weekending in Portland

I was too excited to sleep much on the plane, so I drank my complimentary beverage and listened to my iPod.

After an hour or so had passed, I looked out the window and saw eastern Oregon flying below me.

Josh met me in the airport, and we snapped this SP at the baggage claim. I think it's one of my favorite photos of us ever.

We went to IKEA to look for furniture for our apartment. And we ate dinner there! I know. I had no idea. (I'd never been to IKEA before.)

IKEA is full of show rooms and displays, and so we had fun with those.

I fell in love with this set of bookcases. Someday.

The next day we saw Inception and really liked it! We went to Whole Foods after to pick up some ingredients for a stir fry we were planning on making the next day. On our way into the store we saw this bumper--it's quintessential Oregon.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was checking into our apartment! We picked up the keys, and before he pushed open the door I pulled out my camera and snapped this momentous shot--we're going into our first apartment for the first time!!

As we were walking around (which didn't take too long--it's on the small end), I kept picturing what it will look like with furniture and decorations. I tried to figure out where we'd put the Christmas tree, and I imagined the Friday nights we'll spend watching a movie and the dinners I'll make in the kitchen and all the little details that will make up these early years of our life. It's often felt surreal--getting married, having a wedding, starting a life together--and in those first moments in our apartment it all seemed so much more real.

We made shrimp stir fry (Josh is really good at making Japanese food), and we'd purchased real shrimp--shrimp that we had to shell and de-vein.

I couldn't de-vein very well. It kind of grossed me out.

When I had to go to the airport to fly back to Utah, I was a little sad. And I felt a little silly, because I get to see him in less than two weeks when Dad and I move my stuff up there. But I was sad. So I bought Reese's minis, M&Ms, and Coke Zero.

Then I had to run back to the Travel Mart to pick up a 99-cent pack of Kleenex. (I made it almost all the way through the Reese's before landing in Salt Lake.)

But I'm okay. And I love looking through all my pictures and remembering all we did together over the weekend. It was wonderful.

We did a lot and accomplished a lot, but you know what my favorite part was? Putting in a second Harry Potter movie Saturday night even though it was late just so we could cuddle a little longer before going to bed.