One of the coolest parts of our recent trip to Maui was that we were able to fit in a stop to Portland, courtesy of a 6 hour layover in our itinerary. It was like two trips in one!
We made plans to meet up with our dear friends in downtown Portland for lunch. Scott and I hopped on the MAX at the airport and enjoyed the 40 minute ride into downtown. Can I just tell you . . . being back in that city just puts a huge smile on my face and fills my heart. I just can't help it!
And when we reunited at the corner of 2nd and Morrison it was just plain awesome.
Seriously, I always pinch myself for being lucky enough to hook up with this group of ladies years ago.
So the 8 of us -- Mark & Jenn, Scott & I, Brian & Paige, Spencer & Nicole -- enjoyed a great lunch at Rock Bottom. The boys on one end of the table and the girls on the other end. :) (Sheila & Brian weren't able to join us - they were missed!)
Plus it was such a beautiful day! It was cold, but the sun was shining and the sky was full of blue.
After lunch Brian & Paige needed to head back home, but we still had a few hours to kill so the rest of us went to the Portland Chinese Garden. Why not? We're into trying new things. And we couldn't say goodbye just yet!
The best part of walking around the garden was knowing how much it pained the men. Haha! But they were really good sports and we could count on plenty of sarcastic comments from the bunch.
My favorite though, was when we decided to pose for this photo
And this was our view.
This photo makes me giggle. But really, I think how lucky we are to have such patient, understanding, and supportive husbands who go along with our whims to visit Chinese gardens and know what to do when we hand over our phones & cameras. And I think of all the times they have held down the fort at home so that we could have our girls' nights, scrapbook & craft nights, Bunco, crazy Twilight adventures, pedi-parties, roadtrips, a beach weekend, and Christmas weekends in Portland. (Okay, getting a bit misty here!) Seriously lucky that they have supported - and continue to support - our friendship. I think that is huge.
Soon it was time for us to go back to the airport. Kinda sad. But really, I was feeling more giddy and happy than anything! This couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Truly.
What a fantastic start to our vacation.
