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?!

[source1]

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

The Oscars: Annoying or not?

I know I am a bit late on the reviews of the Academy Awards. So rather than doing a best and worst dressed, I decided to do a most annoying vs. least annoying. Honestly, I really enjoyed the fashions and everyone looked amazing. Especially the people I find most annoying… which of course makes it worse.

Not annoying:

Michelle Williams was so sweet in her interviews.  I loved how honored she was by the compliments she received from Kate Winslet. Plus she took Her BFF, Busy Phillips, as her date.

Viola Davis also wins the not annoying award. She was humble about her performance in The Help and she always turns interviews back to the project and the meaning of the story.

Majorly annoying:

Angelina Jolie is so freak-yeah annoying. Her dress was really pretty... blah blah… but she ruined it with her stupid posing.

The second annoying award goes to Stacy Keibler. She is so temporary! I hate how pimpin’ she thinks she is. She is clearly a disposable girlfriend for George Clooney. Her attitude makes her look like a stupid little girl. 

I hope you all enjoyed the show as much as I did. I was already on vacation and the Oscars made it even better! Vaca updates coming soon!


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Call Me Maybe

I have been listening to this song non-stop for the past two days. I know it is ridiculously pop infused. BUT I TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!

To go along with the awesome song… some of our favorite teeny-bopper stars did a homemade sing-along video to it. This is clearly why I like it so much! The video just seems hilariously normal. The girls are all in sweats etc. It reminds me of the kind of crap we would do in Black Butte during college (or currently… you decide that for yourself).

Here is a video of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tizdale (I secretly love the Tiz), some chick from Hannah Montana, Ashley’s boyfriend and some other peeps all dancing to Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Side note: Apparently this girl (who is Canadian) has the same representation as the Biebs. Even so, I still love it. Their ploy for the song to blow up worked on me!

Fitting in, standing out… or somewhere in-between?

I am having a bit of a struggle to find my blogging identity. Most of the blogs I follow seem to bridge the gap between lifestyle and fashion. I really love fashion! But alas, I am not a fashion blogger. Mostly because I am an outfit repeater, and when would I take pictures? I race out the door everyday… while desperately in need of caffeine.

I guess I am sort of a lifestyle blogger. Most of my posts aren’t necessarily about my lifestyle, but more about random life events or what I am thinking about when I sit with my computer. I wonder if it is hurting me that I don’t really fit in. Should I try and fit in the blogger box? How does everyone find time to put together new outfits, decorate, take beautiful pictures, try tons of new recipes etc.? I just live and attempt to function. Then I write about it. I think I just described a lifestyle blog... I guess this is a lifestyle blog! Haha!

I am also trying to find my blog identity without becoming too self-centered. But really, isn’t a blog the most self-centered thing of all? Writing about yourself and assuming someone will find you interesting enough to read it?

Anyway, that is just my random thought today. I am trying to focus on the bigger picture in things. I need to remember why I started blogging in the first place and keep that at the forefront of my mind. Who cares what other people think? I find that blogging is a blast! And I want to keep doing it.

Does it really matter what people might say behind my back? No. Because it is behind my back! I won’t even know about it. Isn’t that the beauty of life? Plus, I have plenty of people who will say whatever they think to my face.

In a social experiment, I asked a few of my closest friends to send me a picture that they think describes me… this is what was presented:

I need to stop worrying so much about having a blog niche and start worrying about why these photos describe me!