Shane and Shannon's Visit

May 11-14, Shane and Shannon came to visit us! They had a not so great flight out here Thursday evening, but you'll have to ask them about that. Not very happy story. I'd be angry, too!! So after we left the airport we went to McMenamin's, a cute little bar between the hotel they were staying at and our apartment, to drink (and eat) away their frustrations. McMenamin's serves the BEST tatertots EVER!! After that, we all went our separate ways and got to sleep!

Jim and I both had to work on Friday, so Shane and Shannon bummed around the city, going to the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the Piers, the International District.... They took the double decker bus around for a bit because of the wet and cold Seattle weather, but walked from the International District to Jim's work to meet him and back to our apartment on Queen Anne Hill, which is a nice, long walk! By the time I got off work, I think everyone was in need of a nap, so we hung out for a bit to relax and played with Rufus.

For dinner, Shane and Shannon ventured out to our favorite restaurant, Bai Tong,the BEST Thai place ever. They had never had thai, so I was a bit nervous taking them there, but they seemed to enjoy it! We had spring rolls, fried rice, curry, and my personal favorite, phad thai! They were also having a wine tasting event, so we, of course, tasted a glass of wine each!

After that, we went back to our apartment and played a game of Trivial Pursuit, the 90's edition: boys vs. girls. Sadly, the boys got too tired and quit before we finished. I call that a win for the girls!!

On Saturday, we drove out to Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island. It's a park that Jim and I have been to a few times and absolutely LOVE!! We took the Mukilteo Ferry to the island, and drove out to the park. We packed a lunch, and ate once we got there. And, we brought Rufus with us!! As such a tiny dog, we weren't quite sure how he'd do with the trails. Surprisingly, he loved them! He was trying to lead the way the whole time we were hiking! It was too cute. I think we pooped out the puppy and Shane and Shannon; they slept most of the way back to Seattle!

After showering and resting up a bit, we made our first trip to Buce di Bepo, a family style italian restaurant. They serve huge bowls of pasta, and everyone shares. We were a little worried about over-ordering, so we had the waitress help us with the amount. After ordering what seemed to be the perfect amount, a random waiter came by with a HUGE bowl of seafood pasta and asked if we'd like to try some. Assuming that he'd just give us a little taste and then move on, Jim and I said "sure!" With that, he set the whole bowl down on our table and left. Jim and I dug in, just in time for the food that we ordered to come out. So there we sat with a HUGE bowl of seafood pasta (apparently a "small"), bread, a 1 lb meatball, a side of spaghetti (which could have fed me for 2 meals), a side of fettuccine (again, could have fed me for 2 meals), and Quattro Al Forno, which was 2 manicotti, 2 cannelloni, I think 4 stuffed shells, and several baked ravoli. Now, this was a FEAST! Jim and I left with what felt like a mere 5 lbs of leftovers! We didn't have to cook for several days!!

On Sunday, we woke up and joined them at their hotel for the free breakfast before taking them back to the airport :-(

It was a wonderful weekend, but didn't last long enough....