Shazam! Shazam!!

Where has my dedication gone?

For starters: I made it to Portland.
The in between: Mom and I stopped off to take a self-guided tour of the Tree Mysteries, home to Paul Bunyan. Yes, the flannel wearing man with the ax. While there, we saw the world's largest tree, the elephant tree, the trinity tree and of course the chapel tree, all of which belonged to the Red Wood family. Mom was not thrilled about taking a gondola ride, but alas my pretty face convinced her (that, and she didn't want to miss out on any sites...so maybe it had nothing to do with my face). The view from the top was remarkable, just rows and rows of trees. It reminded me of Homeward Bound and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Chance or Sassy. This was our last stop on our trip to Portland.

Portland, the basics: My house is brown and I'm living with two boys. One is a skateboarder (Adam) who is currently trying out Nike prototypes and is getting paid in Nike products (I'm really hoping to get a new pair of sneakers out of this living arrangement). My other roommate, well, he isn't home much so I'm not sure what he's like. I do know that his name is Shemeon, which makes me think of my old dog Finian and Ben the word Shazam. My room is stuffed like a potato with all my possessions and furniture. While mom was in town we became Portland vintage connoisseurs. We snatched a dresser up for cheap, cheap and got a great deal on my bed. Ikea supplied a wooden bookshelf and a red trashcan. Now, about that cat of mine. Tinga spent the first couple of days hiding in my closet, but she's gotten a little more adventurous. She's still hasn't made up her mind on Bentley. Now who is Bentley? The Beagle. Who also really enjoys laying on my bed. So, Tinga just stares at him with her snake eyes; I think trying hypnosis on him. Her goal is clearly to turn Bentley into her slave. Soon I'm going to find Tinga riding on the back of Bentley and using his droopy ears as pillows.

Mom in Portland: Mom is a lifesaver and assisted/navigated/and basically helped me obtain everything I need to live (except a job, but she can't do everything!). We tried out different restaurants: Gravy, Old Town Pizza, Tin Shed and Jake's. Basically for three days all I ate was pizza or mac&cheese. A healthy, eight-year old's diet if you ask me. And if you're wondering, Jake's was decided to have the first place, gold medal winning macaroni. We traversed all of Portland, no hyperbole. I don't think there is a street that we did not drive on. We also opted for an aerial view of the city and took a ride in a glass bubble which turned out to be a form of mass transit and not a tourist attraction. The view was great though. We went and saw Valentines Day at Cinetopia in Vancouver where we ate pizza, yes more. And sad to say, this movie theater pizza was good. Like, better than most take-out pizza good. Dominos, you would have some sharp competition if this place delivered. Also, for all those out there who have a lovely lady and need a good date movie: Valentines Day! What other movie has 18 big name actors and mixes chick flick with wit? Hmmm?? Mom and I gave the movie four thumbs up plus two big smiles (the smiles might have been at Ashton Kutcher though). After the movie mom and I played beauty parlor and Mah Jongg. Finally, finally I beat her. All it took was the distraction of having hair dye on her roots and playing late at night where she yawned between every play. Who cares though, I was finally victorious!

Valentines Day (not the movie): Ben and I decided to celebrate by getting a joint gift, the PS3! We went to Gamestop and got a used console, a red controller and four games (for those curious: LBP, RE5, Uncharted 2, and Call of Duty). And needless to say, we have spent the better part of the past weekend playing non-stop video games. On Sunday, Ben surprised me by telling me he got reservations at Lapellah. We dressed up pretty: I wore pearls and makeup and he wore a sweater vest. At the restaurant he ordered a steak and I got...MAC&CHEESE. The most romantic food if you ask me.

Up-to-Date: I will be more diligent on updating. As for today, I have mostly been unpacking and doing laundry. Ben needs a tool belt because I'm forcing him to by my handyman.

Red Lobsters is in my future: take that parents, you're not the only people who get cheddar biscuits and coleslaw!