The Beaver State

Last weekend we made a last minute trip to Oregon- the Beaver State. Ryan has been on the job hunt for quite some time and he landed a few interviews in Bend. Being that his parents live 20 minutes away in Sisters, living in Bend would fulfill part of our dream for the future-- to live closer to friends and family. The McHughs were so kind to buy us plane tickets the morning we were supposed to be heading out for a long road trip. A 4 hour travel time sure beats a 10 hour drive to Portland followed by a 3 hour drive to Sisters! Friday night we went to an excellent dinner at Dragonfish downtown Portland in honor of Grandma Leslie's birthday. Highly recommend this restaurant. We stayed the night in a centrally located condo-style hotel that was very colorful and modern. It was a few steps from the Street car stop, which got us to dinner and shopping in the morning. Leslie, Juli and I took Addison to the Portland Zoo that afternoon before we headed out of town. Overall the Zoo experience was positive and exciting. The highlights were an up close view of a giraffe, sea lions swimming, Asian elephant, bats, monkey show, and the lions. Addison was intrigued by all the animals and the other children running around.

Sunday was a relaxing day in Sisters and Monday was the big day for Ryan in Bend. Ryan looked like a million bucks in his new suit- he was outfitted from head to toe at Nordstrom's in Portland. Although it did seem kinda odd to see Ryan in a suit, he looked amazing!! We are still waiting to hear from the Bend companies, but it gives us time to look for jobs in Idaho!!

I was very pleased with the town of Bend. The community seemed very welcoming, young, and clean. The school districts are excellent, but not hiring at the moment. We talked with some moms at the park and they all had wonderful things to say about Bend. At this point, we can only hope for the best and know that things will work out for us in the end.

We loved spending time with Grandma and Grandad McHugh and Juli (and Macki).