YUMMMM - Night out in Ann Arbor

This was the first weekend that we've been in Ann Arbor and I didn't have a lot going on at work.  We decided to stick around instead of going to the lake, and had a really great weekend with friends!

On Friday night, we went to a Club Rugby game (Michigan won - GO BLUE) and then decided we would head downtown.  Because it was Notre Dame football weekend, it was extra busy here and the couple of bars that we were talking about going to were extra busy.  We decided we were all hungry, so we decided to go for high quality food, and we went to Frita Batidos.  It's "Cuban Inspired Street Food" and it definitely did not disappoint!

We all had Fritas, which are basically hamburgers, BUT BETTER!  I had a Chorizo Frita, which the guy who took our order said is the original and the best.  I was also the only one who was brave enough to get it "Loco" - which means I got all the toppings on mine... Muenster Cheese, a Sunny Side Up Egg, Cilantro-Lime Salsa, Tropical Slaw and Avocado Spread.  All of the Fritas also come with shoestring fries on top and are served on a really delicious flaky egg bun.

And here it is...

That dish of stuff to the right is called "The Best Snack Ever" - coconut ginger rice, refried black beans, melted muenster and cilantro lime salsa.  I ended up taking it home with me.  It was good, but not as good as their Garlic Cilantro Fries that my friends got!!

It was definitely not cheap, but it was totally worth it and I'll definitely go back!!!

Next Chapter - A New Car

For the past three years, I've driven a great car - her name is Beans...

She was the first car I ever bought - well, leased - and there is nothing about her that I would change.  Unfortunately, when the end of the lease came along, I had a decision to make... I really wanted to buy her, but I also really wanted to lower my car payment and buying her would not do that for me.

SO, my dad let me know that he was looking for a new car for my mom and that if I didn't want to buy Beans, they would - which they did.  So, I set out on a quest to find a new car.  For about 7 years, I'd driven Hyundais... I had a Santa Fe before Beans, and I didn't drive any other cars before getting Beans 3 years ago.

For the past few weeks, J and I have been visiting dealers and seeing what else was out there.  I drove a Santa Fe, another Tucson, a Nissan Rogue and a Ford Escape.  They were all great, but the Santa Fe and Escape weren't going to lower my payments.  I was deciding between a less equipped Tucson and an even lesser equipped Rogue.

Then, I started working at Michigan and found out that we get a Ford discount!  So, I looked at inventory online and went to a dealership up here (Briarwood Ford in Saline) where I test drove the Escape one more time and got GREAT service.  They guy gave us a straight price, and there was no back a forth... 

SO - here it is... I'm the proud new owner (well, leaser) of this 2014 Ford Escape (name still TBD)!!!