Goals

Wikipedia has this to say about goals:

"A goal is a desired result an animal or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve—a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

It is roughly similar to purpose or aim, the anticipated result which guides reaction, or an end, which is an object, either a physical object or an abstract object, that has intrinsic value."

Uh...um...what?

Top Achievement, a Self Improvement and Personal Development community, has an article on S.M.A.R.T. goals--Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely goals.  This gives us a little more definition and specific attributes of goals, but still leaves me feeling overwhelmed and scratching my head.

And these two websites/definitions are just the tip of the iceberg.

It makes me tired, reading about all these goal setting techniques.  I've read this stuff before and been to conferences and business seminars about how to be more successful and make more money and be happier, etc.  None of it really made much difference in my life.

Until I read this statement last July:
 
 

"Whatever you're doing right now, whether it makes you happy or not, is exactly what you want most to be doing right now.

You are exactly where you've wanted to be all along."

--"Need to Know" by Paul Myers, Publisher of TalkBiz News

 
(You can read more from Paul Myers at http://www.talkbiznews.com/.)

Is this statement rocking your world?  No?  Maybe you should re-read it.  "You are exactly where you've wanted to be all along."

This revolutionized the way I thought about what I want out of life.  Paul describes the motivation to change as "wantpower."  Basically, what do you want more?

I've had several goals floating around in my head during the last year and a half, some have been around for years, some are brand new, and some were born about a year and half ago when this journey started in earnest.

But it wasn't until I read Paul's statement that I started to work out the specifics of those goals and started getting busy making them happen.

I alluded to these goals in my last post about living in my 40th year.  I'm sharing some of them with you in hopes that they'll inspire you to make some much wanted changes in your own life and give me some much needed accountability in mine :)

Daily Goal:
Make one small choice today that makes the world a better place.

Short Term Goals:
September 2012--practice and karaoke Lady Gaga's "Paper Gangsta"--accomplished!  If I am feeling really brave I may post the video in the near future, we'll see!!!!!

October 2012--brush and floss my teeth at least once a day, EVERY day.  I know, I know, I can hear all of you shaking your heads at me.  Oral hygiene is important AND I have expensive teeth that my parents made sacrifices to pay to straighten!  But brushing is such a chore sometimes...sigh.

November 2012--NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month--during the month I will be writing a 50,000 word novel rough draft.  You can learn more about NaNoWrimo here.  Starting November 1 there will be a widget here on my blog that shows how I'm doing--how many words I've written and what % I've completed.  Please feel free to check back often to see my progress and offer words of encouragement :)

December 2012--Yet to be determined.

Long Term Goal:
August 2013--Climb Mt. St. Helens!  Passes go on sale February 1st!  I am purchasing 12--the most that can be in one group and I plan to fill that group with peeps who want to celebrate with me at the top!  This has been a goal of mine for several years.  This next summer, in honor of turning 40, I am making it happen!  If you live in the PDX area and want to go on training hikes with me, let me know :)  The more the merrier.

I don't buy into all the goal setting hoopla out there, but I do have some great tools that I use to help me accomplish my goals.  The most important is my Google calendar.  The pic at the top of this post is an actual screen print of my calendar this week.  It may look overwhelming in all its color coded glory, but it sends me e-mail and text reminders, it gives me a history to look back on, and a plan to look forward on.  And most importantly its on my phone and I can get to it from any computer with internet access.  Of course, its only as helpful as the work I put into maintaining it.  It comes free with gmail. If you have a gmail e-mail address, you have a Google calendar. All you have to do is start using it.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.  Your support is much needed and appreciated.  I wish you well on your journey wherever and whatever that may be.

The 40th Year...

I am currently living the 40th year of my life.

I realized this in the middle of the summer when I was thinking about the list of things I want to accomplish when I turn 40.  My thoughts went something like this:

"WTH?"
"I am ALREADY living the 40th year of my life!"
"So, what is the big deal about turning 40?  Its already happening."
"By the time I actually turn 40 I'll be living the 41st year of my life."

Although a bit discouraging at first, this knowledge spurred me on to begin working toward some of my goals sooner rather than later.  There are a LOT of goals.  Probably more than I can possibly accomplish.  I won't bore you with all the mundane details here and now.

The interesting thing about getting close to 40 is I am happy and content with my life.

Turning 30 it was difficult for me.  I was angst ridden.  I didn't know what I was doing with my life and it seemed like my peers were passing me by with "successful" lives and families.  Even Jesus had it together by the time he turned 30, I told myself.  That's when his "public" ministry really got started.  And what was I doing with my life?  Shouldn't there be something else?  What was I missing?

In October 2002 I was living in an apartment above the auto parts store in downtown Zillah, WA and working as an Accounting Data entry specialist at an Insurance company.  I helped with the youth on Wednesday nights at church and taught a Sunday School class on Sunday mornings.  I hung out every Monday night with good friends and ate good food.  I was loved and a part of a community.  There were actually many good things happening...but I couldn't see them.

It was a year of discontent.

Here I am.  10 years later.

Ironically, life is even more uncertain now than it was then:

• Professionally--I am living what I call my "Multiple Streams of Income" lifestyle.  A Year and a half ago I quit a full-time job to work 3 part-time jobs and own my own little bookkeeping/administrative business with my friend Dondi.
• Spiritually--my relationship with Jesus is good but I'm not involved in my church, I'm a "pew sitter"...something I never thought I'd be.
• Relation-ally--I have amazing friends that I love and that love me.  But I also spent the last two months grieving and dealing with the disappointment of the end of a relationship I thought might be "the one."
• Lifestyle--I live in a studio apartment with my cat.  'Nough said.

But I am content.

Not the kind of content that's gonna breed complacency and turn me into the crazy cat lady, sitting home every night knitting tiny, little sweaters for my kitties.  The kind of content that pushes me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone every time I can.

and happy.

Not the kind of happy that depends on what my friends or my boss or the guys I'm dating or my neighbors think of me.  The kind of happy that comes from deep within because I KNOW I am worth every bit of love available to me.

and at peace.

There is only one kind of peace.  Either you have it or you don't.

with my life.

My flipping awesome life.  I make my own schedule.  I will find a place to get involved at church. I soak up life with my friends and am having fantastic (and sometimes not so fantastic) adventures dating.  And my studio is in Hawthorne...the heart of hipster Portland--just going to the grocery store is a cacophony of experiences :)

Bring it on 40--whatever you want to throw at me, bring it on.

I am ready.

An open apology to my neighbor for using their Oxiclean Max Force Stain Removal Spray without Permission

Let me explain...

On Thursday I was in the basement getting a tent and camping supplies out of my storage cage.  I decided to use the basement door to the outside since the tent is pretty heavy and it didn't make any sense to carry the tent up the inside stairs just to go down the outside stairs in front of the house.  I'm big on efficiency.  Okay, whatever, I didn't buy that either.  I'm big on NOT carrying a heavy tent up and down more stairs than I need to :)

When I was going out the basement door I was careful not to swing the tent over to the right of the door.  A couple of weeks ago (when I was getting more stuff out of my storage unit for a yard sale), I noticed  that there was a large web with a large spider and two LARGE egg sacks hanging to the right of the door.

This is the kind of spider it was:

According to the Portland State University "Common House Spiders of Portland" website the common name  of this spider is a "False Black Widow" and they are common in Portland homes.  They create "cobweb" looking webs--you know, like the ones people make out of quilt batting for Halloween.


I grew up in a farm house with spiders all around as a part of daily life.  I've lived in other countries where I've had to share showers with spiders whose legs spanned the palm of my hand.  I am generally not in a hurry to kill them because I know they eat other pests and can be good to have around.

So, I was careful not the drag the tent through the spider's web.


I came back in the basement to get the rest of the camping supplies, locked up my storage cage, and headed for the outside basement door, again being careful not to disturb the spider or it's web.  I planned to pull the basement door shut behind me, but as I walked by the web something caught my eye.  Some movement I hadn't seen before.  I quickly took the camping supplies outside and came back into the basement.

I got close enough just to confirm my suspicion and slowly backed away.

This is similar to what I saw:

This pic comes from the blog squirrelsview.blogspot.com.  The writer of this blog and I did not have the same reaction.  She carefully took the spider and the egg-sack off of her screen door and transported them to safety on a paper towel.

I, on the other hand, suddenly had visions of 1000's of large bulbous spiders with huge abdomens invading my apartment above.  Out of pure panic I reached for the first thing I saw--YOUR Oxiclean Maxforce Stain Removal Spray--and saturated the web and the spider and the babies with it.

And watched them die.

And immediately felt sick.

Such violence.  Is my imagination too vivid?  Is it because it's getting close to Halloween?    Obviously, I'm still pondering my behavior.  And truth be told, I can't be sure that given the opportunity I wouldn't do it that way again.  Even now I'm feeling itchy all over at the thought of those little baby spiders all over my house.  Arachnophobia?  I never even watched that movie. LOL.

So you see, dear neighbor, I really did you a favor! since your apartment is in this house too!

Pacific NW Poser

It occurred to me as I was doing my laundry today that I might be a Pacific NW Poser.

On Monday, Labor Day, I was shopping at Value Village with a friend (did you know most of their stuff is an additional 50% off on Labor Day?) and I purchased a grey fleece vest for $3.00, which was a fantastic deal! As I was putting it in the wash today I realized that I've never owned ANY other fleece in my adult life for sure and I'm pretty sure not in my pre-adult life either.

I've been posing as a Pacific Northwesterner my whole life!!!!

Then I remembered with UNFORTUNATE certainty that I wore socks with my birkenstock sandals in college. I'm pretty sure that grandfathered me in...

Warning: Discombobulated Driver!

I recently got my car out of insurance jail. This is probably not what you think. It is not the impound lot where your car goes when you get a ticket for driving uninsured. Although that may also be called insurance jail.

I purposely put my car on an insurance storage plan. In other words, my car was still insured should one of my neighbors choose to hit it or break into it, or should my building fall on it; however, I could NOT drive it. I even had to give them my odometer reading.

I rarely drive these days. I live 2 miles from my job, I take public transportation most places I go during the week or I walk. I found myself driving my car once or maybe twice a week and sometimes not even once. I decided I should figure out how much it was costing me to own this car I never drive. Approx. $225 a month, when all gas, maintenance, insurance, etc. was added up. And that doesn't even include a parking fee, which I am now paying at $75.00 a month.

So, I embarked on the great Zipcar experiment. I stored my car on November 17th, 2010 and got a Zipcar membership the next day. From then until January 27th, 2011 I did not drive my car. If I needed to get someplace I rode public transportation, rented a Zipcar, or rode with someone else. i kept track of all money spent, including gas split with my sister to go home for the holidays. And it was MUCH, MUCH cheaper than owning my own car. Even with the small amount I was paying for storage insurance, I spent far less on transportation than what it cost to maintain and own a car.

And I lost 10 pounds.

And I got to drive some pretty fun cars.

And I rode the train, which is by far the most comfortable way to travel I've ever found.

Good Shoe Project aka Copy Cat Project

Warning: Soap box post to follow, read at your own risk.

Why do we copy stuff? Why can't we come up with our own ideas? Why can't we figure out how to help the world in our own way?

Today I got an ad in my e-mail from Payless shoes. I LOVE Payless shoes. I know they are inexpensive and not the best made shoe out there, but their wide width shoes fit my wide feet better than any I've found anywhere else.

But I was really disappointed when I got this today: the Good Shoe Project.

You may be thinking, "ummm, hello Angela. Isn't World Vision and Airwalk and Payless joining together to bring shoes to shoeless children in Central America a great thing?"


YES, it's a great thing they're doing. I wish they'd come up with it on their own.


Many of you know my obession with TOMS Shoes. TOMS Shoes mission is to put shoes on the feet of shoeless children. Sound familiar?

Here is a classic TOMS shoe:

And a new "Hope Shoe" from Payless:

They couldn't even come up with their own show design? I remember from marketing class about price points and offering different qualities of product for different price points, but this is changing the world we're talking about here. Do we have to compete here too?

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to see our American consumerism and capitalism bleeding over into charity and the Christian mission. Both TOMS Shoes and World Vision are clear about their mission to make a better world, but copycatting is not the way to go.

Payless, Airwalk, and World Vision your cheap knock off of the TOMS shoe isn't really doing anything for me.

Proverbs 3:9 days "Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best." If we have the opportunity to give what is in my opinion a better made TOMS shoe to a child in need should we opt for the cheaper Payless Hope shoe?

Because I'm usually an optimist and because I really do want the barefooted people of the world to at least have an option to put on a pair of shoes, I hope that your Good Shoe Project does well and puts shoes on the feet of lots of children.

And I hope they don't fall apart too quickly.

Family . . .

is awesome. I've had two opportunities in the last couple of months to spend the weekend with the fabulous women in my mom's family and in my dad's family.

I'm so thankful to have a family so rich in character and diverse.

They are wonderful.

I love them.

The Barefoot Princess

At one time in my life my nickname was the "Barefoot Princess". I received this nickname by, you guessed it, not wearing shoes, or going barefoot as often as I could get away with it.

I truly do not like to wear shoes.

However, by choosing to live in the cold, wet, rainy NW I wear shoes more often than not. I usually take them off as soon as I walk in my house, and probably wear flippy's more often than the average Portlander, pushing the limits of Spring and Fall weather.

But today I'm choosing not to wear shoes at all. All day. No shoes. In honor of all the people in the world who don't have shoes to wear. You can find out more information about my pledge here http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com.

(Weeeelllllll, okay, I did stick a pair of flippies in my purse just in case I need to go in a "no shoes, no shirt, no service" establishment and I did use them once for about 15 minutes while in Seattle's Best.)

Observations from today:

1. Asphault and concrete look smooth, but they're not. By the time I walked the 4 blocks from my house to the MAX station, the bottom of my feet were already raw.

2. Portlanders are so desentitized to wierd people/stuff no one even blinked/noticed my bare feet, which was slightly disappointing since I worked hard at painting my toenails.

3. I'm a vain creature (see observation #2).

4. By the time I got to work, my feet where cold, wet, dirty, and my toes were numb.

5. It's really hard to get warm when your feet are cold. Actually, it might be impossible.

6. I found myself choosing my walking route according to where the sun was shining to keep my feet from being SO freezing, stinking cold.

7. I'm a wimp. After I rode the MAX home from work I put flippies on for the rest of my evening. It was a compromise. I really wanted to put actual shoes on. I wanted my feet to be warm again.

8. There is nothing princess-like about being barefoot when it doesn't involve walking through warm sand or across cool grass.

My 8 hour experience being shoeless is nothing compared to the many people in our world that don't have shoes. My feet were washed, lotioned, and warmed up at the end of the day and I know that going barefoot didn't really change the life of any shoeless person. It changed mine. My prayers for God's grace and mercy to provide for the poor and suffering will be a little more earnest, informed with the memory of my cold, raw feet.

Movin' on up

Well we're movin on up,

To the east side,

To a deluxe apartment in the sky.

If you're friends with my new roommate you'll note that she also used a reference to "The Jeffersons" theme song on her "I've moved" cards. I'd like to say I'm sorry if you feel as if you've been inundated with "Jeffersons" references. The thing is, we both came to it without the influence of the other. I'm not sure what that says about her and I or maybe what kind of commentary it is on our culture as a whole.

For me the connection came when I was home over Christmas and my mom's sister Judy said, "Well, Ang, it sounds like you're moving up." I don't think she meant to reference the Jeffersons. Or maybe she did. Either way, since that moment in my parent's living room, when I think of my new apartment I hear the Jefferson's theme song in my head.

. . . but it's been a REALLY long time since I've seen that show and my memory of the melody is fuzzy at best, which means I've had a fuzzy half-hearted, really couldn't sing it if I wanted to, version running around in my head for a month . . . and it's getting annoying.

But I LOVE my new place. And I'm getting closer every day to being completely unpacked.

Of course, this move didn't come without sacrifice.

I miss my old place.

I miss my old roommate.

My cat misses her playmate Max.

Fa-La-La-La-Laaa, La-La-La-La

"Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas,

Let your heart be light.

From now on our troubles will be out of sight."

I love Christmas music. I know much of it is completely unrealistic (I mean really, "our troubles will be out of sight"?), but I love it anyway. It makes me happy and full of hope.

Last night was the last concert performed by the community choir that I sing with--Touch of Class. It was a great concert, as were the first 5. I played a solo on my Clarinet during our rendition of "Away in the Manager" and managed for only the second time out of 5 concerts to play it perfectly.

Yay me!!!

I'm feeling pretty good about that considering when I picked my clarinet up in September my embouchure was nonexistant and I had to remind myself what all the fingerings were.

Our concert finished with a moving arrangement of "Mary Did You Know?" So moving, in fact, that I had to work hard at not tearing up--which would have made it impossible to hit the notes I was supposed to be belting out.

I realized too late in the concert schedule that I didn't have anyone take any pics, so I'll just have to settle for a group pic from last Spring.

For Christmas, imagine the same group of people only the women are all in black with "lovely" red scarves/sashes around our necks and the men are in tuxes. I love singing with this group of people!

Week Three . . .

. . . . of the new gym routine is complete.

And I made it. Whew!

How long does it take to make a habit? Never mind, I don't want to know.

I'm just going to think about getting up and going Monday.

One day at a time sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking of you
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do.

Day Two . . .

of my new routine of going to the gym every Mon, Wed, and Fri.

So far so good.

We'll see if I get to day three.

If I could just bottle how I'm feeling right now: this adrenaline high, loose muscles, body just seems to work better, full of energy feeling and drink a little of it in the morning when I'm getting ready to go to the gym--you know, just enough to remind me that I'm gonna feel great in a couple of hours?

It would make the trek to 24 much easier.

Deluge

del-uge: [del-yooj, -yoozh, del-ooj, -oozh, di-looj, -loozh] noun, verb, -uged, -uging.

–noun
1. a great flood of water; inundation; flood.
2. a drenching rain; downpour.
3. anything that overwhelms like a flood: a deluge of mail.
4. the Deluge. flood (def. 3).

–verb (used with object)
5. to flood; inundate.
6. to overrun; overwhelm: She was deluged with congratulatory letters.

Synonyms:1. See flood. 3. cataclysm, catastrophe.

I sat through 3 quarters of a high school football game last night . . . in the middle of a deluge. To say the least, I was cold and wet.

And, the team I was rooting for didn't win.

On the positive side, rain is beautiful falling through the lights of a football stadium and this kid on the other team was amazing. Check out this footage of him scoring a touchdown:

Play of the day: Grant's Kenneth Acker's amazing punt return touchdown

New Moon

Dear New Moon naysayers:

I'm 36 and love the Twilight saga.

Get over it.

Love, Angela.

An Open Apology to the men of the Northwest

I've been known to say that there is a distinct lack of chivalry in the NW.

Having grown up here, I can say from experience that outside of my Dad and a handful of other men, it's not often that a man opens the door for me or passes to the outside of the sidewalk, or any of those other benchmarks for chivalry (if there are benchmarks of chivalry).

Truthfully, I don't think I realized the lack until I moved to SE Kansas. When I transplanted myself to heartland I was taken aback and at first a little bit uncomfortable by the number of times a door was opened for me or held open for me, and the lengths to which men would sometimes go to be chivalrous. I had more flat tires in Kansas than I'd had before or since and they were all changed by different guy friends who insisted, even though I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself. And I found it nice.

After 6 years in Kansas, when I moved back to the NW I was again taken back, but this time by the LACK of courtesy displayed by men and often people in general. Hence, the bad mouthing of men and chivalry in the NW.

That was a long explanation to say that over the last few days I've noticed several men who have opened doors for me or other women and sometimes even gone out of their way to do so. So, men of the NW I apologize--there are a few who have redeemed you all. It appears NW chivalry is not dead; maybe it was just lying dormant for awhile. To those of you who are still practicing it you've encouraged me this week.

Lest everyone think . . .

I'm ready to crawl in a hole and never come out, my life is not all doom and gloom as my previous melancholy post may lead you to believe.


Here are some of the sweet things in my life:

• sitting and visiting with my parents in the shade of their lovely backyard when I got home last weekend
• enjoying the ease of deepening friendships with the Gathering peeps (and watching Baby David grow)
• making muffins
• eating strawberries . . . i love this time of year when strawberries are cheap and prolific and fabulously ripe and sweet
• having a very grown up conversation with my 12 year old neice about how she's going to spend her summer swimming and visiting with her friends
• having my 10 year old nephew put a whoopee cushion on my chair and laugh uproariously when I sat on it
• holding my new 2nd Cousin Justin last Sunday
• sitting and visiting with my grandparents on a summer evening
• hanging out with my sisters discussing the ins and outs of American Idol, going shopping, going to watch a ridiculous movie, and speculating how "That's Not My Name" by the Tings Tings came to be popular
• Swimming in the evening in the outdoor pool at my apartment complex

Nothin' but ache.

News Flash!!!

I don't like things I can't control:

--when people leave me out of conversations of which I think I have a right to be a part.
--when I get speeding tickets (and didn't know I was speeding).
--when my car gets broken into and people steal my money and my favorite lipstick.
--when people I care about decide they don't want to be a part of my life anymore.
--when my car breaks down and I'm stuck in the valley for an extra day.
--when my health goes haywire, especially after a year of trying REALLY hard to be healthier.

News Flash!!!

My heart is black:

--I want to demand to be part of the conversation of which I've been left out and force others to listen to me.
--I want to throw my speeding ticket back in the face of the Milwaukee's Police Department and throw a royal fit . . . you know, the whole crying, fist banging, yelling kind.
--I want to hurt the people who broke into my car--maybe with a hot fire poker stick, or a branding iron.
--I want to force the people I care about to care about me . . . or when that doesn't work I want to hurt them as much as they're hurting me, or maybe tie them up and hold them hostage.
--I want to kick my car as hard as I can when it breaks down and then throw yet again the before mentioned royal fit.
--I want to give up on taking care of my haywire health body and forget that it's the only one I've got . . . I want to be lazy and gluttonous.

*Sighhhhhhhh*

News Flash!!!

I need God's grace:

--He listens to me when no one else will.
--He keeps me safe from harm while I'm driving, even if I'm speeding.
--He provides the stuff to be stolen in the first place.
--He gives me people that love me and care about me.
--He gives me a car to drive that's pretty reliable overall.
--He gives me breathe in my body.

And I don't deserve any of it.

And I'm so ungrateful.

And even though I know these words are TRUTH my heart doesn't want to believe them. It wants to elbow it's way to the front of line and demand to be served its own way!

You are relegated to the back of the line heart . . . you bring me nothing but ache.

Silence . . .

Sorry for the silence . . . some things going on in the life of Angela I'm just not ready to tell the world about yet . . . good things . . . but I'm keepin' 'em to myself for now.

The Holly & The Ivy & The Beach

I know there is more to tell about the Louisiana trip, but I'm still processing that. So for now . . .

Today was a crazy long day.


First, I left my house at 8:30 am to head to West Linn to help eraticate holly from a City Park. (Seriously, I'm not normally this philanthropic!)





Here we are! My friends and I after we'd been pulling holly out of the ground for an hour and a half.

And here's the pile of Holly we chopped, pulled, and tore from the ground . . . well . . . really, us and about 55 other volunteers :)

Then, as you may know, I love to be spontaneous and so does my friend Alyssa. So, on our way across town to drop her at her apartment we decided to go to Target . . . in Sherwood. As we were leaving Target we realized it had become a sunny beautiful day . . . one that should not be wasted inside. That was all it took to convince us to turn around and head to the Coast.

Here's Alyssa and I at the Coast. It was crazy windy and cold and we were crazy grubby and dirty from frollicking in the forest all morning.

It was beautiful. But seriously, we were only near the water for about 15 minutes. The wind was so cold my fingers hurt everytime I took them out of my pockets for more than a few minutes.

We also discovered this rock, which looks suspiciously like Haystack rock but isn't. It's located near Pacific City, OR. Does anyone know the name of it? It you do, pass it on. Alyssa and I would like to know.

Lessons Learned on this fabulous adventure?

1. Holly is a prickly, viny, infiltrating, non-native plant to the woods of Oregon . . . and with enough girl power you can pull big ol' stumps of it out of the ground!

2. When you decide to head to the beach, you should look at a map. You're probably a lot further south then you thought you were.

3. There is a crazy big a** airplane hanger just south of Tillamook, OR. What is that about?

4. The Pirate's Cove restaurant in Garibaldi, OR has some fabulous clam chowder, fantastic seafood fettucine, and even better service. And the view is spectacular.

5. When you leave for the Coast at 4 pm, you DO NOT have enough time to make it all the way up the coast to Cannon Beach AND get back to Portland at a decent hour.

6. Spontaneity is good for the soul.

Gulf of Mexico Shrimp

Are tasty treats. I ate shrimp every chance I had while in Louisiana this past week. It was good. Check out this slide show of our Shrimp Boil!