holidays | Our Oregon Trail

Octoberfest

October 31, 2012 by kristikrass

Happy Halloween! The holiday is near and dear to the hearts of the residents of our building. Who doesn’t love an opportunity to dress up in goofy costumes, eat massive quantities of candy, drink seasonal brews and deck out the place with hand-carved pumpkins? Lindsay spent her 31st birthday at yoga teacher training so when she returned, the eight residents of our building greeted her with a surprise birthday/pumpkin-carving party. My pumpkin was lame – I tried a Pinterest idea […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: halloween, holidays, party

The Trip Not Meant to Be

May 28, 2012 by kristikrass

Jeff and I had big plans for Memorial Day weekend. He, Cooper and I were going to cross the Canadian border to Vancouver, British Columbia. One of the cities at the top of our “must-see” list, and a mere 5 1/2 hours north of Portland. But…Thursday night, after booking hotels in Vancouver and neighboring Whistler, we made a disappointing discovery: Jeff’s passport expired last month. Total bummer. Lucky for us, we were already planning a Friday night stop in Seattle, […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: Cooper, holidays, market, mountains, parks, restaurants, seattle, vacation, washington

Windy City Welcome to 2012

January 4, 2012 by kristikrass

To conclude our holiday Midwest tour, Jeff and I rented a smoky-smelling Nissan and headed to the Windy City. Chicago – ah, Chicago! My home during 2008 (and Jeff’s home for 3-4 years), it’s where we got engaged and home to plenty of people we love: Jeff’s big bro Rob and his fab wife Amy (and her sister), several of our best couple friends, one of my close buds from high school, and millions of others united by biting cold winters […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: chicago, games, holidays, Krasses, restaurants

The whole Redick clan at Leelanau Cellars on Lake Michigan

It’s a Wonderful Life

January 2, 2012 by kristikrass

It’s difficult writing about our Christmas trip back to Michigan – there was so much fun, love and activities squeezed into the week that I can’t adequately capture it. We started our journey home the Thursday night before Christmas, taking the redeye through Vegas (our second visit that week) and arriving in Detroit at 6:30 a.m. Friday morning – kicking off some major family and friend quality time over the next seven days before heading to Chicago to ring in […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: holidays, Krasses, market, michigan, Redicks, restaurants, wineries

Walk in the Clouds

December 10, 2011 by kristikrass

Winter’s arrival, with gray days, 30- to 40-degree weather and 4:30 p.m. sunsets, is no match for most Portlanders. Cyclists, runners and hikers constantly swarm the streets and trails with little regard for the elements. Jeff and I – well, we’re not quite in that boat, but we do enjoy a brisk walk with Cooper. With the amazing hills right at the city’s edge, we figured we’d conquer a hike last Saturday morning. After poring through online lists of hikes […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: Cooper, hikes, holidays, parks

I (Heart) Cabo

December 4, 2011 by kristikrass

I am in love. In love with a city that’s at the tippy tip of the Baja Peninsula, nestled between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. A city with ubiquitous sunny skies, temps in the 80s, and people who are just as cheery as the weather. Cabo San Lucas marks my first international trip since becoming Kristi Krass (minus our Barcelona honeymoon where I still had my Kristi Redick passport), my first-ever trip to Mexico and a fabulously […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: beach, holidays, Krasses, mexico, restaurants, vacation

Little People, Small World

October 30, 2011 by kristikrass

Two days before Halloween, we finally got around to visiting a pumpkin patch – but not just any pumpkin patch. When we moved to Portland in late December, one of our must-do activities was visit the Roloff Farms pumpkin patch in the fall. If you’re not familiar with the name, it’s from the TLC show “Little People Big World,” a long-time regular on our DVR. Sweet family, and they own quite the little pumpkin kingdom a quick 20 minutes from […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: holidays

Spending time with Grandpa Redick before we head to Saginaw Zoo Boo

Love You, Grandpa!

October 23, 2011 by kristikrass

Just returned from an impromptu trip back to Michigan – actually, I’m writing this in the Delta Sky Lounge in the Minneapolis airport, thanks to my generous seatmate who had an extra pass. I was dreading my 2.5-hour layover here, but now I get to relax, eat free food and use free Wi-Fi. Good lesson to be nice to fellow passengers! My weekend trip – which I booked on Tuesday, flew on Thursday – was a bittersweet one. Grandpa Redick […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: babies, holidays, michigan, Redicks, zoo

10 Days, 10 Million Calories

September 14, 2011 by kristikrass

I’ve sure been quiet on here lately. A few weeks ago, I had a blissfully chill weekend at home while Jeff hit Vegas with his buddies. It was the calm before the storm (a good kind of storm!): On Labor Day weekend, my Michigander mom, dad, sister Lori, brother-in-law Cory, and nieces Ava and Macy rolled into town for a leisurely 10-day visit. Great way to close out a fabulous summer! Realizing our one-bed, one-bath apartment could get really old […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, holidays, Redicks, visitors

Our Oregon Trail

Portland through the eyes of a festival-loving, dessert-feasting, travel-addicted Midwesterner.

Tag: holidays