Girls' Weekend in Portland

I just got back from Portland this afternoon, where my mom instituted the first-ever Smith Family Girls' Weekend. It was so much fun just hanging out with my sisters and not having to worry about kids at all. Plus, the money Dad gave us all helped us to have a bit of shopping fun :) (Thanks Dad!) Mom flew up from Idaho, I flew up from Vegas, my sister-in-law Whitney flew up from Texas, and Ashley didn't have to fly anywhere, but she did have to do a lot of driving us around town. Anyway, here were my favorite things about Portland, in no particular order: 1. Why, oh why, doesn't Vegas have an IKEA? It's worth going there just for ideas on how to maximize your space, let alone the good deals. Ashley, Whit and I had fun, and did our part to help us out of this recession. 2. Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland--what's not to love about a bookstore that takes up an entire city block? Enough said. 3. Absolutely loved it. I'd read the book a couple of years ago, and hated it--it seemed like the Wicked Witch was some sort of PETA radical. But the show was much better, and the music was good, too. I highly recommend it. 4. Tour de Crepes after the show--not exactly the same as eating them on the street in France, but a close second. Mom's lemon curd and raspberries one was the best, in my opinion. If you're ever in Portland, check it out. All in all, we had a great time without the kids, and I think the kids had fun hanging out with their dads all weekend. At least Nick did--he convinced Mike to buy him Lightning McQueen and Mack, plus two new Hot Wheels. Cars is his new favorite movie, and he actually slept with all his cars last night. He would have never convinced Mean Mom (me) to buy them, but he talked Dad into it, so his weekend without me couldn't have been all that bad. To the girls: I vote we do this again next month!