Surf's Up

Water, water, everywhere! Chip and I have been enjoying getting to know the lay of the land, or water rather, around here. Within the first three days of living in Portland, Chip outfitted himself through Craigslist with a surf board and wetsuit (Priorities, right? Never mind that our boxes weren't unpacked yet). Therefore, our first venture was out to the Oregon coast- Pacific City specifically. The maiden voyage was successful. Chip reports sore arms and adrenaline as the seldom used skills came back to him.


Chip, Kessler, and I enjoyed a beautiful sunset, an incredible hike through the cloud forest, and a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck". With less than 24 hours to come home, unpack, repack, and get back on the road, we were off on to the next leg of our Oregon Adventure '08!


This round of surfing took place on the Deshutes River, just a few hours southeast of Portland. We kicked it with Jon, Sarah, and two new friends, Tanda and Justin. J& S have a beautiful 14ft oar-rigged raft that I hung out on most of the weekend. Chip surfed the current in his kayak with Jon. Despite the innumerable number of tics we are still pulling off the dog, it was the smoothest first-time-out-for-the-season trip I have ever been a part of. We ate like kings and queens, laughed often, and even got a few glamor shots in with our resident photographer (more photos or a link to follow soon). Good times.

School and work are on the rapidly approaching horizon. And actually, we are pretty excited to stop moving for a minute and settle in.




"Life sure is easy on a raft, ain't it Huck?"
-Mark Twain

Ohio

Ahhh...home. In some ways, our visits home have changed a lot. And still, there is this deep and familiar comfort that overcomes me every time the plane lands in Cleveland. The lush grass and trees, quaint Chagrin Falls, quiet starry nights, and nostalgic memories around every corner.








This relaxed long weekend in Ohio was filled with a trip to the zoo, lots of great food, a house hunt for Derek and Hope (and Chip and Audrey in the future??), lots of great food, games of memory and coloring with the kiddos, lots of great food, picture and story sharing, and of course, lots of great food (especially Yours Truly).
Thanks for a great visit, Eastern Clan!


Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

SLC-PDX

Where do I begin? It has been a whirlwind of a month and somehow, at the end of it all, here I it sit in our tiny and adorable Portland apartment looking out the window at scenery that is beautiful , yet unfamiliar. We feel so hopeful and...satisfied about this move. And still, there is a lonely pit in my stomach nagging. Chip and I joke that in a way we still feel like we are visiting. I wonder when the reality that we are not returning to all the people and things we loved in SLC will set in.

So far, things are great here. We look forward to exploring our new surroundings and forging new relationships around us. Chip and I are fortunate to have some great friends here in Portland already and, in addition to that, strangers on the street share such genuine smiles generously- I love it! It has been gray here since our arrival, but I am glad to see that it does not have to cause an outbreak of gloomy moods. I am sure I will miss the consistent sunshine doled out by Utah days, but for now, the cool coastal air feels good on my skin and, for someone so connected to my sunglasses that some thought they grew out of my head, it feels good to remove the plastic lens between my eye and the world around me. I mean seriously, who can complain about an environment that promotes growth so well that I sometimes worry that moss will start to grow on my car parked in the street , or at least that a blossom will sprout out of the headlight- they seem to sprouting out of everything else- it is truly incredible. Come check it out for yourself and see us!

Chip and I want to make sure that we give a big shout out of gratitude to so many of you for helping us with this transition. Thanks to Chris and Erika for organizing an awesome send off party a few days before our departure. Thanks to Pam and Justin for not only watching, but loving, our dog in all our times of need. Thanks to Ann and Andy for helping us pack in SLC. Huge thanks to mom DuRoss for driving one of our cars and helping us stay motivated to unpack when we just wanted to walk away. Thanks to both moms (Chip's and Jon's) as well as Jon himself, for helping us unpack. And, thanks to those who supported us with your good energy and phone calls to let us know that you are thinking about us.

We have some plans to get out and about before Chip starts school and I start work. And, of course, more details to come on those topics later. So, bookmark or "RSS feed" this page if you want to stay updated on our dealings.

(The new 650 sq.ft. flat)

This is a quote we found and had posted on our fridge for the last few months. I rediscovered it in our unpacking...

"The warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment, and-sometimes- with just a touch of madness."
-Paulo Coelho from Warrior of the Light