Oregon- Berne Reunion in Bend

It happened. We finally got to go back to Oregon!! If you hadn't heard me complain, we hadn't been home in over a year and a half. It had been way too long and I was dying to be surrounded by the wonderfulness of the Pacific NW and most importantly, family. 

Luckily, my Grandpa Berne turns 90 later this year and we decided to celebrate his life and his 60th wedding anniversary to my Grandma in July when everyone (except for Adam who is currently in India) could make it to Oregon. My cousin even flew home from Israel. The Berne clan all met in Bend/Sunriver to have way too much fun together. 

My sisters family (4 kids and 1 adult), my brothers family (1 newborn and 2 adults), my parents (2 adults), and Wes and I (2 more adults) all stayed in my parents home in Bend. That came to a wonderful total of 4 kids, and 7 adults! I may be the only one who enjoyed all being under the same roof, but man did we have fun! 

We had amazing lunches out in the backyard! (Oh to have a yard again!)

I got to finally meet and hold my brothers adorable little boy! I struggled putting him down. 

We played in the pool for hours!!! My sisters two oldest girls are like fish! Wes enjoyed the pool because he claims he could never rough house with his brothers. These little girls loved their Uncle tossing them in the air. 

The little ones even came out to swim with us!

He didn't swim, but he sure was happy watching!

Someone was a little nervous about getting sunburnt...

Little dude was pretty into squirting people. I could not stand how awesome he looked with the shark gun. He may have 3 sisters but he is boy through and through.


Most epic fighting stance. 

My cousin Elena and her two girls even came over to play. Even more girls to throw around!

The few moments we didn't spend in the pool we went biking. My dad and I used to go mountain biking for hours. It was fun to bring Wes on a couple of rides. It was so beautiful! I miss being able to hop on a bike and go for an amazing ride on the most gorgeous paths. 

 I was so happy being reunited with my bike!

The rest of the Berne clan stayed at a massive house in Sunriver. We went over one of the nights for a big family dinner. Aunt Rosie and my Mom surprised everyone with new Team Berne shirts (We had these when I was really little). It was such a fun addition to our reunion. 

Oldest great-grandchild modeling her new shirt. 

Grandpa with all of his grandsons (and youngest great-grandchild)

My grandparents with all their girls! 

My Grandparents and all of the grand and great-grandchildren. What a beautiful group of people! Even if it is impossible to get a perfect picture of us all...

The original Berne clan

The next day the whole clan went up to Elk Lake to continue the celebration. We rented a pontoon boat, paddle boards, a kayak, and a canoe. We had the most beautiful weather with a perfect view of the mountain. It was honestly amazing. The whole week home I felt like I was on a different planet than the one NYC is on. Being at this lake was unbelievable. It is almost like I have forgotten places like this exist!

Baby G didn't even flinch when we brought her onto the boat. We have so many photos of her because she is so cute! We are totally going to have photo overload when we have kids...

 Loving the sunshine!

Little Dude liked driving with his Bopa.

 Look at how beautiful that view is!!

Grandma and Grandpa were so happy to have their whole family with them. 

The whole gang on too few paddle boards.

J was so brave all day. She rode on the front of Aaron's board the whole time.

Bopa with Little Dude and Alisha finally got to try the boards

As you can see, we had a pretty amazing day on the lake. The lake was our last full day in Bend, but because we hadn't had enough fun we decided to go for a pony ride right before we left! The kids had gone last year too so J and M remembered the horses. Little Dude was excited to be near the ponies. He got super excited when his pony pooped! 

M loved the blonde horse of course. 

J talked Wes' ear off about horses. She has done extensive reading about them and is now an expert.

Next year the girls get to ride a real horse without anyone leading them!! They are so excited to do that. J couldn't stop talking about next year.

Bend was an amazing trip. It was filled with family time and such amazing weather. We were able to celebrate my Grandpa's life and spend time with family we haven't seen in years. Each day was packed full of family fun. There is nothing like Bend during the summer. 

We couldn't believe how fun Bend was and then we went back to LO and continued the fun! Stay tuned for more Oregon Paradise. 

LIC Flea Market

Wes and I realized a couple of months ago that we rarely get off the island (and yes I realize that makes it sound like we live in an insane asylum...which is scarily true...). So when I heard that Long Island City (in Queens) was opening a flea market for the first time ever on Saturday I knew we had to go!! My co-worker lives around the area and said it is really beautiful and has great views of the city. So, I dragged Wes to LIC for another flea market!

When we got off the train we were a little confused where we were. The streets were totally empty! It was a little eerie... Like I said, we don't get off the island very often. The buildings were low and we felt like we had stepped into the Pearl District of Portland. As we continued onto the Flea Market we continued to feel like we were in Portland. This market was fun because it is not like the ones in Manhattan that all have the same vendors. This was a true "hipster" flea market. There were some awesome food vendors there as well. Here is a picture of the flea from the back (I was sitting on the sidewalk eating a yummy pulled pork sandwich!). 

And yes it was as hot as it looks... I feel we need a warning if it is going to be 80 degrees and humid when yesterday was around 55 degrees... Weather you can't change that quickly! 

After we made it through the cute flea we walked down to the waterfront. Who knew Queens was so pretty!! We were also shocked with how few people were there!! It is the little things that get us excited now... 

The waterfront had great views of the city. 

I may have been melting...

The park was amazing. It had all these park benches, playgrounds, sports courts, large lawns, and even these cool hammocks! Wes wanted to move in to the waterfront apartments instantly. Seriously though, this little park area was so gorgeous and refreshing. It is good for us to get off the island now and then, even if it is just over the river. 

Wandering Weekend

We had an odd week last week. Wes started running a fever mid Monday and was sick the rest of the week. I worked the opposite shift at work and apparently we had a Tropical Storm hit! Really it was just a TON of rain. Either way, we didn't really have plans for the weekend except that we had to pick up Wes' suits. We planned on having a really easy Saturday, but our love for markets took over...ok maybe my love for them. 

We went to Union Park to start. We came up from the train and walked right into the best farmers market! We walked up and down all the little stands with fresh flowers, vegetables, fruits, and such good things. We walked by a strawberry stand that smelled so strong I could not resist. They were so red and delicious! Somehow I didn't eat one until we got home later... Don't know how except that Wes kept telling me they needed to be washed... 

Look at how amazing they look?? I was so happy!!

Union park was such a fun little experience. There are the most intense Chess games! I had so much fun watching these guys battle it out! 

I have never seen people play Chess so fast! They kept hitting that little clock right after each other. 

I loved the older men that sat there playing. It was so movie-esq. 

We then headed up town to see what Madison Square park held. Little did we know that it was the Big Apple Barbeque! Apparently this is a huge event every summer with "Pit Masters" from all around the country, mostly the South. We were not really prepared for this huge event. 

These were some of the pit tents. We were pretty lame and didn't stand in the massive lines to get some barbeque. We are planning on going again next year and actually standing in the lines to get some amazing barbeque! 

After lunch and a fun surprise trip to Payless, Wes continued to spoil me with my first Mister Softee of the summer! It is officially summer now. These are seriously THE best soft serve ice cream cones!! 

Doesn't this look amazing??? 

On Sunday we had a nice little surprise from a fellow Oregonian! Tommy Allen, who Wes and I both grew up with, was visiting the city and took time to come and see us. In return we showed him some of our favorite things in the city. So, of course that meant the TURTLE POND!!! This is probably the best place in Central Park. Luckily for us, there were a LOT of turtles out to play. 

Don't mind the creepily yellow/green pond. Just bask in the awesomeness of the turtles!

Right across from the parks castle.

There were a ton of baby turtles. They were my favorite!

Mandatory picture for the parents.

He just wanted to be my friend! 

It is always fun when we get to see friends from outside the city. It often makes us realize that we are pathetically becoming New Yorkers. Tommy kept calling out our complaining of the trains... I just hope I haven't become rude like all true New Yorkers are! 

All in all, it was a good ending to a weird week.