Tonight I leave for Guatemala on a much needed break from reality. Due the spontaneity of this trip, I had no time for research and decided to copycat an adventure my beautiful and amazing friend, Michele, took in January.
During this escape, I will hopefully explore the colonial Spanish town of Antigua, do yoga on Lake Atitlan, camp at an avocado grove, and if all goes well, climb a volcano. My Spanish is rusty at best and it has been a long time since I've traveled alone in a non-English speaking nation, but as my time to fly gets closer, my nervousness is turning into anticipation.
Check back for pictures!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Winds of Change
This week I turned in my notice at Wieden+Kennedy.
Leaving the company where I have spent my last year of employment was not an easy decision. There are many things I love about W+K, such as my super talented IT team, dogs roaming the halls at work, midday yoga, freedom of working hours, a 6th floor balcony with views of mountains and kegs on most floors.
However
I felt I was losing a part of myself there. The pressure, the hours and the rigor began to weigh heavier and heavier on me. I stopped writing, I stopped drawing, and I stopped practicing piano. Ironically, it was almost as if the most creative side of myself got shut down working at one of the most creative companies in the nation.
Well, for those of you that know me, you know that I'm not afraid of change. An opportunity came my way for a position at Vestas, a Danish manufacturer, seller and installer of windmills around the globe. Besides working for a green company, the offer itself was too good to pass up.
I start on April 5th.
In the meantime, I have a few days left to finish at Wieden+Kennedy and then I am off to be surrounded by the volcanoes of Guatemala for a week to center myself before starting my next position.
This week was pivotal. Everything is changing.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Spring Skiing is in the Air
Last Sunday was hopefully one of the first truly great spring skiing days on Mt. Hood (not that I wouldn't mind another snow storm). There was lots of sun, only a slight breeze, a warm temperature in the air and some good rides on the slopes with friends.
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Pretty Perfect Preident's Day Weekend
I'm not sure what made this weekend more perfect.
It all started when my friends and I packed up our stuff and drove from the city to a quaint woodland cabin on my favorite nearby mountain.
After that, this perfect weekend could have been due to a beautiful hike in a typical Oregon forest with a fair amount of post-hike relaxation watching the olympics.
Or perhaps it was due to regular trips to the hot tub with an exciting jump in the nearby and cold Sandy river (though not as cold as Antarctica).
Or maybe it was the late night card game, shared by all at the dining room table that ended with us calling each other by our new dinosaur names.
Or possibly it was due to the fact that the biggest dilemma of my weekend was finding my lost chapstick.
After weeks of travel and stress, a weekend spent in a beautiful setting around close, comfortable friends was absolutely priceless.
Our woodland cabin
Some pretty happy hikers
A massive tree and Bob
A rushing river with mossy rocks...so Oregon
A Valentine's Day gift from my super sweet parents, found on my patio upon my return to Portland
It all started when my friends and I packed up our stuff and drove from the city to a quaint woodland cabin on my favorite nearby mountain.
After that, this perfect weekend could have been due to a beautiful hike in a typical Oregon forest with a fair amount of post-hike relaxation watching the olympics.
Or perhaps it was due to regular trips to the hot tub with an exciting jump in the nearby and cold Sandy river (though not as cold as Antarctica).
Or maybe it was the late night card game, shared by all at the dining room table that ended with us calling each other by our new dinosaur names.
Or possibly it was due to the fact that the biggest dilemma of my weekend was finding my lost chapstick.
After weeks of travel and stress, a weekend spent in a beautiful setting around close, comfortable friends was absolutely priceless.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Weekend in London
Though most of my weekend was spent working several hours in the servitude of W+K, I did manage to get out on Sunday ang see a bit of the city. It was a treat! I walked to the Tower of London, rummaged around a local market and had a great dinner out on the town with a work colleague.
Phone booths and a British pub
These handy reminders at crosswalks keep me from getting ran over
The London Bridge
Worlds collide: a mix of new and old
Monday, January 18, 2010
Deja Vu in Amsterdam
I visited this beautiful city a short 3 months ago and am now back. I feel like I only just left. I got off the plane on Sunday and went to the same line to get my passport checked, ATM to get euros, ticket window to buy a train ticket and hopped on a very familiar looking train to Amsterdam Central.
Not much has changed while I was away besides remnants of a recent cold spell with snow lying unmelted in some boats and ice chunks in the canals.
I'll be here for two weeks, putting in a lot of hours for my job and dreaming of my upcoming weekend in London.
Colder than it was before
My super cute room, complete with original brick and beams from the 17th century
A typical local hangout...my only chance to relax so far
Not much has changed while I was away besides remnants of a recent cold spell with snow lying unmelted in some boats and ice chunks in the canals.
I'll be here for two weeks, putting in a lot of hours for my job and dreaming of my upcoming weekend in London.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Holiday Happiness in the NE
For two years in a row I have spent Christmas and New Years in the Northeast. This year, I accompanied my new beau, Alex, to his hometown in New Jersey and spent time with his very Italian family and with friends new and old.
When not hanging out in New Jersey and eating lots of yummy Italian food, I had the opportunity to ski in Vermont, to visit my lovely friend, Michele, in NYC and to celebrate New Years with 20 other revelers and some very large dogs at a winery/farm somewhere in New York state.
Chillin' at home in style
Making gnocchi for Christmas dinner
Date night in NYC, complete with tickets to Phantom of the Opera
Central Park
4 skiers-a-skiing on Mt. Snow in Vermont
Post-ski fire and Jenga at the adorable Nutmeg Inn
Horses that needed haying at the winery in New York
Beautiful New Years, complete with a soft snowfall and a grand display of fireworks
Happy New Year!
When not hanging out in New Jersey and eating lots of yummy Italian food, I had the opportunity to ski in Vermont, to visit my lovely friend, Michele, in NYC and to celebrate New Years with 20 other revelers and some very large dogs at a winery/farm somewhere in New York state.
Happy New Year!
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