Like every “favorite” this is a hard one for me to nail down, and it doesn’t help that there are about 9 zillion places to eat in the Greater Portland Area.  Here are a few of my top favorites…

Subway: This is the place we eat out at most consistently.  You have the convenience and lower price that fast food has, only you can eat healthy.  And we’re addicted to their buffalo chicken!  Even in that dark year or so that Subway was not officially carrying it, the “sandwich artists” at several of the subway locations around here would make them for us.  Jenn and I even, jokingly credit ourselves as the reason they brought it back!

Applebee’s: Jenn and I ended our first date here, and we also surprised her parents in Vermont by showing up at their local Applebee’s the weekend after I proposed.  We eat here a few times a year, and it we definitely have some memories associated with it.

The SoPo (formerly known as “Beale Street BBQ”): Even after we went last weekend and saw the scary name change, we were pleased to see they still have great BBQ!  I didn’t even know of this place until I was dating Jenn, but we’ll go once or maybe twice a year and get some sort of BBQ meat; tehir various types of chicken and pulled pork are excellent!  And we always get jalapeno cornbread!  Yum!

Olive Garden: Everyone seems to love this place, and everyone seems to be there trying to get a seat whenever we go.  This is our “fancy night out” place, reserved for our first date anniversary, proposal anniversary, Valentine’s Daybirthdays, and sometime’s birthdays.

Those are probably the places we go to the most…we used to hit Panera Bread, but they got rid of some of the stuff we like.  We also used to go to Tim Horton’s because there was one right by the gym and you can eat fairly healthy, but a lot of those are gone now.

Speaking of eating, it’s about time for me to go start making supper!

I am very fortunate, because my life with Jenn is such that I have lots to look forward to.  There’s some small stuff exclusive to me like the next Heroclix release or some new movie hitting theaters, and then there’s bigger things like heroclix nights with Justin, or dinner/karaoke nights with both Julie and Justin, and then there are really special things that involve Jenn like our date nights and Sunday date days.

All of these great things are regular and routine in my life; like I said, I’m very fortunate.  We also seem to manage to have roughly one big adventure a month throughout the year, including trips to Vermont, beach days, road trips, camping trips, etc.  This year’s highlights include a weekend trip to Boston in a week and a half or so (my gift to Jenn on the third anniversary of our first date) and two trips to Islesboro in August and September where we’ve rented a cottage near the ocean (it’s a small island…hard to not be near ocean, which is one reason why we love it).  In August, we’re going up with Jenn’s Mom and Stacey for the week, and in September it’ll be just me and Jenn for our second wedding anniversary!  I’m looking forward to two seperate weeks of relaxing, fluffernutters, bbqs, camp fires, and kayaking!

Then there’s the big one.  The trip of the year lifetime.  Jenn’s birthday present to me–a 9-day cruise in Central Europe, namely Spain, Italy, and France!!  We dock at a new place in one of those three countries every day but one, and we’ve already bought two excursions, which include an 11-hour tour of Rome (including the Colosseum) and a tour, and trip up into, The Leaning Tower Of Pisa!!  I’m very excited!!

As a bonus, we realized that the day the cruise ends is July 2nd, so we’ve decided that with July 4th being a day off for both of us, not to rush back and spend a day in Barcelona before we fly home!!  Everything about this trip rules!!

So, that’s a few of the things I’m looking forward to.  It’s hard to narrow down, because, as my wife will tell you, I am very easily excited and usually looking forward to many things!

We FINALLY got to spend the weekend in Vermont with my parents. Per usual, we had a wonderful time – even if the majority was just spent talking with one another around the kitchen table. I’m so lucky to have them. SO so lucky. Here’s a few pictures of our trip (Casey got to experience Sugar on Snow for the first time!)

                                                                     January 1, 2010