Playing a little catch up

I feel like like I say this with every post, but wow it's been a long time since I've updated!  I haven't been consistent with blogging - unless you consider not posting consistently to be consistent. Ha!

I've been striving for a bit more routine in my life lately, and blogging regularly falls into that intention. I intend to create space for personal reflection and introspection.  I've realized recently that a lot of change has happened around me which tends to effect where my attention is spent.  My attention being elsewhere causes me to eventually walk into a wall and only then (when smacked in the face with the awareness) do I realize a shift needs to be made.

So anyhow, that's all at the forefront of my awareness right now.

As for the recent past, here's what's been going on:

If we're friends in real life or on social media you probably heard that my brother was in a bad motocross accident last month.  His pain is lessening, his spirits are well and his relationship with God, family and friends is being forged stronger.  This is a long road for him though and while it's definitely effecting him, his wife and daughter most, seeing it effect them and my parents is really, really difficult for me.  I'm a 'fixer' by nature and knowing I can't fix it is hard.  We trust our God though, and while we're hopeful the wheelchair is only temporary, we know His plan is perfect and take solace in that.

In all things there is good, and there is joy in finding the silver lining.  For me that has definitely been the opportunity for more family time.  I love Portland, but moving here has taken time with my family from near-daily to once every few months at best.  In the past month I've had the opportunity to travel home twice, and am already planning to return in a few weeks.  Can't complain there!  I mean look at this munchkin, how could you not love time with her...

In other news a huge bucket list item has been crossed off recently...

I SAW AMOS LEE LIVE Y'ALL!

Yes, live.
In person.
In the flesh.
In all his sexiness.
I saw Amos Lee.

Oh what a glorious night it was.

The show was great!  So full of energy, and that voice.... oh that voice.
Simply perfection.

So there you have it.  Some ups, some downs, and lots of recognition of needs and intentions. 

How has life been for you lately?  

January 2014 in an Instagram

• Road trip home from Idaho
• Working out with friends
• Oregon Coast visits
• Rains returned
• Kitty cuddles
• Brunch Book Club
• Girls Night Out
• Family night
• Baby cuddles
• Nanny life
• Birthday celebrations
• Magazine launch
• Visits home

What were the highs of your January?

Closing Out The Year | December in an Instagram

December was a great month!  Lots of times with friends and family and traveling to Idaho and back.  December was also a time of reflection mixed with looking forward as I closed out 2013 and started planning 2014.  It was a month of ups and downs emotionally, but luckily it always ended on the upswing as I looked to each situation as a moment for growth.  

I spent a bit of time decorating my apartment and being intentional with some furniture additions.  It was entirely new for me since I've lived the past 10 years as minimalistic as possible.  I like being minimalist, and still strive to live simply and at my means, but I'm enjoying nesting in my home.  Previous to this apartment the longest I lived in one place was 9 months.  I've been in my current home for 18 months with no plans to move.  It's a lovely feeling to be happy with my home.

As I move into 2014, I'm excited to continue being intentional with my relationships, health, and finances.  There's some huge additions to my professional life that I'm really looking forward to developing, and enjoying the growing pains that I've experienced.

Cheers to a wonderful December and moving forward!

Thanksgiving 2013 Recap

This year's Thanksgiving was a special one.  From the time I was 12 and my immediate family moved to Idaho we've been getting together with my Dad's siblings and their families for the holidays.  The idea was to have a different sibling host each year, that way everyone takes turns traveling/hosting each year.  One sister lives in Seattle, another is SW Washington, and my Dad, of course, lives in Idaho.  For the first few years the kids were all young enough that the families all worked hard to get together, despite costs, weather and life interruptions, but as we all got older it became increasingly difficult to get everyone together.  While the tradition still carried, someone - a brother, sister, child, etc - was missing from the pack.

So it was very exciting to hear that everyone could make it this year!  No one had 'other side of the family' obligations or work getting in the way.  The weather looked like it was going to hold out, and my cousin who lives in the Tri Cities (therefore equal distance from everyone) offered to host, so there were no "we have to travel too far" excuses!  Everyone (that's 16 adults, 1 five year old and 1 five month old) made it!  We all stayed at my cousin's house for 4 days, and loved every minute of it.

I really am blessed to be a part of a family that can get along and enjoy each other for that many days.

My Aunt Sandy enjoying time with her Grand-niece Emerson

Uncle Rodney getting his baby time in

Joie made turkey centerpieces for all the tables

Joie "helping" Aunt Janet make pies

Lots of smiles and wine

My little brother Kalen got in some baby time too - good practice for the near future ;)

I love my niece to pieces

Joie and her Papa (my dad)

Aunt Janet, Emerson,  my cousin Jill and Aunt Sandy

Everyone together!

November 2013 in an Instagram

How is it December already?!

I mean seriously.

November was an event filled month!  It started off with my first ever art show (a month-long gallery even!) and ended surrounded by family for the Thanksgiving holiday!

Here's some of the highlights:

• My art show in Newberg
• Girls Road Trip to surprise my family over my niece's bday weekend
• Danielle and Joie visiting Portland 
• New glasses
• Spending 4 days with my whole family over Thanksgiving
• Finding out the family is growing!

Did you see family over the holiday? How was your November?

Here's to a great December!

Catching Up

Oh my goodness life has been good lately!  I've been so busy enjoying it that I didn't even realize I haven't been on here in a few weeks!  So it's definitely time I add some pictures of the past few weeks' adventures.

I found out I was going to have Veteran's Day off from work making it a 3 day weekend and I decided that it would be a good time to drive to Idaho and surprise my family.  My niece's bday was on the 8th, and my family would be having a get-together on Saturday the 9th for her.  I could easily make it that evening and have all day Sunday with them before heading back Monday morning.  My aunt who lives in Longview was free for the weekend to join me, and we discovered that my cousin and her baby girl who live in the Tri Cities was free too.

Girls Road Trip!

My Aunt Janet, Cousin Jill and her baby Emerson and Me all ready to roll!

Pit stop for a diaper change, refuel and baby cheek snuggle!

Once in Idaho I was completely unlike myself and only took pictures at two moments.  Early Sunday morning I captured these treasures with my niece (who's FIVE now! OMG)

and on the trip home snagged a pic of the state capitol building.  

Is it weird that I miss this building?

After returning to Portland I lost myself in the work week, looking forward to my sister in law and niece visiting me the following weekend! That's right, just 4 days and I'd be seeing that little munchkin again!

They made it to town just as I was finishing up work, and we enjoyed dinner and drinks downtown.  Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the coast.  Joie wasn't very excited about it at first, she insisted that going to the beach meant an encounter with sharks, but after a little time on the sand she warmed up (literally - because it was freezing at first) to it.

All three of us, happy as clams.

My sister in law pulled off the best photobomb ever ;)

We thoroughly enjoyed all the coast had to offer.  The next day we got up, enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate and hiked Multnomah Falls.

The past few weeks have been full of family and FUN!  This next week is Thanksgiving and I'll be traveling to the Tri Cities along with the rest of my family for a few days of more family fun.  It's guaranteed to be a great time, and I'm so looking forward to it!

Has anything great happened for you the past couple of weeks?

Will you be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday?

Turning 31

My 31st birthday was this past Wednesday, and boy was it a great one!  I'm that person who LOVES their birthday.  I love getting to feel special, just for one day.  I spent the day getting love from friends and family over Facebook, phone calls, Instagram, tweets and texts.  It was wonderful!

The day started off with 2 hours of pampering - a one hour massage followed by a one hour facial.

It.
Was.
GLORIOUS.

If you've never had a facial, you should do it.
Now.
Don't hesitate, just call and book.

Seriously.


Here's me all glowy and relaxed and sad to be leaving heaven...

After my relaxing spa morning I headed up the road to my favorite coffeeshop, JoLa in Johns Landing, for some lunch and coffee while I worked on some Motormouth Studios stuff.  I instagrammed a photo of my location, and next thing I knew this delicious and sweet treat was brought to me.  The owner, Brad, had seen my photo, called the shop and had his barista bring it to me.  Is that not the sweetest ever?! (oh, and it was delicious too!)

After some time at JoLa, I headed to get The Kid from school.  He sweet talked me into going to Starbucks to get his homework done - it was a fabulous idea, and one I think we'll be repeating fairly often.

When I got home these beautiful flowers were waiting on my doorstep.  Every year since I started kindergarten my dad has sent me a bouquet of flowers on my birthday.  It's hands down the thing I look forward to the most each year.  He followed it up with a text that read "you'll always be my baby girl."  Aren't dads the best?!

About a month ago I saw a groupon for a painting class in Sellwood and gave a shout out to some of my gals on Facebook to check it out.  6 of us ended up purchasing, and the only night we all had free to go happened to be my birthday!  It seems to never work out that we're all free the same time, and it was extra special that I could use it as a way of celebrating with my friends!

Sadly Kayla got caught up at the last minute and couldn't make it.  She was missed, but the rest of us had a great time!

Don't you just love our sexy smocks? ;)

Here's my painting!  I love it!

Do you love your birthday as much as I do?  How do you usually celebrate?

Thanks, Golf and A Glowing Bra

First of all, I must say a big, huge, gigantic THANK YOU to everyone who commented on yesterday's post.  My day was peppered with your kind and support-filled comments and each one made my day.

I've discovered that this healing process is not linear.  Some days are good, some are more difficult. Sometimes, there's an hour or two where I feel normal again, and then BAM something or someone reminds me of him, and I'm back to sad, or forcing myself to concentrate on simple breathing.  (I've never had anxiety attacks previous to this experience, and for anyone who deals with them regularly I am truly sorry.  They suck!)

So thank you, kind readers, for your support.  Whether we've met in "real life" or not, I consider you my friend, and I'm blessed with the best ones!

Alright, so let's talk about how the rest of yesterday went... it was awesome!  I picked up The Kid (the boy I nanny for all my new readers) from his dad's at noon and as soon as he got in the car he suggested we go play some mini golf.  Not one to turn down a grand idea like that, I quickly got on my handy-dandy yelp app and found Glowing Greens was just a few blocks from us.

Glowing Greens is an indoor mini golf course that glows beneath the black lights.  It's pirate themed, and pretty darn cool! The only downside was that I had chosen to wear a white bra underneath a sheer t-shirt.  Luckily I had a sweatshirt in my car and could cover up, because, HELLO embarrassing!

The course itself is really awesome!  It's not a difficult course with many obstacles, so little ones could have fun trying too, but they offer an extra challenge for each hole for those who are willing to take it, which, of course, we did.  On the back of your score card they've listed your challenge, which range from standing on leg for an entire hole to using anything other than your hands, feet or club.  On one hole you have to do an interpretive dance before each stroke, and I was dying over The Kid's rendition of "sizzling like bacon!"

I kicked The Kid's butt on the front 9, but he came back to win the full course by 1... ONE measly point.  And let me tell you, he's not letting me forget it.  Although, I'm pretty darn competitive myself, so if the numbers were flipped, I wouldn't let him live it down either.

The Kid with Skeleton Pete out front.

The rest of the day was spent climbing trees, watching funny videos on YouTube and playing basketball.  All-in-all a good day.

Perseverance | The Long and Short of It

If you're my friend on social media (or in real life!) you've probably gathered that The Guy and I are no longer together.  I'm not going to focus this post on our breaking up, but I feel I owe it to myself to write down a few of the things I'm feeling.  This has spurred a large growth opportunity for me, and I want to remember why.

So in bulleted form, here's where my mind and heart have been focused the past few weeks:

• I truly believed that he and I were together for the long haul.  And even more naively I believed that he felt the same.
• I focus on the "frills," "fluff," and "good" in life.  Reality hits me hard.
• There's something in me that doesn't believe I deserve a loving and fulfilled relationship.  I can finally admit to myself that I seek out partnerships that are unbalanced and unhealthy, and I'm sick of it.  I've started counseling to work through this.
• My pattern is to focus outward and take care of others, especially when something goes "wrong." In the past I would change jobs, move, or seek a rebound relationship to focus on.  This time I am forcing myself to sit in it.  Learn from it.  And forgive myself.
• I've decided the healthiest thing I can do in all of this is focus on me, and what I need.  I joined Team in Training and began training for the Portland Half Marathon.  I'm walking and running more, starting to work with a nutrition counselor, and strength training at least twice a week.  I'm already down 8lbs.  This is going to be good.
• I've also realized that I have the best girl friends a person could hope for.  Each and every one has been there for me and their individual strengths and love for me have shone through.  I am eternally grateful for them all, and so very blessed.

So there you have it.  

The past few weeks have housed the most difficult, emotional and painful days I have experienced, ever.  At the beginning I couldn't imagine my life without communication with my best friend and his two amazing children, but over time I've realized that I'm stronger than that.  I am a whole and complete person, and I will persevere through the shit.

___________________________________________________________________________

Now on to the positive stuff!  I had an amazing weekend!

Friday I met up with the lovely Miss Heather at Le Happy.  Le Happy is a cute little hole in the wall creperie that quickly became our favorite when I moved here a year ago.  Whenever we need to girl talk, celebrate, or console, Le Happy is our place.  We had lovely discussions, and while sitting outside with the perfect breeze blowing, a glass of wine in my hand and smile on my face... I remembered just how blessed I am.

Saturday was wonderful as well!  It began with meeting my new TEAM and getting 4 miles in on the training log.  My new coach, Sue, has the most contagious energy and it was wonderful to chat with her and get to know her passion for the mission!  She insisted on taking pictures of me with my new TEAMmates along the course, so the following images are courtesy of her:

*As a side note, it's not often that I have photos of myself since I'm usually the one behind the camera, but I noticed a difference in my body and face in all of these.  I still have a ways to go, but I'm genuinely happy with my progress!

The rest of Saturday was filled with chats with my friends Bee (The Spicy Bee) and Kayla (Fit Life Forward).  We started out at Grand Central Bakery in Multnomah Village and chatted over coffee and yummies, after a few hours we moved on to Ikea and got lost in inspiration and the excitement of new home decor.  During this healing process I've decided to make over my apartment.  I met The Guy the day I received my keys, and he's been the only one who's spent any real time here, so everything in it holds a memory of him.  Going to Ikea was the perfect motivation for fresh memories and decor.  I've started with new bedding, a few picture frames, and a Dragon Tree named Drake.

The red and white striped is something I wouldn't normally choose, and therefore it's perfect!  I have big plans for the front room too, so stay tuned on those changes!

Sunday was spent with all my blogging friends at the Portland Blogger Family Picnic.  It was a great turnout with sunshine, blue skies, and lots of yummy picnic foods.  I always love when we all get together, especially when families (aka adorable babies) are included.  I was the event photographer, so be on the lookout for lots of fun photos on my studio blog soon!

How was your weekend?  Any exciting news to share?

May in an Instagram

May was a glorious and beautiful month!  It was jam-packed full of exciting times and endeavors, such as:

• My Portland-aversary!
• Bike rides, bottom-less mimosas and soccer games!
• A new logo!
• Playing in the park in the sudo-summer evenings!
• Sunday Parkways!
• Road trip to Idaho!
• I bought a NEW CAR!
• Date nights!
• Camping at the Beach!
• And lots and lots of coffee!

Here's to an incredible June!

Memorable Memorial Weekend | Weekend in Review

This past weekend was Memorial Weekend which meant 3 days off to play!!

The Guy and I planned to get out and explore a bit starting with the Oregon Coast.  We headed south first, driving the scenic 101 as much as possible. Along the way there were a few beautiful viewpoints where we stopped to breath in the salt air and take in the sights.

The Oregon Coast is by and large my favorite place to enjoy the ocean.  The greenery, overcast skies and consistent lapping of waves is my heaven on earth.

We drove as far south as Newport before deciding to get out and run around the beach a bit.  The tide was out so we explored a few tide pools and drew in the sand.  The Guy even drew my logo... camera and all!  I felt obliged to take a photo with it, and apparently the pose to do when someone draws your logo is a side plank??  Random, but oh well!

We headed back north after a bit, exploring Pacific City and camped out there for the night.  We found a pretty amazing spot on the beach and were tempted to pitch the tent, but were concerned that high tide might reach it, so we car camped instead.  It was SO FUN!!  We parked just off the road and could hear the waves all night.  A panoramic view of the ocean is not a bad sight to wake up to, believe me.

Also,  I don't know how this guy puts up with me.  I mean, what is that face?!

On Sunday we explored a bit more of the coast, driving the scenic route and pulling over to take in the view often.  We stopped off at the Tillamook Cheese Factory to get some cheesy treats and then drove up to Cannon Beach.  Cannon Beach was PACKED with people!!!  We decided to not stop and headed back to Portland instead.  Sometimes I forget how crazy that place can be on a holiday weekend!  I think we were pretty blessed with the light crowds on the rest of our trip!

Monday was spent decompressing a bit, followed by a trip to REI to find me a hiking backpack!!!  I've been wanting one for some time now, and with my member's dividend, plus a 20% coupon on top of the already great sale they were having, I got a pretty great deal on a beauty!

 

I ended up getting the pack, a first aid kit, a new pocket knife and some moleskin all for less than the original price of the pack!  I'm pretty stoked about my new pack and can't wait to hit the trails soon!

As if all that excitement wasn't enough, The Guy and I had one more plan to round out the BEST WEEKEND EVER.  We hopped on the Max to the Rose Garden and enjoyed an AMAZING concert with Mumford & Sons!!!  I had purchased the tickets months ago, and couldn't remember where were sitting exactly, so it was pretty cool to find out that I was basically the best girlfriend ever because I happened to score us front row seats!!  We were to the immediate right of the stage, and had a great view of the show! 

Rocking out with Mumford & Sons was a great way to cap off this amazing weekend!  I'm so looking forward to the next show we have planned to see.  This summer is going to be filled with lots of adventures and live music!

Do you like live music?

How did you celebrate your 3 day weekend?

New Cars, Roadtrips and Laughter.... OH MY!

So something pretty major happened around here last week.... I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!

Everybody,  I'd like to formally introduce you to Toby...

My old car, a beautiful 2003 Ford Taurus (lovingly named Derrik by a toddler I used to babysit) has been going downhill the past year.  He hit 140 thousand miles when I moved to Portland and was close to 150 thousand when he just stopped.  He lived a good long life, and I would love to have given him a new engine and a little extra loving, but I just couldn't justify putting more money into him that he was worth. 

So Ryan and I (he loves me enough to spend a day with me freaking out over finances and new shiny objects - lots of highs and lows in a short span of time) spent a day talking with our friend Austin who works for the Enterprise lot in Portland. 
* side note - Austin is the husband of the awesome Kayla over at Fit Life Forward!  I wasn't necessarily planning on buying anything that day, but once I drove this 2012 Nissan Versa, it was over.

I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

Toby and I went on our first road trip together this past weekend.  I packed him up and we drove to Idaho Friday to visit friends and family.

It was a pretty great weekend with my favorite munchkin (my niece Joie).  Much laughter and good times were shared.  I'll be blogging more about my photoshoots and adventures later this week!

Any major and/or exciting news happening in your world this week?  

I'd love to hear about it!  Share in the excitement in the comments below!