My daughter Alex and husband Craig gearing up for the class
Handcrafted cocktails – Yes please!
The adorable kitchen and classroom of The Pantry
The Pantry is a community kitchen in the charming Seattle neighborhood of Ballard and the cooking classes are popular as well as a red hot commodity. They offer a variety of classes that focus on traditional food crafts and technique, culinary camps for the kids, and other creative ideas that bring people together to eat great food and to learn.
The Pantry Classes fill up very quickly and a spot is not that easy to get, so when our foodie daughter (SeaTownBites.com) asked if we wanted to reserve a spot for the Bad Ass Bartending class three months in the future, we said yes without hesitation.
Sitting in the quiet of the early morning, with a big cup of tea, Craig and I spend an hour catching up on what’s new on the Web. We each share with the other anything that would pique our interest. Craig actually discovered a couple of these links for today’s post.
I don’t know about you, but I find a plethora of fascinating ideas, posts, news stories, photos and inspiration from hopping around the Web. Throughout the week I receive updates and posts from various news sources and from other bloggers. When you subscribe, the articles that are sent to you are literally custom made for your interests. Ah, the convenience of technology!
Links from this week~
The Academy Awards are my Superbowl. Before the telecast begins, the snacks are prepared, champagne is on ice and my cell phone is on silent. I love the pageantry, the fashion, the movies, the direction, cinematography…all of it! Craig and I try to see all if not most of the movies nominated. This article from Visit California did a great job highlighting some incredible Oscar-worthy hotels with some additional clever commentary. Have you stayed in any of these spectacular California hotels? I live about two miles from The Langham in Pasadena, it is extraordinary.
Seattle is truly one of the loveliest cities in the world. We have been living here for 6 1/2 months but now getting ready to move back to Pasadena. I feel the panic of trying to see and experience everything we have not yet visited!
I should not be disappointed in our activity level, we actually have done quite a bit of exploring and Craig reminds me of this daily. However, we had not yet been to Seward Park in Southeast Seattle, so on a recent sunny weekend day, we grabbed Rocco and drove the six miles to the prodigeous park.
One of the lovely modern design suites we stayed in at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California
I never thought it was possible to have a relationship with a hotel, but we certainly have had a beautiful association with the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel also known as the “Century Plaza” for several years.
One of the unique light fixtures high above the lobby/bar.
Unfortunately, those days are over because on March 1, 2016, the 49-year-old Century Plaza in Century City, CA will no longer exist. So sad but true. The unique property has been sold and there are tremendous redevelopment plans ready to begin. There will be new towers, a new lobby, new owners and I am sure it will be extraordinary, just not the same as it always has been. It is time to say goodbye to a glamorous icon and hello to change. Change is inevitable, but it makes me sad that such a special place will now be gone forever.
I look forward to Saturday morning for a multitude of reasons. The best reason is that my husband Craig has returned from a week of travel and we spend the early morning catching up on our online reading. We sit drinking large cups of our favorite hot tea (Lord Bergamot by Steven Smith Teamaker) stirred with lots of honey. Our view of the Puget Sound off the coast of downtown Seattle is spectacular and we are even able to see the ferries on their journey across the water.
This morning’s view of the Puget Sound and the ferry to the left.
Thank you to Fisher Investments for sponsoring this post which allows me to share our planning ideas for creating adventure in midlife. All opinions are my own.
Enjoying handcrafted Mai Tais during our anniversary trip to Maui.
The kids have grown up and moved out of the nest and it is now our time to find adventure. We are no longer focusing on our children on a day to day basis, it is time for our personal adventures to begin!
We look for ways to create meaningful experiences to enjoy in our new found “freedom”. We ask questions, look for referrals and rely on others to help us make these plans.
Craig and I have learned a great deal in the past four years and we like to think we are experts in encouraging others to find adventure in midlife! However, we need to pay for these adventures as well and have learned some valuable lessons over the years that help this process.
Phew – it has been a busy time at the fixer upper. One month ago was the last time I reported to you the changes in the renovation and although they may not seem that monumental, they really do to me. Our little Spanish señorita is starting to look like a real house again! No …
So happy to find the largest & best bookstore ever… Ever since I read Harriet the Spy in the fourth grade I have been a reader. In some years way more than others, but I almost always have had a book or two on the nightstand. In the last few years since becoming an Empty …
I look forward to Saturday morning for a multitude of reasons. The best reason is that my husband Craig has returned from a week of travel and we spend the early morning catching up on our online reading. We sit drinking large cups of our favorite hot tea (Lord Bergamot by Steven Smith Teamaker) stirred …
I wanted to let you know that my Dad passed away this morning. Thank you for all of the prayers and virtual hugs. I recently authored a personal and heartfelt post detailing my fears and anguish over my dad’s terminal illness. I received a loving avalanche of kind, helpful, prayer-filled thoughts from friends …
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