Welcome Connor Mays Kosach

Connor Mays Kosach was greeted into the world to his wonderful parents of Steve and Susie Kosach (Nik's brother and sister in-law) at 2:20 a.m. on December 8th. He weighed in at 7lbs 9oz. 


He is the first grandchild to Nik's parents, Gail and Steve. They couldn't be happier!!

Nik and I are so excited to meet the little guy. That is three new boys added to our family this year. Congratulations Susie and Steve!! What an exciting time!

Engagement Photos

Yep, we finally got them back. Here's a few. 

Ok, maybe a little more than a few. Enjoy!!

Being tourists for a day

Willamette Falls is probably one of the most visited attractions in the area. Nik and I decided it was time to be a tourist and go visit some waterfalls in the area. We then had a great lunch at Full Sail (my favorite brewery) in Hood River. Wanda got to swim and we enjoyed our only day of the week off together.

Vista point along the Columbia Gorge

Willamette Falls (about 800 ft high)

Mt Adams (a view from Hood River)

Christmas has begun

Nik and I decided we would stay on top of the holiday cheer and get into the Christmas spirit right away. We walked two blocks to the neighborhood Christmas tree lot and bought a small tree. Small but cute, we took it home and decorated it was all the lights and ornaments. It really is cute!!

Our neighborhood lot

Nik taking home our new tree

Awww, isn't it cute!

Thanksgiving with Friends

Nik and I weren't able to go home for Thanksgiving this year. I needed to be at work on Friday and Saturday after and we made the decision that going home for Christmas would be a better time. So, we decided to do the Orphan Thanksgiving with friends. Haley and John were the hosts and they opted to do the turkey, gravy, some rolls and a side. Each couple brought one or two items as well. It turned out to be a fantastic time, and the food was exceptional. There was 9 of us total and two dogs. We had all the fixings and John and Haley's first attempt at a turkey was a huge success. I was so impressed.

Our friends, Paul and Erin

Haley's turkey

The spread

The yummy meal

Enjoying dinner

We missed our family dearly since this was our first Thanksgiving away. But, we made sure to have a great time with our friends in Portland.

Nik's Birthday

Nik's big day was on a Tuesday so we decided to take the weekend before and head up to Seattle to spend time with friends. We spent the weekend enjoying our time with Danny and Sara, watching football and going to dinner at Bucca di Beppo. It had been so long since I had been to Bucca and this was Nik's first time. So, we made sure the staff sang their famous Happy Birthday song.

Nik's birthday song

Sara and Danny

It was very cold while we were there, but relatively dry so we made sure to go to a weekend flee market and do a little shopping. 

Sara found the perfect combo to keep warm.  We thought it was hilarious!!

For Nik's birthday (back in Portland), we went to a pizza place called Dove Vivi. It is a deep dish pizza with a cornmeal type crust. It was delicious!! Afterwards we met up with friends at one of our favorite watering holes (Bridgeport) for an after dinner refreshment. 

Dove Vivi

Nik Happy 28th Birthday!!! I hope you had a wonderful birthday week. I love you very much and am so grateful to have such a wonderful man. 

Friends and holiday tastings

Our friends Danny and Sara came down from Seattle for the weekend and we had fun going to the Zupan's Taste of the Holidays party at the Heathman Hotel. Nik and I did this last year and we had so much fun we had to do it again. Zupans is a local grocery store that offers a holiday tasting annually and the Heathman Hotel is a fun place to go because it very ritzy (people were enjoying tea and cakes in the lobby). The food is everything you could possibly imagine eating during a holiday meal (appetizers, prime rib, turkey dinner, and desserts galore). We had a blast and managed to not overdo the eating like we did last year.

On Sunday, Nik and I did a photo shoot with our photographer for engagement photos. It was fun, but I was surprisingly nervous and kept acting really weird. The camera in my face really through me off. We have to wait a few weeks to get the results, so hopefully my nervousness doesn't show. Stay tuned for the pictures ;-)

We met up with our friends Haley and John and had fun going to Living Room Theaters to see Moneyball, then headed to Portland City Grill for a wonderful view and a great happy hour. Portland City Grill is at the top of the highest building in the city and they are known for their great food and fun atmosphere. We had a great time!!

Living in a city really has its perks and Nik and I are loving where we are in life. 

Happy Halloween!

Because we have a lot of Giants memorabilia Nik and I decided I would go as "the best center fielder of all time" Willie Mays and he would go as my trainer. Very last minute, but it was fun! Our building had a Halloween party on Saturday so we made sure to dress our best.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

30th Birthday Extravaganza

Wow!! I am still in aww with the fact that I have officially turned 30. I made sure that it wasn't a quite or subtle entrance into it though. On my birthday I woke up in Ventura, CA. I had been there for work and I was going to head North to meet up with my Nana in San Jose, then head north again to San Francisco for a weekend of Family and fun. Nik had a box of chocolates delivered to my hotel room, so I wouldn't be empty handed on my big day. I thought that was such a sweet gesture.

My Nana

I landed in San Jose and spent the afternoon with my Nana going to lunch at PF Changs and catching up with her at her home. I love her house and she looks wonderful. It was so great to see her, I just wish I was closer to see her more. That afternoon she dropped me off at the train station so I could take the train to San Francisco. I was so excited because my mom was there to greet me. We spent some time shopping around and getting make-up touchups before we met up with Ben and Mariah for dinner at a well known restaurant called A16 (named after a highway in Italy). Our server was a little less than parr, but the food and seeing many of my family members made my birthday dinner a wonderful one. Afterwards we went to the hotel and ate cupcakes for dessert. My mom had brought them from my friend's bakery in Reno.

A16

Ben, myself and Mom

Mariah and Mom

Birthday Cupcakes

The next morning I said my good-byes and took BART to the East Bay to spend the day with my soon to be sister in-law, Susie. She is due with their first child soon and she looks fantastic. Nik flew in later that evening and we picked him up at the BART station. It had been almost a week since we had seen each other so we were very excited to be together again. That night Steve and Susie made me a delicious birthday dinner of steak, mushroom risotto, salad and an assortment of delicious desserts. Steve Sr and Gail had just arrived to town so they stopped by as well for a bit.

Gail feeling Susie belly

On Saturday, Nik took me back into the city to enjoy a day of shopping, China Town, Little Italy, Ghirardelli Square and Fort Mason. He also reserved us a beautiful hotel room in Hotel Monaco. It is a  great place to stay in the city!! The hotel surprised me with a birthday card and a bottle of wine. That night Steve, Susie, Steve Sr and Gail met us in the city for another fantastic dinner, this time at Nopa. We had a great time and the food was delicious!

Near Union Square

China Town

Fort Mason

 

Dinner at Nopa

On Sunday, Nik and I shopped a little more and ate lunch at the Ferry Building. We had to eat some clam chowder before we left town. Then, we took the BART to the east bay again to visit his Baba in Lafayette. That night we flew home and found our little Wanda waiting there for us.

Ferry Building

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. It truly was an amazing experience. Thank you everyone for going out of your way to be there with me. Most of all thank you Nik for planning such an incredible birthday. I love you so very much!