Details, details.

We are so excited to see everyone this weekend!

Below you’ll find tons of information about the day–I sent this to everyone I had email addresses for as well. If you have questions feel free to leave a comment or contact us directly.

What to bring:

• Water bottles–it’s dry here! We’ll have bottled water available, but we’d really like to encourage everyone to bring a refillable water bottle if possible. There will be plenty of Bend’s tasty tap water (lava-filtered!) and ice. There will also be plenty of other beverages, but it’s very easy to get dehydrated.
• Sunscreen–there are plenty of places to get out of the sun, but we’d hate to send you home with a souvenir farmer-tan.
• Your kids–I think everyone already knows this, but kids are very welcome at this affair. I’d hate to have to take care of the pinata myself. There is a kids’ fishing pond right next to the hall, so you might want to consider a pfd–aka life jacket–if you’re at all concerned that your kids might overestimate their swimming abilities. We’ve got the fishing poles ready. We’ll also have a peanut butter sandwich bar in case the grown-up food doesn’t fly.
• Your dog(s)–as long as your canine companions are good with both people (including the aforementioned kids) and fellow dogs they’re welcome to come along. Park rules say they need to be on-leash. I probably don’t need to tell you this, but a water bowl is probably a good idea too.
• Your camera–we’ll have a place for everyone to upload photos, and we’d love to see all your candid shots

What to wear:
Whatever you like, but think picnic rather than wedding. This is a casual affair. We’ll probably be wearing the fancy outfits you see on our postcard-vitation (yes, those are Chaco sandals.) Keep in mind it will be fairly warm during the day, then cool off quickly in the evening so you might want something long-sleeved to put on at some point. We’re all about layers! I’d also recommend sunglasses (though I inevitably forget mine) and a sun hat if you’re the sun hat sort.

If your kids are the type to head straight for the pond, you might want to have some back-up clothing handy because there will be plenty of opportunity to get filthy dirty. Not that I’m traumatized from years of riding home from the beach in my underwear or anything.

How to get to Aspen Hall:
Why, practice, practice, practice, of course!

No, really, Aspen Hall is in Shevlin Park, about 3 miles west of downtown. Directions from the Parks and Rec website:

Aspen Hall is approximately 3 miles west of town, located in the north end of Shevlin Park.  Travel west on Newport past College Way where Newport becomes Shevlin Park Road…continue west until you will come to sweeping downhill left and right curves; you will be approaching Tumalo Creek. When you get to the bottom of that hill and cross the creek, turn right into Shevlin Park.  Aspen Hall is located just north of the parking lot.

Google maps version that also includes our recommendations for staying, eating, drinking, and sightseeing:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100294359342193931379.000455289e03eb0c5d19c&ll=44.159549,-121.324081&spn=0.216251,0.4422&t=h&z=11

Carpooling is recommended if possible–parking is somewhat limited.
Designated drivers are highly recommended, and we’ll call cabs if we need to. We want everyone to have fun, and we don’t want *anyone* to get hurt. Really, I know we’re all responsible adults, but it would ruin the day forever if something awful happened so please err on the side of caution.

If you’re staying the night:
Let us know if we can help with any details–Bend is so tourism-focused there are places to stay for every budget and taste. Since there’s nothing to rehearse, there’s no rehearsal dinner the night before–we’ll try to drop in to any social gatherings we know about, and if you need dinner recommendations I’m happy to go on and on about Bend’s dining options (and on, and on….)

Please do let us know where you’re staying if you get a chance–then we can give you turn-by-turn directions to Aspen Hall.

Ok, did I forget anything? If you said you were joining us for a hike I’ll be sending out an email with more details soon. If there’s anything else we can help with, definitely let us know.

Can’t wait to see you all!