: : Autumn : :

This past month has brought a flurry of activity for me, hence my silence in the blog world. It all began with a quick trip to California. I whirled into the dry, busy state I once called home on a Thursday, and spun back out on Sunday morning. During those precious hours, I dined with my Pops, had dinner with a slew of great girlfriends, got to go to my home church, had the privilege of photographing one adorable cowboy, helped my mom finish packing her house, loaded a moving truck, and set off with my mom to drive to Montana. Twas a lot to pack into 2 1/2 days, but well worth it. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of sweet, 2 year old, delightful Will. 

On Sunday morning, mom and I set out for a drive we prayed would go smoothly. We had loaded a 25 foot U-Haul, and it was towing her truck on the back, all wheels off the ground. I'm not sure we anticipated how truly long it would take us to get there, only being able to drive a maximum of 60 mph. After 1,084 miles later and two 13-hour days in the truck, we arrived in amazing Montana. Gosh, how I forgot how much I love that place. Here are some pictures from our trip there.

Nevada desert


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINALLY!!

Once we arrived in Montana and began to unpack, everything truly fell into place. We stayed there 4 nights, and we were able to get my mom settled into her new home. We enjoyed dinner with long time friends, walks in the brisk morning around her new town of Livingston (population 7,380), trips out to Paradise Valley, lots of giddy laughter (from exhaustion, of course), and good sleep. 

Downtown Livingston, Montana

Paradise Valley (aptly named)

Goats-Paradise Valley, Montana

Livingston, Montana

One might think that was the end of our trip....but oh no! From Montana, my mom drove me back to Oregon....786 miles away.

Two Women

One Chevy Blazer

Countless Gas Fill-Ups

One Pack of Neccos

Traversing 4 states (Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon)

Plenty of Bathroom Breaks

Laughing Til' It Hurt

Rain, Sun, Wind

+ All In ONE Day
____________________

Priceless

in Oregon

in Oregon, people are kind.

people drive slow,

the speed limit on highways is 55 mph.

men in Oregon sport thick beards

and there is no shortage of plaid flannel shirts.

in Oregon kids play outside in the rain

in t-shirts, because it is not yet cold enough for sweaters and coats.

many in Oregon

came from California

and those who didn't drool when I say I did.

people in Oregon swear it rains too much here,

yet they all adapt so well you couldn't tell.

oregonians exercise in every way possible

no matter what the weather is like.

canoeing

biking

jogging.

there are quirky, hippie, outdoorsy, earthy people

around every corner.

i love it.

in Oregon

people keep a neutral countenance

rather than getting uptight and stressed.

the air is clean and fresh here,

even in the heat of the summer,

but even more so after a fresh rain.

vibrant green is the color of choice in Oregon

all. year. round.

bicyclists have the right of way:

and even normal seeming folks are odd

but it's home.

pretty sure I wouldn't have it

any

other

way.

Veggie Lovin'

I often get stuck in a rut in the kitchen, making the same rotation of things over and over again until I never want to eat them again. Why? Out of comfort and the desire to perfect, I'm sure. I am a veggie freak, and as with the other foods I prepare, I often make the same veggies the same way over and over again. The following recipe is me trying to get out of the veggie rut, and trying to replace something I adore (mashed potatoes) with a healthier version. Try it, you'll like it (especially if you like cauliflower). And if you have a favorite veggie recipe, please share!

: : Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes : :

1 large head of cauliflower, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/8 cup of milk
1/8 cup of Half and Half (or Heavy Whipping Cream)
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
a dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Steam cauliflower until soft

          Add all ingredients to food           

  processor or blender

Blend until desired consistency is reached

: Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch, Smell :

 Senses truly play into who I am on a day-to-day basis. I am realizing more and more how sensual of a person I am in the sense that my five senses (mainly sight and sound) dictate what I will feel, think, and how I will act on a given day. This morning I woke up to experience a silent house, a foggy scene outside my window, a cat on my lap, a warm cup of coffee, and my Bible. The gray, dark, chilly weather dictated the CD I chose to put on: David Gray's White Ladder. This album has been in a box, moving from house to house for quite a few years. I am so thankful to have found it again. It is definitely a subdued, quiet, thoughtful album...but for today's weather, it fit perfectly into my ears.

As I sat and enjoyed the scene unfolding in front of me this morning, I again realized how much music plays into the very core of who I am. If ever there is a day where I feel down or incomplete, it is usually because I have yet to listen to music. There are certain albums that will always go down as all time favorites. Counting Crows August and Everything After, Zac Brown's The Foundation, and David Gray's White Ladder are a few of my forever favorites. I often get so caught up in the newest music and easily forget about the old, faithful friends of years ago.

Today, I am thankful for all 5 senses, and for the ability to enjoy life through them. Here's to re-living life with the old faithful friends.

9:10pm

Last night at around 9:10pm, I know because I had just looked at the clock, our doorbell rang. Now, considering we are new to this state, and that we really know no one, my heart started beating. At the time of the ring, Brian and I were sitting in bed vacillating between Dancing with the Stars and Sing Off. Brian got up, answered the door, and I stayed put. He was there for about 2 minutes before returning to our room. True to form, B would not have said anything about the interaction at the door, had he not been prompted. Even with prompting, I had to pull information out of him.

"It was the police," he said calmly. "They were looking for some guy, I told them he wasn't here."

My heart rate started to rise as I began thinking about things like "maybe we didn't move to a safe neighborhood" and "did the person who lived here before us leave a criminal record?" I prodded my hubby with more questions.

"So, what else did the cops say? Was it our town police, or the state police?" I asked, trying not to show worry.

"Oh, well they showed me a picture of who they were looking for," B responded, while staying focused on the TV.

"A picture??! What did he look like??" (My worry is really growing now, thinking if maybe I had a chance to see the picture, maybe I could have ID'd the person.)

"Well, it was a man and he was hard to see clearly. He had a bandana covering his face up to his nose, and he was wearing dark glasses. The cops asked if I had seen him, and when I said no, they said they must have the wrong address."

 (This is what I pictured)

What ensued next was minutes of gut laughter from both Brian and I as we realized how stupid his interaction with the police had been. Showing a man's picture with most of his face covered up, then implying this person had lived here caused my husband and I to start laughing like we haven't done in a long time. We began creating scenarios to go along with the stupidity of the cops' request, and both of us were dying in giddy laughter. 

Once the shenanigans stopped, I asked if the cops were being serious or if it was a joke. Brian calmly said, "I was just kidding. He was a short man with dark skin and dark eyes. I told them I hadn't seen him."

.
.
.
.
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I love this man, and I love that he can still utterly, totally, and completely, have me fooled. 

Busy Playing

We have been so busy playing allllll over this Northwest that I haven't blogged in weeks. My apologies. It's hard to know what to write and where to begin, as this past 3 weeks have been filled with newness, family visiting, a wedding, traveling, and much more! Now that I am back home with no major events coming up, I can think back and process. I have had the privilege this past few weeks of:

• continuing on the diet/exercise plan I started on August 1st 
• taking a maiden voyage camping trip with Brian into the Mt. Hood National Forest
• hosting my family (Dad and sister) as they visited from CA
• visiting my step dad Daniel, whom I hadn't seen in over a year 
• traveling up north to the Seattle area for my niece Sarah's wedding
• traveling further north in Washington to visit some friends of my sister's
• throughout all of that, putting hundreds of new miles on my 2003 Honda Civic, of whom I still love dearly

Fall has officially come to Oregon, and I cannot begin to explain how thrilled I am to now live in a place that will have 4 distinct seasons. I don't miss California, with its one perpetual sunny day all year round. I am blessed by the people of Oregon and their friendly spirits, the abundant amount of green everywhere, and the slow pace by which I am able to enjoy my life. Below are a few pictures and descriptions of our past few weeks here.

 Hiking in Forest Park: Portland, OR

 Forest Park: Portland, OR

 Breakfast at the Lazy Bend Campground: Estacada, OR

 Jen, Layne, Rach, and I on the ferry: Seattle, WA

Our special bird necklaces from Eugene, OR....but traveling on the ferry in Seattle, WA

 Pikes Place Market: Seattle, WA

 Street performer at the original Starbucks: Seattle, WA

 Look closely! Forest Park: Portland, OR

Is this what Heaven will look like? Forest Park: Portland, OR

The wedding cake Layne and Jen made: Silverdale, WA

 My niece and her beauties: Silverdale, WA

I am now looking forward to the next few weeks to chill and enjoy the fall weather. Next up: thinking about where we'll be and what we'll do for the holidays!

Today I Picked Blueberries

I love the fact that God will choose to show Himself to you when and how He pleases, and I adore when He catches me off guard. Today started out like most other days I've had since I have lived in Oregon. I made myself breakfast, careful to focus on the amount of protein recommended by my trainer at the gym. I decided (though without much thought) that I would attend the morning Zumba class for my daily exercise. Oh how I love how that class causes my sweat to pour like a fountain, how I am learning to move as if not the white girl I actually am, and how it gives me an organized way to appropriately "shake it" (those who have done Zumba will totally understand). After the class I phoned a woman from freecycle.org (you must check out this organization), and arranged to go pick up her cooler. For free.

She lives in a town called Aloha, which was about a 30 minute drive from our town. It was a windows-rolled-down-hair-blowin'-in-the-wind kind of a drive. Lovely. After receiving the cooler, the GPS on my phone took me back home a totally different way than I came; weird, I thought...and a bit annoying as it seemed to be SO out of the way, going over mountains and driving on mostly back roads. Oh well, Deb (the name my sis appropriately coined for the GPS lady's voice) usually knows best. I followed her lead.

Over the hills we went (Deb and I, that is), passing by farms, fields of wildflowers, vineyards, and straight up country living. Something close to my heart. I silently thanked Deb for leading me through a new part of the country. I came upon an adorable, run down, side of the road produce stand and had to stop. Much to my delight, it was also a U-Pick Blueberry farm. I decided to head out to the field, even though it would totally ruin all of the other plans I'd had for that afternoon. I can rarely pass up an opportunity to stop at produce stands, and to pick your own berries?! I was in heaven. In fact, I am now convinced there is going to be a field for people to pick fruits/veggies from in heaven. It's so therapeutic.

 I stood out in this field, surrounded by mature green trees and blue skies, and felt totally at peace. As a calm breeze blew through the small bushes, I felt God speak. He encouraged me that this simple peaceful experience was one of many He wanted to give me as part of the healing process from my past 2 years of work. (If you don't know that story, I will write about it another time; in a nutshell, I was demeaned and mistreated by my superior for 2 years, both through words and actions, to the point in which I am run raw). He took me down that country road. He allowed my heart to be quiet before Him so He could comfort me. He made the blueberries. And the sky. I am overly thankful for today. Below are some pictures of my day.

   May God, who puts all things together,
      makes all things whole,
   Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
      the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
   Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
      up and alive from the dead,
   Now put you together, provide you
      with everything you need to please him,
   Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
      by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
   All glory to Jesus forever and always! 

~Hebrews 13:20-21 (MSG)

I am an Oregonian

It has been 2 weeks since I moved here, and there have been numerous things that have reminded me of my new found status as a permanent resident of the state of Oregon. I will do my best to list them, as well as include a few pictures I have captured along the way.

• Oregon is teeming with beauty, every way I turn my head.

Growing on the side of a busy road.

• People in Oregon are nature lovers. I have experienced everything from unshaven armpits belonging to that of a woman to hippies dancing freely to a band at the local Farmer's Market. Food is grown and enjoyed most when plucked straight from the ground, and there are oodles of restaurants serving Farm to Table fare. Places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are trumped by natural food markets, Farmers Markets, and community gardens. 
• Country music exists and is enjoyed in Oregon, contrary to my fears otherwise. We were able to attend a small Thompson Square concert the other night at a country bar called Bushwackers, which just so happens to be a 10 minute walk from our house. Not only was the venue small, but we were able to sit almost directly in front of the band as we listened to them play, chat, and joke with the crowd for the duration of the show. 

Note the incredible wall decor.

•  Most Oregonians (at least the grip I have met) are California transplants. Hmm. What does that tell you, California? 
• When people find out where we moved from, the #1 question asked is, "Are you prepared for the rainy weather?" I find it funny that since I've been here, there has not been an ounce of water that has fallen from the sky. It is summertime, and I know I will be in for a shock once the sky opens up for days on end...but I am willing to deal with it. Why? Because of all of the other good things Oregon has to offer. (P.S. On a side note, the day before I moved to Oregon my mom went and picked us up our favorite Chinese Chicken salads from Shangri La in Los Gatos. Upon opening my fortune cookie, I was taken aback by the small, poignant words inside: If you want the rainbow, you have to tolerate the rain. Profound.) Yes Oregonians, I am ready. 
• Portland is weird, and they like it that way. They even have a HUGE painted sign downtown which says, "Keep Portland Weird."
• Things and people everywhere continue to remind me that weather is an issue here. Take the sign I spotted and snapped a pic of out the car window yesterday...

A pothole hotline, really....?I love the last 4 letters of the number to call.

 

 

 

 

 

•  I love my husband with all that is in me. Now, this I already knew...but it was a magnified reality as we spent 4 months apart up until 2 weeks ago. Brian bravely moved up to Oregon to look for a job at the end of March, and being apart this whole time (except a few visits in between) made me realize how lucky I am to have such a truly incredible life partner.

Hubby showing the vintage couch some love.

Through ridiculous coke bottle glasses, I can still see the love. (On a side note, do I not look like the kid from Little Miss Sunshine in this pic?! Sick...)

: : Bourdets Move to the Northwest : :

When we lived in Cambodia during the year of 2008-2009, writing stories and adding pictures to my first blog (www.bourdets.blogspot.com) was my saving grace. By sharing our insanely crazy adventures and being able to capture them with my camera not only kept my family up to date, but it was also an outlet for my ever-busy brain to wrap itself around what was happening in our lives. Since returning from our year overseas, this past 2 years I have been silent in the blog world. I adore reading others' blogs about their families, recipes they've tried, and ways they have used creativity to enhance their homes. As my husband says, I am a blog stalker...quietly reading and following without chiming in or participating publicly in any way. He is right, but that's beside the point. It is time to start a new blog, as we have made some major life changes in this past week that cannot be left undocumented. I want a way to let my creativity flow. Join me in my journey, and I will try not to disappoint you.