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

Mom and Dad Porter: Part II

I know we have a lot of catching up to do so I'll pick up where I left off. We had a wonderful time with my mom and dad when they came to Portland. We thought that the best way to show them Portland would be to introduce them to the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the Rose City. So we went to the Portland State Farmer's Market, the downtown Saturday Market (arts and crafts), yummy Italian food in the Pearl district at Piazza Italia, and took a stroll on the Riverwalk. I also got to spend some time showing them some of the cool natural areas by taking a walk through the Tualatin Hills Nature Preserve.


After that, they spent some time in California with my sister and her family, but were soon back for a final day in Portland. So what better place to spend a nice, relaxing evening than at the McMenamin's Rock Creek Tavern. Not only did we introduce them to the Cajun totts, but we had some awesome desserts as well (Chocolate Porter Torte and Marrionberry Crisp...YUM!). We loved spending time with them and can't wait to do it again.

It's hot...just ask Autumn

103 degrees with no air conditioning is no fun for a kitty of my *ahem* fluffiness.

Mom and Dad Porter: Part 1

Next on the booking list at the Casa de Porter were my parents, Bruce and Janice. First, they got to see their boy get to play the best sport ever...Kickball! Yeah, I know. Grown men and women playing kickball. But it's a blast. After that we spent some time around Beaverton and Portland. We all went to a Portland Timbers game together and mom and dad got to see the Timber Army in action. (Note to Park Officials: Never toss out any object out to the fans unless you want them tossed back on the field during the game at the other team.)

The next day we all hopped in the car and went to the coast (again). We went to Camp 18 (again), where Alli wouldn't let me eat another cinnamon roll by myself. She said all that butter and sugary goo was bad for my heart. I responded with, "That's OK. It's just giving my heart a workout." (Thanks Chris!) For some reason, she still said no. Hmm. So we got back on the road and went to Cannon Beach and Astoria...and yes, another Goonie tour. I tried to get dad to do the Truffle Shuffle but he wouldn't.

Killer Boots Man!

Every time my parents visit, I love sitting down and chatting with my dad. It's always fun to catch up. When we were younger, dad used to take us on motorcycle rides when we were little. I'm not quite sure why he sold his bike back then, but earlier this year he went out and bought another bike. It's one thing to hear about your dad riding his motorcycle and another thing to actually see him on the bike. While they were visiting, he brought us this picture. I didn't know my dad could look so tough...and cool!

JJJ&S Part 3

Sorry for the backtracking, but in order to catch up there is a bit of it to be done. No trip to Oregon is complete without visiting Astoria. On the way we hit up Camp 18, where I was able to actually finish a whole cinnamon roll by myself. It was a true test of strength and determination. (Alli just thinks I'm an idiot.) After that, we went to Cannon beach for lunch on the beach and wrapped up the day with the Goonie tour and a visit to the column. We really loved seeing John, Jolie, Josh, and Stephanie and were really glad that we got to spend some pre-baby time with you.

ARG!

I know, I know. It's been a while since we have posted anything. But when your computer's hard drive crashes and takes with it all of your pictures and music with it, it takes a while to get back on your feet. I guess Alli and I have just had bad luck with Macs. So after a new hard drive, an additional external hard drive, and the new Leopard operating system, I think we finally have things under control.

John Plot's How To Destroy Alli At Blokus

Fun with JJJ&S: Part 2

After introducing them to our new church home at Sunset, all of us went to 23rd street to do a little shopping. From there we went to Powell's City of Books and then on to Henry's Tavern. There was no way we could let them leave Portland without trying their Beer Cheddar Potato Soup and the Cajun Mac and Cheese. YUMM!


The next day we continued the tour of downtown and went to Pioneer Square, the Riverwalk area, and wandered around the city. Even though we have been there quite a few times, it's always fun to find new things you hadn't seen before (See the sign on the fence :).

Alli had also heard about an awesome little Cuban place on the other side of the river, so all of us jumped in our cars and went to Pambiche. The food was great, the atmosphere was excellent, and all of the desserts looked heavenly. They even make wedding cakes there! It felt like we were somewhere in Miami and all that was missing was Bruce Campbell as Sam from Burn Notice (which is begins season two in 8 days, YIPEE!).

Lastly, no trip is complete (to anywhere) without a trip to the magical world of IKEA.

Fun with JJJ&S: Part 1

So maybe I should explain. JJJ&S stands for Jon, Jolie, Josh, and Stephanie, and all of them got to stay with us for the past few days. One good thing...it was great that all of us got to hang out together in the same place for the last four days. One bad thing...I wouldn't recommend having six people stay in one place longer than a week with only one bathroom. Even Autumn had to wait her turn! We wanted to show them all of the awesome Oregon treasures that we have found, so what better way to welcome them to Oregon than taking them to Embry Hall for some cajun tots and pub grub.

Lazy Summer Walks

One of the best things about living in Oregon is the ability to find small areas of woods to take walks through. It's just my luck that Orachard Park also has a disc golf course as well. It's very comforting to know that we can easily "get away" from the normal grind. We've found so many trails and places to hike that we feel like we are back at camp all over again.

Summer Project #1: New Fish Tank

Towards the end of the year,we knew that we were going to have some problems with the size of our fish tank due to the hanky-panky that was going on with our fish. So we decided to upgrade to a 30 gallon tank this last week. Good think we did because as I was moving the fish from one tank to the other I happened to see something new...another new batch of babies. Just to give you the scale, here is one in a glass measuring cup.


The funny thing was that after we moved them all, they broke out into a conga line and started swimming their tails off.


This also allowed us to add some new fish to the tank as well as discover one of the best fish stores ever...The Wet Spot. They not only had the hugest tanks I have ever seen, but they had the best cichlids and multiple breeds that I have ever seen. We ended up adding a few Labidochromis chisumulae and some Pseudotropheys sp. "Zebra Long Pelvic Mdoka" to the tank.


All in all, the tank is awesome and all the fish are now happy that they aren't all cramped in the smaller tank. The good news is that I had a parent of one of my students give me a 50 gallon tank for my classroom. Man, i can't wait to get that one set up.