Eating Out

We like to eat out. Who doesn't? Okay, I know there are the rare few who don't like to eat in restaurants.

But us? We LOVE it. For obvious reasons. Yummy food. Everyone can have something different...that they get to choose. Service with a capital S! No clean up...no set up either....no prep, no planning, no shopping, chopping, and cooking. Yes! Of course eating out is expensive. And...I also love to cook. So we consider it a treat to eat out. We try to limit going out to once a week.

The biggest reason why I love to eat out? You see, when I cook at home it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to hours to prepare a meal. And....it takes less than 10 minutes for my family to sit down, eat it and leave. Phooey! I don't like that.

Now, in a restaurant it's a different story. We sit at a table for an hour...sometimes more. We talk and visit and laugh and snuggle. One of the best parts is that I am free to hold kids on my lap. Precious snuggle time. We color or play I Spy for entertainment. The kids cannot get up and run off. It's a captive audience until the food is ordered, served and eaten.

These pics were taken on our way home from vacation. We were in The Dalles, OR. We stopped to eat (and have a break from the car) at a pub brewery called The Clock Tower. The sun was out so we opted for patio dining. That's the best kind of dining with kids.

The service was REALLY slow. I think the place was short staffed....maybe the sun brought out more customers than usual. It took hours...yes, hours to order and get our food. But ya know what? It was fine. Remember, I said the sun was out. And...we had drinks and each other's company. Plus, patio dining gives kids wiggle room.

And...when the food eventually came. Oh.My.Goodness!! It was SO good. I had a blue cheese burger on a pretzel bun that was AMAZING! I wish we lived closer!