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A Mother's Day of Quality Time


I'm wishing everyone a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday and hope it was as pampering as mine was.  I got an unexpected surprise by Lauren when she told me she had a two hour break from her work on Sunday to get together for brunch.  When she told me that, I was afraid it might be too late to find any place available but we ended up finding a time open at one of our favorite places, Portage Bay Cafe.  I wrote about this place on Lauren's birthday a couple years ago when it was her wish to experience this popular spot. We happily granted her request and the food continues to be truly amazing. They feature a breakfast bar where you can help yourself to an assortment of items such as fruit, cream, etc. Go ahead and pile it on, as you can see that Bruce did with his French toast in the photo below.


Lauren and I got egg dishes with lots of healthy veggies



and I got a citrus and cherry mimosa. It was Mother's Day, after all.


Portage Bay Cafe has a motto as written on their coffee cups; Eat Like You Give A Damn. Now, how can a place like this NOT be a favorite! I really enjoyed sitting outside and spending two hours being a mom on Mother's Day with my daughter. These days, it is such a special treat to be able to spend time with my children. 
 

Lauren is so busy working 6 days a week and 2 nights a week working to get enough hours to qualify to take her license exam for becoming a mental health therapist. So, it's often hard to squeeze time in to see her and when we do, I cherish it. And on Mother's Day, well, it's extra special. We FaceTimed with Nick on Saturday (which was his Sunday) from Japan and had fun little visits with him and the grandkids. I can't even begin to say how adorable our grandkids are. We just stare at them during FaceTime, trying to absorb every little jester, sound and movement they make, these two wonderful, little humans. Hana recited her English words she knows, counting 1-10 and a new word that must be a favorite "Hotdog!" She is soooo entertaining. On Mother's Day evening, we went over to my nephew's house for a barbecue. My sister and brother were both there with their spouses and of course, my nephew's three children who are always constantly entertaining us. Bruce was a great playmate helping them practice their baseball and soccer skills. 



They also have a basketball court so there is no shortage of physical entertainment when we go over to their house.
 

Some of us prefer to just relax, however. 
 

My nephew barbecued marinated chicken on the grill 
 

and we all brought salads and snacks that made for a delightful Mother's Day evening. 
 

For dessert, my sister brought two cakes from Larsen's Bakery, a Seattle favorite. 



The girls couldn't wait to dig in.


It is always fun to get together with everyone and get caught up with what's happening in the family. We knew we were bringing fruit salad to the dinner so Bruce went up to the grocery store in the morning to get some fruit and came home with these flowers from our neighborhood Farmer's Market and he even stopped in at my favorite Bakery Nouveau to get my favorite twice baked croissant.  What a surprise!  I just love being pampered.


But this day is never truly over without thinking of my own mother who passed away ten years ago this year. 
 

I can't believe it's been that long ago now. I had just been visiting her in Seattle over the weekend when she was found passed away in her apartment the following Monday when she didn't answer her door. I was driving home from work that Monday back in Idaho when my brother called me to tell me. It was so shocking. You never expect it to happen and when it does, it's so devastating. I was just glad I'd been with her the previous weekend. I cherished my visits to Seattle in those days to visit with her.  I knew all the simple things she enjoyed doing and I'd try to cram in as much as I could with her during my visits.


I do feel like I did spend quality time with her despite how far away I lived. Our time together was infrequent but when we were together, it was good, memorable time. I think about that now that Nick lives so far away in Japan. All you can do is try to make it the best quality time you can. We all work hard to try and do that when we're together. That's all you can ask for. Nick and Sachiyo roll out the red carpet for us when we're there and every minute is wonderful. With Lauren's busy schedule here in town, I know that every minute she is free from work is valuable time and I don't take any of it for granted.  Maybe when you get older, you start to appreciate time a lot more and now when I have it with my kids, I feel like I cherish it. That's all I ever really want as a mom, is more time together. I don't think I'm the only mom who feels that way.  It really is the greatest gift a mom can receive.




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