Portland Quick Trip

Ben here... Just got back from a quick trip to Portland, OR. We haven't been back since we moved in October. While the whole family wasn't able to go, I flew back for a whirlwind two days to attend a friend's wedding and visit as many people as possible.
I spent Friday night with our friends the Rileys. Nicole had their baby almost 4 weeks early on Wednesday, but they still let me stay in the baby's room... there was even a big bed already set up for me! Somewhat crazy, but Jeremy and I were up at 5:15 the next morning to go golfing in Woodland, WA with Jason (a good friend from OHSU). Don't worry all you moms, Nicole was very gracious to let me steal her husband and Jeremy was heading home to let Nicole take a nap.
I was then off to the first Catholic wedding that I've ever attended. Teresa Christianson is also a good friend from my job at OHSU and it was her big day. The church and bride were beautiful, the groom was ecstatic and the ceremony rather special. So much symbolism involved! Luckily, I had another friend from work to help explain all the rituals, rites and symbols. The dinner (chicken, asparagus, and prawns) was amazing, as was the after-party. --Quick note to anyone getting married: they had a photo booth at the reception that was quite a hit. You know, the booths where everyone crowds in and you get a strip of photos. The bride and groom then get a cd with copies and a slideshow of all the pics. Very cool.--
I ran up to OHSU Hospital this morning and found a few friends and acquaintances; somewhat nostalgic, but cool to see the unit where I worked for 5 1/2 years. Finally, I cruised over to Aloha to join our beloved Aloha 1st ward for Sacrament Meeting. It just happened to be Justin Ashby's mission farewell. I taught Justin a few times in Sunday School; it was neat to hear him give such a powerful testimony. There are now 9 missionaries from the A1 ward and will be 10 in 3 weeks when another recent grad heads out. Awesome!
I made it home to Logan and our empty house at 6 this evening. As Heidi and the kids are in Las Vegas (kind of a long story), I took off to go visit a bunch of people in the ward. There's good people everywhere! More stories to come... This weekend is the start of many summer activities for us. Good times!