It's All About Suspense: Good Posts Come to Those Who Wait

With new places comes the process of acclimating to the new surroundings. I have, in some ways, fallen into the daily routine of a new place and a new job (or at least a new store - the job itself is the same), but I'm still finding new things to adapt to: the grocery stores, the incredible public transportation, the closeness of the coast.

One of the grocery stores near my house sells bulk items at a great price, but I think I've discovered that it's never a good idea to get all your eggs in one basket. They don't have a good selection of honey or peanut butter, for example, and the bread I like is about $0.50 cheaper on average at Target, which isn't even a grocery store. I also love Trader Joe's yogurt and have, as expected, fallen in love with 3-buck chuck. (Thanks Claire!) I'm about hitting my grocery budget this month, but next month I'm going to try shopping multiple grocery stores. This may sound mundane to many, but I enjoy food - not just eating it, but the challenge of eating healthily and cheaply as well as locally and freshly. And these things, while not as challenging as you may think, are a puzzle to put together - even more so in a new place.

The public transportion will just take practice, which is something I'll be doing tomorrow when I meet a friend from work at the Saturday Market downtown Portland! As of right now, I know how to get to Powell's - the largest bookstore in North America (it's the size of a city block), but I think I should add the Saturday Market to my list of locations I can get to without drawing a map. I did successfully get to this coffee shop in Beaverton where I am writing this post and did not have to use a map. I'm finally beginning to trust myself to get in the car and just drive and hope I find the place I'm looking for.

And last, but certainly not least, I went to the Pacific Coast and stayed at a house right on the beach and, to top it off, made some new friends. My roommate and two neighbors are all in the same community group at their church and invited me to come along to a planned weekend retreat to visit one of the group's leader's parents. The place was beautiful and we enjoyed, among other non-high-energy seeking tasks: drinking lattes and tea at all hours, eating deliciously prepared meals, a soak in the hot tub on a 38 degree morning while enjoying scenic views of the ocean, a walk on the beach at sunset, and an evening viewing of Up.

And now, off to the Beaverton Powell's - not as good as the original downtown one, but I saw this location on my way here and thought that I would have to check it out. And then home for some pasta and cider and possibly some book making. Be sure and check my Etsy store. I have some new listings! (I've been busy.)

Our Breathtaking World: Explore It!

"A great deal of what we know, we know only through our imagination -- and that knowledge is crucial to our lives."  -Peter Turchi, Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer 

Yellowstone photos Part 1 are up on Flickr.

Looking back over photos I am reminded how incredible our world is. Erin and I agreed that being among so many incredible natural wonders served to remind us of how amazing our God is to have created such an explorable and intricate planet. Our trip was, if nothing else, breathtaking.

Rain: A Northwest Original

Rain. They were right, they being anyone who says to you, "It's rainy there," when you say, "I'm moving to Portland." I wasn't sure before moving here how the constant rain would feel to me: bitter? gray? wet? ugly? mystical? cold? depressing? rejuvenating? inspiring? calming?.

For the past week a pale gray haze descended upon us and the few deciduous trees, mostly intentionally planted by people along parking lots and public roads, lost leaves in an array of colors. I found myself, more than once, standing at the drive-thru window (not happy about being there) looking outside. I would lean over when no cars were nearby and look out across the target parking lot and around 7am the most beautiful glow would appear. The orange street lights would reflect off the wet pavement and the orange and red leaves scattered about and the gray hazy fog created a mystical silence.

The leaves are slowly being washed away by the rain and a soft wind that occasionally blows but the colors do not (and I imagine will not) disappear. This morning I stood out on my balcony, drinking my cup of coffee, and watched as a light rain fell and the wind pushed the evergreens from side to side. I have a most beautiful view of a small forest from my window and the balcony below it. The scene whispers calm. Even the sound of car wheels sloshing down the pavement does not disturb the peace of the pitter-patter of raindrops now falling on the roof above me.

So far, I'm okay with the rain, and once I get a more proper (and warmer) rain jacket I'll be ready for more.

The Daily Grind (that should totally be the name of a coffee shop if it isn't already.)

A routine has slowly made its way into my daily life. I'm working early - almost always early, which is new, but surprisingly nice. I have begun to go to bed early almost every night and wake up fairly early in the morning even when I'm off. Opening here means being at work at 4:15 which shouldn't feel so much earlier than 4:30, but it does. However, I find it's slowly getting easier, and I absolutely LOVE having a more consistent schedule.

The afternoon routine is the harder one to figure out. I've been trying to work on getting a writing schedule down, but it's harder than I imagined to sit down to my computer or a notebook and not be distracted. I get lonely; I miss Ben. And then I end up watching reruns online - which, by the way, is not a good pattern.

I have, however, been walking/jogging for about a week now. Nothing to get too excited about, but I've established a decent working-out routine which should eventually feed into the writing routine by giving me energy in the afternoons. If only I wasn't hungry all the time and didn't have such time-consuming cooking habits.

I do enjoy being in the kitchen, though, and Jena has a gas stove! I've only been making vegetable pastas and simple rice dishes, but it feels so nice to come home and cook and sit down to a book (or a rerun). My hope is to spend an afternoon and make some soup to freeze for quicker meals in the afternoons when I have more writing to do so I won't spend so much time cooking and cleaning my dishes. We'll see. If anyone has any good "freezable" soup recipes, I'm all ears. I can only eat white chicken chili so many times before I begin to need a little variety.

Oh, and I'm still working on getting more photos up, but I have uploaded South Dakota which includes the Badlands!

Photos are Up!

I finally have uploaded the first batch of photos from the trip with more to follow very soon. I want to title each photo order them by day so I'll be able to keep them organized online and on my computer. Enjoy and keep checking back for more. Maybe I'll try to blog some highlight "stories" in the coming weeks too!

Photos

I Finally Made it to Oregon... A Week Ago

Thank you for being patient with my delay in posting! We arrived last Monday evening after a last day of driving through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Erin and I both adored Coeur D'Alene, ID. The people were so friendly and these two kind ladies at the visitor center gave us Idaho pins, which we agreed were one of the best souvenirs (up there with the Yellowstone mug which I've since used and will enjoy through the winter). We made a quick stop in Spokane for another round of Clubfoot Sandwiches from the last Staggering Ox we would meet unless either of us ever decides to return to Montana. Then we set in for a long haul through Eastern Oregon along the Columbia River and into Portland.

So far everything is going well. I'm slowly acquiring the necessary furniture and putting my room together. I have successfully removed all of my suitcases and piles and bags of belongings from both the living room and the hallway. They are all in place in my room (it feels nice not to have too many "things"), but not everything will have a home until I have a bed and, therefore, an under the bed. I do have a set of beautiful bookcases that are home to both books and clothing that I've stealthily hid behind attachable doors. (I love Ikea!) And I am the proud owner of a very comfortable mattress which will soon have a bed to live upon.

I also enjoyed my first day of work today. The people all seemed nice and the cafe isn't too busy. Apparently they do 90% of their business out the drive-thru window. I'm not really looking forward to working drive-thru, but maybe I'll feel differently after I've given it a shot. The roughest part today was in the small stuff. The milk jug labels here are opposite colors (light blue for 2% and dark blue for Non-fat) which makes grabbing the right kind of milk more difficult than you'd think. Also, the bar flows in the opposite direction from the register so I was a little turned around all day and the bars are the older version which I've used before, but not in a while. Mostly though, it was a normal day of work! Tomorrow will likely be a little more stressful.

Pictures galore from the Road Trip are coming! Hopefully in the next few days. So check back if you're interested.

Peace.

Don't Cause a Bear Jam in Glacier

Today was glacier. We hiked for a solid 4 hours to Avalanche Lake. The trail was beautiful with snow drifting down around us, but it was not too cold.

By the time we came back to our car we were exhuasted and since the middle of the road was closed and the drove to the other entrance would have taken over an hour we decided to begin our final leg to Oregon. We should be there tomorrow afternoon, a little earlier than originally planned. My car is MORE than ready to be unpacked, and I know I will be happy to finally have arrived.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More Missoula, Montana

Today we enjoyed a little more Missoula. We had the staggering ox clubfoot sandwiches. Delicious.

We also did some hiking too and then found soup at the Good Food Store, this amazing grocery store. Now we're watching a movie and enjoying not being blown over by the crazy wind outside.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Small Town Mosey

Yesterday we drove only 3-4 hours and arrived in the smallish Montana town of Missoula, home of the University of Montana. We decided a day of rest was in order and so parked our car and moseyed for a few hours, found a very local deli, drank some tea at a very local coffee shop, took a short (but very steep) hike to the M, and found a hotel just off the main drag so we could walk from there and see the town at night.

This place is local! I love it! I think we're going to walk to the Saturday farmers market this morning and possibly find some hiking. Then Glacier National Park, somewhere in Idaho, and our final destination.

You Know You're on an Adventure When an Elk Saunters by Your Car

Yesterday was all Yellowstone. We woke up early and drove down from our hostel in Bozeman, MT. There is no possible way I could tell you about the amazing and unique things we saw in the space I'm allowed when typing this from my phone. I'll suffice to say it was snowy, there were mountains, and steam came out of the ground in spots all over the park. Every view was worth a picture. (I'll post my lengthy assortment after we arrive on Portland!) Here's a small taste of the photos to come.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mount Rushmore

We mostly drove today, but not until after a quick trip into the black hills and a visit to a national monument: Mount Rushmore.



From there we travelled through a little of Wyoming and into Montana to Bozeman just north of Yellowstone for the night. Tomorrow will be filled with adventures through another wonderful national park.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

South Dakota has been Good to Us.

Corn Palace.
A drive through the plains.
76 signs for Wall Drug.
Some hiking in the Badlands.
Dinner in Wall at the Cactus Cafe after discovering Wall Drug was closed.
Arrive in Rapid City in preparation for Mount Rushmore tomorrow morning.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

5 States, Lots of Corn

We visited a wopping 5 states today: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Missouri was the same as yesterday, Kansas was disappointing, Iowa is inhabited entirely of corn, Omaha is surprisingly fun, and Sioux Falls, SD has caribou coffee and interesting Japanese food as well as falls which should be obvious from the name.

Today was long. Tomorrow should be a little more scenic once we arrive at the Badlands after we visit the world's only Corn Palace. Erin and I agree, though, that the world probably only needs one corn palace.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Throwed Rolls and the Gateway to the West

I'm on my way, and with Erin aboard. We hit the road this morning and headed a little west and a little north before deciding to detour just a bit and change our course to make a stop at Lambert's, home of the throwed rolls. We then made our way further north to St. Louis where we officially started our trip west with a walk under the arch.

Tomorrow should take us through 6 states! We're planning an originally unplanned stop in Minnesota since Erin hasn't been before.

Preparing my Oxen and Packing Food and Supplies

I recently looked back at my first entry to this blog and smiled at the way things can come full circle. Here I am, writing once again on the brink of another travel adventure. So many little tasks creep up before these adventures that I know I will likely forget something, though I hope I don't. Also, I've had so many things to prepare I don't feel as though I've spent nearly enough time thinking about the road trip that will take me to my new home (the location overall, Ben, not the actual building where I will be living, which we'll refer to as my new room in Jena's condo, though I'm sure it will be home in no time). I purchased my first AAA membership at Ben's recommendation and received a handy card and phone number in the case of any Road Side Emergencies. I've also been told that the Steins have sent a TripTik my way that I can't wait to peruse.

Our itinerary of cities and destinations:


St. Louis, MO
Kansas City, KS
Omaha, NE
A little piece of Iowa
the Badlands
Rapid City, SD (Mount Rushmore)
Billings, MT
Yellowstone in Wyoming
Missoula, MT
Glacier National Park
Parts of Washington, perhaps through Spokane
Portland, OR

Erin and I were originally going to go through Salt Lake City, UT but we heard great things about Missoula and Glacier and so changed our minds and decided to head north. Not too much longer and we'll be on the road.

Unfortunately, the worst part about a new adventure is saying goodbye, even though I know so many good things await. I think I'm just ready to be on the other side of these goodbyes. They aren't going to be easy.

To end on a lighter note, for anyone who knows the current me and wants to laugh, please read this previous post from the very beginning of my blogging days before I went to Italy:

Blackstone Merlot and Bongo Java Coffee

Even the Little Steps Count

I'm beginning my own local food project. But I do emphasize beginning. As I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I am both motivated and discouraged. I want to support local farmers, and I want to lessen my "carbon footprint" as I so often hear these days, but I don't live on or near a farm! I don't even have a yard. In fact, I don't really even have a stable kitchen as I'm moving in a little over a month.

However, I cannot deny the value in small steps. I may not be able to sustain myself or commit to only eating local food, but I can stop by the farmers market for fresh (and better) tomatoes and squash and spring onions. I can buy local honey, which also supposedly helps with seasonal allergies. And I can return to my old favorite - The Produce Place on Murphy Road. Ever since I moved to the other side of town, I rarely get over that way, but they sell all or mostly local produce as well as local milk (which is delicious).

In the chapter I just finished in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver discusses canning tomatoes. I'd love to go that extra mile, but this is where I run into the no space, no time, no way issue. So, I'll settle for doing the best I can with what I've got. I"ll settle for little steps moving in the right direction, and I'll get there eventually.

Local Food and Supporting Farmers

Confession: I'm still learning and researching the topic.

But... I've been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and would recommend it to anyone looking for a book on the benefits of eating locally grown food. Barbara Kingsolver and her family commit to eating all locally grown food for an entire year. They make their own cheese from local cows' milk, they grow their own vegetables and buy from local Farmers' Markets, they locate locally produced grain to purchase to make bread, and they even raise their own chickens for both eggs and meat. The book begins in April at the beginning of the growing season. I'm not too much past June, but I'm already inspired.

I'm looking into ways to adapt the ideas she presents and the problems she reports with transporting food across nations and continents into my own food culture. I live in a small apartment far from a farm, so my choices are much more limited than Kingsolvers, but I'd love to see how feasible it is for a single girl, living in an urban neighborhood, to move toward this type of lifestyle. I'll let you know what I come up with.

P.S. The Smoothie for the week is Strawberry Peach. (I'm enundated with Strawberries right now!)

Green Options

During a bit of internet perusal I recently came across a blog, Green Options. Perhaps it is more of a collection of blogs, all focused on discussing greener options for our world. They discuss food-growing methods, handmade goods, starting green businesses, fuel-efficient cars, and so much more. My favorite section is the Family and Lifestyle section which includes four distinct blogs, Crafting a Green World, Eat. Live. Better., Eco Child's Play, and Feelgood Style.

I recently discovered two contests through Green Options which I decided to post here. Threadless.com is hosting a design a green t-shirt contest that I'm dying to enter if I can only come up with a good enough idea. Today, Kelly Rand, a featured curator on Etsy, posted another contest for Upcycled Projects through Sublime Stitching.

Strawberry Banana Goodness

Ever since I tasted the freshness of in season, local food, I've been on the move toward a more natural lifestyle. I began by shopping at farmers markets when possible and choosing All Natural food choices at the grocery store. The benefits, I think, far exceed the added costs of purchasing natural products. Also, there is a difference in natural and organic. I haven't yet committed to organic in the same way I have committed to natural, but it's certainly not out of the question. When possible I still aim to purchase organic as well. Organic has more to do with farming methods, while natural ingredients refers to items that are free of preservatives and other chemical additives.

My newest personal 'fad' is smoothies. I've been playing around with them for a month now, and since my roommate provided me with some handy smoothie recipe cards, I've decided to have a smoothie of the week. I'm hoping this will allow me to have plenty of ingredients on hand without having an overflowing freezer. I can focus on having only one recipe's ingredients at a time, while perfecting the proportions and experimenting with alterations before moving on. I'd also like to add this to my list of in season food options, using seasonal fruit whenever possible. This week's smoothie: Strawberry Banana Goodness.

Journals, Conferences, and the possibility of travel

My shop is now open!

awfullybigadventures.etsy.com

And I've already made two sales. With the shop open I don't see much in that way of hope for my kitchen table getting any cleaner, but I do see the potential for some books to be made. I recently made two out of green with slightly lighter green text pages. I'm also looking in to experimenting with the fabric from a broken umbrella to make something slightly waterproof. I just have to determine the best way to accomplish that.

My work for FOCUS, a conference for children's educators, is picking up rather quickly. This past week I worked in the office and we got the workshop descriptions I had been editing ready for and then up on the web. The final web preparation was an all day affair. complete with a lot of editing and moving things around and pdfs. Next on the list is assisting in room assignments for the actual conference and then beginning to pull the program book together. I foresee some long days ahead.

Despite the project requiring a lot of time (and much more to come), I've really enjoyed working on it and hope to find more like it in the future. I've had the opportunity to write and edit content for the website, e-mails, and other publicity; I'm hosting a facebook group for the event; I will have the opportunity to compile and work on the program book; and I'll be attending the event and just discovered I'll be in charge of taking care of the exercise groups. Each task is unique and challenging in its own way and has given me the opportunity to see how much I enjoy this type of work.

Workshop Descriptions

Also, I'm hoping to plan some sort of travel in the near future. Any ideas?