5.29.13 ~ It's My Birthday and I'll Fly to Seattle if I Want To

Every mother needs a break sometimes. So, after a particularly hard week a few months ago, I was on the phone with Jill who immediately began planning a trip to Seattle for Labor Day weekend. Pia lives there and Jill flew up from Austin and so was born the first annual Jill, Pia, and Nina Bestie Vacation.

We spent two nights in Seattle to hang out with these guys and this little Angel of a child...

Then just Jill, Pia, and I hopped into the car and did some quick site seeing in Seattle before setting off for Portland.

 This is the most disgusting tourist attraction ever. The Gum Wall.

The Pike Place Market


Inside the Market.

The first Starbucks ever.

And off to Portland.

Portland is pristine and orderly and a little bit Utopian. As a New Yorker, it was a refreshing change of pace - though, the composting, stopping for pedestrians, legit bike lanes, and goats grazing on an empty lot with absolutely zero garbage dumped on it right in the middle of the city do threaten to get a little old after a while. But we weren't there long enough for that to happen. Instead we were blissfully happy as Jill, a very pregnant Pia, and I ate and drank our way through that clean city. At this point in the trip I also put away my big camera and relied mostly on my new iphone. But as obsessed as I am with that thing, there is still really no comparison to my Canon.

 Jill found us a charming little house near (in?) an "up and coming neighborhood" in the city. I swear, the only five and a half blocks of diversity and grit in the whole damn city and of course we find ourselves there. For better or for worse.

 Can you see the rainbow?

 The best wings ever. Ever. EVER. We all agreed, even the pregnant one who doesn't like wings.

 The house really was charming.

 Who decides these things?

Portland Saturday Market.

 More Market and also the belly.

Seriously, Jill and Pia picked some outstanding restaurants.

We rode the street car!

A little time away and a little space between home and me was very restorative. I missed my husband and kids a lot. But totally in a good way. It was wonderful to come home and really cherish them. And because today is my 32nd birthday I also used the extra head space to do a little reflecting on where I am in life (long flights with no children are particularly good for that). This 33rd year brings with it many crossroads and challenges but also many blessings and opportunities. And with some effort to help the pieces fall into place the right way, it also brings the potential to be one of the most important and ultimately best years so far.