Thrifting Scores

Four sundresses

A shirt dress & 3 other dresses

Another dress, the purple pants, a chambray button up and another work shirt

An off the shoulder sweater, a skirt.....

...and two more dresses not pictured....

SO 11 dresses, three tops, a skirt, and a pair of pants....

all for around $80-100.

Nothing new, all used....

Whether or not this equates to breaking the No Buy Challenge....well, maybe. I mean I did break down and decide I needed some more dresses but then again...nothing is new and I guess technically I didn't buy any of it....so I'm not sweating it. Plus I was getting tired of wearing the same three dresses All.the.time :)

Mom altered the gray sweater and the purple dress in the first picture so they don't show as much skin up top...and she's working on shortening a teal silk shirt dress (total old lady, but it looks hip on and will be great for teaching!) and adding some extra fabric to extend the length on another dress. But also, it's great to have a handful of new-to-me pieces that actually fit my current frame. I've still held on to all my old pants thinking that eventually I'm going to put weight back on, but so far we're looking at almost a year at this smaller size..... I'm incredibly fortunate that Mom has been able to take in so many pieces of my wardrobe! And now it's been great to have some new-to-me pieces that actually are designed to fit my current body size and shape--woohoo!

I love great deals....

Fun: July As We Know It (Take 2)

Oh man, where does time go? And for the record, while July has been a ton of F-U-N, I'm balancing on edge of hibernation again as I head into STILL no job and no finances, but I'm trying my hardest to continue to remain positive and seek out additional jobs (both short and long term) and to again explore other options. I might touch on some of this later but first.....

HOUSEMATE L finally moved out. Luckily I'd prepaid part of rent for July by redoing the front yard in June (my landlords are awesome and any money I spend on the house/yard can be deducted from next month's rent) plus L was here half the month, so July was taken care of. L finally started talking to me after giving the silent treatment for two weeks, but barely and it was still the weirdest move-out I've ever seen. I came home to help her at 5:30pm when she's usually off work and the house was empty of her, lil dog, and her stuff, with a $50 cleaning deposit dropped on my purse that morning and the key under the front mat. Obviously to say she was as ready to be out of here as I was to have her out of here is probably a major understatement, but it still makes me sad that the last weeks were so...interesting.

I've had a couple of other VISITORS:

My gal Cait was in town for mainly work purposes but I was able to snag her for a night and show her around Portland. For all the odd years I've lived here off and on, this was the first time we'd ever been able to hang out in the city together, so I took her downtown to do some of the standard things:

We rode the MAX down which was a true PDX experience with some interesting individuals to chat with us and then we went to Bamboo Sushi on 23d, since C had asked for something local/sustainable but healthy. From there we poked around the stores on 23rd and went into Moonstruck Chocolates, walked down to Powell's, and then met up with regular D at a dive bar back toward NW once he was off work. He did us the honor of surprising us with bouquets that work was going to throw out ("don't get awkward guys, they were just going to throw them out...." :)) and took our picture outside Jeld-Wen:

I love this gal and wish she was around more often!

Second visitor was my MOM, as Dad had come up earlier in the week to pick Granny up and take her to spend a few days at their place. (While he was here we replaced all the florescent kitchen lights, and while I love my father, it again reminded me of where I get several of my traits in life from....) Mom brought Granny back up on Friday afternoon and then stayed until Monday morning. While she was here we had a great impromptu dinner at my aunt's, went Goodwill shopping for more dresses for me (a post in its own....) and she did some alterations, spent lots of time just chatting, did dinner & a movie (I made amazing shrimp fajitas and we saw The Heat...Mom laughed her socks off....hilarious!), and then on Sunday night Mom treated Tall D & I to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (DELISH!). Was a seriously great visit together and was so glad to have her here!

There have been a couple of outings meeting up with regular D for drinks and just chatting about life. The dude's hilarious and offers a very different perspective on things. There was a breakfast with C and his buddy Adam who is visiting in town and who needed help with outdoor pursuit ideas. But really I've spent several outings also with Tall D....we were going to spend an afternoon shooting so I could practice with the gun he left me in the winter but apparently there is a shortage of bullets (who knew?!!!!), so we went to play disc golf instead. 

We had an evening at the movies watching the Internship (hilarious) over beers, and then last Tuesday regular D, Tall D, PP, Wali-G and I floated the Clackamas River....which was lots of fun but a bit chillier than expected.....

....and somewhere in the process of being in an awkward floating/reclining position, I apparently messed up my back so was out of commission for 2-3 days. The massage therapist earlier this spring had warned me that my butt and leg muscles were uber tight and pulling on my back...and apparently this week they all kicked into overdrive so I spent two days walking around like a hunched old lady! :) Tall D is letting me borrow his foam roller, a long hot soak in the tub, lots of stretching, a couple of 800mg of Motrin, and a gentle hike & swim seem to have done the trick so I'm planning on heading out for an easy jog here in a bit. 

And yep, yesterday there was an easy hike with regular D and two of my friends that don't get out of the city enough (L & K). I offered a week ago to take them up to Twin Lakes and then convinced reg D to come along too (and C & Adam were supposed to come too but bailed). We did the loop backwards this time and ended at the Lower Lake where I was the only one who went for a swim, but man did the water feel great! We got stuck in big time traffic on the way back and then D and I grabbed some Mexican food downtown at one of my favorite joints. 

Add in another afternoon berry picking to right my head after not getting two other job leads, which followed with another Thursday afternoon/evening with Granny--we baked zuchinni nut muffins & marionberry pie, and then I fixed dinner and we sat out on the upper deck. Two days of grading also were had, an evening looking over additional jobs, more reading in Eat, Pray, Love and I started another hilarious book, and tomorrow my cousin will come over for coffee in the morning and then my gal R is taking me out for lunch in Multnomah Village. 

I have two other potential August housemates that I'm interviewing on Monday. Both are males who just need a space for a month and I'm potentially thinking about renting out both rooms if all parties are willing. We'll see what comes of the interviews and other details. (Housemate M intends to come back for a few days during the end of this month, so I'd planned on having his bed available...and Mom & Dad will probably want a place to crash at some point in the month....) But if I rent to both of them, then rent will be paid in full for August and at least one utility bill which cuts down on how much I'd have to acquire elsewhere.

Which brings me full circle back to....I'm still applying for jobs. I will be applying for temp jobs, part-time jobs, and humbling jobs here this week. I'm also reconsidering taking a couple of classes again. Ironically I discovered two weeks ago that in order to renew my teaching license I have to take two classes, which means that if I would have followed through with my idea to start the bio and chem sequence in spring that I was registered for a) I could already renew my license and b) I would have had extra money to cover expenses this summer. I just continue to hesitate...I hate the idea of shelling out more cash that might not be able to be paid back...that's why I transitioned to focus just on getting a job to pay off my debts...except no job is happening...which always leads me back to school...? Big question mark. 

...and for the first time in months, I'm also debating going back to church. I'm not ready to start talking to the Big Man just yet, but I think being surrounded in His family and feeling the energy in church might be very, very good for me....

...anyway this next week should hold more internalizing, more searching, more applying, maybe registering, hopefully new housemates secured, and hopefully a day hike (or two) or a backpack trip to be had, and cooking baking with Granny...all before we start the celebration for Granny's 102nd birthday with the annual tea party next weekend! (How are we already almost to August?!)

Hope y'all have been well!

Mom & Sis Beach Trip

After my return from rafting trip, Mom headed out late the next morning to the family beach house. I wanted to mow and get the house/yard in order, plus get a work-out in before I headed out. I met Mom at the beach house probably around 5 that first night and after getting situated, we loaded the dogs back up and headed down for a walk on the beach.

View of the rock at Pacific City

Mom walking onto the beach.

There are two spots that frequently accumulate sand dollars washed up on the shore. This particular evening we were able to find three.

I love this picture of the rock & cape with Roxi enjoying the waves in the foreground.

Dogs & I--these crazy biotches have been my life preservers

After the walk, we headed back up to the house and spent some time chatting before getting ready for bed. The next morning I woke up fairly early and sat enjoying my coffee and the views from the large windows. The weather had been showering so it was always nice to see breaks from the rain! My sister got there about 930am and so the three of us were able to do some initial catching up. I hadn't seen my sister since January and for multiple reasons we haven't interacted with each other much in the last year or so, so in some ways it was sort of nice to work on putting our differences aside and spend some time enjoying and loving on each other. I left the house about noon to head part of the way back toward the valley for my interview and I really enjoyed the drive both ways. The windy narrow roads with single lane bridges have some amazing river scenery! On my return trip I realized the rain was partly subsiding, so I leashed the dogs up and took them for a run down to the cape and along the beach, while Mom and sis drove down and met us there for walking. 

Mom and sis searching for beach treasures

Dogs and I post run

Sis, Mom, & I on the beach

Once beach time was done, we drove back up to the house so I could take a quick shower and stow the dogs in the entryway, and then we drove back down to the cape to eat dinner at the Pelican Pub. I used to think the Pelican Pub was overpriced, and while I still feel that way about some of their drinks (plus I'm not a huge fan of their beers), I feel like their food has gotten much better in the last few years! I had some pretty delish fish tacos. 

After dinner, we were stuffed and headed back up to the house. More chat time before bed and in the morning, and then we cleaned & vacuumed the house before heading back to the valley late morning.

Altogether a quick trip, but with beautiful views, great moments just spending time with each other, and tons of sea air! Here's hoping we can do it again!

Recent Highlight Updates

I'd hoped to write so many individual posts in the weeks that have passed but as usual, sometimes when I'm struggling it's easier to just be quiet and process. The last few weeks have brought many additional changes, much legit honesty, and moments of having to take a hard look at past actions while contemplating current desires (which is still happening....). For a few weeks I jumped from various coping mechanisms, some of which I'll talk about in the following bullets. So what's the highlight reel? What has been going on? Well a little bit of the following:

Beach Club Book Trip--was an awesome time with five other fabulous ladies. My cousin A and I showed up about mid-day on Saturday to my gal N's beach house. N and her SIL S were already there from the night before and our two other gals (E&E) joined us at dinner time at the local pub. We were supposed to have rainy weather so we all LOVED the fact that it was an absolutely beautiful two days on the coast. Many walks along the beach, much vino, delish cookies straight from the oven, an evening fire on the beach, and some great conversations---I'm so thankful for every one of those gals. (This last month's book was The Girl Who Fell From the Sky---interesting read. Now we're reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed about the PCT--enjoying it. And I'm also stoked cause one of my coworkers is going to join BC also!)

Overnight Backpacking Trip--Tall D and I went on a 24 hour, 14 mile, 4000 ft total incline overnight trip in the Ruckle & Eagle creek areas of the Gorge. It was the first major hike we've been on this season and the first six miles included the total amount of incline--whew! But the break from our chaotic lives, surrounding ourselves in nature, enjoying the dogs and views, and much sweating that occurred was desperately needed for both of us. We had amazing vistas, great weather, and we found the perfect little shelter area to shield our tent from the wind in the night. Wildflowers were out in abundance, the birds were hollering, and on the hike down we passed waterfalls and crossed creeks. This was the first use of my new Osprey pack and it was absolutely amazing--definitely glad I sucked it up and made that purchase. I'm also continually impressed with Tall D's UV water purification wand---its such an easy device for clean water. I'm mentally making lists of things I'll need for my own outdoor gear supplies. I was pretty impressed with how well I did with all the heights as I sometimes struggle with that but maybe it was because in the scheme of everything else in life, heights seemed the least of my problems---haha! By the end of Day 2, my feet were shot as I was hiking in my old Vibrams, and we realized that the only two things that we separately lost on the trail were the dogs leashes--doh! But I have to say that Tall D was incredibly supportive the whole trip....and it was a great time together. I'm already itching for the next excursion....

House Happenings--My primary coping mechanism for the last several weeks has been cleaning, purging, and redoing the decor slightly in my house. Z cleaned a few of the carpets, assisted in rehanging artwork, and helped me with a night of painting (thick horizontal stripes and black on the faux bricks surrounding the gas stove in the den). Most of the stuff in the house has been separated now so I've been working on organizing and making the house my own. I purchased quite a few new items (art pieces, area rugs, dishes, etc) and have scoped out some new ideas. Tall D has helped me hang numerous items, fixed the futon, is doing a great job progressing on my coop, and has agreed to get roped into a few more Pinterest-to-real-life projects---bahaha! I'll post a few pictures of the house interior later and I'm excited to finish it up so I/we can get cracking on the backyard!! Also Z will not be moving in after all...I have apprehensions about living by myself this summer (mainly finances but some safety) but in some regards it might be the best thing for me....or I'll post for a housemate at some point. :)

Motherly Support--I broke down and asked my mother to come up for moral support after two days of life changing, rash, but much needed decisions and a bad night of too much vino (which has been a cure for that particular coping mechanism). Mom arrived on a Monday and stayed until Friday...and I have to say, it was great to have her here. I was honest with her about the current mess of life, we had some enjoyable times, she filled me up with our family value of unconditional love, bought me some flowers, and then she headed for home. We spent an incredible Tuesday being tourists downtown visiting one of my favorite little breakfast joints and then going to the Portland Art Museum. Mom mentioned an interest, I'd always wanted to go, and we both loved seeing the combination of historical art exhibits. We spent 4th of July going back to my roots, joining Z and his buddy for an impromptu BBQ, dirt track car races at the small town speedway, and ending with a fireworks display. Mom's flexibility and support arrived at the right time and she was wonderful--able to allow me to cry, chat, or just be as needed while also fueling my thoughts and desires for the future. 

Throw in about two days of uncontrollable crying in there, great daily support from Tall D and via long-distance text my best gal D, a trip to a new church, the tiniest and most glorious day for a wedding I've been to on the Oregon Coast, some online teaching and working from home, a few job applications, a family BBQ yesterday, major thoughts on life goals and travel plans, and a lot of hope, fear, sadness, confusion, loss, loneliness, honesty, compassion, anger, and faith.....and you've got the rest of the last week in a nut shell! I'm making mental lists of things to tackle this summer and hoping that some other great things will pan out as well. The second night I'd gone for a run, finally weeded the raised beds, made dinner, and took care of a few things around the house, I thought I might actually have snapped out of my funk. I'm sure the summer will continue to be a sort of emotional roller coaster as I both try to reacquaint and yet get out of myself....And I'll be back soon with more updates and pictures...continuing on this renewed Journey Authentically....

Hope each of you has been doing fabulously---cheers to you and yours!