Welcome to Town Event: Change of Venue

Because of Lakers-Celtics Game 7 tonight we've decided to move the Welcome to Town event at 7pm tonight from The Cooler (too crowded with Laker fans and not 'kid-friendly') to McMenamins North Bank, which is directly across Club Rd. from the Residence Inn along the Willamette River.

McMenamins are great restaurants with locations all over Oregon (http://www.mcmenamins.com)

We are really looking forward to seeing everyone!

Directions, etc.

Map of Eugene / Events

As we're getting closer to the big day, there are still a few hurdles yet to cross, but we wanted to post some last minute details:

(1) Getting from PDX airport to I-5 South

• We prefer taking I-84 via downtown (the views are great)
• But, I-205 ring road is certainly more straightforward

(2) If anyone is coming into EUG airport, the best way to get to the hotels is taking a cab (or there are so few flights into Eugene there are pretty good odds that the person next to you at the baggage claim is also headed to the wedding-- make a friend and share a ride)

(3) Directions from I-5 to the hotels (...pretty confusing)

• Take the I-105 / 126 exit towards the Univ. of Oregon
• Exit at the Coburg Exit (the first on the right)
• Continue in the far left lane straight through the intersection (not left on Coburg or right'ish to Oakway
• Take the frontage road to the next intersection and take a left onto Club Rd. (follow sign for 'Autzen Stadium')
• Residence Inn is past the next intersection on your left, La Quinta is a further 500 feet on your right

(6) On Saturday we're asking everyone to carpool out to the venue (37034 Conley Rd. Marcola Oregon 97478) and then we'll have shuttles starting up at 10pm to get you back to the hotels

• Directions to Cal and Eric's farm are relatively simple from the hotels
• Get back onto I-105 / 126 and head east into Springfield
• Get off at Olympic St. / 42nd St. and take the exit back under the highway
• Take a right on Marcola Rd. up the Mohawk Valley (enjoy the beautiful scenery!)
• After ~7 miles look for a red house (we'll have a sign on the road) that is the right turn
• Look for another sign directing you to parking in a field

(5) For anything else (seriously) please feel free to give us a call

• Elizabeth: (541) 912-7650
• Ian: (541) 222-9267

New car!

As the first tangible sign that our lives are beginning to change (and that I have a "real" job finally as a 32 year old), we went out and bought our first new car!

Lute looking excited to get some dirt in the new car.

Bridal Shower

A couple of weekends ago, the Albuquerque "Aunties" hosted a beautiful bridal shower for me. The Aunties (Shirley, Susan, Laura, Jean Ann, Ellin, and Kate) are Amy's good friends and have know Ian most of his life. The shower was so lovely, they planned an amazing and delicious French lunch that they cooked themselves (so good!), gorgeous flower arrangements, a yummy cocktail named "The Elizabeth", and so many pretty touches. The weather was perfect and we were able to eat outdoors and enjoy the sunshine and the garden. The Aunties are a fun group of women and I'm so glad I've gotten the opportunity to get to know them. Thank you for the shower and for making me feel so welcomed and special!


Ellin serving lunch. The Aunties had aprons made that listed all other couples who have been married out of their group of children.


The beautiful flower arrangements


Another picture of the flowers and pretty table decorations


My mom, Amy, and I with the Aunties

Dr. Parkman

After five years of hard work, Ian has earned his Ph.D.! On Thursday Ian successfully defended his dissertation, “Two Essays Examining Design Briefs as Knowledge-Based Assets: Contents and Cross-Functional Collaboration”. I was able to attend his defense and he did a great job. I was so proud! Overall, Ian has made the process of getting a Ph.D. look easy. Besides earning the degree, Ian has also had a journal article accepted for publication, spoken at several conferences, and received a teaching award. However, these last few weeks before he turned in the dissertation and leading up to the defense were pretty stressful and Ian had quite a few long days (and nights) trying to get everything finished up. But I know that the hard work has been worth it and that Ian truly enjoyed the process and experience of being a Ph.D. candidate. Now we can look forward to graduation and to Ian’s new job as a faculty member at Loyola University Maryland.


Ian at the defense



Our cat, Lola, giving Ian some emotional support as he works on his dissertation

Second Most Important Event of the Summer

Let's not forget the second most important event of the summer, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa!

Last World Cup a group of us would get together at The Cooler Bar in the early mornings to watch the big games and enjoy a hearty breakfast.

This year the US vs. Slovenia game falls on our wedding weekend and I would love to get everyone together to cheer our boys to victory over the hated Slovenians.

The game is Friday 6/18 at 6:30am (I know, I know...)

I hope to see you there!

Also, to get you in the spirit, check out this amazing ad campaign from Puma:



USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

Hotel Links

A couple of you have asked for hotel recommendations here in Eugene, so here is the information for;

Residence Inn
(541) 342-7171
http://tinyurl.com/ykum79u

and

La Quinta
(541) 344-8335
http://tinyurl.com/2cxmxz

Each hotel has blocks of rooms-- be sure to mention the Parkman / LaDu wedding for the special rate.

Both are very close to all of the planned wedding activities and centrally located (its not a very big town).

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Tyson Anthony Roberts

Keeping with Elizabeth's art-related theme, I thought that I'd post a great video of another of our favorite artists. Tyson Anthony Roberts is a Northwest painter whose work we both really love-- he seems to capture the feel of the Northwest incredibly well.

Painting Progression from Tyson Anthony Roberts on Vimeo.

We're looking forward to putting up a print or two in our new place in Baltimore to remind us of Eugene.

La Noce

A few days after Ian and I got engaged we went to Paris, and while we were there we visited the Georges Pompidou Center. Although Ian and I had both been to Paris before, it was our first time to the Pompidou Center. The Pompidou's modern art collection is truly spectacular and as modern art appreciators, Ian and I enjoyed our time there. Once piece in particular caught our eye: Marc Chagall's La Noce (The Wedding). Being newly engaged, we couldn't help but to be drawn to the subject matter. We loved the image of the bride and groom surrounded by, and celebrating with, those dear to them. The wedding Chagall depicts is simple and humble but full of joy. We have both kept this image in our minds as we have planned our own wedding and hope that our day reflects the same sentiment.

Beer Fest

Back in February, Ian and I met up with some friends at the KLCC Brew Fest here in Eugene. This is an annual event that we have attended in years past. Micro-brews are kind of a big deal here in Oregon, one of Portland’s nicknames is beervana, and Ian likes to joke that Eugene is the only place where college kids prefer drinking a heavy micro-brew all night instead of PBR or Natty Light. The brew fest not only features local and state beers, but also beers from around the country and world, and always makes for a fun night out. While we were there we stopped by our friends Jeff and Eriel’s booth. They are the owners of Oakshire Brewing, one of the first local breweries in Eugene. They have generously offered to provide beer at the wedding, so all of our guest will have the opportunity to enjoy a true Oregon Micro-Brew.

Check-out the Oakshire website at:

http://oakbrew.com/

More on Lute... he's BIG!

Coinciding with our move to bump up his breakfast and dinner to two scoops of food a few weeks ago, Lute has exploded into a mess of adorable teenage puppy awkwardness.

As you can see from the pictures, he is mostly legs now-- we're beginning to wonder how much dog we're gotten ourselves into...

A picture commemorating the last time Elizabeth will be able to pick him up

An additional side bonus is that the older he gets, the more unique he is appearing. The Portland Humane Society listed him as 'Australian Shepherd', but I think that was a pure branding play (my marketing knowledge suggests that "other?" doesn't sound too good on adoption papers). We're thinking of sending off for a DNA testing kit. Perhaps we'll have a door prize at the reception for the person who guesses his lineage the closest-- I think he's mainly harbor seal.

Making progress...

This past Saturday, Ian and I ordered our wedding invitation suite. I felt like we were prepared; we had already picked out the invitations that we wanted, we had finalized the wording, and we had the experience of ordering the Save the Dates behind us, so I figured we would be in and out of the stationary store in no time. Boy was I wrong! The processes ended up taking about 2 ½ hours. Just like the rest of the wedding planning, creating our invitations was all about pulling different ideas and details together to make a cohesive and, hopefully, beautiful product. From choosing the fonts, to the font size, to the colors, to the type of paper, to the wording, to the envelope liners, to other details I won’t even bother to mention, the process was surprisingly complex and time consuming. The sales associate helping us was wonderful, very patient and professional, and I can’t imagine what the process would have been like without her. Despite the fact that we were mentally exhausted by the end of it, I think we both enjoyed the experience. In planning the wedding thus far, we have made a lot of decisions, but for the most part we won’t see any of those decisions come together as a whole until the Big Day. The invitations were fun because they are something tangible. Although we won’t actually get the invitations for several more weeks, the fact that they exists in some capacity and have our names on them helps to make it real that we really are getting married, and soon!

Wrapping Up 2009 and Welcome to 2010

Ian and I would like to wish everyone an embarrassingly late Happy Holidays. We had a great holiday season starting with Thanksgiving in LA with the Parkman family. It was nice getting to experience some warmth and sunshine in late November, a special treat coming from Oregon and getting to spend time with Amy and Allen and Andrew and Whitney is always fun. Ian and I celebrated Hanukah with some friends here in Eugene (I know all the words to the Dradle song now). And we had a traditional Christmas morning with my mom and Larry and brother, where Ian received his first stocking from Santa. The day after Christmas we headed up to Portland to celebrate the holiday with my dad's family at my grandparents house who host an amazing dinner every year.

The New Year's holiday found us back in LA to watch the PAC 10 Champions compete in the Rose Bowl. We drove down with a couple of buddies and Andrew and Whitney graciously let us all stay with them in their downtown loft. We had a fun New Year's Eve out in LA, but we were ready bright and early the next morning to head to Pasadena. Unfortunately, the Ducks lost, but was still a great experience and we were glad we were there.

Christmas morning

At the Rose Bowl. Go Ducks!

Now that New Year's has come and gone and it is now 2010, Ian and I are realizing how soon the wedding will be upon us. The next six months are sure to be busy for us as we continue to prepare for the wedding and make plans for our move to Baltimore, where Ian has accepted an assistant professor position in marketing at Loyola University Maryland. Ian also has to deal with the small matter of finishing his dissertation . Although we are busy, we are keeping in mind that our time here in Eugene is coming to a close and we want to make the most of it and appreciate our life here while we can. We know that the next six months will be a unique and exciting time in our lives and we are looking forward to enjoying it.