montana demands a week long hiatus and I am powerless to resist

Tomorrow morning, at the unholy hour of 6 o'clock, I will be on a plane.

I'm heading to Montana for the week where I will: 

cuddle with the handsome little bugger (who is definitely not this little anymore)

hug this lady right here (and threaten to never let go)

and probably knock back a whiskey or two with this guy (who is totally going to protect us from grizzly bears, right?!)

_________

All this to say I'm really excited to have a whole week of minimal phone service (though who am I kidding, I'll be trying ti Instagram every chance I get), no computer and friends I haven't seen in far too long!

I'll be back next week with one helluva Weekly Gratitude, I'm sure - which will actually be two weeks worth of thankfulness because a) I won't be at a computer Sunday night and, b) I barely have time to shovel this Lean Cuisine into mah belly tonight what with packing, showering and double-checking what I packed, to sit write a proper WG post for this week so...

Have a wonderful week!
 A Happy 4th of July!
(and if you're feelin' lucky I might sneak in a guest poster to keep you company while I'm gone!) 

blog-hoppin'

So I'm bouncing around the web here and guest-posting for my beautiful blog-best Kate at Daffodil's today!

Check out her blog and read my ramblings about the wonders of black coffee.

Oh, a happy Friday indeed. 

thinking on a thursday

Sorry I've been a little absent this week. 

I've had the last three days off here and it's been the first time I've been able to catch back up with myself in about two weeks. It's been really nice. 

Although this internal alarm clock that routinely wakes me up at 7:30am can take a hike (as can my next door neighbor who, at 8:30 this morning, decided it was the perfect time to mow his lawn).

So a few things that have been rattling around in this noggin of mine:

\\  Nora Ephron has passed away. So many have already written sweet tributes to this woman who through her films both inspired and consoled us all through countless times of joy and heartache, happiness and pain. There was a Meg Ryan character for every possible scenario. And Nora knew just how to speak to the Meg in all of us (whichever one it may be) . Nora, I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your address in heaven (I'm guessing you've procured a spot hovering somewhere over New York City). On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms. You will be greatly missed. Thank your, ladies and gentlemen. 

\\  It's cherry season. And I have just about eaten myself sick - and I can't. get. enough. This is hardly a problem, but I somehow still think some restraint may be a good idea. Or not. Hey, there's always blackberry season for developing will power. 

\\  Two more days of work and then I'm off to Montana! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I've seen Laura, John and Jack. The good news is that it's quite possible baby boy will be even cuter now than when I saw him last. Shall I apologize in advance for the obscene amount of photos that will be showing up on Instagram? 

\\  Damn you Nathan for buying these damn Reese's Pieces! 

\\  I still have a couple recipes I need to post on here. Brace your taste buds (and waistlines).

\\  A couple of you have asked me about this hypothetical Etsy shop I've been tinkering with - sit tight! It's still in the works! I've got a few ducks to get in a row, but it's on its way!

\\  Have any of you been following along with with She Reads Truth? It's such a neat idea and I've been loving taking the time to read a little bit of scripture every day and see what others are getting out of it as well. I kinda fell by the wayside with my New Year's Resolution to read the bible in a year (I let myself get too far behind to catch up on the daily readings - ugh, not proud of that one) but this has been a nice way to carve out the time I want to spend time thinking about what's really important. My next goal is to revive Salt + Light  and post at least once a week about the things She Reads Truth sparks. Stay (tentatively) tuned!

____________________________

How's the week treating you so far?

"reaching out for a miracle"

Friends, I have a huge favor to ask of you all...

I have been blown away and inspired by the faith and strength of the women I've been fortunate enough to know in this little sphere of ours. 

So many have you have been faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, and yet your faith has not faltered. You have used the immense power of trust in God, and prayer to change reality and have seen the light at the end of even the longest tunnels.

And so I am extending that power, that community of support, to a friend of mine - if you would be willing to help.

-

Lissa and her husband Matt (and sweet baby Emily) go to church at Solid Rock with me. Though we only met a short time ago, you know within about 30 seconds of meeting them that they are the kind of people you want in your life. Their faith, generous spirits and sweet manner just envelope you. 

I  have simply copied an email Lissa sent out to our little house church hoping that passing it along will help create a giant net of prayer and support. 

We have all seen the power of prayer. We know it is the most vital tool we have. 

Please, if you get a chance, think of this amazing family in their time of need. I will pass along all comments and emails to Lissa.

I know it will mean the world to her.

grace + peace

________________________

Dear Church Family,

God intends for us to live in community, so I feel it is appropriate to share a burden that has been on my heart, and to ask for your prayer, knowing that God's got way bigger plans than anything I can figure out on my own.

My mom (her name is Anne) lives alone in Port Townsend, Washington. She raised me and my younger brother by herself after my dad left when I eleven. It was very important to her to be able to be at home for us and home school us, and that didn't change, amazingly, even after my dad left. We lived off very little with alimony and child support, but somehow, she always managed to make sure we had great opportunities and fun activities. I learned so much about faith during that time and how God is our provider no matter what, whether we are "earning" our income or He is providing it thoroughly through grace.

My mom, for the last 28 years, has also had to work around the trials and limitations of having chemical sensitivities. Around the time I was born, she became violently ill and became unable to handle being in proximity to chemicals of any kind. At first this was extreme--even car exhaust would cause her to have seizures. Today, she is doing significantly better, but still has adverse neurological reactions to things like garden fertilizer, week killer, and Lysol. This is part of the reason that she is living in Port Townsend, since it is a fairly environmentally conscious town, even though she would love very much to live closer to us especially with her first grandchild growing up so quickly. Chemical sensitivities, while listed with Americans with Disabilities for years, is largely not understood, and because of this, not much is ever done in the way of making the world a "safer" place for my mom.

The reason I am writing today is that my mom is literally going to be out of money this month or next (I think--she is never specific with this). When I say out, I mean completely out. She has been looking for a job for the last year to no avail. Part of the problem is that she would have to work in a place that could work around her limitations. The other problem is that she has limited qualifications since she has been out of the work place so long (she is a teacher--a really good one too). She also feels that the fact that she is 62 isn't helping the job prospects any.

Even in this, she has so much faith, and I am continually amazed by her. I want so badly to be able to help her, but even if I said she could move in with me, I don't think she would be able to live at my home (except maybe in the fall and winter) since I see so many of my neighbors spray their yards on an ongoing regular basis. Our own finances are tight, so moving to a different place that might be better for her where she could live with us is not really an option right now. And even then (this may sound bad) but I don't think living in the same house with my mom long term would be very good for our marriage. Still, though, I want to be able to help since she is my mom and I want to make sure she is going to be okay.

What I am asking is for prayer and for you to please send this email to anyone that God might be laying on your heart to share it with. I am not writing this to "force" a favor. I know God will ultimately take care of her. But you never know exactly how He will do it. So I am getting her story out there. You never know who's heart God may be preparing for exactly this kind of ministry opportunity.

Thank you for taking the time to read this...

Grace and Peace to you all,

Lissa

weekly gratitude

thank you little £3 sandals for lasting almost 7 years and still going strong

-

Things that make it harder to get a post written:

sleep deprivation

internet distractions & text messaging

juggling a chocolate covered ice cream bar with the keyboard

sleep deprivation

I am so tired.

The last two weeks have been nonstop for me and I've all but lost track of life for the most part, barely able to catch back up with myself long enough to get a good night's sleep before doing it all over again.

(Lord help me someday when I have a family to care for - it'll be totally worth it but my, oh my, there will be a certain degree of frazzle going on)

Everything really came into focus this morning when my alarm went off at 7:15am.

Being so far north it starts to get light about 4:30am 'round these parts, so by the time the instrumental rendition of "Viva la Vida" jumps out of my phone my apartment has already been inundated with light spilling in from the skylights. This sounds like a good thing, and mostly it is, until you go from "happy, dark, comfy slumber" to "Oh, sweet moses, who turned on the sun so early?" 

Anyway, digression aside, this morn came as a shock.

I jolted awake, heart slamming out of my chest, into my throat and vibrating over my teeth (it was a deep sleep I was enjoying, man) followed by this immediate thought process:

OHMYGODIT'S7:15ANDIHAVE TOLEAVEFORCHURCHIN15MINUTES!


I launched out of bed, into the briskness of my poorly insulated attic apartment, immediately regretting my decision to not wear pants to bed, get halfway to the bathroom before realizing:

It is in fact Monday, decidedly NOT Sunday, and you already went to church yesterday. 


Well done, child. Now take a nap and call me in the morning...

-

1. Thank you for this weather. We're all pretty obsessed with this popular topic of small talk, but up here it really is something of a fascination. It's the end of June and we're hovering in the high 60's-mid 70's all week. Much as I'd love to work on my tan (except, even then, not really because I am rationally terrified of skin cancer) or tuck away my sweaters for more than a day or two, it's really nice to be able to sleep comfortably and not melt away in the sun like the artist formerly known as Lauren, Queen of the Fairskins. It's probably that my job relies so heavily on the weather throughout the growing season, but I honestly don't see it as a cop-out conversation starter. I am sincerely fascinated by the completely erratic nature of the weather in the PNW. And after the sympathy pains I feel for Jenn over there on the "southeast side of the sun" with her two ginger babies in triple digit heat, I am extremely grateful for our mild summers.

2. Thank you for a working freezer! My landlords finally got me a new fridge and for the first time in three years I have a freezer that is not just a "keep-things-just-the-other-side-of-reasonably-cooler-than-the-fridge" box. Like any normal person I celebrated by filling it with a giant bag of frozen chicken breasts (a time-honored tradition in these parts). It also explains the aforementioned chocolate covered ice cream bar juggling (it's entirely possible that I began typing this with one hand while I enjoyed my frozen treat until I realized at that rate I should be done in about 45 days). But seriously, I wonder how many calories I've saved myself in the last three years by not being able to sustain ice cream in this house? Whatever. I'll make up for lost time with Trader Joe's frozen fruit bars and an assortment of freezer jams once I get into berry mode.

3. Thank you for a chance to see Portland again with the eyes I first laid on it almost four years ago. I mentioned my friend Nathan moving to town and how much fun it was showing him around town, but let me say again how much I loved imagining being new to this city again. Driving him through Sellwood I remembered the first time Helios toured us in and out of its little streets. Cruising down Hawthorne I imagined once again my first glimpse of the colorful storefronts. Wandering the Pearl I could almost recapture the smell of paper and ink the first time I set foot in Powell's. I hope I never lose those feelings.

4. Thank you for The Camaraderie (again and always). We are so good at life sometimes man, I swear! Friday night we all (minus Jared, man of fire that he is, what with being a member of the United States Forest Service now and all) met up and made dinner. Beer & wine a plenty, fresh veggies for salad, creamy-cheesy-potatoes a la Heather, and Dean's famous burgers made for the perfect evening as we sat down to our meal around 10 o'clock, with light still in the sky. What contentment, being young and sometimes just foolish enough to believe that maybe, just maybe, life could always be this good. That will always be my blessing.

5. Thank you for the first raspberries of the season being almost ready! I'm eyeing the bush in the backyard like a sparrow hawk watching a mouse, ready to harvest at a moment's notice (the same will be true come blackberry season when I inhale them as surely as they ripen). Reading Joanna's post about taking her city kid out to a farm and what a treat it was to pick fresh raspberries made me realize what an intensely wonderful existence it is here in my little corner of the world. I think my dad put it best:

"Yeah... I think your life is a bit of magic, and whimsy...makes me smile."


Me too, Dad. Me too. 

i wish i was new to this town

So a couple of days ago my old friend Nathan arrived in Portland.

(no, not this Nathan... different Nathan... wow, I know a lot of Nathans... And Mikes... more Mikes than Nathans... where was I going with this?)

Oh, right...

So Nathan is moving to town and can currently be found on my couch if anyone needs him (or at his rad new job with the governor's office, no biggie) while he looks for an apartment. 

While I've been in a total whirlwind the last couple of weeks, I did manage to schedule (read: totally and miraculously finagle an alignment of the stars/appease the gods of work schedules set a month in advance) my one day off in the midst of the madness so that I could show him around my city and introduce him to life in the Pacific Northwest.

It's so funny because our friend Zach, one of his roommates in college back when we all met senior year, is from Seattle and spent the majority of his time delineating the various (and numerous) reasons everyone should live in the Pacific Northwest. I always listened, nodded my head and sure, put it on my list of places to go someday, but at the time never thought I'd end up in this corner of the country.

But end up here I have and as I toured through the city I allowed myself the chance to see it once again through new eyes; to experience the excitement of learning it all for the first time, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, and meal by meal (because who are we kidding, all we do is eat and drink here - and occasionally hike up a mountain).

First order of business was brunch.

That one was easy: Tasty N Sons.

I'm pretty sure Nathan would have been completely fine with the tour had it stopped there. The phrase "best meal ever" and "I'm pretty sure you can't top this" were volleyed about between his first sips of Stumptown and bites of chocolate potato doughnuts. 

From there is was just a potpourri of everything the town has to offer: views of Mt. Hood, spending too much not enough time at Powell's, views of Mt. Hood from a different vantage point (Pittock Mansion!), more food (Deschute's), more "I seriously can't get over the food here" and then back home to crash somewhere around the time the sun started to go down. 

(hello longest day of the year!)

-

I know why I came to Portland, but traversing the grids I have come to know so well (or in some cases, not so well - damn you east side, I always get lost!) over the last four years I think I fully realized why I stayed.

I will always love this city for the people who make it home, but there are certain things, certain places and certain mountains that remind me just how much I love this place for what it is on its own - home.

smile, soldier

It's no lie that the stuff Nathan is facing in Afghanistan is pretty intense...

But it's good to see a smile once in a while.

And a cute puppy. 

(all photos swiped from Facebook - clever, I know)

faith in humanity

Have you seen this? 

There is still so very much good in the world.

I won't gloss over all the bad, but if we let that become our focus then the enemy truly has won.

And we must know, we must believe, that goodness - love, kindness, respect, hope - will rule in the end. 

That was a promise.

la tache

Excusing my windblown, slept-on-my-cowlick hair, please take into consideration how cool this cat is.

This is La Tache and he lives at Alexana Winery. Aside from the amazing wines (and spectacular views - hello tasting room envy) he was my favorite part of this winery experience.

Dad and I went out tasting all weekend and this was the last stop. 

Should have been the first.

I wanted to stay there and savor everything.

Especially the purring furball who I'm convinced was just waiting for someone with a black dress to come in and play with him.

Eh. It's a badge of honor if you ask me.

As long as none gets in the wine. 

weekly gratitude, father's day edition

thank you for always being the footsteps to follow in

-

I'm not sure I've ever really shared my routine with you.

To be honest, I'm hesitant to now. 

It's not that I have qualms about sharing pieces of my life with you all, clearly. But something about the little bits - the quietest moments in the writing process - have the sort of sacred significance that I can only imagine any artist, no matter the medium (be it paint, marble, food, the human body, the human soul, nature itself, a mathematical formula, whathaveyou) feels in those early moments of creation. 

But I will say this much about the early phases of writing this post up each week (a post I genuinely look forward to constructing each Sunday): in the sweet moments before the band starts up at church I take a quiet instant to jot down a sort of rough list of all I have to be thankful for. This is the sort of outline I begin with each week. 

And it's easy when I'm there by myself because I can just quiet my mind and get to listing.

Today though I was not alone and so, I have no outline to go on because I was too busy chatting to be listing. However that in itself provides me with the perfect segue...

-

1. Thank you for my dad. Flipping through my bible this morning I found a handout from Holy Trinity Brompton (the church I went to in London) from exactly 5 years ago with the words "Father's Day!" written on top. And that folks was the last time my dad and I got to spend Father's Day together. So this year was a special treat. Thank you for allowing us that time together. And thank you to the man who has given so much of himself for me. Taught me right from wrong, what true faith looks like, how to cook, how to drive, how to appreciate wine and whiskey. Thank you for the man who sends me emails or cards just to tell me how much he loves me, how blessed he is to be my dad (talk about a humbling feeling to get those little notes!). Thank you for the man who, above all, knows his greatest mission in life is to get his child to heaven. Thank you for the man that makes sure I get a bouquet of pink roses every year for my birthday, one for every year of life. Thank you for the man who let me dance on his feet to "My Girl" and who would sing the bass to "Under the Boardwalk" whenever it came on the radio. One of these days I'll finally get the hang of shooting and finally learn to drive a stick shift - but there's time enough for that. We're young dad - and there's lot's left to teach me.

2. Thank you for Jared's job. Though I rank saying goodbye to him each fire season pretty high on my list of things I kind of hate, I am so excited and grateful to see him off on this amazing new venture. Last night certainly wasn't fun hugging him one last time, but I promise there was certain happiness in the tears that may have fallen from my eyes. All these years of toil and strain to get to this point have been so, so worth it (though I'm sure he'd gladly give up a few of those anxious days leading up to a dispatch in years past). Knowing all he has done, all he has sacrificed, all he has accomplished to bring him to this point leaves me just beaming for him. I am so thankful for what this fire season will bring, giving him the chance to live the life he has dreamt of. Just... Incredible.

-

There are probably more things I could jabber on about but frankly, those are the only two I can focus on right now. 

His crew hasn't been dispatched yet, but any prayers for the safety and success of all the wildland firefighters would be amazing. 

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, a wonderful Father's Day and is looking at a busy but great week ahead!

a happy birthday

Happy birthday to this lady!

(oh, I should clarify - the lady on the right)

(Blake, you can't be mad at that one, I know you're smiling)

Anyway, today is my mom's birthday and even though she's on the other side of the country right now (in Florida  - and this is the woman who hates heat and humidity... Should I tell you it's a pleasant 70-something here today?) I am confident the love goes all the way from Portland to Naples!

Love you mom, happy birthday!

recipe | lemon pepper pappardelle with chicken, arugula & avocado

Hmm. Introduction.

Does this need introduction?

Well, let me ask you this:

Are you hungry?

Excellent! 

You're already ahead of the game.

(insert hideously egregious Hunger Games joke right abooooout.... NOW)

If you're still with me after that one, enjoy the following recipe!

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle with Chicken, Arugula & Avocado

(all measurements are approximate)

1 package pappardelle pasta

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lemon, zested

1 ripe avocado, diced

a couple handfuls fresh arugula, coarsely chopped

1 head garlic, minced

grated Parmesan cheese

shredded Parmesan cheese

salt & coarse ground black pepper to taste

olive oil

balsamic reduction

 

1. In a small saucepan, reduce desire amount of balsamic vinegar to desired consistency. Set aside. 

2. Cook pappardelle according to package instructions. In a large bowl, lightly toss with a glug of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

3. Lightly salt and pepper chicken breasts. Bake at 375 F for 15-25 minutes, or until done. Let sit for 5 minutes or so then dice up (keeps all the yummy juices in better!)

4. In a medium skillet, heat a couple glugs of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add in diced chicken and saute 1 more minute. Remove and toss with pasta. Add in grated Parmesan to preference. If needed, add more olive oil.

5. While pasta and chicken are still warm, add in chopped arugula and diced avocado. Gently toss until well combined.

6. Garnish with shredded Parmesan and lemon zest. Lightly sprinkle lemon juice if desired and add a healthy dash of fresh ground black pepper. Finally, if you're anything like me, smother with balsamic reduction and enjoy! 

PFC Nathan Plank

To everyone who has sent up prayers for the courage and safety of our buddy Nathan, thank you!

(and keep 'em coming!)

If you're the type that needs visual aide, here's some of our boy's general badassery in action.

weekly gratitude

thank you little sandals for not destroying my feet

-

It's about midnight. 

 I'm eating a bowl of olives and still trying to figure out how I managed the giant scratch across the back of my right arm.  

I have no leads but have, at the very least, concluded that one has little to do with the other.

Perhaps if I eat one more olive?

-

1. Thank you for the chance to finally catch up with Ashley and Maria! I know I already wrote about it but it's worth mentioning again (three outta the original four of us - that ain't bad!). Back when Ash, Maria, Laura and I all worked together at the restaurant life made it easy on us - we could see each other all the time, even if only at work. But once a couple of years went by, new jobs were found, new homes were found, marriages, babies, moves... You get it. It was ridiculous for us to realize a year had gone by since we'd been able to get all three of us together in the same place and the same time. But true to any friendship worth its salt, truly no time had passed. Though there was a fourth chair at our table woefully lacking a certain Laura Perrigo (we miss you dammit!), being with these two is still setting a smile on my face. I have a few little families here in Portland and those girls are two of the sisters I never had. My blessings know no bounds. 

2. Thank you - while I'm on the subject - for Laura. Around midnight on Wednesday my phone rang and the image of my sweet baby Jack popped up on my screen signaling my Laura on the other end. Have I told you about this girl before? She was one of my first true best friends here in Portland. I'd been here about four months when Helios came back from a business trip on the east coast telling Brigette and me he'd met a gal about our age on the plane ride home. They'd been the only two to laugh at a movie on an otherwise silent flight. She was moving to Portland, didn't know many people and he'd adopted her into the world of pseudo-nieces I was already happily a part of. We all met up one day for a movie and dinner and by the time the evening ended I knew I'd found a friend. Of course I didn't know then what our friendship would come to be - I couldn't have known we'd stay up late at night eating french toast and drinking wine in the living room of Brigette's and my old apartment. I couldn't have known she'd be the one to leave Portland first only to come back and be one of the biggest reasons I wanted to move back myself. How could I have known that day that a couple years later, as we were setting up the bar for another busy day at the restaurant that she'd ask me to stand up next to her as she married the man of her dreams? Or that I'd be walking laps around the maternity ward with her listening to the gentle thump-thump-thump  of her baby's heartbeat just hours before he came into the world? I certainly couldn't have known I'd be crammed into a tiny booth, eating french toast with her one last time at a greasy breakfast joint before she and her husband and that same sweet baby packed up their car to drive east to Montana nearly one year ago. But I suppose I also couldn't have known that I'd be flying into the Big Sky Country myself to visit that same girl who landed in Portland with not much more than a camera and a pair of cowboy boots. A phone call can never do justice to a friendship that used to spend hours at lunch, wandering about our city, eating cupcakes and deciding that yes, happy hour sounds like a wonderful idea... But the point is that I love getting calls from that busy mama and I simply cannot wait to attack her with hugs come July 1st! 

3. Thank you for summertime. Even though we're currently experiencing more of a Juneuary here in Portland (so true Holly!) there is just enough sun and summer-ness to justify the obscene amount of country music I've been listening to lately. I can't help it. The weather warms up and all I want to do is throw on my cowboy boots, roll down the windows and let Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean do with me what they will. Musically, of course. 

4. Thank you for Orion:

-

Well kids, I'm heading into day 4 of 6 at work and then Friday my Dad gets here for Father's Day weekend!

Busy, busy, busy... But so excited! 

rock me mama

_____________

This one goes out to all of you who know who you are.

___

(photo via)

tim barry in retrospect

...And that's the name of that tune. 

two outta three

Maria, Ashley & I basically deserve each other. And we're good with that.

_________________________

So here's the phenomenon with the three of us:

We can usually manage to get any configuration of two of us together but for some reason, three is nigh impossible (let alone four - Laura, come back!)

So when we actually got our collective acts together and huddled in around a plate of nachos & ceviche at Que Pasa last night I half expected the universe to be like, 

"All three?! Woops, my bad, I wasn't paying attention - oh well, enjoy your margaritas."

All this to say, it had been almost a year since we'd all been together (yeah, John & Laura's wedding was the last time - I know) and we vowed not to be so lame in the year to come.

Should be easier now that Ashley and Brandon bought a house - housewarming party anyone?