Heartbreak in Portland and Food allergies, among other things

hello again friends – i’m sitting in Portland Or, contemplating when my OH and I will live here and how well I will adjust to living in such a large, over populated heartbreaking city. We went to one of our favorite places yesterday – Powell’s bookstore. Sigh. Such happiness in such a large bookstore. This bookstore has nine color coded rooms that hold over 3,500 different sections to satisfy any interests. It’s HUGE and fabulous. More on what I found to buy there later, but walking and driving around downtown Portland there was one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb – the heartbreak. in the young and old. It made me sad to see such overwhelming lack of hope in so many people. 

I am a country girl at heart and being surrounded by so many people and things and cars and stores and sky rise buildings and noises etc… is wearying. it makes me want to find a large field and take a deep breath of fresh air and silence. But i know that when we live here in our own place we will be able to create a niche of our own that i will be able to forget what such a large place i live in. 

As for the books I found, i’m extremely excited about both of them. the first is in the Narnia series, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” My mom in law gave us the set that my OH grew up reading – but missing that one book of the series! – but i was able to find a book that matches the set! hahaha. i got a little giddy when i found it on the shelf. The other book is called ‘Detecting Your Hidden Allergies’ by William G. Crook, M.D. it is a little worse for the wear but has some great info in it and i plan on passing it around to any family or friends that are interested! on the cover, this is it’s description “foods you eat everyday can cause asthma, ‘sinus’, headaches, fatigue, nervousness, digestive problems, arthritis… and many other disorders.” There is a chapter that i’m eager to read about the chemical contaminants in food and what you can do about them. 

I also did something almost completely new for me! After services on Saturday, they taught two couples dances and i was brave enough to get up and ‘learn’ them with my OH! ack! i am a slow learner of dance steps – i am convinced i grow a few extra feet when i am trying to dance as my feet get so confused as to which one is left and which one is right. And then, last night, we went dancing again to a ‘class’ held every week. the first half hour or so she teaches easy songs and then they escalate in speed and difficulty. I was able to pick up the first few relatively easy but then it got harder. eventually it was too much for me and i enjoyed just watching them. My OH picks up dance steps well and really enjoys it so i was very glad that we ended up going. Fun, fun. 

As for the nanowrimo i am up to 5,181 words. I am still sticking it out though! although as soon as i get back home, my days are going to be very busy so i’m not sure how much writing i’ll get done til after thanksgiving and then it’s only a few days til the challenge is over! all well, i am writing again and that was the goal! Here is a snippit of what i’ve been writing :

I struggled and struggled with making the decision to attend the culinary institute on campus. I loved the thought of learning more about baking  so I finally screwed up my courage and signed up for culinary. The hardest thing I’ve done in my life up to that point was to show up every day and try my best.  It was during this time of intense stress, lack of sleep and confidence, that my first invisible disease accelerated its appearance.  Advil and Ibuprofen became a companion of mine to get through some days. The pain escalated as I fought to keep up with the others in my class. Lack of concentration, ability to find the right words and the feeling of living in a fog all came crashing down on me and I wasn’t sure what had happened to who I had been. The struggle that class had been before, had just doubled and some days, tripled. A kitchen is where you must be at your best, ready to run your own legs off to prepare a meal for someone else. You have to be able to multi-task several times over – and that ability had just been taken from me.

Baking was always my favorite part – I loved going in early and starting on bread doughs while the kitchen was still quiet and mostly empty. It was easiest to concentrate first thing in the morning , the pain seemed to come later on. I felt like I could grasp baking so much more than the rest of classes. Serving was even rougher than I thought it would be while garde manger and hot foods were as brutal as I had anticipated. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! i have had a good time – and some not so good times – writing it. i have some ideas for what i’ll write next. But as for right now, i’ve got to check on the laundry, find a bit to eat and get some phone calls made. Until next time, where i’ll once again be home, Have a great week friends and thanks for taking the time to stop by! 

 yes, i’m missing my puppy, so here is a picture of her from this summer!!! =) 

Tags: food allergies, nanowrimo, portland or, traveling