Life on Purpose: Things are Starting to get Bitter Sweet

Brandon and I just had our last weekend together in Portland; which seems strange since we aren’t actually moving for a month. Our next four weekends will be full of travel, to find a place to live, and to see family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I feel this weekend marked the beginning of the “goodbyes.” It is an interesting feeling, because one minute there is nothing but excitement about our future ahead, the next I am heartbroken because of what we are leaving behind. What has made this season so special, is we are practicing thankfulness, acknowledging blessing, and enjoying our last bit of time in Portland. It has been easy to get bogged down in all the details and “must do’s” to prepare for the move, and when things are falling into place both Brandon and I almost react with panic expecting something to go wrong. We were blessed with an amazing job opportunity for Brandon (thank you everyone for the prayers) and our initial reaction was almost “This is too good to be true, whats going to go wrong?” Through that we realized how much joy we were cheating ourselves out of, and had to teach ourselves to acknowledge the blessing and thanking God for what he has given us. On a smaller scale we have been practicing seeing this time as a blessing by going through an almost “Oregon Bucket List” which was finished this weekend. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the blessing that the Oregon Bucket List was.

Hike the Silver Falls Trail: This was the first one we completed, it was a 7 mile hike and took us about 4 hours. Brandon and I do our best communicating when we go on walks, so nothing was better than 4 hours together talking, and ending it with a taster tray at seven brides brewery.
Have my first Pumpkin Spice Latte in the Oregon Fall: I will be honest, I did not like the taste at all. I did love the experience, it was early October, the leaves were changing and the colors were breath taking. What I liked best, was that I shared this experience with Britni, any time we have together is a blessing.
Hike the Multnomah Falls Loop trail: Brandon proposed at Multnomah Falls, and we try to hike to the top at least once a year. This is a very special place for us, but just doing the one falls hike was starting to get annoying because of how crowded it was, and we wanted to try something different. The loop we did had about 10 different waterfalls, and it was gorgeous. It was also fun because we wore our fisherman style hats! Brandon bought one in college and I used to always make fun of him for it. For my bachelorette party my dear friend Alana bought one for me so we could match, and we finally did!
Eat at Por que No?: This is a place that I have herd nothing but good things about, and it lived up to it’s reputation. I have actually gotten to go twice. The first time was with Britni, again anytime with her is refreshing and so special. The second time was with my good friend Kate from school. We have been so busy this term we haven’t really been able to talk. It was nice getting to catch up, and talk about the perks of being introverts!
Eat at the Equinox one last time: This is my favorite restaurant in Portland, it is in the Historic Mississippi area, which is such a cute part of town. Traditionally every time we have gone I ordered the caesar salad, which was delicious, but I was always lusting after the burger, so you could say I had unfinished business with this place. That was our date last Saturday, and I got the burger, and it was delicious! In my opinion to spend our last date in Portland.
Hike Mt. Tabor: I love the Portland Sky Line and I wanted to be able to see it from a high point of view. Mt. Tabor is very popular and again I have always wanted to see/hike it. This was also a special time because the Hollands were up from California and I was a fun thing to do together.
Go to a Timbers Game: This is something I have wanted to do ever since we moved to Portland. Brandon played soccer in college and I have a real soft spot for the sport.
Work up to running 3 miles: This one might seem a little strange but it does fit, I have this habit when change is coming up I make big plans to do something new, and it’s usually to start running. One of the reasons we are most looking forward to moving to Sacramento, is the opportunity to do more outdoor living. I decided that I would rather start my outdoor living in the Oregon summer and fall because it is so beautiful. I am happy to say I can now run 3 miles! This is also great because I am still planning to run the Walt Disney World half marathon with my sisters.