Welcome Hayden!

Chris, Alisha, and Hayden

On June 22 our first nephew was born!  

Meeting Hayden for the first time

Welcome Hayden Christopher Bump!

We love you!

Kayaking the Clackamas

Early this summer we took the kayaks out onto the Clackamas River.

Our plan was to go from Barton Park to the Carver Boat Ramp.  The first part of the trip was great!  Lots of fun rapids and sightseeing along the route.

Unfortunately, Rachel got twirled into an eddy and flipped over about mid trip.  Luckily she was able to swim ashore slightly down river.  But the water was still very cold, resulting in a freezing kayaker. Thanks to Andrew's efforts both kayaks were saved, along with most of our equipment.

Among the losses were our camera and Rachel's grey Converse.  We paddled downstream a bit further, but soon climbed on shore and out to the nearest road due to hypothermia concerns.  Maybe next time we'll try for late summer when the water is warmer!

NYC

On our way to and from Bermuda, we made good use of our time in New York City.  

First, we visited cousin Daphne and her boyfriend Daren.  They live in a great railroad apartment in Brooklyn.  

On the evening of our arrival they took us to a little local restaurant where we sipped on delicious vanilla-whiskey milkshakes.  They hit the spot on that 100+ degree night!  

Later that night we ventured to Manhattan to see Times Square.  We rode the subway and had fun spotting various rats and mice in the trash piles around the tracks.

Broadway was in full swing, and we went to the Majestic Theater and watched Phantom of the Opera.

On our way back to Brooklyn we stopped to have a caricature drawn of us. 

In the morning we all went down to the boatyard to greet Sam as he rolled into port on the cruise ship.

It was still very hot, so we had some drinks while we all caught up. 

Daphne and Rachel went running through the nearby fountain to cool off.  Fun, fun!

The following week in New York, after we completed our cruise, we set off across town to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

We hefted our heavy suitcases up and down multiple subway station staircases only to find out that we could go into the Met with them.  Ugh, maybe next time. 

NYC adventure: complete!

Bermuda

Sam was recently hired by The Second City (a famous Chicago based improv group) as a comedian on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship.  We had the opportunity to join him on a week-long cruise from New York City to Bermuda!

We left port near Ellis Island and had a fabulous view of the Statue of Liberty.

Super windy departure from NYC

Our room was very cozy, with a porthole to look out upon the Atlantic Ocean.

The ship had tons of activities and shows to attend.  Our first pick was Cha Cha lessons.  It took some getting used to since the ship was constantly shifting from side to side, and our balance was thrown off.  Eventually we got it, and cha cha'd around the dance floor!

The Second City had two great shows while we were on board.  Sam was fantastic!

In the evenings there were always bands playing and lots of dancing.

Sam was asked by one of the bands to perform several Beatles songs, and the crowd loved him!

On the morning of arrival in Bermuda Andrew got up early and went out to the deck to get the first glimpse of the island.  Bermuda is super colorful and weathered. 

The houses there are all painted in bright colors, with white roofs that are terraced to drain rain efficiently.

One morning we went out on a catamaran to do some snorkeling.  We saw huge fish over three feet long, and lots of beautiful, healthy coral.  Andrew was in heaven (he is fascinated by coral/salt water aquariums and fish).  On the way back we sipped on endless Rum Swizzles (like fruit juice mixed with Bermudan Rum), yum!

Since Sam had been back and forth to Bermuda several times already, he gave us a tour of Hamilton. There we saw many little shops, a boardwalk, cars driving on the opposite side of the road, and the funny Bermudan Business Suit (colorful shorts with knee high socks)!

Bermudan Business Suit on the right

Ferries are the major form of transportation around the island, followed by pink buses for on land travel.

Andrew waiting for the ferry

Pink bus

On the morning of June 10, Sam married us on Chaplin Bay.  We were the only people for miles, and the sun was shining brightly.  The beach was covered in pink sand, and there were huge slabs of sandstone making a dramatic scene for our marriage.  The ceremony was beyond perfect.  We each read our hand written vows to each other, and Sam used his talent to make it very personalized and humorous!  We will always be so thankful for such a wonderful start to our life together.

After our wedding, we spent the day on the beach together and then went into town by bus.

Bus stop

Andrew had made us reservations at a fancy restaurant called, "Bolero."  It had been recommended by native Bermudans as the place to celebrate.   Our table was out on a patio above the boardwalk, topped with a red rose bouquet and a bottle of wine!  We had a delicious dinner, and even tried a new food - snails!

On the day of departure we took Sam out wave running around the island.  The ocean was extremely choppy and it was very difficult to maneuver the wave runners.  At one point Andrew drove within two feet of a sea turtle! We also found a geocache out on the pier, adding Bermuda to our list of "finds."

Our cruise ship at the pier

We had plenty of time to explore the Royal Naval Dockyard and all of it's rustic charm.

Bye, bye Bermuda!

While cruising back to the mainland, Sam treated us to a special celebration dinner and cigars.  It was so yummy that we ate too much and ended up uncomfortably full!

Horribly full of great food!

To deal with this we went out on deck and walked it off.  We discovered some hilarious murals...

Bon voyage!  Thanks for the memories Bermuda!

Kissing under the Moongate brings good luck to marriages!