If you give a three-year old a camera...

... she'll want to take more pictures. Have you ever read If You Give A Mouse a Cookie? Or it's more sophisticated and realistic alternative (that I grew up reading) If You Give A Moose A Muffin? I feel like my evening with Eva went about like that.

She was so hyper and so adorable that I asked to take a picture of her. And then it snowballed from there. I asked her to smile for a picture. Then she asked to dance for a picture. And then she wanted to take a picture of me. And then another. And then another. And then I knew there was no hope to put my camera down. Until the battery died. And then the adventure in singing began...

I am convinced that Eva is the most adorable little girl in the world. To those of you who have children of your own, I am sure your kids are cute too. But Eva is probably cuter. No offense. She says and does the stinkin' cutest things ever. So, as you admire her amazing photography skills (and my less-than-glamorous modeling "skills"), let me share a few of the things she said tonight.

While reading an article in ZooBooks about a weasel that changes colors with the seasons:
Amie: Eva, do you change colors too?
Eva: YEAH! I am pink!
Amie: Okay, what about in winter?
Eva (with a wide grin): Uhhh... Not pink!

Eva singing the alphabet song:
"O, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o..." (One down, 25 to go...)

While trying to convince Eva to calm down and sleep to no avail, my phone rings in the other room:
Eva: What's that???
Amie: That's just my phone.
Eva: Who's calling??
Amie (trying to be funny): That's God calling, saying you need to pray and go to sleep.
Eva (terror immediately washed over her face and scooted under her covers): I'm ready to sleep now.

Amazing. And soooo adorable. I can't help but laugh when I am with Eva ;-)

Can't a Girl Buy Herself Flowers?

Who says ladies can't lavish themselves with lovely blooms? Because I do. I did. Tulips are my favorites. The money went to charity. And now our kitchen is a bit brighter and bringing springtime inside our house. And now I am bringing those beautiful blooms to my blog for all to enjoy. (Like all of my alliterations today??)


So, ladies, go treat yourself to little gift today. Go buy yourself flowers and enjoy the brightness of spring they will bring to your soul. And if anyone tells you otherwise, send them to me. I'll set them straight. :)


Have you ever bought yourself flowers? What's your favorite kind?

The Battle of the States

Two of my best friends are from the northwest. One is from Oregon, and one is from Washington. As long as I have known them (and as long as they have known each other for that matter) they have fought over which state is better. My Oregonian friend even made a list of top 50 reasons Oregon is better than Washington.  I always thought it was just friendly banter, and then I moved to Portland.

This area has interesting cultural undertones. Portland is the biggest metropolis for miles in every direction. If you talk to a Portlander, they will say Vancouver, WA (just across the state line, divided by the Columbia River) is just an overflow of Portland, and if you talk to a Vancouver resident, they will say Portland is an overflow of Vancouver. Clearly there is a dissidence.

The plate on my rental car

And so it was hard for me not to wonder what people thought of me as I drove around town in a rental car with Washington plates all day. Even though it is very common to see WA plates mixed in with OR ones, I am sure there is still judgement and criticism. This is probably what went through the minds of the Oregon drivers around me,  "Crazy Washingtonians, using their proximity to reap the tax-free benefits..." So, not only was I nervous to be driving a rental car (and praying the whole time no one T-boned me), but for the first time I was pulled smack in the middle of the epic battle of the northwest states.

In the past I have kept myself separate from these intense rivalries. So every time my friends would get into a "my state is better than your state" skirmish, I would excitedly shout, "Colorado!!" And they would both look at me with tired expressions that questioned my right to be involved in the fray, and I would shrug and walk away, letting them battle it out. But I knew (and still do) the truth: asking "Is Oregon or Washington is better" is not the true question, because obviously, Colorado is the best.


So, my question to you is, what state do you fight for? Where does your allegiance lie? Washington? Oregon? C: none of the above? Here's your chance to weigh-in and vote for your state!

Sunny Days

I love sunny days in Portland. Not only is it nice to absorb Vitamin D, but from the right spots, you can see for miles. My drive home just happens to be one of those spots.

And today was sunny. But not only was it sunny, it was clear as well. Crystal clear. As I drove across the Ross Island bridge over the Willamette River, I could not only see Mount Hood, but I could also see Mount St. Helen's with perfect clarity. Beautiful seems cliche, but I really don't know how else to describe it. Majestic? Awe-inspiring? Sublime? I'll let you decide for yourself.

Mount Hood from SW Kelly Ave.

Mount St. Helen's from the Ross Island bridge

7 Lessons Learned in the Sun

I did NOT want to leave San Diego. But now that I am back, let me share a bit of wisdom that I gleaned.

1. "If I could offer you one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it..." (Anyone remember that song??) Anyway, I did wear sunscreen, but still somehow burned that first day, and probably because my skin hadn't seen real sun in months. And it wouldn't have been so bad, but I burned my forehead, a V on my chest, and just the tip of my nose. I felt like a clown for a few days...

2. Everyone hypes-up In-N-Out. The hype is real. In-N-Out is amazing. This was my first time, and I was surprised to find that they have Bible verses on everything! When Nathaniel pointed that out, my burger somehow tasted even better... And the fries??? Don't even get me started on the fries. Yummm...

3. Cowboys are funny. One of the new staff who was there last week is a true cowboy. His name even reflects his true nature; his name is Cowboy Bob (no joke, that's what everyone calls him.). Well, one night a bunch of us were in his truck (a true, big, manly, red, cowboy pick-up truck) driving to dinner, someone commented that we were speeding past everyone else. He responded in his cowboy twang, "I'm going 75. I just happen to be doing it faster than everyone else..." I nearly died of laughter.

4. The beach is amazing. This may not be surprising, but having lived my whole life land-locked, I cherished every second in the sand. And learned that you can find amazing treasures washed up on the beach (like the "stylish" sunglasses pictured). One of the things that relaxes me the most is laying on the sand, in the sun, listening to the ocean. So amazing. I did it every afternoon and I feel so refreshed as a result. One afternoon a bunch of us went to La Jolla Beach and watched the sea lions and pelicans. It was amazing. And I got a tan. The Irish always say to not be fooled by a tan, because it is only rust. Well, Portlanders be fooled. This is really a tan :)

5. New friends are super-great. I made a new friend. Her name is Sarah. We went shopping and tried on beachy dresses and walked along the ocean and stayed up late talking about life. I enjoyed it so much. Kinda makes me wish I was still in Utah so we could hang out more. But I am so grateful we got that week to get to know each other.

6. God is good. This was a trip with new Campus Crusade staff, and our seminars every morning were edifying and really challenged me in my walk with God. I spent my mornings walking Pacific Beach with Starbucks and Jesus. It was so wonderful to spend that intimate time with Him and see how God used the whole experience to move me and shape me.

7. I could totally see myself as a California girl. I have grown up in the mountains my whole life in land-locked places, but the few times I have been to the beach and the ocean I love it. I immensely enjoyed my time wandering around Mission Beach this past week. If God called me to  move to So Cal for whatever reason, I know now that I wouldn't argue. I could definitely get used to this...

Hello Sunny San Diego!

I knew it was a good sign when I got this fortune cookie last week...
I am so blessed to be spending my week on Mission Beach with other new staff and interns with Campus Crusade. I got here early today and have spent all afternoon walking the beach with Jesus. I can tell it's going to be a good week. Here's some pictures of my really great day...

That VooDoo that TheyDoo so well...

Along with Professor Banjo, another staple of Portland culture is VooDoo Doughnuts. I completely agree that the best things "come in pink boxes." If you ever watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, this shop was featured on the Food Network for it's quirky charm and their devilishly delicious twist on the traditional raised-cake-round.

Last night we had a roomie dinner of Chinese take-out, and then Peter (Julia's boyfriend) came over with a big pink box... of VooDoo!! They are famous and known nation-wide for their VooDoo Doll Doughnut and their Maple Bacon Bars. Personally, I enjoy the Fruit Loop best. But they are delicious. And I had one for breakfast. I had the Maple Blazer Blunt and cheered the Blazers on as I ate.

If you have never had a VooDoo doughnut, skip-out on your diet for a day and go. They truly are amazing! And if you've never been to Portland, just come, even for no other reason than the VooDoo that TheyDoo, soooo well...

Only in Portland...

... can you see Professor Banjo!! This is a true story gang. I was walking by a toy store in a hipster-Portland neighborhood and saw this in the window. Because, really... who doesn't want their kids to sing-a-long, dance, and have fun with a professor wielding a banjo??? Too bad I missed it Tuesday morning. I guess there's still hope for next week though...

"If I had a quote board of life..."

People say funny things. It's just one of those facts of human nature. People are especially funny (or think they are) when they are tired. And you find them even more hilarious when you yourself are exhausted as well. And the funniest comments are always the toss-away phrases or questions that were never intended to be funny.  If you have been around me for any extended periods of time, you know that I am highly amused by funny comments. I usually laugh hysterically, sometimes cry, and always say, "If I had a quote board of life, you'd be on it right now."

A few months a go at work, one of my teammates said something totally ridiculous and amusing at lunch (which erupted the whole office in uproarious laughter), and I immediately followed up with the afore-mentioned comment. I paused and began to have an internal monologue (or dialogue. Still have yet to decided which is more accurate):
A quote board of life... I always say that. Why do I say that?
I have always wanted to make a quote board and write people's stupid sayings on it.
Maybe I should make one...
But my teammates would definitely think I'm crazy, or a loser. 
It would be funny.
But I would probably be the only one who would laugh at it.
But it would be funny.
I have always wanted one...
I should just do it. Risk it all for my dream... my dream of having a quote board of life!!!
I went into the storage closet and pulled a giant piece of paper from the easel, stuck it on the back of our office door, wrote in big, bold letters, "Quote Board of Life," and began to write the first quote.

I am amazed at how much the whole office has adopted it as their own. I am not the only one who records these funny sayings now. It has also become a tourist destination to all who visit our office; "Welcome to the GNW! Have you seen the quote board??" Today it reached it's quote capacity. So, in honor of our quote board of (office) life, I want to share a few of my favorites...

"I'm working in my mind." -NF
"I wanted an ASUS [computer] because it sounds like Jesus." -KQ
"I could be an African woman..." -TK
"Well, enjoy the cake you spit on..." -AC
"You can make it twilight and they will worship you." -TB
"She tricks me every time..." -CB

I risked my reputation in the office to follow my dream of having a quote board of life, and I am so proud to see how far it's come. *Tear* ;)

If you had a quote board of life, what would you put on it?
Today, my comment feed is your quote board of life...

April Fools Day - Revenge is Sweet

If you have not yet read yesterday's post about the balloons, read that first. Because now I want to share a bit about our retaliation. All year most of the guys in our office have been pranking us (both big and small ones), and so Tristan and I have been planning for the past month to get them back on April Fool's Day. It just so happened that after the events of yesterday, this looks like revenge. Well, our plan started small and as we implemented this last night, the plan slowly grew. As I mentioned yesterday, a picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look...

Walking into the office, the guys didn't notice anything out of place, until they saw the Twitter birds covering their window...

And upon walking inside, it's hard to notice that anything is out of place until you notice Jack's desk is nearly void...

Jack's desk is missing everything, and gained new occupants...

Jack wandered around the office, searching for his things, and then opened the storage closet...

And saw everything was wrapped in industrial strength saran wrap, both individually and corporately... 

And he was instructed to get back to work by creepy finger puppets...

But Jack was well-pleased with these fun and games...

And we didn't just prank Jack. We got the other guys very subtly. Notice anything fishy about their keyboards?? (Hint: review the middle row of letters)...

Happy April Fool's Day!