Mom's Visit

John took a trip to Little Rock and Memphis this past week for the Society of American Music conference. So I thought it would be fun to ask my mom to come up and keep me company. Sunday was her birthday, so we celebrated in (relaxed) style. I only managed to take pictures of things that happened on Sunday, but on Friday and Saturday we went to Zen Gardens and Bungalow for dinner, and I got to introduce Mom to the magical wonder of Bulk Barn.
On Sunday, we went to Morrissey House for breakfast. I've eaten there many times, but somehow never for breakfast, and it didn't disappoint. I had the huevos rancheros with potatoes. A++.

Matthew came over for a dinner of gnocchi in tomato broth from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (recipe here). For dessert, we each split these cupcakes from Hey, Cupcake, a place very near our house that I've never tried before. Clockwise: chunky monkey (banana chocolate), carrot cake (Mom's favorite), and peanut butter cup (almost too rich to eat, but awesome). 

While I cooked, we followed the IU-Michigan game on my phone. Mom called out  the updates while I finished dinner, and IU just barely pulled out a win! It was very exciting, and a great touch to the birthday dinner. Now they're the Big Ten champs!

                             

 IU basketball, gin and tonics, and cupcakes. A pretty good birthday.

Over the weekend, my friend Gwen asked me to dog sit for her very sweet and well behaved dog, Ollie. Mom and I loved having Ollie to play with. I even got to take him running, which was so much fun. I've always wanted a dog running partner. Running with him was just like I've heard other people say - it was easy to relax and enjoy running because I could see how much fun he was having. I tend to over think running, among other things (I know, you're shocked), and it was fun to see Ollie run just for the sheer fun of it. It helped me relax and just run without thinking too much. The house is a little too quiet now that he's gone.