Hello 2011!

What do you see when look at this photo?
I know right? There seem to be about 24 Jesus's.....

If you look close, you can actually see a small shaded blurry person in the middle. That's Bill on a skateboard, cruising down a hill. I'm jogging behind him. We had a late night excursion. Actually, we journeyed through the neighborhood and to Downtown Milwaukie to ring in the New Year at a local bar.
Scandalous!
City hall in my cute town.
Gettin' my groove on....
B's attempt to skateboard over railroad tracks, despite my worries. Thank goodness there were no trips to the ER.

It was a fun little trip. Skateboarding is fun.

Happy New Year to all!

I think this might be a pretty darn good year.....

Dad in PDX!

My Dad spent some time in Seattle before Christmas and ended up driving south with me to PDX for a few days. We had a great time driving to the Oregon Coast and also enjoying some of Portland's finest food and drink.

It was also really great to show my Dad my new place, since he did after all coach me through the entire 'house buying' process. Thanks Dad! Please visit again soon and bring BJ and Grandma Louise!!!

Xmas 2010

The holidays came and went so fast this year! Christmas was at Carrie's and it was really nice to have DAD up from Vegas for the festivities!

Grandma Junette and my Mama (and yes she does have a bit of a shiner in this pick).
Enjoying family time with Christian and his Girlie friend, and Grandma Phillips.
Megan and Will blowing up bouncy ball toys, which seemed to be a hit with the kids. Well done Billy Boy.
A shot from Dad's phone of meal time.
Another iphone shot from my Dad of my Sister playing with my hair.
I think this pic of my Bro-in-law Darren is more appropriate for a Halloween blog post!
My Mom's pies this day were A-MAZING!!!! The apple pie in the bottom right corner of this shot was seriously the best pie I have ever had! Love your pies Mom!
Mathew is no longer a baby. He's a mini-man! I love this kid.

Yay for a wonderful Holiday! Thanks Phillips family for hosting!

raclette bday goodness

Who would have thought that one of my besties AND my boyfriend would share the exact same birthday, even the same year?? It's a smidge creepy I know, but at the same time it gave me an excuse to have a small celebration. I have been waiting to have a Raclette party. I first had Raclette in the Swiss Alps and have been dreaming of replicating my experience. A Raclette party is a great way to eat veggies, cheese and meat with friends. It takes a lot of prep work, but once the prep is done, it is a fun way to give your guests choices. The actual appliance could be compared to a hibachi grill. Basically, to prepare for a party like this, you pre-cook the ingredients and put the guests to work combining and cooking their own individual dishes. It's fun.

Did I mention that I also love to entertain in my house? So cozy!



Silly ladies!

Birthday cake time!


Erica and her youngest.
Apples to Apples provided good after meal entertainment.


Happy Birthday Betty!!!

Bill and his new Captain Hat. A gift from his buddy Joe, with whom he shares ownership of a new vessel.
Good times had by all! and Happy Bday to Mr. Bill and Miss Betty!

finally made it to the mountain... in November!

Here's the proof!


I'm on my way up there again tomorrow, but not expecting great conditions! Between house remodeling and rain, this season has been a bust!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for February!

Hubbard Squash Soup

I'm spoiled rotten. I left Coupeville with tons of fresh Hubbard Squash (Thank you Aunt Marilyn)! We had it as a side dish for a couple of dinners and I used the rest to make, what I think might have been the tastiest squash soup I have ever had! It was a little bit more complicated than recipes in the past and involved roasting the squash with a delicious herb rub, and it also required toasting hazelnuts for a garnish, but it was SO Worth it!!





Yummo!!!

The best side trip EVER!!

After Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Bill and I had two days to take a side trip. I Love my cousin Alix and have wanted to see her again after having a great trip to Coupeville last Christmas. She and Brandon were both so gracious and welcomed Bill and I into their home.

We started our side trip by driving North, with a small side trip to Bainbridge Island. Bill lived there for 3 years. There is always time for a trip down memory lane.




Seattle skyline from Bainbridge Island.

We continued north to Port Townsend. I thought I had been to this town, but after driving up mainstreet, it was apparent that I had not. This town was so charming. I was ready to move there! We caught our ferry to Whidbey Island and had some photog fun on the brand new Ferry!



and the photog fun begins.....




Alix and Brandon: Thank you soooooo much for the fantastic authentic Indian food and West Coast Beer tour!! Your home is amazing and Bill and I had a great time hanging out with you! Please come to Portland, Oregon and visit us!!

How cute is their pup, Max?

We played a mean game of Taboo!



The Roos Family!

View from the car driving to Ebey's Landing. Coupeville is an amazing place!! I hope to go back very soon!

Thanks again Alix and Brandon for being the bests hosts ever!! Love you guys!