Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Hello, and Happy Friday!

I am writing on my lunch break (a rarity), so I’ll have to do my best to keep this short. Let’s just get right to the point: Molly and I had a BLAST last week—of course!—and I want to tell you all about it. If you don’t want to hear about how much I love this girl, you may want to consider skipping this entry.

So, Molly was SUPPOSED to get here last Tuesday evening, but she had some setbacks. Her plane out of Detroit had to wait for a few people making a connection in addition to the de-icing process that also delayed them a bit. Because of this, Molly missed her connection in Salt Lake City; in true Wolff Travel Luck fashion, this plane left EARLY (when does that ever happen? Seriously) and did NOT wait for the travelers trying to make their connection. Molly ran through the airport and missed the plane by approximately five minutes. She called me and said she’d be spending the night with some pretty crazy companions in a little place called the Crystal Inn. Not cool. We were both pretty upset, but I was happy that she arrived safely and on time the following morning. Starbucks in hand, I greeted her with MUCH enthusiasm and we jumped on the train, already in full-blown chatter and giggle mode, and headed back to Gresham.

After a delicious Lebanese lunch (you should have SEEN this pita bread), I had to go to work for the afternoon. This was actually alright in the end because Molly needed to rest and take a shower. So, after work, I came home and woke her up. I dragged her with me to Youth Ministry, which I think she actually enjoyed. She was particularly fond of Ricky, the kid who is a bit of a challenge but nevertheless quite hilarious. Molly worked with eighth-graders last summer at UCC (where I also worked), so she knows the ins and outs of this particular age group and she has the right attitude for dealing with them. Youth Ministry is life-giving because the kids are awesome, but they’re still kids and it’s still exhausting. As often happens, I was in the mood for a drink afterwards, so Molly and I headed to 4^th Street Brewery with Erin, Crunchy, and Margaret for a brew. I actually had a beer and then a few rum and cokes with Molly, which resulted in my being quite silly… my tolerance these days is embarrassingly low—cheap date! Anyway, we headed home all giggly and happy and snuggled our way to sleep. Was that too much information for the general public? Ah well. I digress.

Thursday, Lindsay joined us on a lovely run past Jim and Mary Ann’s. Before heading into the wooded part of the butte trail, we stopped to say hi to our support couple, who happen to be two of the cutest individuals on the planet. Jim gave us each a cup of blueberries to snack on and then proceeded to show us, with the enthusiasm of a kindergartner, his new projects. He has recently taken up whittling, so he has some beautiful wood creations on display, ranging from a cute little bird to some kitchen accessories worthy of the Pampered Chef label. He also showed us a painting he had commissioned from a local artist, and he paged through his catalogue of seeds, pointing out the ones he’d recently ordered in preparation for his garden this spring. At about that point, Mary Ann came down the stairs and talked to us about HER new hobby—making doll clothes! These two are just the cutest people ever. Eventually, we headed out and finished our run. This was Molly’s first glimpse at the Northwest wilderness and I think she was about as amazed with the dozens of shades of green in the forest as was I the first time I ran this trail. It was a really nice way to spend the morning.

After breakfast, we headed to OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where my employee badge got us in free! Score. We entertained ourselves with some of the logic puzzles and interactive games and eventually made our way to the Identity exhibit, which features fetal development models and all sorts of quizzes and displays that help you figure out what makes you you. It was fun because we both have an interest in genetics, although Molly knows considerably more about this topic. We had some smoothies to tide us over but eventually worked up a hunger and headed across town to VooDoo Doughnuts (after a quick stop at Powell’s, of course!) to sample two of Portland’ best-known doughnuts. I am certainly no doughnut connoisseur, but they were tasty indeed and VooDoo is a legendary must-see in all its quintessential Portland weirdness. We headed home after that because we were on dinner duty with Jenna. Our evening meal was a delicious butternut squash risotto (Mom, be impressed! I also cooked solo last night and made a yummy cheesy parsley polenta!). We had a beer while cooking dinner and listened to some good music, and everyone enjoyed the risotto AND the cake we had that evening in honor of Jenna’s birthday.

We had a quiet night on Thursday, playing some games with Daniel for awhile and then just hanging out until bed. I had to go into work for a bit on Friday due to a dental van and staff meeting that required my attendance, so I let Molly sleep in and hang out at Café D for a few hours. At noon, I found her and we had a quick lunch before jumping on the train to the Oregon Zoo. This girl has a certain passion for zoos, so I had to show her this one even though it costs $9 to get in—and that’s WITH the $1.50 discount for taking public transportation! It was worth it, though. The Zoo is really quite pretty with all of the trees and moss, and even though it was a foggy and sort of rainy day (the weather every day of Molly’s visit, actually), we saw a fair amount of animals. The regional exhibit was probably the prettiest. We saw a bald eagle and an owl and otters that were making another otter right before our very eyes… that got awkward after awhile. After a pleasant afternoon, we decided it was time to eat again.

So, we jumped on the train and made our way to my favorite place in Portland: the Alberta Street Grilled Cheese Grill. I think I’ve mentioned the gloriousness that is this food cart in past blog posts, but honestly—anyone who visits is guaranteed a phenomenal sandwich at this quirky little spot. We met up with Lizzie for a beer (you should really count the beers in this post—this is number three, I think, all of which have been local microbrews) and then a grilled cheese, which did not disappoint. After a glorious dinner, we had to make our way back home to see what the evening plans would entail. But by the time we got back, we realized that we didn’t really have the energy for going BACK into Portland for only a few hours and then having to catch the last train home. So, feeling a bit lackluster about our transportation options, we decided to stay in, but it really doesn’t matter where we are because we always find something to giggle about anyway!

GSham Gaga-ing it up.

We woke up on Saturday at a leisurely pace and continued said leisure for most of the afternoon until deciding that we wanted to go see a $3 movie at the Laurelhurst. First, we had a beer (number 4) at a kooky café nearby where the waitress was too Portland-cool to actually wait on us. She brought us our DELICIOUS pita and hummus platter and I said, “thanks,” to which her hipster response was “okay.” Still, it was a nice warm-up to the movie. At the Laurelhurst, you can eat and drink pizza/wraps/salads and beer while enjoying your show, so we got some more food (but not beer!) and then headed into “Love and Other Drugs.” Don’t see it—it was pretty lame. We played logic puzzles on the bus home and were in high spirits when we made our beer run and headed home to prepare for the big party Gresham hosted on Saturday night. We were hoping for a better turnout, but most of the Portland area JVs still made an appearance at our fiesta. To be honest, I think I talked to other people for a total of about ten minutes. Most of the night, Molly and I were playing beer pong (my skills have somehow improved tenfold since college despite zero practice— this is the part where we stop counting beers) and tearing up the dance floor AKA the living room. We had a blast. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Molly was dressed in my YOGA MAT and I was wearing paper flowers that had previously been wall decorations. Our house theme was Lady Gaga, whose creative costumes basically mean that our wardrobe consisted of anything but clothes.

Multnomah Falls!

Sunday was Molly’s last day, and because she had booked a late flight out of Portland (11:45ish), we had all day together. I know her journey home was probably pretty exhausting, but I was so grateful that she’d planned the trip that way. Jim and MaryAnn had GENEROUSLY allowed us to take their CRV for the day, so at about 10am (impressive for a post-party morning, no?!) we loaded into the car along with Lizzie, Jenna, and their mutual friend Scott who was also visiting. I drove us out to the Columbia River Gorge which, although fogged over, was absolutely epic as always. We took the Old Highway for most of the way and the views are storybook-esque. The mossy trees and the waterfalls at every turn are too much to take in, and then you look out the other direction and see the dramatic landscape of the Columbia River snaking its way through the hills. It’s truly gorgeous. We stopped at several waterfalls before eventually making it to Multnomah Falls to take in the view of the 600-foot tall cascades (Oregon’s second most popular tourist attraction…after a casino). The most amusing stop was the first, when we hopped out of the car to run downhill for a minute or so before reaching the closest view of Latourell Falls. For whatever reason, this waterfall was RAGING. The water was muddy looking and it was absolutely flying off the waterfall with some crazy impressive force. We got drenched standing there, but we were so high off of life at that point that no one cared. There’s a certain adrenaline rush involved, I guess. We were all screaming and skipping and running up and down the sloped walkway. When we finally made our way back to the car, we were five wet dogs who had no Maid of the Mist sort of excuse… we had just gone a bit ballistic.

The outing concluded in a yummy lunch at Edgefield, which I’ve talked about before. We had good food (the Cajun-seasoned tater tots! The sweet potato fries!) but awful service. I complained on behalf of our group and we got a $25 gift card. We proceeded to go to a different bar on the estate and purchase the dessert I had come for: the Terminator Cake. It was as good as I had imagined, made with the best beer EVER (their own Terminator Stout) and consisting of at least four layers of rich, dark, incredible chocolate. Phenomenal.

Crown Point lookout point. So glad she got to see this!

I was not happy about having to pack up Molly’s things and think about leaving, but our evening ended nicely. We went to Contemplative Mass at St. Ignatius, a service I’m glad she got to experience. Then, in search of coffee and/or food for Molly, we found our way to the Starbucks at Pioneer Square and sat there for a bit, enjoying some hot drinks. When it was time to go to the airport, we made our way there with no problems. We hugged and hugged and I cried before Molly finally waved goodbye and headed into PDX. She made it home with no problems and is back in the rhythm of classes, and I had off MLK Day and then had a busy few days but am now looking forward to another weekend! I am so, so grateful that Molls made the trip, and even though I’m pretty sad about the fact that we now have a six-month stretch before we see each other again, I know that there’s nothing to worry about because our friendship is so incredibly special. We’ve grown and matured (actually, that’s questionable), but so many special elements have remained the same. Molls, you are a treasure and a light in my life and I am blessed to have you as a soul sistah!

So, this weekend I’ll be attending the baptism of Ketzaly, my coworker Sara’s baby who I’ve been obsessing about to my mom for the first month of this child’s life. I’m excited to experience a Spanish-speaking baptism. Then, on Sunday, Karen is taking me and a few of my housemates on a snow shoe outing at Barlow Pass. I’ll take photos for sure!

Have a wonderful weekend, all of you! A happy, happy, happy birthday to my dad!! I love you and wish I could give you a birthday hug in person, but—just like your gift—you’ll have to come get it!

XOXO,

Amanda

MOLLY'S COMING!!!!

Hello again,

I hope these first days of 2011 have been good to you all. Does anyone besides us still have their Christmas tree up? Ours has certainly become a serious fire hazard. It hasn’t had water in at least a week or so, and I think we really need to take it down soon (this is one of those things we talk about a lot but never actually do) before it burns down our ol’ convent. There was a suggestion to leave it up until our Martin Luther King, Jr. party (which we’ll be hosting next Saturday), but I seriously think it needs to go before then.

Anyway, it has been a good week. I found myself more exhausted than usual almost every day, which might be me getting sick—I hope not!—like some of my housemates, or perhaps it means I’m in some sort of cloudy-weather, post-holiday stupor. Either way, I gave myself a good ten hours of sleep last night and woke up today feeling pretty rested. A nice run through the woods and on the Springwater Corridor trail was a wonderful way to start my Saturday (at 1pm, mind you), particularly because it actually hasn’t really rained today. Mt. Hood isn’t out at the moment, but I’m hoping that we get a few clear days next week because I have a special guest coming and I’d like her to see the mountain! Which leads me to this extremely exciting fact: Miss Molly Henry will be arriving in Portland on Tuesday evening. She’ll be with me throughout the week until Sunday night, and I can barely contain my enthusiasm. It has been WAY too long since I’ve seen her, and I am so so so so so so so excited!!! You’ll surely hear from me again after her visit, which is bound to be a good time.

Ready to party!

It turned out to be a pretty good New Year’s here. After I wrote last time (following my lovely solo hike), I went home and painted my nails all sparkly. Then we ordered pizza and got ready to go to Portland Morris House’s party for a bit. After dancing around with Lizzie for awhile, I left there with Erin and Daniel and went elsewhere. We rang in 2011 at a crammed club with confetti falling around us and a Lady Gaga-Madonna mash-up playing. Interesting, but a good time. On New Year’s Day, we all took it easy. After a day of lying around, though, I was happy when Colleen asked if anyone would like to go with her to do outreach. 

Colleen works for JOIN, a drop-in day shelter for Portland’s homeless community. Daniel and Linds work there too—they’re the Immersion Coordinator and the House Director, respectively—and this is where Colleen ended up after her first placement didn’t work out. She loves her new job, and I have heard a lot of stories about her evening drives around Portland to distribute blankets, chat with the men and women sleeping on the streets, and spread the word about JOIN and other resources/shelters available for them. I miss interacting with this community, as working with Milwaukee’s homeless was a huge part of my Marquette experience. So, Colleen and I headed out.

As I told my mother, rest assured that we were very careful. Usually Colleen goes out with one of the guys from JOIN who has many years of experience and street credit, and we were well aware that we are two women with no other protection than our pepper spray. We were cautious and didn’t approach anyone if the situation seemed possibly sketchy. Most of the people we talked to were settled in for the night, or trying to settle in. They were in sleeping bags or covered with blankets under bridges, in doorways, and on the street. We drove around, stopping when we saw someone, asking if people needed blankets or hats or socks. Colleen was already familiar with a lot of the people we encountered. It was a moving experience, though, driving through downtown Portland on a lively Saturday night. Instead of looking into bars or clubs or wondering what live band was playing a show in one of the above, we were perusing the streets for people who were going to spend the night in the cold.

We helped one guy get to an emergency warming shelter, we intimately covered another man with three blankets while he slept under a bridge (per the recommendation of another homeless man nearby who told us that he was warm enough but that “the guy over there” might need a blanket or two). We tried to talk to one woman whose camp was a total mess; there were rats scurrying in and out of the bushes, squeaking and eating the woman’s dog’s food. She seemed unfazed, and her lethargy was almost frightening. But for the most part, everyone we talked to was friendly and very kind. They told us when they needed something—and we helped if we could—and they also told us when they didn’t—and often guided us to someone who was in need. It was a really beautiful, very REAL, evening.

Interactions with people on the streets are so elemental, and there is something really refreshing about chatting with someone like that. I see now why outreach is an escape of sorts for Colleen. Sure, this work is heavy and emotional and discouraging some days, but it’s also some kind of rush. And you see the difference you’re making, however small, because it’s immediate. JOIN’s approach of sending outreach workers out on the streets is really cool because most situations where I’ve interacted with homeless people were set up so that they were the guests—at the shelter or the meal program or the drop-in center. This way, we were the guests. We tread carefully, announcing our presence as we neared someone’s camp and metaphorically “knocking” before entering their home. We were the vulnerable ones. We were the ones relying on their humility and hospitality, which they offered graciously. It was a different sort of interaction than any I’ve had, and very different from the work I do on a daily basis, so I was happy I got to be a part of it.

Colleen was at her best and brightest, which moved me just as much as anything that night. I told her this afterwards. Everyone deserves to be seen when they’re in their element. She was patient, compassionate, understanding, and graceful, and I was so impressed with her. You can tell that this work gives her life. So, another gift of the evening was certainly seeing my housemate through this lens because I feel like seeing that part of her was seeing her as complete as I’ve seen her this whole time, and even without too many words exchanged, it feels like we’re closer than we were when we left for outreach that evening.

Last night, we had a sleepover in our living room (although I think we all ended up going to bed in our actual beds after awhile). I love my housemates and I love spending time with them. We came to the realization that life will never be so “fluffy.” Yes, we’re doing hard work, but we’re also able to come home and just hang out. We make dinner, we do youth ministry or other evening work, but really…we have a lot of downtime to just enjoy each other’s company. Pretty amazing.

Alright, time to get ready to celebrate Jenna’s upcoming birthday. We’re headed to Edgefield again! I wish you all a happy Sunday and a wonderful week. Thinking of you, Peg, Ken, and Beth, in particular, and sending much love to Catherine begins her second year as an International Jesuit Volunteer in Chile… with her new community!

XOXO,

Amanda