4th of July

Touring beach towns is how we chose to spend our fourth of July. We started at Cannon Beach visiting the famous Haystack rocks from the Goonies movie, then toured Seaside and Astoria before ending the night with a firework show on the boardwalk of Long Beach.

 

The Haystack rocks at Cannon Beach.

Salmon fish N' chips with fresh clam chowder.

Zack doing the 'truffle shuffle at the Goonies' house.

This adorable candy store is a little taste of heaven. We could smell their sweet fragrance from a few blocks away.  It has every sweet you could possibly ask for. Everything from PB&J salt water taffy and fruit-striped gum to any flavor of Jelly Belly, along with many selections of fine chocolates.

Zack reliving his childhood days on those long drives to Grandma Smith's house. He would bite each gummi bear in half and then stick them to his face. I about died laughing when I found this out. He certianly lived his childhood to the fullest. 

Yeah... about this. After our long day of touring beach towns we were tuckered out by the time it came to wait for the fireworks to start. We decided we better take a power nap to get us through the fireworks. Obviously, I needed it because I was out cold and didn't even notice when Zack snapped this precious photo.

Finally, we made it to the famous Long Beach boardwalk and enjoyed the show!

Portland Temple

               

Zack and I visited the Portland Temple which is a 45 minute drive from our apartment. This temple is definitely unique as it has six spires that point toward heaven and white marble covering the exterior. The waiting area inside is also quite unique as it has a beautiful courtyard.  

         

After our visit to the temple, we ventured out to find the house that Zack's parents lived in shortly after they were married while his dad was going to chiropractic school. Once we arrived, we were creeping up and down the street to get a good look to make sure this was the place. The owner obviously noticed and came out to visit. We found out that this was the same guy that his parents sold the house to thirty years ago. He remembered Spencer and Chris quite well and was more than happy to give us a tour of the house. Not only did he show us all the changes that were made after he took over the house, but he shared a few memories of Zack's parents as well.

Bums, Beggars, Hippies, and Hitchhikers

I have never seen so many bums and beggars in my life! I knew there would definitely be more Liberals and hippies in Portland, but I would have never guessed it to be this extreme. On a daily basis I see a new batch. My first week here Zack and I ran into that guy at the Rose Festival with his sob story that didn't make sense as to why he needed an extra ten bucks. Zack saw the same guy the following week trying the same story on another lady! The next week I was alone fueling up my car and some old man came up to me and asked for gas money. Luckily, a truck full of boys came to my rescue and shouted out to go get a real job. I don't know if it's my Utah license plates or what, but I seem to be quite the target.

An interesting fact about these hippie-hitchhikers is that every year they have a convention where they all meet up and have a crazy party for a full week. Last year the "Rainbow Festival" was in New Mexico and the year before that it was in Tennessee. Turns out this year the event is held in Woodland, WA, which is the exact town we are living in. Nuts! No wonder I have seen such an outrageous amount of tie-dye lately!

Urban ID

Kim is a part of the design collabortive at Urban ID located in the Pearl District of Portland. There are six other designers that share this space. Kim and I work here often. If we are not here we are meeting with clients or looking for fabrics, furnitures, plumbling fixtures, etc.

Show room.

Work space.

Braves vs. Mariners!

Since I have never been to a professional baseball game, Zack has been determined to take me while we are living so close to Seattle. Luckily Zack's favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, were playing the Seattle Mariners which only happens once every few years due to the different leagues they are in. I have come to learn this is a big deal! He hasn't seen the Braves play since he was a youngin. I don't know if it was the great seats he got us or all the bright lights but his face was a glowing! O boy was he stoked!

My highlight was this cool art piece hanging in the entrance at Safeco stadium. Who knew there was cool art at baseball stadiums? If you look closely this art piece is made up of white baseball bats. Pretty cool. I like!

I must admit I quite enjoyed this game. I am coming to learn that there is much more to baseball than just hitting or catching the ball. During the game I learned when to throw a fast or curve ball, when to swing, and that you never want to strike out looking! My other favorite moments of the game were the walk out songs and my very first baseball bratwurst!

Dining With Designers

Kim and I put on an Italian dinner for six ladies. The menu consisted of raviolis covered in chopped olives and garlic-chili olive oil sauce, Caesar salad, foccacia bread, and a flour-less chocolate cake with raspberry coulis we got from Perry's on Freemont. Music by Andrea Boccelli helped set the Italian mood. We first started out by teaching them how to fold the napkins that were on top of each of their plates. Dinner conversation consisted of their design questions ranging from paint colors, art work, and mixing antiques with modern furniture. A drawing for a facial brought the evening to a close.

Table setting with fun napkins.

Design chat.

Me cleaning up!

Rugs, Rugs, Rugs

The rep from Jaipur came to the office at Urban ID and presented their 2011 line of rugs. They have quite the variety of rugs: indoor, outdoor, modern to traditional. They are also pretty affordable comparitively in the rug industry. They are very cool and unique. Here are are a few of my favorites:



Modern Indoor/Outdoor

                                      



Modern



Modern

Transitional



Transitional



Traditional