Chairs

Not much time to blog today. I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon (squandering prime free WiFi hotspot time) and we're about to head to Ken's Artisian Bakery for Monday Pizza night. But, a sneak peek at the newest addition to our apartment.

His and her's chairs so we don't have to sit on the floor. As we found out on Sunday, Portland has a host of second hand furniture stores with totally cool furniture (that costs less than Ikea). Mine is a beauty. A rusty orange fabric that rocks AND swivels. Jesse's is stationary, but that's a good thing because he tends to wiggle too much anyway.

A self portrait (taken on our vacuum cleaner box) of us enjoying our finds. We walked down to the Pearl district last night to try out the free internet at Powell's and I window browsed at all of the high-end furniture stores to get upholstery ideas for recreating my little burnt-orange gem. The fabric is a tad scratchy, so I may endeavor to reupholster it mid-winter when I start to lose my mind from all the rain.

The wheels are also turning in the prospective tool department. I have been trying to justify owning this beauty for quite a while. But for now, a last view at the chairs at work. A beautifully set table (courtesy of Jesse), complete with Ikea packing paper table cloth.

First Day in the Apartment

We arrived at our apartment Saturday Morning and in no time had made a list of things that we desperately needed:
1. Toilet paper
2. Chairs
3. Food

Basically, we had to find a Target (or Target-like store) before the sun went down, otherwise we'd starve and have to use moving paper for our bathroom visits. I was so excited about the fact that we now have a bedroom that I decided (for the first time in my life) to set out on an excursion without a plan.

We first ended up at a complex of stores near the airport that didn't have a Target, but we browsed through Ross and IKEA for things we might want after all the desperate needs were fulfilled. Unfortunately, we just weren't finding basic things like mops and brooms and shower curtains at IKEA. In a stroke of brilliance, we decided to try to find an internet connection and stumbled on a Best Buy. There we strolled in and pretended to shop for computers while I Googled "Target." In a few minutes we were back in the car and on our way. In just an hour, we had filled up the back of the car with essentials like soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and basket, plastic forks and spoons, and lots and lots of toilet paper.

Somehow, even after the shopping spree at Target, two of our three items on the "necessities list had not been met. Still no chairs or food. After picking up dinner (and blogging a little over a beer) we walked to Trader Joe's for milk and breakfast foods. This was the sad state of Jesse's Sunday morning ritual, so we set out to find a desk and a few chairs so we wouldn't have to sit on the floor.

We were successful, but I've finished my iced tea and would hate to overstay my welcome at the free WiFi hot spot. More on our furniture adventures tomorrow.

Finally On Our Way

We embarked on the final leg of our epic trip across the country this Friday. Neither of us slept much on Thursday night - we were way too excited. Jesse finally got up at 6am to take a run and I rolled out of bed not much later to wash our sheets, make sandwiches for the road, and stuff everything back into my suitcase. We were on the road by 9:30 (with 6 Emily's muffins for emergencies).

There was hardly any traffic, so we made awesome time. I drove for approximately an hour on the highway and nearly had a nervous breakdown. I think I did fine, but was white-knuckling the steering wheel all the way. By the time we were past Redding, CA, I was back in the passenger seat with my camera in hand. Despite the fact that Highway 5 is pretty boring for a major stretch throughout California, it provides spectacular views on its northern-most section through the Oregon border. We passed by an amazing group of lakes on the way to Mt. Shasta and for miles the mountain peeked over the surrounding hills. I'm glad we got on the road so early that we could pass through this part of the trip while the sun was still up.

We arrived in Ashland, OR (just a few miles over the California/Oregon border) right around 5:00pm and decided to stop for dinner. Even though we weren't very hungry in the car, by the time we sat down at Greenleaf Restaurant we were ready to gnaw off our own arms. I got a fresh fish sandwich and Jesse had a delicious Thai chicken wrap. I'm so glad that we didn't press on for another 20 or 50 miles. After dinner and a coffee, we decided to head to Roseburg, OR to stay for the night - putting us just three hours from Portland for the Saturday morning drive.

This morning we were on the road again at 8am, both ready to finally be home. Since our Super 8 motel had coffee that looked like weak tea, we decided to take to the highway without a morning brew. Bad idea. One exit later we stopped at Dutch Bros. Coffee. It was also a bad idea - with very weak coffee - but there was an open road calling. We landed in Portland around 10:45am and were standing in our very empty apartment just a few minutes later.

It's great. We're extremely excited. It will be interesting living for the next week (or so) without any furniture. Or internet. But it will be fun!

Happy Hour at Home

I love happy hours. Tonight, we decided to ditch the Palomar. I did not know that I loved happy hours so much when they're held at my own home (or temporary abode):

The Crane Wife is expressing how much she loves nachos and Trader Joe's taquitos. Yum! Larson is showing how much he loves The Crane Wife, but who could care about that when there are fresh margaritas!

Brasilliant is basking in the sun and relaying the rigorous plant watering schedule she has set up at Jesse's parent's house. She also loves a fresh margarita and chicken taquito (or two).

The third hand found in the hallway was immensely helpful in hydrating after fresh margaritas.

Also good for punctuating conversation on grammar, indie bands, and making new friends.

Actually, who needs new friends when you have such good buddies at home?

Happy Labor Day

Today, I celebrated Labor Day by laboring:

I spent the morning picking beans and surfing the internet for pickling recipes. Tomorrow I will venture into the world of mass producing "dilly beans." I made a test batch this afternoon to see how they taste and I think they will be totally YUM! By the time we leave for Portland on Friday, I hope to have several jars ready to enjoy later in the Fall.

I also labored over the decision of which wine to bring to Larson & Serena's afternoon Labor Day celebration. Serena informed us that the wine spritzer was the signature drink of the afternoon, we decided on a classy bottle of 2-buck-Chuck. Nothing says love, friendship and relaxation like a Charles Shaw wine spritzer. Serena prepared a variety of tasty snacks (that I forgot to photograph) and we spent the hot afternoon in their back yard.

As the sun set, I labored while holding my breath so I wouldn't disturb the 2-second exposure time required to capture my friends (and husband) in a non-blurry photo. Jesse never sits still, so this was quite a feat. In that time, I also captured quite a few photographs of my very still feet.

After satisfying our hunger and thirst, we checked our clocks and realized that it was only 8:30pm. Yet, we were all ready for bed. Also, we noticed that Larson was missing and Serena thought she smelled fire. Not to worry though, he was just really tired and fell asleep on their guest bedroom futon. I labored over the idea of what one might do if s/he were presented with a half-comatose man. Maybe he would enjoy a nice relaxing ear massage from Jesse? Or a soothing wet willie?

While those were all good options, I concluded that Larson would really like me to labor over a design for his future tattoo.

I labored so hard I cried a little. I really have a gift for body art.