Weekend Report

We had a very special weekend, as Bill cashed in on his birthday present from me--tickets to the Seattle Symphony. Lana stayed with my inlaws overnight, yes, that's right--OVERNIGHT--woo hoo! I used Priceline.com to get a hotel and I scored a very fancy hotel called the Edgewater. We got the room at half price, which is a good thing since we would never pay that much for a hotel, even if it did have a water view! Our room literally overlooked the water--you could spit in the Puget Sound--which incidentally Bill did, just because he could. When we got to our room and opened the curtains--a ginormous Norwegian Cruise Ship was looking at us, docked at the port. It was so close that if the captain got drunk and confused, we could have been run over. This was the view from our window:
Then we heard the big honk and this is what we saw:


We got there around lunchtime and decided to splurge and eat at the fancy hotel restaurant. It was a lovely surprise! Bill had clams with picholine olives, roasted tomatoes and chorizo in a very interesting sauce that had some type of wine--madiera? Marsala? Not sure, but damn, it was good. I had a caesar salad that came in a parmesan-bowl--have you seen these creations? Yum! Our intent with this excursion was to relax, so of course we napped--like a monster nap--like we haven't slept in years! I was worried we would have insomnia, but who was I kidding, we are really sleep deprived! It was heavenly! We caught some apps and drinks at a restaurant near Symphony Hall and then some gelato (and coffee for me). Yes, we ate all day long. The coffee was key for me though b/c I am not into classical music so much and I was worried I would nod off during the performance, which would be embarrassing! We had great seats--on the balcony. I almost was killed though b/c I was wearing these stupid 3 inch heels and I tripped over the chick sitting next to us on my way to our seats--she was wearing these big clunker shoes and I literally went flying--thank goodness I caught myself or I would have gone over the balcony to my death! I really have no business wearing heels. I can't walk in them, they pinch my feet and they are not made for city walking. After walking a few blocks from my car to the restaurant to the gelateria to the symphony, I had bloody stumps. The performance itself was nice. Bill really enjoyed it--really really enjoyed it. I liked it too, but I don't have the same appreciation for classical music. Bill felt so inspired that he wants to get the strings on his violin repaired. He played all his life, but quit during residency when things got too hectic. As I was listening to the performance, I was wondering if Lana would also take lessons one day and inherit some of her father's talent. Or not. I was also thinking about how these musicians are so immersed in a world that is so foreign to me, how difficult it is to land a seat in a symphony in a major city and how diverse peoples' career choices really are. While Bill and I are both science-types, we both have interest in art, although my interest is more in the visual arts. I wonder how this will impact Lana, if at all or if she will just surprise us all and become an economist or something like that. I was thinking about how fun college was when you could go from a chemistry class to a world religion class to a Spanish art class--who has the time these days to explore intellectual pursuits just for the heck of it? Ah college--what fun!

After the Symphony, we planned to catch a night-cap somewhere, but we had to get back to the room pronto for more sleeping--this was a golden opportunity you see! No baby monitor, no singing "The Wheels on the Bus" 800 times in a row to get Lana to sleep, no crying in the middle of the night''Mama!!", no switching beds and no getting kicked in the trachea (which REALLY hurts, I might add)! It was such a fun and relaxing weekend, but the best part was coming home and seeing Lana run to me screaming "Mommy!!". She was so loving and affectionate the rest of the day--her hugs are the best.