Mike's Birthday Celebration

We celebrated another birthday with another terrific sushi/Japanese food celebration. We decided to try one of Portland's oldest Japanese restaurants and it was worth the wait. We ordered a little bit of everything including a chef's selection sushi platter and our own selection of sushi as well as a terrific mackerel oshizushi (press box sushi), agadashi tofu, tempura, and of course some karage. It was a wonderful meal and the sushi was terrific. 

 

Desert Botanical Garden

We spent a lovely morning strolling through the Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden. The garden opens at 7AM everyday, and as early as 6AM for members. The summertime heat is no joke and we were done touring the garden by 10AM. It was peaceful, full of incredible desert flora and a great place for inspiration (if you are into succulents as much as we are). If you're ever in this part of the Southwest, we highly recommend it.

Our summer

We've had an amazing summer with a record number of hot days. It finally rained over the weekend and by Monday everyone seem to be ready for the fall. Not us, we are thoroughly enjoying the hot evenings, the crowds that come into the city for events and the hopeful outlook summer brings. Other than trips up I-5 to see the newest member of our family we haven't traveled more than 100 miles outside the city all summer and we couldn't be happier.

Life-As of Late

July 2015 was busy, exciting and filled with so much joy. We started off with a low-key 4th of July where we watched the fireworks from the esplanade and was thankful to live in such a lovely city. It has been a hot summer and we couldn't be happier—summer is just the best.

 


We added a new member to the clan and we are all over the moon! Our little family dynamic will be forever changed for the better and everyone is utterly in love.



We've been strolling through the Lan Su Chinese Garden to keep cool (sometimes you need a little nature to balance out all the concrete).



On the hottest day of the year we celebrated four blissful years of marriage at one of the many restaurants we have been wanting to to try! The food was fantastic and was the best salted cod fritters we've ever had. Has it felt like four years since we tied the knot? Yes, but only in the best ways!



In between all of this we've been watching our herbs and plants double in size, eating comforting soups and enjoying that magic hour light. Hope everyone is having a magical summer!