Recent excursions

As if moving to Portland weren't exciting enough, we've been traveling a lot more. I've mentioned the two ocean visits. (Stories and pictures coming soon.) I've also been traveling for work, which I didn't anticipate. I don't intend to have to travel too much, but here's a little bit about where I've been:

Seattle
I drove up to Seattle to visit with a vendor. The drive is about 3 hours and very pretty. They don't maintain the roads in Washington as well as they do in Oregon, but along the way you have nice views of Mt. St. Helens. Once you get into town you get great view of Elliott Bay. I was there just long enough to grab a cup of Starbucks, drive through downtown and meet the vendor. The vendor's office was on an ocean runway on the bay where sea planes regularly take off and land. Pretty interesting. We'll get the family back up there soon. There is a direct Amtrak train and that's usually what the locals do when they travel between Portland and Seattle.

Phoenix
I just arrived home from a 4-day business trip. The Apartment Internet Marketing conference. Like all good conferences, I spent the whole time in a hotel and only stepped outside on a rare occasion with vendors to grab lunch and dinner. It was pretty fun because I have a lot of friends in the industry and also spent time with several Archstone folks. On Tuesday, the weather was 98 degrees. On Thursday it rained 3/10th of an inch and the whole town was happy. Really put Portland weather in perspective. Happy to be back and to get some much needed sleep.

Guests
We've also been blessed with visits from Jackie and Julie, which made life for the kids really, really exciting. They've agreed to guest blog about their experiences. While we are waiting for those posts, here's a little photo flip-book of Jackie trying to get Auden dressed. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Enjoy!

(She's still smiling. I am impressed).