Blessings of a Family Vacation in Gresham, Oregon and Surrounding Areas

Stanley, Nathan, Elizabeth and Laura on a bike ride in Gresham, Oregon.

Blessings of a family vacation go much deeper than the list I am about to write. The excitement of visiting my son began in March when I booked the flights to travel with my daughter and husband. Out of curiosity, I rechecked Frontier a week before the trip and found that the prices had tripled! As I write, I enjoy a cup of coffee from a mug which, many years ago, had been a gift from my mom and dad. It features a chalkboard illustration of the ark and a rainbow along with the message: PLAN AHEAD—it wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark! How refreshing to plan and live out a Mothers Day celebration trip to Gresham, Oregon where my son, during his third year through Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne serves as vicar at Redeemer Lutheran Church and Good Samaritan Society—Fairlawn Village. It had been 9 months since I’d seen Nathan. Although the blessings of phones and email allow frequent communication, there is nothing like a tight hug and the ability to warmly look into each other’s eyes. Traveling with Laura and Stan offered bonding through shared experiences. I thank the LORD for keeping us safe and blessing us in so many ways.

1. car
2. gas
3. restaurants
4. hotel
5. swimming pool
6. shuttle service
7. airplanes
8. pilots and all people who’s vocations are to serve travelers
9. a relaxing destination with soft spots to sleep
10. good walking/hiking shoes 
11. house boats on the Columbia River
12. a walk to get ice cream with new friends
13. a sweet dog named Orbit
14. Gresham Farmer’s Market
15. meeting friendly and interesting people:
16. —farmers
17. —gardeners
18. —artists
19. —craftsmen
20. —creative designers 
21. —bakers
22. —other tourists and shoppers
23. handmade breads and bagels
24. fresh sugar snap peas
25. roasted cashews
26. fresh asparagus
27. fresh water cultured pearls (coin and potato), Chinese pearls and fire polished crystals
28. elephant ears
29. blueberry sorbet
30. scents
31. live band music
32. fresh pesto
33. pruning pine trees, house plants
34. afternoon visit with new friends before their grandson’s baseball game
35. Mount Hood National Forest
36. majestic Cascade Mountain Range
37. wildlife
38. lush rhododendrons and abundant floral color of many varieties in beautifully designed and manicured landscapes
39. winding, thrilling road trips through secluded wilderness in the mountains
40. Astoria-Megler Bridge
41. Sandy River salmon dinner (expertly grilled in a variety of flavors) at the home of new friends
42. fun and interesting stories
43. hiking trails
44. bon fire (or “bond” fire as Stan calls them) with new friends
45. meeting an expert snow skier and watching amazing videos
46. staff and residents of Fairlawn Village
    
47. staff and members of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
48. seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in action through so many people
49. friendships, encouragement, support and genuine Christian love
50. learning from other Christians
51. Mothers Day dinner of Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine at Nicolas Restaurant
52. attending 2 Sunday School classes with Vicar Nathan teaching
53. listing to my son’s sermons 2 Sundays in a row at church
54. seeing the faces, smiles and hearing the words of so many people who love and respect Vicar Nathan (my prayers have surely been answered by our loving and gracious God)
55. getting a re-run sermon as Vicar Nathan shared the gospel of our Saviour at a Lutheran retirement community worship service
56. my son participated as a guest reader at an Ascension Day service at Ascension Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon
57. singing hymns among many beautiful voices
58. awesome organ music
59. prayers with congregations
60. family devotions and prayers
61. numerous waterfalls including Multnomah Falls and the perfect picnic spot at Horsetail Falls
62. Bonneville Dam
63. Columbia River Gorge
64. mini-van rental
65. beautiful drive and overnight stay in La Pine (Deschutes National Forest) and back through Sisters to spend cherished time with my aunt, uncle, cousin and his wife
66. GPS devices like TomTom and Garmin
67. antique store
68. Columbia River Maritime Museum
69. Astoria Column
70. Goonies house 
71. Pacific Ocean at Cannon Beach
72. exploring, relaxing, grilling and dining on the beach
73. wind, waves, birds at the beach
74. above average temperatures and sunny skies (except the day we left when it rained)
75. gifts of cookies from new friends
76. gift of lemon cake with lemon frosting sprinkled with coconut from new friend
77. new friend’s gift of handmade lace art tatted earrings
78. new friend (ebay seller) gift of cookies for the trip home
79. meeting a new friend who is a professional fashion designer
80. home cooked dinner of fried wild caught cod from Fred Meyer coated in seasoned flour from Western Star Flour Mill (Salina, KS), sugar snap peas from the Gresham Farmer’s Market and boiled potatoes with butter 
81. Clif Bars—delicious satisfying snacks
82. Oregon wine
83. gifts of salad, peach and blueberry cobbler leftovers from Redeemer Lutheran youth trip fundraiser Mothers Day dinner
84. men’s prayer breakfast attended by my husband and son together
85. getting lost in Powell’s City of Books, Portland—swallowing my pride to ask the info guy to page Stan, Nathan and Laura—and a happy reunion
86. Amtrak Portland Union Station PDX
87. TriMet Portland public transportation
88. Voodoo Doughnuts
89. art museum
90. history museum
91. Chinatown
92. walking around downtown Portland, seeing ALL sorts of people working, shopping, texting, playing, riding, driving, walking, sleeping, living
93. sculptures
94. signage
95. window displays
96. complex highway system
97. Portland State Chamber Choir’s A Drop in the ocean concert at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church
98. Wall Street Pizza with a group of new friends, very special note and gift of beautiful sand dollars and shells
99. bike ride sampling on paved, scenic 40-mile loop trail in Gresham
100. time to sketch in my sketch book… and hundreds of digital photo and video files for long-lasting memories… here are just a few:

     

     We took a steep hike with 11 switchbacks at Multnomah Falls

Quenching thirst, downtown Portland

Happy Mothers Day to me—Elizabeth with children Vicar Nathan and Laura Knaus at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Gresham, Oregon

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach with Nathan, Orbit, Stan and Laura

Nathan, Stan, Liz, Laura and Orbit at Cannon Beach

We followed this logging truck for several miles after taking this photo and saying hello to the driver

Vicar Nathan Knaus teaching an adult Sunday School class with portrait of Martin Luther (painted by a member of the church) behind projector screen at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Gresham, Oregon

Downtown Portland

Stan and seagulls at Cannon Beach, Oregon

Wayside rest in Oregon with family