Quick Portland trip

  Too make good on my Layla pictures promise, I give you this blog...  If you happen to follow my sister's blog then you basically have seen all of these.  I didn't bring my big camera with me and decided to gently remind make my sister use their Rebel.  It takes some great shots!!  But that means that we basically have all the same pics.

  I scheduled my trip up to the PNW about a week out.  My family changed all of their plans around to see me and so that I could see Layla over the long weekend.  My sister and dad were already down the weekend before, my aunt and uncle were planning on going out of town that weekend, and my cousin drove up from college.  To say that I love my family is an understatement.

  To be super efficient with miles on a holiday weekend, I ended up flying up to Seattle, staying the night, and driving down to Portland with my sis.  I got the best of both worlds...getting to sneak in to  my favorite store that is only in Seattle before it closed and getting to eat Din Tai Fung as a late night snack.  Then, waking up and going to my favorite grocery store that is only in Seattle and then going straight to Portland and getting to do the hipster, yuppy thing as well as visit with my family.  So much fun!

  

  The thing we love about Portland, and specifically my grandparent's neighborhood is that it is so walkable.  We can walk one direction and go to the original Stumptown and our favorite bakery or walk the other way and hit up the well-known Pok Pok or Salt and Straw and other yuppy shops and eateries.  I mean yuppy in the funnest and nicest way, of course.

  And when Layla was tired of being in her stroller, she got the royal treatment that only Aunties give their favorite nieces. 

Sidewalk gardens, another Portland thing.

  Saturday morning my grandma took me to the Oregon Historical Society to see the local Chinese exhibit that featured a little on both her family and my grandfather's.  Portland has been home to a large Chinese population for a long time.  The picture above has my grandma in the bottom row on the right.

And this was of my grandma's dad who fought in WWI for the US and earned a purple heart.

   After the museum we did more walking to our favorite places.  We also took a bunch of pics of Layla and I in this shop because a couple of years ago when I was here with Ava we took a picture of Ava with Cort and Randy in this shop.  She was the exact same age as Layla is here.

  I want to go back in time and squish this little babe!

We also went to Bollywood Theatre with Layla and I had to get some pics!

This was from 2014.  My baby!!

   Popo came along and I was so glad too.  She doesn't get to do this much because she is caring for my grandpa so well.  After we left the restaurant and it was just my sister, grandma, and I out walking I joked that all 3 of us were free!!

  Typical dinner spread.  Everything single thing is so delicious.  Except I still have never tried a spam musubi. [gasp!!!]  I just can't do it.  The good news is that there are about 20 other things that I can fill my plate with!

  My grandparents and all but one of their grandkids.  The problem about taking these pictures is that there are about 8 cameras taking pictures at once and no one ever looks at the same one!!  Ever.

On my way home, checking out the Bay Bridge and SF.

Took a pic of this lake that has boats because it is close to us and I don't know which body of water allows this!  So I meant to look it up later.

  It's hard to leave my family after having such a fun weekend and getting to visit such a fun town.  Not to mention that little baby!  Our summer road trip will hopefully be here in no time.