I loved today. Why wouldn’t I? We had no plans so I could spend the day in a much more relaxed state. Well, comparatively relaxed. I still took the extra time to get a few things done that I knew would never happen during the week.

For starters, I went through and organized all of Braedon and Makenzie’s clothing. I packed up clothes that are now too small for them and brought out the jeans and long sleeves to have easier access to them as the weather cools down. I definitely still left some summer wear out too, though. I know we aren’t done with the 90s yet here in Georgia!

During the afternoon, I actually had time to sit and relax with some blog reading. Usually I am rushing to do a million and one things during the week. It makes for a hectic week, but I always appreciate it come Saturday. Now, I have just returned from a shopping date with Makenzie. We went to a kid’s consignment store to pick up some extra clothes for Makenzie since I didn’t find much at consignment sales for her earlier in the year. Of course little miss girly-girl loved every minute.

I scored big time. I got Halloween costumes and Christmas outfits + pajamas for both kids, then 13 shirts , 6 pairs of pants, a pair of tights, and three sets of pajamas for Makenzie. All for $78!!! I love shopping consignment. I wish I could do all my shopping that way for myself. And that they had adult sizes of this gem.

Like Mother like daughter, that’s for sure!  

And it’s that time again. FFF Features of the Week! I never expect you all to keep up with every post I write, so each week I play catch up with my favorites. Find the posts that I enjoyed writing the most, that sparked the most discussion, or that had the most cuteness…as well as one of my favorite blogs for you to check out. Have a great night!

FFF Features

Featured Personal Post: The Jeans

I made some new Body After Baby progress – fitting into these jeans for the first time in 2 years! Who needs a scale?

Featured Blogging Post: Increasing Blog Readership

I definitely am not an expert, but shared my thoughts and experience. So glad you all seemed to appreciate it!

Featured Workout Post: I Signed Up For My Second Half Marathon!

Runner-Up: New Treadmill Interval Workout

Featured Food Post: Flashback To My Meals In My Competition Days

It’s still painful for me to look at!

Featured Fun Post: Seeing Wicked At The Fox Theater

Runner-Up: Going On A Radio Show

Featured Body Image Post: Barbie – Yes or No?

Oh, did I love hearing all of your thoughts on this topic!

Featured Cuteness: Two Videos Full of Cute - Makenzie eating “peanut butter fingers” and then M & B playing peekaboo together. Also, this picture of B loving on a rabbit that I never got the chance to share. Love!

Featured Reading: Running To The Kitchen

I fall more and more in love with Gina’s blog with every post I read. She shares amazing recipes, showcases great photography, provides inspiration, and adds a lot of fun to my Google Reader as well. I bet you will love her too!

• Are you good at finding bargains in one specific “area”? I stink at things like couponing, but kid’s stuff I rock the deals!

• Did you ever have special dates with your mom or dad when growing up? What things did you typically do? I do the library and shopping with M.

Oof. It was rough waking up this morning. I didn’t want the weekend to end. Did anyone else fall of the edge of the social media and blogging world with me? If so, let me catch you up with at least the happenings around here:

• The Epitome of Exciting
• Kidnapped!! <— Peter hijacked the blog!
• Self-Love Reflection: Loving the Old and New Me
• I’m Such A Tease

For those of you who were around Saturday afternoon, you may recall Peter’s mischievous ways and his hopes of surprising me. Well, they worked. Like a charm. I had NO idea.

When I originally signed off on Saturday morning’s post, I thought I would be heading to meet up with some friends to go to a parade and town festival for the day with the kids. I was frantically showering and getting ready after my run, when Peter told me I didn’t have to rush. I kept telling him “No! I have to leave in 20 minutes! I do have to rush!”

After a lot of assurance, I realized he was serious that he had taken the kids to his mom’s for the day again without me knowing. He then told me we had no plans, but he wanted me to have a relaxing day since he knows how hard I work. Works for me! I settled in on the couch right away…until a few hours later when he told me to go get dressed and plopped some tickets to go see Wicked in my lap!

I may have been just slightly excited.  

As soon as I heard Wicked was coming to the Fox Theater in Atlanta I was dying to go to the show. I love Broadway musicals. I love the story line of Wicked. I love the music of Wicked. And I loooovvveee The Fox.

It has such a charm to it. The inside is designed to look like an outdoor theater from ye olde times, complete with a starry night sky and castle turrets inside the theater.

Don’t you love my sneaky low-light pictures I nabbed before the show started? And oh, the show! I want to go back. Like…today.

I loved it just as much as I thought I would. The characters all played their roles extremely well to make for a very entertaining show. And the music blew me away! I have a feeling I will be singing “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” in my head for weeks now. I really adore the story line of the Wicked Witch not really being so wicked, but instead showing the back story of a harder childhood and her battle against other “evils”. The hype people give it comes with good reason. Even Peter enjoyed himself and this is so not his type of thing.

Don’t worry. He got his type of thing after the show.

With dinner! Dinner, you naughty little thinkers!!!

We had a couple deals to use for the 5 Seasons Brewing Company and we used them well. I love that they let us combine two deals for one meal. It meant we could each get a beer, some appetizers to share, and a meal.

We each got a beer, although we both agreed my choice of the Maibock – a “hoppy” beer with a sweeter finish – won out. I know how to pick ‘em! Strong, but sweet…like my man!

Although that beer at the 5 Seasons Brewing Company certainly stole the show, we had some good food as well. We shared a beet, arugula, goat cheese, and walnut salad…

…plus some beer-battered onion rings for appetizers.

We obviously like to keep things balanced.

Both of the appetizers were fantastic and filled me up pretty well along with the beer, but I still had dinner coming my way.

I ended up ordering the BBQ sandwich with a spicy Chipotle sauce and sweet potato fries. The meal itself was kind of “meh” on Saturday. I remember the sweet potato fries being a lot better when I went for an Atlanta blogger meet-up earlier this year. And I probably should have stuck with the portabella burger I fell in love with then as well. Live and learn!

The meal still left me quite content and I couldn’t beat the company.

Oh, wait. Not the giant, ceramic, beer-loving turtle. This guy.

He is seriously too good to me. Thanks, Peter, for giving me a Wicked awesome day.  

• Have you ever seen a musical in theater? Which one(s)? Did you love it?
• Are you easily surprised? As Peter mentioned, I am NOT. I usually figure things out…but this time I really had no idea it was coming my way Saturday.