Leaving on a jetplane...again

SO, here I am getting settle back at home and I'm off again tomorrow. I'm excited though, I'm going to see my family in Arkansas, for a whole week! And it's not the holidays and we have no big event planned. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with myself :)

I'm really looking forward to getting to see a few friends I missed when I went home for Elliot & Cassie's wedding. I get to hang out with my dear friend Elizabeth and get in some much awaited knitting time with mi amiga Jaime. I also get to see my very talented best-friend-of-a-brother play with his band, Benjamin del Shreve. I haven't seen them play in years! I'm super stoked to experience the awesomeness. I think the family (or some of us) are headed to big ol' Branson, Missouri on Saturday, too. We're spending a night there for my step-grandmother's birthday. They've put in a cool waterfront area so you can totally avoid "the Strip" if you want to. I'm sure Marilyn will want to ride Thunderation rollercoaster at Silver Dollar City though, I'm just sure of it :)

The only thing about this trip home though is that I've already started to be homesick for my lovely home here in Nashvegas, with my sweet man and two beautiful pups. It's cheesy I know, but look at that smile he has! He's a dear. We haven't spent much time apart during our 9 months together and I never look forward to it. Especially after having a nightmare last night! Eek. It's great to have someone to scare away the boogie man for you!

Speaking of my sweet boyfriend, I really really enjoyed meeting (most of) his family last week! His parents were so much fun and showed us a great time in Seattle. We did the Duck Tour around the city the first day and it was a blast! We also went to Pike Place Market and bought a giant salmon for dinner! They threw it across the aisle and we got pictures of the little guy a-flyin'. We went on a beautiful hike on Sunday and went to the waterfront downtown on Monday. Judy showed us around some smaller areas of Seattle on Tuesday. I enjoyed getting to see the Fremont area and hope to go back to that part of town again. His brother Jordan and his wife Kirsten cooked a lovely meal for us complete with grilled salmon, oysters, a yummy zucchini gratin, and a great baked peach dessert. I already bought the cookbook Kirsten used and have made a few dishes out of it. The Herbal Kitchen. Check it out.

We also got to hang out with Pinky's sister Jennifer and her family in Portland. She has 3 adorable sons who are so well-behaved and such cutie-pies. They showed us Powell's Books, my new favorite bookstore. It's got new and used books and is the size of a full city block! After lunch we went (again - I had been the day before it was so good!) to Voodoo Donughts. A-mazing. I mean, I got a chocolate cake donught with chocolate icing and Coco Puffs on it. Wow. We also went out to see them the next day out in Newberg, in Oregon wine country. We got to see the cutest pet store and then Pinky and I went down the road to a wine tasting at Duck Pond Cellars.

We had the best time in Portland. The Oregon Brewer's Festival was going on and we found quite a few great places to eat and drink while we were there. The Rogue Brewery was awesome and so was this restaurant where we ate breakfast the last morning, The Original. It was a very cool modern diner. If you're in downtown Portland for breakfast, eat there! I really think we could find ourselves living in Portland someday. Everyone was so friendly and eager to suggest places to go. The vibe is cool and laid-back and intelligent and artsy and local-minded. Plus, I think the weather is a tiny bit sunnier than in Seattle :) Seattle is such an amazingly beautiful city though. If there was a bit less rain, I could definitely set up shop there!

Overall it was an amazing trip. The Pacific Northwest is just breath-taking. Save your pennies and visit. You will not be disappointed!

Now, off to pack and get ready to head out again. Hope you enjoyed the synopsis and the pictures!! xoxo