Trip to Seattle: Days 3, 4, and 5

Good morning, everyone!  I've had quite a lazy morning, but I think I'm up and ready for a day of school work.  Yes, even teachers have work to do over Spring Break!

Before I start my day, how about I finish recapping my trip to Seattle?  You can read my recap of the first to days here.

Monday

Kristie and I slept in for a while before getting up for a tasty breakfast.  We scrambled eggs with some pastrami we got the day before and some smoked cheese from the Pike Place market.  Very, very good!  

Kristie had to do some work from home (Joe had already gone in to work), so I enjoyed some daytime TV.  I love watching the Today show and Hoda and Kathie Lee, but I never get to since I'm at school.  Joe called and said that Mt. Rainier was out, so we took a little drive to see the mountain.

This is quite an impressive mountain, and you can only see it when it's a really clear day.  I didn't get to see it last time I went to visit, and so we were really excited that I was able to see it this time.

We then went to Kirkland to get some lunch.  I'd never had Thai food before, so Kristie took me to Lai Thai to get some lunch.

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We got four dishes so that I could get a good variety of Thai Food: Phad Thai, Phad Kee Mao, Simply Fried Rice, and Yellow Curry over brown rice.  I really enjoyed everything, though the Phad Kee Mao was a little too spicy for me.  My favorite was the Phad Thai because it was a little sweet and the noodles were so good!

We also tried Thai Iced Tea, which is an interesting tea with a sweet cream in it.  It's an interesting taste, but I thought it was really good.

After lunch, we went to the grocery store to grab some things for dinner.  There was a Starbucks next door, so of course I had to go get a Starbucks coffee while in Seattle!  We got home, Kristie did a little bit more work, then we took Lexi the boxer on a walk around the neighborhood.  

Isn't she cute?

The weather was beautiful!  We walked for 2 miles around their very nice neighborhood, which was very hilly.  That slowed our pace down a little bit, but it was a lot of fun to get out and enjoy the nice day.

We got home and it was time to cook dinner.  We made a chicken casserole, which was what Joe requested we have for dinner.  This was a very easy recipe!  When we were in college, Kristie always showed me how to cook different things (that lemon pepper chicken I make?  Her recipe!).  I made sure to take notes on this recipe, because it was very tasty!  

After dinner, we watched Dancing with the Stars then went to bed.  I headed back in to my room after brushing my teeth and saw this when I got in there:

I couldn't say no to that face, so I had a little cuddle buddy on Monday night.

Tuesday

We had to get up early because Kristie had an appointment to get some stitches out.  We went to her dermatologist (Joe had to go in to work, so I went in his place), and when I asked if I could go in the room, the nurse said "As long as you don't pass out like the men do!"  I decided to read while her stitches were removed.  No passing out here!

Afterward, we went to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA to meet up with Joe and Brad for lunch.

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I had this image in my head that all the buildings were white stone, everything was connected by large sidewalks, and everything had a very united feel.  That's not necessarily the case, except for the Commons where we went for lunch.

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We met up with the guys at Spitfire, a restaurant in the Commons.  The food there was great, and the atmosphere was awesome!  I've got to say, their shoestring french fries were some of the best I've had.  We had a great time just talking and laughing.

The guys had to get back to work, so Kristie and I went to her office.  She works in Human Resources, specifically university recruiting.  Her office has a sliding glass door and looks very futuristic.  I told her I'd love to work in an office like that!  Another cool feature of her office: a photo collage I gave her displayed on one of her shelves.  I was so touched when I saw that she had it so prominently displayed.

After our "field trip" as I called it, we went back home to hang out with the puppy and watched some TV.  I went out and threw Lexi the frisbee some, and I just such a kick out of it when she'd get the frisbee then shake her head with it in her mouth.  Adorable!

At dinner time, we headed to this cool restaurant to meet back up with Brad and his wife Marie.  Brad and Marie got married just three weeks ago and we weren't able to go, so I was so excited to see both of them and catch up on the wedding!  

Their first Mr. and Mrs. picture after the honeymoon!

The restaurant: The Rock Wood Fired Pizza.

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What a cool place!  Everything was rock 'n roll themed!  The pizzas were all song titles, there was rock music playing in the background (not too loud, though), and the furniture was shaped like those black and silver gear boxes.  

Another cool feature?  Bucket drinks.

I got a Skinny Margarita and was so excited over the presentation.  We all got pizzas, and mine (the Bang A Gong) was DELICIOUS!  I almost ate the whole thing (which is unheard of for me!).  

Kristie and me

Also, for dessert was a Cookie Skillet!  Basically, it was a large chocolate chip cookie in a skillet topped with vanilla ice cream.  We all split it, but we probably could have eaten another one!  Overall, a very fun dinner.

Kristie and I went back to her house and watched TV in her bed since Joe was at a conference that evening.  We faded fast and went to bed.  I got to cuddle with Miss Lexi again, and we both slept like rocks!

Wednesday

Sadly, I had to leave early in the morning on Wednesday.  Kristie dropped me off at the airport at around 7am then headed in to work.  I so enjoyed my time visiting her, and I really wished I didn't have to go!  Hopefully I'll get to see her, Joe, and the rest of my Seattle crew very soon.

Before leaving Seattle, I had to stop at the Starbucks in the airport (duh!).

Have y'all had that chocolate cinnamon bread? AMAZING!  You should get it.  

On the plane, I sat on the side where Mt. Rainier would be.  Last time, it was so clear that you could see both Rainier and Mt. St. Helen.  This time, you could barely see Rainier.

Still, very impressive!  I rented one of the entertainment players that Alaska Airlines offers and watched Life of Pi and most of Black Swan while in the air.  It really helped pass the time!  I was also enjoying taking in the beautiful landscape of the Midwest.

We landed in Atlanta after being able to see Stone Mountain and the lovely skyline of the city.  I may be one of the only people to say this, but I LOVE the Atlanta airport!  After living in Athens for two years, I grew very familiar with it, and it sort of feels like home to me.  

I had time to grab some food in the airport before my flight to Daytona.  I opted for a healthy options in the B concourse: Fresh to Order.  Even though there was a long line, I wanted something good for me over a greasy burger.

I got the Tomato Mozzarella Panini.  Great choice!  The vinaigrette dressing was so tasty, and I also loved the tomato and mozzarella combination.

I slept the whole second flight and made it home safely.  I also heard from my Joe, who made it back safely from his trip to Jamaica with his boys.

Well, there you have it!  My trip to Seattle!  I'm so glad I went...it was the perfect way to spend my Spring Break.  I'm looking forward to relaxing, as well as getting a lot of school work done for the next few days.  

Question for you: What's your favorite airport food?  Any fun themed restaurants around you that you love?

The Atlanta airport usually makes me crave Popeye's, but sadly they've taken them out of that airport.  I guess I've found my (healthy) substitute now!