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!

Bridge Walk

Providence hospital puts on its annual Bridge Pedal each August.  Participants are given the unusual option of riding the length of up to ten of Portland's bridges.  Associated with the ride is also the “stride,” for those who feel more comfortable on two legs.  Last weekend Ryan and I joined my parents and Ryan’s mom, here from Mexico, to take on the five-mile, two-bridge walk.  It was similar to the one Ryan and I did in Busan last year.

walking on 405-usually a packed freeway

first glimpse of the Fremont Bridge

the "Striders"

the Moms

refuel snack

Broadway Bridge

our old neighborhood

Last Thursday

On the last Thursday of each month, Alberta Street in Portland is quite the scene.  Street performers, vendors, tourists, foodies, and locals take over a stretch of at least fifteen city blocks for the evening. 

Ryan and I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about at July's event.  We met at the house of some friends who live in the neighborhood, where we were prepped on the odd events we might see at Last Thursday.  Here they are...

The pictures show a small sample of what we saw that night.  I didn’t have the stomach to photograph the man who was jumping up and down on shards of glass and hammering nails into his nostrils...but you get the idea.  

Until next time, Last Thursday!