Day 11 - 3am Date Night

Ok kiddies, it's after 3am. Your Auntie Heather got caught up in reading blogs, then tweaking her blog layout, then realized that she should have been in bed over 2 hours ago. Oops! Well, a quick blog because I'm not leavin' ya hanging tonight. Short and sweet...

Friday is date night for the hubby and me. Today, we took advantage of some new attractions Rockford has started this summer. First up was the new City Market. Think farmers market with added artisans, non-profits, and other organizations mixed in. Everything sold or represented is local (within 150 miles) and it's only going to get better! More vendors are slated to join the Market in the coming weeks, so I'm thinking this is going to become a weekly excursion for us! Good food, great local tidbits to explore, and exercise all at the same time.

But wait! There's more...

Friday nights also include Friday Nite Flix in the park. Yes, folks, free movies each Friday night only a reasonably short walk away. While we may have to go home in between the Market and the movie for dinner/playtime with our son, we'll be back in time to stretch out on the lawn with whatever (healthy) munchies I've packed for us. I was great at ignoring the free popcorn tonight and I don't think it'll be a problem on future nights either. Tonight, we enjoyed items that were purchased earlier in the evening at the Market: fresh organic fruit, low-calorie drinks, a small bag of elk jerky (Yes, I said elk), a small bag of caramel corn, and some gourmet cheese with the leftover baguette from my salad at dinner.

Oh! Dinner! Almost forgot!

Dinner was light (at least for me) before we hit the flick. We stopped at a lovely restaurant downtown called Octane. It's known for its yummy daily specials, amazing martinis and delicious coffee drinks. Think cafe/bistro/local muckety muck hangout. Hubby Scott had a gazillion-calorie burger with cheese, bacon, and chili (had a bite. Damn tasty!) and I had the soup and salad. Now, don't feel bad for me. The soup was Lemon Carrot Ginger Bisque (less cream, more carrot ginger!) and the side salad was baby greens with a touch of blue cheese, apple slices, candied walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette I might kill to get the recipe for. I only used about 1/3 of the dressing I was given, but it was plenty. Both items had so much flavor, I had no problem going vegetarian for the meal. The salad came with a mini garlic French baguette which we wrapped up and took with us to the movie. Went beautifully with the cheese, jerky, and fruit.

All in all, a evening to remember with many more planned in similar fashion throughout the summer. Oh, in case you're wondering, tonight's movie was "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Classic!! Next week... "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Yes, we'll be there. This house is a Harry Potter house after all. :)

Ok, blog (and Day 10) done and done. Now, off to sleep... 3 hours late. Zzzzzzzzzzzz........