A Pretty Perfect Preident's Day Weekend

I'm not sure what made this weekend more perfect.

It all started when my friends and I packed up our stuff and drove from the city to a quaint woodland cabin on my favorite nearby mountain.

After that, this perfect weekend could have been due to a beautiful hike in a typical Oregon forest with a fair amount of post-hike relaxation watching the olympics.

Or perhaps it was due to regular trips to the hot tub with an exciting jump in the nearby and cold Sandy river (though not as cold as Antarctica).

Or maybe it was the late night card game, shared by all at the dining room table that ended with us calling each other by our new dinosaur names.

Or possibly it was due to the fact that the biggest dilemma of my weekend was finding my lost chapstick.

After weeks of travel and stress, a weekend spent in a beautiful setting around close, comfortable friends was absolutely priceless.

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Our woodland cabin

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Some pretty happy hikers

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A massive tree and Bob

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A rushing river with mossy rocks...so Oregon

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A Valentine's Day gift from my super sweet parents, found on my patio upon my return to Portland

A Weekend in London

Though most of my weekend was spent working several hours in the servitude of W+K, I did manage to get out on Sunday ang see a bit of the city. It was a treat! I walked to the Tower of London, rummaged around a local market and had a great dinner out on the town with a work colleague.

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Phone booths and a British pub

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These handy reminders at crosswalks keep me from getting ran over

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The London Bridge

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Worlds collide: a mix of new and old

Deja Vu in Amsterdam

I visited this beautiful city a short 3 months ago and am now back. I feel like I only just left. I got off the plane on Sunday and went to the same line to get my passport checked, ATM to get euros, ticket window to buy a train ticket and hopped on a very familiar looking train to Amsterdam Central.

Not much has changed while I was away besides remnants of a recent cold spell with snow lying unmelted in some boats and ice chunks in the canals.

I'll be here for two weeks, putting in a lot of hours for my job and dreaming of my upcoming weekend in London.

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Colder than it was before

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My super cute room, complete with original brick and beams from the 17th century

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A typical local hangout...my only chance to relax so far

Holiday Happiness in the NE

For two years in a row I have spent Christmas and New Years in the Northeast. This year, I accompanied my new beau, Alex, to his hometown in New Jersey and spent time with his very Italian family and with friends new and old.

When not hanging out in New Jersey and eating lots of yummy Italian food, I had the opportunity to ski in Vermont, to visit my lovely friend, Michele, in NYC and to celebrate New Years with 20 other revelers and some very large dogs at a winery/farm somewhere in New York state.

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Chillin' at home in style

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Making gnocchi for Christmas dinner

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Date night in NYC, complete with tickets to Phantom of the Opera

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Central Park

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4 skiers-a-skiing on Mt. Snow in Vermont

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Post-ski fire and Jenga at the adorable Nutmeg Inn

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Horses that needed haying at the winery in New York

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Beautiful New Years, complete with a soft snowfall and a grand display of fireworks
Happy New Year!

A December Sunset

Last weekend, a bunch of my girlfriends and I got away from the winter gloom in Portland to the beautiful Oregon coast. While there, we were treated to this amazing sunset while taking a walk on the beach. Other fun beach time activities included celebrating a birthday, devouring a delicious homemade crab chowder and playing Apples to Apples for hours.

An IT Department and Santa

My IT team from the W+K Portland office sitting with Santa (aka David Kennedy).

Thanksgiving 2009

As this was my first Thanksgiving in the States in 3 years, I was unsure what to expect or where I'd end up. Luckily, I ended up right where I wanted I be, enjoying a Thanksgiving potluck with amazing friends, participating in a field goal kicking competition in the rain and mud (of which I unfortunately have no pictures) and playing games galore. It was truly one of the best days ever.

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2 turkeys cooking on a Traeger grill

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Our super cute hostess, Steph, and Sir Watson Wallace

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Bob (aka Tangier) stirring the gravy

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Carrie cutting the turnkey

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A delicious Thanksgiving feast shared by one and all