Birthday doings

This last weekend my friends Janet and Erin and I took off for Bend to celebrate our friend Karissa's birthday. This is a picture of Erin: I'm not sure why I don't have one single picture of Karissa!!

Really???

This is a picture from when we stopped for breakfast on our way to Bend.

I had biscuits and gravy. Oh my, it was good.

We stopped at a rest stop and this sign got our attention.

No dogs baby! Not even one better get out of that car!

I saw this idea at a gift shop in Sisters (we stopped there on our way home).

I love it for Relay, perhaps a treasure chest to fit our theme?

A treasure chest filled with rocks with sayings on them.

Need to look into this....

Amazing drive home. We took the scenic route. 

For the lack of photos, it really was an amazing weekend.

Lovely dinner. Game night filled with laughter.

I believe Karissa had a wonderful birthday, and we were lucky to share it with her.

Out and about in sunny Hillsboro!

Since it was so nice out I decided that Mark and I should enjoy the sunshine.

So while waiting for Mark to get off work I checked out some stuff at Freddies.

I got a kick out of this sign.

This is the view from the parking lot where Mark works.

Isn't it beautiful?

We went to a tulip farm nearby.

It wasn't quite what we expected.

We expected more tulips. There were a few down the road, but not very many.....

And hardly any by the farm house.  At least they had a windmill!

ARRGGGG!!  Pirates do be liking them some windmills!!

There you go.

Tulips.

So, after the shock of hardly any tulips, we took ourselves out for a beer.

I had a Rubinator. So yummy. And it was SO NICE sitting outside in a country setting.

I love the artwork at Rock Creek Tavern.

How could you not love this??

Look at the flying car!

 

The outside light was pretty cool.

Nearby is an old school.

I had to stop and take a picture.

What a wonderful day. So glad I had it off to enjoy.

Sunshiney day in Portland

Lire didn't need to go outside to enjoy the sunshine.

I did.

I had a meeting with Becky at Hands On Greater Portland, so I left early so I could hang out in Portland.  I got off MAX and walked through Portland before our meeting.

This is part of a bench outside the Library.

See me in the reflection in the door, LOL?

In one of the malls there were folks building structures with cans, as a fundraiser for the foodbank.

Not sure what this is.....

I know what this is!!

It was fun watching everyone work away, and I think it's a great idea.

Maybe Relay should 'steal' it.......hmmmm........

I love the new artwork outside of the United Way Building.

They've also redone the inside and it looks great.

So many folks dining outside. Yeah for sunshine!

 

Bensen Bubblers.

Love this Portland tradition.

What's important

When we built our home Mary Jo gave me a kitchen angel, to protect our new home.

 

She has proven to be a good friend, helping us appreciate what we have.

Our house isn't really big.

It isn't very fancy.

But we love it and everyday we both marvel that it's our home.

Having the opportunity to organize, clean, and relook at the vision we have for our home has been wonderful.

I've had the time to go through most of the house and work towards ensuring that the items we don't need are either thrown away, or donated so that someone who does need it can find it.

 

Life is good.

 

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Learning

With this time off, I've had time to work on creating cards.

Our theme for Relay this year is 'Make Cancer Walk the Plank'

and so I'm having fun creating pirate themed cards.

But I've learned a lot as well.

 

I'm stronger than I know.

My parents really did give me a good sense of myself and I know that I will find my way.

I read FB daily, and so many of my friends are unhappy, mainly with their jobs. I know whatever comes my way will not be perfect, but I will celebrate it and know it's where I need to be.

Being kind brings wonderful people into your life and during this latest journey I'm on I have personally experienced how kind my friends and family are. They're there for me.

 

My husband is truly a good man.

He believes in me and encourages me to go for what I want, and not to settle.

It would be easy for him to be freaking out. He's not. We're in this together.

 

I am one of the luckiest women you will ever meet.

And sometimes it takes a crazy time in your life to show you that.

 

“There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it.”
― Judith McNaught, Remember When    

 

Take a bow Charlie!

A couple of weeks ago Mark and I drove into Portland to see Charlie in a play.

The kids did a GREAT job!

Mark had a problem with one of the songs...it was a bit 'cutesy' for him.

But it was worth to me to see him 'suffering'........especially with the entire cast

sang it as the closing number! I thought it was cute.

We had to park several blocks over due to the fact there were several churches in the area having Sunday morning service, and a 10k going on as well. But we enjoyed it as we got to see a bit of Portland.

We had a wonderful time and we are so proud of Charlie and the talented young lady she's become.