Wild To Child

When I arrived home from work yesterday, our babysitter was sitting in our living room. To my surprise, my wonderful husband had arranged for us to go out to dinner sans children, which couldn't have come at a better time. He made reservations at Branzino, a restaurant which previously employed chef Ashley Merriman, a contestant on the most recent season of Top Chef. Once we arrived, we realized that she was no longer employed there, but the food was still amazing and the service was flawless. Proof that the food on Top Chef is every bit as wonderful as it looks!

I had Roasted Cauliflower Soup, Gnocchi (which included rabbit, mushrooms, and ruby chard), and for dessert...cannoli. While the rabbit meat could not hold a candle to the rabbit my grandmother makes, it's safe to say that it was one of the best dinners I have ever had. The only thing I didn't care for was the Heirloom Beet salad that Evan ordered. But to be fair...I never liked beets to begin with. He also had Duck Confit as his main course and Poached Pear Sorbet as dessert...each sample equally delicious.

For all you wine lovers like myself, they have a great selection...even featuring some from my old stomping grounds out in the Walla Walla Valley!

For all of you from and visiting Seattle I completely recommend giving their food a try! Here is their website for more information:

http://www.branzinoseattle.com/

It feels so good to be back home and able to write this. Evan has been officially laid off, and now I am employed and have been working the past three weeks. To say that it's a tough job market out there is an understatement. I cannot begin tell you how many applications I submitted in the Seattle area with NO responses. Not even a...."sorry but you aren't what we are looking for" email. So, after discussing our income dilemma, Evan and I decided that it was time to move back to Eastern Washington. We always intended on moving back there, or to Idaho, we just didn't plan on it being this soon.

Since our lease isn't up until the end of September, Evan has been staying at home with Scarlet and Noel, and I have been commuting back and forth. It's been really tough, considering I was previously a stay at home mother, taking care of my daughters their entire lives. To be stripped of them instantly for days at a time, leaves me feeling emptier than I have ever felt before.

After sending out at least a hundred resume's in Seattle, I applied for two jobs in Walla Walla. TWO. And got interviews for both of them, but only one of them offered me a position. It's the kind of job that is really rewarding, that makes you feel like you make a difference. It's also the kind of job that doesn't pay well. But sometimes you have to take what you can get.

My parents have also been gracious enough to let us stay with them for a little while. It makes moving less stressful. Can't say I'm going miss the moving out deadline, while trying to coordinate a move in date. Moving across the state within a time frame of a few days is NOT my idea of fun.

On one hand, I'm eager to get back to a life that's more laid back, where people tend to be a little friendlier, and where to park your car doesn't have to be considered before you go somewhere. BUT on the other side of the spectrum, I'm going to miss the hustle and excitement of the city, all of my friends, and the array of things to do. I don't want to go, but I can't wait. I love it here, but I love it there. I wish that I would have known that leaving was going to be SO hard, and I hope that it will be worth all the trouble and heartache.