The Post-Christmas Cure: Portland

Remember how I mentioned that after Christmas I couldn't shake the run-over, complete exhaustion that set in?  Nick found a solution.  I told you that he was the greatest.

We spent December 26th cleaning up a bit, assembling new toys, and organizing the chaos.  Then, on the 27th, Grandma came over.  And we left.  Nick and I drove a couple hours to Portland, where we spent three days and two nights just the two of us.  No kids.  No mess.  No cooking.  No laundry.  No guests.  No to-do lists.  No responsibility.

It was perfect.  He even surprised me with a room at the Hilton.  I'm sure I've never stayed there before.  Thank you, kayak.com!

 After a quick swim in the pool (because you can do whatever you want when there are no kids around!), we went to a little b-ball game at the Rose Garden.  The Trail Blazers were playing the Sacramento Kings.  This was a highly anticipated game for Nick us.  You should know that the Kings recently acquired Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas, Nick's two favorite college players last year.  Nick We have seen Isaiah play in person at the high school, college, and now NBA levels.  And Jimmer was pretty much the best point guard that college has seen, not to mention that he played for my alma mater.

Here is the man (Jimmer) himself on the court.  Even the local Portland crowd cheered for him because he was a national college sensation.  My favorite crowd-sign from the night read, "Seriously, who names their kid Jimmer?"

 The next day, we went to lunch with a friend, Sarah, who we both love dearly.  She took us to Pok Pok, a fantastic Thai place.  Trust the locals.  I know nothing about Thai food, but everything we had seemed authentic and tasted wonderful.  We shopped and wandered a bit, then had a nice Italian dinner at Pastini's downtown before going to Mission Impossible: 4 on an imax screen (one of Nick's favorite indulgences).

 On day three, we went to Pine State Biscuits, a little joint we had seen featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network.  The atmosphere was a bit cramped, but you can do that when you don't have kids in tow!  The biscuit sandwiches were rich and filling and lived up to the hype.

 After brunch, we did a drive-by temple visit to the Portland Temple.  Isn't it beautiful?  And this was even taken in the typical northwest rain.

 I love these doors, with the raised stars on them.

Ahhhh.  Peace.  I felt completely cured from my post-Christmas fatigue.  Nick is a genius.  Let's do it again sometime.  Soon.