The Gift Exchange

Blog by Kirian McClure Halloween has come and gone. Despite the cries of candy-induced belly ache’s that may claim otherwise, the season rolls onward.  While Thanksgiving is still several weeks away there remains one important holiday worthy of consideration in between, that being All Saints Day. Originally referred to as “All Hallows Day,” the first of November [...]

Blog by Stacey Keller Growing up, there was one family tradition which meant the world to me: Our annual trip to the Sauvie’s Island Pumpkin Patch. The annual Pumpkin Patch trip was not just a blip on the annual radar, but instead the grand highlight of the autumn. All year long I would look forward to [...]

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. Carving pumpkins, dressing up, watching scary movies, I love it all! Once October 1st rolls around, I am dragging out the Halloween decorations and tuning into my favorite Halloween station on Pandora. Around mid-October, my house is covered in hanging bats, grinning pumpkins, and hairy spiders. This year I [...]

As an adept Francophile and amateur oenophile, I could give an entire lecture on the exceptional quality of French wine, the folk philosophy of terroir that has produced grape varietals and blends perfectly suited to the microclimate of each region or strict laws of the Appellation d’Origine Controlée (Name of Controlled Origin) that oversee the [...]

Birthdays, everyone has one. Some look forward to them, others try to avoid them at all cost. Me? I like to say that I am somewhere in the middle, but in reality I love a good party and while I truly love everyone giving me presents (What? At least I am honest about it!), the [...]

I know that some people can be intimidated by wine. There are so many choices, so many things to remember, and so many varietals to pick from that it can be hard to know where to start. I talked about common wine terms and my own personal wine journey. Now I’d like to dig a [...]

GiftTree has done it again!!  Since the 2011 epic rafting trip was such a wild success, GiftTree decided to treat us to another great summer event!  It shall henceforth be dubbed “The Epic Rafting Trip of 2012 (Where no one died, but a few made valiant attempts),” otherwise known as “TERTO2012WNODBAFMVA”  Just rolls off the [...]

I am embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been good about celebrating Grandparent’s Day in the past. I talk to my one surviving grandparent every week, but when it comes to actually acknowledging her on this holiday I always forget. But as time goes by and my Nana gets older, I realize even more how [...]

Every morning on my way to work I’m reminded, as the sun is taking longer and longer to rise, that summer is on the way out. For some this just means an end to water-sports, barbecues, and picnics. But for many, the end of summer ushers in the beginning of a new school year- complete [...]

I don’t know about you, but I do not feel quite awake in the mornings until my first cup of coffee. Growing up, I remember my Mom would always make coffee and once I became a teenager, she’d let me have a cup every now and then. Of course back then, in order for it [...]