Promise-ary Note: My Recipe for Time Together

Last week's promise presented the challenge of promoting intimacy with my wife.  What this meant to me is that I needed dedicated time with Tracy, time where the two of us could simply hang out, chat,relax a little and remember why we work together as a couple.  The promise wasn't a move against a deterioration in the relationship, but it was meant to be an affirmation of sorts.  With our schedules, it is hard at times to find time that is dedicated solely to the two of us.  Work, parenting, obligations to family and friends often mean that our alone time is diminished.  With this being true, I decided to create a simple day where Tracy and I  got to spend time enjoying each other's company.  What's the recipe?  Well, here you got?

Add 1 Cup Forethought: I wanted to create a special day for Tracy.  The best way to do this is to plan in advance.  As such, I put a couple of things in place in advance.  I searched on Groupon  for a restaurant where the two of us could have a nice meal together.  I made reservations for seven so we didn't have to rush either.

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Groupon had a deal for Amadeus Restaurant in Milwaukie.  They bill themselves as the "Most Romantic Restaurant in Portland."  While I might quibble about that specific detail, it is a lovely restaurant with white linens and a menu full of "old school" German/Austrian cuisine (aka lots of rich sauces).  The whole day was going to use our dinner reservations as a destination, a final landing point of our day together.  With this piece in place, I was able to assemble the rest of the ingredients that were necessary for a day dedicated to one's spouse.

For a Light Texture to the Day, Add a Heavy Dose of Unstructured Time: When planning a day like this, it is really easy to overload the day with different events.  I didn't want to do that.  I wanted our time together to be relaxing and fun.  As such, Tracy and I started off our childless day on the couch under a down comforter sipping coffee for about an hour or so.  I didn't rush to get her out the door, but rather spent the morning relaxing and getting ready for what was coming next.  It was serene and peaceful and intimate. Everything I'd hoped for from the day.

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After that, we needed to get some fuel in our bodies in order to start the day off right.  I didn't want to spend too much time on brunch, so we kept it super simple with some authentic tacos and lengua burritos at Super Torta in Oregon City.  This quaint little restaurant serves some of the best food around.  While it may not look like much, this business has their food down to a science.  It is a must try if you are in Oregon City.

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After filling our bodies with delicious Mexican food and hot sauce, we set off for Portland's Saturday Market.  Tracy and I do best when we are simply free to chat and converse in casual environments, and Saturday Market is a great place to people watch, browse, and simply spend some time in the sun.  We walked almost the entire market, stopping here and there, and simply enjoying each other's company.  When we got done with the market, we didn't want the browsing to end, so we headed up to Northwest 23rd for some more walking, shopping, and people watching.

When we arrived, we were met with this tragic young panhandler.

Keepin' Portland Weird, Ariel

Northwest 23rd Street is a hip little neighborhood filled with shops, restaurants, and, when it is the first really sunny day in the Spring in Portland, gobs of people.  We marched up and down the sidewalks, peeking in windows, chatting each other up, and simply having a good time laughing with each other.

While I had planned the trip to Saturday Market, 23rd was an unscheduled stop.  This was okay because I hadn't packed the day full of activities for us to do.  Instead, we went where the day took us, and the day took us to Northwest 23rd and this crazy fun hat shop: Goorin Brothers.  I even wound up pushing my boundaries a bit and scoring these two new hats.

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For Bubbly Conversation, Add Cocktails and Good Food: After all that walking, Tracy and I were thirsty, so we made a pit stop in the Nob Hill Bar and Grill.  After a quick cocktail that threatened to melt Tracy's face off, we hit the road from NW 23rd in search of somewhere a little quieter.  We wound up further down in the Pearl District in a little place called Piattino.

Meat and Cheese Plate at Piattino

This restaurant was probably our favorite stop of the day, had it not been for a couple of weird interactions with the patrons, but the cocktails were amazing and the food was too.  We spent our time talking over cocktails and reconnecting in general.

All in all, the day was a great one and I enjoyed having some private time with my wife.  We needed a little dose of grown up time.  I need to make the time to do these sorts of things with my wife in order to make sure that we are grounded and connected.  I like doing things like this for her.  It's nice to remind her that I think she is special and she's deserving of my undivided attention.

Mission accomplished!