Birthday Adventure

Normally, we try to sprinkle family fun throughout the summer, but the play Greg and Kylen were in required so much time that we couldn't plan much the first two months.  As my birthday drew nearer, the urge to get out grew.  There are few things I enjoy more than visiting new places with my boys, so I decided to plan a full day on the town - or towns, to be more precise!  My only rule was that every location be new to us. We started in Spokane and worked our way east, visiting a variety of eateries, shops, and businesses along the way.  :)

Perfect calendar page for my birthday!

We had to be flexible - everything did not go as planned!  We needed to rearrange the schedule a few times and endure frustrations such as not being able to find a convenient parking spot or discovering a location was closed when their online hours said they were open.  But we managed to thoroughly enjoy ourselves, and it will go down as one of my best birthdays ever.  :)

My first choice restaurant for breakfast didn't work, because even though we went on a Wednesday at an off hour, there was a 45 minute wait.  Ouch.  Thankfully, I had looked up alternatives.  We drove to The Davenport Tower, a newer portion of the Davenport we'd never visited.

While waiting, I decided to look around.  I thought it was interesting that the elevators stay open when not in use and that they have mirrors.

The bathrooms were nice!

This was Greg's plate.  I thought his sandwich was tasty, but the fries were dry.  I didn't care for my gumbo.  I liked Kylen's pulled pork sandwich, but he didn't.  He liked one of his sides.  The meal was hit and miss!

Next, we checked out a small shop called Petunias Marketplace.  They specialize in organic gourmet foods.

Free samples!!!  Lemon infused olive oil and truffle salted almonds.  The guy working there was extremely friendly and helpful.

He told us a lady once asked if they had viking salt, so they ordered some.  He seemed quite proud of that salt!  :)

By this time, we were ready for ice cream at Brain Freeze.  Ever since I found out Anthony's gets their ice cream from there, I have wanted to visit.  (I LOVE Anthony's ice cream!)

We got to sample flavors!  I tried way too many before settling on "cakey dough" - cake flavored vanilla ice cream with cookie dough.

Their water mister was heavenly on a hot day.  I could occasionally feel it from where we sat outside.

Greg couldn't resist the chance to play a favorite game from childhood.  They each won one.

Weird art on the wall.

I tried this ice cream in honor of my tea house buddy who helped me learn to like traditional breakfast teas.  :)

We stopped by Nothing Bundt Cakes and purchased an even dozen of the minis in four different flavors, one for each of us.

Next up was our first visit to an escape room!  We did not solve the mystery in time, but we would like to try again.  Greg wanted me to hold this sign even though they probably solved more puzzles than I did.

We checked out another shop, The Spice and Vine Mercantile.  This place was pretty cool for foodies.  They had a huge selection of high quality infused olive oils and vinegar.  The owner recommended a vinegar I'm actually pretty excited about.  It's called Rosato Balsamic and is good enough to use alone as a dressing for salad.  It's naturally sweet and has excellent flavor.  Great combined with toppings of feta, nuts, and fruit.

They had sampling cups everywhere.

There is a pizza place in our own backyard that we've been wanting to try, so we did!  Classy place, but I wasn't crazy about the food.

This was the last and most anticipated activity.

Waiting for the boat.

Here we go!

And here's Kylen!

They dipped him!

Greg LOVED it, Kylen liked it, and I liked it OK.  Kylen and I were both uncomfortable in the harness, and I was nauseous the next few hours.  It was 7:30 p.m., but it was still pretty warm up there.  Maybe the heat got to me.

Overall, it was a super fun day!