Happy Birthday Julia!
These beautiful teenagers know how to work their host families. Ellen came over Saturday night, eager to pitch her "plan" to celebrate Julia's 18th birthday at a dance club in Portland. (For two Europeans and a Brazilian girl, it appears the nightlife in Tillamook is just a tad sloowwwwwwwwww).
Although I applaud the making of a plan (Lina is plan challenged) it hinged on me somehow talking Ellen's host dad "Chris from Tillamook" into driving them to a hip-hop Portland night club downtown that none of us had ever heard of, taking a nap at cousin Brad's house and then driving them home in the middle of the night. On a work night. After he spent the day elk hunting. With his mother in law.
I laughed out loud. I adore Chris and know he'd do a lot for his kids, but also know without a doubt that
a) he was going to be on the couch and drinking a beer before those girls even slipped into their stilettos
b) he wasn't going to be wild about driving over the coastal range in the snow and
c) he was not going to buy off on depositing three scantily clad teenagers at a downtown club for several hours
The fact that it depended on MY ability to talk him into it was even funnier.
However, all hope was not lost for the girls desperate for a night out that didn't include the cheese factory, or watching once again a Lindsey Lohan movie in one of the families' living rooms. I knew I needed to work in Portland today, and since it was a holiday from school, didn't see any reason why they couldn't come over and spend the night with me.
I logged onto Hotwire to see what kind of hotel deals we could get and secured a fabulous rate at my favorite downtown hotel, the 5th avenue Suites. And! understanding what a treat it was for the girls – the nice reservations man put us on the 10th floor with a great view of the Portland skyline lit up at night.
(Much squeeling and taking of pictures in front of the windows in the room).
Arguably this is MY favorite hotel not for the view or the proximity to a teenage dance hangout, but for the complimentary bath products. I tried to claim dibs on all the shampoo, lotion and body wash, but no doing once Ellen and Julia got a whiff of the Rosemary Mint wonderfulness. The hotel staff took pity and sent two people up to our suite literally loaded down with extra products to give to the girls.
Once I relalized where we were staying I secured birthday reservations at Red Star - the scrumptious yuppie onsite restaurant.
The food is divine but my little troupe of non native speaking girls had trouble deciphering some of the menu choices:
"Wood Oven Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Spinach Pasta, Crispy Sage, Balsamic Glaze and Winter Squash Coulis" (the best I could do was explain that it would be somewhat like mashed pumpkin and goat cheese in big ravioli noodles – surprisingly no takers).
"Organic Greens with Roasted Baby Carrots, Sunchokes, Cippolini Onions, Zinfandel Vinaigrette, Shaved San Joaquin Gold Cheese" (Girls, that means salad).
We toasted the evening in Portugues, Dutch, Norwegian, English and then French for good measure (Enchanté! ) – and then fished off dinner with sparkler clad chocolate cake which I snuck up to the room from the restaurant.
(I was terrified of setting off the fire alarm, though, so we lit it, clapped, sang and snapped a picture and then submerged the sparkler in the toilet all in a matter of seconds).
As we took pictures of every possible pose (these three girls are VERY comfortable in front of a camera) hotel guests literally stopped and gawked.
They wanted to go to the Zone - an underage dance club a few blocks from the hotel. After hours (hours!) of Googling, I finally came upon the club myspace page. I poked around until I found an address (! step 1), the hours of operation (why in the world would a hangout for teenagers need to be open until 3AM??? On a SUNDAY!), the corporate ownership, etc. and was able to convince myself the girls would be safe given a set of rules I planned to impose regarding checking in with me, curphew and getting to and from the club and hotel.
I waited outside the dance club in my urban assault mamamobile while they were in line flirting with the bouncers until I saw they were safely screened and in the door.
As requested I received text messages on the hour until the appointed "wake Deb up and tell her you are home safe time" assuring me that they were safe and having fun:
"No one has shot us yet!"
"If annoying guys try to pick up on us we just respond in our own language."
I left them early this morning tucked under the luxurious white down comforters sound asleep with their volumized shiny hair splayed out on their pillows.
From what I understand they had huuuuuge fun and we have been forgiven, at least temporarily, for living in Tillamook.
Although I applaud the making of a plan (Lina is plan challenged) it hinged on me somehow talking Ellen's host dad "Chris from Tillamook" into driving them to a hip-hop Portland night club downtown that none of us had ever heard of, taking a nap at cousin Brad's house and then driving them home in the middle of the night. On a work night. After he spent the day elk hunting. With his mother in law.
I laughed out loud. I adore Chris and know he'd do a lot for his kids, but also know without a doubt that
a) he was going to be on the couch and drinking a beer before those girls even slipped into their stilettos
b) he wasn't going to be wild about driving over the coastal range in the snow and
c) he was not going to buy off on depositing three scantily clad teenagers at a downtown club for several hours
The fact that it depended on MY ability to talk him into it was even funnier.
However, all hope was not lost for the girls desperate for a night out that didn't include the cheese factory, or watching once again a Lindsey Lohan movie in one of the families' living rooms. I knew I needed to work in Portland today, and since it was a holiday from school, didn't see any reason why they couldn't come over and spend the night with me.
I logged onto Hotwire to see what kind of hotel deals we could get and secured a fabulous rate at my favorite downtown hotel, the 5th avenue Suites. And! understanding what a treat it was for the girls – the nice reservations man put us on the 10th floor with a great view of the Portland skyline lit up at night.
(Much squeeling and taking of pictures in front of the windows in the room).Arguably this is MY favorite hotel not for the view or the proximity to a teenage dance hangout, but for the complimentary bath products. I tried to claim dibs on all the shampoo, lotion and body wash, but no doing once Ellen and Julia got a whiff of the Rosemary Mint wonderfulness. The hotel staff took pity and sent two people up to our suite literally loaded down with extra products to give to the girls.
Once I relalized where we were staying I secured birthday reservations at Red Star - the scrumptious yuppie onsite restaurant.
The food is divine but my little troupe of non native speaking girls had trouble deciphering some of the menu choices:
"Wood Oven Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Spinach Pasta, Crispy Sage, Balsamic Glaze and Winter Squash Coulis" (the best I could do was explain that it would be somewhat like mashed pumpkin and goat cheese in big ravioli noodles – surprisingly no takers).
"Organic Greens with Roasted Baby Carrots, Sunchokes, Cippolini Onions, Zinfandel Vinaigrette, Shaved San Joaquin Gold Cheese" (Girls, that means salad).
We toasted the evening in Portugues, Dutch, Norwegian, English and then French for good measure (Enchanté! ) – and then fished off dinner with sparkler clad chocolate cake which I snuck up to the room from the restaurant.
(I was terrified of setting off the fire alarm, though, so we lit it, clapped, sang and snapped a picture and then submerged the sparkler in the toilet all in a matter of seconds). As we took pictures of every possible pose (these three girls are VERY comfortable in front of a camera) hotel guests literally stopped and gawked.
They wanted to go to the Zone - an underage dance club a few blocks from the hotel. After hours (hours!) of Googling, I finally came upon the club myspace page. I poked around until I found an address (! step 1), the hours of operation (why in the world would a hangout for teenagers need to be open until 3AM??? On a SUNDAY!), the corporate ownership, etc. and was able to convince myself the girls would be safe given a set of rules I planned to impose regarding checking in with me, curphew and getting to and from the club and hotel.
I waited outside the dance club in my urban assault mamamobile while they were in line flirting with the bouncers until I saw they were safely screened and in the door.
As requested I received text messages on the hour until the appointed "wake Deb up and tell her you are home safe time" assuring me that they were safe and having fun:
"No one has shot us yet!"
"If annoying guys try to pick up on us we just respond in our own language."
I left them early this morning tucked under the luxurious white down comforters sound asleep with their volumized shiny hair splayed out on their pillows.
From what I understand they had huuuuuge fun and we have been forgiven, at least temporarily, for living in Tillamook.
Comments
the driving on the way there,the movie in the car and all the expectation, the amazing hotel,the dressing,the pictures,the delicious dinner,the smiles,the cake and the cadle,the dance with the girls...
friends.. you are the best friends that I have here! Is who makes me smiles everyday!
thank you :)
with all my hart and love..
Julia