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life

Living Locally: Shrek the Musical

A couple of weekends ago I took the family up to the Northwest Children’s Theater in Portland to see Shrek the Musical. I occasionally contribute online as a reviewer for a local parent magazine and website, The PDX Kids Calendar, and they sent me to the show to check it out for their viewers.

We’ve been to the NWCT in the past and I’ve always enjoyed the performances that they put on, and Shrek was one that we all loved as well. The kids had fun and Wayne and I enjoyed it as well.

You can read my full review on the PDX Kids Calendar website HERE.

In other news, it’s been crazy busy around here! I have been trying to get my last minute holiday shopping finished (I know, SLACKER!) and being the slightly crazy woman that I am, have decided to create a second website dedicated solely to learning and creating appetizers, small bites, hors d’oeuvres, and party platters. For all of my ‘techy’ friends out there, I’m creating it on WordPress.org which is completely different than the old school Blogger that I’ve been using for the past four years. WordPress has been the way I have wanted to go for a long time, and eventually this website will be transferred over as well, so I thought it would be a great time to learn all about it. If you know nothing about websites just completely forget this whole paragraph. 🙂

We’ve got about 5 more busy days left around here, then all of the basketball, programs, work, and holiday parties will be over with and Christmas break will be here. I’m excited for two weeks of no schedules, sleeping in, holiday movies, and cookie baking.

No matter how busy things get, there’s always time to do things with family.

~Melissa

December 15, 2015 1 comment

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On The Beach in November

written by Melissa Kaylene

Our family loves going to the beach. We are lucky to live only about an hour’s drive away. While we all love visiting in the summertime on a gorgeous afternoon, some of my favorite trips to the coast were not during the summer months, rather from trips that we have taken in the fall and winter.

November 13, 2015 1 comment

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How We Helped Merle Meet Lillard

written by Melissa Kaylene

If you would have told me 48 hours ago that I would be standing 5 feet from NBA star Damian Lillard on the court before the Portland Trail Blazers game I would have thought you were crazy, but that’s just what happened last night at the Moda Center as I photographed him meeting one of the sweetest women I know, Merle.

Merle lives at the company that I work for a few times a month and I’ve known her for several years now. Ever since we met I felt a connection, though I’m sure most people do to Merle. She is the kind of person who is full of knowledge and genuinely cares for you. Every time I come in to work she asks me how my family is, and what sports my kids are doing now – and she always gives me updates on her family and what all of her children and grandchildren are doing.

Merle has told me that some of her favorite years were the years she spent traveling with her family, and she was one of the people who really inspired me to make memories daily with my own family.

November 6, 2015 2 comments

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A Pumpkin Patch with Papa

written by Melissa Kaylene

Confession. Right now it’s nearly midnight, I’m sitting here editing Halloween photos, and am currently listening to Christmas music on Pandora. Every year life in general just seems to be going faster and faster, and while I’ve never began sneaking in Christmas music this early in the past, perhaps it will give me more time to get “in the spirit” and enjoy the season…and extend it, so it doesn’t seem to just whiz by like everything else has this year.

My Dad finally left our house yesterday after staying 9 days with us (the longest he’s ever visited) and you bet that while he was here I tried to cram in as much celebrating and holiday related stuff in as possible. Soccer games, wrestling practices, raking leaves, stuffing Halloween candy goodie bags….we did it all together. He also happened to carve his very first pumpkin with us as well. We never celebrated Halloween when I was a child, so we didn’t do any of the traditional activities, but now that I’m an adult my kids love Halloween, so my Dad actually carved pumpkins and handed out candy with us. He also went to the pumpkin patch with us as well.

It was the first time I have ever visited a pumpkin patch with my Dad, and we all ended up having a blast. We all rode on a hay ride, went through a corn maze, picked out pumpkins together, and then participated in all of the activities that we offered.

The kids loved the rope swing and slides. There were large tubes that the kids (and adults) could roll down a hill.

It was a good afternoon and a new experience for dad.

Even though he has just left, he is already planning his next visit up for the next holiday.

~Melissa

November 4, 2015 0 comment

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Quite a Day + Frozen on Ice

written by Melissa Kaylene

Hello! Remember me? That blogger who has left you hanging since last week? Well that was unintentional, believe me! I’ve wanted to sit down and get a full day’s worth of writing and photos to upload on here and just haven’t had the chance to do so – until today.

October 28, 2015 1 comment

Halloween life memories photos pictures

Another Day, Another Field Trip

written by Melissa Kaylene

Yesterday I chaperoned Emma’s field trip to the pumpkin patch, and it felt like Deja vu – probably because I was just there last week with Noah and his class. The owner of the pumpkin patch was delighted to see us. They are a pretty popular pumpkin patch for schools in the area to visit, yet she told us that we were the only 2nd graders that booked a field trip this year and that all of the rest were Kindergarteners and First graders.

October 23, 2015 0 comment

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A Recap of Feast Portland 2015

written by Melissa Kaylene

Feast Portland Recap #feastpdx #omgsmoked #ogbt

Last month (I can’t believe it’s been 4 weeks already!) I attended one of the best foodie festivals around: Feast Portland.

This was the second year I was given a blogger pass, and after the amazing time I had last year at Feast, I couldn’t pass up another opportunity to attend. Feast is made up of many events across 4 days; marquee events, hands on classes, dinners, and plenty of additional parties throughout, with proceeds going to a good cause.

October 20, 2015 1 comment

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Why Field Trips Are Important

written by Melissa Kaylene

After Noah’s field trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday I rushed back to the school to help organize papers and count money for the grade school’s annual Read-A-Thon; the P.T.S.O.’s first big fundraiser of the year.

After a couple of bumpy roads with my time with our school’s Parent Teacher Student Organization, this year I’m finally beginning to feel a little more confident in it, and have a handful of other parents who are just as supportive as I. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

October 18, 2015 2 comments

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The Wine Bloggers Conference: Day 4

written by Melissa Kaylene

Oh my goodness, how has it been nearly two months since this fabulous adventure? Today I’m sharing my final day at the Wine Bloggers Conference that was held in Corning, NY. To read about my first three days, check out my initial post here.

Sunday morning’s sessions began with a lively blogging panel which included Madeline from WineFolly.com, and Jana from MerlotMommy.com Their wittiness and sense of blunt humor made for a very entertaining hour, where they discussed questions from the audience. After one last panel, we all headed outside for the final lunch, and I learned a new food: spiedies. Here in Oregon I had never heard of them before, but they are chicken prepared on a skewer, then you take the chicken off of the skewer and place it on a bun, then from what I heard you scoop up more sauce on the bun.

October 11, 2015 0 comment

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The Heroes Around Us

written by Melissa Kaylene

I generally keep the daily news topics far away from this little space I’ve created on the Internet. So often they are filled with tragedy; sad things that I choose not to dwell on because focusing on them only brings me down and quite frankly scares the living daylights out of me because I begin thinking of all of the “what ifs” and “what could happen” scenarios and when you have children, it’s the worst feeling in the world that instantaneously makes you nauseous and want to cry.

But with that being said, this time I can’t get Roseburg out of my mind. I grew up in Grants Pass which is a little over an hour’s drive from Roseburg. I’ve been in Roseburg many times, have friends that live close and grew up there, and my Dad currently lives 30 minutes from there now. I refuse to write or dwell on the perpetrator or gun topic issues, because right now is not the time for people to argue and debate such things. I will however, grasp on to any tiny amount of positivity that I can in this grave event that has left many people brokenhearted.

October 2, 2015 4 comments

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