Vacation at Home – A Heavenly 12 Days

It was such a great mix of friends, family, work, personal tasks and ambitions, home maintenance, exercise, food, some tragedy (about Winky, but I’ll make that a separate post) etc. I made plans and I didn’t. I set my alarm and I didn’t. I did all these things, and there’s more I want to do! Like a great vacation spot that one leaves too soon, about this vacation I also say, ” I definitely want to come back some day.”

I don’t know what my favorite part was during my at home vacation (I guess it’s a staycation, but I’m so averse to trendy vernacular!). Every thing was so different from the daily demands of life, it was all awesome.

I created more products (but have to wait to share some of them) and continued exploration about the business side, which is not my favorite aspect of this side biz. I really love my new work space with my new stand up table my friend made for me. It’s making all the difference on my back, my mental state, and productivity.

Loving my work space.

A new product that I think is so cute!

I rode my bike a few times and once I stopped at Grand Central Bakery to eat their seasonal fruit coffee cake. It’s always between that and the brioche cinnamon roll, but when berries are in season, berries win. GCB isn’t an every day event, but I wasn’t on my way to work at 6:20 and I had just ridden my bike 10 miles, so I sat in a bakery and ate what I wanted in leisure. THIS IS VACATION!

I worked in the yard for hours, but not enough hours. I wacked, weeded, watered, moved and fertilized plants. I made a few bouquets for friends who could use some love. I worked in my friend’s yard and she treated me to steak and frites at Laurelhurst Market. I went to lunch with my former boss (she’ll appreciate me not using the word “old”) and I went to dinner with another friend and her husband. I went downtown spontaneously with a friend and split a lasagna at Piazza Italia, where it was fun to be served by an Italian waiter with a definite Italian accent. My friend and I talked about our lives over the last 6 months and then finished off our rendezvous with non dairy ice cream at Little Bean, a company that was created to change the world! I BBQed for myself and made some for my neighbors in exchange for some technology help. I visited with my sister and we ate pizza at Otto’s on Sandy Blvd. I experimented with my new Sea Beans I discovered at the McMinnville Farmer’s Market and made yummy salads.

This was only one victim of my hatchet session.

There are areas in my yard that I shake my head at, and then I look at this and am ok.

Sea Beans!

Yummy salad with sauteed Sea Beans, sauteed shitake mushrooms, power greens, red pepper, feta cheese, avacado, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

Cilantro Chicken Marinade:
Cilantro, soy sauce, peanut oil, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes.

Cilantro chicken and roasted vegetables.

I went to Bradley’s church in Newberg and loved worshipping next to him. Jesus is the great redeemer and uniter of people, and in that moment of worship, I was more in love with my savior than I can express. The church is called Red Hills Foursquare Church and has a great energy. Somehow it’s comforting to discover he’s attending a Foursquare church, since Beaverton Foursquare is my home church, and was his when he was younger. We got to play Corn Hole and stand around and talk about nothing in particular with his friends. It was great. Bridgey’s been occupied for the last three weekends, so I’m looking forward to getting to see her soon, yet not soon enough.

Corn hole at church.

I called on neighbors to come take care of the biggest ugliest grossest spider that Emily (my friend’s daughter who lives with me) discovered in the bathtub. I’d sent out an SOS group text.  One neighbor came to remove the spider, put it in a jar, and gave it to his son. I was grateful for my neighbors who were willing to rescue me, because I honestly don’t think I can cope with a spider like this. I have new appreciation for my neighbors and may never move. I have a darling picture of my neighbor’s young son marveling at his new pet in the jar, but I can’t bring myself to post it. His son is cute, but I can’t look at a big spider, even in a photo.

A huge treat was to stay with two friends in a fancy yurt on private property. First we visited Rex Hill Winery. In a state where beer and wine are past times, too many other things are in competition for me, so it was lovely to sip, sit, and listen to the wine steward and talk with my friends under blue sky overlooking grapevines. Lunch was at Red Hills Market in Dundee where the salami in the sandwich was about a half a pound too much, but the Bloody Mary was perfect.

I think the bacon had a lot to do with this great drink.

We ate at Pura Vida in McMinnville for dinner, sat on top of the McMenamins rooftop for sunset, topped it off with lemon sorbet across the street, and headed back to our fancy yurt where we giggled our way to sleep.

I’m entering into a time of transition in my life that I won’t elaborate on right now, but the time was good to delve deeper into my side job and what I want to do. That sounds mysterious, yet it’s really just a time of determining where and what I want to do, and how to go about it. I was glad I was able to spend time taking further steps and contemplate some things. There’s more to do, so I’m hoping I keep my momentum. Writing, as it so often does, took a back seat, but I was able to also work on a writing project, and now I’m about to post!

Au revoir from Portland… I know that doesn’t make sense, but, saying it seems kind of like eating fruit coffee cake at 9am on a Tuesday.

PS: I am not a website programmer and I know the site is evidence of that. I hope you’ll bare with me and hopefully one day I will improve on that, too!