For my birthday (kind of), my sister Katie and her boyfriend Matt came out to visit! They got in on a Thursday and after Nat picked them up from the airport, we went to McMenamins Rock Creek and had a nice meal outside. Nathaniel and I both worked the next day, so I met Katie and Matt for lunch, and after work we all met up at the Tigard Taphouse. We happened upon the opportunity to purchase a very fun bottle of vodka, and had pizza at home while watching The Shining. Matt had never seen it! And it was a necessity since we would be spending the following night near the Overlook Hotel (Timberline Lodge).

Saturday morning, Nat worked and the three of us went to Pine State in Alberta and took a walk on Sauvie Island. We swung by home to pick up our stuff and Nat and then headed to our cabin for the night. We went to a place Nat and I had stayed in before, in Zigzag, near Rhododendron. We didn’t get to experience much of the river this time, but we did go back to Skyway, where I yet again had the best meal of my entire life. I love that place forever and ever. We spent the night all squished on the little couch watching It Follows and eating my birthday cake.

In the morning, my sister made me the sweetest birthday breakfast of mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs (an absolute favorite in my family)! We left the cabin and drove up Mt Hood, where we played in the snow a bit (Cody predictably had the time of his life) and had drinks at Timberline Lodge. On the way home, we stopped at the tulip farm in Woodburn, and this time the weather was perfect! And there was a LAMB BORN THAT MORNING! We had planned on making dinner at home that night, but we ended up getting Mexican takeout and watching… I can’t remember, but there’s a very good chance it was a John Mulaney special. I’ve made my sister a fan, for sure.