happy halloween.

Hey everybody!

Who is ready to eat their body weight in fun size candy bars? Ready or not, today is the LAST day of the month of October. I can hardly believe it. Last weekend I participated in a trio costume in which I acted as a piece of notebook paper. It was a tad difficult to maneuver in and I was legitimately concerned about giving the people around me a life threatening paper cut. Danger aside, it was a really fun evening.

Today I will be breaking out a costume again but it won't be to trick or treat but rather to score a burrito at Chipotle for $2.00. (You can do it too, head that way after 4:00 PM!) If you are heading out for an evening of trick or treating, please feel free to send any and all unwanted Almond Joys or Dove dark chocolates to Portland, Oregon. Thanks. You rock. 

Happy Halloween friends!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

every sandal has a story.

Hey Friends! 

I wanted to share this Sseko video with you. It is a great little two minute glimpse into their story. Sseko is committed to an improvement of the overall economy in Uganda and believes that this will come, in part, from the education of bright women. Between high school and university, these hard working women help produce the beautiful products that Sseko sells. Behind every woman working at Sseko is an inspiring story that is only just beginning. You see, these women will not make sandals forever, they will go on to be doctors, teachers, lawyers, political leaders and so much more! Pretty great, right?

The Sseko headquarters are also rad and I am truly so thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of this company and get to work with such talented, awesome people everyday.

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

bob's red mill.

Howdy, howdy!

Have y'all ever used any of Bob's Red Mill products? They are delicious! My friend Carolyn introduced me to them a while back. We found out at a later date that the gluten free shortbread cookies with Nutella on top are basically gold. Seriously, you need them in your life. 

When I got to Portland, I found out that the mill headquarters are here and thought it would be fun to stop in for a little touristy outing and possibly a tasty treat. The place was a zoo but I did score a few fun items and even a free orange cranberry cookie! It was a successful Saturday adventure and a yummy one to boot. 

Hope you have a terrific Monday my friends!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

ps. How is it the end of October? Carly Rae Jepsen was so right...this is crazy. 

time is on a bike.

Hello Monday and hello friends, 

I hope you all found lots of things that made you appreciate the fall season this weekend! Can you believe it is almost the end of October? I feel like time is riding a bike downhill! Pretty soon pilgrims, turkeys and stretchy pants are going to be coming our way and then we'll blink our eyes and have pear trees...with partridges in them!!! My oh my, the holidays are indeed approaching. Swiftly. 

Ok, ok, ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. In an attempt to appreciate the here and now, lets just continue to think of the joyous October season we find ourselves in and let these little orange babies brighten our day. 

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

ps. If you think all the hype about pumpkins is overrated, I think you are mistaken but you might want to check out this hysterical article about a man who decides that he is going to eat all of the pumpkin things Trader Joe's has to offer...in one day. He is less than impressed. And to think, I suggested doing something like this! 

corn nostalgia.

Hey there! 

How do you take your corn? I'm an off the cob kind of lady. Somehow the added commitment of picking kernels out of your teeth for hours just doesn't seem worth it. Cutting it off the cob though, sign me up. When we were younger my family lived in Guatemala and I remember days when we would walk down to the market. The local people would be grilling corn on the cob and it always looked so delicious. They would squeeze lime and a dash of salt over the corn, put it back in the husk and then throw it on the grill until it was nice and toasty. Ahh, I can almost smell it now. So good. 

Last weekend I went to a corn maze and while I enjoyed walking through maze and figuring out the life size puzzle, I also was taken back by the beauty of the tall green stalks. Who knew corn could be so lovely?

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

p.s. If I have a farm someday, it might be called 'Call me crazy, Call me corny'. Ok, that is all. 

powell's books.

Hey y'all!

A couple weekends ago I ventured downtown in search of Powell's bookstore. It turns out that it isn't too hard to find something when it takes up an entire block of a city. Powell's is home to 68,000 square feet of new and used books. Yes, I did say 68,000. The place is so big that they provide you with a map when you enter. I sort of imagine that this is what Fox Books would be like except Powell's doesn't have the 'big bad chain store' feel. You see, this is Portland, the bike friendly land of organic coffee blends and and vegan cookies so even though this bookstore rivals the size of any Walmart, it feels much more like the Shop Around the Corner. (If you haven't watched You've Got Mail in a while or ever, you should do that but for now this reference is probably not in your wheelhouse.)

So what's the takeaway? If you ever find yourself in the area, definitely check it out. You could easily spend an entire day just on one floor of this monstrous place. Most of my time was spent in the Oregon section reading about Portland which I'm sure is pretty common among the touristy folks like myself. Embrace your inner tourist...just don't use an umbrella. (More umbrella talk to come.) 

Have an excellent Wednesday!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

mt. hood.

Hi friends,

Mt. Hood was the hiking destination this weekend and boy was it awesome! Most people know Mt. Hood because it is one of the only mountains that has snow on it year round which makes it a perfect location for winter sports training. We were not in the business of skiing this day but we did go up to the Ski Lodge to  hop on a trail called Zig-Zag. It was a beautiful sunny day and as I understand, unseasonably warm. We hiked about 2.7 miles to the lookout (I only know that because there was a little girl who kept asking her mom how far they had walked and she had to explain how far 2.7 miles was). This hike was different and kind of neat because the vegetation changed so dramatically on the small section of the trail that we covered. Oregon continues to amaze me with how beautiful it can be. Sadly, I think the rainy days are beginning to set in but the Oregonians don't let that slow them down and hopefully I won't either!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

greek iced coffee.

Yiasou file mou!

In case you are like me and you don't speak Greek, that means "hello, my friend". Bet you're wondering why I'm greeting you in a foreign language? Well, I have been seeing advertisements about Portland's Greek Festival since I arrived and last weekend, I went! Let me tell you that I think festivals of any kind are pretty great but Greek festivals, specifically, are the jam. Great food, dancing, cool music and my new favorite thing, iced coffee. 

Iced coffee, greek style is the perfect mix between a frothy frappacino and iced coffee. Not too sweet and really smooth. If you were thinking of trying to make Greek iced coffee yourself, which I would highly  recommend because it is seriously good, here is a recipe that looks pretty similar.  

Another really great thing about the festival, besides the delicious gyro that I had, was the dancers. We saw two groups that ranged in age from 5 to 12 and they were adorable. It was really neat to see young kids that are already so aware of their family heritage. Their costumes were also pretty rad. 

I hope you had a great weekend and maybe even had a little cultural experience too!

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily 

bridal veil oregon.

Hello my friends and happy Monday to ya!

I went to this darling little post office a couple of weeks ago that is located in Bridal Veil, Oregon. There was the sweetest little lady working  in about three feet of space who told me all about it as I was writing my postcard. Built in 1886, this building is only one of two remnants of the town. There has been attempts to shut down the quaint 'town' but that has been repeatedly fought by the thousands of brides who travel here every year to have their wedding invitations postmarked from Bridal Veil. 

Just a little bit of Oregon trivia to kick off your week. Hope it's a great one.

Fondly from Portland,
Emily

the happiest season of all.

Is autumn here? Could it be true? Crisp fall air, hot beverages, sweaters, scarves, boots, chili, cornbread, flannel...holy moly, this is great. (!!!) It's possible that I get a little too excited about fall or more specifically, pumpkins. I'm saying it's possible. But I would like to suggest that perhaps it is exactly the right amount of excitement. There will be no judgement here for your lack of enthusiasm during this time of the year but just know that I think you are missing out on something particularly great. 

There are so many reasons to love pumpkins but one reason is because they are orange! On the whole, I think orange is an extremely underrated color. This thought may stem from my aversion to it in college. You see, it was the primary color of the Florida Gators and since they are the opposite of awesome, I guess I figured orange was too. But since college, I have found a new fondness towards the pop of color. Maybe pumpkins are to thank, maybe. Another fabulous reason to fall in love (see what I did there) with this time of year is because of all things you can make with pumpkin. You could most certainly have pumpkin in every meal if your little heart wanted to. (This little heart has considered it). I would suggest this shake for breakfast, this soup for lunch, this mac & cheese for dinner and these delicious little cookies for dessert. Pumpkin all. day. long. Just once, just do it. 

Everybody has their favorite little things about life that they think are totally worth celebrating and for me, one of those things happens to be a round gourd-like character. So my friends, consider this  your warning, there will probably definitely be a surplus of pumpkin pictures around these parts in the next month or so. 

Enjoy this season, buy a pumpkin. 

Fondly from Portland,
Emily

p.s. go seminoles! 

the pacific coast.

Hey there friends, 

Last weekend this east coast girl got to see the pacific ocean for the first time. It was absolutely breathtaking (as I'm beginning to realize most things here are). We hiked about two and a half miles to the top of cliff to look out and see a view unlike any other. As we were sitting at the peak of our hike I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of this world. A wise person once told me to seek glimpses of redemption on this side of heaven. I think this fits the build. 

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

familiar franz.

Aloha! (Lets see how many ways I can greet you lovely people.) 

My morning commute includes the passing of the Franz bread factory. Each morning, I travel by long windows that mark the building and watch as the warm cinnamon raisin bread floats by on the conveyor belt. The smell is familiar and reminds me of mornings before high-school.  My brother loved cinnamon raisin bread and would always toast some up before the day got started. I inevitably would ask him for a bite of whatever it was he was having instead of making my own. As annoying as it probably was, he usually said yes. The joke has followed us into adulthood and sometimes I'll still ask for a bite just to get a laugh out of him. 

I hope you think of something familiar and smile today. 

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily

p.s.  Wednesdays always remind me of the song Can You Meet Me Halfway by the Black Eyed Peas. I'm sure you can agree, right?

waterfall or water fountain?

Howdy folks! 

Have you ever filled up your water bottle from the top of a waterfall? I most certainly never had...until about a week ago when I threw caution to the wind and climbed down to fill up. Let me tell you that if you have the chance to do this - do it. Cool and fresh my friends, cool and fresh.

I'm not going to lie to you, (even with caution was to the wind) I was thanking myself for buying the Camelbak with a filter.

Fondly from Portland, 

Emily