Over the Weekend I Learned...

-That a plan for a weekend away in Newport can quickly turn into a weekend home alone when your husband is an on-call wild land firefighter

-That 28 (ok, ok practically 29) doesn't make you too old for a slumber party with the girls...

but it does make you too old to fall down in the street (in front of roughly 150 people) and scrape your knee, foot and elbow

(which I did)

-That pedi-cabs are a great mode of transport 

-That summer in the Pacific Northwest really is almost perfect 

-That a bar in a mall is not as weird as I thought it would be 

-That this (very short) book is proving impossible to finish...

but that I've got to get it done by Wednesday in time to see the movie! 

 

-That the Brewer's Festival is just as fun as I remembered it being...

(and is great for people watching!)

-That huckleberry beer is not as delicious as it sounds...

but that pineapple vodka with jalapeno sweet and sour mix is even more delicious than you would think 

-That it's perfectly acceptable to stay in PJs until 3:00 pm

-That this show really is as good as everyone says...

(and may cause people to stay in their PJs until 3:00 pm) 

and that this show gets worse every week

-That I still really don't know how to work the coffee maker without Ryan here to operate it for me...

but luckily there are way too many coffee shops in Portland

-That this place rivals my favorite spot for happy hour in town...

and I need to get back there asap 

-That three-day weekends are great, but four-day weekends are wonderful

-That dinners at home with family are just as good as any fancy meal out

(or even better)

-That I really miss my honey when he's gone...

but that I have the best girlfriends and family to spend time with...

and I am truly lucky

Only four more days until next weekend :)

Really hoping my honey is home!

The Streets of Portland: North Williams

Many of Portland's neighborhoods have bloomed during the time we spent abroad.  The transformation of unkempt streets, abandoned buildings and deteriorating homes into welcoming, funky, and popular areas is incredible.  

Clothing boutiques, thrift shops, home decor stores and ice cream parlors are popping up one strip of Williams Avenue in north Portland.  Trendy restaurants and cocktail bars now serve everything from Jewish food to Peruvian eats.  We went for brunch here recently and took a walk around Williams to see what we could see.

 

 

 

 

What new neighborhood can we explore next?

Portland Gardens: Japanese & Rhododendron

We were blessed with some unseasonably beautiful weather last month.

I left Ryan alone with his studies and visited some of Portland's beautiful gardens with my parents.  

 {Japanese Gardens}

 

  {Rhododendron Garden}

It's getting to be my favorite time of year in the pacific northwest, where the skies are clear and the rain gives us a break for a couple of months.  This allows plenty of time for long walks, picnics, boat rides, and weekend getaways.  I'm currently compiling my summer to-do list and am planning local excursions and events to make up for the summers we were away in Asia.  

It feels really good to be home.

The Month of May, a Belated Recap

Japanese Garden with my parents

Delicious brunch here

Sunday night sturgeon fishing with my love
 

Cocktails with my college bestie

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden with mom 

Frozen yogurt at our favorite place

  
 Zoo trip with a college girlfriend and her sweet girl

Mother's Day

Eugene weekend with Ryan's family for his sister's dance recital
 

Celebrating one of my best friends from college at her law school graduation

Rediscovering Portland

¡Hola from Cozumel!
We have been having lots of fun here meeting new people, going to yoga classes by the sea, exploring the island, and making and eating as much as Mexican food as we can. 

Today we're getting lots of clouds and wind due to a "norte" meaning wind storm from the north.  That means time inside for me to sort through lots of pictures from the last couple months.  Maybe one of these days I'll even get to those two weeks in December that we spent in Thailand...

* * * * *

When people in Korea asked us where we were from, we got similar responses.

"I love Portland!"

"Portland is so cool!"

"I've always wanted to visit Portland!"

Since I was born and grew up there, I had a hard time seeing what all the fuss was about.  It's rainy.  And dreary.  And the only season worth mentioning is summer, which lasts only two to three months.  If you're lucky... 

 With the help of Ryan though, over last few years I've been able to see Portland the way many others do, as a unique and lively city, with beautiful natural sights and a booming music, restaurant and bar scene.  Where else in the world can you find all the microbrews, fresh coffee and donuts your little heart could want?

Although I'd still love to see the sun on a much more regular basis, maybe there is some truth to the phrase, "absence makes the heart grow fonder."

* * * * *

A few days after Christmas we had one of those wintery days that was dry, sunny and cold.  Sunshine?  It's a real rarity for Portland winters, so Ryan and I embraced the morning with a long walk to a new bagel and coffee shop.

 

 And on a gloomier (and still chilly) day later that week we took a walk around a park and reservoir in my parents' neighborhood.

 

 

Later that night I met some girlfriends at one of Portland's oldest bars.  

Its house specialty is Spanish Coffee, made tableside.

Oh, Portland.  You're not too bad.