Over the Mountains and Through the Woods to Portland

Bob and I arrived late in the evening on Saturday at Portland Airport and were greeted by the hugs we were waiting three months for...from Steve and Mish. Well, it seemed late, but it was only about 6:40 pm. The two-hour time difference has been setting us back a bit.

It was a long day on Saturday. We had a 4:25 pm flight out of Dallas. We planned to leave for the airport around 2:30. Our original plan was to get up and finish last minute packing, clean up around the house, and just get a few things checked off a list before we left for the week. You know, the usual before you leave town. Well, instead, we had our wood floors put in that morning. We had been without flooring in the dining room and entry way for three weeks. The floor was supposed to be installed three weeks ago, but the lot color did not match correctly with the same floor we put in two years ago. The store manager and floor rep tried to find the correct match and finally did this past week. So the floor was scheduled to be put in early Saturday morning. We told them that we had to leave for the airport and that everything had to be finished by 2:00. They assured us it would be and that they would even send an extra crew to help. Okay. Well, Saturday morning at 9:00, one guy shows up. Only one. We called the store. It seems no more help was on the way. So Bob helped. And the guy that came worked like crazy. He did a beautiful job and finished by 1:45. We were out the door to the airport by 2:30. We were already tired. Thankfully the airport was not very crowded for being right before a holiday. We breezed through security. The flight was direct to Portland and four hours long. It was a packed flight with no empty seats. Unfortunately, the flight was one of the bumpiest we'd ever been on. The seat belt sign had to remain on most of the flight. But it was so worth seeing Mish and Steve at the end of the trip!

It was dark when we arrived, so we couldn't see much of Portland yet. We drove to Steve and Mish's apartment and were greeted by a very excited Harley. Their apartment is very cute. A cozy groundfloor unit in s small complex wrapped around a courtyard. It's located in a residential neighborhood just a block from the main street and stores, and best yet, Steve's job. It was fun to just walk from their place and take in dinner at The Italian Joint just a few blocks away. It was raining, but as we are finding out, rain doesn't keep Portlanders from going about their usual business.

We are very glad to be here and see the home Steve and Mish are making for themselves here in the northwest!