Friday, March 12th

Friday was a relaxing day. It's funny, though. As soon as those words left my fingertips I remembered everything I did that day, and maybe relaxing isn't the most accurate adjective :) Anyways, we had breakfast vouchers for the hotel's downstairs restaurant (which was surprisingly delicious), so we began our day with hot breakfast and Stumptown Coffee (we frequented this local coffee shop during our short stay and even bought some beans to enjoy at home).

After breakfast Hubry, Aida, and I went out for a rainy walk while Bro napped and GranJan babysat and enjoyed the quiet. We were decked out in the appropriate rain garb, but the weather had dropped significantly colder, so after about 45 minutes of walking around we decided to check out the Pioneer Mall - which was a good choice since it has three stories and 6 escalators. Anyone with an active child in need of releasing energy knows this is the perfect scenario. Thankfully we were there before any of the stores opened, so Songbird's options of escape were narrowed, allowing her to stick to the escalators for amusement. After 30 minutes or so we called it quits, dropped Papa off at the Hilton for his conference session, and headed back to the hotel to meet GranJan and Bro.


When Hubry returned Mom and I went out for a little shopping - spending most of our time at a rock shop and chocolate stand, and then she let Hubry and I go out for lunch while the wee ones napped.

This is one of my favorite parts of the whole trip - a lunch date with my husband. We went out several times after the kids were in bed, but by that time of night we're usually tired to have meaningful conversations, so lunch is really the ideal time to take a date. The kids are asleep, we can focus and reconnect, and the food is cheaper! So we chose this amazing, little restaurant called The Veritable Quandry and ate pecan crusted catfish and lamb with many delicious, local, seasonal sides. It was one of my favorite meals ever. I love simple, tasty food coupled with creative ambiance and my sweet husband's thoughts. Thanks again, GranJan.

In the afternoon we paid a visit to Powell's where we found a few nice reads we're looking forward to, including this educational book and this classic for Songbird, this Norwegian novel and this study of french bean growers in Burkina Faso for Hub, and almost this sequel (or is it prequel?) for Wifey.

Then we got some mac and cheese and a caesar salad at a noodle shop for Songbird and GranJan. This night we wisely chose takeout, as our dinnertime restaurant adventures with both children have been less than successful. Later, Aunt Phyllis and Uncle John took us to Hawthorne Street for an exciting Ethiopian meal: spicy, saucy, and no utensils!

We came home full and sleepy.