#sistersinpdx

This past weekend my sisters came all the way from Texas to visit me (for the second time!). I can’t tell you how excited I was when they recently told me they were planning a trip up here. I think my parents' trip this summer spurred them to come visit again. Last time they visited was April 2011 and we all know that April is a dreary, rainy month in Portland. I was hoping that they would catch the tail end of our great summer, but this past weekend ended up being the rainiest weekend in September ever. It wasn’t just drizzle and mist, it was monsoon downpour! Ugh, but we still had a good time.

 

I picked them up from the airport around noon on Friday. We headed to NW Portland for soup at Elephant’s Deli and then did a little shopping on NW 23rd Ave. After checking into our hotel downtown, we met up with Robby for dinner at Ox, voted best restaurant in Portland this year. It was amazing! Such a delicious dinner and pretty great company. We went to a spot around the corner from the restaurant for a drink after dinner and unexpectedly ran into a big group of my friends who were having a Great Gatsby party at that same spot. What are the odds! It was fun getting to introduce my sisters to those friends.

 

 

Saturday morning we went down to the Portland Farmers Market, but the weather continued to be wet. We walked around for a bit, got some breakfast burritos and coffee then headed out. Saturday afternoon we met up with Robby and Valerie at the Allison Inn out in Newberg for a day of wine tasting. Valerie, the queen of wine tasting, had scheduled several tasting appointments for us and even drove us around to each place. We started at Adelsheim Vineyards, stopped into Briar Rose Creamery to taste amazing goats cheeses, moved to Vista Hills where we were able to sip wine while sitting and feasting on our spread of Trader Joe’s snacks, then we ended at Argyle where we tasted bubbly bruts. The day was amazing – I think we can all agree that going wine tasting was the best part of the weekend. We headed back to Portland for a sushi dinner at Yama, then back to the hotel after a full day.

 

taking cover at the farmer's market to eat breakfast

 

#touristswithumbrellas

 

Sunday morning, we had a nice brunch over at my house with some of my favorite people: Fr Ganz, Steve and Thanne, Madison, Drew and my roommate Laura. Fr Ganz led us in a special Sunday service. I know this was not the most normal or comfortable thing for my sisters, but I am so grateful that they were able to see a glimpse of my life here in Portland and the community I’m surrounded by. We had planned to drive the Fruit Loop that afternoon, but the weather was so crummy that we decided to bum around Portland instead. We ended up in the cozy lobby of The Heathman Hotel where we were able to sit by the fire. Robby joined and we headed to The Matador for happy hour nachos before getting some delicious ice cream at Salt and Straw. Emily and Sarah were definitely exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel for an early night.

 

 

I dropped them off at the airport early on Monday morning and headed to the office and my “real life.” Emily and Sarah: thanks so much for buying plane tickets, leaving your husbands and kids, and traveling thousands of miles to visit me in Portland! Y’all have to come back sometime in the summer when you can experience sunny, beautiful Portland (it isn’t always rainy here – I swear!).

#iloveyousomuch

#comebacksoon

#bringthekids

#sistasinpdx