Dominican Republic - Day 2 & 3

Day 2: was a rest day, of lazing by the ocean...followed by lazing by the pool.  The swim up bar was a pretty great hit and we met some really nice friends to hang out with.

Day 3:
We signed up before we left on our trip for some tours of the city.  Today was the City Tour, which included stops at:  Brugal Rum factory tour, an Amber and Larima jewelry store, an Amber museum, "Central Park", a Cathedral, a Fortress and a cable car to the top of a mountain.

The first stop was the Brugal Rum Factory. This was basically just a factory where there were some people working and we just kind of watched them work.  It was a weird stop.  However, we did get to buy items at the store on site which was super cheap and a little taste testing (aka shots of rum) at 9am never hurt anyone right?  It was funny, because our tour was mostly with Canadians.  The guy at Brugal who gave the tour gave it in French.  I had no idea what he was saying, but he was seriously very good looking.  Funny thing, a few nights later when I went off resort with some new friends, I saw this same guy at a bar in the city.  Small world...even in the Dominican Republic.

The Amber Museum was interesting, but again a weird stop.  About 30% of the film Jurassic Park was filmed in the Dominican Republic.  This museum made the Amber with the mosquito in it for the film, so the Director let them use the logo for the movie in their logo for the company.


 The fortress was our next stop.  On the weekend, our tour driver explained, this is where everyone goes to hang out.  It seemed like a weird place to hang out, but there was a lot of open space, and it was right on the ocean.  It seemed so weird that this place had the history of building a fortress to stop invaders from attacking their country such a long time ago.  For as much as I've never been interested in history, this was actually kind of cool.

 What's funny about this picture, was my last night in the DR was a Saturday and we ended up hanging out right on the circle of this statue.  My trip started and ended with this guy on a horse.

















At every stop we made there was always people trying to sell things.  This woman had this burro that she would have you pay to get your picture taken with it.  When one group came she would tote out the burro, and then when we went away, she took the burro away from the entrance.  There were people selling art and all sorts of random things.

 As we ventured on, the HUGE tour bus that we were on was having trouble navigating the narrow city streets.  The driver and guide let us out in "Central Park" while they figured out how to get the bus around this turn.  I loved this place.  There was literally nothing there but the buildings and colours of the buildings was so amazing.  I loved being off resort to see the real side of the Dominican Republic.  It was really cool.

 To kill a little more time, the tour driver had the priest open up the Catedral for us to tour through.  This place was amazing!  The stained glass windows and high arched ceilings.  It was overwhelming to think that people went to church here.  Interesting fact about Dominican Republic.  Every town/neighborhood has 2 things:  a cathedral/church and a baseball field. 


 Finally our bus was free and we got on headed to the Cable Car.  This was the part I was looking forward to.  If you ever find yourself in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic - do not take this whole tour.  Pay your cab driver from the airport to drop you off and wait for you (trust me, they'll wait for you) to take you to the Cable Car.  We boarded this huge car that took us straight up Mount Isabel. 

At the top of the Mountain, was the replication of the Christ Statue in Rio de Janero, Brazil.  It was so peaceful up there.  I was sad it was so foggy, because it really was a gorgeous statue.  This statue looks over the city and protects it.  There is something very calming about knowing that. 

 The whole time we walked around up there, the Ben Harper song "Blessed to Be a Witness" was running through my mind. 

"Blessed To Be A Witness"

Corcovado parted the sky
And through the darkness
On us he shined
Crucified in stone
Still his blood is my own
Glory behold all my eyes have seen
Have seen

I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed to be a witness

Some have flown away
And can't be with us here today
Like the hills of my home
Some have crumbled and now are gone
Gather around for today won't come again
Won't come again

I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed to be a witness

So much sorrow and pain
Still I will not live in vain
Like good questions never asked
Is wisdom wasted on the past
Only by the grace of God go I
Go I

I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am blessed to be a witness

The song in the beginning talks about the statue in Rio actually - and this was pretty darn close to the same thing.  Maybe my next trip will be to see the real thing...

Then we headed back to the resort, where we spent the day enjoying some sunshine and more pool/ocean time.

Dominican Republic - Day 1

After a 6 hour flight from Portland to JFK, NY and a 3.5 hour flight from JFK to Puerta Plata we finally arrived in the Dominican Republic.  It was seriously so humid there.  The airport was so small.  There was a band playing to greet us - which was completely cool.  The military guards were all carrying some seriously heavy machinery.  We paid our $20 US to get into the country, got our passports stamped and were out the door to hail a cab.  All the "cabs" there were seriously people's normal cars.  It was so weird.  It was cool that everything was in Spanish too.  Our driver did not speak a lot of English, but he was very nice.  The driving is absolutely INSANE there.  Pretty much no rules.  People passing on any side of you.  Everyone on motor scooters weaving in and out of traffic.  It was crazy to see people 3 deep on a tiny motor scooter.  We even saw a mom braiding her daughter's hair while they were driven around.  People with tiny babies on there.  It was such a different environment.  I was in love with it all from the second that we landed.

We arrived at our resort about 20 minutes from the airport.  After a million phone calls back to the US and a million attempts to locate our reservation, they finally got us booked in.  It was a little scary for a second though that we would have nowhere to stay.  Our room was fine.  Nothing fancy.  At least it had A/C, although in D.R. they lose power daily anywhere from 30mins-sometimes 6 hours.  Mostly so they can control the power usage.  I can't even imagine.  We needed some food, but nowhere was open when we finally arrived for lunch, so we finally found this place and had our first, of many, plates of arroz y frijoles (rice & beans).  I've never been a huge fan of rice, or beans for that matter.  Somehow in this place I loved them.  No lie, I ended up eating them for practically every meal.  The other food was pretty suspect, so I was limited on what I was willing to risk.  The resort was of course time-share so they drove us around the resort and made us the pitch.  Seriously it actually sounded quite good and if I had an extra $10k in my pocket I would've purchased.  Driving around we got to see more of the resort.  A storm was coming in so it wasn't that clear out in the skies, but it was still BEAUTIFUL!

 

I think I could've stayed there forever!

I don't ever want to lose this...

I and Love and Them
the Avett Brothers with the Brooklyn Philharmonic on Jimmy Kimmel last night.  *SIGH*
Kicking my own ass I missed their show this summer.

Punkin Patch & a Corn Maize

 Today we packed up the munchkins and headed out to Sauvie Island for some Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze fun!  Cheryl and Charlotte came with me in my car with Trent.  Amber and her kiddos met us there along with Amber's mom, sister and nephew.  It's October in Portland, and we were expecting fairly good weather.  It was seriously the hottest day ever!  Tank tops, shorts and t-shirts.  Crazy.  The adults got beer, the kids got caramel apples.  We had a really good time.  We found the end of the maze first actually and then had to back track to find some of the clues placed throughout.  We took a hay ride out to pick out our pumpkins and then it was time to go!

Cheryl & Charlotte on the hay ride with Amber and Dylan













L to R:  Dylan, McKenna, Ivan, Jack and Trent eating their HUGE caramel apples before entering the corn maze

  The look-out we found trying to get out of the center of the maze.

This was my favourite picture of the day.  Charlotte and Trent bonded in the car ride out to Sauvie.  Charlotte was let loose and crawled over to Trent and just snuggled him like crazy.  It was the sweetest.  He was like, Uh...what am I supposed to do here?  But I think he loved the attention.

Trent and I on the hayride to the pumpkin patch.  Rule #1:  You can't get a pumpkin that you can't carry back.

Oh man, I love this kid and these freckles.
My little buddy.

Oaks Park

Trent, Ethan and I had another adventure tonight.  I met Denise at the day spa to pick up the boys.  She brought them in to Portland with her for her appointment.  We transferred cars, went back to my house to pack a picnic for dinner to eat at the park and then headed out.  The boys were SO silly in the car.  Trent had the giggles, which I loved.  We played DJ, and they each got to pick songs on the iPod.  I try to download new songs I know they like so they have something to listen to.  Right now Trent's favourite song is Bruno Mars: Count on Me.  We met my friend Amber and her kids for a night riding rides.  Trent was more than happy to ride the Tilt-O-Whirl all night if we let him.  We quickly found other rides though.  There was this one ride that were these floating cars and you went REALLY fast in a circle, and then just when you thought they were done with the ride, they would turn you REALLY fast in a circle going backward.  Oh my!  Trent was hilarious the whole ride, but LOVED it!

And then there was THIS ride....DISK'O.  This is Dylan and Ethan riding first.  They were the daredevils of the night and seriously went on everything.  On the Disk'o, you sat in a big circle facing out.  Everyone has their own chair, which of course made me nervous because I just had a feeling this wasn't going to go well with Mister non-daredevil Trent.  I should always trust that intuition.  This thing comes out of the back to keep you in your chair and adjusts to how big or little you need.  It starts going and about 13 seconds into the ride Trent is NOT loving it.  I look over and he's absolutely terrified.  Of course it keeps going faster and faster, and higher and higher and it's all I can do not to just start crying because I feel so bad for the little guy.  I just have to keep telling him to hang on - it's almost over for pretty much the entire ride.  Of course it was like the longest ride in the history of that ride and it felt like it NEVER ENDED.  Poor buddy.  He did not love it.  We were pretty much done for the night after that one.  Good thing it was later in the night anyway, but man...funny, but seriously so sad all at the same time.

Swim. Movie. Tie Dye. Swim

Trent and Ethan came over yesterday.  I picked them up at 11am and we came back to my house, had a little lunch and then wandered over to the Portland East Community Center to swim.  We had so much fun!  Swam for hours!  There were some odd people in the pool area with us. I must admit, it was hard being the "parent".  Some of the people in the pool were challenged.  In T & E's little sheltered world, they don't really see a whole lot of that.  So when we encountered a little girl, who looked like a grown up, but was only squealing and splashing and right on top of us in the lazy river they didn't really know how to react.  We had to have a side-bar conversation about how everyone is different and we should just be glad that she was having fun and getting to enjoy the pool like we were.  She was simply expressing this in a different way.  We then headed back to the house and watched a movie.  We tie-dyed shirts.  We colored some Shrinky Dinks and baked them (they thought this was the most amazing).  We then headed out to a movie in the park. 

The movie started at 9pm!  What kind of group (Portland Parks & Rec) starts an event (that they hope to be successful) for families/kids at 9pm.  We got there at like 7:30 and then it was a lot of waiting around.  I really didn't think it would start so late, so they boys were bored and had to take turns playing games on my iPhone.  IT WAS FREEZING!!!  Seriously the coldest night ever.  They were bundled up in their sweatshirts, and under blankets and still snuggling up to me for the move.  Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked was the film title.  It was cute for a Chipmunks movie.  The music was all pretty current stuff and it was cute to see little girls dancing around to it even in the dark.  My too-cool-for-school little buddies were having none of that.  I did love the snuggling.  The movie ended at nearly 11pm.  We came home, put PJs on/brushed teeth, set them up in the bed in the guest bedroom and read the first chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  They were out in no time at all. 

In the morning we woke up, Trent put on his Tie-dyed shirt (which turned out SO CUTE, don't you think?).  We all ate some breakfast.  Did a little painting.  Then off to swim again!  I have to say, those boys are getting to be good little swimmers.  Trent still wears his life vest in the water and is a pretty nervous little guy around the water (possibly his one and only non-Harker trait), but he did such a great job.  I was so proud of him.  He really tried hard today to try his real swimming strokes. 

I hope they're as tired as I am today.  Man that was a lot of fun, but seriously exhausting to keep them so busy the whole time they were here.  They're fun little buddies.  Good thing we're hanging out again on Monday!

GP

There is a certain someone that I always feel connected to when I hear Ben Harper.  I'm always in a Ben Harper mood, but more so since his concert a few weeks ago.  Today I heard this song on my drive home and it finally struck me as the perfect story of us.   Sad.  But True.  I miss you everyday.

"Amen Omen"

What started as a whisper,
Slowly turned in to a scream.
Searching for an answer
Where the question is unseen.
I don't know where you came from
And I dont know where you've gone.
Old friends become old strangers
Between the darkness and the dawn

Amen omen,will I see your face again?
Amen omen,can I find the place within
To live my life without you?

I still hear you saying
"All of life is chance,
And is sweetest,is sweetest when at a glance"
But I live,
I live a hundred lifetimes in a day.
But I die a little
In every breath that I take.

Amen omen,will I see your face again?
Amen omen,can I find the place within
To live my life without you?

I listen to a whisper,
Slowly drift away.
Silence is a loudest,
Parting word you never say.
I put I put your world
Into my veins
Now a voiceless sympathy
Is all that remains.

Amen omen,will I see your face again?
Amen omen,can I find the place within
To live my life without you?

Amen omen,can i find the strength within

Goin' on a Zoo-Fari

I had some days off work this week.  On Friday - I checked in to see if Trent, Ethan and Maddie wanted to have a play date with me.  Ethan and Maddie were heading to their dad's that afternoon but Trent was in for some adventure.  About an hour later we were on the road headed to Southern Oregon for an overnight play date and an animal adventure awaited us in the morning.  The Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR is about 3 hours away from Portland and so worth the drive!  On the way down, Trent and I talked about all sorts of things.  He cracks me up.  About 2 hours into the drive, he was ready to just be there and played games on my iPhone the rest of the way.  It gave me time to just sing along to my iPod and drive.  Lots of traffic getting out of Portland and a few rest stop breaks later, we arrived at our hotel in Roseburg, OR.

We checked into our hotel and were greeted with this lovely view:

Trent deemed us "the luckiest"!  and said he could just sit out on our deck and stare out at the river all night.

Then we went to dinner (Mexican food! - it's a wonder we're related right?).  We shared Nachos and this kid was getting after those things.  He was also saying "adios amigos" and "hola" to our waiter.  I taught him to say "Si, gracias" the next time the waiter asked if everything was good.  Trent said it and then giggled like a mad man when the waiter replied back "de nada".  ha ha. 

After dinner we went back to the hotel and swam and hot tubbed until it was time to get some sleep for our big adventure the next day.  The park opened at 9, so we got to wake up leisurely and take our time driving the next 7 miles to the park.


We arrived at the park around 9:30am.  I'm actually glad that we got there early.  In order to sign up for things like the Elephant and Giraffe encounters, they only do some of those one time per day and they fill up.  Trent picked up his binoculars from the gift shop as his prize and we headed out to drive through the park.  It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive through the park.  Trent kept calling the place a zoo-fari.  Like zoo and safari all mashed together.  While some exhibits are behind gates that you could still drive up really close to (bears, tigers, hippos), some animals are just wandering around free.  We saw Rhino wandering around and had to stop the car to wait for buffalo and giraffe to cross the street.  How weird is that?  It was amazing, to say the least.

 Trent rode a camel named Frank.  He honestly LOVED that.  If you paid a little extra, you could get a "driver's license" that had their picture on it and they could wear it around their neck on a lanyard.  He thought this whole thing was pretty great.
 

 And we also fed the elephant named Alice.  She also played the harmonica and painted a picture for us as well.  It was so weird to pet an elephant.  They have these really thick coarse hairs on their nose they use to sense things.  Honestly I was staring at this giant animal, and petting it, but those hairs seemed rubbery and fake.  It was so odd.  Very cool.  Trent was in love with Alice.  He wanted to buy one of her pictures from the gift shop ($40).  And while I love to indulge my nephew, I knew it would not be hung in his house - so it seemed slightly wasteful.  He talked about her painting for awhile after.

We also fed and learned about a giraffe named something African, I couldn't understand.  That is Trent's head after he'd just fed him a piece of lettuce.  The 3rd time he fed the giraffe he only had a tiny piece of lettuce and the giraffe stuck out his tongue and licked most of his hand.  Trent said it felt bumpy like a cat tongue.  How cool to know what a giraffe's tongue feels like?   


What a great trip!  As we were leaving the park, Trent told me that he thought it was so much fun!  He said he actually thought it was going to be kind of boring and it wasn't.  He said that if you think something is going to be boring the first time, then it won't be because you haven't made something more exciting than it is.  Oh my logical, skeptical boy.  No wonder we get along so well.  I love my adventures with that munchkin!  I can't wait for the next one!

Ben Harper

My friend Amber and I went to see Ben Harper at McMenamin's Edgefield on the first sunny day Portland had seen all summer.  It must've been a good omen for the amazing concert we witnessed.  I adore Ben Harper.  His music, his sincere humility and the fact that he explores so many different types of music to try.  Of course I love most that he's not mainstream and you have to know him to love him.  How could you not love him?  We had a great time.  Great weather.  Great music. 

July 4th

Enough said right?  (that's a trailer full of fireworks!)

Jacob's birthday is on July 5th.  So every year the other 2 boys just buy him fireworks for his birthday.  I've decided that the 4th of July is definitely a BOYS' holiday.  Legally they get to light things on fire and watch things blow up.  It got crazy out there.

Me and Mads' Birthday Extravaganza!

Maddie turned 12 on June 13th, but due to her school schedule and my work schedule, we were only able to celebrate Monday.  We went out for Mani/Pedi fun.  She was cracking me up.  She got this VERY CUTE young man (wow! I'm like 100 years old for saying that) who she thought was weird.  Of course she later agreed that she thought he was cute.   For the record, he was VERY cute.

Then we went out for dinner.  Her choice.  She chose seafood.  (of course she did).  She had never tried seafood, but really wanted to.  For those near and dear to me, you know how difficult this was for me.  I DO NOT EAT SEAFOOD.  But it wasn't my birthday celebration, so of course we went.  Joe's Crab Shack was the chosen location.  She was a champ!  She got shrimp that she had to peel (vomit) and then crab.  She got me to try a shrimp and I'm not exaggerating when I say I nearly threw up at the table.  So gross!  The waitress probably got a good laugh at us when she had to give Mads the "here's how you crack a crab leg" speech.  Whatever.  Mads had a great time.  She told me later that she felt "SO SPECIAL" and that was her "favourite birthday date ever!"  Awww.  That melted my heart.

Videos of the fun:
Mads vs Shrimp
Mads takes on Crab

Ahhhhh....time off!

va·ca·tion[vey-key-shuhn, vuh-] Show IPA

noun

1. a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday: Schoolchildren are on vacation now.

2. a part of the year, regularly set aside, when normal activities of law courts, legislatures, etc., are suspended.

3.  freedom or release from duty, business, or activity.

4.  an act or instance of vacating. 

 

 *****

I just got back from a girls' weekend with one of my favourite girls of all time!  There are those friends that everything is always just easy with.  I'm so grateful for those friends in my life.  I love that we can pick up and it's like no time has passed between us.  Even if there are long gaps of time that we don't communicate.  Our friendship has grown.  We still have memories of "the good old days".  And of course we have inside jokes that no one will ever understand or find funny.  But we still have our current lives and are still just as much friends as we ever were.  Miles apart from the other.  In completely different places in our lives.  I love that.

Thank you friend!

A-Z of me

A friend of mine put this on his Facebook and I liked it.  Thought I would add this to my blog.

A - Age: 35
B - Bed size: Queen.  It's perfect!  I can sleep in it sideways or the correct way.  Lovely.
C - Chore you hate: Taking out the garbage.
D - Dad's Name: Ward
E - Essential start your day item: SHOWER!  I don't officially wake up if I skip a shower in the morning first (aka - the weekends)
F - Favorite actor(s): Adrien Brody, Edward Norton.  This question is always very difficult for me. 
G - Gold or Silver: Silver
H - Height: 5'8"
I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano, Guitar, and this one time - at band camp... (okay but I really did play the flute grades 6-8).
J - Job title: Nursing Admin/Lead Staffing Coordinator
K - Kid(s): Nada.
L - Living arrangements: Flying solo in my new house.
M - Mum's name: Cheryl
N - Nicknames: James, Hark, Harker, Jay
O - Overnight hospital stay other than your own birth: Nope
P - Pet Peeve: Poor Grammar/Spelling in general, the misuse of their/there/they're and other words.  People who think they're always right.
Q - Quotes you like: “Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.” - Walt Whitman
R - Right or left handed: Righty
S - Siblings: Matt, Jacob, Blake
T - Time you wake up: 5:30am
U- Underwear: yes of course.  The cuter the better please.
V - Vegetable you dislike: Is a beet a vegetable?  I really don't like beets.
W - Ways you run late: I do a lot of lolly-gagging while I get ready.  I easily find ways to waste time when I should be getting ready to go.
X - X-rays you've had: maybe 3?  Not including all those ones at the dentist, they take like a million every year.
Y - Chicken stuffed with Sundried Tomato Pesto and Feta Cheese and baked Sweet Potatoes.  YUM!
Z - Zodiac: Capricorn

Talk about a yellow submarine

Last weekend I painted my guest bathroom yellow.  I'm usually overly thoughtful about colours and what not that I choose (like taking 6 samples of the colour I think I like and taping them together on my wall for a week to see how I feel about them).  Last weekend I passed a Home Depot driving home from Trent's soccer game and I decided I would take a chance - and just go in and pick a yellow that struck me as great and go home and get painting.  That'll teach me to be spontaneous.  Seriously this yellow is brighter than that sun!  WOW.  So now I am about to go buy some new - more tame version of this yellow and re-paint.  I can't even post pictures of it, it's that bad.  I literally have to squint my eyes when I turn on the light to see if I still hate it.  (ps - I still do).

Houston!

 In April, I was able to go to Houston to visit my friend Sarah Jane and her adorable family.  It's always so fun to take trips to see friends and even more fun to see them in the role of MAMA!  I was there as a designated "helper" as she is flying solo while her husband has taken a new job in TN and they are planning to move.  Carson and Noah had lots of baseball that week.  It was fun to go sit out in the night air and watch munchkin baseball.  Carson and Noah and I played catch everyday and I loved it.  I was so glad that they loved playing outdoors.  It was really humid and sticky, but worth it.  I even got a little colour on my pasty NW skin.

Carson playing First Base!

Noah up to the plate

Miss Elizabeth and I played Barbie Princesses and Justin Beiber for the rest of the time.  She is a silly girl.  She is IN LOOOOOVE with Justin Beiber and refers to him as "the Bieb" and her boyfriend.  She's 4.  ha ha.  I took a hilarious video of her singing "Baby" on my phone.  And then there is snuggly baby Emily.  Oh my goodness she is so cute.  She loves it when you give her Eskimo kisses and will actually lean into them to get more.  She will let you snuggle her all day (and don't think I didn't take full advantage).




Emily had been sick one night and one of the mornings I had to get the boys ready for school, lunches packed etc.  You should have seen the list of notes I was taking.  I didn't want to screw anything up for them.  They told me I only missed one thing in their lunches when they got home that afternoon.  Not bad for a rookie!

I had a great time catching up with Sarah Jane and getting to know all of her kids and their growing personalities.  They're very cute and we had a very fun time.

Wheel of Fortune!

Tonight we scored VIP tickets to the taping of Wheel of Fortune in Portland. My good friend Cheryl's brother James is working on the set and he got us tickets for the event. They taped 2 shows. Our shows will be aired May 3 and May 4 so look for us in the audience! It was definitely fun and Pat and Vanna and the announcer guy were all very friendly and nice and talked to the audience during "breaks" and all the contestants were local Oregon people. My mom had to tape her mouth shut to not shout out answers. There were some others around us that were not so restrained. There was also a medical emergency at the end of the last show. They were just needing to tape the final little "bit" they do at the very end of the shows and there was all this commotion and EMTs and basically everything came to a halt. Pat was even over there offering his input. So we left before they taped that final part. Overall a pretty interesting night.

OMSI

I took today off from work. That's reason enough to blog in and of itself. My mom and I took Trent to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). Oh my did we have a lovely time. It was a gorgeous day out, so it was a little bit of a shame to be indoors, but it was worth it. We took a tour of a Submarine and learned all about life on a sub and the cramped quarters and very short shower times, if they got them at all (no thank you!)


We watched an Imax movie called Born to Be Wild about baby Orangutangs and baby elephants that are orphaned due to poaching and deforestation of the rainforests. These places that take them in, care for them, and release them back to the wild when they're ready. There was also a Lego exhibit going on. WOW! Talk about amazing stuff! There is a man that is a professional Lego Builder who built all these different things. Every young kids' dream job!


There were whole sections set up just to play and test things out...water rockets, and entire room about vacuums and air flow so balls were being shot all over this place. Trent had a great day! It's always good to hear him laughing and enjoying himself.

WICKED!!

The Broadway play WICKED is in Portland for 3 weeks. Tonight I surprised my mom, who is in town visiting for the week, with tickets for her birthday. Her birthday isn't until the 28th of April, but who cares! It was SOOOO SOOOO great! We've seen it in San Diego and Los Angeles already and we've just put New York on our "bucket list". I'm amazed at people who can sing like that, not to mention the ability to get up in front of people and act. My face is turning red just thinking about it. The musical was so great! If you haven't seen it yet - you really should. As my friend Amber describes it, "it's a great message that really shows you there are two sides to every story".

There is a song just before intermission that seriously gets me every time. Tonight was no different. The song is called Defying Gravity. Check it out here if you want even the smallest taste of how amazing this show is. Or better yet - just go see it when the Off-Broadway comes to your town (or anything even remotely close to your town!)

Bollywood Dance Class!

My love of classes that lead no where close to finishing my college education continues. Tonight it was a Bollywood Dance Class that my friends Cheryl & Amber signed up for with me. We walked into the studio downtown not really knowing what to expect. When we saw people coming out from the previous class with shawls on their heads and talking about "really connecting with their bodies" we thought we might have met our match and been way too far out of our comfort level. And then we met our instructor. Seriously SO SO SO much fun. I felt very welcomed and comfortable. He was great! It was a really great work out and we, of course, got a lot of laughing in. If you're unfamiliar about what Bollywood dance is, it originated from the film industry in India. I'm adding in a clip of one of the seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, but you should expect that we looked a lot like this tonight! (sarcasm)

Walk On

I sometimes forget how much I love music. As I've gotten older I've realized I'm less reliant on music than I used to be. Back in high school, then college, and probably MOST of my 20's I had music on all the time. Getting ready, at work, in the car (okay that one will never go away). I've found solace in silence these days. I love the quiet times when my brain gets to work uninhibited, away from distraction and noise. I find the times I do have music on, and I'm really seeking out music it's for deeper meaning. Today as I was going about unpacking a box, I finally found my iPod. It's been 5.5 month since I moved and I hadn't found it yet. I knew it was somewhere - just not sure where, and I've had my iPhone to keep me occupied in music when the mood hits. I've probably heard this song a zillion times, and today - in the quiet of my home did it hit me and something called my name. The Weepies "Can't Go Back Now". Lately in the quiet I think about my life. While I wouldn't change a thing of what's brought me to this point, I realize it's taken an entirely different turn that I would have thought 15 years ago. Not better. Not worse. Just different. Today this song was exactly what I needed to hear to squelch any doubts that I've made the wrong choice at some of those forks in the road.

Take a listen won't you:

"Can't Go Back Now" - The Weepies

Yesterday when you were young
Everything you needed done was done for you
Now you do it on your own
But you find you're all alone, what can you do?

You and me walk on, walk on, walk on
'Cause you can't go back now

You know there will be days
When you're so tired
That you can't take another step
The night will have no stars
And you'll think you've gone as far
As you will ever get

You and me wak on, walk on, walk on
'Cause you can't go back now

And yeah, yeah, you go where you want to go
Yeah, yeah, be what you want to be
If you ever turn around, you'll see me

I can't really say
Why everybody wishes they were somewhere else
But in the end, the only steps that matter
Are the ones you take all by yourself

You and me walk on, walk on, walk on
Yeah, you and me walk on, walk on, walk on
'Cause you can't go back now
Walk on, walk on, walk on
You can't go back now

Life

I haven't blogged in awhile because I haven't felt all that clever lately. I've been busy with work, and just busy being.

On Leap Day this year, I spent the evening with people I've known for a very long time, laughing and talking about a guy we know called Derek Moore. He passed away last week. For as much as I hadn't seen him in a very long time, or considered him a close personal friend, I spent a lot of work time with him when I was much younger, his death has shook me to the core. Sometimes work "families" are a powerful thing. This is certainly the case of my very first job at Norwest Financial. Most of the people I worked with all still keep in contact, though for me it's mostly through Facebook these days. Most of them actually all still work together, which I absolutely love. Derek was a great guy. He was kind. He was really really funny. He was only 33 years old. He will be missed.

I've spent the past week reflecting on my own life and how much of my time is wasted. I need to regain some drive in my own life and seek out goals, and fun, and adventure. Now, if you asked me what I'm up to - I'm most likely to say something about work. BORING!! Seriously I feel like I've lost the fun side of my life somewhere along the path of this growing up nonsense. I plan to re-discover it again. Even if it's simple things at first. I plan to use Derek's passing as a wake up call to live. Even if you didn't know Derek, and you need a reason to do something similar...let this be that reason. Life is certainly too short to not enjoy what you're doing, where you're doing it, and who you're doing it with. Tell people you love them often. You just never know.

Painting Project numero Uno

This weekend I spent the money my parents sent me for my birthday to buy painting supplies. In my head I was going to finish the entire house - when in reality I've still got a tiny bit left of my master bathroom. Painting the ceiling is the added bonus I get to look forward to in this house. The ENTIRE (seriously - entire) house is tan. It's not a horrible tan - it's just too much tan. I never thought I would long for the days of white walls like in every apartment I've ever lived in. But at least that would mean the ceiling was white/already painted. I still have one coat left of the new colour before I can hang the shower rod. I'm very excited and feeling quite handy. I could get used to this handy work around the casa type thing.
















Before / After