Winter Treat!

Wow, we have been busy! But all with good fun things. Elisabeth's parents came for a visit President's Day weekend. We had such a blast seeing them. It was a go, go, go weekend! On Friday we went to McMenamins pub, a Portland favorite. They also have a movie theater, so we saw The Departed. I have to say the movie could have been so good, but I now regret my decision to stay awake and watch the rest of it. Sleep would have definitely been better! Saturday, we shopped and browsed and shopped some more. Josh took an opportunity to study in the car for part of the day rather than look at antiques. I think Tom would have liked to join him at times. Sunday, we went to church and then headed up to Timberline Lodge for the night. It was so much fun!! The weather cooperated (depending on what you wanted) and we enjoyed 14 inches of snow during the night. Josh had to dig the Durango out the next day for us to go home.

Tom and Ann temporarily lost their minds and slept with the window open, so they enjoyed snow INSIDE their room. I guess people from the South don't get as much winter as they'd like at home, so they get as much as they can elsewhere. The lodge was so much fun to stay in. We played games by the fire at night and had yummy yummy food. For those of you who don't know about the lodge; the exterior was used for The Shining and it was built in the 1930's during the depression by workers in the WPA. Below is what it looks like looking straight up from the second floor window at the Lodge. Notice that the snow is much higher than the window. They have an average annual snow depth of 21 feet and receive about 45 feet of snow a year.

The lodge is about an hour from Portland. The picture below was taken out the window in our room. The corrugated metal thing is what keeps the entrance open in the winter due to the high snow depths.

It is a very cool place to visit year round. Sadly, Tom and Ann left on Tuesday and Elisabeth had to go back to work. We had so much fun during their visit!!! And hope they come back soon.

Last weekend Josh played volleyball 1/2 the day on Saturday and Sunday we had a marathon set of potlucks. We were gone from 9:45 AM to 7:30 PM! Busy times, but we're having a lot of fun. Tonight there is a snow advisory in effect for the Valley (Willamette, not LA), so maybe we'll wake up to snow.

Is there a doctor in the house??

Josh started a soft tissue internship in the student clinic this quarter in addition to all of his other classes and the first set of boards he has to take. It's a load and a half. When he works on one of his patients, Josh has to dress like a doctor. I love it. Today, I saw him in his gear, complete with lab coat and official id tag and I had to share.

I think he's the handsomest chiropractor in the joint. Of course, I may be slightly biased. Magnum was also very impressed by his daddy's paraphenalia.

Anyway, Dr. Josh is now a reality. And I'm so excited he's getting to the fun parts of all this schoolwork - the part where he gets to help people.

January Happenings

Well it's still winter in Portland. It's warmed up to a nice 48 degrees (feels like 30 with the wind chill). In the past few days, we've had some strong winds, which means the low clouds that hide the beautiful mountains have been temporarily blown aside. This is the view at the park across the street from us when I got home tonight. You can see Mt. Hood in the background.

It's now getting dark around 5:20 PM, so I actually get to drive home in the daylight! Magnum has been having lots of fun with a new friend named Blake. He's a 7 week old puppy that our friends Trent and Tiffani just got. He's hilarious and to watch Magnum and this wee pup interact is even funnier. Tiffani and I were in stitchs watching Blake try to jump up on our "back porch" (more like oversized step). Blake would run and jump up, unfortunately clotheslining himself in the process. We sadly did not get that on video, but I did record Magnum and Blake's first meeting. They're a little wary of each other in the video, however, after several meetings they now get along even better. Magnum is tolerant when Blake bites his tail and Blake understands that to touch Magnum's bone is a declaration of war.

Have a great Groundhog's day tomorrow!!