Shore leave

Mima and papa (poppa? popa? there's been some debate over the spelling, though we think we've settled on papa) came to visit for the long weekend! We've been having a wonderful time, though Zachary has at times been fighting teething, a cold, and maybe something else, leading to an extremely sad/angry first afternoon and evening with his grandparents. They actually didn't even get to see him for a few hours - first he was at class with mommy, so the three of us went out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants and introduced papa to their always tasty tomato soup and grilled cheese. Then we came home from the restaurant and Zachary was taking his afternoon nap. And when he finally woke up, he was very unhappy for most of the afternoon and evening.

Nonetheless, mima and papa wanted us to get away for a night - so the next night (with only 24 hours of orientation, no less!), the two of us waved goodbye and headed out for an overnight trip to a lovely lodge/spa about a half hour east of the city, while mima and papa stayed and played with a very happy little man. We didn't really have any worries about the three of them having a great time together -- the morning and day had been really nice, with lots of laughing and giggling. We were more concerned with the weather forecast, which was calling for the rare Seattle snow followed by crazy cold temperatures.

It was already snowing when we headed out, though thankfully it wasn't sticking. The snow got a bit heavier as we approached the lodge - Washington's mountainous geography can make for some dramatic weather changes in less than five minutes of travel. But we arrived without incident and got settled in to our warm and cozy room with a large wood burning fireplace, which overlooked the falls. It started snowing a bit heavier and actually sticking, but when we checked in with mima and papa, it wasn't nearly as heavy back at home.

Dinner was incredible; the restaurant there has a giant cozy fireplace, and somehow we were the only ones seated in front of it. We were actually sitting at the exact table where Meh had 'proposed back' to me six and a half years ago. Some carrollers came around, and Meh asked if they had any Chanukah songs - they were all excited to respond yes, pulled out their carrolling books (of course this was the one piece they didn't have memorized :) and did a really nice arrangement of "Oh Chanukah".

The room was super cozy -- they even had a "menu" of specialized pillows you could request complimentarily (is that a word?). We got a down-filled full body pillow and a lavendar buckwheat pillow. Again, cozy. I successfully managed to start the fire without lighting the rest of the room or myself (savor the minor triumphs), and we had such a nice relaxing evening. Breakfast the next morning was amazing as well -- the restaurant served tableside hot chocolate, with super fancy chocolate, whole milk, and vanilla all heated in copper pots on the spot, before being poured into a large ceramic pot and mixed with a molinillo (Mexican chocolate frothing whisk -- talk about a specialized kitchen appliance). And yes, Meh did get to enjoy their 'honey from heaven' when she asked for honey on her biscuits, drizzled from a dizzying height above the table. (The server said usually they use a step stool to stand even higher.) Thanks so much to mima and papa for giving Meh and me such a wonderful opportunity for husband and wife time!

We returned home to a once more happy Zachary, playing with mima and papa. We had a hard time getting him to even look up and acknowledge our presence; he's quite taken at the moment with his brand new animatronic Tickle-Me Elmo "Extreme". (Who knew Sesame Street could get extreme?)