Day One

Yesterday we began packing up the truck and our life, trying to make it all fit into a space no longer than 8' long (we would get charged extra for going over 8'). Tim, poor boy, had to load the truck virtually by himself. Our friend Steve was great about coming by, helping with the couch and boxes we had already packed, but he had to go home to get ready for his class. I had to run around doing last minute errands for a good part of the day. That meant Tim was the only one moving boxes into the truck.

And why is it that it seems that no matter how much you have packed, you always have more to do, and it seems like you will never possibly be done? We were packing and cleaning past midnight then got up bright and early to finish up.

At the end of day one, we are safely in a La Quinta in Caldwell, Idaho, near Boise. (If you have pets, and travel, stay at La Quinta. They are really great). I now love Myra more than ever, because she was a complete angel today and last night, even when she had no reason to be. Her whole world has turned upside down and inside out, and then had an 8-hour car ride. She was flat and quiet for most of the trip, and she was annoying us initially because she was refusing to go poo, but then we realized she would let us know when it was urgent, and she did. The only real side effect to all this change is that she seems more clingy with both of us. If one of us leaves her sight, she gets whiny and pacy and wants to come with us. But I'm sure she will get back to normal when her world normalizes.

It's weird to know that we have left Portland and Oregon only this morning. It seems longer and further away from when we got in the car this morning. The drive proved exactly how changeable Oregon is. We went from city to lush green fertileness in the Gorge, to flat desert area to an area with mountains and evergreens that looked like Idaho, to these really cool hills in shades of brown, red and green that were really pretty to drive through.

Myra asleep now, and we are one day closer to our new life.

Goodbye to Portland

Last night was my last outdoor exercise class, and it was a nice way to say goodbye to the city. We ran down by the river, and the sun came out after a day of rain and clouds. I got to look at how beautiful Portland is, run by a lot of things I've run by a good number of times, and see my favorite light. It's hard to describe, but the air is really clear here, and once in a while, when the light is right, things kind of glow and have this shimmering clarity around them. That light was out last night.

I usually end up running with Kim, but for at least part of it, I was running by myself, which gave me space to say my mental goodbyes to this city.

Even though Portland didn't end up working out for us, I'm so glad we came out here. I always wanted to live on the west coast and I'm glad I got the chance to realize that dream. I discovered that I am really a trail runner at heart. I reconnected with my inner wild nature child. In Mass...it's harder to feel connected to the earth and nature, because everything is so developed, and now I realize how important it is for me to be around trees and undeveloped areas. Since people out here are so green and environmentally conscious, it made me more aware of little things I can do to make a difference. I feel like I've grown here and rediscovered/discovered parts of me I either forgot about or hadn't yet met.

But now as I sit looking at the truck sitting on our street, waiting for us to load our stuff onto it, and we prepare to move once again...I find myself desperately wanting to be settled. I think Tim and I are going to really work to make North Carolina stick. Lisa stopped by to say goodbye to us and to myrawonderpup, and after she left, I was just a mess. I'm so tired of leaving friends, starting over someplace new with no friends, no one I can call to get coffee when I need to talk. I have three really great, close friends, Lisa, Rosemary and Mik, and now I officially won't live near any of them. I know I will make new friends, but it's hard to leave and uproot and start over again.

Right now, I'm in an ending place, and endings are always hard. Once I switch to a beginning place, things will seem fun and exciting and I'll be looking forward to new adventures. Now I am honoring and remembering what we have here and saying goodbye.

Amazing women

I love this women's outdoor exercise group that I go to on a regular basis. I love running in the woods, and connecting with the earth and slowing down during pilates and yoga and just enjoying the lovely green-ness of Portland.

But the women who take the class are just amazing people, and have stories of other amazing women.

One of the women received some money from her mother, so she quit her job to pursue her writing and art.

One met her husband while they were Peace Corps volunteers in Africa, and she just took her two little girls to her village for the first time.

Another is a mother to five-year-old triplets. Oy!

Today, I heard a story of the instructor's mother's friend. She had seven children, was pregnant with her eighth, when her husband was killed. She was a singer and performer who was asked to perform at the opening of the Amway in Michigan in the Tootsie Van Kelly salon. She became "Tootsie Van Kelly," complete with outrageous boas and wigs. Apparently, through it all, she always managed to smile and love life and just conquer whatever challenges came her way.

I'm so glad I came across this group. I love it for how it makes me feel and the people I meet.

where the hell did portland winter go??

Things are officially backwards. It was warmer in Mass all week than it was here before we left and when we got back. It is so cold out my hands start hurting almost immediately (granted it's only low-mid 30s, but for here, that's really cold). Other than the big storm that swept through here when we were in Mass, it's been really dry here.

Hello? Weather gods? We specifically moved here to get AWAY from the cold weather.

Le sigh.

home and recovering

Got home late last night from our Christmas trip back east after many, many delays at both airports (Logan and JFK). I have never been so happy to get into our bed, which I now appreciate even more. Sleeping on our old mattress at my parents hurt our back every night, so we never slept all that well.

Even though the week was really busy, it was so great to see everyone (although it was too much time with my mom toward the end, she was getting to me almost immediately). Spent a lot of time with Mik and Bry, got to see Chris briefly, saw our friends Diane and Mike and Tim got to meet Princess Lily (their 1-year old). Got to see Kris and Jeff (family I always babysat for growing up, and they were definitely my second family. I love them.) and then had a great visit with Rosemary, my college roommate. It's so great to spend time with friends who know everything about you, know your history and sore spots and who you are just always comfortable with.

Today was recovery day, because by the end of the trip, I felt AWFUL. Bloaty, upset stomach, bad skin, splotchy face, severely chapped lips, tired, dehydrated, blah blah. Slept with Myra Wonderpup whenever I was tired, drank lots and lots of the amazing Portland water (I'm convinced that the hard water back east contributed to my skin problems, my stomach problems and my constant feeling of dehydration, no matter how much I would drink). I deliberately had only liquids today (water and protein shakes) to get my body back to normal.

And I know now that good quality skin products are worth EVERY penny. One day washing with Aveda and my skin is looking more normal, and Tim's skin is way less dry than it was in Mass.

As a result, I actually feel human again. Seeing our friends and family is a lot of fun, it just takes a lot out of me! And it's also really nice to be home, and back with the wonderpup. :)

Why I don't like going out to bars

All rolled in one evening.

This woman Kelly called me yesterday, she started at OHSU in the marketing department as a project manager right before we left, and we hit it off right away. I liked talking to her, she's cool and interesting. Plus, she's been working as a contractor for a long time, so it's good to get tips from her. We've stayed in touch since I left (two weeks!)

I had suggested going to this puppet improv theater thing, but it was $20 per person and we all decided that was a little steep. She suggested meeting at this bar that was close to both of us.

We get there, go into THE TACKIEST, diviest bar I've seen in a long time. Walls are blood red. Wretchedly bad art on the walls. And it is super small and a band is setting up. That means the farthest you can be from the music is about 12'. We sit down and are waiting for about ten minutes, no one comes up to give us water, get our order, we are patently ignored. When Kelly and her boyfriend finally show up (more than 15 mins late), I immediately dislike the boyfriend. I described him to Tim afterwards as "He's trying desperately to be what you are naturally, but he's really bad at it." He was trying to be sarcastic and witty and say insulting things that actually come off as funny. But he wasn't intelligent enough for that, so he just comes off like an asshole.

There is virtually no food offered there (not even french fries, what kind of lame ass bar doesn't have french fries), bad beer (meant a coke for me) and then the wretchedly bad music started.

And only that morning Tim and I had been talking about how there's not much to do in Portland, unless you go out to a bar. I had said I would start trying to go to more...and last night cured that for both of us. Ug.

Dogs R Us

From Dog Fancy Magazine...Portland was ranked the most dog friendly city! I can't say I'm surprised. Back east in Mass, there is nothing to compare how dog-friendly Portland is. There are off-leash dog parks all over the city, dog daycares in almost every neighborhood, coffee shops that have dog treats available, stores all over that leave water out for dogs, restaurants and businesses where you can bring your dog in with you, not to mention the tons of hiking trails that are everywhere, and the fact that you see so many people with dogs but rarely find poo lying around. I love it. Yay Portland!

www.dogfancy.com

Welcome to DogTown USA
The City of Roses tops the list of this year's dog-friendliest towns.
By Kyra Kirkwood

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." These words by John Howard Payne echo in the barks of dogs living in canine-friendly towns and cities throughout the United States.

In DOG FANCY's second annual DogTown USA contest, we researched, ranked, and rated cities across the nation to discover the best of the best. During our evaluation, we considered access to top veterinary professionals, dog parks, and canine-friendly businesses, as well as shelter-euthanasia rates and owner responsibility. No bone was left unburied.

Although our top cities vary in location, climate, and general atmosphere, nearly all have one thing in common: Dogs are not just possessions, but family members. So where is DogTown USA this year? We chose Portland, Ore., for its unmatched geography, trend-setting attitude, and general canine-centric perfection.

roller derby!!

We went to our first roller derby match last night, it's fairly popular in Portland, and it was soo much fun. It's all women teams, everyone has great, crazy stage names -- Sharon Hate, Soul Train, Madame Bumps a lot, Fire Crotch, Apocolipstick, etc. It was the grand championship, with the High Rollers going up against the Break Neck Betties, and the Guns N' Rollers facing the Heartless Heathers.

We went with Lisa and Steve, and it was such a party. It attracted everyone from parents with kids to people who dress up in trashy roller derby costumes to everything in between. The first match, between the High Rollers and the Break-neck Betties was kind of lame, it was slow and not well played. And then when the other teams started, it got so much better. These girls are great skaters, we ended up rooting for the Heartless Heathers, who won, but they only had a few point lead throughout the entire match. Everyone goes crazy when their team scores, and we were all in the stands screaming and cheering for the Jammer, the girl who scores the points, to skate faster, and cheering more when they hit girls from the other team. Such a riot.

www.rosecityrollers.com

They are having tryouts in the middle of the month, for the Fresh Meat team. I totally want to try out!