The Weekly Wrap-Up is a new blog link-up hosted by myself and it's fairly self-explanatory. Simply join in on Sunday to give us a recap of your week - share your favourite purchases, recipes, photos, whatever! The Weekly Wrap-Up will allow you to give closure to the previous week and prepare for a brand new start on Monday. If you'd like to join in, simply grab a copy of the button above, leave a link back to Janine Allison, and add your URL in the link-up gadget at the bottom of this post!
R e c a p
I worked Monday-Friday this week which meant that I had little time for blogging or much else. Aside from attending a few appointments, going to zumba, and visiting with Jordan's family, I did very little other than work and sleep. Thankfully I had a fun weekend to make up for it! We planned a trip to the city with our tenants-turned-friends, Matt and Brittany a few weeks ago. Usually Matt and I work opposite weekends which means that we are limited to hanging out during the weekdays but we were both off this weekend and we wanted to do something fun together.
We left after work on Friday and made the two-hour drive, just stopping at the mall briefly before heading to our hotel. We booked The Duckworth Inn as it was only $46 a night and in the downtown area, plus Matt and Brittany had stayed there before and said it was nice and, more importantly, clean. We were definitely impressed with the hotel! We had upgraded to a Deluxe Queen (yes, for that price!) as we were forewarned that the rooms are small and we had plenty of space. It's an old heritage house downtown which means that it had gorgeous wooden floors, a brick fireplace, and radiation heaters. The bathroom was small but had a huge walk-in shower and was more than sufficient for two people. As a bonus there was also free wifi and an on-site restaurant (though we did not eat there). You could definitely tell the age of the building as there was some peeling paint but overall, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.
Friday night we made a reservation at the Bernard Stanley Gastropub. I loved the ambience there, especially the sign that said "No, we do not have wifi. Pretend this is 1997 and talk to each other!". I started with a Black Currant Sour to drink, though I ended up preferring Jordan's Cranberry Margarita. Jordan ordered fried calamari to start which was alright, though I would have preferred more flavour. On the plus side, it was a huge serving and was perfectly cooked! I ordered the roasted butternut squash soup from the limited edition Valentine's Day menu and it was delicious! I'm not a huge fan of goat cheese but the candied bacon was to die for and again, the serving size was huge - I couldn't finish it! For my main, I ordered the roast chicken breast with Jiggs hash, sautéed spinach, dressing and a Guinness and mushroom gravy. The Jiggs hash is a Newfoundland specialty which is essentially fried leftover vegetables with salt beef and yes, it was delicious. I only managed to eat about half of my meal after the starter but I wish I could finish it off now! Jordan ordered the grilled striploin steak with béarnaise sauce and rosemary potato wedges which he really enjoyed. I personally was not a fan of the sauce, but as a rule I generally don't like heavy sauces anyway. His steak came out rare despite him ordering a medium but he ate most if it regardless which indicates how much he enjoyed it. The waitress did notice the mistake and offered to replace it but he chose not to. Overall, we enjoyed our meals and would recommend checking it out! Apparently they do an awesome brunch there as well.
After eating, we headed to O'Reilly's and The Merchant Tavern as Matt was dropping off groomsmen gifts to his friends. The Merchant Tavern had an amazing vibe (marble tables, wooden walls, a gigantic moose head) and we definitely want to head back there for a meal. We just had a drink there this time before heading to Yellowbelly Brewery to meet up with Matt and Brittany's friends for drinks (side note: also recommend eating there!). At the end of the night, we headed to Christian's bar for a final drink before heading back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we checked out and headed to Rocket Bakery for a cup of tea and a treat before lunch. I've been there before but I've always taken it to go and now it may just be my favourite coffee shop in St. John's. I had a tea and a raspberry macaron and it was honestly the best macaron that I've ever eaten. I also introduced Brittany to the world of macarons and needless to say, she is a major convert! After that, we headed to Sushi Island for all-you-can-eat sushi, which was to die for. I'm still partial to the crab rolls, dynamite rolls and salmon tempura rolls though!
After lunch, we went to Escape Quest for another escape room since we enjoyed the first one so much! We did "1892: The Great Fire" room this time but sadly we did not escape in time. After that we just headed to a few stores to finish up our shopping and then came back home. Overall we had such a great weekend - I love having friends who have so much in common with us!
L o v e s
- My good friend Jamie is battling cystic fibrosis and is currently in Toronto receiving his assessment for a double lung transplant. As Jamie is no longer able to work right now, a friend of his set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for him. I would love it if you could click here and donate or even just share the page on social media. Every little bit counts and I'm sure he will appreciate it!
- One perk of having small feet is that I am able to shop in the kids section! I picked up these lace-up flats from Old Navy this weekend. I really wanted the black pair but they were sold out in my size (the size 5 was actually too big - I needed a 4!) so I grabbed the leopard pair but I will probably buy the black pair as well.
- The sun has been shining and while the temperatures are still cold, it is giving me hope that spring is coming! However...
D i s l i k e s
- There is a huge blizzard forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I am so over the snow and winter in general!
- Seriously, how is tomorrow Monday already? I'm kind of dreading this week but I'm crossing my fingers for some good news later in the week.
O n T h e B l o g
Here's what you may have missed on Janine Allison this week..
I hope you enjoyed the first Weekly Wrap-Up - feel free to link up below and join in!
