Buca!!

My mother gave me a gift card to Buca di Beppo for my birthday.  Seeing as how we are, quickly, approaching "D-day" for Jim's surgery, we decided to take the boys out for dinner.  Mind you, we have enjoyed this restaurant many times in the past.  But, last night was enough to set mine and Jim's teeth on edge.

We both have social phobias.. mine is worse than his, but he still has them.  The place is normally loud and boisterous, and it has never been a problem before.  But, last night it was packed!  We had an hour wait, which should have been our first warning sign.  We live out in the country, however and have to cross a state line in order to get to this restaurant, so we went ahead and gave it a go.

We finally got shoved into this tiny little spot.  It has a long bench, against one wall with three tables in front of it and then chairs, of course, on the other side.  We were in the middle spot, with other diners on either side.  We were cramped and the noise level was headache inducing.  Our waiter is probably a very good waiter, on normal nights.. but, he was so busy that he really wasn't able to give each table the attention they deserved.

The food was, as usual, incredible however.  We ordered the baked rigatoni, gnocchi and broccoli (served family style).  By the time the food arrived, however, we were already ready to leave.  We ate, and I was extremely good (one small scoop of gnocchi, 2 scoops of rigatoni, and a scoop of broccoli.  (I know I said that was "good" but, in my defense, it was all I'd had to eat all day.)  I may have eaten more if the crowd and the noise hadn't been getting to me, so bad.  But, honestly, all I wanted to do was eat and go home.

I went to bed before anyone else (which doesn't happen to often) but, lost my "extra hour of sleep" by waking up, unintentionally, at 4:30 this morning.  yes.. I feel cheated.  LOL.  Hubby is up, David (my youngest child)  woke up about an hour ago and said he had a stomach ache, and went back to bed.  So, I guess this means no church for us this morning.  So, my day will be filled with Football (YAY!) and, studying (BOO)!

Hope y'all are having a great weekend.  Personally, I'm about to go find that extra hour of sleep that I seem to have lost.