Home Truths

This month we chat with Aaron Gusik and Marissa Moritz-Gusik who recently moved into their new home in the Foster-Powell neighborhood. Not long afterwards they were joined by their first daughter, Quince.

You have been in your home a year and a half already. What’s your favorite part of the house?

Probably the open concept of the kitchen, dining and family area. We were coming from a small 650 sqft bungalow so the extra usable space is amazing, especially when guests are over, as everyone seems to congregate in the kitchen. Now our kitchen spills into the whole living area.

 

You didn’t waste any time getting to work on the house. What has been the biggest improvement you’ve made?

We’d have to say the kitchen again. When we bought the house it had a closed off kitchen; very time appropriate for the Nixon-era ranch. Our first month in the house was a bit of a mess and we ordered a lot of take-out since we were re-doing the whole kitchen.

Growing a business while moving and starting a family must keep you quite busy. Tell us about the business side of things.

Starting a business is a full time job and wouldn’t normally go well with moving and doing home renovations except for the fact the hours can be put in when needed. It ended up being perfect, since I could shift my hours of slow time at the office into getting things done at the house. Skull and Bones Chiropractic is now in its third year and continuing to grow.

FoPO is one of the new hot areas in town. What are some of your spots in the hood?

Our staples are Tortalandia, Slingshot Lounge, Henry Higgins Bagels and of course Foster Burger. We are getting excited for the new Foster business corridor expansion and green way as well. This should bring an entire new set of places to try in the near future.

What are some of your favorite winter activities here in Portland?

Winters can be a tough three months of the year here in the great Pac NW. We find it is a good time to have potluck dinners with friends, drink local dark beers, get some turns in up on Mt Hood, watch the Winterhawks Ice Hockey team and plan the garden for spring. When that elusive sun peaks through, you will catch us stopping whatever we are doing to stare and smirk at it while we warm our faces. February is also when we trim back our roses – a tip we learned at the amazing international rose test garden!

2018 is all about…..

We just had our first child, Quince, back in August. We feel 2018 is about getting her ready for all of the amazing things this city has to offer….all while operating on little to no sleep.