simple pleasures

simple pleasures on a Monday afternoon...but WARNING, do not let these photos deceive you. We have had a week of rain, sleet, and SNOW with temperatures reaching their high at 40 degrees. When the sun came out and the afternoon warmed up, we were out like a flash today. Hopscotch- Rynn's idea.

I once was Blind, But Now I See...

Blind man ain't no blind anymore. No more glasses. NO more contacts. As of yesterday Jason had lasik eye surgery on both eyes at the Casey Eye Institute at OHSU (Oregon Health Science University). Here he is pictured above a bit of a happy guy on valium. Below he doesn't have such a cheery disposition...the drugs are worn off and those darn goggles are getting a little old.
But today I drove him to his post-op where he found out that his vision is now even better than 20/20. Yahoo for modern medicine. The girls and I passed the hour riding Portland's Aerial Tram which is a public transportation link connecting Marquam Hill and OHSU's campus with the South Waterfront. It wasn't quite clear enough to see Mt. Hood, Rainer, and St. Helens, but we did get a fun ride and a great view of Portland's downtown.

HAPPY EASTER!

Friday morning Easter egg hunt at Rynn's preschool

Unbelievable cherry tree on the playground

Grammy gets to join us!
(mom- check out the coat. bring back memories?)


HOPE PRESBYTERIAN Egg Hunt
"Ready, Set, GO!!!"


Jason's new do -Egghead?

Easter Egg Hunt...Oregon style

A Reason For God

Many of you have either heard of or benefited from the preaching, books, or lectures given by Redeemer Presbyterian's Pastor Tim Keller. But some of my friends and family who follow this blog may not be familiar with him. As a pastor of a Presbyterian church in Manahattan that has grown to five thousand people Keller has become a leader not only in our denomination but nationally as his recent book, REASON FOR GOD, shot to #11 (NOW #7 as of 3/22008) on the New York Times Best Seller list. Our little church was very excited to be able to host him in Portland to lead a discussion and book signing at a dowtown Borders book store. I think the management was a bit surprised, as were we, when the fifty chairs hardly were able to hold the crowd of over 250 people that showed up. If you are not a Christian, or you are a Christian who struggles with those nagging questions of doubt that you find hard to face, I urge you to check out this book. Keller is quite erudite and easy to follow. Being on the New York Times best seller list it should be easy to find. You can find out more about it at http://www.reasonforgod.com/.

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's on its Way!

While Rynn was at school and Eleanor and I were waiting for the arrival of Grammy and the Parkers, we passed the time decorating for Easter. Easter has hippity, hoppitied pretty early this year and snuck up on us!

A Traveling Camera and a Homebody Memory Stick

A fellow English teacher friend in Houston once told me, "All good stories can basically be summed up in one of two ways- either a stranger comes to town or a hero goes on a journey." In the case of my camera today one could say it was as though a hero went on a journey but without his knapsack. Once again my dear trusty blogging friend, my digital camera, made its trek around Portland today missing its most necessary and beloved companion- the memory stick- making taking pictures impossible. So, if you will, walk with me through today filled with photographical moments, and try your best to picture them with the photos I wish I could have taken.

Photo #1: Sixteen thousand people come out to run a 5K at 7:30 in the morning through the streets of downtown Portland. Over fifty cherry trees in full bloom shouting their happy pink blossoms against a cool gray POrtland sky and strikingly urban Steel Bridge. Two ten feet tall "Guiness Beers" running behind me, Lenny, Farooq, John, Julie, Linda, and Janette as we cross the finish line. Sweaty runners greeted with cold beer (it was, after all, the Shamrock Run) and clam chowder.


Photo #2: Rynn and Eleanor watching a marching band lead a pack of Irish wolf hounds down a street of Portland Arts&Crafts Bungalows. A man shouts to his friend on the sidewalk, "See! I told you if you go to 7am Mass it never rains on the Pattie's Day Parade!." Oh..and maybe if I had a wide lense this photo would have included the Weiner Dog float- two stories high.


Photo #3: Rynn skipping down the Esplanade (long gree park downtown along the Willamette River) trying to chase the seagulls from their lazy Sunday afternoon naps by the river. Rynn dropping a dollar in the bucket of a homeless man playing quite a drum show on his empty buckets and glass (empty too) vodka bottles. No wonder STOMP made Broadway.

Photo #4: Eleanor navigating city streets with her bouncy tow headed confidence that sent even punk rockers walking in a wide circle around her.

Photo #5: Our church celebrates our second Sunday in a new location- the Old Laurelhurst Church- this photo I stole from our website http://www.hopeportland.org/

Photo #6: Me, Caroline, collapsed in bed after a very full, but very wonderful day.

Plant a Tree

He who plants a tree Plants a hope.

~Lucy Larcom, "Plant a Tree"

We welcome the two latest additions to 1726 55th Ave...a tulip poplar and a weeping cherry, the same trees we planted in honor of each of our girls' births in Chattanooga, TN.

Opa and Jason plant a tulip poplar in May '03

Chattanooga, TN

Happy Birthday, Eleanor!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY, ELEANOR!

March 1, 2005

March 1, 2006

March 1, 2007

March 1, 2008

And since Rynn is Five and Eleanor Three, we decided to celebrate with a JAMBOREE!