back in the groove and multnomah camping with friends

week two of school is in the books and we're feeling really good! all of the paperwork is done, i'm getting used to packing lunches again, and the kids really seem to be enjoying it for the most part. it's been so nice to have 6 hours a day to do my bookkeeping, clean, grocery shop, and have some me time. i really hope in-person school will last! there have not been any covid cases at their school so far. thank you masks! azalea had soccer practice last tuesday and thursday and her first game was over the weekend, but we missed it because we went camping. 

back in july, my oldest friend kelli told me that she, jake, and addie were thinking of driving up the coast with their new camper in september and were wondering if we would want to meet them in the portland area for a camping weekend - yes please! i was so bummed to miss them when we were in minneapolis last month, but this made it worth the wait.

we took the kids out of school at noon on friday (because traffic can be terrible) and hit the road for ainsworth state park, near multnomah falls in oregon. there was some traffic, but not too bad and we arrived in the early evening. kelli, jake, and addie were spending the day in portland, so we got our stuff set up on the (very small) campsite and hung out with their dog murphy until they got back. we made pesto pasta with chicken for dinner and enjoyed catching up with them after 13 months. addie is so big and so cute. we couldn't get enough of her. 

saturday morning we had breakfast and then headed to multnomah falls to meet kelli's friend janna (who also lives in seattle) and her husband and 2 boys. the park was doing reservations to limit crowds, but it was still really busy. i hadn't been there since 2010 when thatcher and i took a trip to portland. it's an incredible waterfall. you can walk on a path to the very top, but it wasn't the most (little) kid friendly activity. so we only went part of the way up. 

we went back to the campsite for lunch and nap time (well, for addie) :) jake showed us his love seat that murphy has decided is his favorite spot.

 

and i got a picture with my favorites

while addie napped, thatcher and the kids and i went to hood river, which is a beautiful town that we've visited before. we watched the windsurfers and then got ice cream in the downtown. 

 when we returned, janna and family joined us at the campsite for a taco dinner. it was a really fun night. i forgot to take pictures - oops. we had a fun evening hanging out at the campsite, playing mad libs. there was a burn ban in place, so no campfire. sleeping on the ground was torturous as always. maybe someday we'll do an air mattress.

 sunday morning we had breakfast then broke down the campsite and said goodbye to our friends. it's hard not knowing when we will be able to see them again, but hopefully it won't be too long. the best part of sunday was the lack of traffic when driving back to seattle. normally it's bumper to bumper near olympia and tacoma, but it was smooth sailing. a great end to an even better weekend.