Final Post

Hello my friends!

After careful consideration, I have decided to abandon the MC Whitebread website. It seems that nearly everyone I know is on Facebook these days, so from now on I will only be posting photos and news to my Facebook page.

If you are not on Facebook but still want to see my family photos, just call or e-mail me anytime and I'll send you the latest batch.

Here are some pics from our recent trip to Seattle and the San Juan Islands. Spring Break!

See you on Facebook!

Photos of Winter

Wow, has it really been three months since I posted any photos? I've gotten in the habit of updating my Facebook page with photos, but then I forget to come back and update MC Whitebread.

So without further ado...here are some photos from November and December. I hope everyone had a happy holiday season!

oh, and GO DUCKS!!!

Photos of Fall

It's been a fun Fall for our household -- the kids are back in school (Clara in 3rd grade, Adrian in kindergarten), Sharon is working on her novel, and I am enjoying the Oregon Ducks bedazzling season. The weather has been fantastic and we are getting outside on a regular basis. Last weekend we visited a pumpkin patch -- phase one of the Halloween preparations. Next up: constumes!

Here are some recent photos:

Jason with niece Hannah

Jason at Autzen Stadium

Catching some rays in downtown Portland

Sharon, Clara and Adrian at the Alberta Arts Walk (Portland)

Clara, Adrian, cousin Hailey and family at the pumpkin patch

Clara picks a pumpkin

Children of the Corn

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Summertime, and the Living is Easy

Hey gang, here's a fresh crop of photos from our recent outings. We've spent quality time in The Dalles, Yakima, and central Oregon with all the grandparents, enjoying some perfect summer weather and fantastic meals along with the fun and sightseeing. We also celebrated Adrian's birthday today -- he's 5 years old!

Hope everyone is having a fun summer!

Clara, Adrian and Jason at Council Crest Park in Portland

Clara on the way to the John Day Fossil Beds in central Oregon

Sharon, Clara and Adrian at the Painted Hills in central Oregon

Clara and Jason at the Painted Hills

Sharon at Mount Hood

Adrian at his 5th birthday party

Adrian blowing out the candles

The kids trying out Adrian's new scooter

Springtime in Oregon

It's been a soggy mess this spring in Portland, but we've managed to have some fun between rainstorms. We enjoyed a Memorial Day weekend at my parents' house, including lots of playtime and hiking with Kona the dog, and a geocache treasure hunt all around town. Other highlights this spring: the Starlight Parade; hosting a Sunday brunch; Clara's birthday party; hosting cousin Hailey for an overnight sleepover; BBQ with some old college friends and their kids; hiking in Tryon Creek park.

I keep forgetting to bring the camera on these outings, but here's a few recent photos that I snapped with my cell phone. Sharon has also posted some photos on her Facebook page.

Clara at Multnomah Falls

Adrian climbing a tree in our yard

Clara on the trail behind my parents' house

Clara and Kona on the trail

Clara and Adrian on the trail

Sharon, Don, Clara and Adrian find a geocache treasure

Searching for geocache treasure

Sharon, Clara and Adrian outside the school

Portland!

Hey gang, long time no post. The huge news for our family is that we moved from Chicago to Portland! My company transferred me to a new job in their Portland office. I moved out in December and lived with a buddy all winter, while Sharon got our affairs in order in Chicago. Our family finally reunited last week and we moved into our new home in southwest Portland.

We live just 20 blocks from my brother's house, and our kids will attend the same elementary school (Markham Elementary, home of the Wildcats). I have an easy commute to my job downtown, and it's a 5-minute drive to school, the library, and the neighboorhood park. The house is on a quiet street with friendly neighbors.

Here are some photos from our first weekend in Oregon:

Oregon Road Trip

I had a fantastic weekend trip to Oregon to attend Ducks football and basketball games, and meet my new co-workers in my company's Portland office. I had planned this trip last summer with a couple of my Chicago friends who are UO alums. When I landed my new job in Portland, I decided to come out a day early and drop by the new office.

I flew into town on Thursday night and met up with my brother Justin and my Portland friends Jay and Brett. They broke the news about that evening's Bears game (ouch!) and we downed a couple of pints at Pizza Roma.

I went to my new office on Friday morning. My new boss and co-workers were quite welcoming; maybe it was just good-vibes Friday but it sure seemed like everyone was in a great mood. I was stunned by the incredible view from my new office, which is in the tallest building in Portland. One of the partners found out that I was going to the Ducks football game, and he invited me to his tailgate party. Lots of Ducks and Blazers fans on my floor!

The view from my new office:

Friday afternoon, my buddies Brad, Nick and Jacob picked me up and we drove to Eugene. We had a marvelous home-cooked dinner at the home of Nick's parents, who graciously gave up the guest bedrooms and the game tickets. After dinner, we went to campus for the Ducks mens basketball season opener. It was my first trip to Mac Court since 1991. After the game, we went downtown to meet Nick and Brad's friends "for a couple of drinks" at the Starlight Lounge and John Henry's. Next thing I know, it's 2:15 AM and last call.

Pre-game at Mac Court:

Friday night follies:

Saturday we had a big gameday breakfast courtesy of Nick's mom. We then went to the UO bookstore to stock up on Ducks gear, then walked around campus for a bit. At 2:00 PM the tailgate lot opened, and we began our parking-lot pub crawl. First we dined and drank with Nick and Brad's friends, then over to the Addicted To Quack blog tailgater where I got to meet several cyberfriends in real life. After that I left the guys to go hang out with the partner at my new office. We had a good time and his family and friends could not have been nicer.

Brad, Nick and Jacob at the footbridge that connect the UO campus with Autzen Stadium:

The path to victory:

The main event: Oregon 44, Arizona State 21. Lots of cheering for the good guys as they rolled into the end zone.

Delivering the home-field advantage:

Can't wait to do it again!