2018 – November
Turkey month already?!
I know this is going to be hard to believe – but we went to another Blazers game.
We also finally took the kids and me to see the Oregon City Elevator. Yeah – it is really a thing. It does have an elevator, but the bigger thing is the view that the elevator has. Each section has a drawn-on area that tells different things about the land. It’s fun to do. I prefer doing so when it’s dark outside.
We went to Sears because honestly for the past few years I’ve been feeling like they would be going out of business. The way the CEO has completely run the company into the ground has actually made me upset on more than one occasion. There were ZERO reasons this company should go out of business. Anyway, we stopped to take the kids because how long will this store actually be open? For a company that is part of our history (and American history since 1893), it is sad to see. Bleh, anyway we also voted.
I’ve already mentioned how horrible Intel is to its employees right? Well, that’s because it isn’t. Being part of the team… my manager wanted to send me down to Santa Clara (the world HQ) for the day so that I had a chance to take the internal company shuttle.
It was pretty cool. I won’t lie, I wish I could do that more often. There are apparently a few employees who live in HQ but commute to Portland each day. Others who work in Phoenix and make the commute to HQ. It seems really crazy that you can do such a thing – but people do it every day – even me for one day.
Another week, another GAME! Yes, another Blazers game. Look how cute Elijah looks in his outfit with the basketball head! This game was cool because when we walked into the Moda Center one of the Blazer’s representatives stopped us.
Hey! Nice Jersey – I really love it. Your kids and wife are all decked out too, that’s amazing. Hey, so we wanted to know if you wanted to be in a contest to win some prizes and play a game?!
“Uh, well… what exactly will we do?”
Oh, well it’s pretty easy. We are celebrating Pacific Power and our green energy use in the arena – so we will set you guys at opposite ends of one row of the arena and another family on another 2 ends of a row, then you pass down these cards to see how quick the fans can pass them!
“Yeah, that sounds cool, we can do that”
Awesome! It will be during one of the timeouts so we will pull you guys from your seats a few minutes before so we can get you set up!
So we waited and around the end of the 1st quarter they came and got us. We felt nervous even if it was one of those silly games nobody really pays attention to during a timeout. I had Elijah on my hip and Sky had Arabella so we could divide and conquer. We got set up, they did the intro and we passed the cutout as quickly as we could. Our row was not very into it at first so it ended in a virtual tie (I think ours was a fraction later). That didn’t matter, they ended the contest, and then we went to the vendor area to get the prize.
Here is one for each of you, both bags have the same things in them. Thanks for doing this and enjoy the game!
So, what was inside?! A brand spanking new Nest thermostat (as seen here). There was a Blazer’s backpack thing and a couple of shirts and stickers for the kids. Total score! Now, all we need is a house someday to add the Nest too. Fun story! When we sold our house in Mesa we didn’t want to part with the Nest (yes, we were going to but it was hard because that was one of our favorite buys) and to this day we recommend anyone to get one. We didn’t need to worry about buying another one, even if home buying isn’t in our line of sight right now. We will keep it in storage until the time comes.
Another fun fact: the Blazers have a “Wear in the world” section where they showcase fans that are wearing gear while traveling. During one of the games that we were at a few people from Facebook that we know mentioned that they saw us!
Also got some grades from attending the University of the People as well. I was working towards my degree at Intel’s request, so I found a free university and started going online (screenshot below).
Around this time our car was also hit. We were merging in traffic and someone clipped the rear quarter panel of our car – and kept on driving like they had done nothing. We followed them a short way to capture their license plate and then pulled off the road and called the police. Come to find out it was not a felony (or any crime) to hit and run. No, the Police decided that the woman didn’t realize she had hit anyone and that it was just an accident that should be filed with insurance but no crime was committed. Just nuts.
VERY FRUSTRATING.
We went to the Zoo and I even was able to take a photo with JUST the wifey (see below).
After thanksgiving (the next day), we went to the tree lighting in Pioneer Square. For such a liberal city there was quite a bit of “Silent Night” and other songs, coupled with “Peanuts” talking about the birth of Christ.
I love the foggy nighttime photos that happen this time of year. Here is one of the Cedar Hills sign (and our car). I really enjoy it when it is cool and foggy outside. The neon lights glow and things seem to get much quieter. Let’s be honest, we would all use some quiet foggy nights to clear our heads.
I’m betting you wouldn’t have guessed that we went to another Blazers game before the end of the month. No? Well, we did.
We also found super cheap tickets to Zoolights online. These tickets are normally really expensive and someone was giving them away for next to nothing. We met up with the person and purchased the tickets. Elijah and Arabella loved seeing the train. I have to admit, it was really cool how it was sort of glowing with the mist coming out. The train ride itself was probably the best part of Zoolights.
Lastly, a day or two later I was at work and ended up coming home early. Arabella got sick and was running a high fever (103.9). It really is nice to have the flexibility to come home and work from home as needed.
just Pray
note: this post was published on 08/22/22 but moved the publish date back to the end of November 2018 to keep chronological order.