Our first visitors are coming!!

Well, our first visitors that aren't obligated to come visit us due to physical proximity or blood relation. Alex and Oliver are flying in from NYC tomorrow night, and Kyle and I will be waiting for them at the end of the gateway like two little kids waiting for Santa Claus to de-board his sleigh. Apologies for the slightly creepy analogy - it was the first thing that popped into my head!

In any case, our two little loveys - who recently GOT ENGAGED! - will be staying with us for the long weekend to sample our beloved Oregon beer (they are already fans of Dead Guy Ale, so I think they're coming to the right city) and our treasured Oregon wine (we're planning on hitting up Erath, home to a Pinot Gris we just love, for a nice picnic lunch with a view). Kyle and I first visited the city we now call home over Thanksgiving last year, when we spent 5 days exploring and trying to decide whether we could make a life here. I guess the answer is obvious, and it's probably partly due to the fact that we spent several glorious hours soaking in a suprisingly warm November sun at Erath, which was suggested to me by my friend Maggie, who is from Portland (yes, the very same one of Pithy and Cleaver fame!)

This is one of my favorite pictures from that trip, for a number of reasons. The main one being that I am told - most frequently by Kyle's dad! - that umbrellas are for east coasters. Not only is Kyle (a native of Seattle, nonetheless!) toting one here, but he's ALSO got his hood pulled over his head like a little boy AND looks miserable to be standing in the rain. Now now, Kyle - weren't you raised better than this?

But I digress. Our main hope for Alex and Oliver's visit is that they fall so in love with Portland - and realize how much they can't live without us - that they'll want to move here and hang out with us all the time, just like we used to do in the West Village. Nathan and Tina are nice enough to let me bring Alex to get her butt kicked on Saturday morning at Recreate Fitness. Although, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing the sad reality of the fact that Alex is - and always will be - in better shape than me, so despite the fact that I've been going to recreate since June, she'll probably be far better off than me come 10:15 saturday morning. Nothing a little do-it-yourself bloody mary at Rogue couldn't fix! How many do-it-yourself bloodies will it take to get Alex, Kyle and Oliver to recreate this? I guess as many as it takes to start thinking that posing for pictures with an eggplant is something worth doing. More than once.

Speaking of eggplant, one of the things we miss the most about Alex and Oliver is their truly amazing cooking. They make awesome kitchen partners, and made countless gourmet meals for Kyle and I in their tiny West Village kitchen. Whenever I think of the two of them together, this is how I picture them:

And just in case you're thinking I'm spacially challenged, no, that's not their tiny West Village kitchen. Rather, it's Oliver's family's lovely LARGE kitchen in Vermont.

Stay tuned for an update on our weekend adventures! Any suggestions from local readers about what we should bring Alex and Oliver to do are more than welcome. I wish it was Friday.