Portland pics

Wanted to share a few pics from our week in Portland but was unable to upload them at the hotel, for some reason.


One of many great things about Portland is how green and incredibly scenic it is. It's truly gorgeous--and people there are apparently very keen on it staying that way. (Development and growth within the city is very, very tightly managed). This makes it a walkers paradise. (There's even a very thick book on Portland Walks!) For a city of its size, there are more parks, walking and bike paths in Portland than just about anywhere else in the country.


Mike calls this look her 'Nick Nolte' look.


And here she is a few hours later in Seaside, Oregon watching runners from the Hood to Coast relay cross the finish line.


Kell, M and Audrey in front of the festivities


Ever the good sport but tired all the same, Audrey chills out on a walk at the end of a long day...


..and Kell uses the world's largest bathroom key to access a disgusting roadside toilette. Gee, I wonder how many varieties of e-coli bacteria have colonized that key? Oh--and did you know that they now sell 'bestselling' ###### handbooks in gas-station bathroom dispensers for just $0.50? Let Amazon just try and beat those prices.


Auntie Kelly reads Audrey her bedtime story while daddy and mommy sneak out for a date. If you are ever in Portland, you simply must save your pennies by skipping 3-5 crummy fast food meals so as to afford a stop at Paley's (out of this world in every way.)


Grabbing a bite at the Daily Cafe. They make a mean grilled-cheese (Tillamook, of course) on whole weat. Notice the beer M is drinking? 'Arrogant Bastard Ale'.


And here we are in front of the world's largest independent bookstore, 'Powells'. It's 3 stories high and runs the length of an entire city block.


Our last dinner in Portland was at Manzanas in Lake Oswego (Great food; M gives the NY 2 enthusiastic thumbs up; The Alaskan Halibut topped with crispy leeks was incredible and we almost licked the creme brulee bowl. The waiter ordered Audrey some ice cream (without asking us first) but we had to give her a few bites. Seriously, the sugar had a scary affect on her, keeping her awake for hours even after she was dead tired.)

Goodbye, Portland. We love you.

Begin it now.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy,

The chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts of initiative and creation,

There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which

Kills countless ideas and splendid plans.

The moment one definitely commits oneself,

Then a whole stream of events issues from the decision,

Raising in ones favor, all manor of unforeseen incidents and meetings

And material assistance which no man or woman could have dreamed would have come his or her way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can do,

Begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

(This quotation is often credited to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Although the excerpt is reminiscent of a similar Goethe writing, the true author of this writing remains unknown.)

Mt. Hood to Coast


Kel-bell has joined us in the Port of Portland, arriving Thursday afternoon. We're having a great time toodling around, visiting the neighborhoods and sites of the city. Our very cool hotel (The Inn at Northrup Station) is located in the Northwest part of Portland bordering Nob Hill (gorgeous and charming. Think: Nob Hill in Boston-ish) and The Pearl (über trendy and chic), just next to a streetcar stop. The public transportation here is fab!

Today, we're headed out to the coast to see runners from the famous race cross the finish line. For those who've never heard of it, 'Hood to Coast' is the largest running relay race in the world. "It stretches 197 miles from the top of Oregon's majestic Mt. Hood down to the beautiful Pacific Ocean in Seaside, Oregon. " (A quote from Nike's site; they sponsor the race.) Over 12,000 runners and 4,800 walkers come from around the world to participate!

A prayer (by Mel C)


I turn to you
like a flower leaning toward the sun
I turn to you
you're the only one
who can turn me around
when I'm upside down.

Kaerlighed


...our sweet baby who is into smelling everything



...each other



...and Portland. Especially Sellwood Mooreland, where we rambled in charming neighborhoods and had dinner at a local Farmers market.

Come on in, the water's great!



The story about a frog in a pot of boiling water is an insightful metaphor, isn't it?

For those who don't know this one: you put a frog into a pot of boiling water and he will immediately hop out. If you put him into a pot of tepid water and turn on the heat, he will get cozy and eventually end up frog-soup.

This, my friends, is very deep.

A pastor said something akin in a recent sermon: "Do fish know they are in water?"

Cheeky



They say that you shouldn't give advice unless someone asks for it. But you know what? It's my blog (well technically it's our family blog; but I'm the only one that ever posts) and where am I otherwise going to get rid of all the stuff I've been learning for the past 33 years?

Far, far, far from 'knowing it all', I just love to learn. Always been curious and loved to read...I still have tons of unanswered questions. But before I can receive more new stuff, I just have to unload some of my old wisdom. So be prepared, because here it comes. My captive, opt-in audience is probably only 2 people. But I don't give a rats you know what. My brain's about to explode with all this wisdom--so here it comes, dripping out.

And if you don't want to hear my advice, simply don't read my blog. No one is forcing you. Because in the words of Spacelady, "It's mine, mine, mine."

Do feel free to chime in with your own pearls...

"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding than silver!"
Proverbs 16:16

"Wisdom is supreme. Therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding."
Proverbs 4:7

Chuck Appeal

Now that we've raved about how great the party was (see below), it's time for some learning and reflection.

Yes, the party was fun. It was great. Audrey had fun...and that's really all that matters, right? But in the end, we gotta confess: we see now why people grab a sucky cake, invite a few people to Chuck E. Cheese, and call it a day.

No 6 trips to the grocery store, 2 trips to Costco, 4 trips to Party City, numerous online purchases, table, chair & helium rentals, baking, cooking, cleaning, weeding, paving or sending neighbors twice to the store for more ice. (Seriously: 16 LARGE bags.) And all this was for a 'simple' backyard bbq. A simple menu: hamburgers, mac and cheese, fruit kebabs (outsourced to Kir). Dessert: cupcakes and pre-portioned ice cream. PAPER plates, cups, etc. No bouncy house or celebrity appearances. Just a sno cone machine and a few balloons. And we were absolutely beat to heck for days afterwards. And like my neighbor, Fabi says, even ordering the food out doesn't really help: there's still a mega-mess to be cleaned up afterwards.

Anyways, back to the point. The point is that it was fun and we have no regrets. Nothing has changed and blessed our lives more than Audrey's birth. Audrey had a great time and was worth every bit of the effort.

That being said, have you ever seen how happy kids look at Charles E. Fromage? It's weird--kids look possessed and seem to be having convulsions. But I'm convinced they're having fun. Really, it's against everything I stand for: commercial concept, very bad processed food, heinously tacky and impersonal celebration. But on the other hand: one phone call, a few bucks worth of game tokens for each kid--- and bada-bing bada-boom! Instant party with no work, no preparation, no clean up.

Based on these reflections, here are our thoughts on future birthdays :
1.) Audrey will not be having an actual birthday party again until she is at least 10.
2.) That next party venue MIGHT very well be 'Chuck E. Cheese.'

When you're sleep deprived and have little spare time, things look very different. Like the Elmo pjs & pinata. Suddenly, we understand 'Chuck appeal.'

Post-Party Report


For those who are waiting for a posting on Audrey's first birthday party: sorry, I took no pictures at all myself, relying instead on Kelly and a neighbor who were shooting like paparazzi. (The pics shown here are courtesy of Kel-Bells.)

As always, my sisters were awesome coming through in every way. Thank you girls for all your help!






The party was great--very fun indeed!

(To read other blog postings about Audrey or her party, click here or here.





Games (pin the tail on Elmo, Audrey trivia, ultimate diaper challenge). Mini-burgers, macaroni-n-cheese, cupcakes, sno-cones, margaritas and last but certainly not least: great friends and family! (although many of you were also missed...) Audrey received an abundance of generous, cute and fun gifts which she will enjoy for ages to come.


Here's Walker and Jeanie playing the Ultimate Diaper Challenge...


Audrey's Uncle Jeff a.k.a. 'The Sno-Cone Master.' A shout-out to the dj of cherry, lime, grape and blue-raspberry icy creations.



Audrey absolutely LOVED having people sing 'Happy Birthday To You' in her honor. In this picture, she is receiving encore performances of the song from Nanay, Diane & Denise! Clearly, she likes it.



These are friends, Yesenia and her daughter Bethany, who were kind enough to jump in and help frosting cupcakes at the last minute!


Here's Audrey with one of her absolute favorite people in the entire world: cousin Bailey. Audrey just adores Bailey, at all times. And we couldn't have done it without Bailey (and our neighbor Rebecca!), watching Audrey during party-prep and inflating balloons, etc.!


These girls didn't think I noticed them stealing cupcakes before dessert time. And I didn't. But they also didn't know that those were the cupcakes that touched raw meat and that I was gonna through away.
Just kidding. Tee-hee.



A picture of Audrey only seconds old.

We would like to take this opportunity to THANK PROFUSELY, the kind and compassionate cleanup crew. A special shout-out to Mom, Dad, Kir & Jeff, Denise & Matt. THANK YOU!! OH MY GOSH. We would probably still be hosing off the patio and ridding our kitchen of ants one week later....


Post-party kid funk.

Birth Day

What, exactly, does a 1 year old do on her first birthday?



After some cozy time with her parents in bed, she eats her usual breakfast of magic tummy porridge, plays for a while, and then heads back to bed for her morning nap. Upon waking, she runs some errands with mommy and then has lunch at Vallarta's together with friends, Maxwell, Marilyn and Deanna...then back to bed for an afternoon nap (hopefully!) and well-rested ready to party! Grandma happened to popped by bringing gifts and birthday cheer-- just in time to join the festivities: present-opening, play and cake!



Audrey was very taken with all of her gifts, but was also very happy with the Elmo gift bag. Among other thing she got her first horse--a talking rocking horse we have named, 'Tonto'. Also, she got a Nintendog --a Golden Retriever puppy named Obi. Other really cool gifts included U2 & Cold Play lullabies (too cool to pass up.)



Audrey's first cake was quite a hit, although it took her a while to catch on to the idea. She enjoyed eating some, hitting it really hard with a fork and then burned out, as one often does with bakery cake.



It all starts out very dignified...



a taste...a lick of the fingers...



then comes the fork; all the better to shovel with!



Heck--who needs a fork?!



...and the grand finale is when she discovers how fun it is to use a cake as a drum! (as pictured below)



Audrey post-cake...perfectly happy with her daddy and new puppy, 'Obi.'



P.S. Once she seemed to be burned out on cake, we offered her a bowl of yogurt, which she happily scarfed, and chased with tomatoes and hummus on rye bread. A very proud moment for her parents.

Happy 1st Birthday Audrey!



Can it really be true? Is our sweet little, tiny baby already a whole year old? In some ways, it feels as if the last 365 days have flown by like a snap of the fingers. On the other hand--how much life has changed in one single year...how many milestones, joys, sleepless nights, tears, hugs, kisses, and countless hours of staring at this amazing person.

In just one year, Audrey is already becoming herself. Engaging, joyful, intelligent, reasonable, curious and determined are words that already describe this little person. How blessed we are to have the sacred trust of loving and nurturing this little treasure, on her journey to becoming herself.

A funny story: Lately, Audrey is fascinated with animals and recently learned the sign for 'dog', which she uses for any non-human creature. In particular, she is taken with giraffes.

Well, this morning, as we were laying in bed looking at a picture of the Eiffel Tour and could not understand why she was pointing to it and doing her 'animal' sign. We peered into the picture looking for any sign of a bird or other creature...until we realized that to her, the Tour looks like a giraffe!!!

P.S. The suspicious-looking black object to Audrey's right is my censorship efforts. For some reason, Mike didn't want his manly chest pasted all over our blog.

Happy Birthday Maxwell!



Audrey's good friend Maxwell turned 1 yesterday--on August 8th. Good going, buddy! He was born the day before Audrey--which is how their mommies became friends, after sharing a postpartum room at St. Mary's hospital.

Maxwell is quite the dude--already almost walking, he can walk a bike, climb into ovens, say 'hot', and drive his own Jeep. Intelligent and very athletic, Maxwell is easy-going and always smiling. We are so blessed to know him (and his family!) and pray that this second year will be even better than his first!

We love you Maxwell!

Seinfeld, Caesars & Brut in plastic flute



A few months back, I surprised M by planning an overnight trip to see Seinfeld in Vegas August 4th. He is a MAJOR fan--knows just about every episode from every season, by heart. The show was great. As ever, Jerry was hilarious. But the guy who opened for him had us crying-laughing (Tommy Papa?)!!! We were a little shocked by the fact that Caesars, an otherwise decent venue, sold popcorn-like paper buckets of Bud Light (of all the beers in the world!) and served champagne in plastic flutes. Come on guys--even Sloppy Joe sitting at the slots with his belly hanging out gets a real glass! Toto, I don't think we're in Seattle anymore.

An unexpectedly delightful surprise: while wandering the Venetian after the show, we discovered that Thomas Keller has opened a Bouchon in the hotel! The next morning we wiggled our toes in glee while savoring brunch and the Sunday paper on the Bouchon patio, overlooking Venetian fountains and pools. An unforgettable experience! (P.S. Thomas: if you happen to be reading this--I'd stop by the Vegas shop a bit more often, if I were you. The food it still 5-star, but you might consider importing your wait-staff from somewhere outside of sin-city. It seems that a few of your peeps have recently been released from working the Excalibur buffet--very nice individuals, to be sure... just not equally yoked with your concept. Need I say more?)





24 hours in Vegas is PLENTY for us; the glitter of the place quickly wears off.

Audrey stayed with her grandma and grandpa while daddy and mommy enjoyed their getaway together. As always, it's fun and relaxing to be a couple again and, as always, we miss our little daughter SOO much that we recklessly abandon the speed limit on the way to pick her up. She is so precious to us...words cannot express.

Other than that, the birthday countdown has begun. We are in mega party-preparation mode. The pinata has been purchased and filled.

Saint Hans



I am envious. What you see above are our dear friends, Anne Marie and Marian at their local beach, Bellevue on the evening of Saint Hans. Also known as Midsummer or Summer Solstice, it is absolutely one of my all-time favorite days in Denmark--if not the favorite. The longest day of the year, the sun barely goes down at this time, which is probably why it is so widely celebrated in Northern Europe. On this evening, the coast is packed and lined with people who light bonfires, sing folk-songs, grill hotdogs and snobroed (bread dough wrapped around a stick and baked in a campfire), and generally watch the sun not go down. It is so EXTREMELY hyggeligt that I am envious that we were unable to partake in this year's festivities.

(Scandinavians just have completely different ideas about fire safety. One year I had the pleasure of celebrating St. Hans while Norway for a good friends wedding. Her family has a farm on a little island called 'Haus' just outside Bergen. Holy cow, I have never seen a bonfire that huge. I'm not kidding--it was gunormous. Like a small feel for the heat of hell--only set in the verdant hills of Norway, with rosy-cheeked Scandinavians, hotdogs, dancing and other merriment. Anyway, as many of you know, they also decorate their Christmas trees with real live candles. You gotta give it to them--they don't let fear dictate over tradition!)

LOOVE these.



Not much for knick-knacks...ok-that's a major understatement. We HATE tchotckes.

No offense to those who love the aforementioned, but the site of 'Collectors Item' this and 'Special Edition' that are just not our thing. We are constantly trying to eliminate clutter and therefore normally limit our acquisition of decorative items to a meaningful memento from our travels, etc. (we already have too many! where will we put those from future trips?) But these were too neat to pass up. Even more stunning in person, their natural color and texture are mesmerizingly tranquil.