More things I love about Portland:

- The Portland temple. The temple is seriously so spectacular. I love it. I've been able to go pretty much every week and that's been wonderful. And, on top of that, there's a really great (and flat!) bike path/running path that is around there, so I've started and ended some runs with this awesome view:

Yep, this was taken from my phone before I started my bike ride.

- Courteous drivers (and courteous people in general). Because of Southern Hospitality (which is a real thing!), I've always known that there are plenty of nice people that live outside of Utah. Portland/the Northwest is no exception to that rule - people are extremely nice and friendly. Even the homeless people will say things like "have a great day!" - Dallin and I had a homeless person tell us that we looked really good together. Drivers are defensive and will almost always let you cut in when you don't realize that you're already at the turning lane and you need to get in (not that that's happened or anything).

- Gas. It's a law in Oregon that you can't fill up your own gas - someone else needs to do it for you. They'll even offer to wash your windows (and you can't tip them)!

- Blackberries. Blackberry plants are an invasive species in the Northwest. Apparently they are almost impossible to kill, so everyone just deals with them and everyone is welcome to pick blackberries anywhere (and trust me, they grow pretty much anywhere). My favorite place to pick them is by our stake center - I saw the long line of blackberry bushes right next to the sidewalk when I was running my "temple route." So instead of buying blackberries for $5 at a grocery store or a farmers market, I can just pick them on my own in about 10 minutes. Sometimes they're a little sour but it's totally worth it because of the money that I know I'm saving. :) And sometimes they really are delicious - especially in smoothies, salads, and cobblers. Or on cereal or oatmeal. 

Sorry, farmers market - I think I'll just pick them myself.

- The food in general. Portland is definitely a "foodie" city - a foodie, by the way, is "a person with a particular interest in food; a gourmet." There are a lot of foodies in Portland (including Dallin and Rebecca Quinn) as well as a lot of people who are willing to cater to the foodies (thankfully). Dallin and I have been trying a new restaurant every Wednesday. It is so fun because we can choose food from what seems like any country... and it's always good because there are so many options to choose from! We also love that there are tons of options for different food preferences - for example, Dallin and I have been trying to eat less meat lately, and guess what? We haven't been to a restaurant without a vegetarian option yet - and trust me, we've been to more than a few restaurants! This is one aspect of Portland that we will definitely miss when we go back to Utah next month.