Kelly and I were invited to go see a friend of a friend perform at Babalu. It's in Wallingford which is a little neighborhood south of us we have not spent any time in. I don't really know how to describe Wallingford as a neighborhood; artsy, beer loving (I think this is where they have Oktoberfest), proud of their homes and recycling. I think if Fremont is where the alternative, granola type live, Wallingford is where the wealthier of these type live.
I wanted to go eat before we went to the club. We had a really good brewery restaurant we used to go to in Burien and had yet to find one since we moved. We've been to the Ram but it's noisy so I didn't want to go there. I don't know why I crave the food at these places but I do. We went to a place called Kate's Pub. It did not disappoint for a few reasons:
1) We met some authentic Irish guys! (I love when we go somewhere and there are authentic people - on our honeymoon we went to the Grotto in PDX and saw a real monk scurrying around!)
2) I had one of the best burgers I have ever had, Kelly had fish and chips and it was homemade batter dipped fish.
3) The burgers are build your own for $10! And when I say build your own they had a ton of toppings. I chose cheddar, bacon, mushrooms and avocado. The tomato and lettuce were chilled. It was SO good!
4) It is close to our house
The down side - it was noisier than the Ram - ha! Oh well. It was a little hole in the wall pub what could you expect. I bet it would be awesome on game night!
Then on to the Mambo Room - we haven't seen our friend Scott since we moved from Burien and he is one of the funniest people we know. Great sense of humor, great artist and really nice. He has been really excited for Kelly to meet his friend Ryan who plays Jazz piano/organ and he and Mycle Wastman were playing here last night. I attached one of their songs on the right, As Long as I'm With You. I LOVE THIS SONG. (see Valentine's blog about my love for romance. Would be great for a first dance wedding song. . .) Anyway, I have never liked jazz really but I can listen to this stuff. Babalu was very swanky. My favs - the decor and ambiance, the band, the 70 year old African American man in his nice clothes and fedora get. ting. down. (It was awesome) My not so favs - the place was packed, there were no tables and the seating was weird round bench seating along the walls that took up half the floor, there were two bars which was totally unnecessary and just took up more space in a small venue. We kept getting pushed around because we ended up in the main thoroughfare to I don't know where. And I have this complaint every time I am in a club, if someone can help me understand. . . why does the music have to be SO loud that you have to yell at each other to talk? Don't people go to these places to pick up dates or bring dates to have fun? If you can't hear each other how does that happen?! Why can't they have the music at a reasonable decibel? So if this is a mambo room I don't know how there is room to mambo.
On to late night eating. First of all I am shocked at the lack of late night eateries in Seattle. Even iHop closes at 11! I never knew this because I don't even remember when we were out this late. A place called Beth's was recommended - it was obvious when we arrived, there really is no other place to go. It was so great. I SO wanted all of my Boise friends to be there. First of all the walls are covered. . .covered! with crayon colored drawings made by patrons of the past who knows how many years. All of the staff were tattoo wielding, grunge/goth dressing, body piercing, college students. We literally were the oldest in the place by far but no one was obnoxious. And a bread option was Amish friendship bread! Breakfast food all around and the bill for three of us came to $27. We decided this is where the Amish kids come to do their Rumspringa - that is why the help is wild but they serve the bread! After our night out Kelly and I could not pull ourselves out of bed until after 12 and are enjoying a most restful Sunday.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Valentines Day!
Yay Valentines Day! I don't know why this year I was excited to celebrate more than other years. I think the anticipation of surprises I had planned - I love surprises - got me excited. I made goody bags for my team and had surprises planned for Kelly. We planned to go to a movie - I choose The Vow, he suggested the Denzel WA, rogue CIA agent movie (not really a romantic pick). That was TBD. . . Maybe because I was sent flowers by a customer the day before and I was relieved they weren't from Kelly because there were yellow roses in it. I weird Valentine pick me up, I know - to appreciate that your husband DIDN'T get you flowers. It was a very short but sad internal conflict I had when the delivery guy said "you're Kristin, these are for you!" So excited to get flowers and never wanting to be disappointed in a gift, I went back and forth between flowers! and yellow? But the funny thing is Kelly actually would probably send me flowers with yellow roses because he would say "even though we're married we're friends too!" *** Which I love but also this endearing quality adds to my internal conflict. I should love flowers from him no matter what the color because he is thoughtful about them. The thank you flowers were a nice surprise that my entire team enjoyed, and I especially for the fact they were not from my husband.
I almost got caught with one of my surprises for Kelly. I came home while he was teaching a lesson the night before and was able to make him chocolate covered strawberries. When he finished he came in the kitchen and said "are you making cookies?!" Me: "No" (crazy!)
Kelly: "Oh really because it smells like cookies"
Me: "Nope that is the candle warmer your mom got us for Christmas"
Kelly: "Oh. . . I'm craving cookies now"
Me: (SCORE! I am pulling this off!) "Now you know how I felt the other day when I came home- all I wanted was blueberry muffins." ( I might as well play it as much as I can).
Here's the best (sarcasm) part about this surprise - he never even noticed them the next day! I snuck them back into the fridge with a heart and "14 Valentines XOXOXO" (one strawberry for each of our years of wedded bliss) I waited all day to get a text with something to the effect of "Ohhh hon thanks for the surprise!" Nothing. He was excited once I pointed them out though. His other surprise for Valentines was breakfast on bed for which I attempted to make heart shaped pancakes. That is hard so we won't go into the details - it's the thought that counts right?
When I got home Kelly says, "I have decided we should go to The Vow" What? Why? I ask. This is clearly a chick flick and I was starting to feel like making him sit through it wasn't fair even if it was for Valentines Day. He says, I saw the trailer and one of the quotes changed my mind. I get excited "ohh let me guess!":
Me: It's a once in a lifetime love?
Kelly: No
Me: I vow to always love you?
Kelly: No
Me: I don't know who you are, but I think I love you? (At this point I'm just making things up. . .)
Kelly: Nnno. It was, I hope one day I can love the way you love me.
OHHHHHHH! This is why I love this man! (Still not sure if he was serious or making fun but I don't care)
So we went to the movie. It was pretty good. But the best line in the movie actually didn't come from either of the two main characters. It was - "I chose. I chose to forgive him. And stay for all of the things he did right instead of leave him for the one thing he did wrong." I did not like the situation in which this quote was used but I really love situations that make you go "oh that is love!" There is a reason we fall in love with a person, remembering this is important and we choose all the time to continue to love them despite their mistakes . Lots of people forget this - even in relationships outside of marriage. It was just such a grand gesture of love on her part - and I am a romantic so it made me a little teary when I did not expect to be. Which I always like in movies. Kelly did not like the actor but did get a kick of that fact that there were a ton of guys in the theatre "and you know they are only here watching this because it's Valentines day." We also got a kick out of the couple next to us. We both wanted to tell her to run away! Her date was a dud but we don't think she knew it. First tell tale sign - one of the previews was The Five Year Engagement and he leans over and says to her "a five year engagement's not bad, right?" Really? On Valentine's day? This made me sad. And grateful I have a husband that indulges me with a chick flick on Valentines day but doesn't make me feel bad about it but telling me a line from the trailer changed his mind. :) Love you Kelly!
***Update on the flower colors - Kelly is thoughtful about flower bouquets but apparently has no idea that rose colors mean something. I told him this story when I brought them home and his response was "rose colors have meaning?!" Maybe I shouldn't have been so worried about it. . .
I almost got caught with one of my surprises for Kelly. I came home while he was teaching a lesson the night before and was able to make him chocolate covered strawberries. When he finished he came in the kitchen and said "are you making cookies?!" Me: "No" (crazy!)
Kelly: "Oh really because it smells like cookies"
Me: "Nope that is the candle warmer your mom got us for Christmas"
Kelly: "Oh. . . I'm craving cookies now"
Me: (SCORE! I am pulling this off!) "Now you know how I felt the other day when I came home- all I wanted was blueberry muffins." ( I might as well play it as much as I can).
Here's the best (sarcasm) part about this surprise - he never even noticed them the next day! I snuck them back into the fridge with a heart and "14 Valentines XOXOXO" (one strawberry for each of our years of wedded bliss) I waited all day to get a text with something to the effect of "Ohhh hon thanks for the surprise!" Nothing. He was excited once I pointed them out though. His other surprise for Valentines was breakfast on bed for which I attempted to make heart shaped pancakes. That is hard so we won't go into the details - it's the thought that counts right?
When I got home Kelly says, "I have decided we should go to The Vow" What? Why? I ask. This is clearly a chick flick and I was starting to feel like making him sit through it wasn't fair even if it was for Valentines Day. He says, I saw the trailer and one of the quotes changed my mind. I get excited "ohh let me guess!":
Me: It's a once in a lifetime love?
Kelly: No
Me: I vow to always love you?
Kelly: No
Me: I don't know who you are, but I think I love you? (At this point I'm just making things up. . .)
Kelly: Nnno. It was, I hope one day I can love the way you love me.
OHHHHHHH! This is why I love this man! (Still not sure if he was serious or making fun but I don't care)
So we went to the movie. It was pretty good. But the best line in the movie actually didn't come from either of the two main characters. It was - "I chose. I chose to forgive him. And stay for all of the things he did right instead of leave him for the one thing he did wrong." I did not like the situation in which this quote was used but I really love situations that make you go "oh that is love!" There is a reason we fall in love with a person, remembering this is important and we choose all the time to continue to love them despite their mistakes . Lots of people forget this - even in relationships outside of marriage. It was just such a grand gesture of love on her part - and I am a romantic so it made me a little teary when I did not expect to be. Which I always like in movies. Kelly did not like the actor but did get a kick of that fact that there were a ton of guys in the theatre "and you know they are only here watching this because it's Valentines day." We also got a kick out of the couple next to us. We both wanted to tell her to run away! Her date was a dud but we don't think she knew it. First tell tale sign - one of the previews was The Five Year Engagement and he leans over and says to her "a five year engagement's not bad, right?" Really? On Valentine's day? This made me sad. And grateful I have a husband that indulges me with a chick flick on Valentines day but doesn't make me feel bad about it but telling me a line from the trailer changed his mind. :) Love you Kelly!
***Update on the flower colors - Kelly is thoughtful about flower bouquets but apparently has no idea that rose colors mean something. I told him this story when I brought them home and his response was "rose colors have meaning?!" Maybe I shouldn't have been so worried about it. . .
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