it's frightening those lyrics just don't leave your head easily!
Bill and I left work early on Friday and headed over the snow covered mountains to get a 'culture fix.' something that i am missing like crazy these days. i am simply not feeling it here is Sisters, Oregon.
i snagged a sweet deal on a brand new hotel, that we have donned as our new 'Portland Favorite Hotel", The Nine's. it is right smack in the middle of downtown and has the cool hip vibe we love paired with Portland ease.
we enjoyed a leisurely dinner the first night at their
restaurant , it was quite unique and so tasty. i could not stop thinking about (and texting) Wil and his new venture and where he might end up. the food, atmosphere, staff and wine were all great. warm & friendly yet cool & professional. we loved it!

the view of the entire seating area from our floor above. the floors all opened up to the atrium / hangout area below.

this is the lounge area outside of the restaurant, we had a drink in the eggplant colored chairs.

the next morning out to find the perfect cappuccino, which we did (crummy pastries though).

then off to the Portland Art Museum, at which we spent several hours taking in the art through the ages of time. i am always blown away by the amount of talent there has been and is in our world. stunning! we were also totally blessed and excited to get a call from Laura while we were here. they had sailed (or do you say boated...) into Sitka for a deck hand drop off and real showers. she sounded tired but good (o:, it was a treat to hear her voice. this mom adores her kids and my heart was yearning for her big time!
lunch at Henry's, such great pub food. we then gave in to a wee bit of building the economy. Powell's for Bill, Anthropologie for me (ONLY CLEARANCE of course).
then it was off to the theater to see GREASE, starring Taylor Hicks. yep, i used to be a big american idol fan and was excited to see him in real life (i did vote for him). the show was great. it was fun and entertaining and filled with the catchy tunes of Grease. it was 100% enjoyable!
Bill & I love city life and sometimes wonder why; we who would love a change seem stuck with super glue here in Sisters. we had the best time. we cherish the idea of just walking everywhere and that is what we do every time we are in a city. that is just one of the many things we absorb of the society while we are part of it. change is good for us, it renews our spirits.

of course on our way out the next morning we hit the
Pearl Bakery. can not go to Portland and not go here for breakfast and to stock up the freezer with their perfect bread!
then over the bridge and out to IKEA. i covert their paper napkins in a unnatural way. also Urban Farmer completely inspired us for the next dinner party we are having with our 'dinner party group'. IKEA had all the elements we were hoping for to pull it off!

the new awesome picture above, my boys in NYC. sweet