Visitors!!

We love having visitors!! We had long been anticipating a visit from Kirk and Lindsey and the day finally arrived! T picked them up from the airport and introduced them to Portland by night. The following day, they were able to pick up C who was just arriving back from San Francisco. T had to work so the three of them spent the day touring a little bit, running errands and assisting in the delivery of our new Snuggler couch (which we LOVE!!). Friday was spent hanging out around the neighborhood. T took Friday off and we had a wonderful day just enjoying the weather and company. We made it to downtown Portland for lunch at a wonderful restaurant near Powell's Books. Saturday found us on an adventure attempting to reach a hidden waterfall near Multnomah Falls. We started off on a trail which soon led us to a creek. We, of course, couldn't stop there, so we decided to take off our socks and shoes and go wading. Mind you, the outside temp was barely 60 and the water temp was so cold it made our legs tingle, but on we pushed. K and C were very brave (or crazy!!) and continued on all the way to the waterfall. Lindsey and T, however, decided to call it quits and make our way back. Eventually we thawed out and enjoyed our lunch at the picnic area by Multnomah Falls. That evening we made it over to Whole Foods, a wonderful gourmet grocery store that has incredible samples on the weekends! Afterwards, we relaxed in the hot tub and made the most delicious tacos (and not so delicious brownies...) Unfortunately, Sunday came all too soon which meant K and L had to head home. BUT, we are really looking forward to the next visit!!! We love you guys!

Fun in San Francisco

Every year around this time thousands of people migrate to San Francisco for Oracle OpenWorld, an amazing week that features tech giant Oracle. It's quite a sight and Oracle will stop at nothing to impress! As for those who work for George P. Johnson Company it's another story! This year was C's 5th time on this event and second time being the head of the onsite technology team. Needless to say, the months, weeks and days leading up to the event were....stressful. Yet, despite a few minor (okay, maybe a little more than minor) glitches, they pulled off yet another successful event!! HOORAY! I LOVE this show! I love living in the city for a short period of time and delight in watching the event take place. It is really quite fascinating to watch them put up giant banners, build stages and tents and then in just a few days tear it down to get ready for the next event. It is mindboggeling to think of all that goes into making something like this happen! So, even though we no longer live just 20 minutes south of San Francisco, I still HAD to be there! Luckily, I was able to fly down on Friday and sneak in a jam-packed weekend before having to go back to work first thing Monday. Janet had planned to spend the weekend with us, which was wonderful and worked out so nicely. She picked me up at the airport Friday night and we drove into the city to stay at the Parc 55. Saturday morning while she was getting a tooth fixed, I went on a run down to the Ferry Building and back. I love going there on Saturday mornings. It is alive and buzzing with people from all over looking for fresh produce at the weekly Farmer's Market. There are many sidewalk vendors that are selling anything from jewelry to photo art. It's wonderful! We spent the majority of the day walking around and sightseeing and even got to meet up with C's cousins and aunt who were there for the night. We enjoyed some hot drinks while sitting in the middle of Union Square. What a delight!! Saturday evening we got to have dinner with three of my favorite girls and my previous rock-star team; Tracy, Stacy and Sonja. We ate at a delicious vegetarian restaurant called Golden Era. I HIGHLY recommend it! What a great night! Sunday was spent shopping, visiting C and taking the tour at Moscone. The day was topped off by meeting up with Candy and Dean and heading to the 49er game!!! They were playing the Lions at home and they actually WON!! YIPPEE! I had to head back after that, but I did so with a big smile on my face!!

C 'n T Road Trip

After dropping mom and dad off at the airport C and I decided to go on a little road trip! Since C didn't get to go to the falls on Thursday, T wanted to head there to hike up to the top again. We decided to cross over into Washington and travel along the Gorge on the Washington side. Along the way we stopped at a place called Beacon Rock. It is a rock that is 848 feet tall and sits right alongside the Colombia River. There is a mile long hike and 52 switchbacks that take you to the top and we loved it! Once you get to the top the view is absolutely breathtaking! You get a 360 degree view of your surroundings. We sat up there for quite a while just taking it all in. After hiking back down with an interesting group of people who had been out sailing, we continued on to Multnomah Falls. We stopped for brunch at Cascade Lockes just over the bridge on the Oregon side of the Colombia River. The drive to the falls was once again beautiful and once we got there we headed straight for the top. C was very glad he made the trek, as was I. We'll take you there when you come for a visit!

A visit from Mom and Dad Russell

A week after moving in we were excited to welcome mom and dad Russell from Illinois. Mom had been planning to come for a couple months, dad was a surprise (and a VERY welcomed one)! C had to begin working at the Portland office the day they arrived, so T got to spend each day with them cleaning, unpacking, patching, drilling, painting, and even a little sightseeing! They were incredibly helpful in accomplishing tasks around the house and helping to make us get more moved in and settled. We decided to take Thursday off and go on a day trip. We started at the falls, of which there are many! The first one we stopped at was called Horse Tail Falls. It is beautiful and right off the beaten path just down from the second tallest falls in the states, Multnomah Falls, which is where we went next. Multnomah Falls is absolutely beautiful! Dad and I decided to take the mile hike up to the top. It was quite a hike, but on a paved trail up through the woods and well worth it. After our hike and a yummy picnic lunch by the crick, we packed up and headed up to Mount Hood. The drive was breathtaking! Unfortunately we couldn't go into the park area because they were working on the lodge. We had a wonderful day together! I wish our time had not passed so quickly, but I look forward to having them visit again soon.

A Tour of Our Home

T takes you on a tour of our new home. Enjoy!