Catch Up In Seattle

I have a few moments in a Starbucks with - WIFI! and so I thought I'd take a few brief minutes to update some picts from this past week and this week.

This morning, I got up at the crack of dawn and flew from Portland up to Seattle. I had to swing by my hotel that I was supposed to stay at (in Seattle) in order to pick up something that was delivered there. On my way out, I figured that I would stop by Top Pot and pick up donuts for the account I was going to.

Top Pot is this donut place that I was told about that was on the Food Network and all the donuts actually were pretty good... http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/

The pink donut in the box with the coconut shavings on top is called the "Feather Boa" -- I though that was kind of cute.

Going back to Friday :) I picked Karl up from his hotel and we went out to dinner at this really great place in the city. I had parked my car at the Hotel Monaco where he works and I had to laugh in the elevator as I noticed their ad poster...

And here below - you have a very very unique story....This is something I've been laughing -- well, at first I was a little too frightened to laugh -- about all last week. Portland has this, I guess its soccer, team called The Timbers and their logo thing is an axe or something.... They have these huge billboards ALL over the city with all these people holding axes. They even have this one with this little kid holding and axe! And then there's one with two women, one has an axe and one has a CHAINSAW! The city may say "welcome" but I think they need to work on their ad campaign because that says something a little different....

One last one to enjoy -- the first night I was in we spent an hour or so at Powell's books in Portland. Its this giant new and used book store like the Strand in NYC. Its a little neater and cleaner than the Strand - and a lot harder to find used books. I spent too much money because all I could find was new books :( This is Karl doing his "Mary Tyler Moore" in Portland outside of Powells...
Oh - in case you'd like to see... this is a picture of Karl's place... It the very last door. at the front end.

We'll see if I have WiFi and am able to update tomorrow!

Travels With Difficult And More Difficult

Saturday, Karl and I drove out to Columbia River Gorge in Washington and we were given a sign... well, we were each given a sign to be exact....

Mt Hood

Our first climb was up Beacon Rock Trail - its apparently an old volcano "tube".

Karl posts pictures of me pointing so - here ya go...

At the top

Someone had just thrown some water on Karl and hit him really hard so he looks a little peaked :)

The beginning of our long journey up Hamilton Mountain - Karl contemplates ....

I like this picture because it proves that sometimes, the sun is so bright in Oregon that you have to squint. I seem to have hit that odd sunny day!

Once again - Karl contemplates....

This is called Rodney Falls - it was really pretty. You could go up to this rock area at the top where the falls come down and it was called the Pool of the Winds and it completely soaked you - like a mini Niagra Falls.

Up at the Pool of the Winds

Viewing Beacon Rock from Hamilton Mountain

On the Damn viewing deck... :)

The fish ladders that Karl loves so much to sit for hours and watch. They actualy drain and clean them in the winter months so - no fish viewing today.

Multonomah Falls at twilight.... too cold and too dark to really appreciate it so we moved on.

No Wireless - No Pictures :(

Not that I think all 3 of my loyal readers are illiterate and need their attention to be kept with the odd, quircky or mundane picture, but - I just want all 3 of them to know that my brother does not have wireless so I'm not able to add pictures to my new posting at this point.... Whenever I do get wireless at --- AAAHHHHH --- Starbucks, I actually have work to do..... sad face.....

My quick update is actually merely a test to see if the 1 reader that I am currently with is actually reading.... there will be a pop, random quiz at some point this weekend .... I think he'll fail it as he has failed many this week.

Its raining today. Apparently, its a typical Portland-in-winter rain as I'm told. Its actually been alternating sun and clouds, no rain, for the past few days I've been here. And today, of all days, I don't have to be anywhere until 1 this afternoon so I was planning on taking a little run. Rain - run - I did it anyways. I ran this trail that Karl had told me about and it felt good to get back on a trail again. I never take the time anymore as I go to the gymn, run, do some weights, get home. Its quick and easy and accomplishes what I need it to. Trail running is a little more time consuming as I don't get my whole desired work out in one stop - but I do miss it. Today, with the rain, there was mud and puddles and gook all over the trail - and it felt great! I came back with mud spattered up my back and my shoes and socks soaked. I started with a hood and ended up throwing it off so my hair was plastered to my head. YEA! It had just enough hills to make it a little bit of a challenge at some point and enough trees to make it feel like I was outdoors.

We're in a quandry as to what to do tomorrow. I really want to go cross country skiing but I know Karl doesn't but he's so amazing that he, sniff, is willing to sacrifice and go anyways. I don't think I'll make him. There's got to be plenty of others things to do out here that I won't end up carrying him home.... He gets kind of heavy. All I know is - we're in mountain area and the ocean is there and this is the place where everyone rides their bike to work and doesn't shave their armpits.... I've got to do something outdoorsy or I'll die. I actually have TWO WHOLE DAYS to have fun and its supposed to be sunny! Karl - if you're reading this - be warned - you will have an adventure and there will be no whining...... (maybe some wine, but no whine!)

There's a New Barista In Town - OR - Jessie Becomes My Favorite Niece

Last week, Jessica got a job. Not just any job, but a job at Starbucks! Not just any Starbucks, but the Starbucks right down the road from my church! I LOVE HER. SHE IS MY FAVORITE NIECE.

Today was Martin Luther King Jr day so she was off school and got to work in the morning. I was in town and so had the chance to stop by to get a hand made drink by Jessie. Look at how great that green apron looks on her! Look how she's making those lattes and mochas with a big smile on her face (thats big for Jessie...)

Incidentally - Jessica, that was truly one of the best Carmel Macchiatos I've had in a long time! I now salute you with the secret Starbucks sign... which you can't see, but I'm doing it...it will remain secret....

SN-OOOOOHH!

This morning we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow - that was still coming down. Its always crazy when you go to bed and you see grass and then you wake up in the morning and theres a big old white blanket.

I had to drive out to Michigan City, IN for an afternoon appt and I knew I wouldn't be back until late so I headed out early in the a.m. to take precious poochie over for a romp at the dog park. I love going over there early when its snowing. You walk out on that path and its just quiet. For some reason, when it snows, its just thick with quiet and literally all you can hear is the snow falling. Isn't that crazy - you can actually hear snow falling! There aren't any tracks and the sky is thick with snow so its not bright. When you walk all you hear is this crunchy sound and then there's Calvin running around with his nose in the powder making these snorty sounds because he's trying to find all the little field mice that have tucked themselves down in the grass. Incidentally, yes, he has found several of them - and its not a pretty picture.

I did a quick run and then got changed and headed out before 11. Right away when I got on the tollway, bam, I was going 20 miles an hour. We have the lovely 4 lanes on 94 now, but it doesn't much help when there are 4 snowplows in this side by side configuration and they're all with their shovels down and going 20. We drove like that for about 15 minutes until they decided to let us all pass. The roads weren't actually that bad, if it weren't for all the goofs who have moved from somewhere down south where they've never seen snow and so they don't have a clue how to drive and make it miserable for the rest of us.

Surprisingly - I made it in time for my 2 pm appointment. I didn't get back on the road until about 5 and, once again, it actually wasn't bad, even though the snow was still coming down. Coming through the city, you couldn't see a thing! The sky was all dark but I saw this thing up in the sky that looked like a cloud, which I thought was strange because it was so dark. I finally realized that it was the top of some building, but who knows which one. I couldn't see anything else besides that one tower. Crazy.

I'm back downtown again with my favorite - Northwestern. I'm probably going to head over by Seiko for lunch and maybe grab a later Bikram class (yay! its RIGHT across the street from Seiko's apartment so I'm hoping I have a place to park! :))

Second Post of 2011 - VOTE!

I had to send out a second post because I'm all about Chicago!

The morning show I listen to has a really funny morning dj, Eric Ferguson. Apparently a lot of his listeners nominated him for a fill in spot on Regis and Kelly. He was put in the top 100 and then someone contacted him last week saying he was down to the top 10 and he should send in a 30 second video.

I'm attaching a link with all the videos posted from the top 10 -- its really quick to watch because they're all 30 seconds. .... OR you could just watch the Eric Ferguson one.... Seriously - I think its the best and the funniest video.

Anyways - here's where you come in -- they've got voting open until Sunday and, if you read this and watch the video and laugh like I did - VOTE.... and as they say, Vote early and, just like Chicago, vote often :)

http://www.dadt.com/live/contest/cohostsearch/11/index.html

Back Out - 2011

The first week of January, last week, saw me back on the road again! After a few nice weeks at home and with family and friends, I was actually starting to get antsy. Who am I kidding, it took about 1 day -- lie -- 1/2 a day for me to start to get antsy again:) It was actually nice to be able to get back out to work with some customers and, even more pleasurable, to be able to do so in Kansas.

What is so pleasurable about Kansas you may ask? Well - two things... My friend, Melissa, just got married last year and moved from Chicagoland to -- Kansas. ALSO - my oldest niece, Brittany, now resides in Kansas so I was able to not only see her, but stay with her. Do you know how strange it is to stay in the apartment belonging to someone that you used to babysit for? Its pretty awesome, though, to be able to call her my niece and my friend.

I was also able to stop by a church, Calvary Chapel, which is pastored by a man who once ministered in Budapest with the Campus ministry I work with every year. He and Gabor Gresz, the country director for Hungary, have written a book together about the beginning of the ministry in Hungary before and after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Its a terribly interesting book - the kind you can't put down and that really makes you think. If you're interested in getting a copy, you can either ask me about it or check out this link - http://www.covenantchapel.com/resources/publications/outrageous-promise/ I stopped by Calvary in order to pick up more books but had the pleasure of meeting Dave Robinson as well. He's an extrememly nice man and his wife was just wonderful.

Oh -- can't forget that I had some account changes one of the days so I was able to get Brittany to try out a bikram yoga class with me in the afternoon. I don't know if she liked it -- I guess you'll have to ask her... but it was great to get back in that hot room!

I got back in on Thursday and then went into the office Friday. The weekend was a little busy as my friend, Seiko, from Japan, flew into Chicago and had asked me to pick her up at the airport. She's come to attend Moody to get her masters in Biblical counselling. She's the sweetest person ever! She ended up staying the whole weekend with us. We went all around on Friday night and Saturday and shopped for all her bedding and dishes for apartment and all and then I took her down on Saturday and helped her set up her stuff. She has two roommates who hadn't arrived yet and so I told her to come home with me again so she wouldn't have to stay by herself. That way she got to come to church with me as well and see some other friends from Japan, the Fujinos, and some other people she had met before. She's starting orientation today and her classes start tomorrow. I'm praying for her right now as she's feeling really homesick and had some problems getting her internet connected so she couldn't even talk to her parents or her good friend back in Japan. I know she'll get past it, but I'm sure its so hard at first being in a new country and all (although she did do some high school and some undergrad work for a few years out in CA -- different world :)).

Back to a busy week - but at least I'm at home! I have a busy weekend coming up that I have to prepare for between a few trips to WI and to IN for work.

Enjoy some pictures from Kansas!

Out to dinner on the Plaza, downtown Kasas City. At a great little French restaurant called Chaz which is in the Raphael Hotel.

I'm trying to start the new year out right with my ever-eternal quest for the perfect cupcake! We found a darn near close one at Smallcakes in Overland Park -- they had a choclate one with pink frosting that was heaven! http://www.smallcakeskc.com/

Brittany in her big-girl apartment :) We had fun watching hulu and eating cupcakes the night before! Can't beat it!