The Last Four Months

In the midst of final exam season, I am looking for any opportunity to take a study break - so why not catch up on my activities the last four months?

First off, sorry I am a terrible blogger.  Law school is tough, and by the time I finish all my readings, make sure I have clean clothes for tomorrow, and try to do something social/normal/fun, blogging has not even entered my mind.  And on a day it does, I probably haven't done anything besides read about the elements of assault or what the rules are for bringing a claim in federal court (all very interesting, remind me to tell you sometime!).

So, to recap my almost complete first semester of law school, the biggest take away is that I love it and the law is fascinating.  Every day is truly something new and each class is so different that I'm rarely bored.  Even my final exams would be fun if they weren't the only determinant of my grades because every question is like a little puzzle to be solved.  I am learning to be more logical in how I think things through and how to be more articulate when expressing my perceptions of an issue, and I can feel these changes in my brain even after such a short amount of time.  It is truly unlike anything else I've done and still feels like the right choice for me.

I'll be sure to share some thoughts on the fun things I have gotten to do recently, such as my Thanksgiving adventures with friends, in the next few weeks.  As for now, I should probably get back to studying!

Until next time!

Orientation Day

Hey all!  It's been a crazy couple of weeks since I last wrote with lots of new things beginning.  I will finish up my ice cream scooper job at the end of the month, but I have already begun my position as a box office ticket seller with the Portland'5 Center for the Arts.  While I am not encouraged to work during school, this job is an occasional one and will be perfect for replenishing my bank account after this summer.  It's easy and means I get to hang around the theatre, so no complaints!

Speaking of school, I start Monday.  Orientation was today, and I was able to listen to some current students and administrators give out helpful hints on what to expect the first year.  I'm feeling better about it after a few shaky weeks of not having my schedule or any clue what was really going on (we just got our final class schedule and book list on Wednesday!).  So on Monday we begin Legal Methods, which is described as a practice opportunity for the rest of the year.  It's the only class I have for the next two weeks and has all the components of a normal class (reading assignments, final exam, etc), just shortened and graded pass fail.  Now that it's here, I'm excited to get started!  Until then, I will do my best to relax, snuggle with Emmitt, and enjoy the last few days of summer.

Until next time!

Treat Yo Self Day - Alberta Arts District

To be fair, I was not intending on having a treat yo self day.  My intention was to visit the Alberta Arts District so I could try the new monthly flavors Salt & Straw has (it's berries berries berries month!) and check out some new restaurants.  I am, however, a sucker for local shopping no matter where I am, so I should have known that having a full 20 blocks of places to explore was going to be awesome and terrible all at the same time!

I started my day at Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery for breakfast.  Nothing in this neighborhood opens until at least 11:00, so I was able to take my time and enjoy sitting outside on the nice day.  Random Order is known for their caramel apple pie, so I had a slice of that and coffee.  It was delicious, but no one can touch Grandma Snow's recipe! 

After that, I simply began to stroll.  To be fair, I did not know that the Arts District was 20 blocks until I started walking.  Every time I reached the end of a block and assumed there was nothing else, I spied something interesting up ahead.  There were tons and tons of home decor, accessory, clothing, craft, fabric, stationery, book, art, gift, bike, and furniture shops all along the street and all had something unique to offer.  Many of them focused on local artists or companies, so it was a fun way to get to know Portland artists through their work.  I even found two stores that sold Liberty of London fabric (my favorite!)!  In the end, I think I walked away with a variety of stationery, craft supplies (I think I'm going to make a hanging lamp for my living room), candles, a Totoro lunch box, and stuff for the wall.  It was a fun way to celebrate my first pay check from Salt & Straw!

Every inch of the buildings on Alberta Street seem to be covered in street art or wall murals, which made the walk between stores and restaurants very interesting.  Each piece had a unique flavor and, while you never saw anything about the artists, seemed to reflect the area's past as the home of many of Portland's early immigrant populations and the current focus on being a strong, thriving community.  Some were just plain odd though and simply seemed to reflect that the artist was a strange person, and that was fun too!

For lunch I had Bunk Sandwiches (two meals out in one day!), which is critically acclaimed for it's yummy fare.  I must not have ordered the best thing (roast beef sandwich), because I was sadly disappointed.  I'll give it another shot (Dad says you have to try everything twice) and try something different next time!

On a different note, I only have one month until school starts.  It's hard to believe I have been here for seven weeks already as time is starting to fly now!  I'm not sure when my position with Salt & Straw will be up, but I have a second job lined up for when school starts as a box office person for the Portland'5 Performing Arts Center.  It is an occasional position, and I will only work when there are events that need working.  I think it will be perfect as I won't be able to fill up all of my free time with work (as I tend to do) but will still have the opportunity to make a little bit of money.

Until next time!

Salt & Straw

I have a few minutes while I wait for the bus to tell you all about my summer job!  Last weekish I accepted a position with Salt & Straw, a young but thriving Portland ice cream shop as a scooper at one of their suburban ice cream carts!

Salt & Straw started about four years ago with a food cart in northeast Portland and now has three shops here, one in LA, the Lake Oswego cart where I work, plus little stalls on a few of the corporate campuses and event centers in the area.  I don't know anything about profits, but the shops constantly have lines out the door!  The ice cream is incredible, and if you come visit we will go.  It's handmade here in Portland, uses Oregon ingredients or ingredients sourced by Oregon companies, has a 17% butterfat content (as high as you can go without being butter), and has all kinds of crazy flavors. My personal favorites are the olive oil and honey lavender flavors, but you really can't go wrong.  They also do monthly seasonal flavors where they get together with Portland chefs, schools, farmers, companies or whoever to come up with weird flavors (this month it's food cart inspired, so think poutine, kimchi, and Thai peanut butter sauce).

My job is just like it sounds - scoop ice cream and be crazy friendly.  Basically, it's like my other customer service jobs except no one has yelled at me!  There are only about seven of us working the cart, so I get quite a few hours and am getting to know my coworkers well.  It's really just a fun, chill way to spend my summer!

Hope you're having a great summer!

The Rose Festival and Other News

I'm mostly posting out of feeling of obligation to you, my adoring fans.  Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of exciting news to share!  

Emmitt and I have settled into our new home well.  We've both lost a little weight and are enjoying the Portland summer.  It's only rained one day since I've been here, and the ten day forecast doesn't show any change.  While it's been nice, there's a lot of concern about forest fires with the lack of rain and few scorching hot days we've had, so a little rain would be much appreciated!  

I'm still on the job hunt and hope to have something soon.  I've had a couple of interviews but no formal offers just yet, so I continue to apply anywhere I can.  I'm still praying the Segway tour guide position comes through, although I'm not getting my hopes up to high.

I did get out of my neighborhood last week and ventured to the Lloyd District on the northeast side of town.  During the month of June Portland celebrates the Portland Rose Festival to kick off the summer and spotlight the flora this area is so well known for, and I took the opportunity to visit the Annual Spring Rose Show held last weekend.  There were thousands of roses on display in every color, size, and variety you can imagine, and it was incredibly beautiful.  The plant life was part of what drew me to this region in the first place, so it was fun to see and smell all the roses the proud Oregon gardeners can grow.  I'll have more on this topic later in the month, but below are a few pictures to give you an idea!

Until next time!

Emmitt making himself at home

Selections from the Annual Spring Rose Show

Westward Ho!

They say that half the fun is getting there!  One week ago, I embarked on a new adventure along the Oregon Trail all the way to Portland.  I'm happy to report that   not one of our party died of dysentery, snake bites, or drowned with their oxen in the river!

Our trip began in West Des Moines, Iowa.  All my things had been long since packed in the phantom U-Haul (the tape marks on the dining room floor to make sure everything would fit) and we were all mentally preparing ourselves for eight hours in the car with the noisiest and most panicky cat on the planet.  We stopped first in Council Bluffs to pick up Hayley, the final member of the crew.  After a brief stop to check out her new job, we were westward bound!

I planned many fun and quirky stops along the way.  However, upon entering the vast wasteland that is Wyoming, it was clear that none of that was going to happen.  To be fair, I think Wyoming could have been pretty if we could have seen more of it, but upon entering we were enveloped in fog, rain, and eventually snow.  Only tears of joy were shed when we crossed the state line.

In Utah we enjoyed some activities including seeing the Salt Lake Temple (beautiful, but I always pictured it as much bigger) and sampling the delicious In 'n' Out Burger.  With an anxious Emmitt in the car, however, that was about all we could do and we were off to the next state.

Save the few windy roads and occasional forests, northern Utah, Idaho, and western Oregon became a blur of hazy mountain horizons and scrubby landscapes.  Once we hit the Columbia River, however, it began to feel like the Oregon I was looking forward to living in. We stopped off at the Stonehenge Memorial for the men of Klickitat County, WA killed in WWI.  This full replica of the original Stonehenge offers spectacular views of the Columbia River and surrounding valley.  Even Emmitt got out to see the sights!  Our next stop just outside of Portland was Multnomah Falls - the gorge's largest waterfall (for a description, you should check out fellow travel blogger and best friend at http://www.yellowmondays.com/home/oregon-youre-so-gorgeous-cascade-locks-or).  While the falls were beautiful, stopping was a mistake. I have spent significant time in the pick pocket capitals of the world and never had a problem, but you spend ten minutes at a state park in Oregon and someone smashes in your car window and steals your purse!   Sadly, it happens all the time at the falls, and I wasn't even the first person that day.  Luckily there wasn't much cash in there and the bag has since been found by park rangers (Grandpa Randy, if you're reading this I need a ride to Rooster Rock state park please - I'll buy you lunch!).  Poor Emmitt, who was in the middle of suffering the four worst days of his life, was in the car at the time and fortunately was present and unharmed.  

The robbery did push our plans back a day as the money orders I needed to pay my rent deposit were in the bag.  I am fortunate to have my grandparents only an hour away and we were able to spend a little extra time with them instead!

It took many unexpected twists and turns, but I am happy to be writing this from my dining room and to have my parents and sister only a few hours from home.  I miss them a lot, but I'm glad to have ended the last year and a half of our roommateship goofing around in my new city.  They gave me good roots and all the support I needed to get through the ups and downs of postgrad life, and those same things will get me through the next three years as well!

Until next time!

Emmitt hiding in Laramie, WY

Checking out the Stonehenge Memorial in Maryhill, WA

The view of the Columbia River from the Stonehenge Memorial

Saying goodbye to his good friend, Hayley