Today was full of beautiful things!

It all started a few weeks ago when the boyfriend said, "I want to take you on a fancy date!"  Well, if you insist...  So after taking the time to get dolled up this morning, it was off to Portland.  He planned the whole day and it was lovely.  He took me to the Portland Art Museum.  We saw Cezane's and Degas's and Renoir's and Van Gogh's and Monet's and Picasso's--we saw Rodin statues!  Then we indulged in delightful food!  He knows I've been studying for a French exam next week and found a darling, delicious French restaurant, Little Bird Bistro (un petit oiseau).  If you get the chance, check it out.  I had chicken fried trout with pickled radish and carrots drizzled in the most exquisite aioli.  For dessert, we shared an apple cheddar crumble with apple cider ice cream - ah! Delectable!  Then we took in the beauty of Nolan's scientific imaginings... a wondrous thing to be sure.  "Love is the one thing that transcends time and space."  Sigh... The film made me so glad I live on planet Earth--and so, so grateful for community!

Like I said, full of beautiful things.  And now, off to dreamland.  Bonne nuit!

Powell's Purchases

This weekend my older sister, Melissa, and I got to go on a rare and long-awaited girls' getaway to Portland.  It. was. splendid!

Of course we took a trip to Powell's, so I wanted to give you a little rundown on the winners :)

[right before succumbing to a basket]

 \\ Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.  I read both of these this summer and blogged about them here.  I had borrowed a friend's copies, but, after reading, really wanted my own set to mark up, reference, and loan out.  Checkity-check.

\\ First Meetings by Orson Scott Card.  A set of short, origin stories in the Enderverse - including the original 1977 "Ender's Game" short story - was just too much to pass up.  

\\ Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  I'd been wanting to read this book since I saw the trailer for this adaptation 2 years ago.  Since then, every visit to Powell's has included me at least considering this book.  On Saturday, I finally caved.  Can't wait to read it :)

\\ [not pictured] The Everlasting Man and The Ball and the Cross by GK Chesterton.  Because Chesterton.  The first is theology; the latter, a novel.  I've heard good things of both and Chesterton is good for the mind in so many ways!

\\ a few gifts for people that may or may not have been featured here.

It was a fabulous visit to Powell's and, while searching for different GKC works (he's in fiction, mystery, theology, mysticism, and literary criticism :), I struck up a conversation with a Powell's employee about how great Chesterton was, how exciting Pope Francis is, etc. [as you do].  She wrote out all the different stacks for me to check and then, before letting me loose to hunt for Chesterton, gave me a 10% off coupon.  Score!  

Love love love Powell's :)

Portlandia

So, I was about to update you all on last weekend's road trip - Vancouver, B.C. to see Mumford & Sons - but I realized I started, but never finished my post on the last road trip I took - Portland, OR as one of six "wild" ladies (my dad's descriptor ;).  But that weekend and these pictures are too fun not to share!  Plus, it's enormous fun re-living that weekend. 

So here goes...

* * * * * * * * *

It was the first weekend in April (I know, I'm like 2 months behind).  And a group of us piled into two cars, complete with latte's, good music, and smartphones (read: Instagram).  What an adventure!

I count myself really lucky just to have conversations with these amazing, smart, creative, gorgeous ladies. 



[Quasi-candid pic of our pit-stop on the way down.]

 Some of the ladies had either never been to Portland, or had never done a proper downtown excursion. So there were a couple must-see places.

The first,(and most important) stop being: Powell's City of Books, naturally :)



[Street musician just outside of Powell's]





[Myself, Kayla, and Ashley... second weekend excursion in a row for the "Crawley Sisters"]





[Becca & Cami]

Sizzle Pie is a little, punk-pizzeria kitty-corner to Powell's.  It's quite delish.  And you should go sometime :)

[Regina's personal pizza... just kidding.  a bunch of us split that.]



[I really, really love these ladies :) ]




[I really liked this shot too!]

Next stop:  Ace Hotel!  Someday, I'm gonna stay here.  But for now, their lobby and mezzanine are quite enough to explore!



[Ace Hotel Mezzanine - love the poem on the wall and I have an obsession with small, letter sized drawers]




[photographs of photography - it happened a lot this trip]





[A scrumptious dinner at Clyde Common, also part of Ace Hotel]

I told the girls this at dinner that night.  But, it's worth repeating.  I'm incredibly grateful for friends who are so genuine.  Friends who no how to have fun without alcohol or clubs or craziness.  Friends who are just packed with fun.  Ladies who know their value and have chosen to not settle for anything less than God's best and highest adventure for their lives.  Really, really grateful.



[How stunning is she?! C'est tres chic!]

 

[These gals are just such fun!]




[camera-baby]

Another favorite spot in Portland is the thoroughly French cafe, St. Honore's.  We rounded out our Saturday evening with another round of lattes and headed back to our hotel for a Moonrise Kingdom viewing :)


[St. Honore's]



[My pictures don't do it justice - Mother's Bistro]



Sunday Morning we did brunch at Mother's Bistro.  Oh my word!  I would go back to Portland just to have brunch there!  Such a delightful place!  And the food was yummm!



[Thanks to our barista for that amazing window shot!]

We meandered here & there that afternoon before regrouping at Barista.  They've won all sorts of competitions and our resident barista (Becca) was so glad to make the stop.  Bonuses: the decor was super fun and we got to watch them do pour-over coffee.  Fascinating!



[lurve these ladies]



After Barista, we found a stair case with exposed brick and were having a fabulous little photo shoot when we though, hey, where might these stairs lead? Well, it turns out they led up to the most amazing loft unit - with big windows & exposed brick - that just so happened to be left open on the weekend.



[a smidgen of mischief]

 So we did a photoshoot.  I'll let Cami post the awesome band-photos that came out of that one (ahem, Cami ;).  But here's a hint at just how cool this place was.


[another street musician in the Pearl District]



[Victorian Authors make just about the bestest of friends!]

On our way to dinner, 3 of us got a bit turned around (oops).  But we ended up near the Library downtown.  It has benches all the way around it with author's names engraved on them.  May be hard to make out, but we got pics with some of our favorites :)



[a weekend to not soon be forgotten]


And a final dinner at Portland City Grille.  Another "high"-ly recommended spot in Portland (forgive the pun!).  It's a fabulous restaurant some 30 stories up overlooking the city and the river.  Great food & they had a live pianist playing pop hits - Thriftshop on the piano had people all over the restaurant singing along and smiling. 

It made for a wonderful last hurrah before 3 of us headed home (the other 3 had an extra day to spend in Portland - lucky ducks).



[goodbye, Portland]



It was quick, but it was precious.  Dreaming & scheming & laughing & eating with these 5 was a hilight of my Spring.  I suspect some very good things shall come of it.

Including more road trips.

Till next time.

portlandia in pictures

So, a few weeks back two of my good friends (one old, one new =) took a weekend trip to Portland. What a fabulous time we had! Yummy food, meaningful conversations, great books, British theatre, and two amazing ladies--what more could a girl ask for? =)

Though I'd share just a few shots with you:

[First stop =]



[So grateful for these two!]




[fun restaurant they were in he process of creating--had to take a peek]

 

[Sherlock moment! "I'm Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone because no one can compete with my MASSIVE INTELLECT!!!"]





[reading at St. Honore's]



[such a favorite]



[yum! They take French baking seriously--even their oven bricks come from France]




[Lois lovely with a favorite]




[fun and delicious pizzas]




[cutie!]





[the writer]



Can't wait to plan another trip to Portland, but for now, I have a stack of books from Powell's to work through and some lovely memories to ponder on. Parfait!

So... I had a phone interview today and it went really well. I should hear back by tuesday if they want to do an in-person interview [finger's crossed!]. For those of you curious, its a receptionist position in Bellevue. It sounds like a pretty great opportunity. I'll keep you posted ;)


Tonight, I'm off to celebrate these two lovely people on their Big Day!

[Stoked for Tyson + Elsa]

And then, just getting everything sorted for a little road trip tomorrow =)

[via]

Happy Friday, everyone, and here's to a great weekend!!

Crossed some things off the Summer bucket-list today:

• See Avengers
• Go to a movie alone
• Booked hotel for the little Frankenstein weekend with the girls next week =)

Tomorrow...

[via]

I'm heading out on my first, solo-road trip.

I am beyond excited!

I've been to Portland countless times... but its always been to visit family, and the city has become this fabulous, adventurous place without me even realizing it.

Several weeks ago when I found out I would have an 18-day long spring break (yes-18 glorious days!), the Lord suggested I try and get away. So here we go!

I'm going to be staying with my Aunt and Uncle, visiting my grandparents, and hanging out with a friend from Oxford (!!!). But other than that, I have very few plans. I'm going to visit Powell's and hopefully a few other fun spots... but I think there will be a lot of extemporaneous adventures--which is out of the ordinary for me.

[via]

I fully expect to get lost a couple times, and I have no doubt that I'll spend more money on books than clothes, but I think it will be such a fabulous time.

And I just have to give a shout out to my amazing Dad!

This morning he goes, "Now, we're getting an oil change today to make sure the car is fine, and I filled up yesterday so you should have a full tank of gas. And here's my AAA card if you have any emergencies." Oh... so precious! So grateful for him =)

Well, you can be on the look out for adventures in Portlandia over the next several days.

Until then I'll just be packing, getting my maps in order, and picking the perfect playlist for the trip down =)