One more move in Portland

We're moving again! For the record, I've been living in Portland almost 20 months and this is will be my 4th residence:
Beaverton
West Hills/Portland
Lake Oswego
and the latest place is at the Southwest Waterfront/Portland

This will be Nate's 4th residence here also!
Beaverton
Downtown/Cultural District
Lake Oswego

It is time to stay put for awhile, that's for sure. I told Nate I would not be moving anywhere else unless a)We left Portland or b)We had a baby. So hopefully, we'll be hanging out at this place for awhile.

It's a cute little townhouse with a garage on the Southwest waterfront, on the very outskirts of downtown, so we will have a free street car right outside, and we'll never have to actually drive on the busy downtown streets to get to our place. Downtown starts across the street :) And Nate can walk along the river to his office - a 10 minute walk. I'll have an opposite direction commute so traffic won't be bad.

There are tons of shops, restaurants, and salons along the waterfront right outside our door. It's right next to the marina, so we can join the Dragon Boating, rowing teams, go fishing, launch kayaks, take a dinner cruise, or play in the grass by the river from our backyard!

We are so excited!!! I circled the townhomes in red & I'll add more pics of the inside after everything is all moved in.

Snowed In

Portland is hilarious! It started snowing on Sunday, so I had Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday off work! The traffic crews weren't prepared and couldn't clear the roads. I live at the top of a massive hilltop neighborhood called "Mountain Park," so the only way to go anywhere was to go downhill. My tires are bald and the store was out of chains, so when I tried to go somewhere, I slid through two stop signs. In Nate's car we slid down a hill and had to pull the emergency break but still came within INCHES of hitting two cars. So I was literally snowed in for three days. The first day was fun to be home, the second day I was a little restless, and by the third day, I was anxious to get some fresh air! Nate only had Monday and Wednesday off because he takes the bus to work anyways. Today it is sunny, the roads are slushy, but there are still only about 4 people in my office. Portland has been making me laugh all week. Here are some pics from our snow days (I'm wearing about 3 pairs of pants to make up for my lack of ski pants)!

I love this guy :)

November 7, 2008

Someone showed this to me . . . you're supposed to BOLD the things you've done & leave the rest regular. I wonder how it'll change over the years!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does the recorder in middle school count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (and Disneyworld)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (no intention to either)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (multiple time actually . . . no worries, I wouldn't anymore)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (gotta live a litttttle)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (coffee?)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing (I definitely will before we leave Oregon)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (what about having a job in a start-up business?)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (twice!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (and sea urchin. and tentacles. and a whole crab (legs & claws & all). and blow fish. and so many other things I have no idea what they were. I love my job)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (what about at the unknown soldier's tomb?)
77. Broken a bone (fingers & toes are bones too :) )
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (I did the design/layout!)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Received a speeding ticket
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (what if you hit the brakes before you hit them . . . )
90. Sat on a jury (no but I'm marrying a lawyer, so technically I get to sit in every day)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Lived in three or more states

I guess you can't win them all. I have much more livin' to do!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM

What have we been up to lately? Plenty! Mostly procrastinating on wedding plans. After working all day & getting home late at night, the last thing either of us want to do is pick & choose centerpieces or try to wade through a load of cheezy DJs. And the weather has been SO GOOD I can't stand sitting inside instead of playing outside. I added that Wedding Tracker below to help us get motivated. We're under 6 months now! Time to get crackin! We both work best under pressure, so here we go!

Besides that, we've been keeping ourselves busy with FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM and all the stuff we've been wanting to do in Portland since moving here. Nate had law school classes & then 12+ hours per summer day of studying for the bar exam, so this has really been the first full month he (we've) been stress-free from school & studying, which has made such a difference! We entertained a few weekend visitors and got to see a traveling Broadway show - "Phantom of the Opera" which was incredible! It was like watching a David Copperfield show mixed with the best concert EVER. We got all dressed up & enjoyed ourselves as a mini-celebration for having an open, study-free Saturday night! We've also explored Portland a little more, set up our apartment, finally hiked up Multnomah Falls with some friends, and hit up a pumpkin patch (complete with caramel apples & hay rides). We went to a silent auction/award dinner last weekend where I successfully & unknowingly bid against Nate's boss on a weekend at Surftides Inn in Lincoln City - the hotel we stayed at when we got engaged. Opps. But we get to go back & re-live our fun weekend there!!! Can't wait to go back :)

Handsome guy opening my door on our way to Phantom of the Opera

A fun night out with friends on the "east side."

Pumpkin patch corn!

Our Big Day

Wedding Ticker from WhenIsMyWedding.com

Big news . . .

NATE PASSED THE OREGON STATE BAR EXAM!

That's his name on the computer screen saying he passed (2nd name down)!
And this is him with some of his office - (he works with all women)YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The firm's partners got yummy icecream cake & everyone sat with us & celebrated for a few hours in the conference room. It was GREAT news!!