travelogue ~ portland, oregon.

Coming late to this, but I wanted to be sure to update with a Portland, Oregon post! Ben and I went up to Portland in June to celebrate our 1st anniversary. In fact, we were supposed to go in February to celebrate our birthdays but we had to cancel because of work and that turned out for the best because Portland in June is gorgeous. We had such a great weekend.

We loved Portland. It is cool and funky and friendly and easy. Here is some of what we did and additional recommendations at the bottom from our lists that we have been keeping but didn't have enough time to get to...

We flew up after work on Friday and went straight from the airport to dinner - luggage in tow. For this first dinner, we went with St. Jack in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood. It was a great little restaurant and we had a solid meal. Saturday morning we headed to breakfast and then grabbed a Lyft and crossed town to Nob Hill to window shop and check out the neighborhood. We tried coffee at Barista Coffee and tried Salt and Straw Ice Cream.

And from here, we walked ourselves over to the Pearl District and grabbed some afternoon beers at 10 Barrel on the rooftop. It was a gorgeous day for walking the city and that we did.

We then kept moving and headed for Maurice - the sweetest little restaurant right at the edge of Pearl District. We grabbed some lunch there. How charming is this restaurant and how beautiful this bowl of cold soup was?!

We of course made a stop at Powell's Book Store - which was awesome. And with that, we wandered back to the hotel and got ready for dinner.

Dinner on Saturday was at Ava Gene's - a beautiful, cool restaurant putting out fantastic food and phenomenal service. It feels neighborhoody and charming and we would definitely recommend it!

On Sunday, we made the most of the half day we had left in PDX. First, we headed over to Pine State Biscuits for a super decadent and full breakfast of biscuits and eggs!  We made sure to stop into the Stump town at the Ace Hotel for a cup of coffee and so both of us could get some quick work done. And then we made a pilgrimage to the original Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co store where we bought ourselves our first anniversary present we had had our eye on! And finally, we hustled over to the Japanese Garden and checked out the Rose Gardens. And that about sums up a whirlwind less than two days in Portland. We can't wait to go back at some point, we felt like we barely scratched the surface, not to mention we would love to get to the coast....

Restaurants: Tusk / Afuri / Jackrabbit / Coquine / Ox / Nostrana / Ataula / LucLac / Pok Pok Noi / Le Pigeon 

Coffee: Coava / Heart

Drink: Expatriate

Breakfast-Brunch: Tasty and Alder / Adler & Co / Byways Cafe (local stop)

Links to Articles: 36 Hours in Portland

bobby.

I plowed through this biography, Bobby Kennedy, The Making of a Liberal Icon, in Michigan last week. This is the fourth book I've read about Bobby, I am unabashedly a big fan of Camelot. This was a brilliant read. Fair and circumspect and full of super interesting detail from his work for McCarthy, on Congressional committees and of course later as AG, Senator and candidate. If you're looking for a profile of a complicated and contradictory figure while at the same time inspiring and genius - a strong dose of Kennedy can do that for you!

• NYTimes Book Review
• Fresh Air - NPR 

option b.

We went to Santa Fe this past weekend (more on that soon!) and I took advantage of the plane time to read Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Hope by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. I cried through parts of it in my plane seat and while my expectations were low, it far exceeded. Sheryl's personal anectdotes are heart-breaking and the other stories threaded throughout well chosen. It isn't a happy read, but I absolutely recommend it for the next time you need a break from your fiction - it is candid and honest and practical.

• NYTimes Book Review
• The Atlantic
• NPR - All Things Considered

the underground railroad.

Just finished The Underground Railroad and I do think it lived up to it's hype. Colson Whitehead writes with style and suspense that hooks into the story and his narrative of a piece of American history that we all are familiar with but probably don't really know makes the pages turn themselves. It is no wonder, it was just announced that the book won the Pulitzer for Fiction, and that comes after the National Book Award earlier this year.

• The Pulitzer Prizes
• NPR - Fresh Air with Colson Whitehead
• NYTimes Book Review

real talk.

Have you all seen the news and updates about Sheryl Sandberg's new book - Option B - Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy?  I read a snippet of the book today (click here for a featured excerpt) and I read this longer Time piece last night before bed that is incredibly moving and worth the read.

All this got me thinking about how grateful I am to my Mom. She talks a lot about death and sickness, pain and suffering - and she always has. Yes, it was always part of her job and profession - ministry is of course inextricably linked to questions and discussion about death and dying and she is also deeply interested in and talks about death with ease. At times it can be a bit much. But, as a result and I am so thankful for it, I feel very comfortable in conversations about death. I don't avoid the topics or situations. It isn't at all something to brag about, but I do think our generation in particular, doesn't know how to talk about it or really handle these situations and I feel like I really know how to handle and approach it all.

Growing up, after church every Sunday, we visited the nursing home. Our family dinner conversations and day time phone calls to this day with my Mom are sprinkled with updates about funerals or sick people or someone who is about to die. And some of the best advice on what to say and how to handle these situations was coached to us by Mom when we were children. For example...

What is the best and only thing you should say to someone initially after a death or a diagnosis or a tragic situation? 

• I am so sorry. (Plain and simple)

What is the last sensory to go when someone is dying? And why is that important? 

• Their hearing. So, when you're in a hospital room, don't talk about a person in the third person right in front of them, or about their condition - talk with them and to them like they are there in the room - because they are and you don't know what the last thing they will hear is. 

Write a will. Write a will. Write a will!

• Both my parents can talk about this ad nauseam. The questions, complications, drama and just deep emotional toll and trauma that you can't predict and that is caused when a person does not have a will and it is left to family members to decide can be devastating - not just the possessions but your basic end of life preferences, even some guidelines about what you would want for a funeral (I just want lots of eulogies and storytelling for the record!). Do everyone a favor. Write it down. 

What is a good gift for someone in the hospital? 

• What you should bring the person you are visiting in the hospital - well, that should be personal. You can't go wrong with a blanket for whoever is sitting in the chair next to them since hospitals are always so cold and impersonal? But, you know what you should really do, bring some donuts, cupcakes or treats for the nurses and doctors. At the end of the day, you want the best care for the person, and a little something to draw the nurses back into the room for a little extra attention - that goes a long way!

These are just some of the things my Mom taught us to go along with the forever intangible of just being comfortable sitting in silence when needed and confronting head on the most terrible parts of life. Thanks Mom!

week's end.

Oh man, I am really ready for the weekend. What are your plans? We don't have all that much scheduled. We are, of course, going to MK's spinning class tomorrow and a long training run on Sunday morning. And we'll be watching the Final Four games tomorrow night and going to dinner up at my brother's in-law's house in Orinda on Sunday night. A nice and casual spring weekend...hope that you have something good planned!

And, for your weekend reading, here are some links of interest...

• Loving this throw - especially the price point on it. 

• Hannah - my sister-in-law - started a new blog all about her reads and you'll love it!

• This NYTimes Magazine piece from a couple weeks ago about public schools. 

• San Francisco Date Spots according to Eater.

• I really want to buy this side table for our patio. Thoughts?!

• We are a strong PB&J house - this is a great NPR spot. 

• Bay Area real-estate is nuts. Nuts!

• Mike sent me this song this week - happy listening!

fates and furies.

Excuse last week's hiatus - blame it on all the rain and the fact that we swore in a monster to office! But Happy Monday! Ben and I went to Yosemite this weekend and it was great. Full post to come but we spent a lot of time by the fire reading and I finally finished off this book, Fates and Furies, by Laura Groff.

Not gonna lie, it was a slog for the first 170 pages, but after that I flew through it. And Groff certainly makes an impression, there are parts of the book I have had rolling around in my head since I finished the last page. Would love to discuss with anyone that has read it (my sister-in-law, Hannah, was so on point with some of her criticisms back a month ago before I had really made inroads). So, for what it is worth, this is a thick read that will get under your skin....

• NYTimes Sunday Book Review
• NPR
• The New Yorker

no love.

In an effort to not just curate the good and beautiful, here is my review of a little bit of bad. Love Warrior goes down as my worst read of 2016. I know, I know, you've probably seen it on some list of great reads or prominently featured on one of the main tables at your bookstore. Oh yeah, and Oprah said it was good. Well, trust me on this, it isn't good. And remember when Oprah thought James Frey was god? Don't do it. And I can say that having read the whole book...because even when a book is terrible, I still feel compelled to finish it and I had to fight through every single page of this book.

There you have it. Hopefully I just saved you $12 and a couple hours of torture - you're welcome - thank me later!

holiday cheer.

Yay for December - the new year can't come soon enough! After a couple days in Palm Springs, we are headed to Denver to celebrate Christmas with my family. In case you are still gift buying, figured I would throw out some quick ideas - hope they help!

1. Recycled Glassware / 2. Be Nice to People Print  / 3. Guitar Hook / 4. Gingham patterned pillow from Etsy

 

 

5. Rodin Olio Lusso / 6. Time 100 Photographs Book / 7. White & Black Buffalo Check Throw / 8. Make Your Own Bird Wings

TIME 100 photos.

TIME is out with an updated book - The Most Influential Images of All Time. I am a total sucker for these books (also a great holiday gift idea for any photography lovers you know). And even if you aren't going to get the book, their interactive website with the photos and background is a fantastic procrastination tool for this fine Monday...

trained.

I know I am late to the party on this, but I just finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It was a perfect page turner for the plane. And now I am ready for the movie (who doesn't love Emily Blunt?!). If you need a beach/airplane read, this one fits the bill.

• NPR Review
• NYTimes Review

old meets new.

How great are these classic books with new Rifle Paper Co. designed covers? I hung out with Hannah + Jordan + Stella + Djuna this weekend on Sunday morning, and they had just bought two of the books - the girls were loving them! These would make such great gifts for the kids of reading age.

book list.

I have been in a long and severe reading drought. Books have sat on my bedside table for months on months without being touched. But this weekend we went away for the long weekend (more on that soon) and I finally broke my reading block. So, for your reading list, My Name is Lucy Barton, was an easy and captivating read - just what I needed to get back on the wagon.

• The New York Times Review
• NPR Write-up

read file.

Happy New Year! We are back in DC after two weeks that felt like longer - after a vacation in Costa Rica, quality time in New York and a fantastic New Year's Eve wedding in New Haven - I am ready for 2015!  More to come soon...but real quick, I plowed through some good reading during the break, including these three books below. Just thought I would share and pass along....

Sold by Patricia McCormick was a quick yet powerful read. It's a story of a young girl sold as a sex slave. I can't tell you you will find it to be uplifting but certainly a reminder and amazement at what people can survive.

I couldn't put down The Light Between Oceans by M.L Stedman. It has you questioning throughout, swinging from character to character and empathizing when you don't want to. It is quite a read - you can ask Ben how much it got into my brain - I couldn't stop talking about it!

Talk about timely. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is upsetting and inspiring. This read and Stevenson himself has in my mind joined the ranks of Paul Farmer, Barbara Ehrenreich, Jonathan Kozol, etc. His work is incredible. The book is a must read especially in light of the recent resurfaced debate about race and justice - I can't recommend it enough. I will be talking about and giving this book out to friends and family for the next year, it is just that important and potent. Incredible. 

shopped out.

For your holiday shopping or for your own bedside table...Best Books to Give This Holiday Season.

books a million.

I only read one book at a time. Until now I guess. Right now I am in the middle of three books. I came across this Summer Reading Suggestions from the Boston Globe a couple weeks ago and figured I would share. In truth, I haven't used it yet because I want to plow through what I have going on - but for all of you needing a book for the beach, this might be helpful since it prompts book suggestions based on what you have already read and liked....

concierge service.

Emily is going to Greece next week and asked for book recommendations. And last night, Ali and I were at dinner and she mentioned this NPR site, NPR's Book Concierge, for quick reference and great finds. You should check it out the next time you are wandering in the bookstore trying to remember what you want to read!

giving time.

In huge news, they are making a movie out of The Giver. Remember The Giver by Lois Lowry? My god, that was one of my first page turners! What grade was I in? Maybe 4th or 5th. And Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges are leads in it!

berenstain bears.

Remember the Berenstain Bears? I loved these books growing up! I am adding this series to my list of top books for little kids from here on out...

point of power.

My last year of college, I interned in Hillary's senate office in Albany and my drive was a long 45 minutes to and from the office. I spent a good three months of that year listening to Master of the Senate by Robert Caro while driving. It was without question one of the most impressive and capitavating books I have ever read. Caro himself is an interesting and odd personality, he has dedicated his life to writing volumes on Johnson, and defines Johnson as one of the most brilliant yet manipulative political figures in American history. The book remains one of my most formative reads.

Last year, Caro published the fourth volume on Johnson, The Passage of Power. It has been on my list to read, but it is so long and dense I have been putting it off! Until now that is. We were at drinks earlier this week with friends and they were talking about how the New Yorker printed a chapter of Caro's book last year. The chapter they printed tells the day when JFK was shot, of course from the vantage point of and with a focus on Johnson. I didn't want to get off the metro yesterday reading it. I am now primed to finally start reading The Passage of Power. Reading this chapter reminded me just how interesting Johnson is and how hypnotizing Caro's writing is. In short, and if nothing else, you should go read this New Yorker piece, The Transition Lyndon Johnson and the events in Dallas, and see where it takes you!