2023 – September part III
Hey, Part III, the conclusion of September (notice how I changed the parts for this month from 1, 2, etc. to I, II, III) in the same way Back to the Future did? We found that being so active had made us want to stay active. The kids had gotten a free membership to the Zoo via their school, so we took a trip to visit on the weekend. Even splurged and went on the Zoo Train (because Luca said it was the Back in Time train). The kids are funny. They enjoyed going to the zoo. I wish though that the temps would be a tad cooler. It’s been in the mid to high 80s and at this point, I’d like to be sitting in the low 70s. We have done a few cookouts as of late. Made some steak on the barbie and even threw some wood on…
2023 – September Part II
Hey again, So after the Hill Valley festival, we spent the night at my parent’s place (in Sacramento), and the next morning – just like that we were on our way back. The kids were a little tired and slept a good portion of the way back. It was a long ride back, but worth it. We only went for one day of the event. There were 3 days, and on the last day, they had the Delorean back on the train tracks once again. Maybe next time. September 11th was the following day. We took a trip down to Salem to visit the memorial that was opened to the public for the first time since the pandemic. I must say, it was a nice memorial. They had part of the Pentagon and the WTC. One thing I haven’t seen in the other memorials we have visited was that grey…
Back in Time… Back to 1885.
Hey everyone, We are going back in time to 1885 for one day! Here is a photo of our trip down to Northern California. We took a trip and spent a total of one day before turning around and coming back home. Here is a photo of our trip across the timeline. The last time we made a trip for any Back to the Future events was in 2015 when we took a trip to Universal Studios and other spots across southern California where they filmed the trilogy. We’ve never even ventured to see the sites where they filmed the Old West and this year that will change. So we have NEVER done anything dress up where myself and Sky would participate. This time we decided to join in. We matched with the area. Above is a picture with the Undertaker (from BTTF III) Mr. Marvin J McIntyre. Pretty cool…
2023 – September Part I
Hey everyone, We started off September (and meteorological fall) by going to the apple farm on the west side of town. It takes a bit to get to our location, but it’s worth it every time. We picked up some McIntosh apples to make a pie and just to eat as well. We also got their happy hour deal. A cold drink of apple cider accompanied by some warm apple cider donuts. Yummy. After we went to the farm, we decided to keep going west. Heading all the way out to the coast. It has been a LONG time since we had some Bowpicker fish and chips. Since we happened to be nearby, we stopped to eat. Then we spent the rest of the evening at the beach letting the kids run around and go crazy. We took another trip a few days later to go storm chasing. Yeah.. it…
2023 – August part 2
Hey again, As mentioned in the previous post, our car had a message come up. That meant we needed to take it to the dealer to get it fixed. Turns out it needs a new transmission (which apparently includes some of the hybrid components). The ETA for this to be completed is (according to them) at least a month. They had no rentals available at the dealer for us and also did not have any loaners. So what do we do? We rented a car for the month. We have little option.. otherwise, we have no way to get anywhere. We took the MAX to the airport. Halfway there we found out that they were doing repairs on the line so we had to take a bus for the 2nd half of the trip. I haven’t been on a city bus since, probably in London in 2017. Speaking of London,…
2023 – August part 1
Hey there Happy August! We are at the turning point, hopefully, at the end of this month our weather will start to get cooler. Even if slowly… It’s something. We started off the month by picking up a bunk bed for Luca’s room so that he and the new kiddo can share the space and make better use of it. Right now we still keep a third bed in the room for when we have visitors. We also have had an electric company come out to the house and install a level two charger for our PHEV. The state pays for it to be done and will reimburse 100% of the cost, so at that point why not get it done while they are having this offer? We went to church (as we have been doing with our new schedule, strictly on Saturday evening). Enrolled the kids in VBS (Vacation…
2023 – July part 2
Hey again, Quick work update: it looks like this next role will have me shifting the hours we have been working. Instead of the typical 8 to 5, M-F, we will be shifting from (depending on the day) 12 to 8 and 2 to 10. Some calls go until midnight or later. Days off are Friday and Saturday. Not so impressed with those hours, but it’ll pay the bills. This week is pretty much our last week of a normal schedule before we shift over. This is also a week where the kids have been able to go to VBS. Pretty typically when they go, we have driven to other locations. We find a spot to charge the car, then find something to do. One day we took Luca to Mcdonald’s, another day we went for dessert at the Cheesecake factory. Just depends on where we were. Here is a…
2023 – July part 1
Hey there We are in July! I made it another month through the uncertain times of finding a project. It looks like they have something lined up for later this month for me to start on. The beginning of July typically is just a lot of places hosting things with a 4th of July theme. We returned to the church outing this year (last year they had mega-Maga stuff throughout). This time around it was much more tame and none of those items were seen this year. The kids enjoyed it as there was a firetruck (seen below) as well as a Ghostbusters car (ECTO 1 replica). Before going in for the service we took a quick photo for the kids to mark the occasion. The service was noted as a “patriotic service” however the army person they had preaching ended up surprising all of us with what he said.…
2023 – June part 3
Hey, Since Elijah is gone, we decided to try and make the time that we have with Ara and Luca as special as it can be. We gathered up some wood and had a smores cookout. Took her out to dinner at a restaurant of her choice. (Bannings Restaurant & Pie House). We rounded things out with a trip to Multnomah Falls. We got her an Ice Cream cone, Luca an Ice Cream Cone, and a cookie to split. Then we walked to the falls and enjoyed the view. It never gets old having this much beauty in your backyard. I can’t count the number of times we have been to the falls in the Gorge. We have been to Multnomah Falls in every weather/season. Fall leaves? check. Snow? Check. Spring? Check. Summer? Check check check. What’s nice is that we sometimes splurge and get the crazy-priced items they sell…
2023 – June part 2
hey again, If you have been reading for any amount of time, or even know us, then you know we have a thing for waterfalls. We decided to take a trip (a good 60-mile trip) to go see these falls. They were on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Panther Creek Falls! Check out the photos below: These are some of the prettiest falls that we have seen. They definitely rank up near the top. The kids liked the hike (and yes, this was an actual hike) but nothing too difficult, and I’d say this was on the easy side of the ones we have done. We baked a cake to make an announcement to Grammy and Grampy. and then we were able to enjoy an ever-so-rare few days of RAIN in JUNE!! Yeah, it seems crazy. I absolutely love the rain, and cooler weather in general. The…