A day in Seattle...

For Stephen's birthday this year, I asked my parents if they would watch the girls so that Stephen and I could spend the day in Seattle. It was so nice to have a day away together. We started our morning off by going to Bakery Nouveau, (I think I've mentioned this bakery before.) We tried some of their fresh pizza which was delicious! Then we purchased some pastries and headed to Vivace, a coffee roaster on Capitol Hill in Seattle. There we got to sit and enjoy our coffees while devouring a raspberry almond pastry. The ambiance at this coffee shop is quite fun. We visited Stumptown in Queen Anne and then explored the area a bit. Of course, I was drawn towards the children's shops, bookstores and this divine chocolate shop- Chocolopolis. Although I enjoyed the Queen Anne area, I still prefer Ballard.
We also went to one of Stephen's favorite grocery stores, Uwajimaya. If you know Stephen, you know he loves Asian food and if you love to cook Asian food, there are certain ingredients required that you just can't find in a normal grocery store.

For dinner, we decided to venture past Tom Douglas, (owner of Dahlia Lounge, Lola's, Etta's, Serious Pie and Palace Kitchen- some of our favorite eats in Seattle,) and try Pasta Bella which serves authentic Italian food and handmade pastas in the middle of Queen Anne for a very reasonable price. We found their food to be good, authentic and worth the price. The service was good although it seemed to be a little like the cake shop comedy act. There was one man there to be host, waiter, answer phones and tend the bar. He came up to us several times only to run back to the counter to answer the phone. We found it entertaining. Oh, if you do ever go here I'd recommend you skip the dessert or at least don't get the canolli. The filling was so-so. The canolli shell, okay. But then they ruined it with fake whipped cream and Hershey's chocolate syrup. I have a big sweet tooth but Stephen and I left most of that dessert on the plate.
With satisfied stomachs we went to the Imax showing of Avatar in Southcenter. Stephen and I saw the preview to this movie several months ago and both agreed it looked extremely stupid. But, we gave into the hype everyone has given it and decided to trust the majority of reviews that this movie is great and to many, not just great but the best movie ever! We got there early which is not like us. We hardly ever go to the movies but if and when we do, we don't wait in line for hours before! How ridiculous. Yet, there we stood. The time finally arrived, we got our glasses and went to sit down and we actually got decent seats even though there were maybe 100 people in front of us in line. The movie was pathetic. Okay, maybe not horrible, but certainly not the greatest movie ever! I thought the story line was poor. The effects were cool. Although I wasn't amazed by the 3D experience, it was enjoyable. I don't know, I left thinking, "what? That's it?"

We had a wonderful time being us. I was Paige and Stephen was Stephen. We had a full day without being "mommy" and "daddy". Ah. A breath of fresh air.