Drive In Movie Date Night

Rob and I had such a fun date night on Friday at the drive in movie.  Four times during the summer, one of the car dealerships in Pensacola organizes a free drive in movie near the baseball stadium and right on the bay.  As soon as I heard about it, I knew this was just our speed.  We went to a drive in movie in Blacksburg a couple of years ago and had a great time, but I think this drive in was even better!  Being right on the water we had an awesome breeze (no bugs!) and getting out after the movie was fast and efficient.

The movie started at 8:30 (Sherman and Mr. Peabody---but the movie is really only part of the experience!) and I read online that parking fills up fast.  Of course, we were there right at 6 when they started parking and were the first car on the lot!  It was worth it as we ended up with one of the best spots on the lot, right in the front of the truck section, with a huge open area in front of us.


After parking the car, we walked around downtown and grabbed picnic food to bring back for the movie.  We stopped by Seville's for our Friday tradition of wine tasting and picked up a bottle of wine for the movie.  Luckily they helped us pick out a great twist off because we forgot our bottle opener!  Our next stop was Ever'mans for some wraps, chips and sweets.  Then we walked back to the movie to get all set up.  We blew up the air mattress in the bed of the truck, covered it with pillows and blankets, and then climbed in for the movie.  Our set up was so comfy, I totally could have slept there all night!

T R A V E L :: Surprise Virginia Trip

Secrets are hard to keep but seriously is there anything better than a good surprise?!  My sister graduated from high school last week so I flew back to Virginia to surprise her for her graduation party.  My family had NO IDEA!  My dad was in on the surprise because I needed him to pick me up from the airport but when I walked in the house my mom immediately started crying and my sister was totally shocked.



The timing also worked out great because I was able to surprise Rob's parents and my extended family who came in town for the party. I haven't seen most of them since Christmas so it was such a treat to be able to spend time with them.


I was even able to squeeze in a quick trip North to see Casey's brand new baby boy. Molly drove down from Philly and we met at Casey's place to meet Landon. He was only 10 days old and so so precious. I am so glad we got to catch up for a little and meet him.  It's crazy to think Casey was just telling us she was pregnant on her trip to Pensacola and now Landon is already here!

The trip was short but sweet and I'm glad I squeezed in seeing as many people as possible!

Friday Favorites

Eating :: Malvi Marshmallow Confections in flavors like Raspberry Hibiscus and Passion Fruit Coconut.

Drinking :: Elderflower & Rose Lemonade from The Fresh Market. Seriously SO amazing!

Reading :: The Paleo Kitchen.  Although it took three stores and a whole lot of begging for the last copy, I finally got my hands on this gorgeous cookbook.  Earlier this week, I made the BBQ Sweet Potato Nachos and they were delicious!

Enjoying :: Wine tasting at Seville's is our Friday night tradition.  No matter what, our plans always include a quick stop to taste a few wines, snack on some cheese, and chat.  Last week while browsing the wine store, we came across this funny bottle for a wine called "Sexual Chocolate".  The label is hilarious and any wine that "pairs well with Wednesday nights" is my type of wine.  Melanie, our favorite wine pourer, told us they actually called the number on the label one night and Brandon answered!  She said he was super nice and funny and tries to answer anytime people call.  Their website cracks me up and wine tasting with them is now officially on my bucket list!

Celebrating :: My sister graduated from high school so by the time this posts, I will be back home in Virginia surprising her for her graduation party!

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Solo Flight in the T-6

After what felt like a zillion cancellations due to weather, Rob solo-ed in the T-6!  It was such an exciting day and I was so proud to see him fly up there by himself.  He has been learning to fly this specific plane for ~5 months so it was awesome to see all the hard work pay off.  He still has lots to learn about flying this plane and will fly alone several more times in it over the next couple of months but this first solo flight is a big deal!



The aviation community has a ton of cool traditions.  When Rob completed his solo flight at IFS, the tradition was to cut off the tail of your shirt, sign it, and hang it on the wall.  This time when he completed his solo in the T-6 (bigger, faster plane), VT-3 has a tradition of dunking the newly solo-ed student in the "dunk tank".  Although it was almost 95 degrees out, the water in the dunk tank did not look appealing!  Rob was a good sport though and splashed around/swam a couple laps ;)



When he went to turn in his paperwork, the secretary turned on the bubble machine, blew her horn, and started blasting "Ridin' Solo" by Jason DeRulo!  I loved this tradition and could not stop laughing when she made Rob dance in the bubbles.

After we went home and got cleaned up, we grabbed lunch at Norma's at Duh to celebrate.  This is one of our absolute favorite restaurants in Pensacola as everything on the menu is amazing.  Her chicken salad is practically famous in Pensacola, the poppy seed dressing on the fruit is delicious, and every meal comes with her signature bread pudding for dessert.



Last time we had lunch at Norma's, I had to buy the cookbook because I just couldn't get enough of the chicken salad.  While it was tasty at home, I never pass up a chance to eat in the restaurant.  Located inside of Duh, I can't resist exploring and daydreaming in all of the stores of Duh after lunch.  I can only compare Duh to interior decorating heaven!

VT-3 Spouse Orientation

Although Rob has been in VT-3 for several months now, new people are always coming in and graduating out.  They have a spouse orientation every couple of months and I was excited to be able to attend this one.



We had dinner, listened to a couple of speakers and then got to see what the flight students do at work everyday.  I was able to try on his gear, check out the T-6 (the plane he flies), and even fly on my own in the simulator.  While I joked that I was hand picked to be the next Blue Angel, I seriously don't know how he does it!  I was dizzy enough in the simulator just doing one turn upside down and my "landing" definitely would have required an ejection seat...

I can't believe that Rob actually flies this everyday! That never ceases to amaze me!

DIY Headboard (No Saw Needed!)

After months of lusting over gorgeous studded headboards like the ones from Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Restoration Hardware but not being willing to spend close to $2,000 on a headboard, I knew it was time to take on this DIY project.  I pinned numerous tutorials but kept running into the same problem -- I do not own a saw.  And even if I could get my hands on a saw, my third story apartment was not exactly conducive to woodwork!  Not willing to give up on this headboard, I had to get creative.

I decided to use canvases as the base of my headboard.  Since they are already framed in wood, I figured they would be sturdy enough to hold yet easy enough to use without requiring power tools.  I measured my bed (queen size) and found canvases with measurements that worked evenly with the width of my bed.  I ordered all of my supplies from Amazon so everything was delivered straight to my door.

Supplies I used:

Three 24x36 inch Canvases (here) 

One 81x96 inch Batting (here)

Staple gun and 1/2 in Wood Staples (here)

One Canvas Drop Cloth

Two Packages of Upholstery Nailhead Trim (here) 

Directions:

Staple canvases together on front and back side.  Fold batting in half to double up and smooth flat.  Lay canvases on top and wrap batting over canvases and staple tightly.  Next, lay drop cloth (or any fabric) smooth and staple tightly over canvases.  Be sure to continue to pull taut and smooth as you staple to ensure smooth front.  Flip canvases over and add nailhead trim.

Coming in at only $95 (including the staple gun!), I was thrilled with the finished product!  Since several moves are in our near future, I did not nail the headboard to our bed.  I simply rested the headboard on our bedside tables and haven't had any problems with it moving at all.  Time to tack my next project :)

Joe Patti's Seafood Market

We are completely spoiled by the abundance of fresh seafood in Pensacola.  It is so easy to eat fresh and local here so we try to take advantage of it while we can.  Joe Patti's Seafood Market not only has every type of fresh seafood you could possibly want, but it is quite the experience and a bit of a Pensacola landmark.  Just a couple of blocks from Palafox Street, Joe Patti's is a world of its own.


There is definitely an art to a successful trip.  They run a tight ship and while everyone is super friendly, I always feel like if I mess up the flow there will be a Seinfeld moment. (No fish for you!)  It is always less crowded in the mornings so if you go in the afternoon just be patient and expect the place to be wall to wall with people...especially on a hot summer day.


When you walk in you will be tempted to grab a number....don't!  Take some time to walk around first and see what you looks good.   When they call your number, you need to be ready with your order so make sure you know what you want first.  Joe Patti's is huge, with a large wine store, a market with deli meats, cheeses, and fresh baked breads, a sushi bar and a gelato counter, in addition to the seafood market.  I could spend an hour just browsing all of the speciality items!  Once you know what you want, take a number from the uniformed cop (like I said, Joe Patti's is serious!)  and wait for your name to be called.


After you get your seafood and other goodies, head to the counter to pay.  You can get your seafood steamed right there or they will put it on ice for you to take home (If you have a large order, be sure to bring your own cooler!)  Our usual order is few pounds of steamed shrimp, a crusty baguette and a bottle of wine to take to the beach for an easy beach picnic.  (Although this weekend we brought fresh shrimp home to make shrimp tacos with fruit salsa!)





No Joe Patti's trip is complete without a stop at the beignets truck in the parking lot.  Seriously who can resist hot, messy, powered sugar-y beignets...especially ones filled with raspberry or bavarian creme!?!

Five on Friday {Catch-Up}

So many things have happened in the last several months while my blog was MIA (you can also catch up here) so this Five on Friday will be used for a quick catch up!

1. Flight Suit Friday
Rob graduated from API in October and had his Flight Suit Friday(the first day they get to wear their flight suits!)  We had a great time celebrating at the O Club and he has been happily wearing his flight suit everyday to work since.



2. Friendsgiving
We went home for Christmas and New Years but spent Thanksgiving in Pensacola.  I hosted Thanksgiving at our place for all of our friends who stayed in town and think I did pretty well for my first one.  Let's just say a double oven is totally on my must list for my dream house, though ;)

3. DIY Headboard
After graduating from API, Rob started primary at Whiting Field which was about an hour and a half from our place in Perdido Key so we made the move an hour north to cut down on some of his commute.  While moving ourselves again was not ideal and it was difficult to leave our condo on the beach, our new place is very conveniently located to everything.  The new place also energized me to do a DIY project that had been on my list for a while -- build a headboard for our bed.  I am still totally in love with how it turned out!


4. McGuire's 5K 
I should have guessed that McGuire's would know how to do St. Patrick's Day right but their annual 5K is seriously above and beyond.  This run was honestly one of the best run 5Ks I have ever done.  The t-shirts were high quality, the food and drinks after the race were plentiful (free irish wakes and irish stew) and while over 14,000 people take part, there were virtually no lines to wait.  The bands were great and people partied for hours after the race was finished.  It was definitely not a fast race to get your best time but we had a blast!


5. Mullet Toss 
We celebrated my 25th birthday at the Mullet Toss at the Flora-Bama.  This is a giant beach party where people gather to throw a mullet (the fish) across the state line from Florida to Alabama.  It was so much fun!  I even threw the mullet and while I barely made it across the state line, I kept people laughing with my facial expressions about holding a dead fish ;)

Linking up here