i forgot- we also walked around the rose gardens below the japanese gardens. it's still probably a few weeks until most of them are in bloom, but this was one of the prettier ones that was out. it had a very interesting scent- pleasant and fruity, like a passionfruit, instead of rose-ish.

j (from nyc) & i in the japanese gardens.

today we slept in fairly late. we were thinking of going wine tasting, but i was feeling like i was getting a cold (which always happens when i suddenly have any free time), so we opted to relax & just visit the japanese gardens. they were beautiful in the rain. afterwards we checked out powell's bookstore for awhile, before picking up take-out thai from beau thai (LOVE the salad rolls!!!). we spent the whole evening just watching & flipping between random movies on cable. braveheart, miss congeniality, super troopers, die hard 3, x-men 2... some obviously better than others.

yesterday all we did was sleep, eat, sleep (while j went to the climbing gym), & eat. j & i were up until 4am, and i woke up at 9am, so i wasn't very functional with 5 hours of sleep. i often get SO tired that i can't sleep. doesn't make any sense to be too tired to sleep, but it happens to me all the time. it's probably going to take me about a month to recover from this year's season, and then i'll have that "thing" this summer. busy year, eh? we watched cinderella man at night. it was an o.k. flick, though i'm glad it was courtesy of netflix, and not at real movie theater prices.

last night we went to the bridgeport brewery in the pearl district. it was just remodeled not too long ago, and this was the first time we had been back since. i was really really disappointed. it used to be mainly a beer & pizza place. now half of it is a stupid special "dinner" place, and the other part is a pub/bar area. pub food it is not. it's all hoity-toidy now, with pre-set pizza options. i was looking forward to some simple pepperoni pizza, and they didn't have that. they only offered individual 12" pizzas, with thin crust, and it says very clearly on the menu - no substitutions whatsoever. very disappointing. shame on you, bridgeport, for taking away a fun, relaxed place and making it stuck up & antiseptic. bleah!!!

awwww. :) thanks for the champagne, t! it was a big hit.

yay! c! yay!

j, on the right, is our guest of honor this weekend, who flew in from nyc. he's also going to be turned into a minister extraordinaire in the near future (for our wedding). my j went to pick him up from the airport in the middle of the party (thanks so much honey!).

we threw a party friday night after the last concert of the season. i was a little pictured out, and started snapping late in the night after a lot of people had already left.

this is from yet another gathering on monday night. this was our fourth party in a row last weekend. busy party season, i guess. we musicians like to celebrate the end of the season! :)

this was the ice cream cake in honor of e, who's movin off to "jailyard" in the big mean nyc. best of luck to you!!!

couples' pics. :)

the following are all pictures from an orchestra party last sun night...

j's 29th birthday - lookin good, j!

this is from mother's day... a long time ago... with all the things that have passed since then, i feels like it was a year ago. this is j & i with our parents at brunch.

so much work, little play, but the end is in sight - yay! i've been spending all my time either teaching, practicing, or rehearsing. i'm almost prepared for all the mahler-ing we're doing in the next 7 days. seven seven seven seven days! sounds so short, but goes so slowly. we have social events the next 4 days, celebrating the near end of the season and j's birthday (he'll be 29 on monday!!! aren't i the cradle robber? heehee). looking forward to being able to concentrate on just wedding stuff & teaching. oops - gotta run to work!

is everyone prepared for mother's day??? if you haven't sent out cards already, you better order flowers online - don't forget!!!
i can't write anymore because i need to go practice...

time is scarce these days. ever since i returned from ireland, it's been one long race to get things accomplished. j & i were both gone from thurs to sun. i was on tour with the orchestra in baker city, which used to be quite the metropolis back in the day in eastern oregon. scenery was amazing. unfortunately, j had the digital camera on his trip, so i have no pictures to show. anyway, the weather was amazing, sights beautiful, which actually helped inspire me to do a little jogging on the trip. very unusual for me - i'm not usually that motivated. perhaps sitting in a car for 4.5 hours had something to do with it. j was on a climbing trip to city of rocks in idaho with 3 of his friends. he came back a day early, and all in one piece. yay! no major injuries. so many wedding things & work things to accomplish. ah well. such is life. i'm really lucky to have a job, a spouse (to be), & so many other things. i really can't complain. not at all.

the mounted police. fairly intimidating.

these are pictures of the rally on Monday. j & i were downtown checking out our wedding venue, and it just happened to coincide with the rally. we had to wait about 15 min for a break in the marchers before we could jump in the car & race off on a side street.

this is a pic of a chili dinner that our friends c & v cooked for us last sunday. great food & great company, & fun to eat outside!

happy birthday n!!!!! this is a pic from a few years ago, a trip of mine to new york city. the flowers were from my friend j. anyway, hope the birthday has been smashing!!