Christmastime is Here.

Happiness and cheer.

The presents are wrapped. Can't wait for tomorrow morning! [And no, unlike what you/my family may think, I did not purchase gifts of meat from Otto's Deli, despite the similar brown wrapping paper. Instead, I decided I would skip the gift purchasing this year, handmake all of my gifts, and give the extra $$ to Advent Conspiracy through Mosaic.] Sure hope they like 'em!

Rainstorm.

12:45 AM.
The rain beats against my window, and the wind shakes the trees outside. I lay awake in bed, listening. The weather matches perfectly my emotions tonight, as I lie in the dark, eyes closed, pictures and memories from the past year replaying in my mind. 2010, you have been a rollercoaster of a ride. Waves of nostalgia wash over me and bring tears to my eyes. In fact, as my eyes well up, I hear the first of the raindrops begin to fall. God, did you plan this rainstorm for me? So I lie there, and I remember. I see faces of friends, I remember conversations, situations, experiences. I mentally walk down the California beach on spring break. It's warm, sunny, and beautiful. I replay emotions and I question, did I do that right? Did I say the right thing, act the right way? Did I make a mistake? Oh yeah, God, that's right, I can't change the past. Thank you for walking with me into the future.

Home, Home Again

Today I am homeward-bound. [Stories of adventures from Hope Place where I've spent the last 3 weeks will soon follow.]

boats and dreams and growin' up

[As a warning, if the last two posts weren't any indication, you will probably be seeing many pictures from Crater Lake in future posts. It was just so strikingly beautiful there. These pictures are totally unedited,too! Sometimes I like to up the photo contrast in Photoshop but the colors were so naturally gorgeous that I didn't change a thing.]

We hiked around and down to the edge of Crater Lake one day during our vacation. I was so drawn to this boat, floating all alone at the edge of the lake. Besides the fact that it lent to a beautiful photo composition, I loved the image of a single, small boat floating at the edge of a huge lake. In a way, it's like a reflection of my life. Going into my senior year, I feel like I'm on the cusp of taking the next big step. Like this boat, I feel small and alone, at times, especially because I am making decisions for myself, not for anyone else nor is anyone included in the decision I make. But at the same time, there is a whole wide range of possibilities and I have potential to sail away into the lake, so to speak (although actually I might say the sea...sounds better). Anyway, I'm not much of an analogy girl...at least I don't come up with very good ones, but for what it's worth, there it is. In a more down-to-earth fashion, it's time to start thinking about what's to come, filling out applications, sending in resumes, tracking deadlines. Oh boy.

And so that's enough time spent creating word pictures for tonight. On tomorrow's agenda: updating my resume.

Family Vacation...

...in 10 words or less:

Gorgeous natural beauty. Family time. Spectacular plays. Warmth, sunshine. Relaxation.

p-town lovin

10 Reasons Why I Love Portland:

1. Well, the obvious. I grew up here, I know the place well, and I have all my childhood memories here. My family is here. This is where my roots are.

2 & 3. Because of the two great Portland things pictured above: (1) biking and (2) Stumptown Coffee. [As a side note, this picture is from today, taken at the first & main Stumptown shop...and that is my new bike in the background!]

4. People care about the environment here.

5. Fresh fruit, vegetarian, and vegan options abound thanks to a little streak of health nut-hippie that runs in Portland blood.

6. Portland is walkable. Also, bike-able. Pretty much anywhere I want to go is within 3-5 miles of my house.

7. Mild weather. This summer has been a little TOO mild overall, but hey, gotta love the moderate temperatures year-round.

8. It is absolutely normal for total strangers to greet each other when passing on the street.

9. Portland has awesome events, especially in the summer. I love street fairs, Sunday Parkways, and neighborhood festivals.

10. Portland can be easily navigated. Whoever came up with the numerical streets crossed by alphabetized streets was a genius city planner. Gotta love Ankeny, Burnside, Couch, David, Everett, Flanders, etc, etc.

I love love love this city!

My Weekend in Photos.

Beach Day. Yard Sale. Sunday Parkway Bike Ride. Hawthorne Street Fair. 95 degree goodness.