a little time in portland, oregon

jon and i whisked ourselves away for a weekend in portland. our reason for going was to see my baby brother and spend some time with him on his birthday. he. is. 26. unbelievable.

we were also lucky enough to visit with laini and jim over pancakes saturday and then with judy over eggs and french toast on sunday.

laini and jim just make me smile. their love for one another is such fun to be around and i love listening to them talk about their work. we had a lively talk about the incredible animals laini is researching while writing and the amazing creatures jon and i are watching on planet earth. (are you watching this show? if not, you MUST. you simply must. the creatures of planet earth will rock your world.) i think jon and i could laugh and talk with these two for days on end.

and judy...dear judy. i was lucky enough to connect with her at artfest and it was such a joy to see her again so soon. after breakfast, when jon and i talked about all she teaches with her words, i started calling her “judy the wise.” she simply “gets it.” and shares what she gets and what she has learned from living her life. she reminds me to remember myself, which is quite a beautiful gift.

my soul feels rejuvenated after the weekend. even as i seem to travel between grumpy and fearful and overwhelmed and peaceful and sad and full of joy and grumpy again...connecting with these folks, and my brother and his inspiring, adorable, and kind girlfriend, and my husband...this has been a needed deep breath.

jon and i had fun exploring antique malls and bookstores and streets full of construction (okay, that last part was sometimes frustrating...there is so much construction there!). we stayed at this funky new hotel (the ace hotel) and enjoyed the whimsical, hip nature of the place and the fact that is was one, that’s right folks, one block from powells. we did not so much enjoy the techno drunk inspired noise outside our hotel until well after 2:30 a.m. both nights. i had the oddest dreams there. if we stay again, we will request a room that does not face the front of the building.

i have more to share and say…but i think i need to spend time laughing until my cheeks hurt again…that’s right. another hour to waste watching “thank god you’re here.” because, well, lately i am thinking that it just isn’t a bad thing to laugh until your cheeks hurt. nope. on a day like today, full of grief for many families connected to a school across the country, we can hope that some of the joy of that laughter manifests itself however it is needed.

and just a note to say thanks for stopping by. i know i haven’t been writing as often as i usually do or sharing the guts of stuff like i usually do (or writing about artfest like i promised or sharing photos of the prayer flags i really am making). but just know that your words and just knowing you are out there living in your lives and doing the “heavy lifting” and getting it…just knowing that makes this girl feel part of something. thank you for that.