Discontinued Pumpkin Bagels

Today turned out to be a hodgepodge of events and a pretty great day, but it started on a rough note. This morning, we left together and stopped at Noah's Bagels for breakfast. I have been craving pumpkin bagels and cream cheese for weeks. Here's how that went:

Me: Do you still have pumpkin bagels?
Noah's Lady: No.
Me: Um...really? [Hoping it's all a joke.]
Noah's Lady: Yeah, they've been discontinued.
Me: Like, forever?
Noah's Lady: Well, for the season. It's supposed to be a Thanksgiving thing, but they're gone already.
Me: The cream cheese too? [But it's not really a question. I already know the answer.]
Noah's Lady: Yep.
Me: [Taking it in, quickly progressing through the stages of grief] Oh...umm...whole wheat please.

Discontinued? Already? It's not even Thanksgiving yet! Does anyone else find anything seriously wrong with this picture? I guess it's a sign: I need to make my own pumpkin bagels. I've never made bagels before. I'm excited!

I dropped Terry off at work and then took our car in to the shop for a check up. I love to complain about having to take the car in, but I don't really mind getting an hour to read quietly. I'm hoping to finish a full book this week; right now I'm reading Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin, one of my favorite authors. It's pretty good so far!

After a trip to Target and some traffic, I made it home for a run. I suffered through shin muscle soreness, a headache, and some nausea to finally hit four miles. It was rough, but I'm glad I made it through. Actually, my run gave me an idea. Lately I've been toying with the idea of running a race, like a 10K. A lot of people do Turkey Trots or other races on Thanksgiving day, so I suggested to Terry that we create our own little route and run a 10K together on Thursday! Terry hasn't had much time to run lately because of work, so it'll be perfect. (His out-of-shape skills are about equal to my in-shape abilities.) Then we'll really be able to chow down at Thanksgiving dinner!

Today also included a trip to the UCLA Store, because folks who attended Saturday's game got 25% off today. I bought a few items, including some Christmas gifts (shh...!). I love a good discount!

Tonight was definitely the highlight of the day. I picked up Terry from work, and we met up with a friend of Terry's from college and his wife. Justin and April live near Terry's work, and we ate at Salt Creek Grille in El Segundo for dinner.

Salt Creek Grille Review
www.saltcreekgrille.com

My turkey burger and garlic fries

I love trying new restaurants, and Salt Creek certainly didn't disappoint. We scored with a half off special on bottles of wine and got to enjoy a BV Rutherford Cabernet at a great price. For dinner, Terry had the pulled pork sandwich, Justin had the miso salmon, April had the grilled chicken Caesar, and I had the turkey burger. I think the most interesting meal was April's salad, because they actually grill the romaine leaves, so there are char marks on the lettuce. Very unique. I think my turkey burger was cooked well, but there were about a million flavors competing with each other, which got a little overwhelming. I would certainly go back and try a different dish, because I really liked the ambiance and thought the menu options looked great. A few other highlights: Free garlic bread as a pre-meal snack, great service, free parking, and delicious chocolate souffle. Great meal!

The best part of the meal was getting to know two new (awesome!) people. As I mentioned, Terry and Justin are friends from college and reconnected recently. I felt that we all hit it off right away and have tons in common: Justin and I are both from the Bay Area, April and I are both bloggers, Justin and Terry both majored in Engineering, and we all love to travel, wine taste, and eat! I'm always thrilled to meet a new couple, and I'm already excited for potential wine tasting trips, cooking meals together, and getting to know each other better.

Maybe it's just me, but when you're part of a couple, meeting another couple is a lot like dating. You want to make a good first impression, you don't want to move too fast... Even after you have your significant other, you're not done with "first dates"!