Oh Portland, how you make us swoon with your beautiful landscapes, neighborhoods, sunsets, and unique architecture throughout the city. Tim and I are in love with our neighborhood, so soaking it up by wandering around our beautiful little piece of Portland is the norm for us.

It was an absolutely gorgeous night - look at those baby blue skies! And it was wonderful just strolling along with my husband without a care in the world other than capturing all the beauty the city has to offer. There were dogs and pups at the dog park, families with giggly toddlers at the playground, couples heading out on the town for date nights, and the hustle and bustle of rush hour.

A few of our favorites places around town are Ovation Coffee & Tea, Sisters Coffee, Piazza Italia (the best homemade pasta in town!), Barista, 10 Barrel Brewing, Bridgeport Brewing, Brix… the list could go on and on ;) And it’s no mistake that 3 are coffee shops and 2 are breweries (what kind of Portlander would I be if the majority of my list wasn’t coffee and beer?).

I never grew up living in a city, so before we moved here about 3 years ago, I was totally nervous about what that meant. I definitely lean more introvert than extrovert and the fast-paced nature of cities intimidated me a bit, even though Tim and I both fell in love with Portland on our first visit the summer before. What I’ve come to learn (and grown to love) about Portland is its “mini city” feel. It’s a smaller city both in size and at heart. Almost everyone you meet feels like a neighbor you’ve lived next to your whole life; the friendliness is above and beyond in PDX and that’s one reason we’re so excited to build our little family here. I often call it a “starter city” because of its perfect size, but I don’t foresee Tim and I wanting to move to a bigger city any time soon. Portland is just too perfect <3