Looks like a go.

I won't believe it until we are actually driving North with all our junk in tow, but it looks as though God is opening all the doors for us to move to Portland. Neither of us has felt that living in L.A. was 'in sync' with our dreams/vision for future family life. Last August our dreams became more concrete as we fell in love with Portland--for many reasons.

But everyone has different priorities and things that matter in choosing a place to settle--and peace be with that!

At the risk of offending anyone who loves living in So. Cal, (blogging was supposed to be such a liberating endeavor), we long for a place where the pace of life is slower, the air is cleaner, recreational living is right outside your door (without having to drive hours in traffic to access it), where people know their neighbors and actually socialize with them, where people are at least slightly less concerned with how you look and what you own, where people drive vehicles commensurate with what they can afford (imagine that!), where every kid you meet at the park is not a child-actor/model appearing in ??? or every mother an aspiring stage mom. To illustrate, a true story: my hairstylist told me that her boyfriend really wants to move back to Oregon, where he is originally from. She really loves it there and would also like to move, HOWEVER. (And this is precisely what she said)--' in all honesty, I would never make near the kind of money I make now, anywhere else. In this (cosmetic/hair/style) world, it's a well-known fact that no where, but in California, is it common for women to spend so much money on their hair.' Ouch.

Yes, there are the gorgeous mountains (when you can see them), beaches (if you have the hours to drive or the bucks to afford living there), hiking trails (if you can breathe for the smog), nice shops (if you can read the signs)...ok, I'll stop now that I've permanently p.o.'d everyone that loves CA. Suma sum arum: it's just not for us.

One more thing: last, but definitely not least, we have desperately missed being a part of a church community. We have really, really tried...and so as not to disparage any part of the body of Christ, I won't get into that. But let's just say, on the very positive side, that we both felt a unity of spirit and hope for this area of our lives, when we have visited two churches in Portland that are both places we could could join wholeheartedly.

So we've prayed and prayed that God would make a way for us to live in a community we feel is....more 'us.'

Now let it be said that our #1 con to moving, is the people we love here. There are many souls, very dear to us, who will happily remain in CA. And that will definitely be a loss...and they will be missed. But some of these souls are also moving, others of these souls have very busy lives and we don't get to see each other often anyways. As such, we've had to wrestle with the consequences of missing occasional get-togethers...versus stuff that also really matters to us, and is missing, every single day of the year.

One other thing: we are so grateful. SOOOOO grateful. God is SOOO good to us, and we love the lives that He has given us. We deeply appreciate our health, the joy of our marriage and family. We adore our house. But these other things, the daily community life in which one lives, have huge long-term impact on all of these things as well.

So here's a nutshell of what happened recently. We took a trip to Portland a few weeks ago, just for fun, together with Denise and Matt. Thinking that the first domino that needed to fall was for us to find a tenant for our house here in CA (since it's such an awful time to sell), we were not planning on doing anything other than looking around and having a jolly time. First morning we are there, we walk around the corner for breakfast at a tiny place called Fat Abes. (We were staying in the neighborhood we'd like to live in)... the place is packed and we're asked to wait. Then the hostess offers that we can also share a table with another family, if we're willing. So we get sat with a couple and their two adorable little girls. We're talking amongst ourselves for a while, and then begin chatting with the couple we don't know.

Having noticed that there is basically no homes for rent online in this particular neighborhood, I ask the lady where she would suggest looking, when the time comes down the road, that we are actually looking. So she smiles sheepishly and says....'well actually, our home is going to be for rent May 1st.' She then goes on to explain that they are moving to the UK for 3-5 years (her husband is British) so that their girls can know their grandparents there. But they love their house, all their best friends live on their street, etc. and so they definitely want to move back into their house when they return. She then offers that we can come see their house if we'd like. We do...and while smaller than our current house, it is adorable, perfectly located and just even better than we'd dared hope to find. Knowing that the homes are all older and therefore smaller in most Portland neighborhoods, we were already prepared for the downsizing and believe that it's totally worth it for the location.

It's a charming house built in 1925, very well-kept, with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a big office and a huge useable basement. There's a charming yard filled with trees and all kinds of beautiful plants & flowers that will soon bloom--including, hydrangeas, for cryin' out loud! (my fave). The rent is reasonable and the time frame is do-able. In the meantime, we return home to find 2 sets of renters who are interested in our home--one of them our neighbors, who we really like.

Can you believe it? It's CRAZY. And as I said, I'll believe it when we're actually driving out...because it could, of course, all fall through at any moment (life has taught me that this is a very real possibility.) But on the optimistic side, it seems that one door after another is opening and we have surely committed all our plans to the Lord, so it's in His hands no matter what.

Here are a few pics of the house in Portland. I'm only posting the outside ones out of respect and consideration for the privacy of the owners, who graciously allowed us to visit without notice.

It's located in the Sellwood Moreland neighborhood, just around the corner from tons of cool stuff, including a wild life refuge just down the street, the 400 miles of Portland bike paths, 15 minutes bike ride from downtown.

Play-Doh



Audrey and I were playing with Play-Doh this morning and it got me to thinking...



1.) If you're gonna play with Doh on a regular basis, one must keep short fingernails, the way that guitarists do. Also notice PD in hair.


2.) Can anyone tell me why some parents used to make homemade Play-Doh when we were kids? Was it really that much cheaper? or just for the fun of it? As I remember it, the homemade stuff was coarse, stiff and smelled like salt. The real stuff smells really good, as Audrey discovered and kept trying to stick up her nose and eat.



A few other fun pics from recent weeks...

A played in the fountains and road the train at Victoria Gardens on a recently warm day. (For those not familiar with VG, it's a local outdoor mall with all kinds of fun stuff for kids. Alot of people actually come prepared with swimsuits, etc. Not planning ahead, we just did it white-trash style in the wife-beater onesie.)





This little getup was actually Mike's when he was the same age; his mom bought it for him while they were living in England and recently brought Audrey home in it after she watched her. Quite a shock to meet one's little toddler at the door dressed in knitted knickers.



More details on Portland forthcoming, I promise; we are awaiting some vital confirmation on a few things.

What Julianna Could See

Have not posted lately for 2 reasons:

1.) Haven't felt like it. for a few reasons i will not get into.

2.) Have been quite busy with all manner of mundane things (also known as 'monks work') as well as very exciting happenings.

Portland was ÜBER rad. Very fun being there with D and M, staying in our cute little place on Ogden, walking to Fat Abe's and Papa Haydens for breakfast/brunch, strolling Washington Park, on and on...Love it more than ever and am very excited about things that happened while we were there.


Got the coolest, sweetest and most beautiful book for A at the coolest toy store, 'SpielWork' in Sellwood: 'What Julianna Could See'
She must now have it read to her at least 5 times daily.

Felt so hopeful to visit two really great churches where we can actually see ourselves feeling at home (Imago and Mosaic). Mosaic is a really neat church with a sincere, down-to-earth vibe, and the new pastor there gave an inspiring message on tapping into the power of God and watching Him do incredible things in spite of our own inadequacies. Kelly's dear friend Abby was also gracious enough to meet with the 5 of us for coffee and share her experience so far with living in Portland. As kind as ever, she looked like a million and seemed extremely relaxed, even while managing 3 active boys. How, exactly is that possible? I will never know. I have one tiny, relatively calm and reasonable girl and already look disheveled and worn-out.

Imago Dei is also extremely cool and pushing the boundaries of church the way Weinershnitzel is 'Pushing the Boundaries of Taste.' (an aside: ...am feeling very guilty that I still owe Rick McKinley (of Imago) a review on his book, This Beautiful Mess--which I finished in November. Am a bit overwhelmed by how to concisely articulate all that this book means...have sat down to write a review many, many times only to feel intimidated by the task. ) Seriously though: what can be said about a church where the Sunday Morning sermon is on Social Justice? You can click here to download this inspiring and challenging message that was tag-team preached by John Perkins and Paul Metzger.

Being a part of two vibrant communities like that for just one week, makes you feel renewed. Being in a city where people are actually nice and inclusive, actually know their neighbors, care about the environment and even walk around with sweats and messy hair sometimes is just plain good for the soul. To be able to walk to get your breakfast is the icing on the cake.

Super-Flu Sunday



Ok, wasn't gonna go here, but sister: you have thrown down with your comment on Spacelady's blog and trying to shirk responsibility as the carrier. Yes, you were strongly encouraged to attend by certain guys (who are currently hacking). In response to your 'argument', I was sick with a cold last week--not the flu--and abstained from several fun events during the week, so as not to infect anyone.

This is absolutely my all-time #1 Pet-Peeve and I must rant because I've been wanting to for about 2 years: people, when you are sick with a contagious illness, stay home for gosh sake. Last year, on this very same Super Bowl Sunday weekend, I was sick with a flu and stayed home, so as not to infect anyone. May be this is why I escaped this round (good karma) or may be it will overtake me at any moment (just deserts/ fatalism/realism) (please God, no.)

This is why I simply do not understand arriving at many functions where people, who shall remain nameless, came with wicked coughs, the chills, and straight out knew they had a flu or similar, but valiantly proclaimed: "I'm just staying over here (1 foot away) so no one gets what I have." Seriously? Seriously? Or their kids cough on my baby and inadvertently let it slip that they have a fever or have been sick all week but their mom's decided to go to the get-together anyway.

Come on, people. I have talked to Mike's Nanna about this and it seems to be a recent warped societal phenomenon, in the same busted vein with people who are strapped for cash buying Coach handbags. If you're sick, stay home. If you feel like you are getting sick, stay home. If your kid is sick and has a fever and you gave them Tylenol and now they are hopping around just fine, this does not mean that they are well or no longer contagious, it just means that they are drugged. If people volunteer to come to your house, bring you soup, etc., let them do it because they know what they are getting into. But do not attend parties, send your kids to school, etc. unless everyone who you'll be around knows the risk they are facing and is ok with it. You will not die from missing a few days of school, work, or a family get together. No, you cannot possibly avoid all illness. But you can avoid spreading it when you know you are sick. If everyone was a little more considerate, we'd all be sick a heck of a lot less. Wanna know why it seems like everyone gets more flus these days? Because everyone gets more flus these days and STILL GO OUT. SUCK IT UP AND STAY HOME, PEOPLE.

P.S. I still love you to the moon and back, sister. And if I lived down the street from you, I would still bring you chicken soup and oranges.

Disgusting



The new limited edition flavor, 'Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper' embodies everything that is wrong with this country today.

In fact, I think Jesus even said something to the effect of 'and if thou drinkest Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper, thou shalt surely not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.'

Oh--and remember that the most real of reality shows needs your vote today. (New feature! Now you can even cast your vote via text message with emoticons! Simply send the name of your favorite candidate, or alternatively, the first lady (or first-man) who would best represent the Idiocracy worldwide by carrying the most fabulous handbag, to 'stpdamrkn#' and press Send.