Life is Good... no, GREAT!

I said on my last blog that I would put some photos up (since most reading don't have access to my Facebook). Life in Oregon and in the Pacific Northwest has been amazing over this past year. It's taken almost 2 years to get to the point where life is starting to normalize. Proof is that at the end of this month, both of us will be going on VACATION!! Moving to and from Denver did NOT count as a vacation. I will be flying back home to see family over Memorial Day weekend (thanks to my mommy for giving me some cash on my birthday to help pay for it), and Ben will be going back to New Mexico to go see his son (first time since we saw him on the original move to WA/OR two years ago). We haven't had a chance to fly anywhere in 5 years, (well, Ben hasn't) so we are finally doing it!

I haven't seen my parents since we moved last January, and I am very excited to see them! I have been feeling a little homesick, and this will hopefully cure it. I did hear from my family that they will be coming up to Portland for a few days. I'm So excited to have my dad up most of all (sorry mom and sisters). My dad is a lot like me- we both love museums, nature and learning. My dad will be here Thursday night and I plan on picking him up and then going to the Japanese Gardens (free passes through our library) and the International Rose Test Garden (free to the public and over looks Portland skyline). There are a million other places I'd love to show him, so I am making Friday a short work day and going to show him downtown. I own lots of books of "tourist" things to do in Portland that is either free or cheap that I have been wanting to do.


Actually, I was going to go and do a few of them this weekend since the sun is out, but the husband got really sick Thursday. We went to urgent care and they said it was "bronchitis with wheezing". We got home, drugged him up and now here I am blogging! That's been our most excitement in a while. Most weekends we take road trips all over the area as part of our new hobby- geocaching (www.geocaching.com for more). It gets us out of the house, we've made many friends from it and it keeps us busy! It's also one of the things I want to introduce my dad to when they come (another reason I am STOKED to have him here before the rest of the family gets here).

Here are a few photos from the last few months. First hockey game (Portland WinterHawks), home grown eggs from a co-worker (I didn't like them very much), my adorable cubicle (gotta personalize, right?), the capitol building in Salem and a photo of the "Welcome to Dallas" sign. It's the closest Dallas that I'll get to visit!