we'll be home for christmas.

It's official. We'll be back in the Great Northwest for Christmas! We booked our tickets this past weekend thanks to the killer flight prices on Spirit Air, and I'm looking forward to family, friends, cream corn (hint, hint mom!) and, if you're lucky, a return of the elf costume.

xoxo.

take me home.

There are some days when Texas doesn't feel that different from the Pacific Northwest. When it just seems like people are people, and connections and memories are possible anywhere. And then there are other days when the differences seem drastic. When my situation and my roots just don't match up (for instance, a quart of blackberries costs $8.00 here. They grow like weeds in Oregon.). When it feels like my little Oregon heart flies in the face of Texan culture. When I'm reminded that, without my views changing, I have gone from being a conservative in a liberal place to a liberal in a conservative place.

I had one of those days last week. And by the end of the day, I just wanted to crawl into that treehouse in the photo above, wrap myself in our Pendleton blanket, turn on The Followers, put on my hipster glasses (that I don't yet have) and talk about things like Ramblin' Rod, Mt. Hood Conference track, and Crema lattes. Basically, I wanted to crawl into a cave of comfort and familiarity. 

But that's not where I am right now. Right now I'm in Texas. And while the differences can be amusing some days, they're tiring on other days. And so I trust that this is an important and rich part of my experience, too. That I don't have to fall head-over-heels for Texas, but I do have to seek out what God has for me here. And I only have to buy blackberries if I want to.

xoxo.

Photo sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

P.S. I suppose this is a good time to announce that I get to return to the motherland for a couple of days around the 4th of July thanks to CookingThyme. Hooray!

sometimes...

 ...I miss Oregon. Nevermind the fact that when I was in Oregon, I missed San Diego, and when I was in San Diego, I missed Oregon...it's a vicious cycle. BUT when I'm in Oregon in the summer and fall, I never wish to  be anywhere else. 

It doesn't help that I had a dream last night that we were back in Oregon. Those who have had to suffer through listening to me talk about a dream know me well know that my dreams are crazy-vivid, and I basically live another life when I'm sleeping. And this dream just had to go on and make me a little homesick.  Landon and I were walking along a path and everything was GREEN (you hear that, Texas?) and the sun was setting, and the air was fresh. 

We'll be there soon enough, I suppose. 126 days soon. Not that I counted. 

xoxo

PS. I'm really bad at being in the present moment sometimes, have you noticed? I'll probably be longing for Texas someday. 

thursday.

Hi friends. Sorry I wasn't able to get a post up yesterday! Sometimes these weeks fly by so fast that I can't keep up! I've got lots to show you that I just haven't had a chance to get together yet, including our rearranged office and some design projects I've been working on. But for now, you'll just have to settle for a photo of my blended iced chai that Landon made for me this morning. The only way to start a 109-degree day. That's right, 1-0-9. And it's supposed to stay that way for three days. I just might melt away. Sometimes Landon and I like to daydream that we're running in Forest Park, where the trails are shaded, cool, woodsy and long. Other times we pretend that we're frolicking along the Oregon Coast, basking in mist and marine layer and scenery. The conversations usually go something like this:

"It's so hot in here [our house]."

"I know, wouldn't it be great to be on the Oregon Coast right now?"

"Yeah, and we'd be wearing sweatshirts."
"Or running in Forest Park."

"In winter." 

"And it's raining."

Don't worry, we're working on getting our heads around that whole the grass is greener on the other side thing, but for now, we're dreaming of mist, dew, rain, snow, and any other form of water that's not sweat.

Happy Thursday.

xoxo.

P.S. For those who were wondering what gifts we decided on for our paper anniversary: I got Landon this book he's been wanting, and he got me this awesome print!

i would really like...

one of these.

sunday lovin: small town, oregon.

having now been a resident of linn county for seven whole weeks, i can admit that before the wedding and move, i sometimes dreaded the thought of living away from my beloved portland. the culture of portland is so very different from the rest of oregon, but i'm learning, slowly, that there's beauty in it all. we live in a small town. and it just so happens that this small town is more small town than most small towns. are you tracking with me? anyways, sometimes i think it will get old living down here, and in order to avoid that, i'm taking every opportunity that i can to explore the area.

first stop: aurora, ore.

my sweet mother-in-law deann invited me to explore this little town with her, which is known for its antique shops. it's also pretty historic, we found out, and 100 percent adorable.

most of the antique shops are in buildings or homes built in the mid- to late-1800s. 

i'm a sucker for cute churches.

and cute homes.

it was so much fun to explore and such a good lesson for me to start appreciating my surroundings wherever i am.

oh! and these were my antique finds...

i have a thing for mason jars.

perfect mason. to be honest, i've never met an imperfect one.

and to top it all off, deann greeted me with these beauties...

arranged in none other than a mason jar.

it was a good weekend.

xoxo.