Portlandia Part 1

       I think I have now been to Portland enough times to admit that I love it here. I can comfortably say it is my favorite US city and I could see myself living here one day (big deal!). The people are great. Portlanders are very open and welcoming and I feel they are my kind of folks with whom I fit with nicely. The vibe is alive and happy and healthy and laid back while simultaneously buzzing with activity. Each neighborhood is unique and every house uses it landscaping and paint job to express its owners personality, giving the entire city a very individual experience. No cookie-cutter concrete jungle here! ;)
       If you're lucky enough to be out on a nice morning before 9am the footsteps of runners become your serenade. They come in pairs and singles from all directions, wave as they pass and the disappearing sound of their feet dominating the pavement is soon replaced by another. The energy reverberates from the streets and the shops and makes me reconsider my decision to give up running.....
       Portland is the city of tattoo sleeves, gluten free muffins, organic produce, Powell's Books, REI Headquarters and a million other things I have yet to discover. I am reminded that although the sky is cloudy, the air is clean and not all city drivers are jerks. I feel this city breathing life into me and slowly reviving my soul. I feel creative again. Energetic. Motivated. Content-ish. Welcome. Thanks Carter and Jenny for this amazing stay-cation, I can never thank you enough ;)

       For those of you who don't know, I came to the be in this lovely area because my Aunt and Uncle are off enjoying all that New Zealand has to offer for three weeks....Enter me, house sitter extraordinaire ;) Upon my arrival I was outfitted with a month long pass to LA Fitness and a punch card to Root Yoga Studio which I use almost every day and twice on some days! YOGA OVERLOAD!!!! :D There is also a Whole Foods within walking distance of the house, which for those of you who know me, realize that means in order to preserve my wallets integrity I avoid it like the plague.... except on rare occasions when I just go wander the aisles and gawk at all the foodie works of art. What a life.....


       Not to fear!!! Not all has been sloth!! I have been here two weeks now and in that time have sewed a quilt (which will likely be my last due to its overly tedious and time consuming nature!) , joined an exotic dance class (where I get to wear these shoes!), and found a volunteer position at the Artists Repertory Theater.  I also found a girlfriend form college residing here in Portland whom I convinced to eat FroYo and go bowling with me...which was not hard to do as you might imagine. Thanks Rachelle!!! We ROCK at bowling! 
       Last Saturday Charlie and I took advantage of the elusive sunshine and took a hike up to Shellburg Falls after which the little guy was so tired he passed out on the back seat and slept the whole way home!
       Also the first week here I made Valentines treats(Chocolate Chip Banana Bread) and ODed on Winter Olympic Sports. This year to honor the Olympic games in Sochi I made some of my favorite dishes from around the world including Central Asian dumplings, Chinese steamed buns, Turkish baklava, Russian Shepard's pie, and even Swiss fondue!! Thanks Jack for helping me eat all this!!
 
 
       The trip over here was Charlie's first commercial airline experience (although he has been flying in mom's plane since he was 10 weeks old!!!) and he was a superstar!!! There was no whining or barking as he sat perfectly quiet under the seat in front of me the whole time. On our layover we went outsidefor a walk and although he wasn't so keen on going back through security he handled it like the traveling champ he is!! Way to go Bean!!
       As always I will end with a darling pic of Charlie (I can't help it really.....). He followed me into the shower one day and I closed him in for a few minutes...cruel Mama!!! ;) I love and miss you all and hope you are well where ever you find yourself these days. xoxo

Visit to Moscow and More

        Well it looks like I arrived back in McCall just in time for that very special and equally maddening time of year...WINTER CARNIVAL!! I must say I was super impressed this year with the sculptures. They were large, ornate, interactive and very visually appealing; you go McCall businesses! Here is a picture of the Stacey Cakes cupcake I took while driving (safely of course...), however if you want to see better photos, you can go online to the StarNews website to see the winners. They are superb.

        Of course with all these sculptures going up, the tourists are bound to follow, so I got my share of winter fun in the week before and the escaped the craziness of the weekend by taking a trip up to Moscow, ID to visit my dear friend Kyler! Oh boy! Kyler was recently promoted to assistant manager at the Moscow branch of WinCo. Right on kid!!! However, as a result of added responsibilities I soon discovered he was living off of deli chicken strips and microwave "Texas Toast" (whatever that is...). So we spent a few days having cooking lessons and stocking the freezer with healthy meals! Naturally I was in heaven. Cooking mass quantities of all my favorite foods for someone else...I think I should be a personal chef in my next life!! What fun!!! In addition to our kitchen extravaganza we went hiking, swimming, and spent some time walking around my old college town and catching up. We even had breakfast at my favorite old coffee spot, Bucers, where they still make the best bran muffins under the sun. It was quite relaxing and a real treat. :)

        When Charlie and I arrived back in town, things had calmed down a bit and we are able to get out into the snowy wonderland without the crowds. I met up with this girl for an amazing snow shoe out by Little Lake where we trekked in knee deep powder for nearly 2 hours! It was terribly exhausting and yet extremely fulfilling. While struggling through the snow with Mr. Charlie strapped to my back I had a moment of appreciation for where I was. The sun was out and the sky was the kind of blue you see in calendar photos.  I was in the woods with one of my best friends, my furry companion, nearly numb toes, snow in my hair, and air in my lungs so crisp it burned on the inhale, and I thought, "By God, this is it! This is what people dream about. This is most definitely the good life." Of course these things have been present almost all my life growing up here in McCall, but only after suffocating in a place like Tianjin can I truly appreciate them....funny how that goes huh? Sometimes I just have to remind myself to stop and take it all in sometimes :) Thanks for the adventure Carly Kay!!! xoxoxo

        Anywho, as we draw near the middle of February I find myself preparing for a another mini-trip! Next week Charlie and I will be boarding a plane to Portland, OR to house sit for my Aunt and Uncle. I get to spend close to 4 weeks in one of my most beloved cities!! Yahoo!! This will be Mr.Charlie's very first airport/plane ride experience; not to worry it will be well documented and many photos will be shared! 

      I think that is all to report for now, and I hope to hear from all of you with updates about your own lives!! As is custom here is a darling photo of Charlie to close. Love and miss you all! Take care! xoxoxo

Home Again Home Again

Ah yes, well, here we are again. Stella is out of storage and Charlie is back to sleeping under the covers with me! Coming home is always an interesting feeling. It's kind of like eating a double fudge sunday with extra whip cream: wrong and guilt inducing, but so so wonderful at the same time.  I say guilt inducing because it seems at  my age (25), "they" say I should be somewhere else, doing something important and making a lot of money doing it. I know it sounds so cliche to say, but I do occasionally feel that pressure. My Facebook newsfeed is positivily blowing up with engagement and baby announcements. So in a way, I feel like I'm going backwards by coming home to the family comforts of McCall and Mom's cooking. Then a thought occured to me...isn't that something we all enjoy? Being comfortable? Feeling loved and accepted and like kids again? Aren't jobs kind of a bummer? If it isn't something you love doesn't it just take up all you time and energy and try to bribe your happiness with a pay check? Is living "on your own" really all that great? I feel like, a flaw has been made here somewhere in our idea of how things should be. Don't get me wrong I am not suggesting that we all become vagabonds with no purpose, I am just saying that for now, I am ok with just planning the next step and hanging with Mom and Neil in McCall, and taking Charlie on his daily walks haha

Upon my arrival in McCall I was greeted by this fur-ball and many tail wags which were happily received.  I spent nearly the entire first week fighting off jet lag (like fall asleep during dinner at 5:30pm and waking up at 8pm not knowing where I am jet lag...) and getting settled in.  I took the skate skis out, bought a yoga pass, went snow shoeing, and even got back on the spin bike. I am sorry to say that after my time and circumstances abroad my cardio, strength, and flexibility are in a sad state of affairs! My purpose in sharing this with you is lead into my....wait for it...wait....NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!! If you know me at all, you know that unlike most people who avoid annual resolutions like the plague, I get far too excited when that time of year rolls around. I love making resolutions. I don't know why. I just do. It's like a disease really. So here are a few I felt blog worthy this year:

1) Wear more lipstick
2) Get accepted to grad. school
3) Read more international news
4) Hike part of the Appalachain Trail with Neil
5) Bring back tea time
6) Get my yoga teaching certification 
7) Hold a yard sale 
8) Read 10 interesting books

 Of course if anyone else made some fun resolutions I would love to hear them!!! So let me know! Also, just in case I didn't already call you, I have a phone again but my number is the same as before I left :) I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and Holiday season!! xoxo

Moab with the Boys

       Well there is nothing like squeezing a last minute vacation in right before a big vacation (Not that China will be all vacation, but I like to think it will be in order to put a hyper-positive spin on it!).  A few weeks ago I caught wind that Neil and his friend/roommate/climbing partner-in-crime were planning a trip to enjoy the great outdoors of Moab, UT.  Well, you know I wasn't going to pass that up!  So last week the boys kindly collected Charlie and I in Boise and we all drove to Moab for about 9 days! What fun!

       If any of you have ever been to Moab, you can understand my excitement; and if you haven't, it should most definitely go on your bucket list!!  Moab is land of slick rock bike trails, National Jeep Safari Week, Arches National Park, red dirt tee-shirts, spectacular hiking, and some of the most breathtaking views available on our great Earth.  Not to mention, it is to date, my favorite place in existence. I like to think that if there is indeed a God, this is his country and he must have made it just to show off his creative abilities.
       We mostly camped at primitive BLM campgrounds near the trail head of our next-day's adventure, and only managed to get two showers in the entire time. Yuck!!! We cooked over the fire, roasted hot dogs, and bonded over how dirty our clothes were and how lucky we were to all be there together having fun. The weather was sunny the whole time, although the first few nights were bitter cold (like frozen-water-in-the-morning-cold), and the wind almost always picked up in the late afternoon for a nice breeze.  Honestly it was great outdoor activity weather and we took full advantage.
       The boys climbed nearly everyday.  I must say I am quite proud of Neil and Todd and their new ability. They have been climbing about 5 months and managed to make it up some of the most spectacular landmarks in the area including Ancient Art and Castleton Tower (in the background of the pic to the left), plus various other single pitch endeavors. Mad props to the boys and their serious skill and guts, you go guys!!! I on the other hand stuck to the trails on my bike or on foot. Turns out Charlie is a natural born slick rock pro and was clambering all over the place on our hikes!! Luckily we all got through the week with only minor scrapes and bruises and on Friday packed up and headed home just in time for Easter!! It was truly a blast and I hope we get the chance to do it again in the semi-near future.
       In other news, I had a lovely St. Patrick's Day with my friend Kyler.  I made green frosted sugar cookies and we went to a corned beef and cabbage banquet at a local pub.  Can't get much more Irish than that! Also, I got to stop and have a short visit on my way through Boise with my good friend Stephanie Cambell.  She will be attending a design school in NYC this fall! Good luck Stef!!! You rock!! 
       As you all know I am leaving this Friday for Cambodia and will miss you all so very much! I will be changing the name of my blog because Charlie will stay in Idaho and Stella will be in storage so the crowd will no longer have three :(  Not to worry nothing else will change, just the name so keep an eye out for that! I hope all is well with everyone and as usual I will end with an adorable pic of Charlie.  He got very dirty on our hikes...clearly... xoxo lots of love!!

Sad News and More Travels

       Well, I hate to start a blog off with sad news, but some things just must be said. Last night (Sunday) my Grams lost her 3 year battle with lung cancer and passed away in her sleep at the assisted living center here in McCall. I got to visit her yesterday evening to tell her I love her and although it's been a long time coming, losing a loved one always takes a piece of the heart. She was a beautiful woman with a strong spirit and  will be missed very much. Her presence will especially felt when the Thanksgiving table lacks her famous Orange Carrot Jello and at the Yacht Club during fantasy football season.  May your soul finally be at peace Grams and remember, I love you as much as always. 

       It makes you realize how lovely life is when lived to its fullest and on that note, I have been doing some living myself!! Not only did I recently win some tickets to a local ski resort (Thank you Angela!), I have been prepping Mom for her upcoming trip to Indonesia and doing some traveling of my own!! Two weeks ago I drove down to Idaho Falls to visit my good friends from college Nicki and Casey McDaniel.  

         It was so great to see them because it's been over a year since we last got together (which in ex-sorority-sister world is just faaaaar too long). Nicki and I mostly spent the weekend gossiping about everything under the sun while husband Casey patiently put up with unrelenting chatter.  What a great guy.... :) On Saturday we went to the Museum on Idaho where Nicki works to see their carousel exhibit and followed it up with lunch at a fabulous Mexican restaurant with some of their friends. Sunday was filled with a trip to the hot springs and to see the only man-made geyser in Soda Springs, which was far less spectacular than it sounds. A wonderful Zumba class followed by homemade Mac and Cheese brought the weekend to a close and Monday morning I hugged them goodbye and pointed Stella homeward. Thanks for everything you two and I'll see you in a year!!

       After arriving back in McCall, I stayed for only three days, before hopping a plane to Denver (thanks again to Mom's airline miles!!!) where I met up with Patrick.  By far one of my favorite yet least visited friends to date.  We studied abroad in Costa Rica in 2011 together where we bonded over long buss rides and taxing communications classes.  He now works at Psychiatric hospital in Denver  but lives in Colorado Springs where where he and his parents were kind enough to let me invade their home for three days. Thanks Joy and Kevin!! You are the best!! :D                       

         Colorado treated me well thanks to a magnificent tour guide and immaculate weather. The two of us packed the weekend with guitar lessons, 16th street strolling, Goodwill shopping, video game attempting, flip-cup playing, pawn store prowling, "Big Bang Theory" belly laughing, and Middle Eastern food eating. In between all that, we took a drive up to Gold Camp to view Colorado Springs from above which was, I must say, incredibly beautiful. At night the city lights form a shimmering oasis outlined by a thick black nothing that will truly take your breath away.  

       Saturday we walked around the Denver University campus where Patrick graduated and went to the cinema where I was introduced to my new favorite movie "Warm Bodies".....don't judge, just watch it. It is probably the most adorable movie in existence.  We also went to his friends birthday party which was a blast, and spent the remainder of our time catching up on the last three years.  By the time I was deposited back at the Denver airport to return to Idaho, my head was spinning with everything we had crammed into the weekend. What fun!                                                 Upon my return to McCall I was confronted with the notion that in exactly one month I will be on yet another plane, this time bound for Cambodia! Yahoo!! I am so nervous and excited at the same time I could just hurl...just kidding...kinda, but it is really begging to sink in. Also, I just wanted to tell everyone who donated to my cause, THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!! It is only because of you all I was able to raise what I needed and can now make this entire trip possible. Words cannot express my gratitude. I am truly blessed with the most wonderful friends and family in the world.  Gracias, Xie Xie, Danka, Merci, and thank you in every language I can think of!! I would be crippled without you. 

       Now it is time to pack and prepare, oh boy! For those of you who know me well, you know that means for the next four weeks I will be compulsively taking inventory of my things, making lists, piles, and plans, obsessing over insignificant details and eventually throwing everything I own into a crumpled duffel bag in the back of the car on the way to the airport. Yup that's the way I roll when preparing for a trip...good stuff. Anywho, I hope all is well (I would always love an e-mail hearing about your news!!) and life is treating you like the kings and queens you are. ;) As ALWAYS I will end with a pic of my baby.  We are all getting ready for bed and Charlie is getting impatient because I am still blogging, so goodnight everyone! I miss and love you all very much. xoxoxo

Portland Adventure

       Who doesn't love impromptu vacations?! Anyone?! This past week I had the opportunity (thanks to Mom's airline miles and family hospitality) to take a quick two day trip over to Portland, OR!! It was such an unexpected treat and I loved it!  Anywhere I can find Voodoo Doughnuts, Winter Hawks hockey, amazing restaurants, tons of bakeries and coffee shops, some of the most environmentally contious people in the planet, Chinatown, and lots and lots of rain all in the same place is okay by me! 

      Well, I flew into PDX on Tuesday where my friend Weston collected me and we got our mini adventure underway!  You may remember Weston from a previous post (The Oregon Coast), but what I did not mention in that post is that he is somewhat of a hockey fanatic.  He had gotten his hands on a pair of tickets to see the Portland Winter Hawks game on Wednesday and invited me to join. As a slightly less fanatic fan I agreed and before we knew it, there we were in the biggest city in Oregon.  

       My Aunt Jenny and Uncle Carter were kind enough to let us stay at their house which was perfect seeing as their house has a fantastic view of the city and a #17 buss stop a block away ready to take us everywhere we needed to go. Thanks again!! You guys are amazing!!.  

       After dropping our stuff off and busting out the umbrellas, we had a late lunch at Rogue Brewery and followed it up by wandering all over downtown until the weather got too rainy and we called it a day. The next morning we headed over to Lan Su Gardens in Chinatown and OMG that place is really something else I gotta tell ya...It is an entire city block built up into a Chinese style garden with multiple courtyards, walls, bridges, ponds (complete with giant goldfish), waterfalls, stone carvings, and tons of traditional vegetation. It may sound silly being in the heart of the city like it is, but it is truely and oasis. If I lived in Portland I would definately invest in a membership just so I could go there all the time!! There is an amazing teahouse on the left side of the garden where we stopped in to warm up and have some Jasmine tea. I was really shocked at how authentic the whole place was. Every aspect right down to the tea cups reminded me of China and made me remenisce about how much fun I had in teahouses just like that one when I lived in Chengdu. So wonderful.

       Next we were hoping to take a tour of the Shanghai Tunnels but because Feburary is considered "off season" for tourists the next tour wasn't scheduled until Thursday evening. Boo Hoo!! Oh well, I guess that just mean I will have to go back another time.... ;) 

       We met my cousin Jack for lunch at a super cute little soda shop/diner were they serve the best grilled cheese with tomatoe soup probably in the whole world, and milkshakes fit for a king. Thanks Jack for meeting us and for all your directional help!! We never would have made it without you!! After lunch we trotted up the street to Voodooo Doughnuts to see what all the fuss was about. It was nearly impossible to choose just one, so we got an assortment to take home for dessert later that night (I now understand why they are famous for their Maple Bacon Doughnut...YUMMO!!).  

        Wednesday night was the hockey game against the Calgary Hitmen.  It was a fabulous game even though the Hawks lost (just barely!) and I even got a cute tank-top with the team mascot on the back. Upon leaving the game we got lost for about an hour in the pouring rain and finally made it back to the house soaked to the bone and freezing cold!! Tea was made and doughnuts were eaten and the day was ended as pleasantly as it began.

        Weston dropped me off at the airport the next day on his way out of town and I made it to Boise with time to spare. It was quite a whirlwind trip but we packed as much fun into it as we possibly could. What a blast! Good luck in Virginia Weston!!

         In other news, I got a job!! It looks like it's for real this time too (oh boy!).  I will be working for an organization called LanguageCorps (http://www.languagecorps.com if you want to read more about it) as an English teacher.  They operate in countries all over the world but for now I will be working in their TeachChina program. I am still choosing where in China I would like to teach (and where I am needed), but my visa process is officially underway and I leave April 8th!!! Yes!!!! A real date, I can hardly believe it! However before starting work, all new teachers (that's me!) are required to go through a four week teacher training course together in Phnem Pehn, Cambodia which I have to pay for myself.  It is fairly expensive but in the long run I think it would be very beneficial to have some real classroom training before the real thing. Plus, I'm sure you could have guessed I am so pumped to go to Cambodia! 

        To help with the cost I set up a profile on GoFundMe.com, which is an online fundraising organization for people and their personal educational endevours.  No pressure to donate! I just thought I would post the link on my blog to help get the word out, and if anyone has any other good fundraising ideas I would love to hear them!! Every little bit helps! I have a reward system and there is a description to the right of the page. Wish me luck and I will keep you all posted on any new developments!!

http://www.gofundme.com/1zbhyo 

       Well, I think that is all to report for now. Following tradition, here is yet another picture of my little guy. I love and miss you all and hope everything is well!!! Please e-mail me and fill me in all about what you are doing! I want to be in the loop! xoxox

Winter Carnival

       Well, as usual this time of year McCall is transformed into a true Winter Wonderland not to mention tourist trap.  Once a year for two weeks all the local business compete in a snow sculpture building competition and the streets  of my tiny town become nearly un-navigable due to so many flat-landers up for the festivities.  Hey, I am not complaining!! For the first time since I can remember (Middle School maybe) I have actually gotten to enjoy the carnival.  Being unemployed has it's downsides, but being free like everyone else on the weekends, is definitely not one of them.  My friend Dusty and I started off the weekend by taking his little girl (the adorable child hidden inside the pink marsh mellow snow suit) for her first sledding experience at a local park.  What a hoot! We followed it up by watching the big kick-off parade on Main Street where I nearly smeared a small child to get a Tootsie Roll thrown from one if the fire trucks....The fireman totally threw it at ME and the little snot got in my way...NEVER come between a girl and her sweet-tooth, right??!! Yeah, I'm going to H-E-double hockey sticks for that one, no doubt about it...go me...

       Anywho, even Mr. Charlie got to take part in the festive atmosphere!! Each year the local animal shelter McPAWS, hosts The Monster Dog Pull.  Basically to raise money for the shelter, dog owners pay a $10 entry fee to watch their pups pull weighted sleds one at a time down a 10 yard racetrack.  The rules are simple: bring bacon to entice your furry friend to the finish line and may the fasted mutt win!!  Well, Charlie was the the smallest competitor by 8lbs weighing in at just under 5lbs (he put on some winter layers) so the officials allowed him to pull an empty sled thank goodness!! Turns out we should have done a few practice runs because the little guy had never pulled a thing in his life and when the sled moved he thought it was chasing him. He went sideways and backward until he figured out that if he didn't move at all, neither would the sled. And so we stood at an impasse.  Me calling from the finish line and Charlie sitting in the middle of the track refusing to move.  Eventually I just scooped him into the sled which I pushed across the finish line. It took him nearly a full minute to move 10 yards beating only a Pomeranian who never moved at all.  But the whole crowd cheered and he received many congratulatory pets afterward. Thanks Chris and Larry for the great photos!!! Better luck next year Charlie Brown!!!
       In other non-carnival related news, I have started recycling and composting. I know this may not seem exciting at all, but it's another New Years Resolution and ever since I visited Hailey in Portland, ME it has really stuck me how behind Idaho is on the reuse/recycle front.  Well that is changing!! In this household at least.  It is tough to get the parental units on board but they too are making and effort...when I am watching....after constant reminding....and scolding. Baby steps. It's important.
       I was also able to go for a snowshoe with a good friend earlier this week out on Little Lake. She brought her pup Bentley and we all cruised around in the sunshine for a while.  It was beautiful.  But not to worry concerned family members!! I am not becoming a complete snow-bum/jobless weirdo!! Between the skiing, snowshoeing, Nexflixing, baking, fire starting, snow ball fighting, Charlie walking, sledding, and snowman building I have squeezed some time into my clearly overbooked schedule for a few job interviews!!! Mostly more overseas teaching positions and as soon as I have a definite plan you all will be the first to know.  I don't want to jinx another one by talking it up too much on the innternet!! Haha?
       Well, I hope all is well with everyone and you are all enjoying your winter!! In traditional Madi fashion I will end with a charming pic of Mr. Brown (just in case you haven't gotten enough Charlie yet).  I found this photo from when he was a baby with my Stepdad John locked in my computer somewhere...precioso...I forget he used to be so tiny!!                                                               Love and miss you all so very much!!! xoxo