snow, etc.

so like i was saying, snow.

during my last week in oregon we had ourselves a merry little snowstorm. i know what you're going to say and yes, i do in fact realize that "snowstorm" sounds dramatic and that where you're from, 5ft of snow is no big deal. but still. it never snows here so really any kind of snow counts as a blizzard and therefore i'm going to allow it.

j & i woke up especially early that day and could hardly believe our sleepy eyes. rumors had been flying around that it might actually snow over the weekend, but since it truly never snows in this town, everyone said ba humbug! and slammed their doors and that was that.

i imagine that if snow could talk, it would've laughed in our faces and said that the joke was on us. because it was!

the best part about this snow is that it was real snow - you know, the kind that actually sticks. a few years ago we were tricked into thinking that it was going to snow, and it kind of did, but by the time it reached the ground it was melted and gone and all of our winter wonderland dreams were crushed. (maybe that's why everyone was so bitter about it this year?) to redeem itself, this year the snow came in full force and even stayed long enough to let us make snowmen. we're friends again, me and snow.

the funny thing is, nobody in this town knows how to handle the snow (including me). since it really never snows here, nobody had tire chains or proper snow shoes or any idea how to drive. schools closed down, shops closed early, and instead of going to work and being responsible, everyone just ran around trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. it was pretty magical. still, it seemed too good to be true and we figured that it would melt in an hour or two and then we could all go back to our normal, boring, snow-less lives. but once again, snow was right and we were wrong and it ended up snowing for six whole days! i still can't believe it.

in conclusion, snow is great. i highly recommend it for birthday parties, family gatherings, high school reunions, or for simply making your day a little more festive.

on graduating college

a few days ago i officially officially graduated college.
i pretend-graduated in june (with a ceremony and a cap and gown and everything!), but this time it was for realz. i finished my last exam at precisely 1:37pm on monday afternoon (december 6th, 2013 - for the record) and to be honest with you, it wasn't as victorious of a finale as i was imagining. in my head, it went like this: i would answer the last question on my exam, throw my paper up in the air, run through the halls (towards freedom), burst through the door, do some kind of victory dance (complete with fist pumps, high-kicks, twirls, spins, the whole thing). i expected there to be a full marching band playing and confetti sparklers and fireworks and probably a big banner saying "you do it, heather! you are the champion!"

or something like that.

surprisingly, it didn't happen quite like that.
first of all, my exam was on a computer so i didn't have any papers to throw into the air when i was done (instead, i just typed my last answer really loudly so everyone around me would know that i was done). second of all, the test was hard as all hell which didn't leave me feeling victorious and triumphant but more like, i think i just graduated? ....maybe? third of all, it's been snowing this past week, so all the floors were especially wet and slippery and i wasn't willing to risk my life just to run down the halls. i sort of just walked out. and finally, much to my dismay, there weren't any fireworks or sparklers or banners. just a bunch of cold, miserable students shuffling through the snow. (where was the band???)

so, with few other options to choose from, i shuffled right along with them and went home.

despite this extremely anticlimactic ending, i am done. you guys. i'm done!
i actually finished school one year early (go me), but getting to this point still felt like a long (long, long) haul. school really knows how to knock the wind right out of a girl, you know? the idea of actually finishing school always seemed like a mystical and slightly impossible dream. but here i am! it hasn't sunk in yet. i think i was expecting to feel instantly different. like, as soon as i finished that exam i would stand up and be instantly taller or something. (if nothing else, let's hope that i'm at least a little bit wiser)

and so. the end. that's it! no more school. official college graduate, party of one.

p.s. my very talented photographer-friend took these photos of our campus. aren't they magical?

p.p.s. this post is a big fat spoiler alert - surprise! it snowed! stay tuned for more of that.

I'm back!

hey, blog! remember me?

i've been away for the past couple days on account of graduating from college! wooooooo! 

it hasn't really sunk in yet. oddly enough, i still have to take a few summer classes which might explain why it seems so surreal. you graduated! now, back to school. still, it was a big day. caps and gowns, balloons, bouquets, pomp and circumstance, and lots of tears (mostly from me). also, lots of family.

j & i have both had family in town for the past week.
there's something nice about having a house full of people. it was loud and crazy and just what i needed. i'm already feeling nostalgic for the past  week. there are little reminders all around the apartment of the past few days - bouquets of flowers from family and friends, leftover cake and watermelon in the fridge from different parties, graduation cards sprinkled across our windowsills. i'm not ready for it to be over!

having my mom here was so nice. like mother like daughter, she has been just as busy as me, so by the time her plane landed we were both ready for a little vacation. there was a handful of things we wanted to do while she was here, and we were able to do them all! (except for wine tasting - we took a rain check on that one) sometimes no matter how much you plan, vacations can end up being more stressful than anything else. but luckily for us, this week was pretty perfect. things just fell into place. we took our time, didn't rush, and played things by ear. we went on long walks, enjoyed late breakfasts, watched movies, and even spent an entire day at the spa. it was very luxurious indeed.

as far as pictures go, stay tuned.
if you don't already know, my life is a constant comedy. so to nobody's surprise, my camera died right in the middle of the ceremony. classic me! (who forgets to charge their camera before their own graduation?) thankfully there were plenty of iPhones in the crowd, so my phone has been beeping all day with snapshots from different camera phones.

it's amazing how quickly vacations fly by (and how slowly our work days can drag on). hi ho hi ho, today it's back to work i go. i can't complain, though. this has been a pretty great week.

What have I missed? What have you been up to?

so much for the sun

Classic Oregon.  Claaaaassic Oregon.

Yesterday, it was 75 degrees outside. I was in shorts. J & I walked to dinner and I wore sandals. I didn't even bring a jacket (and I always bring a jacket!). We even turned the AC on at one point.

Today? 

Rain. Like. You. Wouldn't. Even. Believe.

I'm wearing 2 pairs of socks.

So much for the sun!

Well played, Oregon, well played.

Saturday at the Market

On account of it being sunny for the first time in about six months, the Saturday Farmer's Market is finally back in town. Okay fine, so it probably has nothing to do with being sunny but it sure is convenient timing! I love Market season. People are always in a good mood, walking around with their bags full of carrots and tulips and jars of homemade honey (*recyclable bags, of course). My favorite part is the salted caramel ice cream. Mmmm.

As someone who loves cold weather more than most people, I'm surprised at how much I've been enjoying the sun. I remember when I was moving to Oregon, people kept warning me about SAD - the Seasonal Affective Disorder (which, according to Web MD is still "a mystery", hehe). Essentially, people start getting depressed after not seeing the sun for so many weeks or months at a time. Ha! Is that silly or what? At the time, I was moving to Oregon from California so I wasn't too worried. I had had enough sun to last me a lifetime.

However. As ridiculous as a seasonal disorder sounds, it might be a little bit true for some of these native Oregonians. I swear, people go crazy for the sun around here. It doesn't matter if it's 50 degrees or 70, if the sun is out, so are the shorts and the sandals and the sunscreen (and all the pasty white legs that have been hiding under jeans and boots for the last few months - eek!).

Anyhow. Sunny weather has been treating us pretty well. We've been sleeping with our windows open at night (which I love!) and are being woken up by the sun instead of a million different alarms. I have to admit, it's pretty nice to ride bikes without having to put on 8 jackets first. To be able to have dinner outside. To order lemonade instead of hot tea. To walk to class without getting drenched in the rain in between. To have to shop for a few new spring outfits. ;)

I'll always be thrilled with a day of rain, but I suppose this sunny weather isn't so bad after all.

Which do you prefer, colder or warmer weather?

Breakfast at Mother's

Yesterday, J & I had breakfast at my favorite place in the whole wide world - Mother's Bistro in Portland. These photos are from their website, and they really don't do the place justice. You need to see it in person - it's pretty awesome. If you're in the Pacific Northwest and are searching for a new place to try, I'm telling you, it's the greatest breakfast (and lunch) you'll ever have. The. Greatest.

Every time I go (which isn't often enough), I'm always tempted to try and convince the waiter to let me do a sampler platter - you know, order every single thing on the menu in tiny portions. Then I could try everything! Unfortunately my breakfast date always stops me before I can follow through with this brilliant plan, but really, a sampler platter is a pretty genius idea if you ask me. Once you see the menu you'll understand. How can anyone be expected to pick only one thing?

You just can't. I sure didn't! After a long battle between the Omelet du Jour and pancakes (coconut and macadamia nut pancakes, to be exact), the omelet won. And so did a side of Eggs Benedict.

It was a good morning.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

About a week or so ago, a friend of mine asked me to go on a little adventure and photograph one of her wedding events. She owns her own cake company (a cakery in fact - ooh la la) and makes some pretty fancy stuff. The event wasn't an actual wedding, it was a "bridal showcase". As someone who knows little to nothing about weddings (besides the fact that they're pretty and usually have good cake, mmm), I didn't quite know what that meant until I got there.

And then I found out!
Basically, a group of brides-to-be goes out and tours a bunch of different venues in the area to get an idea of where they want to hold their weddings. Each venue was decorated from head to toe like a real wedding complete with live music, caterers, and most importantly - professional (and delicious) wedding cakes.

Have I mentioned that I'm a fan of cake?

Our venue was held right along the river which made for some really beautiful photos. Nevermind that it was pouring rain the entire time (classic Oregon), it was a completely stunning event. I have to give these Oregonians some props. No offense to my fellow Californians, but if it had rained like this anywhere else, I have a hunch that most people would have just packed up and left. But not these ladies! They all showed up - sashes, tiaras, rain boots and all.

Being able to go behind the scenes at an event like this was a great experience. Maybe you already know this (you probably do), but there is a ridiculous amount of planning that goes into a wedding - even a pretend one! I couldn't believe how many people it took to pull off something like this, but it was pretty impressive to see.

It's been a long time (too long) since I've done any professional photography. This was such a good reminder that it really is something that I love to do. The event itself was great (I mean come on, who doesn't love spending the day with a bunch of cupcakes?), but showing my friend the photos at the end of the day and seeing her expression was the most rewarding part. It always is.