Taste of the Nation

Well, since we made the move I have been looking for fun ways to volunteer and get a feel for all that is Portland. What a better way than to give my time to a worthy cause aimed at fighting hunger. This annual event pulls together the creme de la creme of Portland restaurants, wineries, breweries, bakeries etc..
Going into the event, I knew I would get at least an hour to peruse the many booths and stuff myself to the gills, so off I went.
A week before the event, I attended the volunteer orientation and met a great girl named Jen. We hit off right away and it turns out she writes a food blog. She also invited me to a weekly dinner she and her "sister" put together at different restaurants. (That is a whole other post). Before we left the orientation, we knew we wanted to work together at the event since we were both scheduled for "recycling duty". And yes, it was as fun as it sounds.

On the night of the event, we arrived wearing comfortable shoes and prepared to dive into some trash. After losing the prime recycling station (we thought) to some other chicks, we were placed in the back hall away from everything. Let's just say we were very bummed at first but once the event took off, we realized we had it made. The station we thought we wanted turned into a mad house and it looks like the girls wanted to pull their hair out (ha ha). We (on the other hand) were not very busy and took turns walking around and got to eat to our hearts content throughout the night. A few of my favorites from the night, were the "octopus ceviche", coffee-crusted seared ahi, passion panna cotta, honey ice cream sandwiches, pinot noir granita with marionberry (just to name a few).

For a full rundown on our experience and the food, visit Jen's blog. HERE

Here is a picture of me and Jen hanging out with the recycling bins.


Here is one of the booths and the magnificent display of their fresh produce.


I would have liked to take a lot more pictures but I was very busy eating and drinking. Sorry!
I highly recommend you all attend (or volunteer at) the Taste of the Nation event in your city!!!

Earth Day and a haircut!

Today was a big day for both Lavi and me. We woke up, looked at each other and said "let's get our hair cut..."
Lavi was first. The gals at Petco did a fantastic job and she even came home with her first bow. I don't think she saw the humor in it as much as I did.



Since today is Earth Day (HAPPY EARTH DAY!), the Columbia Riverkeeper and the Aveda Institute had a fundraising cut-a-thon event. They had over 100 hairstylists volunteeting their services. All proceeds went to helpprotect the Columbia River. It was a very impressive fundraiser with live music, drinks, and desserts. A very nice girl named Annie cut my hair. Thanks Annie!

Passover

We had our first Passover dinner in Portland. Our friendly neighbors joined us at our tiny table. You know what they say- tiny table, big MEAL!

It may look like we only had brisket but there was a lot of other food. But the brisket was the "piece de resistance". (Thanks for your fabulous recipe, MOM!)

Lavi and Namir were busy showing off while our guests were here. So much so that Lavi got over excited after drinking some water and put on a fantastic "yaking" presentation in the dining room for all to enjoy during our meal.
Happy Pesach!

Multnomah Falls

The sun made a rare appearance this past weekend giving us a glimpse of what everyone means by "the summers are beautiful here in Portland." It seems my friend Natalie from Bermuda brought this great weather with her. With good weather about, we took the opportunity to go visit the Multnomah Falls. Located a mere 30 min east of Portland, these incredible falls are quite breathtaking. Falling over 600 feet, it is hard to get them in one camera frame.


Lavi enjoyed hiking up the mountainside next to the waterfall. She was not a fan when we got misted from the falls themselves.

The further away from the falls, the happier she was.

Thanks Natalie for helping us explore more things outside of Portland!!


And of course we can't leave out Num nuts. Here he is soaking in some sun!

The Big 1-0!

Today is Namir's 10th birthday! He got to wear a special hat and chain necklace, eat a ton of treats, go for a walk and we even picked up a roast chicken for dinner to share with him (and Lavi of course).


This is a very happy occasion for us. Six months ago he was diagnosed with lymphoma and we did not know if he was going to make it to this day. He has been through several courses of chemo over the past six months and is currently in remission. He has fought well (usually in the car to/from the vet's office). We are grateful for all the time we have with him now (except maybe when he yowls out the back door in the middle of the night).



Even Lavi got into the spirit of the occasion!

She is getting good at listening to our command to hold things on her head or nose (if there are treats involved!!)

Taste of spring

Today was a beautiful day here in Portland. After an appointment downtown, I took a stroll along the Willamette to look at the cherry trees in bloom. It is definately a sign of the changing seasons - much better than rain, snow and hail.



Happy Spring!