Week Thirteen: Rob & Kathryn w/Jeff, Will & Matt

It's about to get personal. Fast. This previous week was one of the most challenging periods of time I have ever faced in my life, and certainly in my relationship with Erica. Our cat Smokey was growing old and started losing weight, 3 pounds in one month, and we faced the tough decision of having to put her down. My assistant manager at work was out with the flu, and because we were so understaffed, I needed to work two 14-hour shifts, back to back (in fact, today is the first day I have had off since March 26th, which is why I am posting so late). In the midst of that double double, one of my favorite employees, a girl I consider a good friend, missed her shift and I was left alone during the busiest breakfast rush I have seen in the middle of a mental breakdown to boot. It destroyed me that the situation panned out that way, but I had to fire her. On top of all that, my bank account shrank down to double digit figures and my debts climbed up to multiple thousands. I didn't have enough time, or money, and I was flat out depressed and treating my wife poorly.

Stumbling out of the back to back 14 hour shifts with barely any sleep, I opened my shop at 7am on Saturday, got off work and went to the vet with my wife and held our cat in my arms while she feel asleep for the a last time, and drove back to our home mentally preparing to fire a friend the next day, and welcomed our friends Rob and Kathryn from Colorado with their three sons, Jeff, Will and Matt into the house. No time for rest, it was date time.



Rob and I have a deep history. So it was really great in these trying times to see somebody who knows me really well. Rob and I were assigned roommates in Sewall Hall our freshman year at the University of Colorado. In the smallest room ever. We were forced to bunk the beds and forced to become bros. There was no space in that little room to not be bunk bros. Rob was top. (How did I just write that?!?!?)

The first week of college was a wild one. Rob and I went through fraternity rush with the guys in our dorm hall and bonded with them instantly. When the bids came to us, each of our friends had received a bid to the house they wanted most (except me) AND we all got bids to one house in common. We decided to stick together and join the same house. It was a defining moment in my friendship with those guys.

As our pledgeship commenced, it became clear Rob was a leader of the pack type of guy. Naturally, he was voted President of our house the following year and landed a smoking hot, tall, blonde girlfriend. And he has been with Kathryn ever since.

Kathryn gave council to me in several ways, as I was Rob's designated quirky friend with constant emotional problems. She would help me pick out the proper outfits to wear on dates, she would tell me to dump girls who sucked, she would remind me to do nice things for Rob on the appropriate dates and times. She, as well as Rob, had been there for me in times of need.

So I was stoked that it was Rob and Kathryn coming. If I was going to be seeing anybody at that juncture, it NEEDED to be them. I needed therapy and release. I also needed to cook an incredibly simple meal because of lack of prep time, so it was great they were accompanied by their sons, who are 6, 4 and 1. I figured I should do something for all ages, and so I tossed out the idea of hot dogs and chips.



With no time to make a grocery store stop, I lucked out that hot dogs was met with great approval. I work across from the best butcher shop in Seattle, Rain Shadow Meats. And they have unbelievable housemade hot dogs. After my morning shift and before hopping in my wife's car to go to the vet, I ran over and purchased some dogs.

For more info on Rain Shadow Meats, visit their website:
http://http://rainshadowmeats.com/
I highly suggest getting a steak there! The owner Russ is a good guy and they do quality work.

Now, because Rob and Kathryn are out of towners, I wanted to do something with a little local flavor. Getting the meat from a local butcher was step one. But I wanted to serve them a "Seattle style" hot dog. If one such exists, in my opinion, it would be the street vendor variety down in Belltown. And you know their secret ingredient: cream cheese. I'm not sure if this is done elsewhere, or what the origin is, but this is how I made them local food. Toasted bun, cream cheese on both sides, sour kraut, sliced pickled jalapenos, boiled then fried dog topped off with a stripe of brown beer mustard. Red Hook Pilsners to wash it down. The kids did it simple. Ketchup and yellow mustard. Milk to wash it down.



The kids, Jeff, Will and Matt, are a key component to the edge Rob and Kathryn have as a highly ranked Power Couple. They are awesome. Jeff is well-spoken, reserved and polite. I get the sense he will grow up to be a doctor, but like the George Clooney on ER kind, because he is handsome and charming. Will, for lack of better phrasing, is kind of a bad ass. He is fearless and wild. He will definitely be a Fullback for CU, and run over people like Mike Alstott. He will follow that up by becoming a powerful business man with an expensive suit. Matt is still new to the game, but from what I can tell, he is curious and adventurous. You can see him dissecting the way things work and function with his eyes. Possibly an engineer or an astronaut. But these boys are fantastic, and they are going to be able to do whatever it is they want to in life.



What they wanted to do, at least after dinner, was play video games. So they go to. I hooked up the X-Box 360 that had been collecting dust in my garage, and the adults sneaked away to enter deeper conversations. Erica and Kathryn paired off, as Rob and I drove to the store for some refills on the beverages.

I was still pretty mentally beat down from the week I had, so Rob and I sat outside in his rental car and I unloaded my feelings on him. We talked about marriage, and being in a relationship for a long time, mood swings, ups, downs and how to deal with all of it. And nobody has put life more in perspective than Rob. That talk was really necessary and I walked out of that car a happier man. And I am super grateful that Erica sticks by my side through all my craziness.



Back inside the boys are running around, playing with Lola, exploring the yard, and I'm looking at Rob and Kathryn smiling and having a good time. And I'm thinking one thing. #1. They are definitely the top ranked Power Couple we know. And it's going to take a whole lot for them to be bumped down!

Tomorrow a bona fide American rock star steps up to the plate with his gorgeous fiance to accept the challenge. He was the Alt Press guitarist of the year in 2007, she has awesome tattoos and can cut and style hair like no other. I'm gearing up to get out of my depression with our a good friends Thomas and Kaylie. Let the dates begin!