nature

If I could go anywhere today, spend my day any way I wanted, I would go to Timberline Lodge, have an out of this world breakfast in the Cascade Dining room, and then go snowboarding. Then I would cozy up next to the fireplace with a glass of red. Perhaps I would even challenge Keith to another ping pong tournament.

I can't pinpoint exactly when it started, but sometime within the last year I have become very interested in nature. I crave it, even. I wish someone would drop an R.E.I. giftcard in my lap for about $1500. I would buy a brand new snowboard, a nice lightweight bike I could easily carry up and down stairs, and a tiny tent for Keith and me. Sadly, I think I might need more than $1500 for that. Outdoor gear is so expensive!

Keith and I are thinking about moving over to the east side. It would be tough, because we're both pretty serious about our west side status, but I think we could make the change. I would miss being sandwiched between two max stops and walking to work, but if I got that bike I mentioned earlier, I could just bike everywhere. I would also miss being able to walk to the gym. But again, I could bike there. We'll see. It's much cheaper over there, more neighborhoody. But still very cool and urban. Most of our friends already live over there. I say it's on the other side of the river like it's really far away, but it's not. In Richmond, the other side of the River pretty much means Chesterfield and a 20-30 minute drive. In Portland it means a 5-10 minute drive, if even that! We'll see. I'm also enjoying the thought of moving to Salt Lake City for a while. I love the mountains! Living in Oregon has made me realize that I love the mountains far more than I love the beach, even though I can safely say that I love both.

Keith and I are going camping this August with John and Julia at Crater Lake! We are all really looking forward to it. This summer is set to be a great one. Vegas in early July, Stormy's visit in late July, a possible visit from Ben and Dana in August, and a camping trip too! I also look forward to floating down the Sandy River in our $3 inner tubes (is that how you spell it?) from the grocery store. We only did that once last year. That would actually be a fun thing to do with Stormy!

I'm currently listening to Modest Mouse and drinking my last cup of coffee. It seems I didn't make enough this morning. Dang. Modest Mouse always makes me smile from the inside out. Reminds me of California!

Simon is such a sweet nugget of joy.

xoxo-
T