Day #3

I couldn’t be happier that tomorrow is Friday.

Not only is it the end of a very long work week, but the live in also returns home.

I have missed him.

*Oh, one bonus to live in being gone…I have been sleeping amazingly well.

{Please don’t tell him.}

Taking Off

I am loving this photo! Makes me want to go somewhere...

{photo via Brown Button}

Day #2

On day #2 I am reminded of what a slob I would be without my live in husband.

I have found myself reverting to old college days and have instantly lost the few ladylike skills I may have once had.

I was late to work, I got a pedicure without leaving a tip (totally blanked it, I have no idea why – this is NOT normal), I did one load of laundry that turned a baby blue top pink,

and I ate very, very expired soup for dinner.

Oh Live In, please hurry home. Won’t you?

Day #1

Even though the live in and I saw each other this morning, it already feels like he has been gone forever.

He is in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am in Portland, Oregon.

I miss him.

I intentionally didn’t make any plans for going out tonight. I need at least one night to get caught up with things and relax.

Things like…

• Watching Out of the Wild.
• Performing a reverse tint on my eyebrows. (I have recently been getting my eyebrows tinted. Normally, I love the extra bit of fullness it gives my strawberry brows, but yesterday’s tint was a little on the dark side. I look like the octomom. But, apparently with the squeeze of one lemon I can not only make a Lemon Drop but also scale back this dark look I am donning.)
• Picking out a camp ground for a summer trip with friends.
• Ordering Polaroid film. (I can’t wait until it gets here! It’s been years since I have used my Polaroid camera and I am so excited to bring it out of hibernation.)

Who knows what day #2 without my live in will be like…

...

Rome

{Rome, Italy}

...

I just re-found this photo of mine. I think it's one of my favorites.

The live in and I adore Italy.

One day I will start to learn Italian {again}.

Home Alone

My live in husband is living out for most of this week.

He’ll be traveling for work.

But, guess what he did? Yesterday he went to the grocery store and made sure I had enough food for while he is gone. He knows me so well.

He came home with exactly what I needed…one block of pepper jack cheese and a family size bag of Nacho Verde Doritos.

He loves me.

Portland. New. Restaurant.

Have you heard of Beast?

Travel and Leisure just named this Portland restaurant amongst the 50 Best New U.S. Restaurants.

"What is BEAST??? An adventurous eaters paradise. A Restaurant with a European edge- with a nod to the French, and roots in the Local farm Scene. Each Day Chef Naomi Pomeroy along with her Sous Chef Mika Paredes, develop menus based on what sounds great, right and true for One Day in time.BEAST is prix fixe. There are no choices."

I am putting this spot on our list of new places to try…after all; I can’t imagine a better name for a restaurant,

especially one with such attitude.

Love that.

A Fun Photo Session

My brother and his fiancée asked me to take some engagement photos for them.

We had a fun day and loved the photos we got.

Here are some of my faves…

What Would Miss Manners Say?

I have been waiting all year to wear a particular pair of shoes. They are white. There are rules with white. I would never think of wearing white pants prior to Memorial Day, but what about white shoes?

I wore them today, nervously. Afraid of all the Miss Manners graduates shaming me for my fashion ignorance.

However, rest easy my friends. According to one of my most fabulous co-workers Easter is the cutoff. I don’t know if this same rule applies in the South, but I guess that’s one point for the beautiful Northwest.

4.22.09

Happy Earth Day, my friends!

Do you have a Dutch Bros near by? In celebration of Earth Day bring in your own mug and get any beverage for only $1.00! (Check with your specific location to make sure this sweet deal is valid.)

Love!

A friend at work turned me on to this blog and, let’s be honest my friends, it has become an obsession of mine. I absolutely love it. Even if we can’t be in Milan, Paris, or NY every weekend at least we can pretend…

One day, when I grow up, perhaps I’ll work for my new obsession, The Sartorialist.

{Florence, Italy}

Rated N: for Negative

Truth be told, one of the reasons I started this blog was to have a fabulous and creative mind distraction for myself. Some people watch TV, I choose to blog. I also said I wouldn’t let the blog turn negative. No jokes about anything too real life. Nothing that might hurt other people’s feelings (although big f-ing deal if you ask me, however my live in is more kind).

Today, I am breaking the rules. Happy people put your ear muffs on, because this blog is going negative.

I am bright red. I mean it, bright freakin red. Yesterday I cooked like a goose while watching the baseball game and today I am paying for it big time. My arms, my hands, and my nose are the main victims here. Visually, I look like a poorly dressed clown. Physically, I feel like crap.

This morning I thought I was going to be sick. I was literally an accident waiting to happen as I hung my head out the car window my entire commute to work. I am assuming this is a nice side affect to the major sunburn I have fallen victim too. And, unlike my sickness from food baby, this nausea has yet to go away. Lovely.

Even more lovely…all of the concerned citizens I am encountering. Apparently unless you walk up to a sunburn victim, stare at their fire red skin, and then announce to that person they have a sunburn, the sunburn victim might have never known about the burn. And, even more thoughtful, some people feel it necessary to share the word regarding sunscreen. For the record, I do know about sunscreen. However, I definitely applied it too late in the game yesterday – my fault. Also, I think the sunscreen could be expired. I “think” because the bottle is from Greece and all of the writing is, of course, in Greek.

Tomorrow is a new day…hopefully my burn will have improved, and I promise to be nice again.

My friends, I hope your Mondays are going better than mine.

In Bloom

Happy weekend, my friends. I hope you are all outside, away from your laptops, enjoying the sun.

Last Saturday I picked up a dogwood branch to put in the loft. The flowers are starting to bloom now and it’s gorgeous. The perfect color green...

Reminder...

...sometimes people surprise you.

Yesterday the live in and I stopped by our favorite flower shop, Sammy’s Flowers, to pick up a bouquet before heading over to the in-laws for Easter dinner. Inside the shop was a man, who I feel pretty confident in assuming was homeless, purchasing a small bunch of flowers. Major hint: his “gear” was sitting outside on the bench while he shopped.

After he left I asked flower shop girl who he was buying flowers for. I normally don’t stalk every customer but this made me curious. A homeless guy who buys custom bouquets in the Pearl? You don’t see that everyday. Flower shop girl got a big smile on her face and said, “They’re for his sweetie.” Apparently he comes in often to purchase flowers for her, and yesterday he made her bouquet a little extra special because of the holiday.

I don’t know why, but I think this is rad. I am sure he buys plenty of beer with his “earnings” too, but honestly, who doesn’t? So the next time a homeless person asks you for change remember – you could really be brightening someone’s day. Or just fueling their drinking habits…but come on, let’s think crazy.

Happy Monday, my friends.

We Heart Portland

We love this little city of ours. Saturday night was the perfect reminder...

• Thanks to Lizzy’s post the live in, the friends, and myself discovered the late night food carts on Hawthorne St. The food is great, read about it on her blog. However for me, my favorite part of this new find was the atmosphere. My kind of people. I liked it so much I believe I even mentioned pitching a tent and sleeping amongst the food carts all night… and I honestly don’t think anyone would have cared.
• After our 4th meal we were serenaded by Thomas Lauderdale on the ride home. Well, technically not serenaded but for several blocks my little Jetta was side by side with his Mercedes convertible, and we couldn’t help but get a free concert as he sung with the top down. Only in Portland could we be so lucky.
• Prom night! Not ours, of course, but outside the Crystal Ballroom we witnessed some classic prom teen love. Boy offers girl his tux jacket, boy and girl make out. Girl is using a plastic Safeway bag as her purse. This is a true story.

I only wish I would have brought my camera along for the night. Welcome to the work week, my friends.

Happy Easter!

Food babies are real. But, can you get morning sickness from them too? My sickness has been coming on around 2pm daily. I have feelings of nausea, fatigue, etc. This is generally onset by consuming massive amounts of food during the noon hour.

Today, for example, I look about four months pregnant – with a human baby. I have considered rolling with this, as prego status gets you a VIP ticket into the “relaxation room” at work. I have also considered becoming a fake smoker, as the only area where smoking is allowed is located 10 minutes away. At 20 minutes round trip I could easily fit in a cat nap to sleep off this sickness I’ve been plagued with. However, some people see smoking and pregnancy as a conflict of interest.

However, Moms of human babies nailed it when they said, “it’s all worth it”. Because guess what…it is. If the food is good, I can live with a food baby for a few hours. I can unbutton my jeans. I can wear my stretchy pants. If the food is good…

Have an excellent Easter, my friends. Enjoy the day. I hope you find yourself eating a delicious meal that just might leave you with a food baby too.

Passion: Bubbles

Bubbles are my latest passion. I am dreaming of a small dinner party with a bubble machine as background. Maybe the live in and I will have a tiny little anniversary party later this summer and invite the bubble machine.

Happy Friday. Happy Good Friday.

{photo credit: here, here, here, and here}

Sidebar Thursday!

Restaurant Updates:
I had a request from a loyal reader to check out the new restaurant at The Nines called Departures. The Nines has been on my radar for some time now, as this is the tentative spot for the live in’s 30th birthday party. However, their rooftop restaurant just opened up (K.D. Lang is rumored to have been their first customer) so we thought last Sunday (gorgeous weather day) would be the perfect opportunity to check it out. Turns out it wasn’t the perfect opportunity, as Departures is closed Sundays and Mondays. Say what?! Who knows if this lame schedule will eventually change, but for now call ahead. We’ll try again…

Isn't He Lovely?

I don’t subscribe to gossip or beauty magazines. I don’t wear foundation. I believe boys should be raised with equal parts sports to equal parts arts. I believe girls should be raised to understand the magic of airbrushing.

So how, my friends, did I end up with my live in?

Last night we made like a meth head and crossed state line for some real Claritin. (In Oregon we grow meth heads like Idaho grows potatoes so they have taken Claritin, Sudafed, etc. off the shelves and now require a prescription. But just 20 minutes away in Washington a valid driver’s license will get you a box of the good stuff, no prescription needed.) While we were in Target the live in spotted his favorite aisle…health and beauty. His eyes widened, and I could start see him recall all of the product he “must have.”

This only irritated me. I was already tired, it was late, and we were in Vancouver. Three strikes. I turned up the red-headed rage and insisted he cut the browsing to a minimum, all while he is explaining his need for deep cleansing shampoo. Say what live in? Here’s what you are going to do…go to Costco, buy a bottle of bulk shampoo and never look back. I was mad. The boy already out numbers me in ownership of product 3 to 1.

Today my anger toward the health and beauty aisle has subsided, but I still needed clarification on this. However, before I even asked the question I should have known the answer. It’s always the answer. It’s Esquire. Esquire is the root of all my problems. Esquire is filling my poor live in’s head with ideas of deep cleansing shampoo, bomber jackets, and “a travel bag for success.” The ironic part is, apparently Esquire is recommending a deep cleansing shampoo to rid your man of all the daily product in his hair. Seems like less product is actually the answer here…

I don’t know how I ended up with him, but he certainly keeps it fun. Product and all.

Tips for My Friends in the Fast Lane

As the Spring season rolls in our schedules get increasing busy. Whose doesn’t? Here are three beauty tips, perfect for on-the-go, you’ll use time and time again…

• So you devoured that poppy seed muffin but have no mirror to check your teeth? Pull out your favorite credit card and use the tiny little Visa logo as a mirror. It works surprisingly well.
• Now you’ve found the poppy seed lodged between your two front teeth but are fresh out of toothpicks? Use the back post of your earrings to remove that pesky little seed. I don’t think this is gross at all, maybe some people do. Don’t judge – this is a beauty emergency.
• It’s the end of the day and your skin is feeling just a tad oilier than you’d like? The cowboy hats, a.k.a toilet seat covers, found in public restrooms make the perfect blotter. You will remember this tip on your next road trip…trust me.

Stay beautiful, friends.

{poppies}

Happy Monday

Welcome back, my friends. How was your weekend? Us Portlanders hit the ultimate trifecta yesterday…the sun was shining, the temperature was up, and it was the weekend. Beautiful.

Sidebar Thursday!

The sweet, sweet Sidebar Thursday is finally back. Sorry for the hiatus.

A shout out goes to my good friends Justin and Sara H. They successfully played a pretty rad April Fool’s day joke on everyone. Thanks for the laughs, guys!

Could the debate over the “Made in Oregon” sign please stop?! Just like any good Portlander I do find joy in watching Rudolph’s nose turn on and off, but I am young and resilient…change doesn’t scare me. As long as they don’t plaster anything offensive (basically anything pertaining to the U of O) I am totally fine with the evolution of this sign. Make a decision and go.

{photo from flickr}

Restaurant Updates:
Looking for a fabulous spot that won’t break the recession wallet? Go to Porque No Taqueria. This is a favorite with the live in and I. In fact, it could possibly be my favorite place in all of Portland. Porque No serves amazing Mexican food, drinks, and starters. I will go back time and time again for the Bryan’s Bowl, spicy cucumbers, and good ‘ol chips and salsa. Their atmosphere is relaxed, and cool…you will often be listening to the iPod of the staff, and watching soccer on the TV. We go to their location on Mississippi Ave, which is tiny. I am talking maybe five small tables with a few chairs at the counter. They don’t take reservations, you order at the counter, and you bus your own tables. All things cool.