Seattle, Seattle, It's a Hell of a Town

My visit with Jessie went just swimmingly. Wait, you're telling me you don't know who she is? Shame on you. This is Jessie:

Girl + fake monocle = hip

She flew up from So Cal to visit for the weekend and we had a BLAST. Saturday we did the Underground tour: hilarious/fascinating. It's about Seattle literally building themselves an "underground". They were built far too close to the ocean which meant high tide brought all sorts of unpleasant problems and led to them (after a fortuitous fire that destroyed 33 city blocks) rebuilding the city at a higher level. The tour takes you through the lower levels and our guide was hilarious, occasionally bursting into song, unrelated to the tour - what's not to love? We also went to Pike's Market, up the Space Needle and spent all time between those moments walking around the city. After the Space Needle we sat by a fountain for a rest and were delighted to realize there was a prom happening somewhere near. Every few minutes high school students would walk into sight and Jessie and I would judge their attire harshly: mostly ill-fitting and extremely slutty - one has to hope that their parents didn't see them before they left the house or else they are guilty of both bad taste and not caring if their daughters are propositioned every few minutes by strange men on the street. However, there was a boy in a white dinner jacket, black bow-tie and black pocket square who saved the day. Well done, you. We partially crippled ourselves with the long day of walking, but it was worth it. Saturday we went to Bainbridge Island by ferry. I've never driven my car onto a ferry before and it was tragically entertaining.

View from the Ferry on the way to Bainbridge

It was an adorable place. We only explored a few blocks, but had a wonderful afternoon: gorgeous weather, good company, tasty lunch and interesting sights. There was a children's science museum type place thing dealy on Bainbridge. Out front was this sign which confused and frightened us in the best way possible:

Shaun seems to have some species issues

The weekend was finished with the best damn ice cream I have ever tasted ever. It was from a bright little place called Mora. Jessie got Mexican chocolate ice cream - light and just a bit spicy and utterly delicious. I got "dulce de leche swirled with dulce de leche". That's right, caramel swirled with caramel.

I'll have caramel swirled with joy, please!

All in all it was one of the best weekends EVER and I was so sad to see her go. Now she just needs to move up here. I am working on my strategy. Namely constant harassment. It can't fail!

Awwwwww! I like you!

Nom Nom Nom!

You know how pregnant women are supposedly hungry all the time and have cravings? Well if that already happens to me, what's going to happen when I'm really with child? If you've spent more than an hour with me you know that at some point I'm bound to suddenly say, "I want a taco!" or "I could really go for a Cinnabon" or "Mmmm, bacon". 95% of the time this has nothing to do with the current conversation or else I'm just blurting into the silence. I'm currently eating applesauce. Five minutes ago I had a hard boiled egg. Which followed the hummus and veggies. Which I ate after consuming half a package of Saltines. Which was right after my lunch. Speaking of which, pizza sounds delicious. But not as good as pork ribs. Dinner last night was two peanut butter and honey sandwiches plus a hard boiled egg, two pickles, an oatmeal cookie (which I salted), some rice crackers, a couple of shrimp and some cherry tomatoes. When I'm actually pregnant maybe I'll STOP having cravings.

If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands

JESSIE'S COMING TO VISIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!

Can you tell that I am excited to see my friend? I am. It's been three long months since our last weekend visit (in our old SB stomping grounds) and now she will grace the Northwest with her presence. I love that gal, she's one of the glorious people I discovered after I graduated Westmont. I knew her while I was a student, we sat together in choir and I knew she was awesome, but we didn't actually hang out and become real friends until I'd graduated, don't know why. And now I'm doubly excited because we're going to do touristy things like the Space Needle and Pike's Market. I've done those before, but not in quite a while. I actually haven't done much in Seattle due to my classic "Meh" attitude towards getting out of the house. I was that way in Florence (Russ and I spent a whirlwind day during our last week trying to get in things we'd spent 4 months not doing) I was that way in SB, I'm that way everywhere. I really want to make an effort to actually get to know the city I live in. I'm making strides (small ones -- stridettes?) in Ballard, and now that it's turning into spring (slowly, slowly into spring) I have high hopes for myself. A winter indoors really makes you want to spend all your time outside as opposed to SB where I never felt like I was missing an opportunity because, heck, it was going to be just as sunny tomorrow. So Jessie will visit and we will romp and prance and tour and whatever the hell it is you do. We might even, dare I say it, take a ferry somewhere! And look! It's (for the moment) beautiful and bright and sunny out my window. Life is wonderful! Huzzah!