Sleeping in Seattle Day 1

One of my rules for life: When a friend says "Do you want to go to (insert pretty much any place in the world here)?" the answer is always "Yes!" A resounding, unhesitating, absolutely I-will-make-this-happen, yes. Thus, when my friend Sara mentioned that she was going to be in the Seattle area and asked if I wanted to meet her, there was really only one way to respond. For weeks, I looked forward to spending time with one of my "Dallas friends." Getting to spend a weekend in one of my favorite cities was just an added bonus. The adventure began with an early morning road trip fueled by Dutch Bros coffee.

A six-hour drive later, I was just in time to meet Sara for lunch on Bainbridge Island, where I would be staying for the first night. After considering our options, we decided that lunch at Doc's Marina Grill was just about perfect.

We spent the afternoon browsing the many lovely and oh-so-expensive shops of downtown Bainbridge. There was this little tiny candle that I wanted to buy because it smelled like bliss. I wanted to buy it until I saw the $55 price tag. No thank you. I can do without the smell of actual bliss in my life.

My favorite stop had to be Eagle Harbor Book Co. There is nothing quite like stepping into a book store and taking a deep breath laden with the smell of real books, feeling the hint of excitement as my fingertips longingly touch the covers of as yet unread novels, my mind full of curiosity about the stories within.

This was also the scene of my first-ever celebrity sighting. I was in the process of trying to stop myself from buying one of everything when suddenly Sara appeared next to me and began excitedly whispering that Elizabeth Mitchell was nearby. We pretended to be highly interested in calendars and self-help books as we subtly (I promise!) followed her around the store. My only chance to get a picture occurred a few minutes later as we left the bookstore. In case you can't tell, she's the tall one in the brown shirt gracefully running down the sidewalk.

After a warm afternoon of shopping and enjoying the scenery, it only made sense to eat ice cream. And if you're going to eat ice cream on Bainbridge Island, you're going to eat ice cream at Mora Iced Creamery. Calories do not count when you're on vacation, right?

After all of the driving, shopping, walking, and eating, I needed a nap. I decided it was the perfect time to check into my hotel. Which was a mistake. Because once I did, I never wanted to leave. Ever again. I wanted to move in and live there forever. My hotel of choice was not really a hotel, but rather a small inn. The Inn at Pleasant Beach was everything I love in a place to stay: beautiful, unique, and comfortable with an amazing view and incredible attention to detail. Seriously, never go there because your life will never be the same. You will be utterly dissatisfied with every other place you sleep.

Literally, the only problem with the room is that it felt like a bit of a waste to stay in such a romantic place all alone. But I did my best to hold up under the disappointment. In fact, it would take some seriously awesome plans for me to be willing to leave my cozy room. Thankfully, I had just that - dinner reservations at Restaurant Marche with Sara, her husband, and her in-laws. There is just about nothing that makes me happier than great food and interesting conversation with wonderful people. This evening did not disappoint.

And of course, it's not a complete meal without dessert. We needed to make sure all the food groups were covered and I am fairly confident that "dessert" is one of them. Or should be.

Meals like that, full of delicious food, laughter, and free flowing conversation including an impromptu book club - life does not get better than that.

After returning to the inn, I could think of no better way to end my day than by taking a relaxing, hot bath (in that incredible bath tub - I could practically swim in it) followed by drinking hot tea while reading a great book curled up next to the fire.

It had been a long and wonderful day; it took me approximately 3.8 minutes to fall asleep after crawling into the super comfy bed. Sometimes, life is perfect.