For the past three Christmases Craig has been very specific that all he really wants are tickets to see his beloved Phoenix Suns play. Since we live in Idaho this inevitably involves travel. In 2010 and 2011 we traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to see the Suns play the Jazz and had a ton of fun spending a couple of days downtown. This year, it proved trickier. Because of the NBA lockout the schedules changed and the only date to see the Suns play the Jazz in Utah would be a couple of weeks before I am due to have this little baby. Naturally I nixed that idea right away. Craig then had the brilliant idea to travel to Portland and go see the Suns there, explore a bit, and then drive the 2.5 hours to the Seattle area to see my parents.
So...that is exactly what we did!
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| Keegan is a fabulous traveler We left early in the morning on Thursday the 26th of January. It was an easy drive and very scenic along the Columbia River. We arrived in Portland a little after lunch time and checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel across the street from the Rose Garden Arena. We lazed around for a bit and then hopped on the MAX to do a bit of exploring nearby. We ended up at a local mall where I was very excited to go to Charlotte Russe (there are none in Idaho) and I bought a pair of sweet orange shoes for the game. The mall had a really cool indoor ice rink and Craig took Keegan skating for the first time. I was a very proud Canadian Mama! Slightly bummed I couldn't skate due to being super pregnant but I was happy to photograph the experience. |
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| Learning to skate at the Lloyd Center |
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| I think Keegan's favorite part of the trip was riding the train |
Afterwards we decided to explore downtown Portland for a few hours before getting ready for the game.
Highlights:
- Keegan getting to ride the MAX once again
- Seeing fantastic architecture
- Getting to shop at Nordstrom's (yet another store we do not have)
- Powell's City of Books! I had an amazing time and could have spent hours and hours there. Keegan and I each chose some books and were in bibliophile heaven.
- Seeing Alvin Gentry, head coach of the Phoenix Suns downtown and getting to talk to him!
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| At Powell's! |
We went back to the hotel and took Keegan to the pool for awhile and then got ready for the game. It was a really short walk from the hotel to the arena which was really nice.
This trip was a bit of a challenge for me as I have developed a weird complication of pregnancy. My pelvic bone is displaced/dislocated until after the baby is born so that makes it a bit harder to walk around or to even sit or stand for very long. Craig had called the Rose Garden earlier in the week to ask about any accommodations as going up the many flight of stairs would probably be really painful for me. We went to the ticket office and explained the situation to them and they upgraded us to a sky box with a private elevator so I didn't have to walk. It was amazing!!!!
Despite a devastating loss by 38 points we had a really good time and enjoyed getting a chance to have some family time. This was our first real vacation in a year and we were so grateful for the opportunity. We left Portland Saturday morning and spent the next couple of days relaxing with my family. Laughing, enjoying Mom's delicious meals, church, and an impromptu surprise belated birthday party for Dad topped off a fabulous trip.
We are really looking forward to our next trip-this June to see my brother Jacob graduate from high school and bring our new Little Man to his grandparents house for the first time. Hopefully on that trip Craig and I will be able to pop up to Vancouver, British Columbia for a day to celebrate our very happy fourth wedding anniversary. I will be especially excited for a trip that doesn't involve a hundred stops to search for a bathroom!
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| Keegan had a blast playing with the tissue paper from the presents and chasing the "Over the Hill" balloons |
For the next 12-13 weeks I'll be taking it pretty easy and waiting to have this baby!
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