Well Joe has been asking me for a couple weeks to write about our new adventures in Portland and while I love to procrastinate, the time has come to update you all. We have been living here for a little over a month now and it is starting to feel like home! I love this area; it has the best of both worlds. We live at the very edge of Portland and there is a hay field across the street as well as several awesome walking trails right by our house so that makes it feel like Pullman. But if I drive two miles down the road, we are right smack in the middle of the Tanasbourne district with tons of shopping, outlet stores and restaurants. They have a huge library with a great kids section and all of these outdoor fountains around that the kids can play in. There is also a little strip mall and an Albertsons right below our apartment. I am definitely a fan of living in the burbs. 
Joe has been working hard to get his flight instructor permit. He drives up to Vancouver several times a week to get instruction and practice his skills. Gracie shares his love of airplanes and gets excited whenever she hears them fly overhead. For a long time, she called them "air-d-da's" but now she usually uses the right word.
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| Reading with Daddy |
Speaking of Gracie, she is growing up so fast and talking more and more every day. She loves to take Spike for walks, go the pool and read books. She is also a great helper in the kitchen and will stand on a chair and "help" me fix food. One of the things we didn't expect is how much she would miss and ask for her cousins and friends in Pullman, but fortunately she has been able to FaceTime with her cousins as well as meet several new friends.
We got to take Grace to the coast a couple weeks ago. She loved the sand and would have loved playing in the water but it was so cold it made her cry every time the water hit her.
On the way home we visited the Tillamook cheese factory. The best part? Free samples!!
I got a job working at The Old Spaghetti Factory. It has been more challenging than I expected but I love the people and the work. For those who know me well, it's like getting to work football every day! I definitely have a new respect for waitresses though. All that food is hard to carry and its tough to remember what everyone needs and get it done quick enough to keep them happy. I definitely will tip great waitresses more from now on! :)
Hope that you all are well! You are in our thoughts and prayers. Send us a note with how you are doing or better yet come visit soon!!
