Peace and Happiness

I am sitting in a coffee shop in Portland, OR.  There is a beautiful symphony of voices rising and falling around me - chatting friends, frenzied businessmen, a child laughing, child crying and the charming barista chatting with customers in line - and I am happy.
I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
There is not a breathe of doubt in me about that.

Each day brings new emotions, sometimes with notice, but mostly without, and at times I am sad.  This is normal.  I am female after all.  However, in my core, I am happy.  And I am at peace.  There is no longer the "unrest" that I've felt the past few years, feeling that I'm just going through the motions of day-to-day and escaping some reality that has been laid out for me.  Only recently have I been able to acknowledge that even then I was exactly where I supposed to be.  I was learning what it felt like to be unsettled, to question everything and not trust my instinct.  It's only because of that time of learning that I can know the peace that I'm experiencing now.

Here's a few pictures from this past week.  All things that add to my peace and happiness.

Summer Evenings As Seen By My iPhone

“Summer evening—summer evening; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” - Henry James

My Weekend in iPhonography | The Beach and Bouldering

A Small Update, Pictures and All

I visited Boise last week, and had the best vacation I've ever had.  I spent time with family and friends, experienced Boise as a tourist (as opposed to the resident I was for 7 years) and while I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it was perfectly clear that I had made the right decision by moving.  I missed the people, but not the city itself, and while it was nice to visit, it was lovely to leave and head home as well.
I returned to my apartment (that I love) in the city (that I love) and the cooler temps (that I adore).  I had planned an outing with a charming man who I've enjoyed getting to know as a good friend over the past month and we had a wonderful time.

Now I find myself in a vortex of "what next."  I've always had something to work toward, to look forward to.  A marathon, a big hike, moving to a new city, etc.  I think it's time to pick out another goal and work toward it.  Graduate school?  Dream job?  Travel?  I don't know, but it's time to figure it out and work toward it.

And because posts are boring without pictures, here's some iPhonography from my time in Boise...

And when I got back in town, someone took me to Ben & Jerry's for the first time :)

On The Road...

I packed up my car and took off...

I saw a lot of this...

And a lot of this...

Then finally (after 8.5 hours) saw this!

And today I'm spending time with these peeps...

Gotta love family time!

Nostalgia Overload | Trip Down Memory Lane

I always thought I was a kid of the 80's, and technically I am.  I was born in '82, so my first 8 years were spent in neon, acid wash and technicolor.  But recently, on a quest of nostalgia overload, I began researching movies that shaped my childhood and was shocked that an overwhelming number of them actually come from the 1990's!

Here's a list of the greatest movies I remember from childhood:

1982 - E.T.  <-- I wanted my own alien best friend after seeing this.
1984 - The Karate Kid <-- Wax on, wax off
1984 - The Neverending Story
1984 - Ghostbusters  <-- Who you gonna call?
1985 - The Goonies <-- HELLO, best movie EVER!!!
1985 - Back to the Future
1986 - An American Tale
1986 - Flight of the Navigator
1986 - Short Circuit
1987 - The Brave Little Toaster

1991 - Sarah, Plain and Tall
1991 - TMNT <-- I admit it.  I was in love with Donatello
1991 - Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
1992 - 3 Ninjas <-- My brothers and were the 3 ninjas, all summer long.
1992 - Beethoven
1992 - Home Alone
1992 - The Mighty Ducks <--Umm hello, Emilio Estevez and Joshua Jackson? YES.
1992 - Muppet Christmas Carol <-- Still must watch this every Christmas
1992 - Newsies <-- When I first fell in love with Christian Bale.  So cute!
1993 - Dennis the Menace
1993 - Free Willy
1993 - Rookie of the Year <--Baseball
1993 - The Sandlot <-- You're killing me smalls!
1993 - The Three Musketeers
1994 - Angels in the Outfield <-- It could happen
1994 - Andre
1994 - Camp Nowhere <--My friend Jonathan Jackson's first movie.  I was SO excited to see this!
1994 - Little Big League
1994 - The Pagemaster
1994 - Richie Rich
1994 - The Santa Clause
1995 - The Big Green
1995 - Casper
1995 - Heavyweights <--In my opinion, one of Ben Stiller's greatest roles.
1995 - Jumanji


What are some movies that are iconic from your childhood?  This was a fun trip down memory lane.  I may have to make a trip to the library and get some of these to watch with The Kid.