Portland - Thai Food, Coffee and People that Make me Happy

The second leg of our birthday trip was equally wonderful! We traveled down to Portland as a big group and went big. Walked a lot downtown, went to the weekend market, searched out a fabulous brunch with bottomless mimosas, acted like tourists (as you can see my friend making fun of us at Stumptown), ate some of the best Thai food in America at PokPok, strolled through Powell’s book store and spent a ton of time laughing and enjoying each other’s company. But seriously you guys, if you are ever in Portland (and you like Thai food), you MUST go to PokPok for Thai. It is the closest thing Bill and I have found outside of Thailand and everything we had was incredible. Also visit Stumptown Coffee Roasters if you are in the area, sure it is touristy, but dang it their coffee is delicious and worth the trip!

I have to say, this traveling group was perfect. Sometimes traveling in a big group can be very stressful and high maintenance. Different people get really dramatic, issues arise and it feels like you never get to relax. However, on this trip, I felt as though we all got lots of relaxation time in, and we each did what we wanted while somehow sticking together. When I think back on this adventure, all I can do is smile. I got 5 days with some of my favorite people in beautiful places with great food and good vibes. What more can you ask for!!

Oh and by the way, isn't our godson the cutest! I mean come on... top right. James and Ali, you did good :)

Comments

In the Nursery: Whole Hearted Parenting Manifesto

I recently finished a book by Brene Brown titled, DaringGreatly . It really moved me, and I am definitely still processing it. At the beginning of the book I wasn’t resonating deeply with the topic of vulnerability, as most people will tell you I am an “open book”. I will answer most questions without holding back and love to deep dive into good conversation. However, what I came to realize through her many examples is that we all wrestle with vulnerability, guilt and shame throughout this book even if is more momentary than constant. I gleaned SO MUCH from this book that I did not anticipate, and I thought I would share this Parenting Manifesto that she put right at the end of the book. I am printing it and framing it for our nursery, as I think it communicates some deep parts of my heart cry for parenting my kiddos well. I hope this resonates with someone else as much as it did with me. I needed these words to remind me that parenting is not a checklist,

A Penny For Your Thoughts - Looking Back & Missing Italy

I took this my first day in Italy, and will always remember my town just like this... I realized something about my writing the other day, and that is that I am much more present in my writing than I am in my brain. I am constantly thinking back, but I never write about my past. Sure, I write a story here or there reminiscing on my African travel, but rarely do you hear about my life pre-California unless it is in reference to my family. Lately, I have found myself pining for Italy. Did you know I lived there? Probably not, because I rarely mention it! I knew I was going to love it there, but it has stuck with me since the moment I left. I have wanted to go back every minute of every day since then. The simplicity of life, the emphasis on slowing down, the architecture, the food, the flowers, the people, the color, the trains, the bikes, the gelato, the smiles and laughter, the wine, and the cities are only scratching the surface of things I love from the bea

At the Library - May through September 2019 Reading

We had another baby in May (SO much more on that later) and blogging has obviously taken a back seat, but I am still reading for pleasure and have managed, in my sons first four months of life, to complete these 8 books! Y'all, I remember a time when even completing 2 books a year would have sincerely sounded daunting, much less with a newborn. If you want to read more, you can find the time! Take stock of your days and see where you are wasting hours. For some of these, I listened to the audio book while I was pumping or watering the garden. Rather than give you an individual breakdown of each of these books, I just want to report I found them all incredibly enjoyable. A total cross section of a food memoir to a psychology deep dive to nature centric novels, I would recommend them all in different capacities. We have fallen a bit behind on our Bible reading, but we WILL finish by the end of the year. You do not make it to September

Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Search This Blog