon Adventure.

The show was definitely worth the Groupon. We even considered buying another one!

Even though we didn’t end up purchasing more tickets, I would like to go back before January to see the exhibit Race: Are We So Different?. Good thing we live so close!

What have you seen at an IMAX theatre?

Happy 1st Blogiversary!!

Wow, have I really been doing this for a year?!?!?!?! I can’t believe it, time really does fly when you’re having fun!

One year ago today, my friend Theresa inspired me to start my blog. My adventure started on a whim. I saw other people I knew blogging and thought, I could do that! I was relatively new to the blogging world, as in I only started reading blogs a month prior, but I was hooked!!! And when I mean blogs, it was like two or three, now I follow almost 75 bloggers in my reader. Thank you to the bloggers who inspired me to start this little hobby and thank you to all of you. I really can’t stress how much my readers and commenters motivate me to write.

For a little throw back, click here to check out my very first post. (I wish I had an initial screen shot of the blog).

Last night Jay and I went out to celebrate y blogiversary (or the successful negotiation of our new  lease…)

After much debate to frequent an Old Town favorite or try something new, we opted for the new pizza place by the water. Sadly, we were disappointed with the quality of our food. I was glad we tried something new, since there are so many restaurants in Old Town, but I came home dreaming Layla’s Lebanese.

Oh well, at least we got some Pop’s Ice Cream while we were there!!!

Besides our little date night, I got my hair-cut!!! Excuse me for looking goofy, but isn’t the hair-cut cute?

Well that is it for today!!! Off to enjoy my first Friday OFF!!

How long have you been blogging?

Not a blogger: Have you ever thought about starting a blog? What is holding you back?

What is your favorite blog to read? (besides mine of course ;)

Messy Messy Spaghetti

This afternoon Jay and I had a little miscommunication about our evening activities. As a result, I complied with his wishes and we did what his heart desired. This included riding our bikes to the Mt. Vernon trail, playing catch, riding into Old Town and eating Spaghetti.

Spaghetti is Jay’s favorite meal, so we make it often. So often, in fact, that I have not only perfected my recipe, but I have several (to keep ME interested).

Tonight's recipe included only five ingredients:

• Rigatoni Pasta
• Diced Tomatoes with basil, Garlic & Oregano
• Mixed Frozen Pepper Strips
• Italian Style Meatballs
• Mozzarella Cheese

And the directions are just as simple:

1. Boil water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add Rigatoni and let cook for 14 minutes.
2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, add the meatballs, diced tomatoes and frozen peppers to another pot. DO NOT DRAIN the tomatoes. When the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low heat.
3. Once the Rigatoni is cooked, drain and return to its pot. Pour the sauce over the rigatoni and mix them.
4. Serve with mozzarella cheese.

Now that is the best way to recover from an afternoon bike ride!

What date night would define your spouse or significant other? What is his/her favorite meal, or do they prefer to eat out?

On a completely different note:  I know my poor camera from the summer of 2006 is dying :( Please let me know if you have any point-and-shoot camera suggestions. Jay has a DSLR… I promise to start using his camera more for blog pictures!!!

Kanlaya Thai Cuisine

Saturday evening, Jay and I decided to have a Groupon/ Living Social date night.

We started the evening at Kanlaya Thai Cuisine in Chinatown. A few months ago my boss saw this Groupon pop-up and recommended it to me. Jay and I find that Groupon/ Living Social is a great way to explore new restaurants on date night while staying within our budget.

As soon as we sat down, we knew that this was a great pre-movie restaurant. It is located around the corner from the Chinatown movie theatre and has very reasonable menu prices. In fact, we had trouble using the entire $40 value we had on our Groupon.

Jay was able to order a beer (he could have had 2) and we had the Golden Triangle appetizer. Honestly, I found this appetizer a little flavor-less. It was a simply crispy fried tofu, served w/ crushed peanuts and sweet dipping sauce. The sweet dipping sauce saved the dish.

For dinner, I had Tofu with mixed Vegetable Pad King (ginger, onions, scallions and mushrooms in light bean sauce). As you can tell from the picture I dug right in. It was soo tasty, that I had to remind myself to stop and take a picture before cleaning my plate. This delicious and filling meal was only $10.

Meanwhile, Jay opted for the Beef Pad Thai (Rice noodles with spiced tofu, egg, bean sprouts, scallions and peanuts). He loved it and also found it very filling. I had a quick bite of his and was very glad for my menu choice. But in the end, he was happy and that is all that matters. His meal came in it the perfect price of $12.

(Source)

After dinner we saw Water for Elephants. Jay choose Sucker Punch with our last Fandango Living Social coupon, so I got to choose the movie. I was very tempted to make him see Disney’s Prom, but alas I was a nice fiancé and took him to Water for Elephants. He was nice enough to acknowledge that for a chick flick he was entertained. I also liked the movie, but I didn’t love it. Maybe I am getting old, but I thought there was way too much violence!!!

Have you see Water for Elephants? What did you think?

What restaurants have you discovered through Groupon or Living Social? Tell me the good, bad and ugly!