The Return of Fall

Darling 'Butters,

I've decided that's what I'll call anyone who reads the 'Butt. Appropriately endearing, no?

It's been way too long since I last blogged, but without ever really making a conscious decision, I took the summer off. Before this summer, I didn't know it was possible to be busier than I was in college or grad school, but I definitely learned how wrong I was over the past 3 months. That being said, even though September looks like it will be just as crazy, I felt a shift when I woke up this morning. My body could feel the first changes of autumn...the cold air (50 degrees!) outside, the darkness out the window even at 6:15, and the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. That last one is a particular favorite of mine! :)

As many of you know, in Oregon we have to make the absolute most of the few precious weeks of sunshine we are gifted. And let me tell you, we did. I don't think I could possibly recap all of the adventures I've experienced since the start of June, but I will do my best to fill you in.

June

June was still filled with plenty of rain and gray days, but it was also filled with excitement. One of my best friends, Dani, married our other good friend Jared. What an exciting month! Beginning with a bridal shower in Seaside, then a bachelorette party in Catalina, and finally a beautiful wedding in Portland...June was filled with celebrating.

I also had the chance to see my parents a couple of times, celebrate my mom's birthday with a Randy Travis concert, and play lots of softball. Playing is not to be confused with winning, unfortunately.

July

July kicked off with my darling Vassar friend Maya coming out for a visit. Read all about it here. We had an amazing time and I can't tell you how hard it is to believe we've been friends now for 6 years!

In July I also discovered the beauty of Forest Park, a Portland gem filled with miles and miles of trails. Buoy and I spent many hours exploring the trails. Dani and I also shared an adventure when we went to the Highland Games, find out all about that trip here. The adventuring continued with a trip to Bellingham, a weekend in Kennewick, Washington for the Columbia Cup Races, and the discovery of a new favorite blog cupcakesandcashmere.com.

August

Here's where things got crazy. The first weekend of August was spent at Salishan for my work's summer convention. Jeremy and Buoy joined me, and as a thank you/birthday present for Jeremy I put together a little surprise on the way home. We drove up to Netarts Bay, OR where I had reserved a boat so Jeremy and I could go crabbing. It was one of the most fun things we've ever done together.

As you can see Jeremy and I did fairly well for beginners! We came home with 20 Dungeness crabs...

...which we shared immediately with our friends Matt and Carrie. (P.S. They got engaged the day before so it was a great occasion for celebrating!)

The following week we celebrated Jeremy's birthday at the new Trader Vic's restaurant in town. I recommend going there for drinks, the cocktail menu is insane!

August continued with the highly anticipated arrival of my college roommate Katie. Darling Katie lives all the way in Buffalo, NY, the Northwest was a new experience for her and I couldn't wait to share with her all that the NW has to offer.

In true Allison/Katie style we jam-packed every second of her visit. From the minute she landed, when we headed to Secret Society Lounge for drinks, to the second she left when we had Podnah's Pit for dinner, we had a blast. There was a hike at Multnomah Falls, a brewery tour, a 3 day camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula, a visit to Seattle, and dinner high atop a skyscraper downtown at Portland City Grill.

Here are a few highlights:

We successful pitched our tent two nights in a row. This is Katie showing us who's boss at a campground in Lake Quinault, WA.

We hiked to beaches along the Washington coast.

Visited the Hoh Rainforest.

Stopped at Lake Crescent and hiked to Marymere Falls.

And climbed high above the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.

What a trip right? I think Katie definitely experienced so much of the Pacific Northwest.

August was an incredible month. It ended with a trip up to Bellingham last weekend. Bellingham is always a lot of fun, but this time Dani and Jared decided to join us. We had the best time.

We hiked, we swam, we kayaked.

We also drank a few too many margaritas! But hey, that's what life is all about.

The best part...our new family nickname...

meet the Schaabinots.

That is all. I hope you enjoyed the summer recap. Now that it's wrapping up I promise to be back in full blogging fashion. And you better be excited, because something tells me September will be just as adventurous!