Looking Back Through a "Crystal" Ball

Well, in typical fashion, I've been absent for a few months, but I'm back with a renewed sense of vigor towards the Blog-as-sphere. The holidays have passed, all the hustle and bustle of the wedding has faded into a distant happy memory, and I am once again faced with the question of what to do with myself in these pale months of winter. Work is slow, the house is spotless, my Netflix account has been quite active as of late and the rain continues to pour generously outside the comforts of our cozy little house. With not a lot on my plate, all I can really do is reminisce about some of the moments of the past year. My girlfriends are always on my mind, especially when we are all too broke, busy, or far apart to see each other. But that's nothing a little trip down memory lane won't fix! So grab your glitter,glitz, glasses and wigs, throw on some Lady Gaga, and envision yourself in the gorgeous Crystal Hotel, the site of my amazing Bachlorette Party.

The Crystal Hotel (and Zeus Cafe) is McMenamin's newest addition to the downtown Portland scene, located very conveniently across from Jake's Crawfish, in the old Silverado building. Upon entering, one would never guess this was an old, run down bathhouse with tons of dirty little secrets hiding behind the walls. The building has been completely transformed into a quaint but luxurious hotel space with all the typical caverns and passage ways that hold true to the McMenamin's style. Each room is named after a song, with the lyrics painted decoratively around the ceiling and incorporated into other aspects of decor around the room. The rooms are tiny, but so unique and charming, that it is easy to overlook the small issue of space right away.

We call this Bachlorette Headquarters!

A great view from our window!

My girls and I spent the afternoon of my Bachlorette lounging in the room and drinking champagne before heading down to the heated salt water hot tub for some much needed relaxation and laughter. An added "Sorry!" to the woman who was trying to read her book in peace that we scared away. After some more shenanigans in our three (practically) adjoining rooms, we had more drinks and a smorgasbord of snacks in Ringler's Annex, which has been there for quite some time but is now connected to the hotel. We spent a little more time getting ready after that before heading out for a fabulous night on the town. Of course, most of the details of this crazy night are off limits, but here are a couple of pictures to give you a clue of how much fun we had.  

Here I am, thoroughly enjoying being a Bride!

My beautiful cousin and I, ready for a night on the town.

All the guests at my Bridal Brunch. So fun!

Me and my "Maids".


This was definitely one of the best nights of my life, and I have my Girls to thank for that. There's nothing like a little reminiscing on a dreary Winter day to lift my spirits and remind me of all the fun we have together, even if we can't do it all the time. Actually, come to think of it,I don't think I could handle waking up to a scene like the one we saw the next  morning on a regular basis. Now, who's next so we can plan a sequel!?!?!

Rainy Day Boot-Binge

It seems the rainy season is finally upon us here in PDX. After ten years in this often gray city, I've actually come to enjoy the rain. Even though I'm a native East-Coaster, I want nothing to do with snow. I'll take drops over flakes any day!
Anyone who's ever lived in the Northwest knows that if you're going to let the rain stop you, you might as well not live here. You've got to get out and moving whether it's wet or not.What's the best way to spot a non-native Portlander? Their umbrella! The Northwest is all about layers and hoodies, and of course rain boots. Thank goodness rain boots are so in right now. At least our feet can look cute while the rest of our bodies are covered up from head to toe. Here are a few of my current faves when it comes to boots.

Always a sucker for anything animal print.

LOVE these Betsy Johnson floral boots with a lace up the front.

Simple snake skin Jimmy Choo's. I'm a fan.

Classic boots in a rainbow of colors can brighten even the dreariest day.

Since I'm currently obsessed with Day of the Dead, these Ed Hardy boots struck a major chord.

Can't go wrong with anything purple,always my go to color!

So there you have it. You've discovered my newest guilty pleasure. Who says a pair for every day of the week is a bad thing? A girl's gotta have options...

A Fine Friend-zy

Well, as you all may know, the wedding has come and gone, and I can honestly say that there's a great sense of relief that it's over. After having a singular event so completely consume our lives for a year, it feels great to be able to move on. It seems that in the last few months leading up to the big day, I could focus on nothing else. Hence, my four month hiatus from Pdxpectations. Now that life is settling back into some of its familiar rhythms, I have found myself with the overwhelming desire to write. I've been thinking about my first pre-wedding post for the past few weeks, and have come up with nothing more than blogger-block. So where to begin?
I've been thinking a lot lately about inspiration. What inspires me and what motivates me to be the best person that I can be? We all get down from time to time, and it's easy to forget about all the great things we have going for ourselves. So how do we pull ourselves out of these little funks that tend to move in every once in a while? For me, it's my amazing friends that inspire and motivate me to be a better person.
It's easy to compare our successes and failures to our friends. Who hasn't measured their career, fashion sense, or relationship against one of their besties? It's easy to look at your friend's life and think she is so much better off than you. But comparisons get you nowhere in terms of moving forward with your own life. So, instead of comparing, why not celebrate her successes, and try to learn from them.
I try to look at each of my friends and think about what characteristics of hers' I could learn from. One of my best friends is an amazing Mom, and even though I don't have kids of my own yet, I know I can learn from her compassion and kindness. Another friend has a successful career and is an amazing designer. Even though I'm not all that inclined in the design department, and my career leaves a bit to be desired, I admire her dedication, work ethic and incredible attention to detail. Another friend's generosity and passion continuously overwhelms me, and I have become much more giving throughout the course of our friendship.
My friends mean the world to me, and I can't imagine life without them. We're all so different, but over the years of our friendships, we have learned to celebrate those differences, instead of judging against them. So, thanks Girls! You know who you are, and you are all continuously an inspiration to me. Thanks for letting me be me, and for participating in this fabulous life we live together.
  

Rainy Day Update

Well hello...It's a very uncharacteristic rainy mid-July day here in puddle-y Portland, giving me the opportunity to unexpectedly have the morning off from work. As I was sipping my morning tea and catching up on my blogger reading list,I realized I haven't had a post on Pdxpectations in almost two months! My how time flies. Listening to the rain pitter-patter on the roof of my computer room, (and flow freely into our fantastic rain barrel) I decided this might be the perfect time to bring all you Pdxers up to speed on what we've been up to.
So, you know we built the barrel, and the obvious next step was to plant a garden so the barrel has a purpose. The first step was to rent a sod cutter to get rid of the "grass" in the area of our front yard where we wanted to plant.

Good thing I have Shawn to figure these things out.

Once we cut the sod, we had to bring in soil, till it all in and then build the raised rows so we could plant. Again, I am very happy for the manpower of my future husband during this point of the process.

Next up we planted all of our seeds. We have beets, squash, spinach, arugula, carrots, romaine and cantaloupe, just to name a few. The last step in our garden process was to keep our little creation watered everyday, and our fingers crossed. Shawn built the raised rows on a downward slope so we can run the hose right off of our barrel and it will gradually water the whole garden.

It's a small photo, but this gives you an idea of the finished product.

Now it's all about picking, pruning and eating all of our deliciously home grown organic produce! It's a project that's been a lot of work, but overall very rewarding.

Of course, this is just one aspect of what's been keeping me busy...what else has happened since my last post? Well, we went back East and attended and helped execute the fabulous wedding of my brother and his new husband. Congratulations again to the Léger-Small's!!! I learned a TON about the do's and dont's of putting on a DIY wedding, and am feeling more confident than ever that we will be able to pull off our own wedding pretty seamlessly.
Oh yeah, that reminds me, it's less than three months to our own big day!!! Let's see, I've had my first dress fitting, bought my shoes, ordered the invitations, met with the Baker, DJ, & Reverend, hired a bartender and coordinator (it sounds fancier than it is, these two are just my co-workers), and I'm creating my own centerpieces and decorations. The bridesmaids dresses are in, as are the flower girls. What else? Oh, we're planning and executing our own menu and hoping that everyone can actually make it to the venue on the Wedding Day...we just found out the Portland Marathon is happening on the same day. Last but not least, I've been working my tail off down on the waterfront, including a very long and profitable Blue's Festival and Fourth of July Weekend.
So, you see, this is why Pdxpectations has taken a back seat to just a few of the other things I have on my plate right now. I'm not complaining though. I'm thrilled to be a thoroughly happy and busy little bride-to-be. Life could not be better and I'm thrilled to share it all with you. Here are a few more pictures to highlight what we've been up to.

Just a bit of the pre-wedding set up.

Great job on the fire pit Shawn!

One of my favorite pictures of the soon-to-be newlyweds.

We're up next. Hope our wedding can be as amazing as theirs was!

Honeymoon on My Mind

With a little over four months until our wedding, I am definitely starting to feel the push of all the things that still need to get done. Times have been a little bit tough, stress levels have been a little bit high and through it all my fiance has been amazingly supportive. I'm sure all soon-to-be brides and grooms go through this, but right now we are finding ourselves dreaming more about our glorious honeymoon, hopefully to the San Juan Islands, than our actual wedding. I've been caught saying things like, "why didn't we just elope", and "how did we ever think we could pull this off". I would much rather peruse the internet for honeymoon ideas than look at anything that has to do with linens, tent rentals or wedding planning in general. That being said, I thought I would post a few pictures of all the relaxing we hope to be doing after we eventually pull off the biggest and most complicated party of our lives. That way, I'll have a place to escape to in my mind when all the details become just a bit too much...

Yes Please!

Birthday Bliss

Birthdays come and go, and this year's wasn't feeling too exciting for me, as turning 31 isn't really that big of a milestone. Two years ago I decided to start Pdxpectations, as I was turning 29, and feeling quite anxious about embarking on the final year of my twenties. Now, I'm actually thrilled to be done with my twenties and moving on to bigger and better things. At the age of thirty-one I will watch my brother get married, and then be married myself just a few short months later. I can honestly say that these two events alone will probably make 31 one of the best years of my life...or as a great friend of mine recently put it, thirty-wonderful.
Last year, for my thirtieth birthday, I had a fabulously wild party in my front yard, complete with homemade red chili enchiladas, a vibrant blue pinata and some very tasty bubble gum vodka. In the company of great friends, we danced the night away to Deee-Lite and Lady Gaga. It wasn't until the authorities stopped by to ask us to turn the music down, to which I replied defiantly, "It's MY birthday party and I don't know when we'll be quieting down!", that I realized we weren't quite acting our age. That being said, this year I wanted to keep my celebration much simpler and low key. After all, I'm about to be a wife and eventually a mother, it's time to start showing some restraint.
I feel like I've actually been celebrating my birthday all month. With my best friend just recently in town for a long weekend, we were out and about around town much more than I typically am. We had a lot of fun, but between her visiting, all the wedding planning that's been going on lately, and the planning and execution of our new vegetable garden (more on that later), I really wanted a relaxing day in celebration of my 31st.
Enter The Barefoot Sage, one of Portland's best kept secrets. Located unassumingly on SE 18th & Hawthorne, this amazing sanctuary could not have come into my life at a more opportune moment. Thank goodness for my dear friend who set up our amazing afternoon of relaxation.
Walking in to this oasis of "foot zen", I was immediately struck by the sweet soothing aromas of lavender and peppermint. The entire space is decorated in tones of purple and blue with subtle accents of gold, giving it a very relaxed Mediterranean feel. As soon as I set eyes on the plush purple couches, I knew we were in for quite a treat. So we settled in for an hour of foot soaks, complete with heated neck wraps, hot tea served on silver platters and the most amazing foot massage I've ever had. This decadent pampering was exactly what I needed to ring in my 31st with the type of vibe I hope to carry with me for the next year. I certainly forgot all about my wedding stresses and woes, and for a moment actually relished in the thought that it will all work out the way it's supposed to. 

The lobby of the Barefoot Sage.

Soothing colors and the couches hidden behind the curtains.

From the street you would never guess the oasis that exists inside.

We finished off the afternoon with a late lunch at Jake's Famous Crawfish, a few glasses of bubbly and a fabulous shopping trip in NW Portland that included a stop at my new favorite shop Little Things, owned by the fabulous Andrea Angell. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate the beginning of the first year of the rest of my life. Check out my link to the Barefoot Sage under my favorite Portland Places to learn more about the holistic therapies and treatments they offer to soothe your tired feet. This place is a must visit, especially if you're a member of the ever exhausting service industry. Birthday or not, you owe it to yourself!

Stay Tuned...

It's kind of been a whirlwind around here lately. I promise something new after this weekend so stay tuned.