When we first got to Seattle, we met up with one of Justin’s fraternity brothers, Davey, and his wife Kristen. They threw out the idea of going to Portland for a weekend, and we jumped at the offer. Last Friday afternoon, we hopped in the car and started the 3 hr. trek to the city. It was supposed to be a cold and rainy weekend, but we had tons of things planned to keep us dry :).

Voodoo Doughnuts

While we did check into our hotel and eat dinner first, we went to VooDoo Doughnuts pretty much as soon as we had a chance. We were pretty dang excited to head to this place that was known for their crazy topped doughnuts. Anywhere you could get Coco Puffs thrown on top of a doughnut, well, it would have been insane not to go!

VooDoo Doughnuts

The place is really interesting in and of itself, but that was all part of the fun. Check out the funny signs above. Hilarious!

Yep, we’re happy campers.

On Saturday morning we headed to a local outdoor market that Kristen had heard about. It was a little drizzly and cold (hence the lack of good pictures), but we had fun walking around. Kristen and Davey wanted to head to an Art Museum and we weren’t really feeling it, so we split up and agreed to meet up for lunch. It’s always awesome traveling with people who are laid back about schedules :).

Saturday Market

While they headed to a cultured activity, we….well, we headed to a bar. Yep, a bar. Portland is known for their beers and Justin was dying to give the local breweries his business. We decided to head to Deschutes.

Deschutes Brewery

The great thing about places that make their own beer is that they really want you to try what they have to offer. It’s not about getting drunk, it’s about enjoying the craftsman ship of the beers. Seriously. Most places offer a sampler which is a great way to see what you like.

Deschutes Sampler. Isn’t it cute??

I’m not a beer drinker at all. However, we realized that weekend that I had a weird talent. I can taste a beer, and tell Justin if he’s going to like it. I can also rank it according to other beers. Out of the 6 beers he tried, I ranked them all correctly! Weird ability, but it makes trying beers more fun. Basically, the more I hate it, the more I know Justin will love it, hehe.

After beer tasting, we met up with Davey and Kristen for lunch. We found this really cute Jewish deli (shout-out to my Chicago family!!). The food was incredible but holy cow were we stuffed afterwards!

Davey and Kristen at lunch.

The sandwiches were huge!

With a lunch like that, we needed to walk it off. Kristen had seen a thrift store a few blocks away that she wanted to visit. It was such a fun place to duck out of the rain and laugh at all the crazy outfits!

The thrift store.

Looking through all the random shirts.

Of course Justin found a new friend.

The rest of the day we walked around town and tried very unsuccessfully to find a pizza place for dinner. Most of the restaurants we saw closed at 8pm on a Saturday! So weird. We grabbed dinner elsewhere and headed back to crash at the hotel. On Sunday, Davey drove us to a gorgeous park up on a huge hill. It seriously looked like it belonged in the English countryside.

Hilltop park in Portland.

As soon as we got there, we saw this incredible rainbow. How stunning?! I don’t care how many times I see a rainbow, I always feel like it’s a special little surprise God designed just for me…and all the other people who see it :).

Can you see the rainbow?

View of the city.

Jumping shots!

Davey’s face is hilarious!

And of course we had to make one more run to Voodoo Doughnuts before we left town….hmmm maybe it was more like our 3rd visit. Don’t judge!

Awesomeness.

We also went to this amazing biscuit place for lunch. Kristen is from North Carolina and so when she saw that this place was run by two guys from NC, she knew we had to go. She wasn’t wrong at all. This place was AWESOME! (And a total heart attack on a plate.)

We managed to find a little bit of the South…

Justin and I were so ridiculously full after this meal, it was insane. We seriously couldn’t finish it all. I mean, who could?? All you need to know is that it was delicious. You MUST go there if you come to Portland.

Country ham, fried chicken and honey, and fried green tomato w/pimento cheese.

Our last stop before heading back to Seattle was this amazing waterfall. If you’re read the book, “The Shack”, it’s the waterfall they talk about in there. It’s stunning.

Amazing waterfall.

While we were there, we happened to run into TWO FRIENDS FROM ATLANTA!! They just happened to be there for the weekend visiting friends at the EXACT SAME TIME!! How strange and awesome?? We were so excited to see them!

Our friends Daniel and Julianne from Atlanta on the left!!

Well  there you have it. That was our awesome weekend in Portland. It’s a really cool city with a small town feel. It’s also pretty weird, so be forwarned before you go :). Afterall, their motto is, “Keep Portland Weird”….