The Armory is very fancy. There are shelves of books painted on the walls, and I liked looking at them while I ate. There was one in which the spine read “Paris,” and another’s spine (which was rather thick) read “Egypt Vol. 1.” Then of course there was “Egypt Vol. 2,” 3, 4, 5, and 6. Some had painted bookmarks in them. I like that it looked like an old bookshop, even though it had a bar.

Me in front of the Regency Hotel

I ordered the cheese and fruit appetizer, which is a platter filled with different types of crackers, cheese, and a variety of fruits. I developed a taste for Gouda cheese. It’s my new favorite cheese. It was definitely worth the money. Everything was counted out: 16 crackers, 16 slices of cheese. It was “artwork on a plate!” Crackers lined the outside with cheese beside it and fruit in the middle. Mom and I talked about my manners. She said I was good at being especially “proper” and “refined.” We had a good time.

Mom and Me at the Armory

I enjoyed my lunch, especially the cheese.

Mom and I then walked to Dobrá Tea, which was quite a short walk from the Armory. We sat on cushions on the floor. We agreed to order Touareg (a mint tea) and cheesecake, both of which were very exquisite. While we were at Dobrá Tea we decided to go shopping at the mall. Mom took lots of pictures of us at Dobrá Tea. We looked up French words and tried to find reasons to say them. Mom tried to imitate the barista who served us and gradually raised the teapot to about 15 inches above the cup while she poured. It was fun watching her.

I love Dobra Tea.

The Touareg was delicious.

At the mall Mom and I looked in three different stores until I found something I liked. With the particular style I appreciate, it’s hard to find clothes I like. In Macy’s I saw a dark gray sweater dress with short sleeves and a belt. I thought it could replace my black sweater dress that is getting too small. I thought it looked even better than my black one, so we bought it. Then we walked to Sports Authorities. Mom tried on a long-sleeved shirt, which I thought was cute. She didn’t fancy it, so we drove home.

This is my new dress.

I sang songs to Mom on our drive home, adding quick, silly lines to some parts, such as “You can count on my like 1-2-3, that doesn’t make sense…” It was very amusing to Mom, and I love when she laughs. I had a good time with her.

Brent suggested I take Jenna to the Armory Lounge at the Portland Regency Hotel. He was certain that Jenna would love it because it is fancy, and she loves anything fancy and sophisticated. When we walked in she commented about the elegant atmosphere and decór. It was quiet and dark, and we had the place to ourselves. Jenna walked around before deciding on the perfect table.

Jenna and me

Jenna was sold when I pointed out the fruit and cheese plate. She loves cheese and thought it sounded very fancy. I ordered the pear and basil martini which was surprisingly good. As soon as Jenna tried her water, an expression of amazement came over her face. She asked me if some water could taste better than other water. I told her that it could, and explained to her about filtration. She exclaimed, “This is the best water I’ve ever had!”

Jenna outside the Regency Hotel

My reuben came with French fries. When I offered some to Jenna she politely declined, telling me, “This place is too fancy to eat French fries.” She also mentioned that she liked the Armory better than Texas Roadhouse where there were peanut shells dirtying up the floor and loud noises of peanut shells being crushed. She was in awe when the waitress brought her lunch. She marveled at how “artistic” the presentation was with the cheese, crackers, and fruit. She exclaimed, “I think they must have counted out everything exactly, just like I do!” She discovered a new cheese: Gouda. It is now her favorite. When I asked Jenna if she would have liked the waitress to put the cloth napkin into her lap for her, she told me that would be overdoing it; she doesn’t want anyone in her personal space. She was obviously pleased with the Armory. She has always had discriminating taste, and I loved seeing her so delighted.

Jenna ruminates over her fruit and cheese plate.

Jenna developed an interest in tea and teahouses this past year. Since she discovered Dobrá Tea, it has been her favorite place to visit. She must know the entire menu and history of teas by now, and she took the liberty of ordering for us on our date. Her favorite is the Touareg, a Moroccan mint tea. She also selected the Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake, which was delicious. I enjoyed sitting on the cushions at the candlelit table with Jenna, talking to each other and enjoying each other’s company.

Jenna finds a comfortable position to relax at Dobra Tea.

Jenna tests her Touareg tea.

Jenna and I enjoying our tea

When we were finished Jenna asked if we could go shopping at the mall. She specifically wanted a new dress (of course). She was dismayed that all the clothes in her size were so “kiddish” and “faddish,” and she wanted something more “classy.” We finally found a nice sweater dress at Macy’s that she thought was perfect. I thought it looked very nice on her as well.

Jenna blows a kiss to her reflection in the dressing room.

Jenna has had the desire to learn to speak French, and thus has independently taught herself several words and phrases through books and websites. I remember some French from high school, and we sometimes will speak French to each other. Throughout our date we did this, and we even learned some new phrases, such as “vous êtes incroyable” (you are amazing) and “je suis d’accord” (I agree). I love Jenna’s expressiveness and passion. It was nice to have this quality time with her.

It was cold outside, so we first stopped at Starbucks to get some hot drinks to go. Skye ordered the eggnog latte, and I had a flavored espresso. In retrospect, we should have gone to Bard Coffee instead where the coffee is significantly better, but at least the beverages warmed us up as we embarked on our adventure in the chilly winter air.

Skye and me at Starbucks

Skye immediately wanted to go into Coastal Maine Popcorn Company which displayed a wide variety of flavored gourmet popcorn in the window. She loves popcorn, and I think she might still be excited about eating it after not being able to consume it for about a year and a half while she had braces. She tried some samples but then decided it wasn’t worth purchasing any.

We walked into Old Port Candy Company which sells an assortment of amazing handmade fudge and truffles, as well as other tasty, fun, and nostalgiac candies. We were both amused by all the bacon-flavored treats that have recently become popular.

Skye holds a bacon lollipop, one of the many unique bacon-flavored candies at Old Port Candy Company

It was fun to laugh and joke with Skye about some of the gifts and souvenirs we saw in the plethora of gift shops.

We thought these glasses were both disturbing and funny.

Skye brings a baboon marionette to life in one of the gift shops.

Skye recently discovered that she loved reubens, so Brent recommended we go to Rí Rá, an Irish pub, for lunch. Skye was very happy with the reuben there, as well as her sweet potato tater tots. I was disappointed that the “soup of the day” was not my favorite tomato dill, but I decided the curried carrot soup was just as delicious. I ordered my favorite salad with spinach, strawberries, walnuts, and feta cheese. We had a lovely view of Casco Bay upstairs. Skye was surprised and impressed when the waiter boxed up her leftover lunch himself. It was nice to sit down in a quiet setting with Skye and talk about her interests, concerns, and ideas, and to get to know her better without the normal daily distractions.

Skye enjoyed her lunch at Ri Ra.

About to eat my soup and salad.

We continued exploring the shops along Commercial street and discussing Skye’s love for photography and marine biology. Early during our walk Skye found a necklace with a turtle hatchling crawling out of its shell and fell in love with it. We returned to the shop where she’d seen it so that she could purchase it.

Skye walking down the sidewalk in Old Port

It was really nice to have the one-on-one time with Skye and to hear her concerns and thoughts about the changes, discoveries, and challenges she is encountering as she is approaching her teenage years. I appreciated her insight, and I love that she is comfortable disclosing with me her thoughts and feelings. I had fun laughing and talking with her throughout our date, and seeing her excitement about so many things that I often take for granted. She is such a sweetheart!

Our first stop was the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company. There were many flavors of popcorn. Some common flavors include cheddar, garlic parmesan, and caramel. I thought it was weird that there were flavors such as buffalo wing, sour apple, and red hot cinnamon. There were huge bags of popcorn which were about two gallons! I think it’s silly that they have such huge bags; Nobody should buy that much popcorn for that price at a time.

Mom and I are at the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company

The cheddar popcorn looked really good.

Mom and I then walked to the Old Port Candy Company,a small candy store on Fore Street. Some weird, but interesting candies include chocolate covered potato chips and pickle mints. The bacon flavored items were most interesting. There is bacon frosting, mints, lollipops, and gummies. Mom had recently won a bacon balm and had given it to Jenna, which reminded me of the funny reactions and laughs when Jenna put it on. I enjoyed spending time with Mom at the candy store, and loved laughing with her when we saw weird candy.

We went to many gift shops on the way to lunch. It was enjoyable to see the many funny postcards, magnets, key chains, books, and toys because they were funny. Some items such as a fun straw, “Farts Around the World” book, and a poo log made Mom and me laugh.

Mom is taking a picture of some silly books.

This is so gross!

Mom showed me "Farts Around the World."

Mom and I went to Ri Ra’s for lunch. It’s dimly lit, open spaced, has quiet music, and was not too crowded. My mom and I were seated on the second floor by the window that we could see had a nice view of the ocean, along with some docked boats. I ordered a reuben and sweet potato tater tots. I shared my sweet and crispy tots with Mom. The reuben was crunchy, warm, and delicious. I enjoyed talking to Mom about how our day was going so far and what we were going to do after lunch. Re Ra’s is a nice place to eat and talk.

This is the view from the second floor of Ri Ra's.

Mom enjoys her carrot currie soup.

Lunch is served!

After eating at Ri Ra’s, we headed to Cool-As-A-Moose where I bought a necklace with a turtle hatchling crawling out of its shell. The necklace means a lot to me because I’m fascinated with marine biology.

This is the store Cool-As-A-Moose.

I enjoyed spending time and bonding with Mom. Her laughter to things I said and showed her really made me happy.

First we went to the Palace Diner and I got a blueberry pancake. When I told Mom that chefs were better than cooks and said that Kyle was definitely a chef, she thought it was funny and put it on the blog she wrote about our date.

My blueberry pancakes at the Palace Diner

After that we went ice skating at the Family Ice Center in Falmouth. First Mom paid for it and then we got our skates. Size 13 was too small for me so I tried size 14. They were perfect, so we started skating. We tried the inside rink first. I was taking little steps at first, but Mom was doing great. She kept showing me how to skate and turn. It was pretty helpful to me, but I sometimes had to hold on to the railing and sometimes fell down. Mom would help me up though, and sometimes we would hold hands and slowly skate and talk about things like Festibond.

Mom and me

We then decided to skate on the outside rink. It wasn’t that slippery because the zamboni didn’t go on it much since they didn’t do hockey on the outside rink. So when me and Mom were holding hands, Mom said she would go ahead and meet me back around. It took her longer than she thought it would to catch back up to me. I was proud that I was going so fast. After a while people told us to get off the ice so the zamboni could smooth the ice and make it slick. I was afraid to go on the ice. Mom encouraged me to try skating on it, so I did. It turned out I was good and fast on it. Then I was even prouder. I didn’t want it to end.

Me on the outside pond at the Family Ice Center

The zamboni makes the ice slick

After that we met Daddy at Bard Coffee, and I had a nice warm white hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookie. White chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate.

I’m really looking forward to going ice skating again. It was a very fun date. I like the tradition we have of going on dates during Festibond.

Dad, Hayley, and I drove up to the mall to meet Mom and Jenna after their date together. We met them at Claire’s because that was where Jenna and I were going to get our ears pierced. Jenna and I picked out the exact same earrings to get our piercings. Jenna looked very calm for a girl going to get her ears pierced for the first time. I felt like I was in Hawaii on a hot day because boy, was I nervous. I was aching to get the piercing over with. I had gotten them pierced before, but the holes had closed up. As much as I wanted to seem tough I couldn’t help remembering the painful pinch that made me wince while getting my ears pierced the first time.

Jenna got her ears pierced first. I was surprised to see that she didn’t seem to flinch at all while getting her ears pierced. Jenna had a huge smile on her face after seeing her beautiful earrings shining in her ears. I was proud when I saw Jenna’s ears, because I think I influenced her in her decision to get her ears pierced. When it was my turn to get my ears pierced, I was fidgety and nervous, but excited at the same time. Once my ears were pierced, I was glad that I went through with it, because my ears looked amazing.

After that, mom and I parted ways with Jenna, Hayley, and Dad before leaving for Bath and Body Works. After looking around quite a bit, mom and I found the best smelling items for me. I got ‘Coconut Lime Verdana’ and ‘Midnight Pomegranate’ body spray and some lotion titled ‘Secret Wonderland’.

We then headed for our movie after buying a few snacks at Hannaford. The movie we watched was called “Little Fockers”. It was hilarious mostly because Ben Stiller was in this production, and I think he’s really funny.

I'm ready to watch "Little Fockers"

After the movie, mom and I had dinner at Sea Dogs Brewing Co. We talked a lot about my friends, school, and more. I ordered a cheesy enchilada which was very delicious with salsa. After dinner, I had a peppermint cheesecake. It was really minty, but I didn’t finish it, because I had already had a hot chocolate and it was too much sugar for me.

Delicious peppermint cheesecake

My date with mom was a blast. I loved spending time with her and enjoy talking to her about my personal life and hearing about hers on our dates.

Mom and me

Drinking my "Elvis" shake at Silly's

We then drove to “Fabu”, a spa in Portland. After we finally found a place to park, Mom and I walked all the way to Fabu. After Alissa took my coat, I met the women who was giving me a manicure. The two women who were giving Mom and me manicures led us up the stairs and into the spa room. I couldn’t wait! This was also my first time in a spa.

The lady with black hair was going to do my nails. She told me to sit down on one of the big, comfy, black chairs. She filed my nails, soaked them in coconut lime smelling liquid that was green, buffed them, and maybe something else, but I don’t remember. The lady and I talked and talked about everything. Finally, the woman reached for the nail polish. I was getting a French manicure, so the lady painted the tips of my nails white, and the rest clear. She told me that layers help the nail polish stay on longer, and thats why my French manicure is still on as I type this. So she painted very light pink (two layers of that) and than clear again. I liked that she was very neat and careful. To help them dry, she told me to sit in a different chair facing a wooden table with a small blue fan. She told me to put my hands underneath the fan. It seemed like hours until we could release them. But I was still trying to be patient. When it was time to leave, I carefully slipped my jacket on  and said bye to the dark-haired woman.

Drying my nails

I was almost too exited for what Mom and I were going to do next. Guess. GET MY EARS PIERCED!! We drove off to the mall. We went to a few clothing stores including H&M, Forever XXI (21), and Gap. But nothing looked really good to me. Mom suggested Justice, but I’ve been in Justice. I’m not that peace-sign girly girl. Finally, after a million years I saw the letters C-L-A-I-R-E-’S. It was Claire’s! When I thought I lost my Claire’s gift card, Mom and I went to find it. Then I realized I had turned my coat inside out before I went to the bathroom at the mall so it could be in the inside pockets.

My new pierced ears

Just then Dad, Hayley, and Skye came toward us. I gave Daddy a hug, and told Mom where the gift card could be. I took my coat off, unzipped both pockets, reached in and… TA-DA! I felt my gift card!! A few minutes after I felt the Claire’s card, I found myself sitting nervously on a stool. The ear-piercing person reached out with a long, thin object toward my ear. “Ouch!” Haha. Turned out to be a pen to mark the piercing. I held my breath. Dun, dun, dun!! Pinch! Ow! That stung! Pinch! Ow! That stung! I smiled and hopped off the chair. She went through all the directions with me still smiling. I was proud.

We drove home, with all the events of the day still mixed in our minds. I couldn’t wait to show my friends at school my newly manicured nails and my sparkling earrings.  I had a really good time on our date.

]]> http://danler.org/2011/01/05/jenna-festibond-2010-date-with-kirsten/feed/ 1 http://danler.org/2011/01/05/kirsten-festibond-2010-date-with-skye/ http://danler.org/2011/01/05/kirsten-festibond-2010-date-with-skye/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:30:47 +0000 Kirsten Uhler http://danler.org/?p=2101 I love that Brent and I have included dates with each of the girls in our Festibond tradition. Skye first suggested we play pool for our date together. She loved going to Hooters and Side Pockets in Wichita where they had pool tables, but unfortunately the few places with billiards here in the Portland area have age limits. Skye’s second choice was to see the movie “Little Fockers.” She really likes Ben Stiller and has seen many of his movies.

Kirsten and Skye

Brent, the girls and I met at the mall before our movie to watch Jenna and Skye get their ears pierced. Skye had gotten hers pierced the year before, but the holes closed up after she removed the original studs. She already knew what to expect, and she was very good about preparing Jenna for the procedure. She has been helping Jenna and reminding her about all the steps to taking care of her newly pierced ears.

Skye is happy to have pierced ears again

After the ear piercings Skye and I walked around the mall so she could spend the money Brent and I allotted as her Festibond gift from us. She already knew that she wanted to get some body splash spray from Bath and Body Works and enjoyed testing every scent in the signature collection. She narrowed it down to two sprays and a lotion. We left the store smelling quite fragrant. After looking at clothes and finding nothing she really liked, we headed for the movie. On the way we stopped to pick up a snack for the movie. Skye just got braces, and she cannot eat popcorn until they are off. The movie was very predictable with some funny parts. I enjoyed sitting next to Skye, watching her laugh and make comments.

Skye is ready to watch "Little Fockers"

Skye requested the Sea Dog Brewing Company for dinner. The food was alright. She ordered peppermint cheesecake for dessert, and it was pretty good. It was very nice to sit across from Skye, to talk to her and hear her thoughts and feelings about growing up and about middle school. I love her goofy sense of humor.

Peppermint cheesecake. Yum!

During the drive home Skye put in a CD of songs she liked. She loves listening to the latest music and has an amazing memory. She can recite all the lyrics to a plethora of songs. When “The Way You Love Me” came on we belted out the lyrics right along with Faith Hill. I had such a great time with Skye. I always appreciate the one-on-one time we have together.

Showing off our French manicures

We went to lunch before our appointment. I’ve been wanting to try Silly’s on the East End in Portland. It has a wide variety of crazy and interesting menu items with equally creative names. Jenna and I both enjoyed our milkshakes. She ordered the “Elvis” (peanut butter and banana) and I had the “Twist and Stout” (Guinness). Not only does Jenna love Elvis Presley (almost as much as Michael Jackson), but she loved the peanut butter and banana combination.

Jenna loved her "Elvis" shake

At Fabu we were greeted warmly by the manicurists who introduced themselves and offered us something to drink. The spa was very nice with a great atmosphere and a lovely view of the Portland harbor. They brought Jenna and I to little tables next to each other. I could sense Jenna’s excitement and anticipation as she laid her hands on the towel and gazed at all the tools, bowls, and various polishes. We both got the signature French manicure. The coconut lime scrub, soak, and the hand massage with coconut lime lotion all felt wonderful. I enjoyed looking over at Jenna and seeing her delight and amazement. She and her manicurist were involved in an engaging conversation. I overheard Jenna asking her several questions. One of them was “How much money do you make?” Her manicurist laughed a little, and said “Enough.” She then explained that it was always different depending on her clients and number of appointments.

Jenna getting her French manicure

The ladies effortlessly and expertly finished our nails, and we were led over to hand dryers to dry them. We were both very happy with our manicures. Jenna noticed another client getting a pedicure and soaking her feet in a tub. Jenna asked if we could go back sometime to do a pedicure and a facial as well. I could tell she had really enjoyed it, and I would love to take her back.

Jenna drying her nails

After our manicure we headed to the mall. We gave each of the girls a set amount of money to spend on their dates with us. Jenna wanted to spend her money to pick out clothes. While we were walking through the Gap a Michael Jackson song started playing, and Jenna couldn’t resist dancing to it. Michael Jackson is her favorite singer. Jenna is very particular about clothing (and about everything else) and didn’t find any clothes she liked.

Jenna grooves to Michael Jackson in the Gap

Brent, Skye, and Hayley met us at the mall to watch Jenna get her ears pierced. Skye had given Jenna a gift card for ear piercing at Claire’s for Festibond. Jenna was very excited to have it done, but when she sat in the chair and looked at the gun she was understandably a little nervous. After the lady pierced the first ear Jenna was visibly surprised, yet she was amazingly tough and maintained her composure. She already has plans to wear hoop earrings when it is time to remove the studs. They look great!

Jenna's new jewelry...and piercings

I had a wonderful time with Jenna. I look forward to future outings together and enjoying her delightful personality and company.

Hayley and me at the Family Ice Center in Falmouth

Hayley insisted that we start out our date eating breakfast at our favorite local restaurant, the Palace Diner. Kyle, the owner, is an excellent cook. He enthusiastically greets us by name every time we visit. Both Jenna and Hayley rave about his crepes. When he heard their compliments recently (“Mom, no offense, but he makes better crepes than you do”) he was kind enough to slip me his secret recipe. Then in her Festibond letter to me Hayley wrote “The crepes you tried to make from the Palace Diner didn’t taste the same, but they were still awesome.” She added later, “It would be cool if we could go back in time and you could get a job as a chef and you would probably get a lot of tips because you’re so good.” While we were at the Palace for our date yesterday, Hayley said “Remember how I said chefs are better than cooks? Kyle is DEFINITELY a chef!”

Hayley liked her Mickey Mouse blueberry pancakes.

Instead of giving a gift to each of the girls on Festibond this year, we decided to give them a set amount of money to purchase something for themselves during their dates with us. I took Hayley to Toys R Us where she found a zoo Playmobile set she really liked. They were sold out, so she’s patiently going to wait for more to come in.

I discovered a great place to ice skate: Family Ice Center in Falmouth. Hayley was eager to don her skates and tackle the ice rink. She was pretty unsteady at first, and took little tiny steps while holding onto the side or holding my hand. We decided to go to the outdoor rink; it had a lot more grooves, making the surface less slick and a bit easier for her to keep her balance. She loved it! After a while she was gliding along the ice more than she was stepping, and she was not using a railing or me to stay upright.

On the pond outside the Family Ice Center

As our skate session was nearing the end, we were told to clear off the ice for the zamboni. I explained to Hayley what it was doing to the ice, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to go back on after that. Once he’d finished, she decided to have a go, and she cautiously stepped onto the freshly resurfaced ice. She was amazed and delighted at how smooth it was and how she could move with less effort. She had no problem maneuvering around the slick new layer. We had such a great time together!

The zamboni resurfacing the ice

We stopped by Bard Coffee, one of our favorite hangouts, to meet Brent and warm up with tasty hot beverages. Hayley ordered a white hot chocolate and a snickerdoodle cookie. We all then went to the mall to check out remote control helicopters. Brent wanted to get one, but we also suspected Hayley would enjoy it. She was quite enthusiastic about it, and picked a blue one (her favorite color).

I had a wonderful day with my sweet, spunky little girl. I absolutely love our tradition of Festibond dates. I always enjoy our time together, and I love being a mom.