Paradise Camping

Last weekend, Chris and I joined in his family's annual camping trip at Paradise campgrounds near Bend, Central Oregon.  We got there on Friday evening and his younger brother had already set up a tent for us - thanks, Eric!  Despite an air mattress that deflated during the middle of the night both nights, it was actually a pretty comfortable camping setup.

Saturday morning, Chris and I went for a run and then we all went out on the boat on the Cougar Reservoir off of the McKenzie River.  It was a perfectly sunny day and the water was actually pretty warm.  Our boat party included Chris and I, his parents, his little brother and 4 other teenage boys.  The boys knocked around on the tubes for a while, and then Chris' dad told them it was time for them to get out so that he could take me out to learn to wake board.  The boys really wanted to stay in the boat; I agreed that they could stay as long as they understood that it might be a slow, frustrating process for me to try getting up on the wake board.  Chris gave me an impressive demonstration of how to be a stellar wake boarder, talked me through everything I should and shouldn't do in order to actually get up, and then strapped my feet into the wakeboard and pushed me out into the water.  I surprisingly got up after just 4-5 tries.  I was able to get a few rides in before feeling totally exhausted and worn out.  I climbed back into the boat to the cheers of the teenage boys - I think they now accept me as a somewhat-cool-20-something-year-old girl who didn't totally eat it on a wake board... phew!

 

 

 

Teenage boys have unlimited energy and they stayed out on the boat all day.  Chris and I headed back to the camp site for some downtime.  We played cards for a while then drove to a driving range at a nearby golf course.  We hit golf balls for a while (most of mine ended up somewhere in the woods) and then I dropped my clubs due to developing hand blisters and relaxed in the sun watching Chris do what he loves.

 

 

We came back to the campsite where dinner was being served.  We hung around a campfire with the group and made smores and enjoyed good company and conversations.

 

The next morning we ate breakfast, packed up the campsite, and headed back to Portland.  The thing I love most about camping is that it allows you to really get away from your everyday life, and to unplug and relax.  Another great Oregon summer weekend!

Through the Eyes of Children

Innocent, naïve, pure... these are all words that describe young children.  There is so much they don't understand.  They have so much to learn.

But there is so much beauty in the innocence of a child.  Being naïve can be a precious thing.  And the pure heart and spirit of a child is something that is impossible to regain once it is lost.  To be able to see the world through the eyes of a child again... what would that look like?

On Saturday, I babysat three kids from Texas who's parents were in town for a wedding.  We were hanging out in a fancy hotel in downtown Portland, but needed to get out of the small room for a while.  So we ventured out onto the streets of this eclectic city.  I held 10-month old Peter on my hip and grabbed the hands of 3-year-old William and 5-year-old Ruthie and emphasized the importance of staying close together.

We stood on a corner near Pioneer Square and waited for the "walking man" to replace the "stopping hand" so we could cross the street.  We visited the walrus statues they saw earlier that day and liked playing with.  An older woman was near the walruses and struck up a conversation with the two older children.  She started singing a few songs to them that she used to sing to her children.  She apologized for not remembering some of the verses (she admitted that she had just come from the Oregon Brew Fest on the waterfront).  After each of the songs, the kids would laugh and clap for her lively performance.

We decided to keep walking and little Ruthie lead us down the street saying, "Come with me - I want to show you something."  We waited for several of the walking men to allow us to cross a few more streets, always looking both ways and holding hands through the crowd of pedestrians.  Ruthie stopped on a corner where a man was sitting on a bucket playing a bucket drum set.  "Look!" she exclaimed.  "Is this what you wanted to show me?" I asked.  Ruthie smiled and nodded as she joyfully watched the dirty man who was banging out a loud beat.

We stood and enjoyed the music until the kids were distracted by a man and his dog walking by.  "Excuse me - may I pet your dog?"  Ruthie asked.  The man with dreadlocks smiled and said, "of course."  He introduced the kids to his dog, Toby, and they laughed and played with Toby and then thanked the owner who continued on his way.

We pet at least 4 other dogs on our outing.  Ruthie politely asked each owner, "Excuse me - may I pet your dog?" William would jump in to play as well, and they would both said "Thank you!" after playing with the dog for a minute.

We walked back into the hotel lobby, where Ruthie excitedly told the bell hop that we were having pizza for dinner tonight.  He told her that he had pizza for lunch today and hoped our dinner was yummy.  The kids were fully energized by the outing, and my arm about to fall off from hold baby Peter for so long.

What a wonderful (and slightly terrifying) outing in downtown Portland with three young children.  The contrast between these adorable kids from Texas with matching monogrammed pink and navy outfits and the grungy Portlanders was drastic.  I kept thinking, "I wish someone was videoing this, or that I had someone with me to witness this experience."

Through my eyes, these encounters were not normal.  You don't just strike up a conversation with people on the street that you don't know.  People from a higher social group don't interact with people who aren't "equal" to them; much less ask for a favor from them such as petting their dog.  And taking time to recognize the talents and joys of people around us, such as the guy playing drums on a street corner, is something we normally miss.

It was beautiful to see these innocent, naïve, pure children interact with people that society would tell them they shouldn't interact with.  They haven't yet learned that yet.  And it breaks my heart that this is what they'll learn as they grow older and less innocent.

 

Jesus said that we are to receive the kingdom of God like a child... we are to see God's creation and His people through the eyes of children.

 

I believe that children are close to God's heart because they have not yet been corrupted or conformed to the ways of this world that we live in.  They naturally see people as God would see them.  And what a beautiful sight that must be!

 

 

Carters in Portland

Last week, my parents and uncle and aunt were in town for a whole week!  My dad has been to Portland 6 times, my mom has been to Portland 8 times (wow!!), and this was the first trip to Portland for Uncle Les and Aunt Jennifer.  We packed a whole lot into the week!  Get ready for picture overload...

 

First night in Portland: dinner at my favorite restaurant, Ox,

followed by dessert at Papa Hyden's by Dad's request/insistence.

Seriously amazing food that night!

  

Sunday afternoon wine tasting in Oregon wine country: picnic lunch and wine at Domaine Serene.

Such a fun, relaxing afternoon!

As we drove around the Willamette Valley, Uncle Les said, "Mary, I hope you know how lucky you are to live her."  I do!

 

The perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

 

Quite the set up for our tasting at Soter Vineyards.

And yes, we did work our way through all of those glasses.

 

Monday night at the food carts on SE Belmont.

We took our food cart dinner to Laurelhurst Park.

And did a little after-dinner geocaching!

Mom's first geocache which she found all by herself!  New hobby?

 

The Carters drove out to Cannon Beach on their own on Tuesday while I worked.  They loved their first trip to the Oregon Coast.  It was nearly 100 degrees in Portland on Tuesday, so that was the perfect day to be at the cooler coast.

 

Wednesday evening: walking around Pittock Mansion after happy hour at Oba with the Moores.

My parents seem to always choose the best times to come for great, sunny weather in Portland!

 

Thursday afternoon: a quick stop at Cathedral Park on our way out to Sauvie Island.

Picking raspberries and blueberries on Sauvie Island. So fresh!

Mom and Dad reliving their childhood.

We stopped at my friend's beautiful home on Sauvie Island to relax and enjoy the amazing view.

 

Thursday evening we had dinner at Deschutes Brewery and then walked around the Pearl for First Thursday, a night once a month when shops and galleries are open late.

I'm so thankful that my family was able to finally meet and get to know this special guy.

Chris, thanks for spending so much time with the Carters last week!

 

4th of July morning breakfast at the Waffle Window. It took a while to find a place that was open, but this ended up being the perfect spot.

We drove out to the gorge so Les and Jennifer could see Multnomah Falls. We continued on across the Bridge of the Gods to the Washington side where we hung out and played lawn games at Skamania Lodge.

 

Not a bad way to spend the 4th of July!

 

For the evening of the 4th, we headed down to a family friend's home in West Linn to meet Chris' parents. Chris and I took the kayaks out on the Willamette, then had dinner on the patio with the parents who easily hit it off. Later that night, Chris' teenage brother and friends gave us a pretty great firework show.

Amazing views!

God bless America... and Mount Hood (peak barely visible in the background there).

 

The Carters left Portland early the next morning to head back to Texas.  I am SO THANKFUL for family who comes to visit me, for the first time or for the 8th time.  Mom, Dad, Les and Jennifer: thank you for taking a week off, flying all the way up here, doing fun things around Portland with me, treating me to great meals, hanging out, and wanting to continue investing in my life despite the distance.  Love you all!

Week in Texas

I was able to spend a little over a week in Texas at the end of May, which was so wonderful since my Texas trips are usually whirlwind weekends.  Having 9 days in Texas gave me the opportunity to spend good quality time with family and friends.

 

The first weekend I was in Texas, my whole family went to my sister's lake house for a belated celebration of my dad's 60th birthday.  I love being at the lake house with the family because there are no schedules or distractions or people coming and going - it's just good quality time together.

lots of time in the water!

there was plenty to do including playing baseball, jumping on the trampoline, laying in the hammock, and ping pong

tubing behind the boat

Happy birthday, Papa!

smores around the firepit

our own fireworks show

morning fishing off the dock in our pjs



I was able to work remotely and take a little time off so that I could stay in Waco during the week and then help host my friend Hannah's baby shower in Waco the following Saturday.  It was great to have some time to do day-to-day things with my family that I don't normally get to do...

brunch at Lula Jane's with my mom

(rainy) Memorial Day cookout with friends

Carter's tennis lesson

meeting the newest member of the Carter family: baby Luke Jr.

froyo to celebrate Hannah's last day of 1st grade

pool time at Uncle Les'

The baby shower the following weekend was wonderful - mainly because our close group of friends from college were all able to be together, which doesn't happen often.

the cute mama and shower hostesses

reliving the good ol' days at Baylor

just hanging around Waco after Sunday brunch

 

I loved being back in Texas for such a good amount of time with friends and family that I love and miss seeing more often!

Above the Clouds

Right now I am 30,000 ft in the air on a plane somewhere between Portland and Texas. Although I am enclosed in a large metal tube that somehow defies gravity, I can tell that the air up here is crisp and clean. And the sun is shining up here above the clouds. Although I hate getting in a plane and leaving the city I love, I do love slowly ascending through the clouds that so often hover over Portland; and as the plane breaks through the clouds, the sunshine breaks through the plane windows. And I’m immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of God’s creation.

 

 

Being 30,000 ft above the earth brings a fresh perspective that tends to get lost in the chaos of our everyday lives back on the ground. From up here everything down there seems so small and simple, so smooth and easy. The rivers seems more peaceful and less rapid, the mountains seem more glorious and less treacherous, and the motion of cars and humans seems more fluid and less hectic.

 

 

As my flight took off just before 7am this morning, I was overcome by a strong feeling of gratitude. I’ve been feeling quite grateful lately. But as I sat here in my window seat, I became very aware of the many blessings in my life. And I couldn’t help but smile. And with my smile came surprising tears. I don’t know if I’ve actually ever cried “tears of joy”; I’ve never even really understood them. But there they were, mixing with my smile of gratitude. I think my gaze out the window hid these emotions from the woman sitting next to me, who probably wouldn’t have known whether to give me a high five or a Kleenex. And as you’re reading this, you’re probably not sure whether to smile with me or pray for my sanity.

 

What an odd flood of emotions. But despite my questionable lucidity, the focus of this post is gratitude and blessings. I truly have so many things to be thankful for…

 

I’m so thankful for planes that carry me from one place to another. I am thankful for people in Portland that I am sad to be away from for 10 days. I am thankful for people in Texas that I can’t wait to see and hug. I’m thankful for little nieces and nephews whose extra loud and exuberant phone calls make me extra excited for time with family. I’m thankful for a lake house where the whole family can spend a weekend full of nothing but hanging out with each other. I’m thankful for amazing college friends who invest in each other and value reunions. I’m thankful for a job that allows me to spend a little extra time out of the office. I’m thankful for a house and sweet roommates to come home to. I’m thankful for a God who shows up in a million big and little ways in my life.

 

God is Good

A month or two ago, life felt very heavy. Nothing seemed to be going my way. I can think of four big aspects of life that were up in the air. I was scrambling to pull everything back together, but waiting for it to all come crashing down around me. And then I made a conscious decision: I’m actually going to hand all of this over to God. So with each thing that was up in the air, I did my part to try to help the situation and then said, “Ok God, I’m handing it over to you. I trust you. Do what you will with it.”

 

My constant thought a month ago was: “I just need to somehow make it through.” My strongest thought today was: “I didn’t know life could be so good.”

 

What a radical difference, and what an overwhelming experience of the goodness of God.

 

Bold Prayers and Gratitude

For most of my life, I think I’ve had a skewed understanding of prayer. I think a lot of people do. We learned when we were young that prayer is how we talk to God. But somewhere along the way, prayer becomes simply requests that we present to God. “Help me with this… provide that… show me what to do…”

 

I’ve felt pretty needy over the past month or so. There seemed to be so many different things that I have needed help with. And I hate asking for help. But we’ve been told to submit our requests to God and to come before him with the desires of our hearts. So I’m really trying to pray boldly. And big.

 

Prayer, and even more so “answered prayers”, is a very complex concept to me. I know that I don’t have a full understanding of the practice and purpose of prayer. Over the past few years, I think I have grown in my understanding of how I should approach prayer. But how God handles prayer is still a mystery to me (and always will be).

 

A few weeks ago I had a really rough week. One of those weeks where it seems that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. So many things were up in the air and I was constantly praying to God for help.

 

And you know what… things began to happen. Problems were solved. Questions were answered. And my worries faded.

 

Oftentimes when I pray specific prayers to God, I just throw them up there and then forget about them and continue to work on solving those issues on my own. And then when those specific prayers are “answered”, I forget to give a prayer of gratitude. This is something I’m trying to be more aware of, and better at.

 

You know how you often have to remind young children to say thank you? I tend to be that young child when it comes to praying to God. I ask and I ask and my “please” comes out in a whinny, begging tone and I forget to say thank you.

 

But I’m working on being more grateful and expressing my gratitude to God more consistently; giving him the thanks and praise when prayers are “answered” and things start looking up. Thankfully our God is a gracious God and he is patient and forgiving. He doesn’t scold me or punish me when I am slow to say “thank you”, but when I do finally say those simple words I can feel him say with a fatherly smile, “You’re welcome. Use that answered prayer well.”

Praying Big
Another way I'm trying to amplify my prayer life is by praying big prayers.  I've gotten pretty good at the casual, everyday, basic prayers but I've always been a bit afraid (and even a bit skeptical) to pray really big prayers.  But I've come to realize that if I don't even pray those prayers - if I don't even speak them or actively hope for them - then there is no way that they could be answered.  So why not pray big prayers?  Go ahead, pray big!

The Best of Friends

I feel to blessed to have many long-time friends in my life. You know, those friends who really know you and you can totally be yourself around. In the past week and a half, two of those best friends came to visit me here in Portland.

 

At the beginning of May, Hannah came to visit me for the 5th time! She was really here for work (Baylor MBA had a great partnership project with Nike), but she added an extra day before and after her work trip to just hang out with me. This time she brought an extra little person with her: Baby VanDyke that will be born in just a few months! Hannah has done it all in Portland, so we were able to just hang out, enjoy some good meals, nice walks, and great conversation. Hannah and I have always said that we’re each other’s “special friend” – we just get each other. Hannah is one of the most devoted friends I have and I am so grateful and amazed at how we’ve been able to maintain such a close relationship even though we’re 2,000 miles apart. Thanks for coming to visit, Hannah! Can’t wait for Baby VanDyke to have his first real visit to Portland someday!

 

hanging out watching an exciting Blazers game

yummy brunch at Tasty n Sons

apparently we took more pictures of our delicious meals than we did of ourselves

 

This past weekend my friend Anne came to visit me for the 4th time! Anne is my longest-time friend – we went to elementary school together and have been close friends ever since. She now lives in Denver and she popped over to Portland for a weekend getaway. Anne has also done it all in Portland, but we somehow still found fun adventures to fill our weekend. We enjoyed great meals, went to the farmer’s market, hiked in the Columbia River Gorge, spent an afternoon in Hood River, went to the Trail Blazers vs. Spurs playoff game (the highlight of the weekend, even though the Blazers lost and I was surrounded by Spurs fans), went to church, kayaked on the Willamette and just enjoyed hanging out in the sun. We had wonderful conversations and being together felt like being home for both of us. Thanks for coming to visit, Anne! I’ll be out to Denver soon!

 

Anne enjoying the sights, smells and tastes of the

Portland Farmer's Market

hike to Horsetail Falls in the Gorge

GORGE-ous!

 

enjoying the sun and a taster tray at Full Sail in Hood River

#ripcity

such a fun game (besides the fact that the Blazers lost)

Sunday morning coffee date before church

Anne kayaking out on the Willamette - look at those arms!

 

Forever Friends

My family members will always be my closest relationships.  We're related and kind of stuck with each other for life!  But I am so grateful to have such amazing friends who are pretty much like family to me.  The older I get, the more I realize how lucky I am to have such amazing friends in my life.  I am truly blessed with friends who challenge me, speak honestly to me, give me their true opinion and value mine as well, get my sarcasm, like my quirks, encourage me and honestly make me a better person.  And the best part is, since they are my forever friends our relationships can only get deeper and better!