alan

my parents divorced when i was about 11. over the years i have had a rocky relationship with my bio dad, alan. but after ruby came home, we managed to put the past behind us and have had a new beginning. he loves the girls and they enjoy him too. we have settled into an annual tradition of celebrating my birthday with a dinner out downtown at jakes. i look forward to it every year. the governor hotel is a 100 year old portland landmark and jakes looks much as it looked in 1909 when it was built. hexagonal tile floor, box beam ceilings, brass fixtures and a handsome big bar. here are a couple of photos from our dinner last week. of course the kids dressed themselves-

dance at the dumpling fest

gingerbread fest 2009

every year we have a gingerbread decorating party. we invite a few friends to help us with this holiday tradition. i pre assemble the houses so they are really sturdy the day of decorating. we get all kinds of candy , pretzels and cookies to decorate with . the girls get more and more creative every year making masterful creations. i love seeing each individual vision take shape. this year was a nice afternoon spend with 7 chinese girls and their parents as helpers - weilding the pastry bag of royal icing is a learned art! i feel so fortunate for this community we live in.