22/52: Anniversary Weekend

ANTIPASTA: Insalata di piselli - English peas. radishes and cauliflower with lemon

ANTIPASTA: Cariciofi - Marinated baby artichokes with mint, hazelnuts and honey-controne mascarpone

Primi: Pappardelle con ragu di coniglio - pappardelle with rabbit ragu bianca and marjoram

Primi: Tajarin al ragu - fine cut egg pasta with pork and beef ragu

Dolci: Torta al cioccolato - Chocolate cake layered with hazelbut delizia with cocoanib meringue baci di dama and luxardo cherry sauce.

We had a wonderful (long) weekend in Seattle as I drove up from Portland on Thursday, worked remotely on Friday and then drove back to Portland Monday morning.

We stopped by to see my mother's beautiful garden on Saturday, which was a nice sunny day and had a lovely glass of wine on their garden patio.

The wet and cooler weather arrived on Sunday, and Brian and I took the bus, light rail and street car to Capital Hill for our anniversary dinner at Spinasse.  With it's rustic northern Italy farmhouse feel, Brian and I felt like we were transported to a small village in the Piedmont region.  We sipped on a bottle of Barbaresco wine and perused the menu for the best dishes.

The menu was small and meant to be served family-style...but the choices were authentic and seasonal.  The star of the show is the handmade (in-house) pasta, which was the best pasta I have ever had (not to mention one of the best Italian dishes in the nation).  Both our antipasta plates were amazing and flavorful and I can't think of a better description than amazing for the chocolate cake.

It was a special evening with my amazing life partner and an excellent way to celebrate 14 years!

Enjoy!
Stacy

23/52: Anniversary Weekend

I spent less time blogging and vlogging and more time celebrating our anniversary weekend together.

It started in Centralia last Friday night.  While waiting for Brian to meet me at the Olympic Club on Main Street, I chowed down on some Cajun tater tots and sipped Chardonnay in an old "gentlemen's club" established in 1908.  The place is haunted, they say...and filled with original features and fixtures.

It was easier to take the train to Centralia and have Brian drive up from Camas (where he was working) then to fight Portland/Vancouver traffic.  It was a great adventure for the both of us and half the trip back to Seattle we spent together.

We eventually made our way into Seattle and had a wonderful Saturday morning walk in Lincoln Park followed by a nice lunch in the Rainier Room at Emerald Downs.

We didn't win any money on the final leg of the triple crown, The Belmont Stakes...but we had a wonderful anniversary celebration together.

Enjoy!
Stacy

23/52: Anniversary Weekend!

12 years!  Wow!  Brian and I have been together for 12 years.  Happy Anniversary, baby! Here is to 12 more and 12 more after that with another option for 12 more on top of another 12 more after 12 more.  I think you get my drift!

We drove back to Portland last Friday night.  It was nice to get home before dark and have a nice relaxing evening after a very shortened post holiday work week.  Our little boy was waiting for us when we walked in the door!

Saturday was SPECTACULAR!  Hot weather but a nice breeze.  A longer walk down Graham Street to Lincoln Park for over 4 miles.  Yea, us!  My baby cooked me an awesome cowboy hash, my favorite and we spent the rest of they day puttering around the house.

Our anniversary dinner was Italian at La Rustica along the water.  Amazing!  We sat outside and enjoyed an amazing bottle of Valpolicella wine, shared an appetizer of mussels in white wine and garlic before Brian's Chicken Parmesan and my Wild Boar Osso Bucco arrived.

Sunday was just plain HOT!  93 set a record in Seattle.  I was pretty happy to get on the air-conditioned train and head to Portland.

Enjoy!
Stacy

24/52: Anniversary Weekend

Brian and I celebrated #11 this past weekend.  Our anniversary was Thursday and of course we were apart, but we made up for it over the weekend.

First stop on Friday after my train pulled in was a new place in West Seattle that we drove past last weekend (I didn't even know that it existed) and I immediately brought up their website to discover that it is a premier Sports Bar, and only about 1/2 mile from our house.

The Westy Sports and Spirits, is located in the heart of the Gatewood neighborhood.  It's described as a premiere sports viewing pub with elevated pub-grub including cocktails and beers on tap.  The small venue has 16 TVs and the option to view up to 8 different games.

They had a fairly standard pub menu...burgers, dogs, wraps...plus breakfast on the weekends!  

Saturday was a full day....I put on my new sherbet orange dress and we headed back down to Emerald Downs for the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes.  Would history be made and would we see a triple crown winner?

It was the first Triple Crown winner since 1978!

It was a beautiful 80+ degree day and in addition to the Belmont, we had live racing at Emerald Downs to entertain us.  

Dinner on Saturday night was at our local Italian/pizza joint, Peel and Press on California Avenue in West Seattle.  We had a cocktail at the bar before ordering a pizza and some amazing ravioli to take home and enjoy on our cool patio.

How did you celebrate the weekend?

Enjoy!
Stacy

24/52: Happy Anniversary, Baby!

 

Brian and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last weekend with all sorts of activities!

We had a lovely dinner at the new Bridge Liquor and Food in West Seattle.

Twisted Tamale

Earlier in the day, we went down to Emerald Downs race track in Auburn to watch California Chrome take a shot at history.  Unfortunately, we lost our shirts at the track, but it was a lovely day and thankfully I had tucked money away for dinner.

Sunday it was yard work followed by a walk to Lincoln Park to play Frisbee. Today, I can't move my arm above my head.

 
Our Patio is officially open for Summer!

Enjoy!

Stacy

Weekend Wrap Up: Happy Anniversary!

It was a beautiful weekend so we spent time in the garden and finished up weeding and planting flowers.

Our weekends have been hit and miss weather-wise, so when the sun is out....our back yard patio becomes our oasis.  It's a place we never want to leave. 

We celebrated our 9th anniversary since we will be apart on the 4th of June and Brian is heading down to Alameda for niece, Carrie's High School graduation next weekend.

Caesar Salad for 2

Fettuccine Carbonara
 
We had plans to take a bit of a road trip, enjoy an expensive and decadent dinner out with richly prepared steaks and lavish desserts, but in the end....all I really wanted to do was stroll through our neighborhood, enjoy a glass of Champagne at our neighborhood pub and dine on a simple plate of pasta at our local Italian place, Abbondanza.

Happy, indeed!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Happy Blog Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our blog.  Today you are six years old!  It's hard to believe that to date, we've posted 1,352 entries!!

Thank you for sharing part of your day each and every day to check in to see the adventures that Brian and I experience and share.

Along the way, I've met (on-line) some incredible bloggers.  I've learned a lot about blogging, photography, web design and more than anything, the spirit of sharing our lives with those around the world.  For that I am extremely grateful.

Stepping back in time, I've linked a few of my favorite adventures for those of you who have not been with us since day one.  We certainly "get around"!

Enjoy!
Stacy

East Coast Swing - June 2007

Greenlake - May 2008

Maui, Day #5 my birthday in upcountry - April 2008

Napa - April 2009

North Carolina/Virginia - November 2009

Snoqualmie Falls - September 2010

Christmas Eve Brunch at Salty's - December 2011

One Day in Los Angeles - April 2012