Where's Abby (+ Dylan and dogs)

May 24th, 2025 marked a whole year since booking it from San Francisco all the way to our new Portland apartment! We have been so happy with this move to Portland. We were really quickly reassured that it was the right choice and found our spot to settle down for a bit. These tired tumbleweeds are setting down some roots. We found a great friend group right away, some through mutual collie love, some through my gym, some through pedalpalooza rides... i In this year, we saw at least 11 concerts, which was honestly way more than I expected we'd seen. I'd kind of imagined we wouldn't actually wind up going to too many. I was super surprised with just how much there is too. I think that was part of the overwhelm when we first got here, trying to figure out who to see because there were constant options.  We saw more movies in the theater (and ate the most popcorn) than maybe ever. The Hollywood Theater is a really cozy one that shows a lot of old films and often has little even...

We survived the winter! It was not nearly as bad as I expected this year. Apparently this is not the norm though, so we'll see what we get in future winters. We did our best to prepare ourselves, mostly by convincing ourselves that just because the sun set early didn’t mean the day was over. The biggest game-changer- Not immediately swapping into cozy clothes after work so we'd be ready to head back out with ease..  We kept biking, even when rain seemed inevitable. Some of our usual long cross-town grocery hauls turned into quicker trips to closer stores, but we still got out there. One particularly memorable ride was up to Council Crest, Portland’s highest spot. The trek up? Warm, sunny and lovely. The way down? A full-on downpour. We made it to get my tire fixed, though, and rewarded ourselves with some delicious  No Name Pho —a perfectly warm treat after an unexpected soaking. Dylan reports No Name Pho is closest authenticity to Vietnam and I'll attest that it was delici...

We packed up our bikes in the car for our first ride out of the city. From Hood River, we rode along the Historic Columbia River Highway-- no cars allowed! The trail was fantastic with fall colors and the always striking views of the Gorge. After about 8 miles, Dylan was ready to give up. But we pulled over, ate our PB&Js next to some vineyard and I convinced him to "go at least 2 more miles." The old highway turned into road, but there were only a few cars. Through Mosier we rode and then up around a little loop to make our way back. As we came down one hill with beautiful open views ahead, we saw a winery overlooking these hills, so we had to stop there. A glass of wine in their lawn was such a nice treat. Back at Hood River, we filled our bellies with some tasty tacos. A much enjoyed birthday indeed. Birthday vids I had way more pictures than this but had to get them off my phone for more space and now I just can't be bothered with searching on the actual computer ...