weekend get-away

When we told our friends that we were going away for our very first without-the-boys weekend getaway, they eagerly asked where we were planning to go.  Do tell!  Vancouver?  Portland?  Orcas? Whidbey?   Nope, friends.  We’re going to… Redmond.  To which Jack replied “as in… where I work?  Like 20 minutes from here?”

Not the obvious choice, perhaps, but hey, when you’ve only got 24 hours, you don’t want to waste time driving, right?!  So we stuck to our guns and said Yes!  We are going to Redmond!  To a B&B!  Polite nods followed.  Encouraging smiles.  And then a couple hours later Jack sent this…

We’ve been to a few B&Bs in our day but I’ve usually opted for the more… modern options.  Not so much emphasis on the Victorian decor, the musty smells and the squeaky steps.  So Jason was slightly confused by the video but I explained the B&B stereotype and we had a good laugh.   Until a few hours later when we arrived at our long-awaited getaway.  In my defense, the website for the B&B had minimal photos and the reviews were stellar.  Besides, we’re so close to Seattle!  How many doilies could there be?  I don’t think I really need to go into detail for you all.  I’ll just give you this video that we shot for Jack when we arrived.

So the Bed & Breakfast lived up to every possible stereotype.  There were bears everywhere (for real), the carpet on the squeaky steps was decades-old plush green, soaps galore, you name it.  But our hosts were quite kind and the outdoor grounds of the estate were incredible.  There was a creek running through the yard and the views out our window were beautiful.  So we ignored the gold bathroom appliances and the floral accents (as much as possible) and had ourselves a fantastic weekend.

After a huge brunch and some coffee at Vivace in Seattle, we hiked around Cougar Mountain and marveled at our uninterrupted conversation.  I think we squeezed in about 4 weeks worth of conversation into that 24 hour stretch.  And the hiking?  It’s pretty great to just. keep. walking.  No potty-training two-year-old peeing into the side brush, no coaxing our 4-year-old to please keep walking, nobody lying down on the trail too exhausted and hungry to take another step.  We just walked, people.  And talked and talked and talked.  It was glorious.

On Sunday morning we enjoyed the breakfast part of the B&B (well, Jason enjoyed it considerably more than I did, considering the omelet was overflowing with… mushrooms.  Fail for me.  Not so much a mushroom fan) and then headed out for another hike.  We strolled around the Redmond Watershed Preserve and just kept on talking.  And we finished up our getaway with a quick visit to the Novelty Hill Januik Winery in Woodinville before heading for home.

Overall, the overnight was a major score for us.  We needed that uninterrupted time together.  It’s been way too long.  And we were glad that we stayed close to home so that we could eek out every last second of our time together.  But next time we might opt for slightly different accommodations.