Extreme level of positivity…

Posted by random olio

It has been a full week. In the end, news that might have been taken as bad news ended up being just the news I needed to hear. Which makes me grateful. It will allow me to breathe, stretch, and refocus. It is always funny to me when bad news can actually be good news. Just not always in the way we expect it.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see a good friend that I had not seen in more than a year. We talk almost weekly, and I feel so privileged that she came to visit us in our new home. Her visit was an inspiration. She wanted to come out and help us pack and move and we were adamant that if she came to visit it was ONLY to hang out and play in Portland.

I wanted to share my admiration about my friend. She always looks at the glass on the table as FULL. Not half full. Not half empty. Always full. She is always positive. It is an inspiration, as I often can nit pick and find the crappy part of an experience. I like to pull things apart and try to better understand why individuals do certain things. In that process I sometimes get frustrated for why things have not been handled in a certain way. I quickly notice how things could be handled better. I see ways others could treat me or those around me better.

She sees the good regardless of the bad. That is not a quality I know of in many people. Her extreme level of positivity is contagious. It reminds me to take a step back and see things differently. The funny thing is that you might think: “extreme level of positivity” means that she is a Pollyanna. She is not. It is real and genuine. She truly sees so much good in others. She gives them the benefit of the doubt. She trusts more.

Thank you, dear friend. You are an inspiration to me. You always want to help and are not picky about how we spend time together. You are always so happy and content with your surroundings and yourself. I appreciate you and am grateful for what you bring to my life.

Happy Friday!

Tears of gratitude…

Posted by random olio

Chris and I moved over the weekend. I had not mentioned it before because it is not official until it is OFFICIAL! Saturday morning Chris was meeting the movers, and I was getting the keys to our new place. On my drive over it was pouring down rain. Ah, Portland fall weather. Everyone is driving under the speed limit. Ah, Portland fall weather…

In any case, I am driving to our new place, and Bob Marley comes on the radio, and I start to cry. Now, here is the thing. I do not cry that often. When I do it usually hits me hard. At first I cannot figure out why I am crying. I think oh it is this mellow song. Then I think oh you are just utterly exhausted. Then it hits me.

They are tears of gratitude. Oh gosh, they are coming down now as I write this blog post. Gratitude of the adventure that Chris and I just started. Each step we take in life together is always better than the last experience. We have been living in a townhouse, so buying a house has been something we have wanted to do for a few years. The real estate market had not been in our favor, but that has gradually changed. Without boring you with all the details, we just purchased a beautiful house.

What brought tears to my eyes was the excitement for what is next, gratitude for how smooth the transaction went, and awe of what “home” will be for many years to come. Lastly, I think the tears were just a glimpse of what my life was as a child to now. It is not that I never had an imagination for what was possible as a kid, but my life has given me so much more than I could have ever imagined growing up poor in the Midwest. I am so grateful for what life has given me. My husband, my family, my job, my home. Tears of gratitude. I wiped them away, and drove into my new driveway to meet my realtor.

By the way, if you live in Portland and need an amazing realtor, send me a note.

The laughing driver…and one angry passenger

Posted by random olio

On Saturday, Chris and I were in Portland driving down a fairly busy street. We had the right of way, and were cruising along, when a car that was at a cross street decided they were going to try to cross the street and gunned it. I am fairly sure that the woman driving did not see us. Chris slammed on the brakes, and laid on the horn and they came inches from hitting us.

We drove on. I turned back to look at the car that almost hit us. Partly because I was pissed beyond belief, and partly because I wanted to make eye contact with the driver. At that moment, all I could think about was the fact that they would have slammed into us right at the driver side door. Right into Chris. So I had reason to be livid. When I looked back, the woman driving the car was LAUGHING. I wanted to have Chris cross over three lanes, turn right immediately, and find them. (That would be my father’s anger coming out of me). I wanted them to know that my heart was jumping out of my body, that everything in our backseat was on the floor or under our front seats due to how hard Chris had to brake.

Turning and looking at the driver all happened in a matter of five seconds. Yet, for the rest of the day, the woman laughing is what kept coming back into my thoughts. Why would she have been laughing? Was she nervous that she almost crashed into us? Was she too into her conversation that she did not even care that she almost caused an accident? Was she mocking me looking back at her with a scowl on my face?

Chris is precious cargo to me. Food for thought. Watch the road when driving. We all have precious cargo inside.

The Infinite Uses of Creative Thought

Posted by random olio

Over the Labor Day weekend we were walking through the Annual Art in the Pearl festival in Portland and saw this quote on a nearby gallery window:

on a window in Portland…

It really resonates with me. “Inform and delight.” If you do not know Milton Glaser, you can check out his website. He is most known for creating the I (heart) NY slogan. I love this idea that art should: inform and delight. I can get behind that. We all have ways that we are creative in our lives. Do you ever wonder if you are an artist? Does being creative inspire you?

There are so many ways to be creative in this world. You can be a jeweler. A baker, a candlestick maker (just kidding – well I guess you could be). A designer, a cake maker, you can design fonts, or logos, or PowerPoints. You can design rugs, or blankets, or scarves. You can be a food photographer, or photograph people, or landscapes. You can be a painter (visual) or a house painter. You can be an architect, or a builder, or a landscape designer. You can be a product designer, or a graphic designer, or a product engineer. You can be a chef, or make pastries, or develop the grapes for a fine wine. You can design a website, or an app used by the multitudes. You can design furniture, or appliances, or cars. You can sew, or be a ceramist, or work with metals. Oh the mirad ways to be creative, and I have just named a few.

You can be a writer, or an editor, or a strategist. All require some effort of design.

Whatever role we fill each day, try starting your day using your creativity to “inform and delight.”

Charcuterie: Mmm and Nom Nom

Posted by random olio

A few of my co-workers and I were talking about the rise of the term “charcuterie” in restaurants and food carts. Charcuterie: the art of making sausages and other cured, smoked, and preserved meats. I am seeing quite a list of newer places in Portland that have the main focus of charcuterie, bread, and cheese. To name a few: Olympic Provisions, Chop Butchery, Portland Meat Collective, and a new food cart called: Cheese & Crack.

Chris and I have been exploring the world of charcuterie for a while. But, before I tell you about that, can I just tell you for a second that I never announced we were having charcuterie, because I never knew cured and smoked meats with our cheese and crackers was charcuterie! Nor did I not have the slightest idea how to pronounce it. We even had fun (during the work conversation I mentioned above) trying to pronounce it correctly. Maybe I will just call it cheese & crack. Now that I can remember!

last night’s charcuterie with cheese

We often on the weekend relax around plates of different types of cheeses, crackers, charcuterie, and fruit and enjoy the multitude of flavors. What I love about it is that a little actually goes a long way. It is the strong and different flavors that make this meal so amazingly enticing. For me it is also the best of both worlds – salty and sweet. A sliced pear, on top of a slice of smoked gouda on a salty cracker. Mmm and Nom Nom. A perfect way to end a day of exercise, adventures, sun, and play. It is how we often end a full day.

What about you? Do you dabble in charcuterie?