Interrupted

My Life Thus Far
2016-07-22 07:06:06 (UTC)

The Energy To Get Caught Up

It's not often I miss one day, let alone two, but I've had two very busy days (and long nights) in a row, and writing at 3 and 4am just didn't seem appealing. Tonight was a more normal day close to home, so I have the energy to get caught up. WARNING: This will be a long entry.

TUESDAY:

The long awaited road trip to Portland for the Twenty One Pilots concert I surprised Annie with for her birthday! It was both the most anxiety-inducing experience I've had in awhile, and the most fun/rewarding/happy time I've had in a long time. I'm glad I did it. The look on Annie's face will stay with me forever.

We made good time getting down to Portland. It's a little over 3 hours, but we did it in slightly less (because I drive fast and there was no real traffic). I didn't think there was a city with more one way streets, bike lanes, or transit only streets than Seattle, but I stand corrected. I had a slight breakdown trying to find parking near the restaurant we decided to have dinner at, but we managed. That was the worst part of the whole night. I won't lie, I kept waiting for something catastrophic to happen, because for the most part I was having a lot of fun.

We had dinner at Veggiegrill. I feel slightly silly that it took a trip to Portland to experience an awesome vegan restaurant that we also have right under our noses here in Seattle. It was so good. I had the cheeseburger, and it was one of the best burgers I've had. Veggie or otherwise. I think its my new favorite restaurant!

When we got to Moda Center (the concert venue), the line was wrapped around the building. At least two blocks. I don't know where everyone parked, but we ended up parking about half a mile away in a parking garage the Range Rover dealership stored cars. So, I felt very safe leaving Fiona there. I felt very safe in Portland in general. It's a great city.

The concert was awesome. The opening act was a band called Mutemath from The Netherlands. Even though rock music isn't my cup of tea most of the time, they sounded great. There was about an hour between the opening act finished up and Twenty One Pilots coming to the stage. I was getting slightly concerned something was going on, but they eventually started and I have to admit, it was fantastic! By the end, Annie was crying. I really felt like I'd done something great for her. I'd finally gotten her a gift that she'd never forget. It makes me want to do it again. It also makes me sad that at 17 years old I don't have much time left with her to do these kinds of things again.

You can't go to Portland and not hit up Voodoo Doughnuts. Even though we didn't get there until almost midnight, it was a must. The line was wrapped around the block, but seemed to be moving along quickly. It actually took us about an hour, but it was 100% worth it. We got two dozen. One vegan and one regular.

I'm still in awe of the fact that I drove home from Portland at 1am. We didn't get home until a few minutes after 4am, and I felt almost drunk I was so tired. It had been a long, sensory overloading day. A fantastically wonderful day, but long all the same. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, though. And it made me want to explore Portland a little more. I still love Seattle more, but it's an equally eclectic/vibrant/hippie friendly place. Well, maybe even more hippie friendly than Seattle. For sure way more vegan restaurants!

WEDNESDAY:

I woke up sometime after noon feeling like I'd been hit by a bus. I was sore, groggy, still tired, and a little cranky. It was a lazy day, because I couldn't imagine doing much else.

I think Snookums was slightly jealous of all the fun we had in Portland, so he tried to brainstorm ideas for something we could do with the rest of the day (by afternoon I was feeling much better, and wanted to get out and do something). Because I'm the one who comes up with all the good ideas, I came up with the scheme of taking the ferry to Seattle, having dinner at Veggiegrill (because I told Snookums how awesome it was and he wanted to try it), then taking the kids to Seattle Center to play at the big fancy playground.

We caught the 7:10pm ferry, arrived at Veggiegrill around 8pm, then made it to Seattle Center by 9:45pm. Somehow along the way we decided to take the kids to the top of the Space Needle. They'd never been up there, and why not? The tickets for our whole family came to just under $100, but seeing their faces throughout the entire experience was well worth it.

The only time slot available for us to go up was 11pm, so at that point the kids had about an hour to play at the playground, which was surprisingly busy for 10pm. It's one of the things I love about the city. It's awake all hours of the day and night. Snookums isn't generally a night owl like I am, but he tried his best to enjoy the experience. He was playing with the kids, climbing the equipment, riding the merry go round. The hour flew by.

Keenan was in awe the entire time. Going up the elevator. Looking through the telescope on the observation deck. Playing with the interactive computers on the promenade (inside the Space Needle). It made the slightly ridiculous cost worth it. Kiki and Annie seemed to just be along for the ride, but they loved being in the city so late. I'll admit, I did too. I'm nocturnal, so seeing other nocturnal people out and about really made me feel alive!

We caught the last ferry home at 1:35am. We walked about 5 miles from the ferry to Veggiegrill, then Seattle Center, then back to the ferry. It didn't feel like that much because there was so much to look at. I dubbed it urban hiking, and they said if I want to go walking through the city they'd be willing to come any time!

We got home a little before 3am. Another long, long day for me, but also worth it.

TODAY:

A more normal day. We hung out at home until it was time to leave for the farmer's market. Then Keenan had ballet. After that we stopped at Sport Haus to buy his ballet shoes (I figured it was time to get him some, since he's still into it a month later), Rite Aid for more first aid supplies (my knee is still looking so gross, and Kiki fell at the playground a few days ago). Then we went to Battle Point, because I needed my steps for the day (even though I had a 4,000 step jump from our late night explorations in Seattle).

For dinner we tried a new place in Lynwood Center called the Treehouse Café. I loved the vibe and feel of the place. It was a beautiful restaurant that sometimes host live bands, and for that reason was very spacious and comfortable. The menu was extensive and offered lots of easily veganized dishes. I'll definitely be back. I had a lovely veggie pizza that had me questioning my loyalty to MOD. I'll be back.

I need sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. I go back to work tomorrow, so it's back to normal and a few not quite so late nights. I close, which is good because I need to sleep in. I'll also be home earlier than I have been the past few nights. Even tonight we didn't get home until 11pm. Too many late nights in a row remind me that I'm not 18 anymore!




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