The Porters in Boise 2007 Year in Review
Happy New Year!
Michele here! Today is Monday, December 31, 2007 and we Porters are sitting around in our jammies (still, and it's 1:30 as I write this) relaxing after our whirlwind trip to San Francisco for the Christmas holiday. I thought that an entry recapping the highlights of the Porters' year would be nice. We'll go backwards in time, as my memory will get worse as I go further back...These entries will be largely based on things written on our 2007 Spongebob calendar. (Warning: the December/SF entry is long and boring, but it is also serving as my journal of our travels so I don't forget what we did on the trip.)
December 22-30, 2007:
Christmas in San Francisco. Many of the larger Porter family congregated on SF to visit Auntie Susan and her beau Jose, and cousins Erin and Kimberley, who all live in SF. The Utah contingent of Poppa Jeff, Nanny Nancy, Auntie Stacie, Uncle Andy, cousin Ian, Uncle Phil, and Auntie Elizabeth made the trip with us. For the first five days we stayed at the very swanky Sir Francis Drake hotel and then for the last few days we stayed with Auntie Susan in her charming, fabulous, and "real SF" late-1800's Victorian home in the Lower Haight SF neighborhood. Weather report: sunny, blue skies, warm (60's) Sunday through Thursday midday, with increasing clouds then misty rain (50's) Thursday afternoon through Saturday. Thank you Susan and Kimberley for all your hospitality! Special thanks to Nanny and Poppa for literally making this happen for us. xoxox!
Sunday, our first day, we enjoyed a very special tour of Alcatraz island. Susan, who volunteers for the National Park Service, hooked us up with a special behind-the-scenes tour of Alcatraz with Ranger George. We were the envy of all the other tourists as we got to go into places on Alcatraz that the general public doesn't get to see. After Alcatraz, we wandered Fisherman's Wharf and then walked through the Wharf and Marina neighborhoods for a chili dinner at Kimberley's home.
The next day, Christmas Eve, we stuck around the Union Square area fighting joining the crowds of shoppers in the fancy stores and enjoyed the lovely Christmas lights and window displays (Macy's had live kitties in sumptuous environs). Yummy Italian dinner, too.
On Christmas morning, Julia found that Santa Claus left one present on her pillow to tide her over until we got to Susan's home later that morning. I also set out to find a cup of coffee. Yay corporate America Starbucks! At the corner of Powell and O'Farrell (I think), the only coffee shop open in the area (and were very busy, I might add). My desire for caffeine overrode my emotions of how sad it was that the employees had to work early Christmas morning. (I tipped well.) Travis, Julia, and I also rode the Powell-Hyde line of the Trolley Cars (first trip of five over the course of the week) in the early morning nearly-deserted SF downtown. Later that morning, we went to Susan's home for the rest of the day. Santa got our message that Julia was going to be in SF this year. The "Jeff Porter" family went for a long walk from Susan's through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to the eastern end of the Golden Gate Park, where Julia played in an amazing playground. Very nice Christmas dinner at Susan's house.
Wednesday, the "Jeff Porter" family took an urban hike from our hotel via Chinatown to the Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, where we saw great views of the city and saw the famous wild parrots. We had lunch with cousin Kimberley. In the afternoon we hung around the downtown area and I ventured into some of the stores for the after-Christmas sales. We went to a wonderful prime rib and crab dinner at Michael's house, a longtime Porter family friend.
Thursday, Travis, Julia, and I checked out of the hotel and were picked up by Auntie Susan, who dropped us off at the south end of the Golden Gate bridge and waited for us on the northern end while we walked across the bridge. Then, she took us to the Marin Headlands area (where she volunteers for the NPS) and to the Point Bonita lighthouse for a private tour. We also went to Rodeo Beach and resisted the urge to pick up the amazing multi-colored tiny rocks (I instead helped clean up the beach by picking up about 20 small pieces of sea glass.) That evening Travis and I went on a date to a fancy neighborhood restaurant.
Friday, Auntie Susan and Julia bonded all day while Travis and I went to the SF Museum of Modern Art and to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Then we took Susan out to dinner at a nice Middle Eastern restaurant called Bistro 9.
Saturday Susan took us to her favorite neighborhood French bakery where I surely ingested a week's worth of calories with the amazing french pastries. Then, Travis, Julia, and I went to the Exploratorium and walked around the Marina District. Travis and I walked back to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and visited Mom's, then it was back to Susan's for a quiet evening packing and watching The Rock on TV.
December 9, 2007:
Travis and my local Boise family joined Julia and me at the Boise Unitarian Universalist church to watch Julia take part in the child dedication ceremony. 2007 is the year that I've officially defined myself as a Humanist, yet found a church I like. Weird.
Thanksgiving 2007:
Spent in Boise with my family (the Bozeman group traveled to Boise).
Halloween, 2007:
Julia was UnderDog, Michele was a black cat, and Travis was a Boston Red Sox player.
October 30, 2007:
Travis and I took my parents to a performance of Spamalot in Boise. This is the second time we saw it this year (see June).
October 29, 2007:
Got new laminate flooring installed in our kitchen. Whoo-hoo!
October 19-22, 2007:
Went to Salt Lake City to attend a family wedding. Cousin Rob married the lovely Valerie.
September - early October, 2007:
Julia played soccer on the "Red Fireballs" team in the "under 6" girls' division. Three-on-three soccer. Chaos. Very fun to watch.
September 1-3, 2007:
My friend Christa and I go on a road trip to Portland, OR to attend a Crowded House concert in amazing downtown Portland. This is my favorite band, who "split up" back in 1996 but are back together now. The best music experience I can have. Thanks Christa for coming along! (Travis attended a friend's wedding in Spokane that weekend.)
August 31, 2007:
Travis and Michele's 11th anniversary. Dinner at Indian restaurant before we go in different directions for the weekend (Portland/Spokane).
August 27, 2007:
Julia's first day of school! She goes to kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary in Boise. Jefferson is currently the only elementary school in the Boise School District that has a uniform policy, which we entirely support!
July 27-29, 2007:
We went to Salt Lake City to attend Travis' 20-year high school reunion (Skyline High class of 1987) and to see little Ian (next entry).
July 25, 2007:
Stacie and Andy in Logan have their first child, baby boy Ian. Now Julia has two boy cousins and three girl cousins.
July, 2007:
Julia enjoys swimming lessons at a neighbor's house. She is a very good swimmer (and I'm not just saying that); she gets her swimming gene from Travis.
June 22-30, 2007:
We travel to Salt Lake City to attend Stacie's baby shower, then we leave Julia with Nanny and Poppa and fly to Las Vegas for a belated 10th anniversary trip. We stayed at the MGM Grand and thoroughly enjoy the pool complex with lazy river, giant daquiris, "Spamalot" and "Cirque du Soleil" performances, $5 blackjack, fancy theme hotels, and general freakshow that is Vegas. This 10-year anniversary trip was delayed from last summer after Travis broke his ankleskateboarding at age 37 saving kittens from a burning building in April 2006. Las Vegas, some of you may remember, is where we went on our honeymoon in August 1996.
April 13-15, 2007:
Travis travels to Salt Lake City to attend cousin Alex's wedding. Julia and I were both sick and stayed home.
March 13, 2007:
AJ and Breesha treated us to a Boise performance of Rain, a Beatles tribute band.
February 25, 2007:
Travis, Julia, and I (plus my brother, dad, and nieces) attend a lecture at Boise State University by the Mythbusters dudes Jamie and Adam. Mythbusters is one of my favorite shows.
February 16-20, 2007:
Annual trip to Salt Lake City over President's Day weekend to spend time with the Porters for Travis' 38th birthday.
January 22, 2007:
Travis, the Heni, and I attend lecture by Al Gore at Boise State University. It was essentially a slightly-abbreviated "Inconvenient Truth". Left feeling alternately depressed and hopeful, but mostly depressed, about this whole global warming thing. We humans will be our own demise.
January 17, 2007:
Little Julia turns 5.
January 14, 2007:
The English Beat in Boise! Fun time.
January 9, 2007:
I turn 34.
January 1, 2007:
Happy New Year 2007! Evening spent with the Heni culminating with pot-banging at 10:00 because we're all old and can't stay up that late anymore.
Michele here! Today is Monday, December 31, 2007 and we Porters are sitting around in our jammies (still, and it's 1:30 as I write this) relaxing after our whirlwind trip to San Francisco for the Christmas holiday. I thought that an entry recapping the highlights of the Porters' year would be nice. We'll go backwards in time, as my memory will get worse as I go further back...These entries will be largely based on things written on our 2007 Spongebob calendar. (Warning: the December/SF entry is long and boring, but it is also serving as my journal of our travels so I don't forget what we did on the trip.)
December 22-30, 2007:
Christmas in San Francisco. Many of the larger Porter family congregated on SF to visit Auntie Susan and her beau Jose, and cousins Erin and Kimberley, who all live in SF. The Utah contingent of Poppa Jeff, Nanny Nancy, Auntie Stacie, Uncle Andy, cousin Ian, Uncle Phil, and Auntie Elizabeth made the trip with us. For the first five days we stayed at the very swanky Sir Francis Drake hotel and then for the last few days we stayed with Auntie Susan in her charming, fabulous, and "real SF" late-1800's Victorian home in the Lower Haight SF neighborhood. Weather report: sunny, blue skies, warm (60's) Sunday through Thursday midday, with increasing clouds then misty rain (50's) Thursday afternoon through Saturday. Thank you Susan and Kimberley for all your hospitality! Special thanks to Nanny and Poppa for literally making this happen for us. xoxox!
Sunday, our first day, we enjoyed a very special tour of Alcatraz island. Susan, who volunteers for the National Park Service, hooked us up with a special behind-the-scenes tour of Alcatraz with Ranger George. We were the envy of all the other tourists as we got to go into places on Alcatraz that the general public doesn't get to see. After Alcatraz, we wandered Fisherman's Wharf and then walked through the Wharf and Marina neighborhoods for a chili dinner at Kimberley's home.
The next day, Christmas Eve, we stuck around the Union Square area fighting joining the crowds of shoppers in the fancy stores and enjoyed the lovely Christmas lights and window displays (Macy's had live kitties in sumptuous environs). Yummy Italian dinner, too.
On Christmas morning, Julia found that Santa Claus left one present on her pillow to tide her over until we got to Susan's home later that morning. I also set out to find a cup of coffee. Yay corporate America Starbucks! At the corner of Powell and O'Farrell (I think), the only coffee shop open in the area (and were very busy, I might add). My desire for caffeine overrode my emotions of how sad it was that the employees had to work early Christmas morning. (I tipped well.) Travis, Julia, and I also rode the Powell-Hyde line of the Trolley Cars (first trip of five over the course of the week) in the early morning nearly-deserted SF downtown. Later that morning, we went to Susan's home for the rest of the day. Santa got our message that Julia was going to be in SF this year. The "Jeff Porter" family went for a long walk from Susan's through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to the eastern end of the Golden Gate Park, where Julia played in an amazing playground. Very nice Christmas dinner at Susan's house.
Wednesday, the "Jeff Porter" family took an urban hike from our hotel via Chinatown to the Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, where we saw great views of the city and saw the famous wild parrots. We had lunch with cousin Kimberley. In the afternoon we hung around the downtown area and I ventured into some of the stores for the after-Christmas sales. We went to a wonderful prime rib and crab dinner at Michael's house, a longtime Porter family friend.
Thursday, Travis, Julia, and I checked out of the hotel and were picked up by Auntie Susan, who dropped us off at the south end of the Golden Gate bridge and waited for us on the northern end while we walked across the bridge. Then, she took us to the Marin Headlands area (where she volunteers for the NPS) and to the Point Bonita lighthouse for a private tour. We also went to Rodeo Beach and resisted the urge to pick up the amazing multi-colored tiny rocks (I instead helped clean up the beach by picking up about 20 small pieces of sea glass.) That evening Travis and I went on a date to a fancy neighborhood restaurant.
Friday, Auntie Susan and Julia bonded all day while Travis and I went to the SF Museum of Modern Art and to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Then we took Susan out to dinner at a nice Middle Eastern restaurant called Bistro 9.
Saturday Susan took us to her favorite neighborhood French bakery where I surely ingested a week's worth of calories with the amazing french pastries. Then, Travis, Julia, and I went to the Exploratorium and walked around the Marina District. Travis and I walked back to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and visited Mom's, then it was back to Susan's for a quiet evening packing and watching The Rock on TV.
December 9, 2007:
Travis and my local Boise family joined Julia and me at the Boise Unitarian Universalist church to watch Julia take part in the child dedication ceremony. 2007 is the year that I've officially defined myself as a Humanist, yet found a church I like. Weird.
Thanksgiving 2007:
Spent in Boise with my family (the Bozeman group traveled to Boise).
Halloween, 2007:
Julia was UnderDog, Michele was a black cat, and Travis was a Boston Red Sox player.
October 30, 2007:
Travis and I took my parents to a performance of Spamalot in Boise. This is the second time we saw it this year (see June).
October 29, 2007:
Got new laminate flooring installed in our kitchen. Whoo-hoo!
October 19-22, 2007:
Went to Salt Lake City to attend a family wedding. Cousin Rob married the lovely Valerie.
September - early October, 2007:
Julia played soccer on the "Red Fireballs" team in the "under 6" girls' division. Three-on-three soccer. Chaos. Very fun to watch.
September 1-3, 2007:
My friend Christa and I go on a road trip to Portland, OR to attend a Crowded House concert in amazing downtown Portland. This is my favorite band, who "split up" back in 1996 but are back together now. The best music experience I can have. Thanks Christa for coming along! (Travis attended a friend's wedding in Spokane that weekend.)
August 31, 2007:
Travis and Michele's 11th anniversary. Dinner at Indian restaurant before we go in different directions for the weekend (Portland/Spokane).
August 27, 2007:
Julia's first day of school! She goes to kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary in Boise. Jefferson is currently the only elementary school in the Boise School District that has a uniform policy, which we entirely support!
July 27-29, 2007:
We went to Salt Lake City to attend Travis' 20-year high school reunion (Skyline High class of 1987) and to see little Ian (next entry).
July 25, 2007:
Stacie and Andy in Logan have their first child, baby boy Ian. Now Julia has two boy cousins and three girl cousins.
July, 2007:
Julia enjoys swimming lessons at a neighbor's house. She is a very good swimmer (and I'm not just saying that); she gets her swimming gene from Travis.
June 22-30, 2007:
We travel to Salt Lake City to attend Stacie's baby shower, then we leave Julia with Nanny and Poppa and fly to Las Vegas for a belated 10th anniversary trip. We stayed at the MGM Grand and thoroughly enjoy the pool complex with lazy river, giant daquiris, "Spamalot" and "Cirque du Soleil" performances, $5 blackjack, fancy theme hotels, and general freakshow that is Vegas. This 10-year anniversary trip was delayed from last summer after Travis broke his ankle
April 13-15, 2007:
Travis travels to Salt Lake City to attend cousin Alex's wedding. Julia and I were both sick and stayed home.
March 13, 2007:
AJ and Breesha treated us to a Boise performance of Rain, a Beatles tribute band.
February 25, 2007:
Travis, Julia, and I (plus my brother, dad, and nieces) attend a lecture at Boise State University by the Mythbusters dudes Jamie and Adam. Mythbusters is one of my favorite shows.
February 16-20, 2007:
Annual trip to Salt Lake City over President's Day weekend to spend time with the Porters for Travis' 38th birthday.
January 22, 2007:
Travis, the Heni, and I attend lecture by Al Gore at Boise State University. It was essentially a slightly-abbreviated "Inconvenient Truth". Left feeling alternately depressed and hopeful, but mostly depressed, about this whole global warming thing. We humans will be our own demise.
January 17, 2007:
Little Julia turns 5.
January 14, 2007:
The English Beat in Boise! Fun time.
January 9, 2007:
I turn 34.
January 1, 2007:
Happy New Year 2007! Evening spent with the Heni culminating with pot-banging at 10:00 because we're all old and can't stay up that late anymore.
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