My Top 10 List of Lessons Learned in Portland

Today is my last day in Portland. I can't believe that my time here is done already! As I have been thinking back on my time here, I realized how much I have changed and how much I have learned. So, in honor of my time in Portland, I wanted to share with you the top 10 lessons I have learned while living in Portland.

10. Vitamin D is a rare and valuable commodity.

9.  It's a sweet juxtaposition to be 30 minutes away from the mountain and an hour and a half from the ocean.

8.  No matter the weather, flip flops are always socially acceptable, and can even bring out the sun sometimes.

7.  Foursquare is much more than a playground game or an evangelical church. And it's actually fun.

6.  Catapulting little, screaming birds into poorly constructed buildings to kill green pigs is highly addictive.

5.  As much as I love skirts and high heels, jeans and Chacos are much more comfortable.

4.  Umbrellas really are for wimps. Rain jackets are just so much easier.

3.  Just because some dude is selling food out of his van in a parking lot, doesn't mean it's sketchy.

2.  It is possible to live and work with a best friend and come out stronger in the end.

And the number one lesson I have learned while living in Portland:
1.  Everything looks better with a bird on it.


Hope you can gleam wisdom from my experiences
and laughed a bit in the process.

Much love from PDX,
Amie Lou

You've Just Unlocked...

Foursquare is no longer just a playground game or a charasmatic church. Foursquare is now yet another way to keep in touch with your friends. Orgininally created for New York City, foursquare allows people to "check-in" wherever they go and can see if any of their friends have checked-in nearby. But foursquare puts a twist on the new face of social media that brings me back to Kindergarten. As you check-in to different places, you can earn badges (reminescient of sticker rewards on a chore-chart) and with enough check-ins, you can even become the mayor of places that you frequent. And with every check-in you earn points and can soar to the top of the leaderboard among your friends or even in your city (and like Whose Line is it Anyway, the points don't matter, but they're fun to collect anyway)!

Foursquare is a super-fad in our office. We have joked this whole year about having our own badges while we have all battled for the mayorship of the office and the local Starbucks. So, for our end-of-the-year retreat, I created foursquare-esque badges, individually tailored for each member of our team. Check 'em out...

Katie, you've just unlocked the "Swiss Army Knife" badge.
No matter what comes at you, you've got the right tools to get the job done!

Tristan, you've just unlocked the "Designer" badge.
Whatever the group, place, shape or environment, you shape it to be more beautiful!

Jack, you've just unlocked the "Big Business" badge.
What's with you acting like you own the place? Oh wait, you might someday...

Nathaniel, you've just unlocked the "Cat-Like Reflexes" badge.
Who are we to disagree with Jon Acuff? You're a fast-mover!

Chris, you've just unlocked the "Endless Summer" badge.
40 degrees and raining? No worries, because it's always calling for warmth at your desk!

James, you've just unlocked the "Ninja" badge. Silent and unnoticed, you execute your mission with swift effieciency.
And to be honest, we had a difficult time tracing your check-ins. A true ninja!

Amie, you've just unlocked the "Son-Shine" badge.
We can't help but notice things have gotten a little brighter and Christ-centered since your check-in!

Terry, you've just unlocked the "Moving" badge.
Always on the go, aren't you? Now go buy some packing tape!

Sam, you've just unlocked the "Super Mom" badge. Juggling three kids, a blog, the 4sq leaderboard,
an active social life, and looking great while doing it? Yup, you're Super  Mom.

Darren, you've just unlocked the "Super Leader" badge. You may not be mayor of your workplace, but you lead with grace and a firm fist. Now look out over the office and "Get back to work, you slackers!"

You've just unlocked the "GNW Ops 2011" badge.
Thanks for checking in this year, and don't forget to put a bird on it!

*And if you're looking for more good blogs to read, I linked my co-workers' names to their blogs. I work with some pretty great people!

Good Old-Fashioned Photobooth Fun

I love my Android. I love Amazon. And so I extra-love the Amazon Android App-Store. Yesterday's free app of the day on Amazon, Pocketbooth, was a steal deal. Because, honestly, who doesn't want a photobooth in their pocket?? Well, when I downloaded it, I wanted to try it out. It was fun. But it made a horribly loud snapping noise as it took the shot. It took me a few seconds to realize that sound was coming from my phone, and then I was shocked and almost disgusted at the wall of sharp sound that was emanating from my device. And  then I was confused because I couldn't figure out how to make it stop! I love these photos, because you can see how my emotions progressed in 2-second intervals.

Shot One: Shaky image because of the startling noise

Shot Two: Okay, let's try this again...

Shot Three: That noise is LOUD!!!!

Shot Four: How do you turn it off??!?!?

So, I hope you got a good laugh out of this today. And if your Wednesday drags-on, just come on back and look at these pictures again, and your day is sure to brighten! ;)

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

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!

My Day in Images

When I walked into the office today and saw Katie, my office-mate, working at the lunch table, I knew something was up. Right at that moment I saw our little office...

As it turns out, Jack was the primary guilty party (no surprise there)...

And the Big Green Pigs were his accomplices...

Tristan was not pleased (when she eventually made her way to the west-side)...

And so she silently walked into the kitchen, grabbed the large butcher knife, walked back into our office, and went to town...

What took four hours of lung power and 500 balloons to create was annihilated in 2 short minutes...

But the angry birds won in the end...