SNOW?!?!?!?!?!

I gotta get out of this place. Here we are in the last week of March and I look outside and see... snow flakes! Now this is in the middle of downtown Portland. Not the the hills, not the mountains, but sea level. Isn't spring supposed to be sunny?

Mao in NYC

Here are a few pictures of Julie and Mao II in New York City.

prejudice is alive and well

I was doing some deliveries for work on Monday and had to make a stop at a prominent ad agency we'll cal K&W, whose reception desk is on the second floor. The first floor of the building is simply an entry area with a large set of stairs going up and no people or office. I had a few heavy boxes and went to the elevator only to find that you had to have a key card to use it. When I finally got to the second floor I asked the receptionist what would happen if a handicap person were to enter the building. Without elevator access they could not get to the reception desk and it's doubtful they would be seen or heard entering the building. The lady at the reception desk shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess they would be SOL." She then told me how in her 19 yrs of working there she has only seen 1 person in a wheelchair come in the building.
The ironic part was that this woman was in her late 40's early 50's and black. I wanted to ask her, "If 40 years ago you were walking through the south and needed to use the restroom but there were only white bathrooms accessible, would you have been SOL?"
I guess we haven't progressed as far as we think.

The eyes of Texas

Yes, the eyes of Texas are upon us. Only one more week until Jillian and I take off to Texas. And for those of you who aren't from Texas, yes that is a real Texas Longhorn and no the horns have not been photoshopped. Also congrats to the Horns Basketball team for making the sweet sixteen. I'm a little bummed because I will be leaving Texas on the day that the men's championship will be being played. And of course the game is in San Antonio. Not that I would have been able to afford tickets even if I was there, but...

Thank You, Goodnight...

Alright everyone,
I just finished my tour of The Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Memorial Museum.
It was 3 levels: The first being when the Jews were forced out of their homes into Ghettos
The second was during the Camps and the groups who rose up to resist Hitler
The third was how Jews have and are overcoming such tragedies and living somewhat regular lives even though there are those who are still VERY RACIST and don't believe The Holocaust ever happened...

On the third floor is a room with all glass windows looking out on the Statue of Liberty. It was such a beautiful, peaceful moment with the sun shining on the water. Makes you think Hope is still alive and someday there will be an end to all Genocide.

I'm packing up my suitcase, getting ready to take a cab to JFK. It has been 4 days of fun. I am ready to come home to my family and friends... See you soon Jillie Bean!

xoxoxo, julie

And the celebrity is...

So, for everyone who is mildly curious...


Da Da Da Da...


It's Roy from the Office! He was so nice and agreed to a picture with Jillian's Mao. His wife was so sweet and we talked for a while after the photo!
I decided I am too tired after my adventures so the rest will have to wait until I get home!
Can't wait to talk with all of you about all the fun!

My NYC Advenures

Yo!
Today I went into the East Village with Michelle and Jillian's Mao... We went to breakfast at a place called MUD. Great food and the coffee was amazing! Went into some cute little shops and did a little shopping for Jillian. Walked by McSorley's Old Ale House, the oldest in NYC (established in 1854, thank you Francis!), but decided not to go in, gaggle of people on the sidewalk meant even more inside. Saw some beautiful churches, tattoo shops ( not so beautiful, some just downright weird ) and even took a picture of me and mao in front of the cube. (no, I didn't try to push it!)
We saw some of New York's newest buildings, just monstrosities, nothing impressive. (all glass)
We all went to Indian food on Sixth tonight and then to a play off Broadway, shuffled my way through Times Square- cuz that's as fast as you can move. I was disappointed that the "Naked Cowboy" was not out tonight! Let me tell you, I really wanted a picture of him holding Mao.
The play we went to tonight is called, "The Conscientious Objector" By Michael Murphy. It's about Martin Luther King jr. and his relationship with Lyndon B. Johnson during the Vietnam war and also how the FBI bugged King's house and recorded conversations... Very well done. I even sat one seat down from a celebrity! To find out who it is, tune in tomorrow when I will have then had enough sleep to figure out how to add a pic to my blog. Rode the subway and took a couple pictures of Mao on the subway... Who says New Yorker's are the crazy ones, huh? The night was caped off with a slice at a local spot in the neighborhood.
The weather was fabulous, and I'm sure tomorrow will bring many new firsts... going into SOHO.

Classic

This is nothing new, but a real classic. I just hear Jillian screaming at me not to show this to her friends when she's 13.

The perks of the job

This is a video that was e-mailed to me a few weeks ago. Made me fall out of my chair laughing so hard.

NYC

Julie flew out last night for the Big Apple. She went to visit her friend Michelle and see NYC before Michelle moved to Chicago. (I see a similar trip to Chicago happening soon.) I have gotten a phone call saying that she arrived safely yet tired. Here's hoping you have fun and stay safe. Love, John & Jillian

New Tattoo

Can you guess which of us got this one? I feel the only appropriate time to get someones name put on you permanently is when it's your kid or your parent. Girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands and wives can come and go but your parents and kids will ALWAYS be yours no matter what. Since I wasn't too excited to get either of my parents names done, I opted for Jillian's

Tool Time

This past weekend I was working with screwdrivers and wrenches in the living room while Jillian was napping. She woke up came out of her bedroom and wanted to know what I was doing. She then took some screwdrivers and went back into her bedroom. When I walked in to see what she was doing, she said she was fixing it.

Jillian's First Boyfriend

Yes, Jillian already has a boyfriend. And yes, if you ask her who her boyfriend is she'll say, "Owen." Owen is in Jillian's daycare class and was born on the same day as Jillian. It also turns out that Owen lives about 4 blocks from us. John said, "Time to move, before it's too late." I thought I could wait a little longer before getting that shotgun. This picture is from their playdate at the neighborhood park a few weeks ago. Jillian's even wearing Owen's sweatshirt.

Hello Everyone!

This blog is our attempt at letting everyone know what is going on with the 3 JTs. There will be little bit of everything about our lives on here, including rants and raves, political views and family news. Hope you enjoy your visit and we look forward to reading your comments.