2014 Holiday Page

We celebrated our anniversary with a garden party in our backyard.  We had about 50 people over, got a nice fire going in the firepit, and had a great time.  In fact, the landscape designer was in attendance and he booked several new jobs in the course of the evening.  It is a great yard for relaxing or entertaining and we spend as much time outside as possible.

Becky's Wedding, September

Susan Jane and Niki (first day home)

Even email is easier when you're in the backyard

For our fortieth birthdays, we each celebrated in our own way.  Paul is in the middle of a typical midlife crisis. Having changed jobs and shaved his head last year, this year he continued to improve his diet (down 35 pounds so far - thanks largely to SJ’s healthy, yet tasty cooking!), took up golf, started running, bought a new car, and worked with a stylist to upgrade his wardrobe.  He looks like a totally different person!  

We attended TEDxPortland in April

SJ and Indy hiking a ridge in heavy fog

June 2012

Hiking with Indy in Three Sisters Wilderness

At Becky's wedding in September

September 2014

Susan Jane’s fortieth birthday welcomed a second dog into the family. Niki (short for “Kinnikinnick”) is now 3 months old and we believe that she is a German Shepherd / Weimaraner mix.  Whatever she is, it’s adorable!   Indy has been an amazing big brother, putting up with all of her puppy exuberance and doing a great job of sharing toys and showing her the ropes.  It is fun being a two-dog household again, and we love watching them run themselves ragged all over the house and yard. 

Taking in the scenery

Indy's ready to go!

Playing with Nephews Ryan and Drew

Valparaiso, July 4th

Original ad photo, about 7 weeks old

Seaside, OR for New Years with Wally, Kim, and dogs

With Niece Malia (7), Nephew Ryan (18 months)

Indy (20 months old) and Niki (12 weeks old)

This year, Susan Jane had some incredible success in her professional life.  As you may recall, she has been doing collaborative work for almost 10 years in Grant County, Oregon.  In May, the last remaining mill in the region added a second shift for the first time since 1996 and 20-30 full time jobs to their community.  This accomplishment generated a lot of press, including this great interview SJ did with the owner of the mill for the local public radio station. Susan Jane is becoming well known for her collaborative work and is often in the news, including this recent article about her success that also appeared in the Washington Post.  Her collaborative contributions will be a key topic in a new book coming out next year!

College friend Ann's first return to Porland since 1999

With Nan at Becky's rehearsal dinner

SJ and Dad in August

Susan Jane was also invited to participate in a senior leadership training program for environmentalists and received awesome feedback from her peers about her effectiveness.  They rated her strongest traits as “Courageous Authenticity” and “Ability to achieve her goals” - what a tremendous compliment for her work!  SJ was also selected to be co-chair of a national advisory committee on forest management that she was reappointed to this year by the Secretary of Agriculture.  It’s a lot of work, but gets her involved in federal forest policy without having to relocate to DC, so it’s a good compromise.  In addition, SJ continues her very successful litigation work at WELC.  

Paul's first 5k (it rained)

SJ hosted several dinner parties this year.

Her cooking is amazing!

Sunset at the coast for Thanksgiving

Paul has enjoyed building his new company, Cinder, where he is the Vice President of Staffing.  Cinder Staffing has quadrupled in size since he joined! He now has an office team of 6 people, a total of almost 150 people working for him, and plans to expand into Mexico next year.  This year, Cinder was able to do charity work in the community, sponsor local startup efforts, and begin offering education reimbursement for employees - not bad for a business that is only two years old!  Cinder and its sister company won several awards this year, including making the list of Best Workplaces in Oregon.  Paul loves the new challenges of running a small company and is working harder than he ever thought possible before starting this job. 

Paul's first golf outing (it rained)

Sister Becky and Paul

How do you say "No!" to a dog this cute?

SJ and Nephew Drew (5)

Cinder team volunteering at the Oregon Food Bank

This year, Paul joined the City Club of Portland and participated in a research committee that was focused on the genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling ballot measure in Oregon this past November.  He really enjoyed the process of gathering information on both sides of the argument and worked with some very interesting people in the process.

In addition to SJ’s work travel, she was able to get out for several hikes and took Indy on most of them.  We had fun hosting friends and family in Portland, including SJ’s parents, Paul’s sister and her fiancé, friends from Sacramento, and Paul’s college friend Ann who had not been to Portland since our wedding.  We are quite proficient at putting together a calendar full of activities for our out-of-town guests, so if you want a fun weekend in Portland, come visit us!

Women's Weekend in December, Southern Oregon

With Aunts Lorraine and Judy and the Howletts

Grandpa David with Niki in November

Portland Epicurean tour with Danny and Becky

(everyone is wearing hairnets in this picture)

Paul’s youngest sister, Becky, got engaged at the end of 2013 and we were able to fly home for the wedding in September this year.  The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time visiting with family and friends (including Paul’s 91 year old grandmother from Nova Scotia!). 

The dogs nestled in at Rockaway Beach for Thanksgiving

It did not take us long to decide to adopt Niki

With the happy couple on the big day

We didn't get the chance to do much exotic travel this year, but we did manage to sneak away at the end of the year to relax on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. It was intended as a 'do nothing' vacation and we made the most of it!

Watching Grandpa fly kites at the coast

Sleeping in front of the fire is the best!

2 pictures in one - enjoying the sunset in PV

We completed a few interesting house projects this year, starting with an “energy upgrade” on our house, which has made a huge difference and we wish we had done it years ago. 

Niki loves touching Indy while they sleep

Preferably touching as much as possible

Sometimes we sleep like this

Blowing insulation into the exterior walls

We refinished our fireplace with some nice tile work and added a gas insert, another project we wanted to do when we first moved in 10 years ago and are very happy to have completed.

Her perch - she's the first dog to figure this out

Before

Niki is very cuddly

After

The final house project was changing our mostly unused breakfast nook into an extension of our counter and cabinet space.  Paul had help from some friends (Thanks again, Richard and Andrew!), and they completed the whole project in a weekend.  Considering the limited space in our kitchen, this has done wonders to open up the room and keep husbands and dogs out from under SJ’s feet while she is cooking. 

Niki quickly took over the best dog beds

She really loves Indy!

Reminiscing about our 15 years of marriage has brought back many great memories.  15 years is quite an accomplishment for any couple in today’s world but even more so in light of our crazy travel schedules.  We've both been able to take advantage of many opportunities that would have been hard with a more traditional family arrangement.  Amazingly, we have never raised our voices at each other in all that time - we’re very lucky to have such a drama-free existence!

Niki discovers her reflection

SJ visited Taos, NM for the annual WELC retreat

Bursts of energy in between a lot of sleeping

With Aunts Judy and Lorraine, 1999

Come play with me!

Visiting the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in May

With Aunts Judy and Lorraine, 2014

Snuggling with your sibling is the best!

Sunrise at the coast, New Years Day 2014