Portland

I haven't yet posted pictures or written about our trip to Portland last weekend. It was a great weekend and so relaxing. I loved the hotel we stayed in; it was beautiful and fancy but not "snobby." I love Priceline!
There was a little "loft" area above the lobby that was a nice place to sit and read. I read an entire book over the course of the weekend. It was that relaxing!

When we weren't reading, eating, or shopping, napping was a viable option...

The lobby

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the time we got to spend in Powell's, a huge used and new bookstore. We definitely spent WAY too much money here but got some great steals, including a collection of Spurgeon's books among some other good stuff!

We spent an evening at a great little bar called "Huber's," which is an old bar in downtown, it's been open since the 1800's! The place was packed and they made these fun Spanish coffees right in front of your table with flaming alcohol in the glass.

Saturday afternoon we returned to a place we'd eaten before called "Kenny and Zuke's." They make good sandwiches (if slightly overpriced) and it was in walking distance of our hotel.

Sunday afternoon before coming home, we went for a little hike in Forest Park, the nation's largest urban forest. It was beautiful, but as we were headed back, it started pouring rain. I was glad we got the rain on the tail end of the hike. I was also pleased with the way our pictures turned out this afternoon.

It was really hard to come home to our busy lifestyle but it was exciting to have a good, relaxing getaway together. We really needed the rejuvenation as individuals and for our marriage. I think it's so important to spend time together alone when we can, even when things are going well in our marriage. As Jesse always says, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Our weekend away was much more than an ounce of prevention!