things in portland are moving right along. deeann has settled well into work. it doesn’t seem to be too stressful at this point and the contract at this VA hospital is really going well. i had orientation last saturday and we went to blue night at the school on monday. it was so delicious! a few of the chefs that are graduating get to cook and serve the incoming students. here’s the menu: salad: beets, mache lettuce and horseradish vinaigrette with manchego cheese. appetizer: grilled shrimp on saffron risotto cake and basil cream sauce. entree: sauteed game hen on creamed corn with parsley pesto and chanterelle mushrooms. dessert: fresh pumpkin souffle with cinnamon creme anglaise.

needless to say it was unbelievable and i can’t wait for class to start.

other than that, we’ve been on a few hikes around the parks here. i also got the bike out for the first time this week. i can’t tell you how much fun it is to ride in a city that embraces cyclists. it was a good time.

to keep us busy we have been watching a couple movies, meeting neighbors dogs, eating our way through some of the local restaurants — not to mention farmers market, and playing lots of scrabble. good times. it’s also been quite nice to keep in touch with many friends and family through video chat online. if you have skype or AOL let me know and you too can enjoy the fun! (or just download either of them!!)

so check out some of the new photos and toss us an email. we’d love to hear from you! (cgrebner@gmail.com)