Archive for August, 2009

Vacation & Update

August 30, 2009

I would like to let my clients know that I will be on vacation from Monday, August 31st through Monday, September 7th. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me, and I will get back with you as soon as we are back.

Also, you might notice that the blog is different (not nearly as gorgeous as it usually is ;) ). We have been having some technical issues, so hopefully I can get it straightened out soon and things will be back to normal once I return.

I hope everyone has a lovely week! This is our last until my son goes back to school, and we are planning on enjoying it as much as we can. :)

I have been *super* busy lately, and have severely neglected my blog. I am trying to make a vow to myself (and to my readers!) to post more often. Here is a wedding I did at the beautiful Topanga State Park. You can view more photos from this wedding in my featured section on my website.

Remember the lovely bridal portraits from the abandoned castle ruins? Well, the wedding was just as fun! Such a sweet couple with amazing family and friends. The setting was gorgeous, and there was so much thought and love put into this wedding.

I promised to post some of the kid friendly places that we visited while we were in the Portland area. Of course, there are literally endless possibilities, but with the time that we had, here are some places I definitely recommend you visit if you get the chance:

Jamison Fountain (in the Pearl district)- My kids absolutely *loved* this fountain. With the “waterfalls” and the shallow “tidal pool”, it was perfect for both my 6 year old and 16 month old. Children of all ages were there enjoying cooling off (for free btw) at this cute fountain in the middle of the city.

Cafe Sip-n-Play (Vancouver)- My husband and I were looking for a good place to take the kids to play and have lunch. This is the perfect place. The food was surprisingly really good, and the play area for the kids was *very* clean. There was even a smaller area for non-walking babies as well. Oh, and they have free wifi as well. It’s set up so that you can sit, have coffee, use your computer, etc while the kids go play and you can see them from where you are sitting. Very convenient. All the other children there were really well behaved as well (we have been to play areas where things get crazy and the little ones get trampled on, but here was surprisingly peaceful). The staff was super friendly as well.

Old Wives’ Tales Restaurant (Portland)- We weren’t expecting the amazing food that we had at this place. Maybe because we had had a long day, and the kids were restless, but when we got here, we were pleasantly surprised at the neat children’s play area, and fresh, natural foods. The kids had a blast playing in the play area (there are apparently three dining areas, so you have the option of sitting near the play area, or in another area for a more relaxing meal (if you don’t have kids of course ;) ). The food was *so* good. Definitely stop by if you get the chance, even without the kids. They are super vegetarian friendly as well.

New Renaissance Bookstore (Portland)- Conveniently located on NW 23rd in Portland (which is fun to walk around there also), this bookstore has so many neat books and other goodies. The children’s area is great. There is a little (very little, actually, but it kept the kids busy for a while!) area they can play in next to the children’s books. It had books, toys, etc they could play with.  They have all sorts of books ranging from religious, values, different perspectives on life, etc. Definitely worth going to if you’re in the area. And Powell’s isn’t too far either.

Whole Foods (Tigard)- Yes, that’s right. Whole Foods. The one in Tigard is seriously the coolest Whole Foods I’ve ever been to in my life (Although the one in Vancouver, WA had the friendliest people I’ve ever met in my life!).

Multnomah Falls- Beautiful. Gorgeous. Even just the drive there. Words can not describe how beautiful the Columbia River Gorge area is. The kids loved exploring and both thought the waterfalls (we saw several on the Historic Columbia River Highway) were just the coolest things ever.

Dutch Bros Coffee- Seriously *the* best coffee my husband and I have ever tasted. Ever. If anyone knows of a coffee place that beats out Dutch Bros PLEASE let me know, because I have never tasted coffee so good! WHY are there not any down here in southern California? Even northern California has some. They have kid friendly drinks there as well :)

That is my short list. There is a lot more. There are so many cool parks, nature trails, etc that we went to and I am bummed out I didn’t catch the names of them. Hope this list is helpful, and don’t forget to check these places out if you live or are ever in the area!

After getting a chance to go through some more photographs from when we drove up to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I feel the need to share more. We went to so many amazing places. We all had a so much fun. There are also some places I would like to recommend, so if you are ever in the area, definitely stop by and check them out. It is definitely a VERY kid friendly part of the country, and there are endless opportunities for educational fun, and the scenery is just amazing.

We went to a lavender field near Hood River, OR. It was super hot the day we decided to go (like 90 degrees..which is HOT to us ;) ), and of course it was the middle of the day in direct sun, but it smelled AMAZING. There was also a great view of I *believe* Mt Hood in the distance.

My sweet daughter:

Walking with her daddy:

Lovely view of Mt Hood behind the lavender field (we also got some homemade lavender soap and other goodies while we were there..let’s just say our car smelled *so* good on the way home!):

The beautiful Columbia River Gorge (there was a wedding taking place when we stopped by here, it was absolutely gorgeous, the *perfect* wedding location!):

We drove the Oregon coast on the way home..it was awesome- so many different scenic stops, each one unique. These were some coastal sand dunes on the way down:

A lighthouse on the Oregon coast:

If you are ever in Oregon, don’t forget to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Both of my kids really enjoyed it. It’s free, and you get to see some of the cheese making process (along with free cheese samples, which were delicious!). They even have a cafe inside (again, yummy!), a store with tons of fresh goodies, and fresh ice cream(SO many flavors to choose from!). We all had fun ;)

A drive north wouldn’t have been complete without visiting the amazing Redwood Forest in northern California. There are 2 drive thru trees on the way down, and the one we prefer is the Chandelier Tree (the other one was a disappointment..it really looked like the totally butchered the poor tree..). It was interesting watching some of the larger vehicles go through it (and some a little too large..). My son thought it was just amazing that our van fit through an actual tree. The redwoods themselves are absolutely beautiful and the air smells so fresh out there.

The beach along the coast of the redwood forest was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. The sand was gray/black and SO soft. It didn’t feel dirty even though it was dark in color. There was so much fog, and just seeing the trees along the coast was amazing. The kids had fun playing in the sand and we got to see some neat sea life while we were there (oh and dig holes as well ;) ).

Of course I have many more to I would love to share, but the photo opportunities in the Pacific Northwest are just endless.  I will share some *must visit* places in my next blog post for my readers who are local to the area, and for those who plan or hope to visit the area one day.