The Grand Adventure! Part-the-First

I've decided to divide our recent adventures into three parts, with this being Part-the-First. We'll see how long it takes me to finish all three parts, but the third is my personal favorite, so hopefully they will all get done as a result.

Kyler and I took off, on a jet plane, for good ol' PDX, or Portland, Oregon, for those of you who don't speak Airport Codes. For the first time in over a year, we got to hang around Oregon for a few days, and it was pretty much awesome.

First, we got to see a bit of family, and enjoy spending time with them and thinking of new restaurant/shop ideas (brownie/choc-tacos anyone?). I've missed my family, especially not seeing them at Christmas, and this helped a lot. Plus, they tell some very interesting stories...

Also, Kyler and I went to the beach with my mom, dad, and sister. It was seriously amazing at the beach. So warm and sunny. Well, except at night, when it rained so hard that it woke us up. But we were in a yurt:

and thus warm and dry.

We took lots of pretty beach pictures, as should be obvious,

and I tried to make a sandcastle.

I ran to get Loradona to come and look at it, but then a big wave came and... the motte-and-bailey castle just couldn't handle waves twice or three times its height. Such is life.

We also went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where Kyler and I had a discussion on who should be who in this picture:

Jeanette: Should I be the cow?

Kyler: I can be the cow if you want. (He doesn't want to offend me...)

Jeanette: But the cow's a girl. Are you a girl?

Kyler: How do you know it's a girl? It could be a boy.

Jeanette: It's a dairy cow. It has to be a girl.

Kyler: Fine, you can be the cow, I'll be the farmer. After all, I used to call you Angus.

Jeanette: (shakes head)

Loradona and I also decided at the beach that we were twins, especially in our awesome mittens! Who doesn't agree?

Kyler and I also went to Powell's, had lunch with my dad, went to the Scandinavian Store, and rented a car... but more on the latter two in the next entry.

All in all, it was a blast to be able to spend time with my family and my beloved homeland.

And, since I'm not sure where else to put this picture, and it is in Oregon after all, the view of Mount Hood from our airplane window as we headed back east.