From The Desk Of Julienna

My sister started a blog! Hooray!

Please visit "From The Desk Of Julienna" and be entertained and challenged with her first entry.

She's the best.

Julie's Wine Habit

Two Saturday's ago, we celebrated Julie's 30th birthday. True, she won't officially be thirty until the 18th of July... but I HAD to throw her a shin-dig while I was in Portland. It's my sisterly duty and a proud one I willingly took on. There really isn't anything more special than siblings... especially a sister... and I wanted to honor Julie by giving her a carefree, fun day.

So...we went wine tasting. I invited a bunch of Julie's favorites and we spent the warm, sunny day together sipping on wine. Yes, there were plenty of tasteless jokes and obnoxious behavior, but let's be honest... would it truly be a celebration of Julie without crass discussion?

Rashelle, Julie and I start our day off right... with Mimosas!

Our group: Eric, Chris, Rashelle, Myself, Julie, Jacqueline,  Jason, Lindsay and Douglas.  This was taken at Sokol Blosser.

Eric and Julie

Enjoying the gorgeous weather at DePonte Cellars.

After our second winery, we stopped off for pizza and our friendly hostess overheard it was Julie's birthday. Surprise!

Lindsey, Julie, Rashelle and Myself

Overall, the day was great. It was warm, sunny and overwhelmingly fun. We're thinking about making a habit out of our annual wine tasting... since we went last year for my thirtieth. Who needs a birthday to wine taste, right?

*I realize I should be more thorough in my wine tasting mentions... links and names and such. I am trying to pound out a few posts in one sitting and due to a lack of time, I'm skimping on all the details. My apologies.

Things I Wanna Do In Portland

My hiatus from blogging has been unintended and I will admit it's due to the amazing weather we've been having. Truth be told, by the end of the Summer I'll be done and tired of the endless days of hot sun, so you can be sure I'll be back.

That being said, I do plan on blogging quite a bit in the next couple weeks. Lucas and I are traveling to Portland (Home) to see family and friends. Wahoo! Here are a few things I want to do while I'm out there:

• Celebrate my sister's 30th birthday with a day of wine tasting!
• See the joy on Lucas' grandparents' faces when they play and snuggle with him... because quite frankly, he's darling.
• See the Ocean... in all it's Northwestern splendor... which probably means cold and rainy. But I'll take it. For sure.
• Photo Bombing... which I should tell you is the funniest thing to me. I know... totally juvenile, but hilarious! And... can only be done with special people... like my sister... and Rashelle... and with a couple drinks in my system.
• Hit up the Oregon Aquarium. Because... I've never been to the new one! Wha!? I know... it's gonna happen people... or someone might get hurt.
• Drink wine with Rashelle. A must.
• Pet my friend Kenna's adorable baby belly. Yes... I'm THAT girl. And yes, I WILL pet your baby belly. Thank goodness Kenna is cool. She'll probably laugh. I'm down with that.
• See my friend Lindsay get hitched! Hooray!
• Hit up Beaverton Farmer's Market and eat some of those radical crepes. Yes, I said radical... 
• See some lovelies at Lucas' early birthday party. I can't wait!
• Hug our family... a lot.
• Visit the Oregon Zoo. And check out those adorable polar bears!
• Hug my friend Kerry and tell her "I can't believe you're having a baby!" Because seriously... I can't believe she's having a baby. This family of hers is like a second family for me and I couldn't be happier that this event is happening for all of them.
• Miss my husband... because distance DOES make the heart grow fonder. And I know after just one week away, I will be so very excited to come home to his warm hugs and witty humor.

This seems like a lot... but with three weeks I can accomplish this and more. I'm hoping to see more friends than I anticipate and express to them how much I've missed them. I'm hoping to have such sweet moments with the people I love, it'll carry me through to months we have to be separate again. But I can't think about leaving yet... because I'll cry.

And then Halloween...

No matter how old I get, I still LOVE Halloween. I suppose it's an excuse to have some fun and let loose. So after some sassy haircuts and childcare arrangement, us gals decided to spend a fun evening together out on the town.
Julie and I started at a party with Eric and his friends in Portland:

Eric was not too keen on Julie's stash... in spite of his award-winning smile.

Don Pancho, Stash Girl, and 80's Dude

After the party, we met up with Rashelle and Kenna and spent some time in the 'Berg:

Rashelle, Myself, Kenna, Julie

The matching stripes were not intended, but ended up being fun. We pretty much rocked the sweater dresses! Love em'! The mustaches were intended. We thought we were SO funny... still not sure if we really were, but we still had a great time.

You know you like the stash.

Pumpkin Patch Time!

Julie, Tory, Brooklynn and I went out last Saturday to enjoy the season.  We headed out to Baggenstos, outside of Sherwood and enjoyed the sunshine, pumpkins and cart rides.

Above: Tory was gracious enough to provide Brooky some comfort on her rough cart ride.

Above: Baggenstos has these steele figures throughout the produce stand.  Quite interesting.

Above: "Aunt Beth, will you hold this please?"

Above: Brooky was wedged between pumpkins in the cart.  She loved it!

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.