Happy Monday everyone! I hope you are all having a great day. Mine started off amazingly, but as soon as I got back to Williamsport it got a little stressful. My Macbook charger decided it wanted to break early this afternoon, for the fourth time. A stressful hour and a half phone call with the Apple customer service center later, my reasons for why I love that company have definitely been confirmed. And I’m very thankful to be getting their new style charger since the old one was discontinued shortly after I bought it, again, because of its history of breaking. I should be getting the charger within the next few days so I’m hoping this won’t affect my schoolwork or blogging too much, but if it does please bear with me. I’m currently writing this in my school’s Mac lab.
Now that my morning has been discussed, I think its time to move on to a much more awesome topic: this weekend! It was such a fun one spent in State College with Josh! I got there on Friday and was so excited for our night’s plans. One of his really good friends Patricia just got her Doctorate and was back in town to celebrate. And it was Penn State’s homecoming! A group of about nine were coming out to celebrate Patricia and see the parade and I was so looking forward to meeting some of Josh’s really good friends that I have heard so much about. We got downtown around six when we realized we were at the end of the parade route, and we were all starving. Patricia suggested ditching the parade to go eat at Mad Mex and I did not need convincing. I love Mad Mex.
This was one of my 21st birthday bar stops a few weeks ago! I am obsessed with their blue corn tortilla chips and homemade guacamole. I was really excited to try their burritos, as Josh has been raving about them.
Check out how big their burritos are! Sorry for the dark photo but I was meeting some of his friends for the first time and did not want to come off as the creepy camera girl, so I took it without the flash. Josh and I actually had a food mixup where I got his spicy tofu burrito and he got my onion and pepper tofu burrito. I feel bad because his (the one accidentally served to me) was quite possibly the best burrito I’ve ever had, while mine (the one served to him) was simply okay. When we realized halfway through we ended up splitting the rest. And I now know which one to order next time!
Josh and I with his friends Patricia and Lily. They are SO nice! It was so great getting to spend time with them and chat over good food. The “bigazz margaritas” pictured are a Max Mex specialty, and so good! Unfortunately I couldn’t have one that night because I was on my last day of antibiotics for my ear infection, but there’s always next time!
By the time we finished our meals and drinks we had long since missed the parade. The four of us decided since we couldn’t watch the parade we might as well bar hop, and headed over to a little tavern nearby.
This tavern was hilarious. Being homecoming weekend it was packed to the brim. There was a cover band playing the best covers in the worst way and lots of interesting people. Meet sparkly blue shirt guy. He’s a professional bowler! And rather creepy. ;p It was such a fun, silly night that flew by way too fast!
Saturday was super special because it was Sweetest Day! Remember how I wanted to be sweet and surprise Josh on a little-known holiday with some of his favorite candies?
Look who surprised me! Gum drops for our next train ride together, Turtles, and my favorite candy combination. Sour Patch Watermelon and Swedish Fish Aqua Life is a match made in candy heaven. There was another Aqua Life pack but it was already eaten by the time this photo was taken. Its an addiction. It was the sweetest surprise and further confirmed I have the best boyfriend in the world.
After a candy sugar buzz to start my morning, around noon we met up with Lily and Patricia to head to the Waffle Shop for real food brunch.
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The Waffle Shop is a State College staple and home of some of the best breakfast foods I have ever had!
I get this breakfast salad every time I go to the Waffle Shop. It is so good. And the fresh squeezed orange juice pictured on the right is amazing. I need to start squeezing my own orange juice, it tastes so much better!
I also got the blueberry muffin. The Waffle Shop is basically a genius and slices up their muffin and toasts each side individually. It completely changes the taste and is so good. Josh ordered banana nut waffles and a side of homefries and then we ended up splitting all four dishes. I love that we love the same foods, its twice the options!
After breakfast Josh and I headed off to do some costume shopping. We’re going to a Halloween party in a two weeks and needed to get our costumes ready. After a failed attempt at finding lion ears we ended up getting Mickey and Minnie Mouse costumes. I love Disney and was so excited to be able to dress up as them! I’m kind of secretly five. ;p
We found some interesting things in Target. This is Josh’s scared face. Would you give your child that pillow pet? Its horrifying. What made this picture better is as soon as we took it we realized Josh matches the creepy pillow pet! I can assure you it is completely coincidental. ;p
For a late lunch/early dinner Josh was craving Marios, an amazing Italian Eatery in State College. He didn’t have to twist my arm, I love this place!
We decided to split an appetizer and an entree since we’re college students and they recently significantly raised their prices. I love plate sharing, my dad raised me on it. To start we shared the pumpkin raviolis which were straight out of the oven and out of this world.
As good as our appetizer was, the main entree was the star of the show. Caramelized butternut squash gnocchi. I wish this picture could come to life in front of me right now. It is so good. I love Marios because of their service to their customer. The manager remembers us and always sits us at the same table, it is really cute.
We called it a night early as we were still tired from Friday night. Sunday we woke up bright and early to drive to a farm.
It was such a scenic drive. There’s cows!
We have been wanting to visit Tait Farm for months now. They set up a stand at the Farmers Market in the summer and always have delicious jam and shrub samples. We decided Sunday was the day to finally visit and see the store for ourselves.
It was so cute! We’re going pumpkin picking in two weeks and are coming back here to get our pumpkins. They had so many fall decorations and fall vegetables.
They also breed puppies! We visited the barns where they grow up and fell in love with these newborns. How adorable are they? I wanted one so badly.
After playing with the dogs we went back to the store to pick out the jams and shrubs we wanted to buy. We walked away very happy customers. Their products are incredible, and I’m so happy they’re only fifteen minutes away from State College so we can go back often to stock up on our favorites. If you’re wondering what shrub is, its a traditional colonial vinegar-based drink sweetened with fruit. It can be used to make drinks, salad dressings, ice creams, the possibilities are virtually endless.
After leaving Tait Farm we decided to head to Wegmans to get tofu burrito bowls for dinner. I will never get tired of these things.
Josh also got a veggie lentil and bean Mediterranean soup that was so good.
We picked up a Swedish chocolate chip cookie to split later that night. It might look like any other big cookie from the outside.
Until you bite into the inside. It is so good, and tastes like no cookie I’ve ever had before. Perfection.
We ended the night with a homemade shrub cocktail, that Josh thought of completely on the spot.
1 tablespoon ginger shrub, 1 tablespoon cranberry shrub, 1 ounce Irish Whiskey, and then filled to the top with hot water. As Josh deemed it, a hot shrub toddy! And absolutely delicious!
It was such a wonderful weekend with the most beautiful fall weather, spent with great people! There is nothing more perfect than that.
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