This past weekend was so incredibly busy and fun. I had the pleasure of having two of my besties, Becky and Christy, come up from Portland to spend the weekend. This weekend represented a major milestone in many girls’ lives… wedding dress shopping!!

As you may recall, from this blog post, I had gone to my first wedding dress shopping trip with one of my bridesmaids, Laura. We had so much fun that day checking out three different wedding dress shops — Calla Bridal, I Do Bridal, and La Belle Elaine’s. At the end of that day, I had a handful of potential wedding dresses but really one main dress that I absolutely loved. I thought that that dress might be “The One.”

However, I knew that going into this weekend I needed to keep an open mind and make sure that the dress I purchased was the dress that I’d want in the very end. No more glancing around, checking out wedding websites, etc.

So, let’s go back to the very beginning of the weekend so you know how it went…

Friday Evening: Mexican Grub

Friday evening, Becky and Christy arrived in Seattle at around 9pm and we decided to hit up one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Laredos Grill, located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood. My meal did not disappoint. We started off with chips and salsa, chile con queso dip, and I got the Avocado Tostada for my meal. It seriously was humongous. Please check that place out. You won’t be disappointed.

With our bellies full, we went back home and called it a night. Becky, Christy, and I had an 8 mile run planned for the morning.

Of course, before bed, I just had to capture a picture of Becky and I in our twinsie matching Oiselle Stripey Long Sleeve Scoop Neck. How cute, right? 🙂 I could live in #stripey.

Saturday Early Morning: Rainy Seattle Run

Let me start off by telling you that I am not an early bird. I am far from it. During training for both the SD and PDX marathons this year, I always had the best intention to get up super early to eat a pre-long run meal and head out the door by 8am. Most times, it was more like 10am or 11am. I’d always find a way to just hang out, procrastinate, and make it out the door much later than intended.

Becky and Christy, on the other hand, are very early risers. They’re currently training for the NYC Marathon coming up this weekend and had 8 miles on their taper agenda.

Waking up at 7:15am was such a challenge for me, but I did it because I wanted to go for a run with them. While we have run a few races together, we have never actually run together on a normal training run, so this was a treat.

Becky (an #oiselleteam runner) and I were fully decked out in Oiselle gear and were total twinsies… but the real twinsies are Becky and Christy! Can you tell? They are identical twins.

I ate half of a Picky Bar in Smooth Caffeinator (my favorite!) and on our way we went. Crazy as the Seattle rain was, we were determined to get out and do this run.

Starting from Eastlake, we headed north over the University Bridge and onto the Burke-Gilman Trail. The BG Trail is my go-to trail and I know it like the back of my hand. Always such a convenient run.

The rain was essentially pouring on us, but we kept trucking along. Christy has been battling a running injury (peroneal tendonitis) so it was very painful for her to run. Once we got to 2.5 miles in from our starting point, which is right near the Fremont Bridge, we decided to head back to complete a total of 5 miles.

All in all, it was so much fun running with the girls, but if I were on my own I really would love for it to be dry… and maybe just a tad bit of a later start. 🙂

Saturday Late Morning: Brunch Action at Local360

After getting cleaned up from the wet, cold run, it was brunch time! One of my favorite places for dinner, Local360, is also apparently very good for brunch, so we decided that it’d be the perfect spot to try out as it was close to the first wedding dress shop.

Joe’s mom, Kathy, joined us for wedding dress shopping while Joe attended brunch and then later on headed to the UW-OSU football tailgating/game to cheer on his Huskies.

For brunch, I had the Farmers Breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, meat (sausage patty), homefries, and a flaky biscuit. This truly hit the spot. As a bride-to-be about to try on wedding gowns, I had no fear that I would not be able to fit into them. Hey, I’ve got 7 months to think about that. 🙂

Brunch was superb and we were ready for a full day of dress shopping!

Me with the girls:

Saturday Afternoon: Dress Shopping

I won’t get into the specifics of the types of dresses that I tried on or anything like that but, in addition to I Do Bridal and La Belle Elaine’s from the first visit, I also visited Belltown Bride for my first visit of the day.

In the end……….. I found my dress!! I can’t wait to share with you what my dress looks like, but that will have to come after the wedding in late May.

The suspense continues….

Saturday Evening: GF Cookies and Sushi
After the long day of running, brunch, and wedding dress shopping, we were completely exhausted! We had a few hours to kill so headed back to our house.

Since Becky and Christy often eat gluten-free due to gluten intolerance, it was the perfect opportunity for me to bust out the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie mix that had been sitting around in my pantry.

The mix itself had the majority of ingredients and all I needed to do was add water, butter, and an egg. As I was out of eggs, I used their suggestion of mixing cornstarch and water as a thickener. Otherwise, I could have used egg whites or the flax egg alternative.

The resulting cookie was so good! I was really impressed with the taste and texture of the cookie, especially as a GF cookie.

Once 8pm came along, it was time for us to hit up one of my favorite sushi places, Umi Sake House, in Belltown.

We started off with their delicious calamari appetizer and then proceeded with four very delicious rolls — Moonraker, Hotter than Hell, Belltown Barbie, and Legend of the Roll.

Sadly, halfway through dinner I suddenly had the worst headache. Not exaggerating… this may have been the worst I’ve experienced and I don’t normally have them. It may have been dehydration or just pure exhaustion from being on the go all day. So painful and I kept just clutching my forehead.

Suffice to say, we called it an early night and headed home after sushi. Not before I captured a picture of us girls, though. 🙂 Sushi fest and besties = happy Sarah.

Once home, I immediately took some Ibuprofen, changed into sweats, and laid out on the couch. Once again, Becky and I were matching Oiselle twinsies with their new Trials Hoodie. Super soft, made with French fleece, and all-around coziness.

Sunday Brunch and Farewell
The next day, Sunday, we ended up having a very relaxed day. Our main agenda was to have brunch! We decided to take the girls to Coastal Kitchen in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Joe and I have gone there many times before for brunch and have never left disappointed.

My go-to is usually their Sonora Scramble. Our also split a delicious blueberry pancake. Yum.

All in all, this weekend was so productive and so much fun!! So happy that I picked out my dream wedding dress… it’s a huge sigh of relief. Also, hanging out with the two best friends I’ve known the longest was amazing. We always have a fun time when we see each other.

Lots more to share!! 🙂 Will leave this all to an upcoming blog post.

Also, sending positive thoughts to the East Coast and anyone affected by Hurricane Sandy. I am still in disbelief that this has happened and am hoping that all of my friends, former colleagues, and everyone are safe. In addition to rebuilding, the city and NYRR still have a huge decision to make about the NYC Marathon which is supposed to be this Sunday. Hopefully a decision is made soon.