Take a Hike!

Good evening, friends!

My lovely guest and me at the rhododendron garden!

This past week, we actually got to enjoy some BLUE SKIES here in the Portland area. Pretty awesome. Lizzie Traudt paid me a visit, and it was so nice to share some of my favorite spots and vistas with her! Although I had work most of the time she was in town, we made time to grab dinner and a beer with José at the DeSchutes brewery in the Pearl District and visit the Grilled Cheese Grill on Alberta, followed by drinks with Lizzie and José afterwards. Another night, we had dinner at our house and spent some time hanging out with my roommates, so Lizzie got to meet just about everybody.

Atop Council Crest, enjoying the sun and the warm day!

     Our best outing, though, was a pretty awesome urban hike called the 4-T trail. It involves parking in Washington Park near the zoo and then hiking on a trail (the first T) up to Portland’s highest point, Council Crest. From there, we had awesome views of the city, the Williamette River (which forms the east-west dividing line in Portland), and Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helen’s, and Mt. Adams! Lizzie was lucky to have such a clear and beautiful day. And it was warm!! We spent some time at the top of Council Crest before hiking the second half of the trail to OHSU’s campus. There, we took the tram (the second T), which was free and awesome on such a clear day. The Portland street car (or trolley, T #3) was our next mode of transportation, and that took us to downtown. We got off by the Central Library and detoured so that Lizzie could sample some Portland food cart and Stumptown Coffee fare. Eventually, we completed the circuit and headed back to the Zoo via light rail (the Max train, the last T). It was a great way to see some of the city both aerially and from the streets!

The second T in our 4T hike-- the OHSU Tram.

I was sad to see Lizzie go, but I had a great evening on Friday with José before he headed out of town for a few days. I had discovered a restaurant serving what is described online as “Wisconsin-style fare,” and we just had to check it out. The place is called Savoy, and sure enough, they have a Friday Night Fish Fry (with Great Lakes walleye!), some pretty decent Old Fashioneds (Dad’s are still better), and fried cheese curds (José finally got to try them!). It was a pretty wonderful dinner, and we topped if off by splitting two mini-pies from a food cart: marionberry and a hazelnut chocolate! So yummy. Portland really loves to eat. This place is serious about food and all things having to do with food… I think it’s a good but dangerous place for me to be!

       Yesterday, I enjoyed more sunshine with Lizzie and Jenna. We hit the road in a ZipCar and drove through Columbia River Gorge until we arrived at a plateau called Rowena Crest. There, we did an awesome hike highlighted by amazing views of the Gorge (different than our usual angles) and lots of purple, coral, and yellow wildflowers. It was a breezy day, but it was a wonderful hike. The three of us had a lot of fun together. After climbing down and having some lunch, we embarked on a little drive called the Fruit Loop. This 30-mile loop takes you past wineries, fruit stands, fields, etc. We stopped at a few and got to sample some wines and some jams here and there. The best part, though, was the lavender farm where we met a sweet lady in a bonnet, smelled delicious lavender plants and products, and tried our best to photograph five speedy and stunning hummingbirds! Our last stop was for huckleberry and marionberry milkshakes. I’d say it was a pretty successful day!

Lizzie, Jenna, and I at the summit of our Rowena Crest hike!

Just in case you aren’t yet convinced that I’ve been having a good time lately, I have one more adventure to detail. Two weeks ago, José and I decided to “run away” to Bend, about three hours east of here—unless of course you take the scenic route through the Gorge, as we did, and tack on another hour. José’s friend and former coworker has a condo there and she let us use it for the weekend, which was awesome! The drive to Bend was lovely because we drove straight at, and then around, the snowy Mt. Hood, until we landed in a totally different climate zone (Bend is part of the high desert region in Oregon). We started seeing all sorts of different peaks—Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters—reaffirming my belief that this is a BEAUTIFUL state!

The amazing view of Mt. Hood as we drove to Bend.

José and I had a pretty chill Friday night after arriving, but we got up on Saturday to do two different hikes. The first was called Pilot Butte, a cinder cone rising up from the center of downtown Bend. It rained off-and-on during our hike, but we still got pretty lucky with the vistas and were able to see plenty of peaks from the summit. Later that afternoon, we did a totally different hike along the DeSchutes River near the condo. We walked past massive rock formations and a river divided in two sections by a huge lava ridge formed during the last eruption. We skipped stones and saw a bald eagle… it was pretty pleasant. On Saturday night, we went downtown and filled a sack with candy at Powell’s Sweet Shoppe before having some dinner and watching the Timbers game at the DeSchutes Public House. The next day, before heading home, we got a tour of the massive DeSchutes brewery company, which makes many of my favorite local brews. Once back in Portland, we caught a play (for free!), capping off what was a pretty relaxing and wonderful weekend escape.

A cool land bridge over a marsh on hike #2 in Bend.

Sometimes it’s just so rejuvenating to go somewhere else! Of course, it’s always nice to come home to “The Other Seven” and find out what crazy things happened while I was gone. This time, I found blown-up, pixilated portraits of Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber adorning our living room and dining room walls. And, my underwear were on my ceiling… but that’s a pretty long story.

I hope you’re all having a nice weekend, and I wish you a wonderful week. I’m especially thinking about you grads today! Congratulations, Class of 2011!!!!

With lots of love, and much anticipation for the much-anticipated arrival of two VERY special guests this week,

Amanda

PS Want more photos?  https://picasaweb.google.com/amwolff87

Marquette, you're not that far! Congrats, 2011 grads!!

Affirm peace, affirm life, affirm spring!

Hello, everyone!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo.This post is basically an excuse to share with you a ton of photos. But you should really go to my Picasa page for even more. Anyway...

Beautiful sunset in Washington at Daniel's grandparents'

I’m writing from Café D where I am sipping a beer (their newest addition to the menu, though it should be a margarita today, right?!) and enjoying some SUNSHINE streaming in from outside. Since I “unofficially” gave up Café D for Lent, it has been awhile since I’ve been here. It’s nice to be back. It’s nice to be blogging!

Easter. Accidentally color-coordinating...

I’ve written some pretty heavy stuff lately, so I’m going to keep it light today. Really, I just want to check in and—finally!—share a few cute Easter photos and some other pictures from the last couple of weeks. April, although too rainy for my taste, was really a month full of blessings. The first weekend, José and I went to California to visit his friends and family. Also in April, our house went to Washington to hang out at Daniel’s grandparents’ cabin for a few days. It was so beautiful in both rain and shine. Easter was a wonderful celebration, complete with Mass at St. Ignatius, a Skype session with many of you, and a delicious brunch with Colleen’s family and almost all of my housemates. Lizzie’s family was around for several days around Eastertime, and it was wonderful to see the Olsens again. We walked around Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (my favorite Portland park thus far) and had lunch at the delicious Lucky Labrador brewery. And then I spent the final few days of April in Spokane, WA, where Lindsay and I hung out on Gonzaga University’s campus and ran Bloomsday, the famous (and hilly!) 12k, which we finished in a respectable though not amazing 1:02:49 (8:23 min/mile pace). So, it has been busy and I have been gone several weekends, but I am doing so well!

Jillian and her Haggada and the Seder feast she made!

We are now entering my last quarter of this JVC NW adventure. Hard to believe! While there is much to look forward to (my job at Casa, being close to my family, living with Molly, etc.), there is so much that I am seeking to savor here in Oregon. I really have fallen in love with the Northwest, despite the months and months of rain. And I can’t believe the community that I’ve established in just nine months. Today, I had a chat with one of my favorite clients, Arturo (he’s the one who brings all of his mail in and periodically plops it on my desk and asks me to read through it). He apparently just needed to chat with somebody, so he went on and on about how he lives on his social security and he has so many medical bills but when he has even a few dollars to spare, he sends it to his daughter, a single mother, much to some of his friends’ and family members’ dismay. “Life is hard,” Arturo told me. And he certainly knows that is true. “It’s also beautiful,” I reminded him. How could I deny that when, even as he spoke of hardship, this 63-year-old man sat before me with the broadest smile and the most adorable dimples I’ve ever seen? He spoke candidly and sincerely, and I told him he has a big heart and that he is a wonderful dad who has obviously figured out what matters in life. He said thank you (about fifty times—his M.O.) and then shuffled his way out of my office. He’s exhausting and working with him requires a lot of energy, but Arturo is also one of my favorite people because he never fails to brighten my day.

Seder Meal and Colleen's birthday

Likewise, I get a lift from Ketzaly, my favorite 5.5-month-old. She is still hanging out at the office on an almost daily basis with her mom, Sara, and she is jus the cutest thing I have ever seen. The other day, we stood in front of a mirror and she was SO fascinated by her reflection. She was even trying to mimic the faces I was making. She would just stare and laugh and wiggle. What a wonderful break from the work day. This has been a long week because I had to come in early on Monday for the Dental Van (which starts at 8) and then I had to stay late on Tuesday for a public hearing regarding the Community Development Block Grant that EPH uses to fund the work that I do in our drop-in area. Still, there have been these wonderful moments of life and energy. At the senior center yesterday, we had a Cinco de Mayo celebration. I watched a silver-haired man “get the party started” (his proclamation, not mine) and I couldn’t help but smile.

In the gorgeous rhododendron garden!

There is so much going on in the world—I think on a daily basis about Japan and Haiti and Libya and all of the places that have recently known destruction, violence, and death. It’s overwhelming. And I have felt uneasy and unsettled about the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death, not because I don’t understand the justification for it but because the way the news was received in Manhattan, D.C., and elsewhere was disappointing, distasteful, disgusting, and disrespectful. I couldn’t believe the frat-boy antics I read about and saw in the news. Drunken people, wrapped in the American flag, chanting “USA!” and gloating… something is wrong with that picture, no matter how tyrannical, inhumane, and downright heinous the deceased may be. Am I glad that Osama will no longer harm his own people or people in this country? Absolutely. But it just feels wrong to approach the situation with jubilation, especially considering how much it has cost us—financially and in ways, in lives, that we cannot quantify. The deepest part of me, the human part of me, was still moved when I read that Osama’s adolescent daughter watched her father be killed, and I think that’s an okay reaction to have. It scares me to see people rejoice over violence, killing, death, etc. I don’t think it’s our nature to act like that. Anyway! I said I would keep this light, and look what I’m doing.

Post-Easter egg hunt with Colleen's sister. Look at those PJ's!

It has been an interesting week, and I’m still trying to process large-scale things like our killing Osama and also the smaller things, like Arturo’s off-the-cuff chat. I read a wonderful poem written by an Arab woman, post-9/11, who ended her gorgeous, emotionally complex piece with the words “affirm life.” At all costs, that’s what we’re here to do, right? Affirm life. Affirm peace. Affirm love. It’s all around us on a daily basis, and it too overwhelms me…

I hope that your spring is full of joy and that you take a few moments to smell the flowers. Perhaps your boyfriend, if he’s as sweet as mine, will even send some to your office?

Happy Easter from Gresham (minus Linds)!

Post Bloomsday, 12k

Happy early Mother’s Day, Mom. I love you and admire you more than I know how to say, and all of Gresham eagerly awaits the arrival of Vernice (and you too, B!). I wish I could be there to give you a hug in person, but know that I am grateful for you everyday of my life.

And an early congratulations to Molly, Mara, Carly, Cara, Jessica, Bridget, etc. etc. etc…all of my favorite, beautiful graduating seniors! In a special way this month, I keep 3West close to my heart. I can’t believe you babies are wrapping up your MU experience. I’m so proud, and I wish I could be there for the celebration.

I love you all,

Me and my lovely 8th-graders. We finished our year together.

Amanda