Summer time, and the living is easy...

Yay!!! It's finally summer here is Portland! Officially (says so on the calender) and physical- the sun is out and is beautiful outside. Not a day too soon, I have to say. If we had one more weekend of horrible weather, I was going to file an official complaint with... well, I'm not exactly sure with whom, but you can bet I would have found someone. No need, though, because it's gorgeous out there. :D

So much has been going on, I feel like I left this blog behind a little bit. No worries, I'm here now to catch it up. I have finished my time at Ten01 and am back to being a full time mommy to Ryker. I have to say, I'm loving it! I haven't been home with him since early December, and I was really missing it. My little man is growing up so quickly and learns new things almost instantly. I do not want to miss a single second of that. To prove my point, he managed to learn a new word yesterday- "Crappy". Yes, you read that right. It was all mommy's fault too! He seriously learns new words from hearing them one time... a lesson I'm learning the hard way. From now on, everyone has to be VERY carefully what we say around him. At least when he says things like that, it's super cute!

I have been busy as Mrs Portland as well. I'm still training with the amazing Zach and Marie as Saturn Styles Studio, and it's still kicking my bum. But in the best way possible. I have definition in my legs and arms that I've never seen before! It's awesome and totally inspiring. I'm also coming along with my self-confidence. I actually told my husband I thought I looked pretty good in a pair of pants yesterday. That's a HUGE step for me! They work miracles, let me tell you.

This past weekend I was able to make 2 appearances. The first one was in Lincoln City at the Summer Kite Festival. If you are in Oregon and you haven't gone to the event yet, you have got to make time. It was a beautiful day at the beach and there are hundreds of kites flying in the sky. Huge kites mounted in the sand, trick kites that are flown to music and hand made kites made by the little tikes and yours truly. I joined my fellow Mrs Washington Co contestant, Jen Moser and Amy Pluedeman, Oregon's 30's Beauty of America at the kite making table. We spent the afternoon helping the little ones color and make kites to fly in the festival. I was overwhelmed with the reception we got from Lincoln city! They introduced us to the crowd, the kids and parents were excited to see us, taking pics and wanting autographs... it was wonderful. We even raced in a "celebrity" bowl kite race (think strapping on a parachute in the wind and running across the sand.) We had such a great time and I really want to thank Maggie for allowing us to come and share in their community fun.

That same evening I joined the Oaky Doaks Square Dancing Club at the OC Relay for Life at Clackamas Community College. This relay is a fundraiser for cancer treatment through the American Cancer Association. This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart, as you have seen in my previous post about Sallie, my niece. Also, my grandfather on my dad's side past away from cancer, my grandfather on my mom's side has been treated for cancer, and my husband's mother passed 2 years ago from cancer. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't been effected somehow by this disease. I enjoyed hearing the stories of the survivors and watching the determination of the families who were remembering lost loved ones. It is a heartwarming event and one that I hope to be able to be involved in for many years to come.

Well, I think you can consider yourself officially up-to-date on what's happening here. Just to let you know, upcoming events include the Mrs Portland Garage Sale and Bake Sale on July 9-10th. Have a great weekend and get out their and get some sun!

Closing Up Rose Festival

This last week found me at 2 events for the Rose Festival: The Fred Meyer Junior Parade and the Grand Floral Parade. I got to see both sides of a parade this week, being behind the scenes for one and as a participant of the other. Both were awesome, but boy oh boy does Portland weather know how to throw a curve ball. It's the middle of June so one should be able to count on tepid weather at the very least. However, Wednesday, June 9th was no such day.

I was a judge for the Fred Meyer Junior Parade that took place down Sandy Blvd on June 9th. This is a parade that requires all their participants be under the age 18 (with adult chaperons, of course!) Pretty much, it's a parade for kids by kids. What a great idea! As I headed down to the staging area in my white pants, shoes and no umbrella, a monsoon hits NE Portland. I wish I was joking! Sideways rain fell in bucket loads, winds howled... I thought for sure that I'd make it to the starting line tent only to be told that the parade was off. When I did arrive, I was the spitting image of a drowned rat. Very queen-like, I can assure you. But God had blessings arranged for us, for that was the only downpour for the rest of the parade. I shock off the best I could, got my clipboard and judging partner and headed to my area "Major Floats". After going over 8 or 9 entries, we awarded a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize, followed by a Sweepstakes winner that won the privilege of leading out the floats.

This years winner was the 4th grade class from Beverly Clearly Elementary school. They had spent 6 weeks learning about the Oregon Trail, then separated into "families", each building a wagon and filling it with things they had learned the settlers used on their journey. Not only were the details just amazing, but this had to have been the most well-behaved group of 30+ children I've ever seen. Congratulations to the students and teachers for this wonderful project.

These boys look less then thrilled to be having their picture taken with me. :D

After the awards were given out, I worked with several volunteers and our coordinator, Sallie, to get the parade in order and on the road. NOT and easy task, I assure you. Thankfully, all we saw was a little drizzle here and there, allowing for another successful Junior Parade.

Parade 2 of the week: The Grand Floral Parade.

A reunion of the Starlight Parade, if you will. Once again, Joy and I, along with Miss Multnomah Co and Portland's Outstanding Teen were the banner holders for the One More Time Around Again Marching Band. We arrive early to the staging area, so we were able to check out the beautiful vehicles in the "Convertible Club", and were lucky enough to get some pictures with a few of them. Between the spirit of the day and the bright, warm sunshine... I don't know. People just seemed really happy to be together. We met so many new people and were met with smile after smile. The parade route was absolutely packed with waving spectators. Cameras were flashing, hands were waving, cheers were going off left and right. Again, if I ever need a reminder of how lucky I am to be able to be a part of this celebration, I get them in days like today. We march with the most beloved band in the parade- and these people know how to have a good time.

We are saying goodbye to our Rose Festival for the year. I am thankful for all the fun and great memories it provided me and I hope I am able to return next year to add to the scrapbook. Maybe with a different title??? :D We'll see.

Mrs Portland at Full Speed!

It was the first SUNNY day in June, and what better way to spend it then with my pageant family. Beautiful weather, beautiful ladies and beautiful memories. The following may sound like a whirlwind of activity and WAY too much to pack into one day, but I am being honest when I say it was truly the best day of appearances I have ever experienced.

We started at Oaks Park. They were celebrating their 105th birthday, and to commemorate the day they had renovated their original carousel. We joined Drew Craney from channel 8 to reveal the new animals on the carousel and ride with the birthday kids at the park. The crowd was so receptive and cheered for us as we were introduced. Then, the kids rode the animals with us and had a GREAT time. Last, but not least, we handed out hundreds of balloons... and I'm not exaggerating. Hundreds... A BIG thanks to Marybeth, our outstanding coordinator. She is an amazing lady.

Next, Joy (Mrs Oregon 2010) and I took off to the Canadian Naval Ship- The Vancouver- to help with the private reception they were hosting. We spent the beginning checking in the guests, then we were able to go on board and mingle. Our gracious hosts took us on a private tour- a perk of being part of the pageant family! What great guys! Thank you, Gentlemen, for all your hospitality, but more importantly... thank you so much for all you have done for our country.

Around 7:15, we walked up to 9th and Burnside to meet our friends, the "One More Time Around Again Band". Joy and I were the banner holders for them in the Starlight Parade. They always show us a good time, and this was no exception. At one point, 2 trumpet players ran up and handed us their trumpets so they could dance around with the banner. The firemen who were placed in front of us tossed us around in the rescue net! We waved to the excited crowd and just smiled from ear to ear. How could we not... we were part of an amazing day here in Portland.

Again, I am reminded of just how truly blessed I am. I am part of a loving family that supports me on days like this... when I'm gone from 1:00pm to 11:00pm...when my husband has to meet me somewhere randomly downtown to pick up my purse so I don't have to carry it during the parade... when my fellow pageant sister lets me use her cell phone 20 times because my phone was in my purse...when my parents bring my son down to the parade at 9pm to see his mommy marching...I have a sweet, sweet life!

It's Rose Festival Time

If the rain didn't tip you off... it's Rose Festival time here in Portland!!! One of the great times of the year when our city unites to put on parades, river events and great family fun. Despite the liquid sunshine, there is so much to do during the next month- you don't have an excuse to be bored. :)

To kick off this year's festivities with my fellow Mrs Oregon contestants, we spent last night at the Wardroom Reception at Venue 126. This was an event for the Naval Officers who come in each year on their ships up the Willamette. We all met for dinner before hand at Bistro Montage (and yes, we indulged in the Mac & Cheese!), which I would almost be willing to put out there as my favorite part of the evening. As we are all scattered across Oregon, events like these are the only times we have to get to know each other. being surrounded by the great ambiance of Montage, the delicious food and the beautiful women... it was a recipe for good times. After dinner, we drove over to the reception where we got to mingle with the officers and tell them all about the virtues of our gorgeous state. We were part conversationalist and part city maps! It was great to hear where all of them are from and to be able to thank them for their service to our country.

Like I said, this month is just brimming with activities around town. I will keep you posted about where to find us. Here's a little rundown so far:

Saturday, June 5th- 2pm: Oaks Park 105th Birthday and Carousal Revealing
                              4pm: Greeting on the Naval Ships Downtown
                              7pm: Starlight Parade- Carrying the One More Time Around Again Banner

Wednesday, June 9th- 11am: Judging the Fred Meyer Junior Parade

Saturday, June 12th- 8am: The Rose Festival Parade

And YES! That's all in just the next 2 weeks. : D