After waiting for the boys to get up from their naps and to get the car packed up we finally got in the car around 6 or so and headed down to Portland for the ride. Of course, due to the fact that we have two kids the time it took for us to get down there was much more than we thought was humanly possible. We stopped in Parkland for burgers then stopped in Lakewood for coffee and so Milo could eat then got in stop & go traffic down Hwy 99 because we thought it would be faster than the freeway which was also very slow.

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I just got back Thursday afternoon from four days in Portland. I was there for an educational conference at the downtown Hilton. The conference was about creating engaging work for your students, engaging your staff (if you’re in administration) and designing, versus planning, your units and lessons. I was there with a team of about 25 from my district including all six principals, the superintendent (who had personally invited me) and the deputy superintendent.

We went out to some fabulous dinners and were quite busy during the day. Some highlights include:

• Spending Monday night watching Monday Night Football at a sportsbar downtown where they let us all into the VIP room because there were so many of us there. They even had a HD projector that we watched the game on.
• Visiting Jesse and Aubrey at Cacao on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I brought some small sample-size chocolates back for some teachers who I was trying to entice to come back with me on Wednesday. My favorites were the mocha Jesse made for me, the drinkable chocolate, and the chocolate-coconut pudding that is currently in R&D.
• Going out to dinner as an entire group Tuesday and Wednesday. We went to the Macaroni Grill on Tuesday where an opera-style singer sang Happy Birthday to some teachers there and later came back, with some coaxing, to serenade one of the math teachers from my building.
• Spending shopping and dining time with some of the important administrators in my district.
• Trying to leave Portland: We spent 20 minutes or so after leaving the parking garage at the hotel just trying to get onto the freeway. Road signs in Oregon and Portland are not the same as in Washington. Case in point: there was a sign at one intersection that said freeway, straight ahead.  However, at the next intersection, which went only right or left, there was no indication which way you were supposed to go. My point is that the signs in Washington are much more explicit.

Overall it was a great conference and I had a fine time hanging out with people in my district I only see a few times a year. I’m happy to be back and Oskar wants to play Peek-a-boo Elmo so I’ll write more next time.

My friend Jeremiah has a gallery of his pictures up here.

Oskar and I just got out of a bubble bath that we took to ease our tired bones. Well, mine anyway since he rode in the backpack the whole way. Snow Lake is at the top of Snoqualmie Pass so we met some of my old friends from college up there and then drove up to the Alpental area parking lot where the trailhead is. The hike is 8 miles roundtrip and the elevation gain is 1260 feet. That’s not too bad but at the Pass you’re already up 3200 feet so it’s a bit of a ways up there. We also had the sun on us the entire time on the climb up although there were spots of shade along the way. The image above is from someone else but I’m hoping to get some good shots of Oskar and me from my friends.

Yesterday we went to cousin Emma’s birthday party at Pump It Up! in Kirkland. That was fun and bouncy. The place was just all inflatable bouncy toys. Oskar loved the basketball court (of course) and went down the 20 foot slide with me a few times. That was quite a drive too. We also leave on Thursday for the Oregon coast so more driving!

We just got back from a couple days at Rose’s grandparent’s cabin.  For whatever reason Lola was very content there; she didn’t really freak out at all and seemed very calm and relaxed.

Oskar had a good time but nighttime was hard because he wasn’t used to sleeping on the futon by himself.  Going to bed to a while each night and yesterday’s nap was a Herculean task.  Oskar and I splashed around in the hot tub, threw a ball across to each other and he tried to swim across by himself.  He just throws himself in and kicks and paddles away. The funniest thing he did while we were there was he found a little baby carriage that he would push around but he would stop and say, “Ummmm … that way!”  He would go that way until he stopped and and said, “Ummmm … that way!” and off he would go.