Ben's Music

Ben's been working a lot lately on his music and has also been working on a site where he can share his music with anyone. The site is drop.io/portermusic. There's also a link to it on our Websites We Like area on the side. As of now, he has three of his new songs posted and is currently working on two more. It's kind of like a blog, so you can also post comments and do stuff like that. Enjoy!

A white Christmas filled with comfort food and the bump!

Merry Christmas everyone! We are enjoying our first white Christmas. However, this means that we are also celebrating our first Christmas alone since we weren't sure about the road conditions between here and Uncle John and Aunt Alexis'. Oh well, we have had a very nice and quiet Christmas - I'm sure baby will make sure that future Christmases aren't quite so quiet!

Yesterday we went to the 3pm Christmas Eve service at Sunset and then came home to make our very own comfort food Christmas. We ate all of our favorite holiday foods - brie with blackberry preserves and crackers, cranberry juice with 7 Up, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, Hawaiian rolls, cranberry sauce (the kind shaped like the can - the best), and Ben's famous turkey rub on some Cornish game hens. Yum! To finish it all off we ate the rest of the pumpkin and chocolate bars from Rose and Tyler (thanks guys, they were awesome!). A little National Lampoon's Holiday Vacation and a fire and the evening was complete. We also gave Autumn her present a little early so she would have something to play with and wouldn't drive Ben crazy at night anymore.



Oh, and as my little gift to all you bloggers out there (you know who you are), here's a picture of the baby bump.


Hope everyone had a great holiday! Love you!

Getting Ready for Baby

With all of the snow keeping us in our apartment, I couldn't help but do something. Since Alli has begun to nest and talk about the baby room, I thought I needed to do some nesting of my own...which means moving around furniture. Since the side room is going to be the baby's room, everything had to go but the desk (we'll keep it in there since there isn't any room out in the main area).


We also replaced the coffee table (all those sharp edges) with puffy squares of black leather that hold all kinds of goodies inside of them (great for keeping future toys in). This also makes lots of floor space for a future crawler/blanket/play area.


The bookshelves went in our room.


I had to rearrange my guitars and comics so that they only took up half of the closet instead of spreading out over the entire closet. And lastly, Autumn now thinks that we have created a wild and crazy new area for her to play... Kitty Jail!


Needless to say, it actually has helped me mentally prepare for our future child. Now everything is almost in it's right place. Gotta get ready for baby, right? I guess we'll see when he arrives.

My favorite snow/holiday picture so far...

Pioneer Courthouse Square sits at the center of downtown and is sometimes called "Portland's living room". There is a statue there of a man holding an umbrella (pretty appropriate for Oregon, don't you think?) called Allow Me. Here's a picture that I found on the Oregonian's site this morning.

Snow, Ice, Snow...And It Just Keeps Comin'

Here are the latest pictures from our warm, cozy apartment. We have yet to brave the snow much yesterday and today. Ben went out yesterday morning to buy a 7-day feeder for the fish in his classroom and to take the garbage out. Then this morning church was canceled, so that's about all we have done. Lots of tea, movies, and blankets this weekend. Us poor, little Californian's have no idea what to do! Fortunately, neither do the Portlanders! Here's to the possibility that work is closed tomorrow!

Yeah, that's a little more snow than the picture from our last post...

Notice the ice from the freezing rain this morning!

Sweaters and Snow

Alli and I went to our first Ugly Sweater party for the Sunset worship team. We went as the annoying couple who dresses exactly the same...same colors, same types of clothing. But Jay, Tyler, and Julie definitely took the cake for having the nastiest sweaters in the whole group.


Meanwhile, we got our first snow of the year.


It was nice to have an extra Snow Day to chill as a family, but the following day Alli had to go to work and bring home the bacon. So Autumn and I did this...


Tomorrow is even going to be yet another snow day for Beaverton School District. I guess I can begin cleaning out the side room for the baby. Oh well. So much for Spring Cleaning. It's Winter Cleaning time!

It's a boy!

So, what do you think?

Face and hand

Full-length

Feet!

More feet

Arm and hand with super cute fingers!

Pics from the last post

For some reason I couldn't get pictures in that last post, so here they are.

Our tree. Isn't she pretty?

Shaken and baled and ready to go in the Fit!

The finished product! Definitely my favorite tree we have ever had.

Nicki, Stephanie, Tege holding Zachary (Stephanie's little one), Tara, June, and me at Evening in December. The crowns came out the party crackers at our table.

Holy updates, Batman!

It's been a while, so here goes...

1. Nicki's Birthday: I (Alli) and a bunch of other girls from our Care Group got together a few Friday nights ago to help Nicki celebrate her 30th birthday. We surprised her with a party planned by her husband, Craig, complete with yummy Italian food and a personalized in-home wine tasting. The guy who did the wine tasting was amazing! He brought different wines and cheeses from different regions in France (some of which he has visited). He was extremely knowledgeable and has some great stories about each winery. Thanks, Tege, for letting me smell your wine since I wasn't tasting!

2. Clint's Birthday: The next night Ben and I went out to the Raccoon Lodge for some good ol' pub grub and to celebrate Clint's birthday (one of Ben's friends). We had a great time with Clint and Marla, Sean and Susan, and some of Clint's friends. Ben also wants me to mention that he introduced Clint to the Skull Splitter.

3. Praise Night with the Rockson's: We started off the Thanksgiving festivities the night before with Praise Night at church. Ben and the worship team put together and awesome night of worship and we brought along the Rockson's (one of Ben's past students and her parents). I think it was a fantastic way to start a season of thanksgiving (and the team rocked!).

4. Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving started out with me making WAY too many rolls. I bought some super yummy frozen rolls and set out quite a few thinking they would be on the small side like Grandma Abraham's famous rolls...3 hours later they had risen to gigantic proportions! I didn't know what else to do, but cook them all. Needless to say, there was no shortage of rolls at Thanksgiving or for the next few days. The rest of that day we spent at Uncle John and Aunt Alexis'. We had a great time with the family and all of their friends - this is the third holiday we have spent with the Cryder's (they're beginning to feel like family!). That afternoon was pretty typical: stuff ourselves silly, Ben falls asleep, we all play some games, and then we take a break to eat dessert. Thanks Uncle John and Aunt Alexis for having us over!

5. Sushi, Wii, and Guitar Hero with Clint and Marla: That weekend we met up with Clint and Marla and grabbed some sushi at Hot Pot n Sushi. We stuffed ourselves on raw fish (I ate fake crab and veggie rolls - wee!), and then went back to our place to watch Clint and Marla duke it out on Wii boxing. Funniest thing I have ever seen and I'm pretty sure that Marla kicked some butt. After some Wii sports, lots of bowling, and some sweet tunes on Guitar Hero we called it a night. Thanks so much for the laughs, guys!

6. Lunch with the Wright's: So a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...I (Alli) used to live in Salinas, CA. My family left Salinas and moved to the valley in 1990, so it has been a long time since I have seen anyone from there. Until Thanksgiving weekend. My mom talked to an old friend and we all realized that they don't live too far from us. We thought it would be fun to get together. Greg and Judy were good friends of my parents and I used to play with Jenny...19 years ago! After church on Sunday, Ben and I headed out to their house for lunch. We had so much fun! The Wright's were just the greatest hosts and it was so fun to see Jenny and meet her new husband, John. We had a great time reminiscing, laughing, and just getting to know each other again. It was great to catch up with them. Thanks for a great time and yummy lunch, Wright's!

7. Our first Oregon tree: So since we were in Fresno last year (and because Autumn was a teeny, tiny kitty) we decided not to get a tree. But because we are sticking around this year, we thought it was time to get our first Oregon Christmas tree. By 'Oregon tree' I mean that Ben actually had to cut it down. We went out to a farm in Helvetia (out in the country northwest of us), grabbed a saw, and started down the hill to the trees. They had Nobles and Grands to choose from and they were all beautiful! We finally found the one we wanted and Ben set to work - I did my job as a pregnant lady and stood back and watched. Ben made quick work of the tree, and with the help of the guy in the diesel cart, we got it back up the hill. After going through the shaker and the baler, the tree was ready to go home. By the way, old dude, our tree totally fit in our car! Getting it up 2 flights of stairs was another story...pivot! Anyway, we got it all set up and decorated today and it looks awsome!

8. Evening in December: Last night I (Alli) met up with most of the Care Group ladies to attend Evening in December at our church. The event stated with a marketplace full of vendors with super cute handmade items (it's a good thing I don't know if I'm having a boy or a girl because I would have spent way too much money!). The rest of the evening we were at a very nice table hosted and decorated by Tege and Nicki while we watched a children's fashion show. It was so fun and the whole event was to support Orphans Overseas - a great charity run by our pastor's wife. The evening was just lots of girly fun and I was so excited to spend more time with the CG ladies.

9. Baby update: Stay tuned...I have an ultrasound on Tuesday where we will get the 'tour' of our baby and find out the gender! I'll post pics as soon as I get them.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

(Ok, I can't get the pictures to work so I'll post them later.)

Fall Colors

We love the fact that there is an actual Fall that lasts longer than a couple of weeks here in Oregon. Although I do miss looking off the old patio in Fresno and watching that one tree change colors (you know the one, Chris) while spectacular sunsets blazed in the pre-night sky, that one tree pales in comparison with the oodles of colorful trees in the area. With all of the mixtures of colors, you can't go through the day without saying to yourself, "Man, this is beautiful!" Here are some pictures from our apartment complex that will give you an idea of how colorful the great state of Oregon really is. Enjoy!

The Harvest Fest in Hood River

Last Saturday, Ben and I decided it was time to get out and see the fall colors. We decided to check out the Harvest Fest in Hood River. Hood River is a small town about an hour and a half east of us on the Columbia River - also known for some of the best windsurfing in the world. We started our day at the actual Harvest Fest on the waterfront complete with an assortment huge apples, caramel corn, roasted almonds, crafts, and music. We then headed south on the 35-mile Hood River Fruit Loop to visit a few of the local farms. The farms offered a variety of activities - baked goods, flowers, fresh cider (and anything else you can think of made from apples), wine tasting (which I could not participate in and Ben decided not to make me watch him taste the yummy wine), tons of fresh produce (apples, pears, pumpkins, gourds), activities for kids (including a corn maze which was to be the highlight of my day, and turned out to be a corn-path and Ben and I were the tallest people inside), lots of yummy food, more crafts, and...alpacas. The alpacas were so cute and for just a few quarters, we got to hand-feed them treats. There was even a mama with her baby who nearly bit our hands off she was so hungry - feeding a baby must be hard work! We ended the day by wandering through Hood River and barely making the last tour of the day at Full Sail Brewery. It was a fabulous tour and we each got a Full Sail pint glass. After sharing some fish and chips in the restaurant overlooking the river and a brownie (actually, Ben had the beer sampler and I ate the brownie - only seems fair), we headed on home.

Columbia River

That's a huge apple!

Gourds!

Mt. Hood

Mt. Adams seen through the corn not-a-maze

Alli scratching the alpaca's pomp

We're pregnant!

Baby Porter is due on April 29, 2009.

Ben's New Blog

Since this is our family blog, I thought it would be nice to have some place to share all of the random thoughts that occur in my head...so I made my own blog. It's called the Three Bell Chime. Check it out by the link below or by clicking on my name on the right!

Ben

threebellchime.blogspot.com

Better Worshippers

As Sunset, I've had the pleasure of helping lead worship, but I was kind of shocked that they also asked me to be involved in the latest video production on how we can become better worshippers. So I went and did what I could to help out and was myself...which can sometimes be a good and a bad thing. Good news is that they saw something that they thought would be good enough to share with the church. The bad new is that I didn't think I could get that embarrassed by seeing myself up on the screen during church. Oh well. At least I was truly genuine in my answers. So here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Better Worshippers: Part 1


Better Worshippers: Part 2

Fall Kick-off at Sunset

God had been doing wonderful things for Alli and I at Sunset Presbyterian over the last year. Not only have the two of us been able to really get involved in our Care Group, but God has opened some doors for me to be on the Worship Team. I have also started serving on the Worship Leadership Team. Jay asked me to join and I was blown away. I have always thought of doing something along these lines but have been waiting patiently for God to show me when he felt I was ready. The awesome thing is that being part of this team has helped me strengthen some of the friendship I have made over the last year at Sunset, especially with Jay and Tyler. This Sunday was also an awesome experience...my first fall kick-off service. They hauled live trees onto the stage! It felt like we were playing in Narnia! I tried to talk Nick into dressing up in a gnome outfit while he played bass, but we felt it might have been a little distracting. Oh well. The best part was that it made the church feel a lot less sterile and more natural. But then again, I guess that's what all of us Oregonians are all about. Here's some pics so you can see how cool it looks. Thanks for the pics, Ryan!



On a weirder note, a few members of the worship team were able to get custom ear molds for their ear buds. Thanks Jay! There's nothing like letting a stranger stick things in your ears and then shoot gushy stuff in to cast a mold. It was one of those times where you tell yourself, "That was weird...and kind of cool...but I don't think I ever want to do that again."

Jay and Tyler with the pink, gushy, molding stuff in their ears.

Amelia and Chris and the Ogden Family...and the Chateau Porter is closed for the season

So Amelia and Chris were our last visitors of the season. We had tons of fun and I think we managed to visit 4 wineries and 5 pubs/breweries - awesome. They flew in on an early flight Sunday morning so we took them straight to Voo-Doo Doughnut (a quirky local fave) and the Saturday Market for some window shopping. We ended our busy morning with lunch at Kell's Irish Pub (Ben's favorite Portland pub). Then on Monday Amelia mapped out 4 wineries for us to visit in the Willamette Valley (Oregon's wine country). We had a great time and had some very tasty - and not-so-tasty - wine along with a picnic at one of our stops. Tuesday Ben took the kids out to Forest Park for some quality time with nature and then spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home. Wednesday, their last day in the great state of Oregon, we went sightseeting in downtown Portland and the Pearl District then met up with me (Alli) after work for our last breaking of break at the Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl District (making that pub numer 5) before dropping them off at the airport. We are so happy that they were able to get a cheap flight and come up and visit us for a few days!

Ben's Crunch Berry Doughnut - mmm!

Lunch at Kell's

The Willamette Valley

Taking a break from the wine tasting

Hanging out at Rogue Brewery in the Pearl District

The boys being silly

The girls trying to be silly, but laughing so hard the camera is shaking!

Right after we dropped Amelia and Chris off at the airport, we headed back to downtown to meet Jenny and Phil Ogden who were in town for his brother Doug's wedding. We all met for drinks at Portland City Grill and hung out with a great view of the city from the 30th floor. We had a great time catching up with them! Thanks for taking some time to hang out with us!

Me, Ben, Jenny, Phil, Doug, and Vanessa

Mom and Dad Shepard

Mom and Dad Porter left on Sunday and Mom and Dad Shepard arrived on Monday! They were here for a week and we just did lots of hanging out around home. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were spent doing some sightseeing: Ben and Dad went hiking in Forest Park, we visited the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden, went to brunch at Sanborn's, and ate at McMenamin's Rock Creek Tavern (again). We are so glad that they were able to come up here again and loved spending time with them. Here's some pics of our week together.

Forest Park

Japanese Garden

Japanese Garden

International Rose Test Garden