Take-off list update: line dancing, Ruby's, and my first real hamburger (again)

It's been a pretty good week. Long - (amazing how slowly time passes when the most exciting thing you did all day was go to Kohl's with your mom, #PGP) but I'm soaking up the freedom while I still have it. I've been chipping away at that take-off list of mine, and I thought I'd update you all on my progress this week!

First - we did it. Friday night L, S, O and I finally graced 148th and Division with our presence at Duke's Country Bar and Grill. For those of you not from SEP (South East Portland) as we like to refer to it, Duke's is a country bar smack-dab in the neighborhood that many a Gresham cowboy and David Douglasian like to frequent. I've driven past the place my whole life, always talking about how when I was 21 I'd check it out. Got to stay true to your roots, right?

I won't give you a full recount because maybe you'll go and check it out for yourself sometime, but I will say that the highlight was the nice cowboys who took the time to teach my friends and I how to country dance! I suppose they didn't really so much teach us as provide a really great lead, which makes all the difference in the world. We were spinning and twirling around the dance floor like the best of 'em, and one guy even picked me up and flipped me upside-down. No big thing. It just flowed!

I'm working on getting a video from O to prove our credentials... stay tuned.

Yesterday after a full day of sun bathing and recovering by L's pool, we determined we were starving and in the mood for burgers. If you've known me for awhile, you know that I've been a pescetarian for the last 6 years but just recently came back to the dark side of meat eating. L and her sister took us to one of their favorite childhood restaurants, Stanich's, and I had my first real hamburger in over 6 years. It was quite the moment.

Last, but certainly not least, we headed out to one of my all-time favorite Portland places, McMenamin's Edgefield. If you've never been to a McMenamin's I would highly encourage you to go, they're typically restored sites filled with history and a whimsical touch on hospitality. Very Portland, and very hip. Edgefield is 70+ acres of farmland in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, and we were lucky enough to be there last night for the celebration of their 102nd birthday! The sun was just starting to go down over the property, there was a live folky band playing outside, and people were wandering all over the grounds. As we sat on the lawn enjoying the home-brewed beer (my favorite is the Ruby - a grapefruit-infused brew) and listening to the band, I couldn't imagine anywhere else I would rather be.

 

 

 This afternoon, I'm taking off for a week in my other home - Seattle! It was a great week in Portland, and I feel so blessed with the quality time I've been spending with my good friends here. Only a few things left to check-off on my list... You better believe I'm getting a Dbros before I hit the road.