Miss Amy

This weekend Bryan and I had the fortunate opportunity to host Amy at our house, catch up with each other’s drama from the past year of not seeing each other (it’s hard to believe it has already been over a year since we stayed with her in Auckland) and enjoy each other’s company.  We picked Amy up Thursday night after a German meal at FareStart and a late night snack and drink at the Neighbor Lady and we spent three solid days with her before she had to head back to her renewed home in New Orleans.

On Friday Amy visited the office to have coffee with a few people and I’m sure for her it was a bit surreal being back in the office.  We had our staff meeting and then once work was over I could play.  I met Amy downtown where she was busy shopping and it was just like old times!!  We each found stuff in Zara, split an Auntie Anne’s pretzel, and spent $$ at Nordstrom’s solely in the shoe department.  Around 8  pm our handsome chauffeur picked us up and whisked us away to dinner at Picolino’s in Ballard.  I had never been before but Bryan and Amy had a memorable dinner there just before Amy had left so we set out for some fine Italian per Amy’s request.  The large restaurant was slowing down for the night when we arrived but the accordion player was still playing some tunes.  The table split the caprese salad and all ordered a glass of wine while waiting for the entrees.  I went with the special of mushroom stuffed and roasted pheasant, Amy tried the special of lobster and angle hair pasta and Bryan selected the sausage ravioli.  We all enjoyed our meals and the relaxing atmosphere but ready to hit the hay with dinner wrapping up after 10 pm.  They managed two episodes of House of Cards while I fell asleep on the couch.

Saturday was really our only planned day of the trip because we had a few priority items that we needed to get done.  We had to meet Marika and Polly at Bella’s Bridesmaid in Belltown for a 10 am appointment for me to sit back and watch all of them try on dresses.  This was a blast for me and actually a lot more fun than me trying on all of the dresses.  After Bella’s, our next stop was at Anthropolgie where we really found some winners.  Before moving on to our last appointment of the day the four of us had a gossipy girl lunch at the marketplace at the top of Westlake Center.  We moved on to Nordstrom’s where we surprisingly had no luck on dresses.  We concluded just before 3 pm and Amy and I Ubered back to our house for me to finish the pulled pork and get the house ready for Amy’s big gathering of friends.

Bryan and I had invited all of Amy’s acquaintances in Seattle to come over for a casual gathering so Amy could see them all while she was here.  I only made pulled pork and the Hurricane drink from the mix Amy gifted us while everyone else contributed a dish or drink that reminds them of Amy.  We had quite the spread and a hefty 16 people at our house for the evening.  It was great for even Bryan and I to catch up with some of those people we haven’t seen since Amy left.  We topped off the night with a beautiful birthday cake for Amy (made by a fellow party attendee), which was certainly a surprise for her, being that her birthday is March 9th, just next week.  I think the gathering was a hit for everyone; for friends and indulgences.  Amy was super happy after the night and was so appreciative for all of the friends she saw and all of the food they knew she would love.  Really great night for everyone.

Sunday was Amy’s day to have some one-on-one time with people other than just us so we more or less had the days to ourselves.  We used the opportunity to go to church in the morning followed by a great brunch at Macrina Bakery in Belltown.  The morning poured rain and strange weather but by 2 pm the sun broke out and we were out the door and at one of our favorite spots, Seward Park, for a run for me and a walk for Bryan.  After we were both finished we went on a spontaneous visit of an open house we had seen online that was about two blocks from our first date brunch.  It was a great house and has encouraged us to at least set up the pre-approval process while keeping our eyes open.  Bryan and I then settled into the couch and some episodes of TV, made a quick dinner, then finally picked up Amy just before 9 pm to spend one last night on the couch with her.

Amy left this morning and it was sad she was gone already but I know that now she is back in the States we will have many more visits from Amy and will be visiting her quite often now too.  It was so natural to do everything with her and I’m really glad that nothing has changed between us.  I wish her luck in starting her new endeavors in New Orleans but know she will be successful.

Chelsea