Pretending-it's-Summer Kind of Weekend

This weekend Terry and I enjoyed the gorgeous weather and other benefits of living in LA, all while avoiding work (until today) and relaxing to the fullest. 

It started Friday afternoon - a hangout with the other teachers in my department - before Terry and I headed out to dinner. We chose Simmzy's, a favorite of ours, but I was actually a little disappointed with my selection. I should have stuck with the tried-and-true burger. 

On Saturday, we allowed ourselves to sleep in--or at least I did. Scout woke Terry up, and the boys hung out while I continued to sleep until almost 8 am! Amazing. But then we were off to the races!

A looooooong time ago, we purchased a Groupon to participate in the Amazing LA Race with Heidi and Edward. We finally booked a date to play, and yesterday we ended up in Hollywood to start the scavenger hunt around the city. The game only had four teams yesterday, but the idea is that all the teams meet up at the starting line with a clue, and then you're off around some famous spots in LA to solve more puzzles, a bit similar to the TV show Amazing Race. And we had a blast!

And...we won!

Perhaps being the best of only four teams isn't that awesome, but we finished in "only" three hours (par for the course is more like four hours). Also, one of the women from another team threw a total fit about not winning and even refused to take the third place medal. So I'd say anyone who didn't do that was a winner. We also covered a LOT of ground in those three hours:

So I'd say it was a pretty awesome day! Bonuses: Getting to see parts of LA we hadn't before, riding the Metro (LA's subway) for the first time, and checking out places we'd like to go back to. The finish line even included a free beer, and who can complain about that? The company hosts several different races, so we're already excited about trying another one soon!

After the crazy day, I had zero desire to cook, so we made it a cheese-and-salami night while watching Moonrise Kingdom--super cute, I highly recommend it (the movie, but actually the whole evening was cute, so I recommend that too).

I was exhausted and asleep by 9:45 pm. Not a bad Saturday night.

This morning we woke up by 7, and I squeezed in a quick yoga session before heading to the farmer's market.

The ripe summer produce got me in the mood for a fruit salad.

And the rest of our haul: bell pepper, oranges, zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries, cherries, eggs, and yams.

We also made it to a movie today! We've been wanting to see Iron Man 3 for weeks. It was excellent! Definitely on par with the other two.

We spent the rest of the day cleaning, relaxing, eating a seriously delicious turkey-avocado sandwich for lunch, and watching more Arrested Development. Then we enjoyed a long walk around our neighborhood and some delicious turkey burgers a la Chef Terry--on the grill, no less! I finally got around to some school work and feel prepped for the week ahead! On the menu:

• Turkey burgers with tomato-avocado-balsamic salad (tonight)
• Ina Garten's Italian wedding soup (new recipe!)
• Grilled veggie and cheese sandwiches with sweet potato fries 
• Eating out one or two nights

Looks like a good week with lots to do and plenty of delicious meals. Off to enjoy the rest of Sunday!

Do your summer weekends feel different from the rest of the year? How do you change it up?