One Weekend in October

Why, my weekend, you ask? It was quite good!

The day leading up to the weekend was not one that I would put into the halls of infamy, nor one that I would really care to remember any further, but let me only say that it was a long and dreadful day at work, due to the exhaustion suffered from only sleeping a few spare hours the night before. However, my spirit, though hindered, was fueled by the thought of what was to come that evening: a party in celebration of our engagement! Somehow I managed to scrape through the day with eyes open, and when five o clock finally arrived, I could feel the exhaustion dragging me down as I walked from my office to Pacific Place Mall to wait while Jenna had her hair styled. After a trip home to change, we arrived at Café Metropolitain on Capitol Hill and the festivities quickly began. It was a wonderful night filled with friends, and joy, and of course, a decent number of libations. A very special thank you to Danielle Franich for putting this together, and for the book. The notes left were wonderful. Though my exhaustion blurred much of the night, it was wonderful to see and talk to so many of the people we love, and I think soon enough somebody else probably will be required to get engaged, so the same mass can come together again and celebrate. Once I became late enough that all wanted to retire, we made the drive home, detouring through the Jack-in-the-Box drivethru, as neither of us had had any dinner. Then, after a long day of work and celebration, we slept, and it was good.

We slept, and it was good, unti Saturday morning, when we awoke to a blustery day with a busy schedule full of crap to do.

First off, to visit another possible venue location: Columbia Crest Winery in Woodinville. Our hopes were high for Columbia, as it is featured and ranked quite well in magazines and websites and such. However, I must say, we've already ruled it out as an option. For us, it does not have enough flare and character to warrant the price. However, at the time of leaving, we had only seen Columbia and Delille, and we knew that either would be suitible, if necessary.

We then had time for lunch, and stopped at the Rancho Bravo on 45th street in Wallingford. We were quite satisfied with the tacos. Yet, we were both rather dissatisfied due to the lack of tamales, which have easily become my favorite part of Rancho Bravo. Let's hope next time we're not left so wanting.

Next on the agenda, the second round of auditions for "No Snowflake in an Avalanche." This was an enjoyable time spent in the presence of Jake Farley, watching actors showcase their talents. Overall, we had some very wonderful people come to auditions of the two weekends, and I believe we will have a cast by the end of this week. Through all of the engagement celebrations and plans for the wedding, it is getting more and more difficult to focus on the other task at hand: The three shows Emerald City Scene will be producing between now and June.

Once auditions had finished, we had about an hour before our appointment at the Edgewater Hotel, so we relaxed a bit in the car, discussed different things which needed to be done, and when could tackle them. When that time was up, we drove to the waterfront. Before reaching the waterfront, though, we had to wait for a train to pass. I have not had the annoyance of waiting for a train to pass for quite a while, and was not pleased that this happened both on the way to the hotel, and upon leaving it as well.

On entering the Edgewater, however, it was beautiful. The sinks in the bathroom are a fountain of some sort, which were very peaceful and nice. The room for the ceremony and reception look out over the water, and it is stunning. I imagine on a day less rain-filled as Saturday, it would be breathtaking. This hotel does not have many of the logistical issues from Delille Cellars, however it does have an issue with the tables. For the ceremony & reception to happen in the same room, they keep the tables set to the side in the room until after the ceremony, at which point the stack the chairs, move the tables, and re-set the chairs. This, I think, is a fantastic plan. The problem is, the tables to the side makes the room feel cramped during the ceremony. There is a way of masking the tables from view during the ceremony, but from what we have heard that can run to a high expense. We will be doing a bit more research on that aspect in this week, before we visit our final option on Saturday, Willow's Lodge in Woodinville. Lisa, however, the Event Coordinator for the space, was very professional and I trust anything we need from her will be taken care of.

After the tour, we made the drive back home (and, as I said, stopped again for the train). Then it was off to a film with my brother. It was the cast & crew screening of a film he had worked on this summer, and I was very impressed. The quality was more than I expected from a film locally produced, and from the budget, it was really spectacular that such wonderful cinematography, sound, and editing came through. The only disappointment was, upon leaving the theatre we happened upon a miniture downpour, and the remainder of my popcorn was no longer edible. I have a great fondness for popcorn the next day, and always try to save some. We then returned to our apartment, and had a drink with my brother Ben. Then he left to make the drive back to Anacortes, and it was again time for sleep.

As I am writing, I find I must be going on in too much detail as this has become quite long. I will be brief about Sunday. Though it had perhaps not the best start (a broken plate and some other mishaps during the preparation of breakfast), it turned out to be a relaxing day where Jenna and I carved pumpkins and watched the football game. Then I went to a celebration party of my friend Arya, where some friends had created a musical with the lead character based on Arya, played by my friend James. It was entertaining and fun, and I was impressed with what they had put together.

Overall, it was an event-filled weekend, but was able to provide some nice relaxation. Unfortunately, though, as I write this, I fear I may be getting sick. I will keep you afoot of the progress of this virus, if indeed that is what it can be called. And, also, I promise not to write in such a boring fashion whenever we meet again.

Sincerely,
Nathaniel