いいえ、私は理解しません

Did you know I studied Japanese for two years in college?  I also studied German for two years in high school and two years in college.  I can't speak a lick of either language now.  I wish I could.  I can pick up words here and there.  I can tell you my birthday in German.  I can also say "No, I don't understand" in Japanese (translated above).  I actually wish I could speak Swedish, but really...why?  To whom will I speak Swedish?  Ever?

The Girl and I had some business to do downtown the other night and I've been thinking of taking her to sushi so before we went about our business we stopped in at Fuji RiceTime and tried a few of my favorites.  I LOVE the unagi (freshwater eel).  I really thought she would like that because it's cooked and warm and buttery, but she didn't care for it.  I also love the spider roll with softshell crab in it.  She did like that and I was pleased to find that her favorite part was the flying fish roe.  Her favorite was the maguro (tuna), the only raw fish I had her try.  Good for her.  She's is 252% more adventuresome than her dad or her brother when it comes to food.

We were actually in town to pick up her graduation announcements from our friend Megan Ward who owns Red Pearl Designs.  Rather than going the usual Jostens route, we decided to be different and have the announcements custom made.  I would love to show you a picture of them but (a) I don't have one and (b) we haven't mailed them out yet so I don't want to ruin the surprise.  Keep watching Megan's blog and she'll post something about them after we get them out in the mail.  Megan makes beautiful wedding invitations, birth announcements, business cards, you name it.

Megan and her close friends were hosting an Open House at their new studio as part of Salem's First Wednesday event. One of those close friends happens to be Ashley Porter who owns Ashley Sturm Photography and also happens to be the person who took The Girl's Senior Photos.  You can see some of them here on Ashley's blog.  She and her husband are great people  and I wish I would have known her 4 years ago when we had The Boy's photos done.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE these photos.  If they were chocolate cake, I would smash my face in them.  That's how much I love them.

While downtown, we also hit a few other favorite shops.  We bought some dresses for the 473 graduation events we have coming up.  Seriously, how can they have so many different events and do you think an 18 year old girl will wear the same thing to any two of them?  If you do, you're high.  I finally convinced her that at graduation she will be wearing a big green gown so no one will see what she's wearing so she can actually wear the same dress she wore to her Father-Daughter dinner or Baccalaureate. 

We went to a new shop called Hot Mess Boutique where I had a cotton candy martini.  It was delicious!  I think it had some combination of cotton candy, champagne, raspberry vodka, lime juice, and magic.  I also bought some great socks.

We looked at art at a local gallery.  Some was lovely.  Some was stupid.  All in all, we had a good night on the town.  We're pretty dang cosmopolitan, you know.