Who Done It?

For Rachel's birthday (ah hem, way back in October) my girls group (minus Rachel) decided to gift Rachel a night at a Murder Mystery Dinner. So we finally made it now...in March. Better late than never....

These are a couple pictures they took when we arrived!

Nice one:

 Funny one:

Jamie was privileged enough to end up being one of the characters.

Rachel and Rose

Rachel and our other table/team mates evaluating clues.

Our table did not win. We did not successfully figure out who done it. But we had fun trying.

"So God made little girls; With laughing eyes and bouncing curls..."

God made one of the cutest little girls with laughing eyes and bouncing curls when he made my Goddaughter, Josie. I adore her. From her beautiful blue eyes, to her blonde curls, to her spunk and determinations, to her sense of adventure. I'm blessed to have to have this lovely creature, as well as the rest of her family, as a part of my world. I got to take Josie on her winter session of a grand adventure. It was rainy and windy and we ventured somewhere warm and dry.

Getting ready to leave! Look at that face. How could you not love it?!

 Josie is a lover of books and I always, always read to her when I have my weekly visits, so we went to the mall to pick out a book and to play in the indoor play area and to just mosey around.

Josie loves fish, just like big brother Myles, so we stopped and watched the fish in the mall ponds for a long time.

 They were remodeling one of the stores and had ads up with huge versions of people and Josie was leary of the man that was like twice as large as a normal person, but the minute she saw the younger girl she was enamored. She said, "that's me. Me." and proceeded to go check out the large version of the girl. They both had jeans and purple tops on. So there was some matching going on for sure.

 Smile, Josie!

This kid moves so fast you can hardly get a picture...a non-blurry one anyway.

Playing on the playground equipment:

 Running fast!

 Playing on more kiddo equipment on the way to pick out a book.

 After picking out a book (Pete the Cat) which we didn't get pictures of, we went to the pet store to see the critters there. She loved the rodents. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Maybe she'll grow out of her facination with long tailed critters (or maybe not).

 Following critter watching we went to Burgerville for lunch. Burgerville is tradition with Myles, so I figured we could make it tradition with Josie as well.

She looks so grown up and so small and innocent at the same time in this picture.

 Say cheese!

 Very good manners and also very independent, refusing to use a booster chair because she is big enough, darn it.

 So proud of her book!

 So. Stinkin'. Cute. Love this face.

 On the drive home Josie looked and looked at her book. I took these pictures while we were stopped at a stop light.

Josie~ I love you and and so glad that God has blessed my life with you as a part of it. Thank you for spending the morning with me. You continue to make me smile and make my life rich.

                                                     ~Miss Stephanie

How true is this poem...

"Why God Made Little Girls"

Author Unknown

God made the world with towering trees,
Majestic mountains and restless seas.
Then paused and said , "It needs one more thing...
Someone to laugh and dance and sing.
To walk in the wood and gather flowers...
To commune with nature in quiet hours."

So God made little girls
With laughing eyes and bouncing curls,
With joyful hearts and infectious smiles,
Enchanting ways and feminine wiles.
And when He'd completed the task He'd begun.
He was pleased and proud of the job He'd done.
For the world, when seen through little girl's eyes
Greatly resembled Paradise.

Please snow.

Reason # 126 that I love Portland: Portland shuts down when it snows. Sometimes even when there is threat of snow.

Reason # 26 that I hate Portland: Portland shuts down when it snows. Sometimes even when there is threat of snow.

I love that I work at a place that values the safety of its clients and of its staff. I get snow days. When Portland Public Schools are closed for a snow day, generally my workplace is as well. Got to keep the oldsters safe. Every year I get to a point where I want an unexpected and unplanned day off- a snow day. A day where I can stay in my pajamas all day, in bed or on the couch and watch movies, crochet, bake, cuddle with the kitty. A day when I can do whatever the heck I want, whenever the heck I want (so long as it doesn't involve sliding down the hill I live on-which is inevitable when it snows here). 

The thing I don't like about Portland snow days: when they happen mid day and I have to drive home amongst all the "I'm from Portland so I don't know how to drive in the snow" drivers. Everyone here freaks at the mention of snow so roads get backlogged, stored are hit all at once for the necessities as are gas stations. People abandon their vehicles on the sides of road and freeways. Now, mind you- I'm not dissing the Portland drivers, because I've become one. When I see the first flake fall I think, "I've got to get home before I can't." This is partly valid because roads can get bad here and there are very few plows and I live part way up a hill that is not kind to cars getting up or getting down when snow is involved. So, when the snow started Thursday while I was at work we went into minor emergency mode of getting everyone home on the buses. Then I decided to hit the road within the next hour or so. My normal 30 minute commute turned into just over an hour. But, I got home and when I walked in the door I said to the cat, "we aren't going anywhere until we have too." Not like she understood, but I think she also sensed the difference: Mom was going to be home for cuddles, which she loves. We ended up having 4.5 snow days counting the weekend. Here we go:

This was the view on my drive home....it was blowing like crazy.

 This was afternoon #1 out my bedroom window while it was still snowing.

 This was a few hours later: once the snow stopped for a bit. Notice that you can see a house on the right side of the picture about a third of the way down that you can't see in the previous picture. In past years I would get deer grazing down in that little valley and I waited to see them this year and they didn't come...or I missed them.

 Once the wind stopped and snow was taking a break from falling, Ezme decided to explore...

 She prowled around and checked it all out.

 Then she came in for a nap. I decided she knew how to do a snow day: some time in the snow and then a nice nap.

 She did some more napping later as well while I crocheted.

 This was day 3.5 (Sunday-snow started on Thursday around noon): by this time we had gotten freezing rain on top of the snow. That is the real doozy here. Freezing rain is not a pleasant thing.

 Tree with ice on it out in front of my apartment. This was the first time I'd even stepped out of my apartment since I'd gotten home from work on Thursday. That's what I call a snow day.

 Icy, frozen branches.

 Portland issued a Severe Weather Alert that was texted to all Portland area residents that people should stay indoors to avoid problems and safety issues.

 When it started warming up chunks of ice started falling all over. It sounded intense and frightening on my roof and it feel for hours. I was thankful that I never lost power. We were also closed Monday and that is the first day I really ventured out from home and walked through the complex and down the hill....check out those snow ruts.

 A pretty winter wonderland.

There were a few smashed cars on my hill...so I was glad I was like a Portland driver and got home early. Back to work Tuesday...

That was Snow-pocalypse 2014 Portland Style...or my style anyway.

Grand Adventuring Time!

I can't even begin to decribe how important my friend Stasia is in my life and with that comes the importance that her lovely family is in my life. I'm blessed to be Godmother to two of she and Dave's three children and Myles is just as important to me as his sisters. This is grand adventure #5 for us. I picked Myles up and as usually his first request was to go to my work to see the fish. He and Josie both love fish and they know exactly where to go in the maze of hallways at my work to see the fish tank. It's hard to pull them away at times. So, on this adventure day we went to work to say hi and see the fish.

Then to lunch. We've been to the Grilled Cheese Grill a time or two and as I was looking up the hours on the computer Myles spotted that in addition to the location we went to in the past that has a converted school bus to eat in there was another bus-a double decker bus. That was our location mission.

We made it...while it had started to snow outside.

We ordered lunch and then waited in a cold bus to get our food to eat it. I put my scarf on Myles and here he is showing it and his sandwich off!  Love that face and it totally shows how cold we both were!

 Can you spot him up there?! Top level-window above the brown paint!

 The bus...

 After lunch we headed to the Portland Aquarium. "You have to take a picture of the fish, Miss Stephanie. Look at them."

 Myles checking out one of the first fish tanks.

 "Look. Cool."

 Find the (almost) 5 year old!

 Myles took this picture of the jellyfish. I loved the jellyfish. All of them.

 Nemo!

 Stingrays. Or some sort of harmless ray. I pet them. Myles wouldn't, but he was proud of me and happy for me that I got to.

 This picture makes my laugh everytime I look at it!

 More jellyfish!

We also went to have our traditional Burgerville Milkshake and then to the Dollar Store to buy balloons and temporary tattoos for Myles and Josie.

My lovely adventure buddy! I'm so blessed!

Can't wait for our next adventure Mr Myles! You are so special in my life and I'm glad I get to experience you growing up!