Who knew!

BAM.Bing.Boom. BWAP.

I cannot even begin to bring anyone up-to-date, but I’ve just got to share a piece of my bliss.
First off, I’ve got the best job I could possibly have right now. I work at Next Adventure in Portland, OR. For the last few months I’ve been solely working in the climbing & footwear department (which I love) and here shortly I will begin to work over at the paddle sports center. I’ve learned so much since I’ve moved to Portland (just about this time last year) it’s just craziness. WHO KNEW?!
I anticipate being in Portland for about another year before I venture south-ward. The plan as of now is to attend Prescott college in Prescott, AZ. Though I haven’t applied and really don’t even know where to begin the process, but – that’s the plan.

Life is great.
I take the ACA ICE next week (Sea Kayaking – Instructor Certification) and then turn 20! Woop.

Thank you to all who have supported me in following my bliss, I wouldn’t be here without you.

“…but the world does not know me…”

Into The Wild. Gosh, what a film..
There is so much to do, and so little time, but so much time, but not ENOUGH time.
…At work today a large robust man told me I looked durable, like I could handle being on a fishing boat making $2000 a week. Another conversation I had lead to the idea of me being a regular volunteer for Audubon and slowly working up to habitat restoration and working with kids outdoors teaching them about birds. – I want to connect some dots. I want to climb, kayak, work with kids and have money as well as be durable. But which order do I put things in? Also, where will school come in? I still want to take spanish classes and math classes next year and then slowly work my way into school again, but I still don’t even know what I want to study or major in and I don’t want to go to school until I know that.
There are things I want, like a video camera, before anything else in my amazing life is missed, but then that expense will set me back a bit. – I need a large sum of money. I’m thinking about donating eggs, or an egg. I think women make like $7,000 doing that, but there are requirements for that too so, blah.
I’m still loving life, in fact the more I do what I want, the more fun I have (obvious statement, or not?).
One drawback being here though is the distance from my family. I miss my dad, my aunt, my cousin and her kids.. and I miss my mom and my brother too, who I never see anyway, but I still miss. And lastly, I miss my grandma. I just want to lay with her and hear what she has to say about things, about life… But who has the time?
What I would give to press PAUSE on life and return when things such as visiting family were complete…

Lastly, I am loving this sweater that old lady told me to get.. it’s red, and lovely.

I dunno, what is it?

This morning began with gulping water in attempts to cure the horrible hangover caused by the classic high school go-to, Potters.
Though it sounds like a dreadful start to a day…it wasn’t. To tell you readers (all two of you) the truth, not much brings me down these days. At all. Life is absolutely wonderful. .. Aaaaanyway. After downing 4 jars of water, I tip-toed out of my friends apartment and trotted to my vehicle (Sally, I love her). After zig-zagging and looping all around southwest Portland while on the phone with my dad, I landed at a tiny classic-style diner. They were playing classic jazz and I ordered the Alamode, a mediocre omelet. I sat at the bar alone, eating my omelet, reading my book and LOVING my hazy life.
After my breakfast adventure at 8 am I headed home, then changed my mind and headed to Goodwill where I had a conversation with a lovely older lady who was convinced I needed a sweater (even though I was wearing a down jacket). Ironically enough I ended up with a sweater with a tag that read “Essential”. After the sweaters I b-lined for the kitchen things, who knows why but for some strange reason I love the kitchen section of Goodwills… anyway I found a cup for the love of my life, Casey Schein and then on my way out I saw… well I don’t know what I saw because I still don’t understand what it is, but it was $10 and after the woman at the register convinced me it was a “conversation piece” I walked out of the store with a sweater, a cup and a I-don’t’-know-what.

My life is FANTASTICLY ironic. I love it.

Juice & Soup

The other day I had a yearning to go to Goodwill. There were some things I needed to get rid of to energetically cleanse my life as well as a few things I was looking for (PANTS)… but what I ended up finding was a cookbook.
My interest in starting to cook more food recently has stemmed from the obvious reason of wanting to save money as well as to better my awareness of what I’m actually consuming. Lately I’d been so busy with work that had been living off of burritos and Odwallas. Although I know those aren’t bad things to be in-taking, after getting a cold out of practically nowhere as well as having emptier than empty pockets, I decided that November was going to be a month of change. So after having to leave work 3 hours early because I simply couldn’t handle the head-pressure and then missing the once-a-month company meeting because I was fast asleep with snot practically puddling on my pillow, I pronounced the start of the November diet. Fresh juices, more greens and making all my own lunches for work, instead of using my 30 minutes of lunch to walk to the grocery store and back, microwave (those who know me well are familiar with my hatred for microwaves, so this is not a happy fact) a burrito and rush back onto the floor.
With my two days off I’ve been reading, writing, going on short walks and making food.
Here is my fantastic lentil soup, inspired by my new goodwill cookbook

I’m not sure of what shifts have happened exactly to me as a person in the last 5+ months in the Northwest but I’m changed.

Inspiration Station

Could I possibly be any more inspired?! My goodness. Portland is a lot of things, but one thing it is not, is a dead end. The amount of possibilities presented to anyone with their eyes open in this city is simply astounding.
An energetic bubble of art encompasses this city as well as the likelihood of a rousing experience or epiphany around every corner. Most recently I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Tina Berry and Chris Romain, two bikers who are part of a bigger group presently known as the Cultural Recyclists. The gang began as a group of Pen State students bicycling across the country focusing on learning as much about permaculture and sustainability as they could. The group came across Chris somewhere on their journey and he happily joined the ride.
I met Chris & Tina while I was at work (an outdoor store known as Next Adventure in Portland, which I LOVE).
Just a week or so ago Chris was hit by a car somewhere along the Southern Oregon coastline, he’s okay, but he’s got a broken leg and was flown to a hospital in Northern Oregon. As far as I know, the rest of the crew left the bikes in a small town and got rides up north to collect as a group and support Chris in his healing. -  I don’t know what will come of their journey, though I know they are headed to San Fran. (after they get back to their bikes, they will continue via two wheels.)
Despite Chris’s misfortune I cannot help but be drawn to either join their group (given they would accept me as a fellow rider, which has not been discussed) or do something similar on my own.
I’m drawn to Alaska, I am drawn to alllll of central and south America and I am finding myself drawn to Spain. – I just started a savings account and of course what I want to spend it on is a trip. A ticket to somewhere. A ticket to adventure, but at the same time I hear a voice in my head and a feeling in my heart telling me to spend the money I save (when I get to somewhere around $900 on a video camera…

(A VIDEO CAMERA?!… yup..)

Because I feel that with a video camera the idea of  being supplied with $900 +  to adventure and document it wont be so far fetched. I mean, my dad and I won $10,000 so who’s to say I can’t do it again?
There’s so much possibility. It’s just a matter of deciding what I want to do next.

Jumble

Beginnings and ends are all a jumble.

When I left Ashland towards the end of May, I expected to be gone for two weeks or so. I planned on going up to Olympia to visit the people who nourish my soul and then return to Ashland and figure out what my next step would be. I brought a shy selection of clothing since I knew I would only be around friends, or tromping around in the woods. I had the basic gypsy-kit on lock, because I had hardly been in Ashland for 5 days before I left for Olympia. (I was still equipped from wwoofing in California)

It is now early to mid September and I’m in Portland. I live in the same house I mentioned in the last blog, the one in SE Portland. After a YMCA summer camp job flop I found myself practically penniless in Portland. Thanks to Randy I had a roof over my head and internet connection to link me with job searching. Within a few weeks I landed a job at REI, needless to say I was JAZZED. I loved it there, the training was unbelievably useful and the people were friendly. But after about a month of working there though I realized I was hardly making enough money to cover rent and the commute was 20 minutes of driving on a good day and sometimes even took upwards of an hour, so I planned on getting another part-time job closer to the house to cover other costs. But before I got my second-job hunt underway I got a call from Mike, the Next Adventure manager. (WHAT?!)

Mike left a message asking if I’d come in to chat about a job, after running around the house screaming, I called him back and we arranged a date & time. The interview ended with “Well, we have more interviews to do, but we’ll call you after we’re through to let you know either way”. I got a call the next day offering me the job. So I was stoked, a job at REI and Next Adventure?! What could be better? – But REI wasn’t down. Having an employee work at another outdoor store is considered a “conflict of interest”. So, I had to quit REI. Now I’m working four days a week at Next Adventure and I’m able to cover rent as well as some other costs.

My life has been an endless roller coaster since late January and who knows what will unfold next. But here I am, creating my own dream life.

Next mission: find some friends.

Go ahead, quit your job if you wanna…

Here I sit, in a beautiful, beautiful house in South East Portland, blocks away from everything a simple lifestyle could need. Jimmy and Randy own this house together and man, did they hit the jack-pot, it’s unique and beautiful and what they’ve down with the basement/downstairs… WOW, freakin’ brilliant.

Anyway, today the day before I attend the Challenge Course Facilitation Training Level 1. Today is a day for cleaning out my car, which reaks of mold because anytime it rains, my car leaks and a puddle forms both in the trunk and on the floor inside the car. And I’m in the Northwest mind you, and it rains a lot here. So, as I said I will clean out my nasty (but wonderful) little car and hopefully continue on the job hunt.

Yesterday I dropped off my first physical resume at a place called “Next Adventure”. Bad idea… I choked, I TOTALLY choked. That place is amazing. Gear EVERYWHERE. Gear hanging from the ceiling and the stairs. Really, as soon as I step into places like that my veins start tingling with excitement and nervousness. Point is, it would be my dream job to work at a place like that, but I’m pretty sure I fucked it up by allowing the first thing to come out of my mouth be “I doubt your hiring, but…”. COME ON MAN! That’s a HORRIBLE way to say “This is the coolest place I’ve ever been and I bet all of the people who work here are 100 times more awesome than I am and doubt you’d hire me but…” . Blarg. Just. Blarg.

I just can’t wait for training to begin tomorrow. And SPEAKING of which, thank you to everyone who has helped make it possible. Really, I simply cannot put into words how much it means to me. So a big big big big BIG Thank You to Hank Bollinger, Tyre Dawn, Danny Duffy, Jamie Gray and Dominic Allamano. Thank you!

I can honestly say “I don’t know what I’d do without your support”. Truly, this means the world to me. And while I’m doing thank yous… Thank you Tom Shelstad for pointing me in the right direction, the courses you’ve encouraged me to take are not only fun, but a way to get the jobs a dream of. Also, thank you Dad (Ed Keller), Jessica Vineyard and Steve Brown for helping me with my beautiful resume.

I love you all.

I wish I could take a picture of the light beaming from my eyes.

Endless gratitude on this beautiful day.