Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas was low-key but still very fun. We awoke with everything covered in snow (Lance is the photographer in most of these).

I forgot to include the actual dinner, but I took on the challenge of a gourmet Christmas dinner..vegetarian style!  

The menu:

Chinese Hot Pot Soup

Spinach Citrus Salad

Ratatouille with Quinoa  and Asparagus 

Chocolate Orange Avocado Mousse 

It actually ended up tasting quite yummy!

Getting through Rainy Days

The gorge is beautiful...but SO rainy.  With our new camera (our Christmas/Anniversary gift to ourselves), we've captured some really neat pictures of the area. 

Mount Hood on a snowy day:

Some very brave (or crazy/obsessed) souls still venturing out on the water in 35 degree weather:

Another waterfall pic

We've been spending a lot of time in Portland recently to get through the gloomy weather.  Rock climbing has been  recent hobby of ours..though we are still only beginners.  Ok, I am a beginner.  Lance has become quite good at it: 

A Favorite Pastime

Yes...I am one of "those dog owners who treats her/his dog like a kid and allows him/her to do practically anything..even if it is reckless or perhaps disruptive to others".

In my defense, those ducks probably needed the exercise..

A Much Needed Update

Most of our days here are rainy...which is quite different from Utah.  We quickly realized that waiting for the rain to stop before heading out to explore was not an achievable plan.  People around here apparently do things in the rain.  I now officially own my first umbrella and rain boots have transitioned from a cute accessory to a necessity.

There is plenty to see and do along the gorge as there are apparently 77(!) waterfalls on the Oregon side of the river alone. The hikes leading up to these falls remind me of our trip to Northern California because there are redwood trees and lots of moss along the way.

When we moved into our rental, I discovered that there was a local marathon taking place in two weeks.  I had the marathon bug and although I was very unprepared for it, I signed up and ran it.  It was a blast!

Finally, I have to talk about the bugs that are here...they are from an entirely different world.  Check out this little guy who was chilling in the kitchen sink:

I thought spiders had too many legs!!

Nomads

Just kidding.  We found a home! At least for the winter...

On our way to Washington we passed through this beautiful town and fell in love with it.  Coco and I were both getting whiny so Lance decided we should stay awhile (we didn't take this picture):

Hood River, OR--apparently a popular spot for windsurfing/wind sailing/any sport involving wind.  The Columbia Gorge runs straight through this area, which also happens to be the dividing line between Washington and Oregon.  We found a rental on the Washington side (the side in which the picture was taken from). Here is the little rental home we found:

We also found a beautiful hike full of waterfalls just fifteen minutes from our place:

View of the gorge:

Lance standing in front of the steaming Mt St Helens...about two hours from our place:

Family Pictures

For months I've been meaning to have pictures taken, and my talented little sister offered to do a quick session for us just before we left Utah.  These were some of my favorites.

Coco's First Time at the Beach

Earlier this summer we decided to hit the road once again...this time for a much shorter trip. Coco was ready to go the minute I packed our bag.

Needless to say, she loved California!

Two Marathons in Three Weeks

Just to say that I could...so I did...and I probably won't try that again.

Ogden Marathon

Utah Valley Marathon

       

Across the USA: Week 5

For the final week of our trip, we headed straight for home while stopping at a few places.  I noticed this last leg has fewer pictures and even less with us in them...we were eager to be done. 

We drove briefly through New Orleans and visited the Lower Ninth Ward:

We stopped in Louisiana to see the Bayous...these pictures are of a community we came across built around waterways. This was such a fun stop and a little bit of a culture shock. We even ate crocodile! 

 

Along the South of Texas, we were able to take the car on a ferry.  This was pretty exciting to us.  We also went swimming at a beach--very relaxing after touring so many busy cities. 

We stopped in San Antonio, which is another one of my favorite places.  Below is The Alamo.

The beautiful river walk which spreads throughout downtown San Antonio 

Then, just before heading back to Utah we visited Mesa Verde in Colorado. 

Across the USA: Week 4

Finally...(this blogging thing is hard to do) week 4 brought us down the coast.  We were able to see many of the large cities, which was fun. 

Plymouth Rock!! It was a little bit disappointing....(It's smaller than it even looks in the picture)

Vanderbilt mansion we were able to tour in Rhode Island--my dream home.  

Paul Revere's house in Boston.

Battle of Bunker Hill Monument in Boston. 

From the top of the monument...unfortunately it was snowing but the view was still worth the long climb. 

On to New York City!!  From the top of the Empire State Building: 

New York Exchange

Then we headed to Philadelphia which was rich with history. Liberty Bell below: 

Where the Constitution was first signed (Independence Hall--including the actual chair which was used by George Washington):

Of course...we had to have a Philly from the "original" Philly place. 

Baltimore, Maryland Harbor

Washington Monument in DC:

More DC

Interesting things we found in the Smithsonian:

More DC

Savannah, Georgia...One of the most beautiful places in the US, in my opinion.  These pictures were taken in the city's famous cemetery: