Seattle, part 1

We're having a lazy Sunday this weekend.  The sun is shining, the dog is napping by the backdoor, football is on for the next eight hours, and I have a free afternoon ahead of me.  It's one of those afternoons where I can really do whatever I want.  Whether it's making a jump start on the week ahead, or vegging until I've had my fill, the afternoon is mine. 

I actually like Sundays in the Fall.  Yes, in the past I've fussed and made a big deal about the amount of television that's consumed on a day like this.  And now that he has Direct TV with the Sunday ticket, there's even more football around.  But, with most relationships, compromise is inevitable.  So, he can have his Sundays for football, and I can do whatever I want to do. 

So, I'm going to catch up, make a jump start,  and I'm also going to veg. 

Catching up

I went to Seattle a little over a week ago, flying out on a Friday.  The date was technically our pre-anniversary: one year until the big wedding day.  It was kind of surreal.  I kept thinking about how things would look and feel this time next year.  I thought about the upcoming year and all that we'll have to accomplish in order to have the wedding that we want--finishing school, finding our careers, travelling, organizing everything from the opposite coast, finally getting to the size that we want to be.  All a lot to cram into our year, but worth it.  

I had to wake up at 4AM in order to catch my first flight from Harrisburg to New Jersey.  Yes, I know, New Jersey, who wants to wake up early for that?   The flight took off at 6ish, and if you know anything about Harrisburg International (yes, international...they have flights to Toronto) Airport, you pretty much need to be there by 5:45 in order to get through security and on the plane.  So, I went through security, got my bottle of water and magazines on the other side, and sat and waited for the plane (which happened to take off late).   

And I keep hearing the same announcement over and over.  "There was a black bag left in the Hudson News store.  If you're missing your black bag, please return to claim it."    Followed by, "A cane was left at security, if you're missing your cane, please return to security."   All I'm thinking is, what a bunch of freakin morons!  I'm thinking that the next announcement will be something like, "Someone has left their dentures at Starbucks.  If you're missing your teeth, please return to Starbucks." 

Stupid right?  So, I'm sitting there, listening to these announcements, reading a wedding magazine, which happened to be featuring an article on the best cameras to take on your honeymoon.  And at that moment, I jump up, rush to the Hudson News, and claim the black camera bag that I left there about 20 minutes before. 

Yep.  


The rest of my travel to Seattle was fine.  I paid six bucks on the long flight from NJ to WA to watch TV on the back of the seat in front of me.  Best. Purchase.Ever.  I'd have paid 20 bucks.  So, I caught up on my television consumption, was introduced to the first few episodes of Nurse Jackie (brilliant), and breathed a sigh of relief when we approached my city, flew over the Space Needle and Quest field, and touched down.  

The air is different there.  I've probably said that before.  It's cooler, it's purer, it's got, like better oxygen or something.   I don't know. 

Mom and I got lunch in Olympia, at a place that I can't remember the name of, and search engines aren't finding for me.  Anyways, it was good, and the place was nice looking, and I was able to have salmon for my first meal home, so it gets an A in my book.  Check it out.  Ha. 

And then, oh and then.  We went to the Dahlia farm.  The whole reason we're getting married in October is because I want me some dahlias.  But, I didn't want to go through a florist or run down to Pike Place and get whatever we could find.  A couple of months ago, I found a dahlia farm online and we set up an appointment with them for the first day that I came in.   

They had me at hello.

It was one of those fields that I'd want to run to K in.  But I'd be like, "Don't you dare step on a dahlia!" and it wouldn't be romantic and such. 

We met Andy, and his lovable dog Aggie, and just went through the field.  Rows and rows of dahlias in all shapes, textures, and colors.  We told him that we preferred pink and white flowers, but secretly I would have taken anything.  Anything.  So, we walked by each pink and white flower, he asked, "How do you like this one?" and we were pretty much like, drool, head bob up and down. He'd cut the perfect dahlia from each row, hand it to us, and we'd just keep going.  

And then he said, "We give everyone a free bouquet when they first visit us for an order."  Seriously?  Seriously.  We went home with easily 30 flowers. 

Needless to say, we placed our order for next year.  How could we not? 

They work out very nicely. 

Friday night concluded with a trip to a real Mexican restaurant, which is necessary everytime I come home because Harrisburg has awful Mexican food.  You can quote me on that.  

We also had a fire, which was good timing because it rained the rest of the weekend. 

Saturday morning, Mom and I headed over to the city to start crossing stuff off of our list.  The first priority was breakfast at Lola's.  It really is the best way to start off the day. 

People, I had cucumber lemonade.  It is amazing.  Almost as amazing as those pancakes that the Tom Douglas people make.  One thing is for sure, I will be able to tell you what I'm going to eat this time next year.  

The rest of the day was spent doing wedding stuff, which is probably really boring and I'm not going to go into it.  Because, this isn't a wedding blog ya know.  We looked for wedding shoes, but I'm not going to talk about that because we came up with nothing, and I was all set to brag and blog about the incredible pair of pink shoes that I was going to find.  Pink, yes.  But, there was nothing. 

We also went to Pike Place to look at more flowers, order some seafood, and get those mini-doughnuts that they sell at the entrance of the market.  That corner of the market frustrates me so.  People gather to look at the flying fish guys, who are only going to throw something if you buy something.  The gawkers were yelling, "Throw something!".  I hate it.  I'm a market snob, I guess.  We bought some crab and smoked salmon, and then got a dozen each of the cinnamon-sugar and powdered sugar mini-doughnuts.  I want those at my wedding, for reals. 

The flowers weren't bad either, but I already fell in love with Andy's.   

So, that's me catching up for now.  Expect part 2 later this week. 

As for the jump start, I think I'll do some school work tonight, pay some bills, and try to cross a couple things off of the list(s).  We have a busy two weeks ahead of us with school and work, and you know, that freakin amazing Halloween party that we're throwing. 

I'll veg too tonight.  Maybe a hot bubble bath with Ingrid Michaelson music.  Or a walk with the puppy in the cool autumn air.  And of course, the season finale of Mad Men tonight.  Tear, July can't come fast enough!