Dinner with friends at Old Spagehetti Factory

 

Susan Miller

It is the first Wednesday night of October and we have a small group of ladies going to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory on the Willamette River, this is also one of the places we have been going for a while. We have been doing Wednesday night dinners for more then 10 years now and a lot of the ones we used to go to have closed. Who Song and Larrys is probably the longest as I think we first went here was in December of 2009 and Old Spaghetti Factory was a year or two later so our group has a good history with them. I did call last night and made reservations for 5 as we have a smaller group this week, normally when we come here we get 10 to 15 ladies, just like at Who Songs & Larrys. These two places seem to get the best turnout of course so does Outback Steak House. I got home early today s I had plenty of time to get ready. Julie texted me as I was getting ready and couldn’t make it tonight which was sad as I really look forward to seeing her and enjoy our riding together. I took my time getting ready and did a red lip and purple eye shadow and tonight I wore my grey silver dress which is a little heavier as we are into fall and of course nylons and heels. I left about 6:15 and was a quiet ride, I really missed visiting with Julie.

I got to Old Spaghetti Factory about 6:40 and parked and I had gotten an E-mail from Poppy she wouldn’t be able to make it so we would have a really small group tonight. I was just getting out of the car and I saw Gina so we walked in together. They were not at all busy unlike last time we cam here. I checked in and updated our reservation to 3 and Gina and I sat down to wait. It was only a few minutes later and Kris showed ho so we were all here and we were shown back to our table. our waiter came and took our drink order and he was awesome. We talked for a few minutes and looked at the menu but I knew what I would have when I picked Old Spaghetti Factory. We all ordered and yes I got the Chicken Parmesan which is awesome.

Now we sat and talked and being a really small group it was a great way to really get to know each other. I have know Gina for almost 10 years and we even got together a few times years ago with Stefia for lunch but tonight we had a really good chance to talk and share things about ourselves. I know years ago when we would go out we really didn’t share anything personal and by that I mean things about our male side such as where we worked, lived, family or anything about our male side for fear others would find out who we really were. When I first started going out and we would leave Embers at 2am in the morning I would walk by myself to my car as I was afraid if they saw my car they might figure out who I was from my license plate. Now days the girls in the group I will share just about anything with them, for those who have not met the male side of me I actually have a picture that I will show them, yes out of all the hundreds of Susan pictures I do have 1 picture of my male side on my phone. I bet if I had all the pictures I have taken of Susan over the years it would be over 10,000. Back between 2008 & 2011 we all had digital cameras and every time we went out we would take 20 to 40 pictures between selfies and pictures with other girls. Nowadays it is about 10 whenever I go out as I usually take a few extras so I make sure I get some good ones to post. I do hear from people reading my blog that I always look so good in my pictures and I will give you my tip on how to get great pictures. Take a lot and only post the good ones.

Our food came and it was awesome as always. We had a nice dinner and great conversation and as we got seated early and the fact they were not busy our food came quickly. It was about 7:50 when we finished eating and ordered the ice cream we got with dinner so it would probably be an early night. Well we ate our ice cream and then just sat and talked, which was really nice. It was really enjoyable and before we knew it, it was almost 9pm, wow the night went by fast. We paid our bills and I gave our waiter a little extra and he really was good and he was fine with us just sitting there and talking and even took a few pictures of the group for me Gina, Me and Kris.

We all walked out together and went our separate ways. The drive home was quiet and only took about 20 minutes so I had a little time before I had to wash my makeup away and go back to my male self. Now I am looking forward to the weekend and hopefully a little Susan time on Saturday and Sunday.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

 

   

 

 

 

Awesome Saturday getting a facial and makeover at Nordstrom’s Washington Square

 https://susanmiller64.wordpress.com/2023/10/03/awesome-saturday-getting-a-facial-and-makeover-at-nordstroms-washington-square/

Today was an awesome day and yes I started off going to the gym and taking care of things but was thinking the whole time about the day ahead. Jennifer had got to know a couple of the girls who work at Nordstrom’s in Washington Square, their names are Tiger who works the Gucci cosmetic counter and Harmonie who works the Clinique cosmetic counter. Well she told them about our group and they offered to do a mini facial and makeover for our members and today was the day. I had scheduled my appointment for 4pm and I think we had 8 to 10 of our group going. I started getting ready a little after 12 and took my time as I really wanted my makeup to look good. I was all ready by 1:30pm and on my way, yes I would be early and walk around the mall till my appointment. I did call Cassandra on my way and we ended up talking for almost an hour. She has also signed up for Diva Las Vegas and we talked about the events we would sign up for. It was great to talk with her and I am looking forward to seeing her in 3 weeks.

I got to Washington Square just before 3 so I had about an hour till my appointment. Now the mall was really busy and one thing I did notice was there were way more security officers here then last time I was here which was nice but also really sad that we as a country have come to this point. I did check out several of the stores but which is always fun but I was really looking forward to 4pm, so much so that I finally walked down to Nordstroms and sat at a table out front about 3:45 to wait. It was just before 4 when I went into the cosmetic section and talked with one of the ladies and she said it would be just a few minutes. Now this was a new experience for me and I wasn’t sure what to expect, I knew it was a mini facial and makeover and yes there was no cost but I was sure they expected me to buy some stuff which was okay as there were some things I needed. The lady took me back to a side room and introduced me to Tiger and Harmonie and they were so wonderful and truly made me feel at ease and so welcome. I can see why Jennifer talks so highly of them. Now Tiger and Harmonie names were easy to remember as Jennifer had texted us all about them. There were 2 other ladies here that actually work for the cosmetic company and not Nordstrom’s and I think their names are Tiffany & Crystal and they were every bit as nice and also made me feel very welcome. They also went all out as they had a table with fresh fruit, wraps and yes cookies and donut holes. They were just finishing up with Alice and Cindi and were talking to us all like we were friends, not customers, which really made it special.

Tiffany was the one who did my facial and she walked me over to another room for that. She was so friendly and talked o me the whole time, she told me about herself and I told her a lot abut me also, it was amazing how comfortable I felt talking with her. of course I was also enjoying the facial. She started with removing my makeup and doing a cleansing using what she called a Clinique 7-day scrub cream which was awesome and probably something I will buy as it worked really well, Tiffany said I should use it every 7 days but I can use it more often as it is gentle enough to use every day. She also massaged in a hydrating lotion which felt really good and yes, reminded me a lot like my pedicures. It really was relaxing; she even massaged the lotion on my fore arms and hands. I will probably do the facial again. Now to tell you the truth I have no idea how long it lasted as fun things always seem to go by so fast but I am guessing 20 to 30 minutes and by the end I felt like I had made a friend. Now it was time to walk back to the other room for my makeover.

I got back to the other room and Tiger and harmony was finishing up doing Cindi and Alice’s makeovers and were explaining what they were doing and how to apply the makeup they were using and they both looked awesome. While I waited for them to finish I did have a couple more cookies. Now it was time for me and I sat down in the chair and Crystal was the one doing my makeup and she was also awesome. She started off with a primer and then tested several foundations to find just the right shade. Now just like tiffany while she was explaining what she was doing she was also telling me about herself and I found myself telling her things about me. I think that is what made this so special and by talking about themselves and getting me to talk they made it more personal. It really was like getting together with friends for the afternoon and doing makeup. It didn’t seem like they were here because it was their job. Now she finished it off with a bronzer from Gucci which rally gave a warm look to the outer part of my face. After Crystal was done she asked if I had any questions or if I was interested in any of the items and I was. I have been looking for a good bronzer so I did tell her I wanted the bronzer from Gucci she used as it looked good on me and I also told her I wanted the Clinique 7-day scrub cream. They finished it up by taking pictures of us and I had a couple taken with my phone also. It seemed like such a fast tine but it was 5:45 now, I have been here for almost 2 hours, it went by so fast. Kris was just coming in for her appointment and it was good to see her. This was an incredible experience and all of them were awesome. Crystal and Tiffany are only here for events But Tiger and Harmonie are here all the time so if you are in Nordstrom’s at Washington Square stop by the Gucci cosmetic counter and meet Tiger Clinique cosmetic counter meet Harmonie and tell them Susan says hi. I thanked them all and the only bad thing about the day was on me, I should have gotten a picture with the 4 of them to post on my blog.

Now Cindi and Alice wanted to go to dinner and invited me, Jan and Lynn so we were all going to meet at Oswego grill for dinner. We got there and got a table in the bar for dinner. I probably should have gone home as I have to be up at 3:4am tomorrow for work but I felt and looked so good I didn’t want the night to end. We ordered dinner and sat and talked and yes it was all about today. All of us had such a wonderful experience and thought the ladies at Nordstrom’s went way above and beyond and we will all be going back to see them. We all looked so beautiful. We had a wonderful dinner and Kris was able to join us after her appointment, we were just finishing but our dinner. I Stayed a while but soon it was almost 9pm and I had a ½ drive home so I got my bill and paid it and called it a night. What a wonderful day and I want to thank Jenifer for setting today up, Nordstrom’s for hosting it and a big thanks to Tiger, Harmonie, Crystal and Tiffany for going above and beyond and making it such a special day.

It was after 10pm by the time I got home and got ready for bed so it will be a short night but so worth it.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life.

Friday and a trip to Dream nails to get a fill and pedicure,

 It is Friday and as I work Sunday I have today off and I am in need of a nail fill and a pedicure and yes that means a trip to Dream Nails today which is something I love doing. Getting your nails done truly is one of life’s simple pleasures. Now to make it work with my vacation in 3 weeks I went 4 weeks between fills which is not good as I had enough grow out that my nails felt week when I was typing the last few days so my tip is if you have color you need a fill every 2 weeks as the grow out shows but if you a natural color you can go 3 week but I would not recommend longer then that. 

https://susanmiller64.wordpress.com/2023/10/02/friday-and-a-badly-needed-trip-to-dream-nails-for-a-nail-fill-and-pedicure/

dinner at Mothers Bistro with friends

 It is the first Wednesday of fall and a little cool and rainy but it is a great day as I get to get together with my friends for dinner at Mothers Bistro. Our group has been coming here for years and it is one of my favorite places we go to. Of all the things I do as Susan I really think the best is getting together for dinner with them. more...

Enjoying a fall day at Starbucks

 It is the first Sunday of fall and today is only going to be 62 degrees and rainy with some wind which is a big change in the weather, as a matter of fact all week this week highs will be in the low 60’s and the lows in the upper 40’s with rain. Now there is good and bad to this as I have a lot of cute dresses that are perfect for the colder weather but I also don’t like wearing coats especially when I am Susan as I feel it covers up my look. more...

The first Saturay of fall spending a little time at Starbucks

 It is the first Saturday of Fall and only going to be 65 today with a chance for rain, I actually had to turn my heat on for the first-time sense last spring. I got up as normal and took my trip to the gym and today I worked out a little longer. more...

Dinner with friends at Giovanni's

 Dinner out with friends at Giovanni's in Beaverton.

https://susanmiller64.wordpress.com/2023/09/24/wednesday-night-dinner-at-giovannis-in-beaverton-4/