A break to the sunshine

Nik and I were fortunate enough to fly down to La Quinta (near Palm Springs) for the weekend to visit my Dad and Sherri. It was so nice to get away from Portland and see the beautiful sun, but it was also the first time we have gotten to see their new house. It of course was beautiful. Right on the golf course with a pool and great views. It has been quite sometime since we have spent any real time with my Dad so we made sure to spend all the time possible together. Nik and I had so much fun. We golfed, we swam, we ran, we ate, we rode bikes, he learned to cast a fly (on the golf course) and we laid out in the sun. What a wonderful weekend!!

Thanks Dad and Sherri for having us down. We enjoyed every minute of it. Nik already has his golf clubs up in Portland and he is ready to go to the driving range. We love you and look forward to having  you guys up here!

Timberline Ski and Play

Nik and I decided even though the weather has been crummy, we really needed to get out of town and do some skiing before the season is over. We headed up to Timberline Ski Area for a day of whiteout skiing and playing with Wanda.

It was just that, we skied in whiteout conditions, only able to see the poles stuck in the snow to guide our way down the mountain. We decided regardless of the conditions we were glad to be up on the hill. The snow was pretty good for Oregon and it snowed on us much of the day. I thought the trees up high on the mountain were pretty incredible with all the beatings they take from wind and other weather.

After skiing we got Wanda out of the car and took her to the snow to play. She was just as excited as we were to be out in the winter elements. She ate the snow and chased the snow. Nik wrestled with her and we played fetch. I think Wanda enjoyed the day as much as us. We were so happy we went and had a wonderful day spent together with our little family.

Reno Training, Family and Friends with their new babies!

Last week I was fortunate to head to Reno, not just to visit family, but for work. I spent the first part of the week training at the Reno Service Center (Patagonia's US Distribution Center) with other Managers from around the country. It was wonderful seeing all the avenues of the company, everything from mail order, to shipping and repairs. I met a lot of people I work with on a regular basis up in Portland through email or by phone, so it was nice to put a face to the names. It worked out perfect because my mom lives so close to the Service Center, so I was able to stay with her and spend time with her when I was not working.

The Managers I trained with in Reno

After training was done I worked in a few visits with friends. I went to my old house in Reno, where one of my old roommates had just had a baby. Shayla named her lovely baby Gemma. She was so precious and sweet and it was amazing to see what incredible parents Shayla and Galen have already become. Logan, my other old roommate was there to visit as well and we all enjoyed catching up and playing with the baby.

Nik flew in Friday night, after picking him up at the airport we spent the evening at his parents house saying our hellos and catching up. They were so excited to see us and we were both happy to be together and back at home. On Saturday, my mom took Nik shopping at Banana Republic for a nice suit, shoes and shirts. He looks stunning in his new attire. That evening the Kosach's came to dinner at my Moms. We all had a wonderful time with incredible food (my mom's salmon is the best). Then Sunday the Kosach's had us to dinner and we were able to visit with Keri (Nik's sister), her fiance and Nik's Grandma. It was so much fun to be home and enjoy family for a week. I loved every moment of it.

Thanks Mom, Ben, Steve and Gail for taking care of us for the weekend. We love you guys and were very happy to be home. Now... come visit us!

Sunny Crisp day in the PDX

Yesterday it snowed (lightly) and the entire city shut down. Schools were closed and people were afraid to be on the roads (the roads were clear). Portland can handle the rain that is for sure, but when it snows here everyone freezes in terror of the dreaded white stuff. Personally, I loved it. Watching the snow fall reminded me of home and it was a beautiful sight to see.

Today on the other hand, we woke up to beautiful blue skies, no clouds and Mt hood glistening in the distance. I was fortunate to have the day off and Nik had a short day, so we took our little Wandaroo out for a very long walk along the Willamette River. We enjoyed exploring the areas around us we haven't seen before. It was beautiful, but it was also very cold. Luckily I work for a clothing company so we were readily dressed for our day out on the town.

Afternoon Skin around Mt Hood

Nik, Gus and Rudy (Gus's dog)

Nik, Gus, Colleen and I decided it was time to use all of our ski gear and do some backcountry skiing in our neck of the woods. We got a late start in the day, but it wasn't going to stop us from enjoying the new snow in the area. We skinned in for about 2 hours (it is similar to crosscountry skiing). It was all pretty easy except for one area where it was quite steep and all the snowshoers before us had created a very difficult accent. Frustrating, but kind of humorous when you are sliding backwards on your skins (they are supposed to prevent you from sliding backwards). Once to the top, we headed back down to the car just in time for dusk. All in all it was a fantastic day out with friends in the outdoors. Doesn't get much better that that.

Sarah's baby shower and lots of skiing

Nik and I had been looking forward to our visit to Idaho for quite sometime. We flew into Boise and rented a car to drive to Hailey. Sarah and Zach took us in (along with my Mom) for the weekend because Sarah's baby shower was here and we all wanted to be a part of it. On Friday Zach was nice enough to round up some SunValley Ski Resort passes and took us all over the mountain for a day of downhill. He showed us all over the mountain. Run after run, it was the best day I have had in a long time. We stopped for lunch and met my Mom and Sarah at the lodge, then off to the hill again for more downhill skiing. It was a blast!!!!

That evening we rallied our energy and went to a comedy show. It was quite the laugh. All of us agreed the two comedians were hilarious and we enjoyed our time. 

The next day we had all morning to do something fun, before the baby shower. The girls did a skate ski at Galena Lodge, while the boys toured up Mushroom peak and earned their turns for the day. We enjoyed a delicious lunch after our ski at the lodge in the beautiful sun and the boys enjoyed the beautiful views from above.

That afternoon was the big shower. There was about 40 women there and Sarah was quite literally showered with gifts. She is very fortunate to have so many people that absolutely adore her. Her friends even made many of the gifts. The event was catered with delicious food and we all enjoyed watching Sarah open her gifts. It was wonderful to see Sarah so happy and so cute in her pregnant little body. 

It was an incredible weekend of family and great skiing. Nik and I enjoyed every moment. Thank you Sarah and Zach for having us. We love you guys and hope that someday we will be closer. Until then we will just continue to visit! 

Moving Up

Our lease was up on our apartment (which was very exciting) because there was many things our apartment didn't have that we wanted. A washer and dryer in the apartment, parking, silence (you could hear everything from our apartment) and more space. We had a laundry list of things we wanted in the new place and we were determined to not settle for less. 

Well, we found the place and it is spectacular. It is a newer building in the Pearl District of downtown Portland and it is about four blocks from my work. We live on the 14th floor with views of Mt Hood and Mt St Helens on a sunny day. This place is completely dog friendly and it has everything we were looking for. We plan to be here for at least a year and are very excited to have found a place so nice. 

Some of the amenties include free happy hour in the lobby every evening, a sky lounge free to rent out for parties, a workout room, garden space for each apartment, secured entry, AC, a washer/dryer in the unit and a dishwasher. We are set!