Sunday, May 27, 2018

The Brown's Go To Washington!

May 26, 2018

It was a dark and beautiful Saturday morning as we said goodbye to our kitties at 4 a.m. for a road trip to Washington D.C. Ha! Just kidding! We left at 7 a.m. When the alarm went off, Jason and I both immediately said "Fuck it. Wanna go back to bed?" It was a unanimous decision, so unfortunately nothing could be done.

Here we are, tired and puffy-eyed for an 11 hour road trip to D.C.


I drove us to Quick Trip so we could grab breakfast, drinks, gas, and put air in my tires. I drove for about three or four hours while Jason caught up on some sleep. We stopped in at another Quick Trip not long after Jason woke up to switch off driving and borrow their restroom. Once back in the car, we listened to some hip hop music, read some of Jason's CISSP certification material, and I also feel asleep some.

Around lunchtime we found a Cookout in North Carolina. Here is Jason with his bacon and cheddar hot dog:


Me with my corn dog:

While at CookOut, I received some very interesting facial expressions from the people around us. I was really confused why everyone was staring, then Jason reminded me that I have blue hair. Oh yeah!

After finishing our lunch, we headed back onto the open road. I took over driving for a couple more hours so Jason could rest and study. When we stopped at a Sheets gas station in Virginia, Jason offered to drive the rest of the way in. We talked, listened to music, read, and did our normal road-trip thing until we came across this:

In case you don't know, that is the Washington Monument to the left of the bridge! So close!

We arrived at the Marriott at 5:02 p.m. Valet parking was all they had, so we reluctantly paid a guy to take our car away to some unknown hidden car land. We then walked through a sea of teenagers who were dressed as 90 year old business men to get to the check-in counter. Once Bryan handed us our room key, we made our way to this lovely room:


It wasn't long before Jason and I left this room and made our way to Jinya, a Ramen house. It was fucking delicious! Below you can see us enjoying our meals:


Jason with his spicy chicken ramen.

Me with my beef ramen (poached egg and fried onions included).
Our waitress was wonderful! She told us if we left Yelp reviews, then she would give us free t-shirts. So, yeah...


 

Although we both were ready to explore Washington, we were also exhausted from the trip. It also started to rain. We decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. Although today wasn't filled with much to see, it got us to Washington!


Thursday, August 17, 2017

The Big 3-0!

August 17, 2017

It's Jason's 30th birthday!!!

To prepare for his upcoming birthday, Jason made a list of 30 things to do before turning 30. He finished the list last night. A few of the things he did:

Get a humanist and solidarity tattoo:


Go to a speakeasy and try Pappy:


Take a motorcycle class:


Get a neck shave at a barber shop:


He also checked off other accomplishments: have a blacksmithing experience, learn to weld, complete a pub crawl, go to a wine tasting, smoke some meat, try Ethiopian food... to name a few. Now completing his list, he's ready for another decade of his life.

Jason started his birthday by going to work. I picked up Which Wich for lunch and came home to eat with him. I also got these beautiful flowers:


After work, I came home and made his birthday cake while he finished working. Once done, we headed off to Ri Ra for his birthday dinner. We ordered corndogs for an appetizer:


Jason with his sliders:

Me with my corned beef and cabbage:


After dinner, we headed home. This is the Strawberry Matcha birthday cake I made for him:




He didn't know it, but the candles were sparkler candles. I wanted something special for his 30th birthday.


He had a little trouble getting that last one to blow out. At first he thought they were trick candles!


Jason said it was delicious!


Happy birthday, love!!

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Release the Hounds

July 15, 2017

Today we're heading home. We purposefully scheduled our flight a little later in the morning so we could have breakfast before leaving Seattle. The airline, however, had other plans. They decided to change our flight time to "Dear god! No one should ever get up this early!" Luckily, Jason decided to double check our flight times the night before we left. So, we were able to successfully leave Seattle on time.

We checked out of the hotel, got in the taxi, and made our way to the airport. The line for TSA security check-in was ridiculously long. Both Jason and I thought we were going to miss our flight because of the line. While standing in a sea of people, a few TSA agents were helping guide people through security. The one helping us was pretty entertaining. He was from "the country" but moved to Seattle with his wife for work. He said, "We're going to do what's called 'bringing the dogs out.' " In case you can't crack this code, it means they release the dogs to sniff your suitcase for drugs. The TSA guy was right-- as soon as the dogs were released, the lines drastically improved. I guess dogs are more efficient to find drugs than their fancy, ridiculously expensive, "Top security" machines. Anyway... we made it on the plane just in time.

Jason and I did what we usually do on planes: watch tv and read books. Oh, and I'm also trying not to have a panic attack from dying. I always end up laughing at myself when the plane ride is over because I'm clutching onto the bottom of my seat as though I can control the plane this way!

Finally home:



Peanut and Fred cuddles (Fred moved too quickly to get pics. Peanuts almost did, too!)


Friday, July 14, 2017

The Water's Edge

July 14, 2017

Early mornings are meant for rest, cuddling, and daydreaming, which is exactly how this particular morning began. Jason and I planned our exciting day from the comfort of our soft, fluffy hotel bed. Today we would return to Pike Place Market. Although we caught a glimpse of it yesterday, it was not enough to satisfy our curiosity.

After forcing ourselves out of bed, we dressed and made our way out into the city sidewalks. We used our phones to guide us back to Pike Place Market. We heard of a restaurant called Bitch Biscuits, which we planned to learn more about during breakfast. Unfortunately, we had some difficulty finding it. As the rumbling of our stomachs grew more intense, we settled on discovering a breakfast spot further into the market. Jason and I very carefully walked down a rather steep street to get to the water's edge. Soon the aroma of freshly baked pastries led us to a charming spot called Piroshky Piroshky. Although the line was out the door, we knew the smell of freshly baked bread and cheese would help to withstand our hunger. It was worth the wait. Below are pictures of our breakfast and the restaurant:







Once selecting our pastries, we needed to find a place to sit down and enjoy our meal. Although there wasn't seating in the restaurant, we stumbled upon a few small, stone tables in an alley behind some shops. As we sat down to eat, a group of tourists and a guide appeared in the entrance to the alley. We quietly observed as they made their way to the remaining tables behind us. The guide slipped into the back entrance of a Chinese restaurant adjacent to the alley. He soon returned to his group with small plates of delicious-looking food. Jason and I eavesdropped on their tour as we ate our scrumptious pastries. Below is a picture of Jason enjoying the food and entertainment:


After eating, we went exploring. Pike Place was far bigger than we ever imagined! The entire street running parallel to the water's edge was filled with shops, tents, and restaurants. We weaved our way through the crowds as we browsed the flower stands and fresh produce:




We decided to purchase our very first Washington Apple. We were pretty pleased with the result:

Finally, we found the clock:

Being quite the introverts, Jason and I quickly grew tired of the crowds. We decided to find a quiet spot to rest and regroup. We ended up on the top of a building overlooking the beautiful water:



Once regrouping, we decided it was time to make some small purchases:




As a special surprise, a new friend of ours messaged us and invited us to lunch at Pike Place. We happily accepted and agreed to meet at the clock. The three of us then headed over to Saffron Spice for lunch:



The three of us found a nice little area where we could eat and talk. It was such a nice surprise!

After saying goodbye, Jason and I returned to the market. We left no shop unturned. We visited everything there was to see and even enjoyed some tea and crumpets along the way:





Jason pointed out a yarn shop nearby, where I quickly snagged this item up:


Next to the yarn shop we found a kitchen shop, where I made an impulse buy on a little scrubber ducky:

We spent the whole day at the market! Our feet were killing us by the time we left. We returned to the hotel to relax and put away our new purchases.

Around dinner time, we walked next door to a 1950s style dinner named Dick's Drive-In. Jason and I split a small burger and fry:



We then returned to the hotel and relaxed for a while. At the very end of the day, we realized we were still really hungry from all that walking. So, we decided to get a late snack and some drinks. Below is Jason with his flight of beer:


Our mini corndogs:


Below is a picture of the beer menu that shows what beers Jason had in his flight:




It's difficult to remember the name of the restaurant-- I'm not even sure they had a name. All I remember is this picture of a hammerhead drinking. I thought it was pretty funny:


On the way back, Jason caught a glimpse of this dick in a random window:

We then called it a night and went back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we would have to say goodbye to Seattle.