A Marshmallow shootout!

Ready...aim...shooooot! Chantel and I bought these marshmallow shooter guns last summer at Salt Lake City's Farmer's Market. I got two and she got three because we got a deal if we bought five, yet neither of us have been able to use them yet! So we found the perfect reason to whip them out since she had three and there was currently three of us up in Portland. So for Family Home Evening monday night, we told Reed that Chantel and I had the activity. He gave such a great lesson on preparing for General Conference and then we prepared for the activity. He kept asking what it was and we told him it was a surprise! Poor guy, he was such a sport for our girly games! We then told him the game involved being blindfolded and he needed to stand in the middle of the room. I know what you're thinking, that we basically lined him up as a target, but there was no other way to get him in on our game. So I loaded our guns, handed Chantel hers, and then counted down. We began laughing so hard that we couldn't blow the marshmallows out. By this time, he had caught on and began running as we unloaded our marshmallows at him. He took cover in the bathroom until we handed his gun over to him. We told him he had five seconds to get it and load and then the war was on. We had a ton of fun! Chantel and I took cover behind my air mattress bed, while Reed was like Rambo, rolling all over the apartment taking shots at us. In the end, he surrendered, and we spent the next twenty or so minutes picking up marshmallows in the most random spots all over the apartment!

Watch out!

Don't mess with us!

We staged what our war would've looked like had we had a photographer there! Reed behind the counter and Alicia and Chantel behind the air mattress baracade.

This picture is taken from Reed's position, we took turns loading our guns and shooting at Reed! Thanks Reed for being such an awesome victim to start our activity! Who's next?

Girl's day out, oh why not, let's get a pedicure!

After seeing the waterfalls, Chantel and I treated ourselves to a pedicure to celebrate the fact that we both passed our nursing boards, the NCLEX! Way to go us!

What a choice of colors to choose from! What does a girl do?

Ahh, a back massage, someone taking care of my feet, what could be better? Well... (you can finish that thought!)

Oh yeah! This is the life!

It was so funny to watch Chantel get her feet scrubbed. She was laughing so hard. It tickled her feet. Oh I love ya girl!

Pretty toes! The lady who painted my toenails told me the color I choose was a "winter color". It was similar to Chantel's but she felt I needed a "spring color". So she brought back an array of colors and pointed the florescent pink color out to me. Whatever, let's go all out! So I did it, bright pink toes!

VooDoo Doughnuts, a Portland, Oregon treat!

Chantel had told me about this place when we drove into Portland and so we decided to check it out. She had yet to experience it herself! VooDoo doughnuts! What a name! It was very interesting to say the most! We decided to go all out and get there most out there doughnut, which were the cereal covered ones. I ordered a fruit loop covered doughnut and Chantel got Captain Crunch. We also got a normal one, which we later found out was recently named Portland's doughnut! It's a chocolate covered, creme filled doughnut, and it was good!

Chantel taking a bite out of the VooDoo doughnut!

The menu...wow, what to get?

The sign, the place does exist!

Yum! Fruit loop covered doughnut! It had an interesting texture and no, I didn't dip it in milk! I actually didn't think about it.

Here they are... who would've thought!

Multnomah & Wakeema Falls, Portland, OR

On Monday, March 16, Chantel and I started our day off with driving to Multnomah and Wakeema Falls, which are off of the Columbia Gorge. It was a magnificent site to behold! It always sprinkles there at the falls. The day was overcast, but still nice!

The huge rock in the background is the remains of a "bus-sized" basalt stone which fell from the top of the falls years ago. Wow, that part is still huge!

Chantel and I continued our tradition of leaving red firemen at rememberable locations we've been to! We left this one on a bush overlooking the falls.

Chantel and I at Multnomah Falls!

Ahhh...don't drop your camera!

Wakeema Falls! I loved how mossy and green it was.

Now that's one cute chic in her awesome hat!

And another cute chic in her awesome hat! Chantel and I were once again twins in our matching hats we had bought the year before in San Francisco.

A Wicked fun day!

Wicked!

Ah, I LOVE WICKED!!!

The day started off with Chantel and Reed joining Kelli and I and a few other nursing friends who live close by for breakfast. We then jumped in the car, anxious to drive to Portland, to see a matinee showing of Wicked! We got there early and had time to check out the Oz Dust Boutique (shirts, keychains, cast books, you name it!). I had my eyes on a long sleeve shirt with "Wicked" on the front and the flying monkeys on the sleeve of one arm. I got it and it's awesome!

This is how the stage looks before the show starts! It has a huge dragon up above, which I'm unsure of how it fits in, but it's cool! And a map with the Emerald City or Oz in the middle lit up in green!

The three musketeers thrilled for the show to begin! We had so much fun!

Vancouver, B.C. Canada! Eh!

On Friday the 13th, Kelli and I took a road trip to Vancouver, B.C. Canada. The Olympic Winter Games next year will be held in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. This logo for the games is called an Inukshuk, which means "likeness of person". They are a big part of their history. These figures, made of stone, used to stand on hilltops to decieve the caribou. The Inuit people would then catch the caribou as they ran away from these stone human like figures.

Eh! Welcome, to the best place on earth! Or so they say!

Tim Horton's is a well-known Canadian donut shop. I had to try it to say I'd been there! Eh!

Grouse Mountain, which was open for skiing and snowboarding, but we didn't want to have to pay the fee to ride the skyride so we just posed for a picture! Isn't a picture worth more than a thousand words anyways! It was beautiful!

Capilano Suspension Bridge, built in 1889, today's bridge is made of reinforced steel safely anchored in 13 tons of concrete on either side of the canyon. I can say, "I made it!" It still sways and gives the total thrill of being on a long bridge. I felt like I could barely walk straight on it. There was also a treetop adventure area where we walked on bridges up in the trees. I felt like Tarzan, ahhhh!

Kelli and I on the Capilano Suspension Bridge!

A typical Canadian black bear, right?

This group picture was taken over 100 years ago...oh wait, no, someone is in color! :) These people are some of the original owners and managers of the suspension bridge, I just decided to join their picture.

I'm at Stanley Park, a famous park in Vancouver which has a trail all around the park looking out on the bay. It was beautiful! You could watch the boats come in and out as well as the ski planes and sailboats.

This is at Stanley Park again, looking out on the bay. Lion's Gate bridge is in the background, connecting Stanley Park to the area of Vancouver which has Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

A Ferri ride and flying fish!

On Thursday, March 12, Kelli and I spent a day in Seattle. We started it off by seeing Snoqualmie Falls, a beautiful waterfall outside of Seattle. We then went to the Space Needle and had lunch at the restaurant on top which revolves around and looks out on the city below. Afterwards we took a ferri to Bainbridge Island, and ended the day at Pike's Place Fish Market. The front of the ferri was a wind tunnel so we braved it to take this photo of Seattle in the background. It was a beautiful day!

The Seattle skyline from the ferri!

It was such a nice day, I was even able to catch Mt. Rainer from the ferri.

I'm at Pike's Place Fish Market, world known for them throwing fish. The tradition is that when someone buys one of their fish, one guy picks up the fish from the ice and throws it to another guy who is ready to catch it and wrap it up for purchase. I was able to see them do it three or so times. It was fun! They really made it fun for everyone, yet the people were hesitant to not high five these guys! I don't blame them, but it was funny to watch as one lady forgot and high fived a guy, ewww sick!

Here's the guys in their cool orange jumpsuits and the fish on ice!

Have you ever seen a Target with one of these?

This is Kristen Bylund, a friend from nursing school I visited in Seattle. She showed me this amazing feature at their Target. It was a multi level Target, and consequently you need your cart on more than one level, right?. It was so fun to see an escalator made just for a cart! Yah! She told me she shows all of her friends this when they come and I have been the one to get the most excited about it. What can I say, I get excited about the little things very easily!

So you push the cart onto the track...just beware that no kids are in the cart still!

Check it out! It's so awesome!

Here is the amazing machine! A work of wonder!

Seattle, Washington! March 11-13, 2009

Seattle, WA! I made it! As I flew in, Mt. Rainer was stunning, the skies were blue, and the sun was shining. It stayed that way the entire three days I was there. Miracle, I know! I flew in to visit a few friends from nursing school, see the sights, and then visit Portland before I fly back home.

So this is a view of Carkeek beach and Puget Sound behind me. It was very windy, chilly, but sunny with blue skies. Even the pilot of the plane I flew in on said as we landed "enjoy the sun here in Seattle, it's rare!" Kristen Bylund and Camille Young, two friends from nursing school who have both moved up there to enjoy the water and work, picked me up from the airport and first took me to this park.

Oh it was so beautiful!

Wahoo, I'm here! Hello Seattle!

The Fremont Troll! If you can see it, there is a real volkswagon beetle underneath the troll's hand. He's palming it! Funny huh! I don't know much history on it, but Kristen and Camille had to take me to see it. It's well known in Seattle. But I did hear a story about how a little boy, when he came to see it, thought he'd be able to drive the bug right out from under the troll's hand, and then return it when he was done. Whatever the story is behind it, it's a piece of art!