Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Santa Fe
We're just back from a nice long weekend in Santa Fe. It was Nathan's first exposure to the nephrology mafia and he bore it well. Peg and Dick Cronin hosted a bash that proved the nephrology crowd still really knows how to have fun. It was great to see some of the Israelit family's oldest friends and let them meet Nathan before the wedding. I was a little bit disappointed that everyone was on good behavior. My mom's sister flew in from Tucson for the party, and we were completely surprised that my friends Wendy and Mike drove down from Boulder. Peg asked everyone to bring us a champagne flute, so we came home with a very cool collection of mismatched (in a good way) stemware. Now I'm looking for a sparkling wine club to join so we can put them to good use. Stay tuned for bubbly parties Chez Roe.
We were quite lazy this trip, so we only made it to Downtown Subscriptions once. We didn't make it to Pasqual's even once. We did make a lap of Shiprock Traders, Spirit (my favorite clothing boutique), and Design Warehouse. All in all, we had a nice time but could have used one more day.
Nathan and I continued our quest for the best margarita in Santa Fe. Santacafe has a contender, though we still love the Pink Adobe offerings best.
We were quite lazy this trip, so we only made it to Downtown Subscriptions once. We didn't make it to Pasqual's even once. We did make a lap of Shiprock Traders, Spirit (my favorite clothing boutique), and Design Warehouse. All in all, we had a nice time but could have used one more day.
Nathan and I continued our quest for the best margarita in Santa Fe. Santacafe has a contender, though we still love the Pink Adobe offerings best.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
What to wear, what to wear?
Nathan tells me people are wondering what constitutes "appropriate" wedding attire. I always like to go with "festive party wear." This is Portland, after all. I've seen Levi's at the opera. That said, the wedding party will be in suits and ties. No tuxes, white gloves or top hats, much to Eddie and Zack's chagrin. I'll be in an enormous white dress.
The wedding and reception will take place in the garden portion of the Garden Vineyards. While there are plenty of paved areas, there is also a good deal of gravel and grass, so women will probably be more comfortable in shoes that don't have spiky heels. I have tried sandals there and did not end up with rocks in my shoes, so don't feel like a hiking boot is your only option. Hiking boots are, however, discouraged if for no other reason than that we'll be dancing after dinner. It can cool off in the evening here in July, so light sweaters or shawls would be a good packing decision.
July in Portland is generally pleasantly warm, but not hot, with temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's. We always say that summer doesn't start until July 5th, and it's not unusual to have cool rainy days right up until the 4th. After the fireworks fizzle, we're usually safe in betting on dry weather. That said, last year we had a blistering hot July. We will keep you informed of the weather as the date nears so you can pack accordingly. It's generally not humid--at least in comparison with places like Houston, Norman and Boston.
The wedding and reception will take place in the garden portion of the Garden Vineyards. While there are plenty of paved areas, there is also a good deal of gravel and grass, so women will probably be more comfortable in shoes that don't have spiky heels. I have tried sandals there and did not end up with rocks in my shoes, so don't feel like a hiking boot is your only option. Hiking boots are, however, discouraged if for no other reason than that we'll be dancing after dinner. It can cool off in the evening here in July, so light sweaters or shawls would be a good packing decision.
July in Portland is generally pleasantly warm, but not hot, with temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's. We always say that summer doesn't start until July 5th, and it's not unusual to have cool rainy days right up until the 4th. After the fireworks fizzle, we're usually safe in betting on dry weather. That said, last year we had a blistering hot July. We will keep you informed of the weather as the date nears so you can pack accordingly. It's generally not humid--at least in comparison with places like Houston, Norman and Boston.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Where to stay?
We've negotiated rates with two hotels in town: the Nines, and the Westin. Simply mention our wedding when you register to get this rate. We have discovered that it's occasionally possible to find lower rates online. If you do find a lower rate, go ahead and book at that rate and just let us know so we can have you added to our wedding group and keep the lower rate.
Both are great hotels and we're sure that either will be comfortable. Both are convenient to the Max and the Streetcar so you can explore the city before the wedding. For easy transportation to and from the Garden Vineyards, we will arrange a bus to pick up our friends from these two hotels. The "official line" is that only guests of these two hotels will get the bus service. As far as we know, no one will be tracking this.
If you have any trouble with the hotels, please let us know. Also, if you will have kids in tow, please let us know if you'd like assistance finding babysitters. The hotels may have recommendations as well, but we have nieces and a nephew in town and are happy to shake our babysitter network on your behalf.
Both are great hotels and we're sure that either will be comfortable. Both are convenient to the Max and the Streetcar so you can explore the city before the wedding. For easy transportation to and from the Garden Vineyards, we will arrange a bus to pick up our friends from these two hotels. The "official line" is that only guests of these two hotels will get the bus service. As far as we know, no one will be tracking this.
If you have any trouble with the hotels, please let us know. Also, if you will have kids in tow, please let us know if you'd like assistance finding babysitters. The hotels may have recommendations as well, but we have nieces and a nephew in town and are happy to shake our babysitter network on your behalf.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Registries
Several of you have asked about our registries.
Nathan has indulged me and we went old school on our registry from the standpoint of having both every-day ware and formal options. As most of you know, we entertain fairly regularly, so we have focused our registry in support of this. We are also merging two established households and recognize that one way to avoid living in a constant state of "that's yours, and I like mine better" is to replace what we had with some things that are OURS. (and yes, local charities will benefit from this decision as we replace the old)
We have registered at Gump's and Sur la Table, which both have extensive easy-to-use web sites on which you can browse our registry and place orders.
In addition, for those of you in Portland, we have registered at Twist. (NW 23rd store, though we're assured that all three stores will have the list this week.) Sadly, they don't have their wedding registry system online (it's all done on paper in scribbled handwriting only the sales guy can read) but they are happy to help you by phone or in the stores.
We also registered at Bloomingdales, because we fell in love with some dishes there that weren't available in Portland or at Gumps, though now we're finding the online experience at Bloomingdales is a bit of a drag. Their rationale is that their web software doesn't allow the purchaser to track their order, so they want people to call the store and speak with a human to ensure that they can deliver exceptional customer service. We are working to move these items to the Gumps list just to simplify things. Please do feel free to call them if you have questions. Some items can be ordered easily from the web site.
The patterns we've selected are:
Juliska--Berry and Thread in white for every day use, with some serving pieces and salad plates from the Jardins du Monde pattern just for kicks.
Bernardaud--The primary pattern is called Black Gold. The accent plates are from the Dune pattern in platinum.
Ercuis--stainless pattern called "Citelle"
Pouiforcat--silverplate in the Cardinal pattern, which is similar to the stainless, but features beautiful detail work.
We haven't yet picked barware, but we are already blessed with a nice collection of pint glasses from Linenkugel's, and merged our collections of wineglasses that already matched.
We also picked a few "accent" pieces from Michael Aram and Annieglass that caught our eyes and we think will compliment our primary patterns.
In any case, we really do think that having such a great group of friends with whom to celebrate our wedding is a wonderful gift in itself. We are excited for all of our diverse groups of friends from out of town to get together in one place. We have been noticing lately that our circles of friends have become thoroughly, and in some cases surprisingly, intertwined. We are anticipating a fun weekend with you all.
Nathan has indulged me and we went old school on our registry from the standpoint of having both every-day ware and formal options. As most of you know, we entertain fairly regularly, so we have focused our registry in support of this. We are also merging two established households and recognize that one way to avoid living in a constant state of "that's yours, and I like mine better" is to replace what we had with some things that are OURS. (and yes, local charities will benefit from this decision as we replace the old)
We have registered at Gump's and Sur la Table, which both have extensive easy-to-use web sites on which you can browse our registry and place orders.
In addition, for those of you in Portland, we have registered at Twist. (NW 23rd store, though we're assured that all three stores will have the list this week.) Sadly, they don't have their wedding registry system online (it's all done on paper in scribbled handwriting only the sales guy can read) but they are happy to help you by phone or in the stores.
We also registered at Bloomingdales, because we fell in love with some dishes there that weren't available in Portland or at Gumps, though now we're finding the online experience at Bloomingdales is a bit of a drag. Their rationale is that their web software doesn't allow the purchaser to track their order, so they want people to call the store and speak with a human to ensure that they can deliver exceptional customer service. We are working to move these items to the Gumps list just to simplify things. Please do feel free to call them if you have questions. Some items can be ordered easily from the web site.
The patterns we've selected are:
Juliska--Berry and Thread in white for every day use, with some serving pieces and salad plates from the Jardins du Monde pattern just for kicks.
Bernardaud--The primary pattern is called Black Gold. The accent plates are from the Dune pattern in platinum.
Ercuis--stainless pattern called "Citelle"
Pouiforcat--silverplate in the Cardinal pattern, which is similar to the stainless, but features beautiful detail work.
We haven't yet picked barware, but we are already blessed with a nice collection of pint glasses from Linenkugel's, and merged our collections of wineglasses that already matched.
We also picked a few "accent" pieces from Michael Aram and Annieglass that caught our eyes and we think will compliment our primary patterns.
In any case, we really do think that having such a great group of friends with whom to celebrate our wedding is a wonderful gift in itself. We are excited for all of our diverse groups of friends from out of town to get together in one place. We have been noticing lately that our circles of friends have become thoroughly, and in some cases surprisingly, intertwined. We are anticipating a fun weekend with you all.
Welcome to our blog
We have less than 2 months to go until our wedding. We are excited to see everyone in Portland this summer!
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