.the long silence.

sorry for the long silence, friends.

i've been a bit busy.

one month ago to the day, the man-friend and i packed our belongings into a moving container and into our car and drove away from providence, ri.  we made a 5,000 mile road trip across the country (via stops to see many friends and family) and relocated to our favorite place in the world . . .

PORTLAND, OREGON!


that's right friends.  we're home!

it's been strange . . . awesome . . . terrifying . . . exciting . . . nuts.

i am so happy to be here!  i miss my friends from providence so much!  i miss my garden!  we don't have a place to live yet . . .  i've been living out of a small suitcase for the last month.  i miss my roller derby team (working on transferring to the local league - the rose city rollers).  but i've gotten to see my family and friends and the beautiful states of oregon and washington . . . i love the pacific northwest.

once we're settled i plan to blog and craft more!  and garden!!!

{cows in southern oregon}

what have you been doing in my absence??

.portland.

a dear friend made this awesome video of our trip home to portland over the holidays.

check it.



if you watch it to the end, you get to see a close-up of my armpit.

.christmastime.

my city of roses. what a beautiful, rainy, sweet, creative, loving city you can be.

this is a mural that is repainted every year. every year, i get my photo taken in front of it.
this is my favorite place on earth. there is nothing like the beauty of the oregon coast.

GLUHWEIN!!! a german christmas market (weihnachtsmarkt) tradition. we found some at new season's . . . think: sweet mulled wine. tastes like christmas.
the oregon countryside in klamath falls. we stayed here for a few days with the man-friend's family. it snowed. we went on family walks. it was peaceful and lovely.
the man-friend's family on our walk.

one of my favorite shots of us at the coast.

majestic mt hood over the city of portland, oregon.

peace was found in the rose-test gardens above the city.
all the happy rice-milk lattes a girl could want!!!!

so, there are just a few shots from our trip. it really was wonderful. now we are back in full-swing of life in providence. waitressing, massaging, babysitting, roller skating, crafting, living, walking the pup, eating, growing, sleeping, etc. i hope to make more time for blogging, but if i have to choose between that and sleep . . . well, you understand.

but my long term goal really is to be more crafty and open my etsy site!!!

you are welcome to ask me about that more and keep me on my toes!

.tj loves: powells city of books.

head on over to my favorite bookstore powells city of books and order any 3 used paperbacks by the end of the day today (11:59 pm pacific time) and get a free reusable tote made from recycled materials.

this bookstore is sincerely epic. it takes up a whole city block in Portland Oregon and a person needs a MAP to get around. though i much prefer just getting lost there for days and days. happiest place on earth? move over disneyland!

.pdx friends.

if you aren't busy march 5th and you live within driving distance of Portland, Oregon, i strongly suggest with all of my delicately beating heart that you go see my good friend jacob white in his first show with mount saint elias.

you wont be disappointed.

.pdx beards.

more tj loves:
two of my favorite things combined: beards and portland, oregon!

image credit {thirstyfly}

this print can be purchased here at society6. you can find out more about artist rachel caldwell here. this image was also found on the cover of the weekly portland mercury, so cool. you can see it here.
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mmmmmm. today is snow day. it's supposed to snow 6-12 inches so the city has freaked out, hired the snow plows (they've been driving around the city since like 6 am - how am i supposed to sleep in if THOSE PLOWS ARE DRIVING AROUND?!), issued a parking ban, and cancelled everything! you know what though? i already had the day off. so i am planning to clean my house and do some crafties and get ready for our party friday night.

yes! our party! the man-friend is taking his big exams this week for his PhD! he's been studing for about 6 months straight (well, all his years of college really, so years and years) for these exams. he takes his last written exam today and then on friday he sits in front of a panel and answers questions . . . ooohhhh the stress. i'm sure he'll do fine. and also? i am glad to have him back just in time for valentine's day! we're gonna do all kinds of celebrating!

.loves.

.jacob white {photo credit: ME}.

i have this friend. he's one of those friends who felt like family almost immediately. he's one of those people who doesn't waste time on the unimportant stuff, but gets right down to the dirty broken truth of things. we don't get to see him much since we live on separate coasts . . . but when we do, it is precious time. we get right to the important conversations. we open a bottle of whiskey and pick up a guitar or two. we ask the questions no one wants to ask and we answer them honestly. this man is a good man. a true lyricist. a heart of gold. he has a natural ability to see people, to make music, and to express truths in unique ways.

he's started a new music project called mount saint elias. give it a listen. and if you are in the Portland, Oregon area keep checking his site for tour dates. if you go, please let me know . . . i wish with all my heart that i could be there too.

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currently listening to my new M Ward album on vinyl. delish.