Yay! It's Friday!!

The week has flown by for being fairly low-key. I'm so happy it's Friday. I arrived for work an hour early today. My boss knew that I was leaving for NC and was taking the afternoon off, so yesterday evening she suggested that I come in early.

"Less PTO time you'll have to take," she said. Although it certainly was hard getting out of bed an hour earlier (even more so because I didn't go to bed any sooner), I know it's worth it.

Last night was fun. I met Steve at Dupont Circle, one of the metro stops here in DC, and we grabbed dinner at Zorba's Cafe. It's a Greek restaurant that is VERY affordable for DC standards. It was delicious too. I had a chicken souvlaki (grilled chicken in a pita, wrapped with lettuce and cucumber sauce)... mmm. Steve had a lamb gyro that he was kind enough to let me try. We also split some hummus and pita bread. It was very delicious. It also reminded me of this place in Greensboro that I used to frequent. So, I relived some memories of Jack's Corner back home.

After dinner, we strolled around and then got some ice cream (homemade!!) at Larry's. I got Mud Pie, which is chocolate coffee (mocha?) ice cream with chocolate chips in it. Yummy. It was almost as good as my Ben and Jerry's Dublin Mudslide. Definitely a cool treat on a somewhat sticky evening.

Then, Steve accompanied me on my first bus ride! Being too intimidated to try it on my own, I gladly jumped at his idea of riding the bus home last night. What an experience! I had lots of questions and he answered all of them. It was great and he let me pull the "request a stop" cord when it was our turn to disembark. :) Hey... it's the little things in life, right?

The rest of the evening was spent with Mal as the three of us listened to some of Steve's music (that he made with his band). Very impressive... as he said, "Pink Floyd and Radiohead influenced us." Since I like both of those bands (and so does Mal), it made for some easy listening. I can see myself playing the cd quite a bit in the future.

After Steve left, I packed for NC. I'm excited about going "home" and catching up with family and friends. Tonight I'll be arriving in Durham and will visit with my grandpa and other family there. Supposedly, there are going to be a bunch of us. It'll be like a little reunion!

I'll spend the night there are then truck it to Winston/ Greensboro on Saturday. Mike and I have plans to go to my all time favorite Italian restaurant (yes, it even beats Bistro Italiano here in DC), Bianca's. It has won many awards and is a favorite in the area. Basically, it has a rotating menu (except for the main dishes). When you arrive, you choose which "entree" you'd like. Included in the entree price (which is very affordable), is an appetizer, a salad, garlic bread, a side pasta, and then dessert. Before you arrive, you have no idea (except for maybe your entree) what you will be consuming, but it is always a delicious surprise. I haven't ever had anything that I didn't love.

Mike has never been there, so I am excited about sharing "my restaurant" with him. Plans after dinner include vegging (sp?) at his house a bit before we roll (no pun intended) to "his" bowling alley. Even though I lived in Gboro for five years, and was even on a league, I never went to the alley that he enjoys.

Sunday, of course, I am excited about going to Calvary and seeing my friends!! I can hardly contain myself and am thrilled about leaving work in a couple hours. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's looking fabulous...