Portland, The Brighter Side

I don't have any new pics yet to put on the blog, but I just have to say that I am starting to have a brighter outlook of being here for the summer. (I have to admit this city is different than any other we have lived in over the past five years.) The last week or so I have been brave enough to start driving around (without the GPS even!) so that the girls and I and some friends we have made here could get out and see some things. The other wives in our office are very nice and Kin, Sade and I have become friends with them. Today we went to a community center a few miles away and went swimming. The girls LOVED it! The pool is indoor and there is a slide, fountains, little river and a whirlpool. It was tons of fun! Lauren, one of our friends, also came with us which made it even more fun. We have also found some fun parks and the major mall has an ice skating rink in it. We had fun watching the people go around and around the rink. When the weather is nice, we also like to go for walks along the river park and see the ducks and the water fountain. I am still a small town girl in a big city, but I think we will have a fun summer and enjoy the sites while we are here.

Portland

So, we have now been over here about a week and a half. I am glad we only have to be here for a few months. I definitely would not like to live here permanently. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact we are too close to downtown. The traffic is horrible, the road system is horrible. Our apartments are also small, the complex is not kid friendly, and our garage is so small that we have to pull the mirrors in on the pickup to park it inside. It has been cold and rainy since we have been here and we did not pack coats, so our outings have been limited. On the brighter side, it does sound like there are several things to visit and see while we are here, I just need to get brave and drive or take the street cars. The pictures above are taken along the Willamette River while we were out on a walk when there was a little warmer weather.