Turns Out Portland Snow Storms Are Sometimes A Real Thing

Well, even though I've been going a bit stir crazy from being indoors too long and stuck at my apartment, it really has been pretty neat to experience a crazy snow storm in Portland.  When I moved here people were still talking about the Snowpocalypse of '08, and I'm sure they will be talking about Snowmageddon '14 for years to come too.

I ended up with about 6 inches in my front yard, and ventured out a couple of times to take a few photos.

So even though I'll be glad to see it go soon, it has been nice while it's here.

October 2013 In An Instagram

Wow, the end of another month and beginning of a new one already.  Is it just me, or do the months seem to go faster once fall hits?  I feel like September and October fly by each year!

What a beautiful October we had here in the Pac Northwest too!  Colors everywhere and so many days with sunshine and blue skies!  I have to say though, as much as I've loved it, I've missed the rain.  I'm looking forward to the rainy season starting soon and feeling like the holidays are really here.

October was full of great experiences and many smiley days!  Here's a visual of this past month from my iPhone...

Highlights:

• Ran the Portland Half Marathon
• My Mom visited
• I brought home a new kitty
• Crunchy, colorful leaves
• Time with new adorable Little E
• Time with friends and home improvement projects
• Fall treats

How was your October?  Any fun memories you want to make sure and remember?

Portland Half Marathon Recap

Well, I did it!  I crossed another item off my bucket list and completed a half marathon in my new hometown.  The 2013 Portland Half Marathon was a great experience made all the better by completing it as a member of Team and Training again!

My mom flew into Portland to spend the weekend with me and be out on the course cheering me on. We had a great time spending time together, just the two of us, at the coast the day before, and she got to join me at the inspiration dinner the night before the race to get a taste of just how awesome this group of people are.

I didn't smash any records on race day, but I proved to myself once more that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to, and felt good carrying all my reasons for running over the finish line with me.

I'm already planning to join the group again next year and tackle the San Franciscan hills once more at the Nike Women's Marathon.  I just love the positivity of this group!!

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?

Catching Up | End of August through Labor Day

Holy crap I'm behind on blogging!  Guess that's what happens when your life takes off on an insanely busy fall season.  Fall (September specifically) is my favorite time of year though, and I thought I definitely owed it to myself to post a little update on how it's been going so far!

First of all, my cousin Jared got married!  My family loves a good excuse to get together, drink, party, drink, catch up, drink, dance, and drink!  And what better excuse than a wedding?! (None I think.)

So we all got together at my aunt's house in Longview and enjoyed some time catching up (and drinking.)

After the wedding my mom's littlest sister, Saleen, and I drove back down the coast toward her casa in the Palm Springs area.  I posted this little update on the first half our trip - down the 101 and through the Redwoods toward Santa Rosa.  We continued on to SoCal after a few days rest in NorCal.  The weather was glorious, and the sunsets were amazing!  I got in a few runs and LOTS of swimming!

I got home on a Thursday, worked Friday, ran 8 miles Saturday morning, took pictures of this adorable family then heading east toward Baker City to meet up with my brother and cousin and their families for some Labor Day camping.  We had fun chatting, playing card games, and making s'mores with, as my niece calls them, 'smarshmellows.'  It was a great weekend filled with family, and I thoroughly enjoyed time with my niece and my cousin's baby, which I can never get enough of.

Since my return I've been working my rear off with lots of creative projects.

I'll be back soon to update more!  What have you been up to??

Wordless Wednesday | Zen Gardens

Watch Your Back Cancer!

I made a comment on my post the other day that I had signed up with Team in Training again - this time to complete the Portland half marathon in October.

If you're not sure exactly what Team in Training is, allow me to let you in on the best organization ever... TEAM is a nonprofit organization that coaches endurance athletes for an event (marathon, half marathon, century bike ride, triathlon, etc) in exchange for fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I ran my first full marathon with them in October 2010 (recap post here) and fell in love with the people and the mission.  I'm beyond excited to be a part of the TEAM again, and would love to have your support!

My goal is to raise $1250 for the LLS by my birthday (September 18th).  If you have $5, $25, or even $500 lying around just waiting to be put to good use, please consider putting it toward saving lives....

DONATE HERE

I'd like to share with you a story I posted about back in February 2011.  It's the story of my introduction to Bailey, the sweetest little 2 year old you've ever met, and just one of the many people I run in honor of...

I just had my head shots taken for Eagle Magazine (I'm a writer on their publications team) by a young man I had never met before.  While setting up for my session, I noticed his shoes.  They were the same shoes I wore to train for, and eventually complete, my marathon in October.  I pointed this out.  Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "Hey, I have those same shoes!"
Him: "Yeah?  Don't you love them?"
Me: "Yes!  I ran my first marathon in them in October.  So know that they will hold up for you."
Him: "Wait, are you the staffer that wrote the story about the man who runs to raise money for people with cancer?"
Me: "YES!  That's the group I trained and ran with!  We train for endurance events in exchange for raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Have you heard of them?"
Him: "No.  But my daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia in October."

SLAM

Me: "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that!  How old is your daughter?"
Him: "2."

DOUBLE SLAM

Stories like this are all too common.  It breaks my heart to hear that his daughter is living her life in a hospital, hooked to machines and receiving medication that causes so much good, but so much damage in her little body.  I hurt for his family, having to be strong, but having to deal with the unknown- what does this mean for her future, what does this mean for her family?  I can't help but focus on the fact that she is the same age as my niece.  Her father shared with me her blog that her mom is keeping as a journal.  I visited it after he left, and sat with tears at my desk.

She instantly reminded me of my niece.  How would I handle getting the news that my niece, this little bundle of love that I treasure so much, is sick?  I pray that I never have to know.  I pray that no other parent, aunt, grandparent, cousin, brother, sister, friend or otherwise will ever have to hear that someone they love is sick.  I'm tired of it.  I'm ready for the world to be rid of cancer.



This is why I train.  I feel like I have to do something... anything.  I feel like by raising this money, and staying focused on the task at hand, I can somehow make a small difference.  And with the thousands of people across the nation who are making this same small difference, it adds up to one BIG difference.   

Together we can help.  Together we can make a difference.  Together we can save lives.

Would you like to make a difference with me?  Please...

DONATE HERE

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?

Life as My Phone Sees It

Summer has officially started and life. is. busy!

Zoo trips, sleep overs, morning meditation, legos, Star Wars, pizza.... and lots and LOTS of coffee...

How's your summer so far?  Any fun plans coming up?