Christmas in Portland

As Christmas-y as my apartment got...

Mini trees count too, right?

 If he isn't the cutest nephew ever, I don't know who is ;)

 My room in the new house... I love the huge corner windows

 Huckleberry pancakes!  Mmmm

 Gah!  I can't get over her little bowl cut.  She looks like Paul McCartney.

The whole gang!

I always have trouble answering the question, "Where are you from?"  Well, I was born in one place, lived somewhere else for 5 years, then attended middle school and high school in another place, then called Berkeley home for 4 years in college (and spent summers elsewhere), and now my parents live in Portland.  Since they moved there 3 years ago, I've lived at home for months at a time, but I don't know anyone else who lives there, making it difficult to explore the city more.  (Though my parents do make for good companions, it's not as easy as hanging out with my high school friends).  Regardless, there's many things I've come to love about Portland, and I looked forward to spending a week there for Christmas.

Especially fun was the extended time spent with my nephew and niece.  I'm not particularly "good" with kids, but these kiddos are so cute and fun it's not hard to fall in love with them.  I mean, are they not the most adorable kids ever?!  (I may be biased.)  Other highlights include good wine, great beer, and of course eating out at many of Portland's amazing restaurants.  And no trip to the City of Roses ia complete without a visit to the largest independent bookstore in the U.S., aptly titled Powell's City of Books.  I'm pretty sure Powell's, which spans an entire block, is the main reason my siblings were most excited for my parents to move to Portland. ;)

This year I was lucky to kind of celebrate Christmas twice.  As Zack left for a three week trip to Thailand the weekend before Christmas, we decided to have a mini celebration before his departure.  Since I didn't get a tree for my apartment, we borrowed my roommate's mini tree and pretended it was just as good as the real thing.  :)  And then of course was Christmas day.  Opening presents is usually a drawn out affair, with several breaks along the way for mimosas and huckleberry pancakes.

How does it go by so quickly every year!  I'm sad it's over already.  Let's rewind back a few weeks!