Celebration Weekend

Saturday and Sunday have come and gone, leaving wonderful memories in their wake. I speak, of course, of the two-day celebration honoring Nathan's graduation from Portland State.

On Saturday morning, we managed to spot him on the arena floor from our 300-level seats in the Rose Garden, as he and his fellow grads settled in for 2 1/2 hours of speeches, announcements and conferring of degrees. Afterwards, we wrapped him hugs and posed for pictures until our cheeks hurt.

We took him to Navarre, just named The Oregonian's 2009 Restaurant of the Year, for brunch and were not disappointed. It's a tapas place, serving small and large plates of farm-fresh produce, combined with different meats, herbs, oils, spices, etc., in a totally casual atmosphere. Think shared tables in a space about the width of a two-car garage.

On Sunday, we hosted a backyard party that drew family, longtime friends and neighbors, plus two sets of Nathan's friends -- those he knows from PSU, those he knows from the DJ music scene. Of course, there was some overlap in the latter two categories, which made for great energy and conversations, once everyone started socializing.


We ran out of food and nearly ran out of beverages before making a spontaneous decision to buy three XL pizzas and keep the party going a couple hours longer.

All in all, it was a great weekend and a real treat to see Nathan, deservedly, in the spotlight.

And now, let the job search begin...