SEATTLE MARCH 6 & 7, 2011

dashboard buddies! created by mayan...enjoyed by mama

must visit alert: gas works park. rusty industrial curiousity, shiny green park with dr. seuss-like hill for kite flying and the most amazing view of the city over a glittering lake.

B, a sailboat, and the space needle. love this shot. don't let go of that stroller!

only took three tries to get the needle behind me!

more awesome picture opportunities

next up Sushi...another excellent review from our family to yours at Chiso on fremont. we made it there with five minute of happy hour left and ordered our hungry-'cause-we-just-walked-5-miles little hearts out

this was supposed to be a shot of me having my first bite of unagi in over four years. the photographer had other ideas. good thing he bought me dinner.

after sound sleep in our little rental apartment, we got ready for a day jammed packed with seattle-y goodness!

getting into zoo mode, blake said this is a picture of "the mama in her natural habitat"...the mama nomad is never seen without her coffee and iPhone within reach...you will often hear her call out "almost ready, just let me look this one thing up!"....notice the messy bun, sign that she has gotten her three offspring ready but has neglected her own hair....

woodland park zoo rules.

just say "Roar!"

scoping the savannah

when is the last time YOU saw a giraffe eat breakfast?

blake was impressed with my safari chic look. i swear i didn't plan it. really!!

jungle-rific

i can tell this is the african elephant and not the asain because of the larger ears, used for fanning in hot climates. this fact was brought to you by my smartypants husband.

i must smooch those lips!

my boys!

how many shots like this do we have??

mayan on a lion

issy...on a lion. doesn't rhyme but sure is cute!

i guess asking him to be a lion didn't make for a flattering shot.

komoto dragons are cool....

but these kids are cooler!

can't resist a carousel ride. high five to me for not barfing!

this was our first road trip without the suburban. its was crowded but got the job done thanks to the third row seat.

my favorite place to visit: Theo chocolate factory. look how happy we all are! we are high on chocolate. wheeeeeeee!

taking our chocolate high to the docks.

i had an unexpected emotional experience looking at the boats. i miss our boat!! fell in love with this Dana 24....the flicka's bigger cousin.

the fun don't stop, no siree! The Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum.

this took three times, too. we had a little picnic in under the needle before heading inside.

cute shot!

this building blows my mind every time!!

its hard not to be artsy in a city like this...photo by blake

so many guitars!

we were here specifically to see the battlestar galatica exhibit...check out this model!

cylons are bad.

so check this: on the music side, they had this thing called sound lab. you could have a soundproof room to yourself for ten minutes, and all the instruments are ready to go. just close the door, press the button, and start rocking out! we busted a three piece band. george was our lyricist and named the song "poop diarrhea lollipop." isadore was our photographer/audience.

mr. blake on drums.

back for more BSG

no, like, REALLY?? how did they pull this off? it's incredible.

time to take these trekkies home....until next time....live long and prosper!

goodies from the days in bend

recently, michael took all of my old pictures and videos from my laptop hard drive and put them on the new computer....basically our lives from 2005 to 2007--pre-blogging days for me--flashed before my eyes, many memories i had forgotten.

cooking thanksgiving sister with my sister

my favorite picture of blake ever, taken on our 5th anniversary

adorable family picture in vancouver BC, october 2006

memorable sail on waldo lake on the catalina 22

this might be my fondest memory i have of the time before we decided to move: an epically beautiful fall day i drove out to DD Ranch in Terrebonne with my girls, drinking a delicious chai on the way, to spend the afternoon picnicing, wandering through the pumpkin patch, and taking a hayride. (this was taken by myself on the ride)

at one point my sister had imported all of her videos and pictures from our visits onto my computer, and some went back before we even owned a digital camera. having these little snipettes of little mayan and isadore are priceless!!


mayan is about three here and isadore one-ish.


four and two i think...mayan is pretending to be blake! hilarious...

Happy 1-year-in-Portland Anniversary to us!

Today, April 20th, we celebrate this one year anniversary of our move to Portland. Last year, we woke up bright and early in Bend, Oregon and Blake jumped in our moving van (packed to the gills) while I followed in our Suburban (also packed to the gills) and we headed over that pass the last time as mere visitors and arrived in Portland to our new home! Here is us the first night:
These are some of the things we've accomplished so far....we've gone from this:
....to this:

and this:
...to this:
another before:
....and after:
my favorite before:
.....after!
finally a playroom before:
..and after:
During our year here, we spent a lot of time here:
....doing a lot of this:
which, for Blake, looked more like this:
...and to the girls, like this:

We romped around downtown Portland enjoying the art and culture:

And all the while, in our beautiful backyard...
...our garden grew:
...as well as our business:

...and also our TRIBE:

Fertile soil here, I tell ya....
Already this place feels undeniably like HOME...
So, if you don't mind, Portland, I think the Nomad family may stay for a loooooong while....