The night before Christmas eve Nipper surprised me with a new dress, and a babysitter, and reservations at a fancy pants restaurant downtown. That afternoon I wasn't feeling well, and poor Nipper who had planned and planned was in disbelief that I was laying on the couch claiming the room was spinning and maybe it was food poisoning. He and my mother kept exchanging tight mouthed looks at each other, which I took to mean that I was supposed to get up and get everyone some coffee or cookies or something, but really what they were thinking was "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???"
I laid down for about an hour and felt much better. I chalk it up to day before Christmas, year long fatigue and panic. Doesn't everyone get that? Nipper came in with the dress, and told me his plans. I told him I was feeling fine, and I wanted to go out even if it meant I had to guzzle pepto-bismol in between courses. Turned out I didn't need it, just needed a glass of pinot noir and a steak. Oh, and they had cinnamon ice-cream! My favorite!
After dinner, Nipper asked if I wanted to go get a drink at the bar at the Langham in Pasadena. He said he had read that it had a cool old hotel bar. I was game, so off we went. Dress, dinner, drinks?! This was like doing stuff that people do. We don't do stuff that people do. We don't really do much of anything at all.
We got to the Langham and Nipper got some scotch which he never drinks at home. I actually had the thought "That's funny, he never has that at home." I got a glass of Krug champagne. Yum! When the bill came, Nipper started to sign a room number. My first thought was "He's going to drink and dash! He's lost his mind." Then I thought "That's funny, he never does that at home." Then we had some little exchange that neither of us can really remember because there was a lot of alcohol involved. But basically he revealed that we did in fact have a room for the night and my mother was staying with Jack. What the what? My husband is SO romantic! "That's funny because he never..." Never mind. I love surprises and this was the best!
We went up to the room and the hotel had made a pink rose petal heart on the bed. Nipper laughed and said he thought that was a little much, and I was all "Are you kidding me??? I'm a GIRL! I love this stuff!" He had checked us in that afternoon while I thought he was at the library doing nerd stuff. He got a good bottle of champagne and put it on ice, and he brought me a cute outfit for the morning after, so that I didn't have to do the walk of shame. Which would have been especially humiliating in my glitter heels and navy chiffon. Nobody wears glitter heels at 9am unless they're looking for a trick, not even Carrie Bradshaw.
The hotel was beautiful and the view was incredible, and all of their little hotel extras are PINK. A pretty pink too. When I opened up the box of bath products, I'm pretty sure I gasped. They printed up a business card with our key that said our name and the phrase "in residence" below it. I have never felt more like Eloise in my entire life! Can I live here?
We slept in, we had breakfast, we wandered back to the house around noon. Merry Christmas Nipper Knapp I heart you... Oh also good luck topping this next year. I hear Virgin Galactic is offering trips into space...
the view from our room in the morning
le walk du shame avec Nipper Knapp
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