Going to the Chapel...

Well if you haven't heard the news, it's official, We're engaged!!!!
Realistically I doubt my wedding will actually be in a chapel or church, but I haven't been able to get that catchy old tune out of my head since my fiance first popped the question. Right now even saying the word fiance sounds kind of funny, especially after being with "my boyfriend" for five years, but over time I think I will be able to get used to it. This is such an exciting time and I have so many thoughts and ideas constantly streaming through my mind at a very fast pace, that it's hard to wrap my head around an actual wedding. The best thing about it is, I don't have to yet. I think the first step will be to set a date, which we will probably do in the next week or so. From there, I am just going to try to keep it calm and simple, and enjoy every step of the process of planning the happiest day of my life. I'm marrying my best friend!
So be prepared Pdxers, over the next year you are going to be hearing a lot about weddings and the planning process. For those of you who live in Portland, I would appreciate and welcome any and all suggestions or helpful hints you can offer. In exchange, I promise to do my absolute best not to become a Bridezilla...let the games begin!

Blondie and Cigarettes

About ten years ago my best friend and I went through a phase. It sounds kind of funny to start a post like that because after being friends for fifteen some odd years we have been through many (many) phases together, but this particular phase always seems to stand out in my mind. I don’t know who got their hands on the song first, but it all started when we just couldn’t stop busting out to Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”. We listened to it everywhere we went; her red Camry, my red Camry, dorm rooms, house parties…it was like nothing we had ever heard. Suddenly we both became very retro, in that sort of innocent way that only 19 year olds can pull off.

I ‘m reminiscing about this particular moment in time because in just about a week and half I will be reuniting with my very dear best friend back East where we are both from. In fact, my bestie now lives in the very town where part of our 60’s/70’s glam transformation took place. I honestly don’t know a lot about the town of Northampton. My brother lived there for quite a few years after he finished high school and my best friend has now lived there for a few years as well. When I was still living in Massachusetts, Northampton was always the place I escaped to when I was feeling “funky”. It was always kind of stifling living in our quiet little farm town on the Connecticut River. In NoHo, there were bookstores, record shops, coffee shops and most importantly vintage boutiques. It was heaven for a small –town girl with stars in her eyes and dreams of the big city.

But let’s get back to the matter at hand, the phase. Looking back, I think the phase was actually about being different than everyone else, which both of us had always been really good at. After about the 85th-hundred time of hearing “Heart of Glass”, the two of us decided we needed a new look to go along with our newfound retro music. Enter Roz’s Place, the most amazing vintage store my teenage eyes had ever laid eyes on (and the inspiration for our obsession with vintage that still exists today). It’s been such a long time since I have set foot in the place, but I can still see it like it was yesterday; tall mannequins dressed from head to toe in vintage fashions, racks and racks of dresses and bell-bottoms, hair-dyes in every color of the rainbow, funky jewelry, sunglasses galore, tons and tons of printed silky scarves, and fancy old-school silver cigarette holders. It’s the scarves and cigarette holders that somehow commanded our attention, and for us seemed to go perfectly with our musical obsession. We left the store with one of each a piece, and in fact I still have the very scarf and now semi-rusty cigarette holder that I bought that day…

Were we really retro? Probably not. Did we look somewhat ridiculous as we jumped back into one of our Camrys, tied our scarves around our heads and smoked out of our cigarette holders for the first time (while listening to Heart of Glass)? Probably. But honestly, that didn’t matter to either one of us at all. We were being different, we were having a blast and most importantly, we were together. This is what I think about as my vacation back East quickly approaches. I’m so excited to visit Northampton, see my friend, and be crazy in a way that only we can pull off. Who knows, maybe this visit will be the beginning of another phase that we will go through together. And you better believe I’m going to be checking out Roz’s Place…so don’t be surprised if I come home with hot pink hair.

I Left My Heart in New Mexico

With so much time on my hands lately, I have been doing a lot of reminiscing about past seasons, and especially last year at this time. Around this time last year, I was hopped up on painkillers, strapped in a wheelchair, being pushed through the Albuquerque Airport by a crazy dude who barely spoke English and didn’t give a crap if my broken ankle slammed into everything in our path along the way. I can still see the image of Shawn running behind us, dragging our suitcases and trying to catch up, worrying that this guy was seriously going to hurt me. When we finally got to security, I had to go through a special line where they inspected me thoroughly with a huge beeping wand to make sure I had nothing illegal hidden in my cast. It was all pretty mortifying, as was the plane ride home, where I sat uncomfortably wedged against the window of the plane, banging my numb purple foot into the seat in front of me, over and over and over.

So it might not really sound like I have much to miss about New Mexico or last fall in general. Believe me, when we returned home it got much worse, as I realized I would need surgery and I was going to be out of work for much longer than I thought. In essence, it almost would have been nice to be trapped in that bubble of time that was our trip to New Mexico last September; reality barely setting in, the haze of Vicodin to ease all sorts of pain, and a doting Mother-in-Law to make me tea and play cards with me. She even gave me the quintessential bell to ring if I needed anything. However, what I really miss about New Mexico are the sights, sounds, tastes and smells that make it so utterly southwest. If you’ve never been to the Land of Enchantment it’s impossible to know what I’m talking about. Even if you have been to Albuquerque, Las Cruces or even Las Vegas, New Mexico, you still might not be able to fully grasp the beauty that is Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico in general.

Just sitting here now, I can almost smell the smoky scent of green chile roasting in the outdoor markets. The smell is so distinct it makes your mouth water. I can see vibrant red ristras hanging from adobe buildings and taste the flaky buttery deliciousness of fresh sopapillas melting in my mouth. The tastes and smells are so unique; when I was there it honestly felt like I had traveled to another country. These are the images of New Mexico that I keep in my memory and close to my heart. It truly is a magical, exotic and enchanted place that I wish I had much more time to explore. There is a certain beauty to the landscape, the artwork, and the people that Santa Fe encompasses that can instantly make you feel at peace. The majestic mesas, earthy red rocks, bubbling hot springs and mystical forgotten pueblo towns truly took me back to another place in time. The rich scenery and deep history of New Mexico reminded me that this is one of the places where our country got its start. It’s all kind of breathtaking and extremely humbling to be smack dab in the middle of all that culture. That’s the New Mexico I miss, and the one that’s still tugging on the strings of my heart.

Goodbye Summer?

Well if you live in Portland the question mark needs no explanation here. "What Summer?!?" is the question we have been asking ourselves since June, and sadly, this year,the season never really materialized. Now the rain is back and I'm not ready for it, but it's Portland and I guess we really don't have a choice. So break out your hoodies, Portlanders,(no umbrellas for us locals),Autumn is here...whether we like it or not.

Okay, so I know it's been a while, quite a while, but I am finally back and ready to tackle Pdxpectations head on. I don't know what it is about Fall, and in general the changing of the seasons, that always fills me with the need to create, embrace change and embark on something new, but I do know that it happens every year, and that it's a good feeling. Along those same lines, I recently realized that I completely abandoned my blog last year after I broke my ankle. Back then, it was hard to find the motivation to do anything,let alone write. I mean seriously, I couldn't even make it from the couch to the computer. A lot has changed in the past year, and the experience of "being broken" has been quite an eye-opener. I have also realized that last year at this time I was so preoccupied with being hurt, that I payed no attention to how slow and depressing work can become during these weird off months between the start of school and the holidays. For those of us in the hospitality industry this is most definitely the roughest time of the year to get through. As most of the population is buckling down and trying to establish their "winter routine", we are all scrambling for money and asking ourselves how Summer can really be over already. (What Summer?!?)

Goodwill runs, solo sushi dates, and pouring over the Willamette Week have been the activities that have been rounding out my days as of late. It's all about finding inexpensive but fulfilling ways to entertain myself while I adjust to suddenly only having a twenty hour work week. Believe me, it's really not as fun as it sounds. Just a few days ago, I stumbled upon a new thrift shop here in Portland, and I instantly fell in love. Bearly Worn Resale is located on the corner of 50th and Division, and the place is totally awesome. There is no official website, but the link under "My Favorite Portland Places" will take you to it's page on Yelp for address information and reviews. There are two separate stores in the same building, and I recommend checking out the boutique for really great deals on brand name jackets, boots, purses and more. Seriously Ladies, if you want a cheap way to spend a few hours on a rainy Portland afternoon you have to check this place out! The super-cute cropped leather jacket I scored for $7.50 is proof enough. Bearly Worn definitely gives other Portland thrift stores a run for their money.

Visiting thrift stores is just one of the many ways I plan on making it through the rainy season. Stayed tuned for more of my thoughts and ideas,as well as a facelift to this site coming soon. It feels great to be writing again, and I hope you all will continue to follow me on my travels and adventures in PDX.

Writer's Block in Downtown Pdx

So, writer's block is not a fun thing, especially when you started off writing your blog when you were full of steam and lots of new ideas. As I start writing this particular blog, I'm still not quite sure what it will be about, but I wanted to get a little something up for my loyal followers who have been very diligent about wondering when they would see my next post.
They say that Portland is such a great city because there's so much to do here, and so much accessibility to lots of different places. True, you can get to the coast or the desert or the mountain in a little under two hours, but it's hard to do these things every weekend, especially when you work as much as I do. So although there is much to do and see here, I haven't been doing it lately and have found myself running out of things to write about. Hence this hastily posted blog basically about nothing.
A friend of mine suggested I write a story about the Veritable Quandary, a quaint and comfy bar where my co-workers and I spend a good amount of our time, but I can't quite wrap my head around what to say. It seems that only those that are present at the VQ on a given night can truly understand the hilarity of the things that go on there. Though I surely give a shout out to my favorite bartender and ex-landlord, Kyle, for always putting up with our crazy antics and sheepish approach when we show up the next night asking, "Are you sure I closed out with you last night?". Yes, the VQ is a home away from home for all of us Harborsiders, who once decided we should be allowed to have a group room at the Marriott across the street in order to avoid driving home, or just so we could have a place to nap in between our doubles. The VQ is a welcoming bar with tasty beverages and lots of good food (if you've been there and haven't tried the duck confit spring rolls, you should), but I don't feel that it's a topic worthy enough to support this entire post so...
Keep me in your thoughts and if you have any ideas about any interesting and exciting things happening around Portland, let me know. If you know me, you know I'm a perfectionist, and can probably assume that I'm not super thrilled about posting a blog about a topic I can't seem to come up with. Still I just thought you all should know where I'm at with Pdxepectations. I'm not abandoning it, I'm just, literally, at a loss for words.
Thanks to all who visit my site, and look forward to hearing from me. Visit the VQ if you haven't been there, and try one of their best summer drinks, the John Daly. Just be careful, they've been known to cause blackouts.
Check out the link to the VQ under My Favorite Portland Places.

Music Makes My Heart Sing

It's been quite a while since I've been to a live show here in Portland. Going to concerts was something I did a lot in my early 20's and kind of seemed to fade out of my life for a bit. Last October, when I decided that graduate school wasn't going to work for me, I also decided that I had to go back to my roots and start doing the things that really make me happy. Sound familiar? It's the same vow I made just recently on my 29th birthday. Well one thing that has always made me incredibly and utterly happy is music. Now, there is a lot of different music out there, and I love almost all of it. In fact, I'll even admit that I used to adore country music, and have held on to a little bit of my high school hick girl obsession as an adult. Yes, country is a fun genre of music, as are reggae, rock, jazz, folk, and even bluegrass (although I do kind of draw the line at heavy metal), but it's more than specific genres that actually draws me to some of my most favorite music.
For me, it's all about lyrics, and the amazing vocalists and songwriters behind those lyrics. Enter Tori Amos, probably one of the most talented singer/songwriters of our generation, not to mention a brilliant pianist. I first met Tori in 1992, riding in the back seat of a hunter green mini van. I can still remember that hot summer day in Virginia Beach, heading to the beach for a picnic lunch with my Mom and 9 year old brother. The three of us busting out to Tori's first hit "Crucify" must have been quite the sight for those passing by. After all, anyone who knows Tori's music also knows that you wouldn't quite classify it as "family". Then again, we are talking about my family, so...
It's 17 years later, and I'm about to see Tori live for the fourth time, this will be the second time I've seen her here in Portland. Much has happened over the course of these years, it's the beginning of the Sinful Attraction Tour to promote Tori's tenth album 'Abnormally Attracted to Sin". Portland is the second stop on the tour, and the venue, The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, is perfect for Tori's soaring vocals and intricate melodies. I can't believe I am just as giddy as I was when I saw her for the first time on my 16th birthday. I also can't believe this is her tenth album and that her songs have served as the soundtrack to my life for so long. I am seeing the show with a friend and his friend. The friend-of-a-friend thinks I'm a groupie, and keeps looking at me like I've totally lost my marbles. I tell him to be prepared for the screaming that is going to take place once "She" appears on stage. I don't think he understands mine and Tori's relationship one bit.
The opening band, One Eskimo, was entertaining, but the audience only has eyes for Tori. Finally, it is time. The crowd at the Schnitz erupts into thunderous applause and screams of excitement, "everyone else's girl" is here, and she looks amazing. The show, as always, is kind of a blur. This time I brought a pad of paper and a pen so I could write down each song, but as usual Tori decided to improvise. For die hard fans that want names, highlights include, Little Amsterdam, Black Dove, Little Earthquakes, Carbon (first time seeing it live!!!!!), Icicle (played live with a band for the second time ever), and the most beautiful version of Winter I have ever heard (almost brought tears to my eyes). Of course, my camera decided to die during the second song, otherwise I would have video and lots more pictures. I did manage to get a few pics though, the view from our seats in the first balcony was pretty amazing.
The show ended too soon, just like it always does, and left me wanting more. There are just too many wonderful songs and not enough time in one concert. Looks like I'm going to have to start going to more concerts to get my fix. For anyone reading this blog that doesn't know Tori, I suggest you check her out. She is a truly amazing artist and performer.

Sunshine on My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

Well, it's July and officially Summer in Portland. Needless to say there are a lot of smiley happy Portland people holding hands around here. For me, summer means a reason to be outside everyday and an excuse to soak up all that highly valuable sun that we don't get enough of here in the Northwest. From working in the garden to hanging clothes out on the line, summer makes it incredibly easy for me to be outdoorsy, not to mention very happy.
Another benefit of all this sunny weather is that it motivates me to be more active, and to find ways to get a great workout, outside of the gym. Those of you that know me can easily predict what I will say next. It always amazes me that there are so many beautiful places to walk, hike, bike and explore right here within the Portland city limits. I'm a long-time fan of Mt. Tabor, and this year there's already been a few days when I've gone walking and gotten lost up there for hours. Forest Park and Washington Park are also gorgeous spots with lots of trails and foliage to explore.
This year there's a new favorite on my list that's right around the corner from my house which is always a plus. Better known as a bicycle path, the Spring Water Trail and Corridor is a 40 mile multi-use path that now has a special place in my heart.
Yesterday, Shawn, Royce and I embarked on an absolutely gorgeous 6 mile walk down the corridor. We met the trail just around the corner from our house (on SE 88th Ave), followed it across SE 82nd Ave., and then headed all the way down Johnson Creek to end up at the Tideman Johnson Nature Park (which I didn't even know existed). Due to a tired puppy and the 90 degree weather, we decided to stop there and headed off the trail at SE 39th, which we then followed to meet SE Woodstock Blvd. Before the last leg of our trek, we stopped at Otto's Sausage Kitchen, one of our favorite spots on Woodstock, where everyone, including Royce, gained some energy from deliciously cooked sausages right off the grill.
This excursion is only a small part of what the Spring Water Trail has to offer. Following the trail in other directions or starting from different points could lead you to Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge or Powell Butte Nature Park, as well as the Leach Botanical Gardens. The trail is paved and easily accessible, but still highlights lots of Portland's natural beauty. Walking along Johnson Creek, stopping for Royce to have a drink or get splashed in the creek in order to cool down, it was easy to forget we were still in Portland and not out in the middle of the forest.
The Spring Water Trail is extensive and has an interesting history that is too much to include in this post. If you want to learn more about the trail I suggest visiting www.40mileloop.org/trail_springwatercooridor.htm. This site includes history, maps and more. If you are like me and love exploring all the natural beauty that Portland has to offer, this is definitely a spot worth checking out; especially if you need to tire out your dog, or your boyfriend.