It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

And I'm not talking about Spencer Tracy.

I hope you are all well. I certainly am. Why you ask? I am doing great because I am not living in the early 1960s in a life filled with booze, infidelity, drama and advertising.

Yes, you guessed it. I have been watching Mad Men. I love it! I just do. It is nasty and dramatic, but it is impossible to not root for these characters. No matter how awful they are, the writers somehow draw you in enough to care about them regardless of their flaws. Did you all like the premier of the new season? I haven’t watched it yet and have successfully avoided the reviews. It is a miracle!

Fun fact:
Apparently Adrian Grenier (Drive Me Crazy... fine... and Entourage) is joining some Portland brewers to make flat top style beer cans. You know, the kind you need to open with a can opener ala Don Draper. Pretty hilarious. I understand that it is hipster cool, but it is also a lot more effort just to open your beer! Haha!

A quote from a different article is what cracked me up the most:
“Drinking Beer from flat top cans will be this year’s having a mustache for ironic retro cool.”

I can’t wait. This is going to be fun! Especially if the nasty trendiness of the mustache is on its way out the door.

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Snow on March 22nd? This is absurd.

Okay folks, it is March 22nd and it snowed last night. I don’t know about you, but I am ready to take my wool sweaters to the dry cleaner and pack them away for the season. Come on spring!!! Where are you!? Am I ever going to feel like it is appropriate to wear my new coral chinos?  Or am I going to be stuck in a land where the day’s low temperature lingers around 33 degrees?

I am absolutely ready for the sun. I just got my hair done (shout out to Micah!) for the spring and there are some majorly bright blonde highlights kickin’ it in my do right now. This weather is not conducive to the longing I have to style said hair, nor does it seem right with my newly blonde/ sunny weather hair color. Stupid snow/ rain/ cold. I don’t have a good photo of my new hair to show you. But Micah is a color genius and “we” (in quotes because all I did was drink a glass of red wine… haha) did bright blonde in the front with super subtle ombré that has just a bit of brighter blonde at the ends. I have short hair and get nervous that full out ombré on my lob (long-bob) would look cray.  I promise to show you a picture eventually. Just so you know, it is like she can read her client’s minds. So if you are in the market for a new hairdresser send me an email and I will pass on her info.

Well, I didn’t think I had enough to say to write a post… apparently I always have something to say! Let us also reflect on the fact that my sister and B-in-Law (B stands for Brandon and brother) are in Palm Springs. It is just plain rude. She keeps posting sunny weather photos simply to make the rest of us jealous.

Proof of the rudeness:

Well, that is all my pretties! I hope you have great Thursdays. Try to stay warm this spring. I have lost all hope that the temperature will ever be above 55 degrees.

Weekend Update

...No, not with Tina Fey. Although, that would be cool. And it is Tuesday... but whatevs. I am going to update you on the happenings of this past weekend.

This weekend turned out just perfect. Somehow I fit in shopping, skiing, laundry and working out. It was a miracle!

On my shopping trip there were some killer finds! I recommend you all take a trip to H&M shortly. I got this (in light turquoise and white) and these (in coral). No, I didn’t buy the pants in England, but the US Website didn’t have them listed. Anyway, stoked about my new clothes! Yayer! Also, two different people complimented my leopard print Claire's earrings. And one of them asked if they were Betsey Johnson! Haha! Uh... no, they were part of a 'buy one, get one' deal! Niiiice!

With Mama Jo while shopping with Sista Friend.

In case you were wondering, my mom is an animal on the mountain. She takes it easy when my dad is around, but this weekend she was game to go down a double black diamond with at least 6 inches of fresh powder! She is a bad ass. I am not going to lie… we both struggled a bit. We are used to sticking to the groomed runs. They can be steep and we manage just fine, but it is rare that either of us will navigate deep powder like that. We had a lot of fun though! We goofed around, got lost, ate donuts from Joe’s etc. All of the important Mt. Hood rituals.

It was a fantastic and rejuvenating weekend.

Oh, and happy first day of spring!

The weekend is upon us.

Doesn't my title even sound tired? Ugh.

Today is Friday and I could not be more excited. This week has been a major struggle for me. I seriously could not bounce back from the slight time change. I continuously went to bed late… so annoying. But what is one more episode of Parks and Rec. while lying in bed?! I could complain about “springing forward” for hours. But in reality, I love that it is light out when I get home from work!

Last night was a great roommate evening for Libby and me. We went to our fav mexi spot, Chez Jose, and then we watched J.Biebs Never Say Never. If you even say that you don’t think his songs are catchy and awesome to car dance to, you are seriously deceiving yourself. Libby has been resisting the awesomeness of what it means to belieb. Therefore, it was necessary to show her how talented the kid is. Yes, he still kind of looks like a girl… but so do all little boys! He will grow up eventually. Plus, I wasn’t asking her to become a creepy prowler of children! (Although, Justin Bieber is 18 now… so I guess it is okay Lib)  I just needed her to recognize how awesome he is.


Well, I hope you guys are all ramped up for an awesome weekend. I am planning to spend mine either at Nordstrom or the mountain. My 2 favorite things, shopping and skiing… how do I decide?! It’s like Sophie’s choice.

I hope you all have wonderful St. Patrick’s Days! Enjoy some corned beef and green beer. I know I will!

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Bucket Lists...

I think I have a cynical view on bucket lists. I understand the idea of bucket lists, I just need to throw this thought out there…

It seems to me that most people claim things to their bucket list after they have decided to do them.

Person 1:
“I am going parasailing next month. BUCKET LIST!”
Me:
“Cool. Good for you!”
Internal thought: That is strange, I have never heard (insert name) mention this before. Parasailing is super random. Maybe if he/she had said skydiving… but even that. 

I have decided that people wait until they have accomplished something big, or are about to, and then say things like: “Heck yeah! I can check that off my bucket list!”

I find human nature fascinating. I guess we just like to feel a sense of accomplishment.

My bucket list now contains:
- Traveling abroad
- Starting a blog
- Working for a non-profit
- Coaching a state champion cheerleading squad

Pretty cool right!? If I ever do anything noteworthy, I will join the rest of America by adding it to my list of things to-do before kicking the bucket. You know, so I can brag about it!

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Escapades on the Eastbank Esplanade.

On Sunday Marina, Libby and I walked the Eastbank Esplanade. It was a beautiful day. Lots of bikers, lots of runners and lots of laughter.

There isn't much else to say. I love Portland.

Take advantage of one of these sunny days! You won't regret it.

Portland on Dwellable

Longing for Linfield on a sunny Thursday.

Today is a gorgeous sunny Thursday. Days like this desperately make me miss college. I think of the community at little Linfield College and how everyone would be spending this day outside. Whether it is walking to O’Rileys, riding bikes, doing homework in one of the quads etc. I also picture gaggles of guys playing Frisbee golf until campo makes them stop and those other guys, who walk around barefoot (as a protest?... not sure why really), doing slack line between the trees outside Jane Failing Hall.

Wildstock '09

Also, it is a Thursday! Say you are done with class for the day by 2:00. You hang out outside until 4:30, go home, watch an episode of Full House on ABC Family and nap for an hour, get ready and then head to Roof Top for some rowdy Thursday night antics. No biggie that it is a Thursday, you only have one class on Friday and it isn't until 11:00.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my life now. I love my community, my neighborhood and exploring everything Portland has to offer. Sometimes I simply miss college. Not just campus, but the people. It wouldn’t be the same to go back now. Not unless everyone who was in school with me went back too. I need my friends to happen to walk by on their way home and decide to read magazines in the sun with me. There is nothing like the friendships you make in college. You live together, you eat together, you learn together and you can’t help but love each other. They are your family and campus is the backdrop of many good memories.

I guess this post is just about nostalgia. I still see my Linfield family often (I live with the same roommate for heavens sake), but today I wish we were lollygagging around Linfield’s campus with Union Block blended Chai lattes and tabloid magazines.

Outside the Mass Comm building

At the end of it all

Ooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell?

That title is supposed to pay homage to a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Have you ever listened to the words of that song? It is all about drugs...Whatever. In honor of full disclosure, I will admit that the real reason I know this song is because Lo sings it in her car during Laguna Beach (season 1). Embarrassing for me... but I guess embarrassing admission is sort of the theme of this post.

Back to the real post:
I love my perfume. I smelled many different perfumes on many different shopping trips. I took the badgering of the sales ladies, I asked for samples etc. Then I took the plunge. I purchased Versace Bright Crystal. I had just finished off my previous perfume (Chanel Chance. The green one... I don’t remember the specifics of it). I LOVE my current perfume. I wear it often, but not everyday.

Lately I have been getting some compliments on how I smell. Unfortunately, it has been happening on days that I am not wearing my perfume. I initially thought, "oh, my natural sent must be intoxicating!!!" Hahaha! (I automatically think of that Friends episode where Pheobe and Monica’s old friend comes back all fake British and braggy. Anyone?)

After some figuring... Turns out it is my shampoo. I recently switched shampoo for the winter months. You have probably figured where I am going with this... It is dandruff shampoo!

Maybe it is just me, but I find it embarrassing to admit that I am dealing with a dry scalp during these wicked winter months. I even contemplated not writing about it. But I have decided that it doesn’t matter. Why not be real about it?

But really, what am I supposed to say to these people? "Thank you! It is my Head and Shoulders 2in1."

Rather than sparking attention with the fragrance I fawned over and am proud to have selected, I instead get mentions of the sent from my drug store shampoo.

Isn't that just life?!

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Like on vaca? Road trip! (Sun Valley, ID)

I just got home from an awesome family vacation to Sun Valley. Note: it also included a road trip.

I admit it. We still take family vacations. Yes, we are grown and my sister is married. But, we still love family vacations. It is even more fun now because we actually like each other! We have moved beyond the teenage angst phase and we truly enjoy spending time together.

I think vacations are way less work when you are with your family. With friends, you try and make sure people are happy, enjoying themselves, okay with the restaurant choice etc. With your family it can be go with the flow. You can get pissed and no one cares. You are also fine with looking like total crap the whole time (they see you on Christmas morning and know how ugly you are). With family it can be a real and relaxing vacation.

This of course only applies if you like your family. I get that not everyone does. I just happen to be lucky. Plus, there aren't that many of us. The odds are in our favor because there are fewer opportunities for us to hate each other.

We just got back from a FABULOUS family vaca. Check out the photos below. It was so beautiful!

Baldy

Can't beat a view like this!

View of the town below from the top of the mountain. 

The whole fam damily. 

Note: we drove to Sun Valley, ID. The drive is 10 hours... One way. Totally worth it. 

Hailey on Dwellable