Mini Vacation...Part 2...Day 1

Well...we are at our next destination! Where is it? Is it killing you because I haven't told you yet? Or are you like...I follow you on Facebook and Instagram...I know where you are. Well...if you don't know yet...I'm about to tell you.

This morning we got out of bed around 6 AM because Michael had a meeting at work. Since he had to run to Everett for the meeting he dropped the boys off at The Dog Spot. Now can I vent for a second? I get irritated when I go through the trouble of typing out an instruction sheet with all the necessary information for the dogs' stay...and then the person who takes the dogs from us is asking questions that are clearly explained in the instructions. I feel bad that Michael had to field these questions, had I been there I may have met these questions head on with a firm, "If you read the instruction sheet that I typed out and highlighted, you will find all the answers to your premature questions." But I digress.

Michael came home after his meeting and we relaxed for a few minutes then loaded up the car and made our way south this time! We didn't leave until around 10 AM...so by the time we were on the road we were starting to get hungry. So I agreed to stop for lunch in Olympia. When it comes to meals out...it's Michael's job to find a place to eat. Well...he didn't disappoint. He picked out a place called The 5th Avenue Sandwich Shop in downtown Olympia. I ordered the BBQ Beef Sandwich with a cup of taco soup. They were both delicious! But, sadly, it made me a bit tired for the rest of our drive to our destination.

The rest of the drive wasn't too terrible though. I even got a nice chuckle part way through. Michael was quite tired as well...and I noticed him closing his eyes for extended periods of time. Being that I was driving, I had to keep my eyes on the road...but kept looking at him out of the corner of my right eye. I'm so happy that I did because I busted him when his head fell backwards and hit the head rest! He immediately opened his eyes and had a smile on his face...because he KNEW he was busted. I love my husband...he makes me laugh and smile even when he's not trying to!

Well, at around 1:30, we made it to Portland. Yup! Portland, Oregon. Neither of us have spent any time in Portland...Michael drove through once and spent the night...but not any real amount of time. So we made our way to our hotel...and when we first booked this hotel I couldn't help but smile. Michael booked us at "The Governor Hotel." So for the past week I've been walking around saying, "Ah-lo Guv-nah!" Michael can't wait for this trip to be over! LOLOL

Our room here is small...but charming. I actually feel like I'm sleeping in a bedroom in some one's home. It has such a good feeling. It's decorated nicely, and homey.

The view from the bed into the bathroom.

Cute lamp and chair next to my side of the bed.

Even the tile on the bathroom floor is great! Reminds me of my apartment in Boston!

And our hotel room door has a knocker! Sweet!

After checking in...we decided to take a nap! HAHAHA We are such old ladies! :) But after this nice nap...we got up and went for a walk around the neighborhood. I have to say...Portland is WAY cuter than Seattle. There is so much charm and character to all the buildings...even the apartment buildings. I guess I should say that Portland seems what Seattle probably was like before they started ripping down the older buildings and putting up brand new "everything looks the same" condos. It actually reminded me a bit of being in Boston. **sigh** Oh the good memories!

We made our way up to a kitchen store and then stopped at Williams Sonoma before heading back towards our hotel for dinner. After walking to a place and looking in the window...I decided that we weren't dressed up enough for this place...never mind the fact that most of the entrees were 30 bucks each! Sheesh! So we decided to make our way back up near our hotel and ate at a great little place about a block from the hotel. Tasty and Alder is a rather nice little place. Very casual, but it was hopping! The hostess seated us at a bar type thing...but the bad thing was we had to stare at the two girls who were preparing the desserts and appetizers. It was cool to watch the rest of the line cook, but awkward that we had people watching us eat our food.

The service was a bit slow...BUT once they took our order my steak and Michael's seafood stew came rather quickly! We also ordered the grilled broccolini and roasted jalapeno polenta. Everything was fantastic...and we left there feeling full and satisfied! And much to our delight we only had a three minute walk to our hotel!! :) That's what I call a great place to eat! LOL

Now we are all settled into our room, watching TV and drinking wine. It's been a great first day here in Portland, and we are looking forward to the next couple of days as well! I hope you enjoy the next couple days with us in Portland!! :)

Until next time...Keep Cooking!