Our Trip to Portland Part 2: It was totally WICKED!!!

When we heard from Mel that Jasmine was getting married,  (Gasp!)  I went through some slight shock and then realized that Jasmine and Janessa are not 11  any more,  and that is was actually ok for her to be getting married.  Then we decided we would plan a trip and be there for the wedding, we were very much in need of some quality time with The Burtons!  We made our plans a couple months in advance and we had been planning to leave Pierce and Madi with Grandma and take Jensen with us.  As the trip got closer I considered leaving him home, debated back and forth and then decided we would go ahead and take him.  I really wanted to show him off (he is the cutest thing on the planet after all!) and I didn't know how he would do with out me.  He is such a Momma's boy!  Which I love.  Anyway we were planning to take him up until the day we left... I was just getting so nervous about how he would do on the plane ride, we would be getting to Portland around mid night and I was worried he wouldn't sleep well, I was worried he wouldn't sleep good in the hotel and that he'd be miserable and tired the whole time.  I finally decided an hour before we were to leave, that I would leave him with Grandma!  I figured he would do better at home in his comfort zone and in his own bed with out me, than he would being on the go for 3 days and being thrown off his schedule.  I bawled when we left and could not believe I was leaving my baby, then questioned myself all night if I had done the right thing.  The next morning after calling JoAnn and hearing he was doing just fine I totally relaxed and was SO thrilled to have three days with Ryan.  Just me and him.  Alone. For the first time since we've had children! For three days.  It was Heaven.  

We had planned to be up there a day before the wedding so we could make the most of it, and we did!  We headed out to Forest Grove and had a little blast from the past just driving around, to the school, past our old apartment and just enjoying the beautiful green roadsides!  We had to make a stop at the school bookstore for new T-shirts - Pierson loves his "Pacific Boxers" tee shirt and was sad when he got a hole it it when it was quite new.  When my sister asked him about us going to Oregon he told her, "ya they're going to get me a new shirt.  Oh and to see some friends too."  We did not disapoint and he is thrilled with his new tee shirt!

We really do love Oregon, it is absolutely beautiful!  It's just that all that rain that makes it so beautiful is a little too much for us, so we always knew would could never live there, but we absolutely love visiting!

Beautiful green roadsides, such a change from St. George! - (and I did take these pics while we were passing by so excuse my poor quality), Ryan in front of the campus sign, (a tradition now) and Ryan getting ready to enjoy his "Jumbo Burger" at the Helvetia Tavern, a great little place for burgers he liked when he was in school.

AND, now that we were totally kid free, we could go see WICKED!  It was perfect luck that it was playing in Portland while we were there! I was so excited!  I  have been dying to see this show for the past three years (since I bought the soundtrack and fell in love with it!) We had planned on visiting Ryan's old roommate, Toby, and his wife Julie, while we were there, and luckily  they were up for the show on very short notice and tickets were available!

It was fabulous!  I loved it.  So much that I think I need to see it again this year when it come to Vegas.  Plus I wasn't able to fully appreciate every detail since our seats were on the side balcony.  So, it really is necessary to see it again.

After Wicked we hit PaPa Hayden's in Downtown Portland.  This is quite the happenin' little place, we had only been there once (when Ryan graduated) since it really isn't something poor students can justify. They are known for their desserts and let me tell you- delicious, scrumptious, amazing, divine...pretty much all the yummy words you could think of, ya they all apply.  Totally worth the 9 bucks each.

Isn't it pretty?  We definitely recommend the Chocolate Truffle Cake and the Peanut Butter Cheesecake.  And we loved it so much and figured- hey we're on vacation, with out our kids, for the first time ever!  So we went back the next night and got pick up.  So we definitely recommend the St. Moritz too, and we wished we had been able to try the Banana Cream Pie, they were out!  So we recommend that too.  It you are ever in Portland, stop in, and have  Coconut Macaroon for me too!  And while you are there stop by Moonstruck and get a milkshake!  Ya, we did that too.  But hey, we were on vacation!  Alone!  With out our kids! For three days!  And we kind of have a weekness for beautiful and delicious desserts.