Home Fixer-upper Projects

I was finally able to complete two major projects as Sherri & I have been settling into our new home. For awhile now we have been dryerless since the dryer hookup was mysteriously not connected to the electrical box. Come to find out, it was hidden behind the sheetrock in an adjacent wall. After plenty of head-scratching and detective work, I was able to cut a small piece of drywall out and feed the remaining wire around the corner into the electrical box and whalla- dryer is up and running. There was also a leaky shut-off valve in the basement that was corroded beyond recognition. Plumbing projects scare me the most since you always have to cross your fingers that everything works right when you turn the water back on. Fortunately, everything tuned out just fine, and I can cross two biggies off the fixer-upper list.

Treasure In Our New Garden

After cleaning out the garden at our new home today, I found some great treasure. I plucked a bunch of green beans that were climbing up and over the back fence, and later dug up some seriously huge "What's Up Dock" carrots. Anyone is welcome to come over for some green bean & carrot stew. Mia was in heaven since one of her favorite treats just happens to be carrots. Not sure she enjoyed the green beans as much, but she did gnaw on one for awhile.

Remodeling Projects

Sherri & I have been busy tackling some remodeling projects at home. We started with painting the living room, then ventured into the kitchen with new countertops. The downstairs of our house is still a bit of a mess, but things are coming together quite nicely. Here's what we've got to show so far.

Finally some paint on the walls

New Acrylic Kitchen Countertops

Built-in sink (hooking the garbage disposal back up was a BEAR!)

Frankenstein Bunny

Mia has a new favorite toy. We call it her Frankenstein Bunny because after she chews an ear or leg off, I sew it back together to make it last longer.

Shamrock 15K Run

These past couple weeks, Sherri's brother Jim and his family have been camping out with us at our house over Spring Break. Sherri & Caroline ran the Portland 15K Shamrock Run together. It was a grueling climb up the Terwilliger curves and then all downhill to the finish. They looked awesome all decked-out in their Leprechaun gear.

Mia's Snow Beard

This scene may not seem so out of the ordinary for those of you covered in snow half the year, but it was quite a surprise for us in Portland. Mia sure had fun with her first experience playing around in the white stuff. Local news referred to it as the "2014 Winter Blast," providing us with a welcomed three day weekend.

Julie's Winter Break Visit

We had so much fun during Julie’s visit this Winter break. Sherri & I picked her up from the airport late Friday night (2am MN time). Mia was just as excited to see Julie since it was her chance for a sleeping buddy on the guest bed. The next morning, we walked Mia over to the park where she showed off her zoom-zooms. Then, we drove downtown to Powell’s Bookstore so Julie could experience some Portland ‘flavor.' The place was cram packed, more crowded then we’ve ever seen it. The first oddity Julie noticed was the way Portlanders cross the street whenever and wherever they so desire. For lunch we found some tasty orange chicken just down the street at one of our favorite happy hour restaurants. After bumping into more than enough people for one day, we headed back home to snack on the homemade Christmas treats Julie brought from MN. My favorite was plain old peanut brittle- I hadn’t tasted that stuff in ages. Sunday, we hiked from our house to the top of Powell Butte with Mia. We were unable to see Mt. Hood through all the fog, causing Julie to doubt whether it actually exists. That evening, we invited a teacher friend over for a double feature Redbox movie night. The following day we drove out to the coast for some sight seeing at Ecola State Park. Since the trail to Ecola point was washed out, we decided to take the back route and bushwhack through the woods, allowing us to have the scenic overlook all to ourselves. Tuesday, we set out in search for the infamous Viewpoint Inn (location used in the filming of ‘Twilight’). Come to find out, the building had caught fire, and the abandoned property now looks more like a crime scene, all wrapped in caution tape. Continuing further into the Columbia Gorge we visited Latourelle Falls and then hiked to the very top of Multnomah Falls. Lately, Mia’s been a little sloppy on leash, so Julie helped us retrain her on the way up. At each switchback, we’d stop and have Mia sit until we were ready to go again. Wednesday, we shopped the Woodburn Outlet Mall where Julie made out like a bandit. Sherri & I introduced her to two of our favorite stores- Marrell and GoLite. Julie also had to get something from the Columbia store after declaring it the official brand of Oregon. She says everyone here wears some form of grey colored Columbia clothing. That night we toasted in celebration of a new year while the neighbor’s music shook the walls of our house. We fought back by watching TV with really loud surround sound. During our final day together, we took Mia to the dog park across the street from our school where she ended up playing/flirting with a huge Newfoundland dog named Henry. Afterwards, Sherri gave Julie a tour of her classroom. For dinner, Sherri prepared an amazing hash brown casserole, ham, and cookie salad. Throughout the week we shared some really memorable conversations together. We’ll miss having her around.

Great street sign of biker dude getting caught up in the trolly tracks.

Group shot while hiking in the spooky fog up at Powell Butte.

View from Ecola Point just north of Cannon Beach.

Mia jumped into my arms just before the self timer went off.

Sherri expressing her vast knowledge of costal geology.

So much fun spending time with my big sister.

Self portrait photo shoot with Haystack Rock in the distance.

My beautiful wife.

Julie snatched a great silhouette of a tall pine.

Sherri worked some magic on this photo of a lonely lighthouse.

Julie holding Haystack Rock in the palm of her hand.

Our favorite saying of the trip- inside joke.

Mia performing tricks on the beach.

Crack in the wall with noisy marine life attached to the sides.

Julie snapped a great night photo of Haystack Rock.

Taking in the scenery at the base of Latourell Falls.

Mia was super excited to be out hiking with us.

Enjoying a healthy snack at the top of Multnomah Falls.