5th Anniversary Vacation

Ok, so it's been a while since our last post. What can I say... it's been busy! The Lord continues to bless us in many ways as we eagerly anticipating the arrival of Dean. In preparation, we've been working hard to make sure our project list is as close to done as possible. In fact, I spent the last few days of our vacation (last week) painting the family room and entryway of our house. It's looking much better and I hope to finish the job by tomorrow night! On top of that, we've been getting the nursery ready, including a crib and changing table we found for a great deal at Baby Depot.

The first half of our vacation last week--before the painting started--was a blast! We kicked things off with a day trip to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden and saw some amazing Chinese architecture, foliage, and bonsai trees. I never would have thought such an oasis existed in the midst of downtown Portland (notice the tall buildings in the background of the photo). They even have a Tao of Tea in the garden which we visited for a mid-afternoon snack and some great loose-leaf tea (Beka opted for the mango nectar).


On Monday, we left for Newport and stayed a night at the Sylvia Beach Hotel, a bed and breakfast with various rooms themed after different authors. It was a very relaxing time and we'd love to go back and spend a few days doing nothing but reading (someday). Then we drove to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and saw two plays: The Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet. Both were incredibly entertaining and well worth the trip. It'll probably be our last vacation for a little while considering the new addition to the family, but that's a whole new adventure in and of itself.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:3