Sweet 16

Now, whenever I say that phrase, I hear it to the tune of "My Super Sweet 16," the show that was/is?? on MTV. But I'm not talking about an episode of the show, I'm talking about Alex's Super Sweet 16 weekend. Sixteen is a pretty big milestone, and Alex is a pretty special girl.

And that's why we had so much fun celebrating her birthday up in Portland this weekend. My parents, Alex, and four of her closest friends piled into the car and headed our way for a fun-filled weekend of shopping, pampering, indulging, and more shopping.

It all started with a *surprise* stretch Hummer. (Alex knew we were heading downtown to do some shopping, but she had no idea we be doing it in style!) We headed downtown feeling like celebrities, music cranked and the peach sparkling cider was flowin'. Our first stop was VooDoo Donuts, and if you haven't had one, you should! We took a mini tour of downtown Portland, then headed up to NW 23rd and popped into a couple of cute shops up there. Finally, the driver dropped us down at The Nines, which is where we stayed for the night.

We had dinner at The Melting Pot, delicious! I mean, cheese and chocolate, how could you go wrong?? And finally, it was time to head back to the hotel. Matt got some fun pictures of the girls downtown that night, and all-in-all, I'd say everyone had a fun night, especially the birthday girl!

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX!!!!! I can't believe she's as old now as I was when she was born! My baby sister isn't a baby anymore! But, I'm so glad we were able to celebrate with her. She really is quite an incredible young woman, and we are so proud of her! Love you, Ali Bobba aka Bob aka Bobbert aka Big Al :)