Bachelorette!

There is no question about it; my friends are awesome! On a recent day, they took me out for a bachelorette party that I will not soon (ever!) forget. First, three (CC and KD and I) of us started out by meeting up for buffet lunch at one of my favorite Indian Places. Once we were finished filling up on sinfully delicious food, we spent a pleasant hour looking at cars (not for me!) before the next event.

By late afternoon, we arrived at the salon, and began our nail treatments. I have recently discovered a fondness for pedicures, so it was quite fun to choose a new nail color and get my feet bathed and massaged. It was during the pedicure when something very exciting happened. KM arrived! From all the way across the country! It was SO good to see her after three months away. At that point, our little gang of four was all set.

Once our nails were beautified, we all set off for the big city for the rest of our adventure. The 520 bridge was closed, so we did hit some traffic getting over, but that didn't matter to me because I got to use the time catching up with KM. A lot can happen in three months, so we had plenty to chat about as the cars crept along. Eventually we did reach Seattle, check into our hotel (the 31st floor with a fabulous view of the water!), put on our fancy clothes, and run to our dinner reservation.

Lola restaurant has been one of my favorite Seattle landmarks for a few years now. That was where we had dinner the night before M proposed. Besides being sentimental about it, the food there is absolutely fantastic. Greek food is usually good, but this place takes it to high art. The menu is constantly changing, so it is impossible to state a favorite. However, every single time I've gone in, I have had an excellent meal. This visit was no exception, and the cherry and Haloumi cheese skewers cooked in ouzo vied with the eggplant (which I usually don't like) tagine as the most delicious things on my plate. More and more ladies joined us until we had a table of eight enjoying the food.

As if tasty food and friendly company were not enough, there was a bonus. Two of my sneaky friends saw the locally famous owner of Lola, Tom Douglas, heading through the restaurant. Without my knowing, they arranged to have him come to our table! He was very friendly and congratulated me, posed for pictures, told us the story of Lola, and gave M and me a signed copy of his new cookbook. It was quite exciting for the food geeks in the group, and I think maybe M was impressed when I got home and told the story. We always see a celebrity when we do bachelorettes, and this one was no exception.

After leaving Lola, we returned to the hotel, and my incredibly kind friends gave me a lingerie shower. It was lovely and thoughtful and incredibly generous of them, and I got some beautiful things. M is going to have quite a show on our honeymoon, and that is all I'm going to say about that!

Next we headed out for drinks and dessert at a place called The Purple Cafe. We often go there after the symphony, so we were prepared for the extensive menu of two and three bite desserts. We ordered all 14 items from the menu, and I got a lovely, fizzy glass of champagne. There was much trading of plates and conversation. The party only broke up as it got too late for many people to leave their cars parked any longer.

It was quite late when the original four girls got back to the hotel. We changed into our PJ's, had a brief pillow fight just so we could say we did, and then settled in to tell bedtime stories about the handsome and successful man, CC, was going to meet. It was hilarious, and a great way to end such a memorable day.

Thanks a million times to my kind and wonderful friends for giving me such a remarkable time. It will certainly go down in my personal history as a much-cherished event.