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.