Night Out with Friends!

A few weeks ago, my friend Jeanette mentioned that since I was here for my birthday, we should make the most of it and go out! So after talking to my friends from West Lake (my old school), we decided to go out to dinner and then to karaoke at a local bar! It was a wonderful night spent with some of my closest friends! I had a great time catching up with them outside of school! I also loved singing and dancing with my friends! Thanks ladies for an awesome night out! You are wonderful friends who I love and cherish deeply!

The 7 of us at the restaurant

(clockwise)

Michele, Brooke L, Jeanette, Laurie, Brooke C, Melissa, me

Once we got to Napper Tandy's, Melissa got her hand on the book! The book that holds all the songs we can choose from to sing! Jeanette, me, Melissa and Brooke L sang "No Scrubs" by TLC! It was too much fun!!

Brooke C, Jeanette, Melissa, Brooke L and me in the parking garage before heading home

SNOW!!!

Thursday morning we woke up to 6 inches of snow! After getting all bundled up, we headed out to play in it! It was great packing snow!

The view of our backyard

Ready to throw snowballs!

Building a snowman

Selfies with Diesel, our snowman!

Group Pics with Diesel

Ta-dah! Diesel is done!

Making a snow angel!

Dad is loving his leaf/snow blower! Uses it for everything... even cleaning off the car!

Chapel Hill Food Tour

Today, Brooke and I went on a food tour in downtown Chapel Hill and it was an absolute blast! We went to 6 different places with a group of 10 and our tour guide, Meredith, who is a senior at UNC. It was so much fun to try food at all these different restaurants and get to know people in our group along the way! The restaurants were absolutely amazing and we had a great time! Now we cannot wait to go back to Chapel Hill to try out these restaurants! As a matter of fact, we are going to the last restaurant for my family birthday dinner! If you live in the area, I totally and completely recommend going on Triangle Food Tours- all are amazing, I am sure!

First stop, Fitzgerald's Irish Pub

We had sheperd's pie: the flavor was great but the meat was too tough- not too impressed

Second step: Mint- an Indian restaurant

This was one of my favorites- oh so yummy and the men were very sweet and knowledgeable!

Third Stop: Glasshalfull in Carborro

A yummy and classy restaurant with a variety of fresh food

The red lentil soup was very creamy and the cilantro really made it

Fourth Stop: Provence- French cuisine

We had this amazing lamb with pearl couscous- it was Moroccan flavor since they were a French colony (like Tunisia :)

Fifth Stop: Carrboro Beverage Company- place to buy lots of beers

Brooke and I don't like beer so this really wasn't a place for us but it sure gave us a laugh

Last stop was my favorite: Kipos Greek Taverna 

They gave us so much food, had great hospitality and it was oh so yummy!

Different spreads with homemade pitas

The best Greek salad I have ever had!

Spanakopita (spinach pie)

Skyping with Sweeties!

Two weeks ago, I got to Skype with my class! I have the best sub as she set this time up and even invited the parents so I could talk to them too! It was good for my soul to see my sweet kids and get to talk to them! Oh how I miss them and miss being in that classroom! Soon enough I will be there, I hope!

Lablabi for dinner!

Tonight for dinner, Dad and I made a chickpea Tunisian soup called Lablabi! It turned out very delicious and loved by all! I am always excited when I can share a specialty from the country I call home 10 months out of the year! If you want to make Lablabi, you can find the recipe here: http://yummy-cooking.blogspot.de/2013/10/lablabi-tunisian-chickpea-soup.html

It is a flavorful soup made with chickpeas

Once the soup is made, you add a variety of toppings of your choice. Our toppings included capers, olives, cilantro, radishes, avocado pieces, Harissa, red pepper flakes, yogurt, and rice,

Each bowl of soup also included a poached egg

My soup completed with toppings

Snow...?

Since coming back to NC, I have been hoping and praying for snow!! I just wanted to see snow! Well today we got snow, I guess.  White stuff did fall from the sky and it did stick. But there was not most and it was mostly ice. I also think it is still falling. But I was so grateful and excited to see snow!