Portland Highland Games

On Saturday we attended the Portland Highland Games at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham Oregon (a suburb of Portland).
We had been two years ago, and this time we went back to enjoy the fun with Declan!

They were celebrating 60 years of bringing the Scottish Highland Games to Portland, complete with piping, drumming, dancing, heavy athletics, a kilted mile run, beer, whisky, food, vendors, sheep dog herding, and of course...kilts!

Even though neither Sean nor I are Scottish, we are both Irish and love the Celtic traditions. Also, Sean lived in Scotland for college, in a town called Stirling, which is where we got Declan's middle name.

We had a very enjoyable time celebrating the heritage that the Scots are so proud of, and look forward to making it a tradition for our family and plan on attending every two years.

The Enchanted Forest

This past weekend we did something that we've been wanting to do for quite some time now, and that is go to the Enchanted Forest. It is an amusement park, full of fun and fantasy, located off of the I5 in between Salem and Eugene, OR. I've included the link to their website if you are interested.  http://www.enchantedforest.com/enchanted_forest.html

We had an absolutely delightful time, walking through Storybook Lane, visiting Western Town, strolling through an English Village, and watching a beautiful water show. There were even a couple rides to enjoy as well as beautiful forest all around us.

This is definitely an experience we are so glad to have had, and look so forward to going again when Declan is older and can enjoy even more of what the park has to offer.

Update

It has been a few weeks since I have blogged and I thought I would use this opportunity to update those who read this, on what has been going on with the Connolly Clan.

On July 1st I got the news that a friend of mine from Napa had passed away from a heart attack while playing basketball. It was incredibly shocking and heartbreaking, especially because he was only 36 years old and left behind his wife Jennifer, and their 4 young children. The days that followed were very emotional for me, and when I found out his memorial was going to be on Friday the 6th, I just knew I had to go. We were already planning on heading down that weekend, but not leaving until Saturday. Thankfully Sean was able to get Friday off and we left that morning, making it to Napa just in time for the memorial. It was a deeply touching time and if you are interested in taking a look at this man's life, click here for the link to the video. What is particularly touching is what Jenn shares about Petey and their life together (skip ahead to 1hour 36min. for that).

The weekend continued on as we had planned. Visting with family and friends and having a great time.  Then Sean left for home on Monday and Declan and I stayed with my mom and step-dad for a week, until they brought us home Saturday. We had a blast playing with my nephew Jackson and another boy whom my mom nannies, Wayne; we went on lots of walks, went swimming, and played like the active boys they are! (I posted pictures to facebook)

Now, we are home and getting adjusted to our schedule and routine. Except that we leave again on Friday to go up north for the Portland Highland Games. I am very excited though. We went two years ago and had a blast, so I am really looking forward to going again, this time with Declan.

After this weekend we don't have any trips planned for a while so we will have time to rest and relax as well as continue plan and prepare for Declan's 1st birthday party!