Stockings are hung...

Well, it's our first Christmas in Portland and I've spent the evening preparing the stockings, some presents, and getting ready for the tree decoration. We went and got a little tree that's going up in the office and I'm really excited for it to be decorated. I have a feeling I'll be using it as my primary source of light during those early morning work hours. ;-)

Here are the stockings. We don't have a mantle, so I hung them from the book shelf in the living room. All of the animals have a stocking (which will have some treats by Christmas), and ours already have a stocking stuffer apiece in them. It makes me really happy to have them up and have them with little presents in them. I plan on filling his up with a few more goodies (probably to eat) before it's all said and done. 

It's definitely going to be a quiet holiday for us. We don't currently have any plans, other to go look for Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. We may even just take a stroll through the neighborhood with the bear before snuggling in for the night. I'm not sure yet if we're going to cook anything, but I'm kind of hoping that we will so we have some leftovers to capitalize on. That was the one thing I missed about Thanksgiving; since we didn't cook, we didn't have any leftovers. We did volunteer, though, which was a really awesome experience. I don't know if they have any volunteer opportunities for Christmas, but depending on what we do, I may look into something for us to do. It's nice to be around people since we don't have family here, and there is something really special about donating time and helping others out. 

All that aside, I'm ready for the holiday season! I'm ready to have warm fuzzies, warm drinks, the surprise of gifts (I have a few tricks up my sleeve!) and the joy of just acknowledging and being thankful for all that this year has brought. It's been a doozie of a year, that's for sure! So much change and so much excitement. It'll be nice to have a chill holiday and spend it with my favorite person ever, my best friend. 

I love you

I just want to mention that I love the one who blogs here. I mean really, she/he is my super person :)

Roma Coliseum

Bloody Mary, Falcons football, and a homemade shirt. This is the Sunday I love!

It's coming!

And I'm a little nervous about the impending gloom...

Looking Back

Looking back, it's really weird to see when this blog started and how this adventure began. We celebrated our first three months of being here last week, and it's just so weird how time has flown by. Truly, I couldn't envision what this moment would look like or feel like, but it's been amazing just being somewhere else.

Apparently, we are in a true Indian Summer here, as I was informed this afternoon that we are currently experiencing record low levels of precipitation, in fact, this record goes back to something like the 1890's. Our averages show 1.54" in September, however, this past month we only clocked in at .4". That's pretty intense. From what I understand, October should see us having about 3.5" of rain, but so far, and on the forecast for the next 10 days, it's all nothing but sunshine. Low to mid 70's through the 11th... it feels funny to me to have brought the desert sun and dryness with us to the Pacific Northwest. Especially given that NM has had one of its wettest summers with the monsoons. I really feel like we've switched climates for a while.

But all that aside, we've been here a little over three months and it's still sinking in that this is our home. It's still funny to me that we're actually here. Two years of talking about it, wanting to do it, and here we are. It's amazing what just putting it out there does for planning, you know?

Kimbra!

Was amazing!!!! So much energy, such a voice, and so much talent. She layered her vocals so she was singing her own backup, jazzed some songs up, switched some things around, and she was awesome! We sat in the balcony, so we could chill and enjoy the show from up high, which meant we had a great view, unfortunately my camera on my phone isn't amazing, so the views from it aren't as awesome as the views we saw... But here they are!

Show time!

So we are midway through a concert at the Wonder Ballroom and the opening band was the Step Kids. They were cool... Trippy but cool.

Hiking

So beautiful. IN the city still, too.

Mt Tabor

So beautiful for evening hikes and wanders...

Portland People

Sitting on NW 23rd people watching is magic. High school and college kids running amok while young, middle, and old people head up and down the street, it's impossible not to notice the styles and directions...

Lots of people walking their pups, one of the reasons I love this city so much. Small dogs, large dogs, in-between and of all breeds and colors. Bicyclists, fancy-ass cars, old jalopies, and beaters roll on by through the two lanes, meandering in and throughout the traffic of a Tuesday after holiday afternoon. Business attire, retirement chillers, hipster duds, casual, tried and true comfy, some sportswear, as well as dress-to-impress line the street. So many different looks!! I wish I could capture it all and document it here...

I've seen some snappy ensembles assembled. Fancy new ways to wear a maxi skirt, tunic, long sleeve, bandeau, dress, tights, socks, slacks... An amazing smarting of pattern, color, coordination, accessorization, and flair thrown down. Incredibly uncomfortable looking shorts riding up tiny (or large) asses, frumpy-wear, sneakers with all, blisters waiting to happen, Toms abound, so many cut off shorts, and lots of tanks. Layering, layering, and more, be it clothes, accessories, or styles. There is just so much to see wandering by.

I'm so fixated on the clothes I cant see the faces.

As summer ends..

Life has slowly been coasting on by as the summer months slide quickly toward fall. The weather is starting to change and we can feel a crispness entering the morning air, and the nights are coming on quicker. It's been a really lovely summer filled with new and different sights, lots of incredibly delicious food, and the slow build of friends.

This past week we went to the Sauvie Island Farms and did some produce picking. We came home with 18 pounds of blackberries, three green bell peppers, a handful of jalapenos, five small zucchini squash, four medium summer squash, two ears of corn, five pears, four or five lemon cucumbers, three large cucumbers, a head of lettuce, and all for just $30.50. It was seriously one of the coolest experiences I've had since we got here. I've never been somewhere you can go and pick your own produce and for cheaper than what you'd spend in the grocery store or even at a farmer's market. I'm so excited to go back and pick more as the autumnal produce comes up for harvest! They do pumpkin picking and I'm really hoping that we can go get some pumpkins to carve and make good foods from.

Here are some pictures from our picking experience!

Adventures to and in Seattle

We took a day trip to Seattle. More pictures to come... And by more I mean more of the sights, not just us mugging for the camera!

lots to share!

Mr. has all the photos on his computer/camera, and believe me, there are tons. I keep trying to talk him to just posting them already, but alas, things are always coming up that require his attention elsewhere.

So, in the meantime, there really is not much to report. We found our favorite food truck spot. We've visited a couple of the farmers markets. We've hiked the Columbia Gorge, and tomorrow, we're going to Seattle. I will be taking pictures (as usual), and hopefully he will, too.

Oh! It's unbearably hot here, too. I hear it doesn't last long, but that doesn't make it easier. LOL... good times had by all!

Recent shows

Portland has a great and relatively inexpensive music scene! Last week we saw Phantogram and the following night saw Wye Oak. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few...