Punchbowl Falls

Saturday turned out to be a GORGEOUS day, not a cloud in the sky. Good thing too cause I was going hiking with some friends. We hiked in the Gorge, which is absolutely beautiful this time of year. The Columbia river divides Oregon from Washington and that is known as the Gorge. Hiking destination: Punchbowl Falls. It was a pretty short hike - took about 30-40 minutes and I kept thinking I was in Jurassic Park or something. The trees are super tall and it's super green. Punchbowl Falls consists of the lower falls....

...which I totally would have jumped into 1) had I worn my swimsuit, 2) had it not been in the shade and 3) and it not been freezing cold water. Ok, let's be honest.....I totally would have jumped if someone had just said, "I dare you."

Ok, so it gets a little more crazy. Some dudes (in my group and other groups) decided they were going to jump off the cliff next to the upper falls. We're talking like 85 feet here. Crazy! You can't even see the water in this picture, but take it from me.....that is a TALL cliff. I stood where you see all those dudes standing and it's a loooong way down. Looks awesome though! It was fun to watch.

My New Pleasure Reading......

Portland Day 30 - Overcast

Portland Sunset. Granted not as spectacular as AZ sunsets, but this was the best I've seen so far. The bright colors didn't come through too well in the photo, but still beautiful with the clouds.

Today marks a month since I've been here and I've given you a glimpse into my life every one of those days. From here on out, I'll just be blogging sporadically and not necessarily every day. I have the feeling it's going to turn around from here on out. Ahem, get extremely boring I mean. The endless studying has definitely begun. I'll see if I can still give you insights into life in Portland and/or PA school. Until next time!

Everyone and their dog

I'm sure you've all used the expression "everyone and their dog" a million times without thinking about it. For example...."Who was at the concert?" "Everyone and their dog," meaning a LOT of people. Well, I've seen first-hand what that expression really means. Portland brings out the literal meaning of it. It's true. Everyone AND their dog are everywhere. People take them on walks, hiking, in their car, downtown.... You name it and they're there. I was driving home from the gym the other day and in front of me was a Subaru with a dog staring out the back window. Classic. Dogs here are just another member of the family!

Portland Day 29 - Rain

Yesterday we had a Welcome Picnic for our class with students, faculty, and family. It was fun to meet spouses, kids, parents, siblings, and dogs of classmates. I must say, just one more time, that I love my class! They are such great and amazing people. I'm looking forward to getting to know them even better. Sorry for the blurriness of the photo (I didn't take it.....)