For the next month, I am going to be out of town for client assignments in OR and CA and could not be more excited to do some traveling. My first stop: Roseburg, Oregon. You send me to southern Oregon to audit a timber company? Obviously I am going to turn the experience into a fabulous road trip with Portlandia adventures and much more fun!
The first stop on my journey (besides a quick coffee break) was lunch in Portland with a friend from middle and high school. The fabulous Julia is in grad school at PSU, so it was great to catch up with her since our last interactions happened during our freshman year at UW. She picked a great bbq spot not far from where she lived and the whole experience was so Portland. The streets were lined with Subarus (and other practical cars) and bicycles. Our waitress donned a vintage print dress, bright red lipstick and more tattoos than I could count. The menu featured any sort of disclaimer you might want about where their food was sourced from and ingredients used in each dish. It made me really happy.
After lunch, Julia took me to her favorite coffee shop and florist/home décor store. Since she had to rush off to a group project, I stayed behind and enjoyed a cup of coffee while admiring the lovely bird paintings on the walls.
Before leaving the area, I stopped by the florist to have a small bouquet of flowers made for my next stop: a housewarming party. My thinking was that when in Portland, I should do as the locals do…and I feel like Portlandians stroll on streets and make purchases to support their small local businesses. With my adorable bouquet in hand, I headed south to the suburbs to visit with a close friend’s parents as they had a blessing ceremony for their new home. They recently moved to the Portland area for work, so I thought it would be nice to see a familiar face from Seattle (and the timing was just too perfect!). On a clear day, the house had a clear shot to Mt. Hood and the neighborhood had the most incredible street names I have ever seen. Mistletoe Avenue, Sycamore Lane and Alpine View Drive? It was like navigating in a dream. No wonder they fell in love with a house in that area.
Before hitting home sweet Roseburg, I made a last stop in Eugene to visit with my friend Nicki, who I have known since 3rd grade (or maybe even earlier). Although I got to see her in January in San Jose, we didn’t have much time to chat, so it was great to hear all about her law school experiences (she is kind of a big deal). I arrived late into Roseburg, but was pleasantly surprised to have a nice riverfront balcony off my room (simple pleasures, right?). I am pretty excited to explore this 20,000 person logging town over the next couple weeks.
Traveling for business doesn’t seem to be as bad as everyone makes it out to me, but maybe the excitement will eventually wear off? I sure hope not!
