The History of Love

I finished The History of Love by Nicole Krauss at the pool today (can you believe it's the last day the pools are open in DM for the summer? I'm glad I decided to go this afternoon). I was on a deadline to finish this book, it's due back to the library tomorrow. I think I must have read about it in a magazine, I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise. It wasn't as fabulous as the reviews led me to believe, but it was a good story. My favorite quote is this:

"One by one, families broke off with a goodnight and a squeeze of the hands, suddenly grateful for the company of neighbors. Doors closed to warm houses. Candles were lit in windows. Far off, in his perch in the trees, Kafka listened to it all: the rustle of clothes being dropped to the floor, of lips fluttering along naked shoulders, beds creaking under the weight of tenderness. It all caught in the delicate pointed shells of his ears and rolled like pinballs through the great hall of his mind."

It's been a quiet weekend in DM, which was needed after a busy week with friends visiting from out of town and too many late nights watching the Olympics. I can't help it, but I get kind of addicted to all the swimming and gymnastics and can't stand to miss anything! (even now I have it on in the background. I can't miss Shawn Johnson's floor routine! It doesn't matter that I've already seen her do it countless times, when the first notes of August Rush start playing I'm hooked.)

Back to friends visiting from out of town. I was telling Adam how lucky we are to be somewhere that may not seem that exciting, but that is a central location for our friends who have moved away to come back and visit. In the last month alone we have seen Becca and Dan from LA, John and Lynette from Portland, and Dave and Taylor from Cedar Rapids. We are blessed with great friends in DM, but it's always special to see people you've known for years and catch up on what's going on in their lives and share a meal. Anytime anyone wants to visit know we have an extra bed and would love to cook a meal for you.

favorite lines

I finished reading eat, pray, love last night and decided that I want to start documenting my favorite lines in books before i take them back to the library or put them back on the shelf. I'm always finding turns of phrase or compelling descriptions when I read and logging them in my memory, but how often do i ever return to them? So I'm going to try logging them here.

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert is the first non-fiction book I've read in a long time. I enjoyed learning about the cultures and people of Italy, India, and Indonesia and also discovering things about myself that the author was learning during her year of travels.

Here are some favorite lines, in no particular order:

"Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit."

"At some point you gotta let go and sit still and allow contentment to come to you."

"We sit on the beach and watch the dangerous waves, watch the lean brown and white Indonesian and Western surf-cats slice across the water like zippers ripping open the backs of the ocean's blue party dress." (can't you just picture that? I love it!)

Maybe this will inspire me tomorrow as I'm writing about furniture...

Creative Writing

Some of you know that I have led several creative writing workshops at a nearby women's prison. It's actually something I did for the first time as a community writing class at Drake and then ended up writing a major paper on my senior year. Even after devoting 2 semesters to the concept and act of writing I was still intrigued and was able to continue the workshop with a fellow graduate and friend.

It's one of those things I appreciate when it's over, but there are those weeks in the middle of it where it seems like too much time and effort and I wish it were over. Last Tues was our last week. We present a book of the women's writing from the class to the women and celebrate our writing. So tonight, since I don't have to go to workshop, I'm going to share a few of my favorite pieces with you. The only thing I ask is that you keep in mind the few parameters we have on the writing that is done in this class. It is always treated as fiction, and any comments are positive, because writing is fragile like a newborn and this writing has not been revised.

HAIR

Water pools in the hollows of my clavicle, trickles between my breasts, and slides down my spine. Slowly I run a brush through my clean hair, carefully working through the snarls, forcing it straight. I grab a towel and squeeze the ends letting the final drops of water land in the sink. Then I swing it loose, admiring the gentle curls that fall down my back, each spiraling brown tendril with a mind of its own. I dig in the basket for the bottle of mousse and shake the shiny purple tube before tipping it upside down and releasing the fragrant, white fluff into my cupped hand. Dividing it in half, careful not to spill the contents on the floor, I start sliding it through my hair like frosting.

THAT NIGHT

That night nothing mattered but his hand holding mine, filling my heart with unquenchable joy.

That night I didn’t care that my hair was windblown and my cheeks flushed with excitement making me look like a little girl.

That night we were together for the first time, discovering each other and enjoying every moment.

That night I kissed him with a passion I didn’t know or understand, my lips holding his, never wanting to let go.

That night the stars showered down pinpricks of light that danced in our eyes and covered any fears.

That night I fell in love, head over heels, crazy for you, forever. That night.

Making Pesto

There aren't many things in my life that I do and then immediately feel the need to share with others, but I figure that's a great reason for a blog, so my big accomplishment of the night (the week, the summer!) is making pesto with home-grown basil!

Now, I've been growing basil on our balcony for the last few summers, but I never thought I had enough to actually make pesto (which is the reason to grow fresh basil, right? This has been a secret desire of mine for awhile now—it also helps that I'm reading the Italy section of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love and I'm rather obsessed with the idea of spending an extended amount of time learning Italian and eating in Italy (anyone want to join me?).

In the last year, two things changed in my basil/pesto world that made this accomplishment possible. First, I received a mini food processor for Christmas (thanks Cooleys :) and second, I splurged on a bigger pot for the baby pesto plant I bought at the farmer's market. For the last 2 month I've been nurturing my basil plants, watching them get bigger and bigger and snipping small amounts here and there for pizza and pasta, but tonight after work the wait was over. I had enough leaves to make a small batch of pesto and let me tell you, it was delicious!

And to be honest it was really simple. Here's my recipe for success:
1 packed cup of pesto leaves
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
dash of kosher salt

I "processed" the ingredients 'til it was all green and wet and served over pasta with chicken, fresh roma tomatoes, and parmessan. It was divine. There are even left overs if you want to try it :)

for the love of books

If you know me even remotely well, you know that I love to read. magazines, books, newspapers, billboards. If there are words on it, I'll read it. So of course when my mom sent me this quote I had to share it:

"For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men lived and worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives."--Gene Fowler (1890-1960), American journalist, author and dramatist

I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which is now known as the city that flooded in 2008. I haven't been back to see the damage yet (next weekend) but I'm sure it will be unreal. Personally one of the saddest losses is the downtown library. My mom tells me that they weren't able to save any of the books on the first floor, which included all adult fiction and non-fiction. It's possible that they won't even rebuild the library there. I can't imagine Cedar Rapids without that building. How many hours did I spend there as a child. I was such a bookworm that I can remember summer afternoons when a friend and I would beg my mom to take us to the library for the afternoon. We would come home with stacks of books (from Babysitter's Club, to horse books, Nancy Drew mysteries to gymnastics series) these books painted the days of my summers. As soon as school was out for the summer I couldn't wait to get signed up for the summer reading program and begin carefully filling out each book that I read. I seriously think I read 100 books this summer. Granted they were short, but this summer I'll be doing good if I read 5! Those were the days.

I can remember graduating to the adult fiction section and delving into the fatter (300+) page sagas. Sometimes my friend and I would ask for headphones and squeeze into one of the movie viewing booths because watching a movie at the library was so much cooler than watching it at home. I remember the huge curving staircase that led to the kids' section upstairs. I can still picture the reading corners with their colorful beanbags and pillows for lounging on.

They have to rebuild it. Even if it's not in the same place, you can't have a city or a town without a library. Where else can kids start to dream about other worlds and discover adventure and triumph love and despair?

OK, so I'm getting a little sappy and sentimental now, but that library really was a significant part of my childhood.

sharing a car

Adam and I have shared a car for 9 months now. We didn't set out to have only one car, but when Adam was in an accident that totaled his car, we decided to trade in my old car for something more reliable and make do with one at least until it was paid off. I'll be honest, the first couple months were rough. We both worked downtown so it was easy for him to drop me off, and if I needed the car during the day I could drop him off. But it was hard adjusting to not being able to hop in the car at the end of the day and come home. It forced us to communicate with each other more and be aware of our schedules. Now that it is nice out I can easily walk to and from work, but some days that isn't the most convenient either. But we've adjusted and while there are still times when it's not convenient we're making it work.

Then Adam got a new job 5 weeks ago, that wasn't downtown and it involves more driving during the day and our one-car household doesn't work so well anymore. That means we've (really Adam) has been car shopping. I appreciate having a car to take me where I need to go, but shopping for a car is about the last thing on my list of things I want to do. The good thing is that while we need another car sooner rather than later, we can make do with one for now and wait to find something in our price range.

self editing

Does anyone else who blogs self-edit? (as i was re-reading this i added the hyphen between self and edit) Maybe it's because of my job, where I am constantly editing myself and others, but when I start to type in this empty white box, there are times when I can't make my fingers communicate with the keys for fear of what they will say. I know that contradicts the point of having a blog. This is supposed to be a place for me to share with family and friends and just put things out there for someone to read, but there is an insecurity of what people will think that I struggle to overcome. This worrying about what other people think has plagued for a long time. Maybe it's part of being a perfectionist. Or maybe I'm more of a private person than I realized. I love to read other people's blogs, and get a peek into their lives, but I haven't seemed to want to reveal much about my own. Part of it is that I need to get over myself and open up to people. I'm always asking other people questions, focusing attention on them rather than myself, but how often to I let them get to know me?

my job

In January I started a new job (at the same publishing company). I am now product editor for Country Home magazine. I loved the people I worked with at Remodel, but I was never passionate about the content. My new job is a much better fit. Not many people can say they shop for products and look for trends and get paid for it. I still have a lot to learn, but so far I'm loving it. Last week I spent 3 days in Dallas with a group of editors touring a gift show, going to design centers, and shopping. We were wined and dined and treated like royalty. I know I have a pile of story folders waiting for me when I get to my cube on Monday, but that doesn't even sound so bad.

why blog?

I've had this blog for over 2 years now, but my posting goes in starts and stops. For a few months I'll be good about posting most weeks, keeping readers updated on what's going on in my and Adam's life and then I'll go through a dry phase where I forget to blog or just don't make time for it. One reason for this is that I haven't decided what I want this blog to be. Should it just be a place I record what's going on in our lives and post pictures? Or am I willing to commit to it and start writing creatively and personally about my thoughts and feelings? The latter is what I've wanted to do, but haven't had the nerve to do.

I recently read this article in the New York Times magazine about a young woman whose life was a blog (it was her job, literally) and it made me think more about this medium of blogging and what it means to me and this generation. Some people are so willing to pour their hearts out in cyberspace revealing personal details and feelings that they don't even share with their closest friends. Why is that? I think part of the reason is that we long to be known, even our deepest darkest secrets. It's liberating to release all those thoughts and emotions to the great unknown regardless of whether any one is reading it. But when do we go too far? When do we get to the point where we have compromised ourselves, our reputation, our relationships by revealing every gritty detail online? There are times when I think it is better to keep things to yourself or better yet actually talk to someone about it rather than hide behind a blog. That said I'm the queen of hiding behind words whether it's a letter, an e-mail, or an IM conversation. I am full of words and thoughts and emotions, but I am much more comfortable hiding behind the letters than see your reaction to the words. Sometimes this is a blessing, but more often than not I think it's a curse. It's a blessing when I'm able to encourage friends with a card or note when I can't see them, but it's a curse when it means that I avoid confrontation and the hard conversations that nobody likes, but really shouldn't be avoided. I have always been this way. It was the way I was raised, the way I learned to deal with conflict (by avoiding it). In many ways our technologically savvy society has only allowed me and others like me to be this way. We hide behind text messages, facebook comments, and e-mail instead of learning to interact with people face to face. Sometimes I wonder if given the choice if people would rather give up one on one time with a person than their cell phone or computer.

Aside from not wanting confrontation (because then someone might be mad at me) I am a writer by nature and that means I can form my thoughts so much better and say what I mean without being flustered much better in an e-mail or letter than in a conversation. I know that really isn't an excuse for not talking to someone, but it sure is easier.

Those who know me well know that while I do send lovely letters and e-mails, when I'm really comfortable with you and ready to open up I'm all about quality time (it's my primary love language). To me quality time is sitting over a cup of coffee and talking for hours, one on one, going for a long walk (my mom taught me this), or just sitting and chatting. So I guess, all this is to say maybe I will start revealing more personal details on my blog, but if you really want to see the true Andrea, meet me for coffee or join me on a long walk. And I'm curious what other people think about our society's dependence on electronic communication.

spring storms

I got in a run after work and it was sunny and nice, but now I've closed the windows in preparation for a scattered storm. Even though the house is all closed up, I still find myself sitting in the shelter of our balcony, watching the dark storm clouds roll in, the white underbellies of the leaves expose themselves to the sky, and hearing the thunder rumble. I don't think we've had a good spring storm yet, and I'm ready. I can almost smell the change in temperature in the air, feel the cool breeze and even a few rain drops. I got my appreciation of weather from my mom who watches the forecast and dopler radar almost to the point of obsession, but it's something i love about her. She always appreciated little acts of nature, like thunderstorms, new leaves in the spring, snow storms in the winter, and fall. She lives in the right place (Eastern Iowa) to appreciate all the seasons. That's where I get my excitement about little things from.

feels like home

Feels like home is an appropriate title to this post as Adam and I were back in Cedar Rapids on Saturday to see our mom's (and I was listening to the Norah Jone's album with the same name).

Cedar Rapids is only 2 hours away, so it made for a long day, but we're so fortunate that we're able to get back to see family so easily. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be closer, to celebrate birthdays and have dinner, but I won't complain.

It was a busy day seeing both of our families, but we divided our time and I think were able to spend some quality time with everyone. Our first stop was the Schmidt residence, where Adam always knows he can find a "Schmidt" sandwich (which has my mom's perfect combination of mustard, mayonnaise and love that I can only try to replicate). I will always love walking into my parent's house (I really don't have any claims to it since they moved into it after I graduated from college). I love our home in Des Moines, but when I walk through the front door of 185 Dows Lane I can let my guard down completely and be a kid again in some ways. I always know my mom will have something ready for lunch or dinner or dessert, but it's not just the food. It's the eternal welcome that is there. I know that my parents would drop everything to spend time with us. They appreciate our visits, but there is never any pressure to be there. And even though I've never "lived" in this house, it still has all the familiar comforts of growing up: the couch I can always sprawl out on and take a nap on, the quirky tv remote control that never seems to work, the cupboard in the kitchen where I know I can find a stash of chocolate, the piles of books and magazines on the coffee table (much like my own) where I can snoop into what everyone's reading, and the walking shoes by the door, just waiting for a chance to get out for a walk. These are only minor glimpses of my vision of home, but they are so tangible I can't help but look around our condo (and the ever present pile of shoes by the door, chocolate stashed on top of the fridge, and the couch strewn with pillows and blankets) and see that we are making it feel like our own version of home.

While we were home we also drove by Xavier, my high school. I started there my sophomore year (1998) which was the year it opened (2 Catholic schools in the city merged) and I don't remember the last time I drove out there. It's amazing the rush of memories that hit when we pulled into the parking lot. Some things have changed: there's a new sign at the entrance, the trees are bigger, and there is a new parking lot, and overall it seems a little smaller than I remember. I showed Adam the area I would always park the old blue buick and we looked at the tennis courts and football field. So many good memories. I am so fortunate to have had such a great high school experience. I've always loved school (I'm that girl) but I took it all in while I was there: playing tennis all 4 years, singing in the choir, being in musicals, working on the newspaper, going to football and basketball games, even cheerleading. And who could forget the senior prom, my and Adam's first date. It was a good place, where I made a lot of friends, learned a lot, and probably thought I had things pretty well figured out when I left.

The one thing we didn't do while we were back was drive by the old house on B Ave. While it's still my instinct to turn there when going home, I'm learning the new streets and they are starting to feel like home.

for the love of spring

Hopefully I don't jinx us, but I think spring is finally here to stay in Iowa. And even though it was a long, long, cold and sometimes horrible winter, the joy of spring is upon us and it's almost enough to make me forget all those cold days. I was talking to a friend who lives in California today, gushing about being able to sit out on our balcony and watch the leaves starting to poke out on the trees and she said she pretty much takes the nice weather for granted anymore. I guess that's one thing we don't do in Iowa.

Adam and I went for a walk tonight and I couldn't stop talking about all the trees and the vibrant colors everywhere. I think we are just so starved for color and signs of life in the winter that when everything starts blooming in the spring we can't help but smile. One street we walked down smelled amazing. I seriously wish I could bottle up the smell of fresh blooms and cut grass and save it for a rainy day. I think my favorite trees right now are the magnolias, crab apples and cherry blossoms. They look like giant cotton balls or enormous sticks of cotton candy, all fluffy with blooms and sweetness. I wish they would stay all year. I love the green too, so vivid and almost fluorescent, but there's something about the flowering trees that I fall in love with. No wonder people fall in love in the spring. What's not to love?

Tulips!

It was a beautiful day for tulips. We drove over to Pella around lunchtime and basked in the glory of sunshine, more tulips than you could count, delicious pastries (we waited in line for over half an hour for Dutch letters, but it was worth every minute), and the best part: a parade! with floats and everything. It has been awhile since I've been to a parade. I don't know what it is about marching bands and cute little kids waving that turns me into a kid again. I was hopping around and dancing and waving at everyone (some day I'll be in a parade, I don't know if I could contain myself) Seriously, seeing all the cute families marching in their wooden clogs, almost tempts me to live in Pella for a year so we could be in the parade. I really think every member of the town participated in the parade. It was over an hour!

Maybe this will be the year we'll go to the parade of all parades...the ROSE BOWL parade in Pasadena. Oh my

Sunny Sundays

It's almost the end of April, but I think Spring is finally here to stay in Des Moines. Adam and I started the day by walking to church (it's only a few blocks away) but I love not having to rely on a car to get everywhere. Then I met a friend for coffee and we sat outside soaking up some more sunshine.

But the most exciting event of the day was taking our bikes out for the first time. I've lived in Des Moines almost 7 years and heard people talk about the great trails we have but never gotten to enjoy them. Adam and I got bikes the middle of March and have been looking at them longingly waiting for nice weather and time to get out on them. We headed down to a trail that starts about a mile from our house. It was like we discovered a whole new side of Des Moines. It was the Bill Riley trail and it wound down around the Raccoon River, through trees that are just beginning to bud, and through a disc golf course. So many people were out enjoying the day, and of course Adam tried to say hello to everyone we passed (my friendly husband, what can I say). It was a great ride, but Adam tells me that I need to learn some common bicycle courtesy. I seem to tend to zoom around walkers without really paying attention. I think I just get excited and want to go fast, but I probably do need to do a better job of sharing the trail...

To finish the evening we bought a steak and fired up the charcoal grill for the first time. Unfortunately our charcoal was old and it was windy and we never could get the coals warm enough so we ended up cooking the steak on the Forman. It was still tasty, but disappointing that it didn't have the charbroiled taste. Maybe it's time for us to upgrade to a gas grill. I'll keep you posted.

quoteworthy

"I must learn to love the fool in me—the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves, and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. it alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool."

Theodore I. Rubin, MD

I came across this in a recent issue of Oprah (I now subscribe to this instead of Real Simple, can you believe it?) and thought I'd share.

fall

it's a beautiful, cool sunday afternoon with glimpses of fall in the air. adam is spending the day with his dad at car races so i'm left to myself. i have enough things that need to be done that i'm not going crazy, but i don't have so many things to do that i don't have time to just sit and enjoy the day. here's a rundown of the day so far.

i got up and went for a 10 mile run with Jaimi and Janelle. (did i mention I'm training for a half marathon in Oct?) it was a the perfect weather for running, but it was a hard run. i'd never gone that far before, so that in itself is a personal victory, but i walked some of it and never got into a good running pace. i was tight and slow. hopefully next week will be better.

then i took a hot shower and put on sweatpants. i can't remember the last time i wore sweats, but it feels wonderful. i walked to blockbuster and got sunset boulevard, one of those classics i've never seen and that i don't think adam will mind missing.

my big goal for the day is working on an article that i'm writing for Radiant magazine. it's a 2000 word feature on how we can maintain healthy relationships when everything we see in the media is negative. this is exciting and scary to be working on. it has been my dream to work for a christian woman's magazine for years and now i'm taking one step closer to fulfilling it. i'm also realizing that it's a lot of work. sure i write every day at work, but i don't think i've written a story this long since college (thankfully the stories i write about remodeling usually top out around 800 words, i can't imagine writing any more about low-maintenance products or lighting)

2 loads of laundry, a batch of chocolate chip cookies and a short nap here i am typing. how's that for a Sunday?

solo

Adam has been in Minneapolis all weekend for work. I didn't get home from Wisconsin 'til Friday night, so our trips overlapped a little, but it's been different to have a weekend to myself like this. I definitely miss him, I went to a wedding by myself last night which was really weird, but at the same time I also savor these times alone. I think there will always be a part of me that likes to be independent, even if only for a day or two.

I got up early and went for a long run (I'm training for a half marathon!). it was a beautiful morning, cool and quiet, just how I like it. Then I went to church (something I don't like doing alone. It is one place that people know me as part of a couple, so when Adam's not there, people don't ask how I am, but instead, where's Adam?) From there I bummed around the house, doing laundry, taking a nap, reading, making phone calls, all typical Sunday afternoon kinds of things, but Adam wasn't there to fill in the gaps. It's not that I would have done anything differently if he had been here, but it would have been fuller if that makes sense. Then I grabbed some dinner with a friend and enjoyed an Iowa sunset and watched the moon rise. It's almost full. Now I'm back at home hanging out some more before heading back to work tomorrow. It almost feels like I've been on vacation again since I've been out of the office since Tuesday. Kind of nice.

my job

I have been in Central Wisconsin this week on a media tour. That means I have been touring manufacturing plants of windows, doors, tile, cabinetry, shutters, etc and learning how they are made. 2 years ago I never would have imagined this would be part of my job description, let alone something I enjoyed. But the last 3 days have been a lot of fun. I get to ask as many questions as I want, wear a hard hat and safety goggles, and see some really cool housing products. The best thing about this trip (aside from the complimentary cheese curds—wisconsin people are serious about their cheese) has been that most of the other editors are young like me. That never happens, usually I'm trying to make conversation with people twice my age who have been in the industry for longer than I've been alive. So it's been fun to make some contacts and learn about their experiences and share horror stories.

Now I just hope I can get back to Des Moines. My first flight to Chicago was canceled, now I'm routing through Minneapolis and praying the storms have passed.

More Pictures

How beautiful are some of these pictures. The produce shot is from Pike Place Market in Seattle. I would love to shop there. They had gorgeous bouquets of fresh flowers, for $5. If I lived there I would have fresh flowers all the time. Our hotel room was so small and we were only there a few days so I didn't buy any, but maybe I should have.

Now that we're back from that trip Adam and I both have the travel bug and are trying to figure out where our next trip should be, even if it's only for a long weekend. Des Moines may not be the most happening place to be, but it is very central. Right now we're toying with taking a long weekend to Colorado in the fall...

The Cooleys in the Northwest

Adam and I spent a week in Portland and Seattle. We flew into Seattle early on a Sunday morning and rented a car to drive down to Portland. It was only a 3 hour drive and Adam loves seeing a new part of the country (aside from Hawaii he hadn't been west of Omaha) I highly recommend seeing both cities at once if you have time. I wish we would have had a few more days to go even farther north to British Columbia, maybe next time.

We got to have dinner with Lynette and Jon in Portland which was great. And Lynette picked cherries (now I know why she loves it out there) and made a delicious chocolate cherry cobbler. Sometimes I wonder why I'm still in Des Moines when it seems like everyone else has moved, but it's great to have people to visit around the country. It would be nice to have Lynette and Jon closer. I think we would have tons of fun hanging out with them (and Adam would love playing with their Wii). It's hard to find couple friends sometimes. I loved seeing their apt too since I had lived with Lynette for a few years. it was fun to see familiar things and be able to picture her at home.

Adam joked about moving to the Portland area and I honestly don't think we ever would, but it is something to consider. The city is beautiful and there is so much to do in the area. We drove over to the coast, went to wineries and orchards, did some hiking, saw waterfalls and mountains, pretty much everything you could ever want and no sales tax! And of course the Powells bookstore in downtown Portland. I could have spent an entire day or at least an afternoon there. Adam dragged me out after about 45 minutes, but it's a booklover's paradise.

It was our 2 year anniversary while we were there (the traditional gift is cotton if you were wondering) so we got reservations at Portland City Grill, a nice restaurant on the 30th floor of a building downtown. We had a corner windowseat, so we overlooked the city and ate amazing food. It was fun to get dressed up for a fancy dinner.

Other highlights of the trip included:
buying an 18 pound tuna in Seattle (we had it packed on ice and just checked it with our luggage)
eating the best crabcakes of my life in Seattle
riding a ferry to Bainbridge Island
buying coffee at the first Starbucks
hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls
wandering through flower gardens in Oregon
free wine tastings





Cannon Beach, Oregon
Too bad it wasn't a sunny day, but it was still beautiful.







Multnomah Falls