Much To Report

A two-week recap:

July 15th - Matt's birthday included us going to a late dinner at Portland City Grill. I made reservations online, and when we arrived, the staff had provided a window table with birthday confetti and all! It was a pleasant surprise. Needless to say, the service was delightfully classy and the view was great. Due to our late reservation (which is highly recommended), the sun went down and we had the opportunity to see an array of colors in the sky.
Below: This photo was pulled from an online source. We didn't take any photos that night.
July 17th - The same week we had dinner out with Julie, and Mom & Dad to celebrate both Julie and Matt's birthdays. It was a nice meal at Pastini on Cedar Hills Blvd.
Above: Brooklynn was fascinated with bread.

Above: Julie finished off the wine, and somehow a toilet seat cover ended up on her head.
July 18th - So the next evening was Julie's birthday and I arranged for some close friends of hers to meet us at McMenamins for dinner and drinks. We had quite the crowd, but it was a great time.
Above: Julie and Lindsey
Above: Mike and Matt
Above: Kelly and Brandon
Above: Beth (myself), Tory and Julie
Above: Jen and Aulani

Weekend Fun

Here a few photos from this weekend that are nice.

Below: I stayed home from work on Friday (felt really sick) and Clementine tried to help me feel better.On Saturday Andrew, Matt and I went down to Salem to celebrate the boys' birthdays early. It was a nice evening of dinner and drinks with Dan and Lisa. Lisa had a garage sale that day, so they were beat. Thankfully, Matt grilled us some awesome chicken breast and Trader Joe's sold us some yummy mushroom pilaf!
Prior to grilling, Matt and Dan had to set up the new grill (it's a nice one). Andrew had himself a beer and supervised.

Below: Birthday boys, Andrew and Matt.

In Bruges

Independence Day

This year's Fourth of July was a relaxing one. Julie and I met up in the morning for a refreshing run up near the Zoo. It was great to spend time with her and enjoy the outdoors. She kicked my booty on the trail run... phew!

Afterward, Matt and I had Andrew and Pao over for an All-American BBQ (Hot Dog, Hamburgers, White-Trash Bean Dip, Watermelon, and Beer!). Pao's very close friend, Nadia, was here from Mexico, which was so fun! She's precious. Julie and Brooklynn came over a little later.
We had the opportunity to talk about our experiences growing up in different countries Pao and Nadia had a lot to contribute to this discussion. As American's we have much to be thankful for, and should remain humble in this knowledge.

I was a big doofus and accidentally erased two photos of Matt and Andrew, but managed to keep the following pics:Below: Seriously, I don't think Julie and I are capable of keeping a straight face for too long.
Below: Pao is standing next to Nadia. Both these gals are gorgeous and full of charm.

Crazy Portland Weather

Upon moving back to Portland, Matt & I never dreamed we'd bring the mid-west thunderstorms home with us. The following images are a thunder and lightning storm we had last night... one of three in the past week. Last night at about 2:00a we woke up to the loudest crack and boom I can remember. It set my nerves on edge. Thankfully, I had Matt nearby to snuggle away the jitters.
With much relief the storms would cease and bring about a large quantity of rain. We are thankful for this rain, as it washed away the past week's dingy air... it's been so warm lately.

Clementine

Our friend Rashelle seems to inherit kitties as if she were the kitty whisperer. I believe it may have something to do with the fact that she lives in ghetto Newberg. Anyway, she had this kitten that seemed to be orphaned by many, so we just had to take her. Matt named her Clementine.
She's feisty, and has complete tolerance for pain... thus discipline results in a squirt bottle, rather than a thump to the tush. She will drink any beverage nearby, including beer, coffee and orange juice. Needless to say, she's annoying.
But in spite of her kitten-ness, she is a great companion to Mya. They cuddle, play, groom and and eat together. Who knew Mya could have a BFF immediately? We feel less guilty when we're gone all day and the cat's are home alone, 'cause they can keep one another company.