Like a Summer's Day in May

I honestly think I can say this is my favorite time of the year.  I just love May! The sun is shining, it's almost summer and everything is beautiful! Portland is finally showing some sun, and everyone is loving it.

It's been a great first week.  In fact, I can't believe I have only been here for a little over a week.  I feel like Portland has instantly become home and this last week was one huge welcome party!  Work has been awesome, I work with some great people and they are really helping me learn the ropes.  I'm getting more and more confident by the day.  And then after work, I have been getting to hang out with all of my friends in Portland.  There are so many amazing places to see and restaurants to eat at, I have to remind myself that I am going to be here for awhile and I don't need to try them all this week.  My first weekend was a blast, Leah and I went out on Friday night to some cool places in my neighborhood.  And on Sunday, I went to a barbecue with my roomie Evan, and his friends.  Portland is everything I thought it would be and more.  I'm really happy with the way things are going and can't wait to see more.  Here are some visuals from my first 10 days.

.yummy quinoa salad with black beans, avocado, salsa, and jack cheese. perfect for lunch.

.mid week catch up with jamie at mcmenamins.

.what. a. view. on a gorgeous sunday afternoon.

.ice cream on 23rd.

.PSU was really pretty today.

.made myself a nice dinner for getting through monday. 

And I will leave you a random act of kindness I witnessed straight out the window of my apartment.  I saw two young people walk into view of my window when the girl bent down to get something from the ground.  She came up with a clutch, that was probably someone's purse that they dropped.  She placed it on top of our short lamp post and moved on.  Not two minutes later, two people walking their dogs came from the opposite direction.  I saw a woman pick up the clutch and a guy ask "Is that it?"  She said "Yes" and fastened it to her belt loop and the two of them and their dogs were back on their way.  And if that's not a way to top off a great Monday, I don't know what is. 

Might we always remember to be kind to one another.  

C'est la belle vie!

First Few Days in this Place Called Portland

Well, after three full days, I can say for certain: I love Portland!  The city, the restaurants, the people; it's all fabulous and wonderful.  While I have mostly been inside, unpacking and settling into my new apartment, I have had the chance to get out and experience some awesome places with friends, old and new!  I started my new job today and while it will be challenging, it will be an adventure...and so totally worth it.  So I am going to try to keep my promise to keep my blog up to date with awesome adventures and stories of this wonderful life I intend on living here in a magical city.  Missing everyone in Sacramento, thinking about you all!

.Dinner with Leah on 23rd.

.Portland Eats.

.Pretty Flowers from the Bestest Friend in the Whole Wide World.

.Walking Home on a Typical Evening in Portland.

C'est la belle vie! xxoo

   

I'm moving again...

After spending the last 9 months completely re-settling into life in Sacramento and California, I'm moving again!

This time I'm headed to...

Portland, Oregon

Check back in the next few weeks, exciting things are happening!

C'est la belle vie!

photo via Wikipedia

Book Review - A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

For anyone who has lived in France, visited France, or even has the slightest knowledge of stereotypical France, this book will not disappoint! A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke is a witty, hysterical travel narrative of a 20 something British guy who moves to France to open English Tea Rooms.  Naturally there are many bumps along the way that include but are not limited to French bureaucratic snafus, translation issues, and women (a whole lot of women).

The chapters are months of the year, starting in September because as Clarke  points out, the year begins in September when all French people return from their month long vacations and go back to work.  From there, the protagonist goes through all sorts of obstacles.  For one thing, he cannot understand half of the words that come out of his co-workers mouths.  Clarke does an amazing job with the phonetics of someone speaking English with a French accent.  Read those parts out loud to yourself, it's more fun! Besides his problems in comprehension, Paul has to find a place to live, work on getting a visa, defend the English people and their customs to every French person he meets, and figure a way out of buying a little cottage in Normandy.  All while meeting new people, and overcoming problems in translation along the way. 

This book had me laughing out loud at outrageous scenarios but more so at how perfectly Clarke describes living in France.  After living in France for a year myself, I completely understand what this poor guy is going through especially when it comes to bureaucratic nonsense and the French lifestyle of "ehh, it will get done."

Bravo, Stephen Clarke.  The outrageous and raunchy tales of an American living in France make this book too good to put down! 

*Picture from Wikipedia. Found here. 

Pirate Sighting - Ahoy Mateys!

Imagine my surprise when on a sunny Friday afternoon, as I am driving on the freeway, I glance over at the Sacramento River to my right and see a pirate ship? Yaarrr, a pirate ship!

My natural sense of adventure (HA! or my obsession with pirates) made me pull off the freeway at the next exit to follow my curiosity (aka the GIANT pirate ship floating down the Sacramento River).  The feeling of danger boiled up in my stomach as I inched forward, wondering what was ahead.  After climbing up the levee (in my car), I saw her in all of her majestic beauty, floating calmly down the river, not a care in the world.  I stayed out of sight in fear of the pirates aboard (*ahem* embarrassment), and what they might do if they caught me.  I followed her as far as my feet could take me (before people around me started questioning my sanity) and watched her off into the distance.  I'm not sure where they came from, or how long they will stay.  All I know is, my Friday became infinitely cooler when I spotted pirates in Sacramento.

Keep a weather eye friends.      

yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!

Boston Fall Wedding

After two years of anticipation for this happy occasion, the time finally came for Alyssa and Mike's wedding.  I had been excited for this day for literally two years!  And the weekend finally arrived when I took my flight to Boston to meet up with Jenny and Katelyn for the three of us to travel to Holyoke for this wonderful wedding.  Alyssa looked absolutely beautiful and the location was breathtaking.  And not to mention, it was amazing to be reunited with some of my best friends again!

Highlights of the trip:
-Frequently saying "OMG I can't believe they are getting married!"
-Seeing Alyssa when we first arrived at the location, as she snuck off to use the bathroom.
-Their adorable vows they wrote themselves, or improvised in Mike's case :)
-The beautiful setting, decor, and colors.
-Crying because we were so happy when we first got to talk to her after the ceremony.
-All of the older parents, neighbors, and friends who wanted to take our picture for their single sons.
-Dancing. Dancing. and more Dancing.
-Having our taxi driver take us through McDonalds.
-Walking all over Boston with Katelyn and Jenny the next day.
-Spending quality time with friends I have not seen in way too long.
-Laughter.  So much laughter.

We had just as much fun as I expected we would!  Here are some of my favorite photos from the night!

.hanging out before the wedding.

.being silly.

.here comes the bride.

.such a beautiful setting for a fall wedding. .love the colors.

.Mr. and Mrs. 

.best friends.

.so happy to finally be reunited with some of my favorite people.

.oregon crew. .go ducks.

.my favorite.

.singing PYT to alyssa. .obviously. 

.the happy couple.

.beautiful navy and orange.

.all smiles on such a happy occasion.

Congratulations Alyssa and Mike! So happy to have celebrated this special day with you! And looking forward to all of the good times to come!

C'est la belle vie! 

"EO, can I ask you a question?"

For those of you who don't know, my volleyball nickname is EO (in case this isn't obvious, E and O are my initials).  My club volleyball coach created it in 8th grade when there were 2 of us Elizabeths on the team.  EO isn't just catchy, it's a perfect name to yell out on the court.  As someone pointed out to me recently, names in sports need to be 2 syllables.  Which sounds better on a football field when a teammate scores a touchdown, "BOB!" or "BOBBY!" 2 syllables.  It just works.  My problem was not too few syllables but two too many.  It isn't easy yelling out "Elizabeth go for the ball!" Instead, "EO! Go for the ball!" And so EO stuck.  10 years later, I still go by EO when it comes to the world of volleyball.  And now you know the background for every fantastic question/comment/quote I hear on a daily basis coaching volleyball, as all question/comments/quotes start with "EO...?"

"EO you have such a cool name."
Yes, this was the first year that a freshman actually thought my name was EO.  Not as a nickname but that was my name from birth.  EO.  Nothing else.  I do introduce myself as EO in any volleyball context but I feel like I normally explain they are my initials.  My only question to her would be, how do you think I spell my first name?  Eeyo?

"E-I-E-I-O"
Old McDonald had a farm?  This would be really funny, if my middle initial was I, but it's not.  It's an A.  E-A-E-A-O?  Doesn't work as well.

"EO what do you do?"
My favorite question.  How do I explain my array of odd jobs and my life story to a 15 year old.  I should just stick to one solid answer: "I coach you in volleyball."

I laugh at the end of each day about the things these girls say.  They keep me young and I love them for it! More good quotes and stories to come!

JV Volleyball relaxing during a break at a tournament (notice Anna and Megan in the background, making up a dance routine)

Blocking the sun from distracting the ref, such troopers

go troubies!