Beach trips, wedding celebration, and birthdays, oh my!

There have been a lot of celebrations this summer and still a few more to come.  Randy and I have joked that all of the money we have saved on daycare this summer has been spent on babysitters.

We have had a heat wave in Portland - or at least it feels that way - so we decided to hit the beach.  Randy left super early for the coast to do some fishing, and then Trey and I met him at Cannon Beach.  After several very hot days in a row, there was thunder and lightning as we left Portland and a little drizzle.  What?????  Needless to say, the beach was freezing.  Low 50's, windy, and rainy.  We didn't stay long.

Randy had fun early in the morning fishing in the ocean.  He got some pretty pictures too...

Trey wanted to go to the beach and dig.  We bundled up as well as we could and let him dig for a while.

Finally, after taking the kite to the beach several times and not flying it, we got it out and gave it a whirl.  Luckily, thanks to the windy weather, Trey and Randy didn't have any trouble getting it in the air.

Remember back in April when we went to paradise for a long weekend to see Kris and John get married?   They had a reception planned for July at a winery in Forest Grove.  Kris's friend Tommy came to Portland for the event, and Randy and I spent an afternoon going to some breweries in town.  It was a fun afternoon and so nice to spend some time with Tommy.

Lunch at Ecliptic

Beers at Horse Brass

Porter and Kris

Friday before the big celebration, Kris and John had a barbecue for out of town guests and we got to join the party.  It was a great meal and fun to spend time with friends.

Porter was a trooper with all of the company, but I'm sure it was hard on him too.  I'm sad to say that since the celebratory weekend, Kris had to make the very difficult decision to say goodbye to Porter.  When I told Trey that Porter had died and gone to heaven, his response was, "Now he can be with his best friend Tango."  We are all so sad about Porter, and we know how devastated Kris and John are.  They gave Porter a full and wonderful life - better than any dog could ask for.  RIP Porter.

Silas and Trey were awesome together.  I don't have any pictures of them running around like crazy kids, but I wish they did.  They totally bonded, and Sara and I hope to get them together again soon.

John, Kris, Tommy, and Teri, Kris's maid of honor in Hawaii

On the day of the wedding reception, Randy and I were lucky to get a chauffeured ride to the party.

The scenery at the winery was beautiful.  We were at Tualatin Estate which is owned by Willamette Valley Vineyards.

The bride and groom making their grand entrance

Randy and I had so much fun catching up with old friends.  The dinner was delicious, the wine was yummy, and the weather was perfect.  There was so much laughter, and it was all in all a really great night.

Tim and Elinor

Randy and Lindsay

Kris and Tommy dancing the last dance together...
MmmBop by Hanson, of course, which was Tommy's personal request.

Fun times with Lindsay, Elinor, Nicole, and Danny

Photo booth fun

This is the year of a lot of my friends turning 40, and the latest to hit this milestone is Sarah, one of my besties.  My friends and I have talked a lot about turning 40, but I might save that for my birthday in a few weeks.  Sarah and I went to lunch at Meriwether on her birthday, and it was fun to celebrate with her.  We had some mediocre salads, but I do love their Gin Bramble.  

Cheers to the birthday girl!

Sarah had her birthday party at her house, and it was fun to see a lot of old friends.  Neil, her rockstar cocktail making husband, made some delicious drinks, and the food was also superb.

Ruben and Sarah

Toasts to the birthday girl

It was really fun to catch up with Ruben as I haven't seen him in a long time.

After the party, Sarah wanted to go dancing, so a few of us went downtown to dance.  The bar where we went had 80's and 90's music, and it is impossible to not dance when you hear it.  We all commented that it felt like a fraternity party from our college days.  Super fun.

Downtown on a Saturday night?  What???

Sarah, Kristi, and Jen