Lately:
Last night we met some good friends for dinner in Sellwood - we passed some pretty foliage on our way to the restaurant [Gino's...really yummy food!] I want to be more vigilant about sharing my inspiration here on my blog...like the Roxy Marj Blogger good old days... ;-P It's always fun to draw or paint flowers and leaves that you see, but it's also rewarding to use them as less literal inspiration, i.e. furniture or fashion design. Nature always amazes me, I see something new every time.
Caught Harley snoozing on our bed pillows. He actually use to do this ALL THE TIME when we first got him from Jesse's dad...and then he stopped all of a sudden when we moved to Brightwood [?] but yesterday I couldn't find him, and he snuggled his way in between our pillows, face covered, passed out. Harley will be 14 years old in Sept. or Oct. ? and he still has loads of energy!
Last Saturday we made a day trip to Bend to look at homes, we were supposed to go this coming weekend but considering our house in Brightwood sold in just 4 days we needed to find something ASAP. Our realtor showed us homes all afternoon and then we found one we really loved, that night driving back home we made and offer and then come Monday morning Jesse and I had a pit in our stomachs about that not being the right house....SOOO..we called our realtor and asked if we could retract our offer and drive back down [2 hr. drive] and have her show us some homes that afternoon...Gail, our realtor has been awesome! She welcomed our spontaneous decision and showed us more homes that afternoon...and we found 2 that were a much better fit for us with a better price point/ investment opportunity. We chose our favorite house and just to be sure of our decision, we stayed the night in Bend and did another walk through the following morning. I love these two pics of Harley and I... I took them while we were waiting for Jesse... I feel like our expressions convey exactly how excited we are to move to a place that has a happy medium of mountains close by, great outdoor/art/dog lover scene and with some of the upscale city life that I have missed so much.
We found out today that our offer was accepted and we should be moving to Bend by mid July. The last 7 months living in Brightwood have been really hard for me. Lack of sunlight, 1 hrs. drive from Portland, not close to friends or good food/entertainment/shopping and then just getting anywhere you have to drive on Highway 26 which isn't bad when the weather is normal...but freezing rain during the winter had me cooped up inside way more often than I had hoped, and i'm a homebody!
However, with all that said...this year by Mt. Hood has been one that was supposed to happen...both Jesse and I believe even more now. Bend was not on our radar whatsoever, and we feel that it took us moving to Brightwood to find Bend...so for that reason, I will always hold this place dear to my heart. Now, I know i'm speaking too soon considering we haven't even lived there yet, but when I fall head over heals in love with a place [like I did with NYC when I was 17] I KNOW I will love it. It really is a gem of town that more people [like ourselves] are tapping into, and I'm really glad we're getting in while we can still afford it. :] Lastly, it's a place where I feel safe enough to ride my bike around and get a motorcycle to ride side by side with my husband... Yes i'm only 5'4", yes i'm petite, but if I can ride a bike in between cars in New York City on a regular basis, I think I can handle a motorcyle. ;-]
Many of the homes in Bend Oregon are soooooo sooo charming! And many of them are way over our budget! Ha! :-[) Like $,4- 500K over but it's fun to dream and be inspired by the area that you live in.
The park downtown...and this river, yeah...you can float it on the evenings and weekends in your inner tube, or kayak, or paddle board, and it's clean..... see why this place is so charming?
We stopped by the library Tuesday morning to hopefully get a glimpse inside, but it wasn't open yet...however, Jesse seeing the fish sculpture....took it as a sign, he is meant for this place.
One of the best finds i've discovered close by [in Welches, just 10 min away] is the most amazing massage therapist/esthetician Her name is Victoria Montgomery and she owns Glow "Mt. Hood Massage" I've been getting facials ever 6 weeks or so for the past year and a half now, and you really can't help but compare each massage therapist/esthetician and Victoria is by far the best I have ever had [as well as her full body massage!] I plan on driving the two hours just to continue seeing her, that's how good she is. Victoria recently introduced me to Evan Healy's product line, specifically her clay masks [what she uses in her facials] and I love that you use the tiniest bit of clay, add a tablespoon of water and brush it on, easy/effortless/chemical free. Do this twice a week for a better complexion.
and lastly, relating to skincare....sunscreen. I did this illustration today out of a weird desperation to work through some artist's block i'm having on a couple side projects. I somehow was able to produce these new characters, which have nothing to do with what I need to be working on right now. :/ Annnyways, don't forget your sunscreen, take care of your skin, and go get a facial!
