Happy 35th!

My amazing husband celebrated his 35th birthday today! As he inches closer to the big 4-0, I'm enjoying my status as his young, hip, trophy wife... riiight! :)

Our niece, Melissa, offered Rick one of the greatest birthday presents ever- to watch the kids overnight! We decided on a night away somewhere close to home, but not too close... Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. Beautiful! We had such a wonderful time. The afternoon started with a couple's massage at the Waterleaf Spa, followed by a soak in the outdoor hot tub in the pouring rain. It was SO relaxing! We checked into our forest view room with a fireplace, but were pleasantly surprised to open the shades to a beautiful river view room, with a view of the Columbia River! The king size bed actually faced the window, so we could sit in bed and enjoy the cool view! The main dining room menu was a little too fancy for our tastes, so we settled on splitting some nachos and a hamburger in the more casual bar/restaurant. Yummy food! After our relaxing massages and full bellies, a late evening nap was in order. We had booked a dinner and a movie package at the resort, which included our dinner that night, an in-room movie, and popcorn and sodas delivered to our room. So, at 9pm, we order our popcorn and sodas and started "Yes Man" on the television. It was a treat to enjoy a non-kid movie for a change!

We were able to sleep in (another BIG treat!) and get ready a leisurely pace. With growling stomachs, we made our way back towards Gresham and decided on breakfast at the Multnomah Falls Lodge. The Sunday brunch was good, but the table by the fire and our view of Multnomah Falls out the window were great! It was a fun, spontaneous, end to our 24 hours of alone time. A HUGE thank you to Melissa for being brave enough to watch all three kids for us and even braving the Children's Museum with Riley and Tyson alone! We appreciate it!

After our dinner and before our nap!
With all the rain and cold outside, the fireplace in our room made it very cozy!
The amazing view of the Columbia River out our window
After Sunday Brunch at the Multnomah Falls Lodge
And a full-length shot of the Falls... the picture does not do it justice, so awesome!

A fun sidenote about the trip across the river to Stevenson. We crossed the Columbia River from Cascade Locks into Stevenson over The Bridge of the Gods, which was featured on one of our favorite shows, The Amazing Race 13. The 13th Race ended in the Portland area and one of their final tasks was to ride a zip-line off the bridge onto an small island in the Columbia. It was fun to be exactly where they filmed it and we were left wondering how long they had to close down the bridge, build the zip-line, etc. I love that show!

Happy Birthday, Rick!