Kelly and I try to have a date night every week. It’s a tradition we carried over from our dating days (I know, we haven’t even been married a year so I probably haven’t yet earned the right to say “our dating days”). Last week, however, both of us were very very busy at work, and that’s when Kelly suggested we have a date day instead.

So here, gentle reader, is the story of our adventures that day.

ACT I: PETE’S EGG NEST

We kicked the day off with breakfast brunch at Pete’s Egg Nest. Pete’s Egg Nest is the real deal–we were seated in the crowded little restaurant and promptly served coffee by an kindly waitress with a raspy voice, right before some mountainous men hugged her goodbye and lifted all four and a half feet of her clean off the ground.

Just as we were about to leave, an old man with an extremely unkempt beard shuffled to our table. I braced myself for a short story about being down on his luck and whether we had any change.

“Excuse me–do you want to hear a TRUE STORY?” the man asked.

We didn’t say a word but our faces must have shown curiousity.

“When I was young,” he said, “glasses used to cost thirty-nine cents.” He waited for this to sink in, then continued: “One day, I sat on them. I had to work for three days to get enough money to get another pair.”

We kept looking at him. He hadn’t asked for another 39 cents so things were going well so far.

“When I got another pair, I sure didn’t want to sit on them again, so I decided to put them… on my head.” And here he smiled, conspirationally. “Then some women came by.” (“Women,” he added after a second.) “And they thought it was a neat idea, so they did it too. I went into town a few days later and saw someone else doing it.”

He leaned back. “Not many people know how people started doing that,” he said.

I touched the sunglasses that were, indeed, on my head in recognition. “Thanks,” I said. “That was a really good idea.”

ACT II: WALKING AROUND GREENLAKE
Then we had a nice walk. There are no stories about our walk but I’d like to share some photos with you.

Us right on the Greenlake shore. (One of us needs a shave, and it’s not Kelly.)

Some golden leaves in the afternoon sun. It really was a beautiful day.

Kelly. She’s so beautiful!

ACT III: SUPER JOCK N’ JILL
What is Super Jock N’ Jill? It is a store that sells supplies for runners and other athletes. We swung by for some running shoes.

We loved this little place. They don’t just let you try on shoes until you find a pair you like. They actually watch you run in shoes, suggest pairs that will give you the sort of support you need, and tell you what to look for. It was awesome.

And we wound up walking out with two pair of running shoes. Watch out, world! Kelly and Jonathan are going to be runners. (We’ve gone twice so far this week!)

ACT IV: COFFEE AT EL DIABLO

We had coffee at “The El” (hee hee) and perused some books at the neighboring bookstore. Delightful.

ACT V: CALL AND RESPONSE
We drove down to the Uptown theater and watched a film called Call and Response with some friends. It’s about the slave trade, and it’s not a history lesson–it’s a mix of eye-opening (and gut-wrenching) facts about modern-day slavery, interviews, and music videos. It’s not being played widely. Here’s a taste:

All that adventure in one short day. That’s life with the McPhersons.