37 things (or, the good that slipped in through the back door)

in the spirit of last year's list, I give you this: an ode to unpredictability. a new list. a collection of the unintended, the unplanned. one that commemorates the unexpected little (and big) things that happen over the course of 365 days. I'm not going to lie, it hasn't been the easiest year. in fact, parts of it have been so painful I can barely stand to speak of them. but this is how you get over, you make a list of the good.

these are things that snuck up on me from behind. these are things I never really saw coming. in my 38th year, I:

1. found the most perfect pair of socks ever.



2. made it through my first portland winter.

3. learned to work my camera manually.

4. watched the urban bush women from the nosebleed section.

5. saw my photographs and words in print.







6. fell head over heels in love with a lens.

7. fell head over heels in love with a hammock.

8. marched in a parade.









9. said goodbye to the company that brought us out here and hello to a better life.

10. stumbled onto the most beautiful display of photobooths in the history of the world.



11. picnicked at the top of mt. tabor.



12. constructed a robot cake.



13. picked strawberries from our own garden.



14. stood on the hood of a car parked on the side of a ridiculously dangerous highway and photographed fields of sunflowers.



15. had my hair blown willy nilly whilst riding the ferry with leslie.



16. traveled along the edge of the pacific ocean and fell in love with the 101.

17. watched ava learn how to ride a bike. was there the moment ward let go of the back of her seat. watched her pedal off in the most heartbreakingly wobbly and triumphant way.



18. stood on the burnside bridge and watched the fireworks.



19. collaborated with the birthday girl and pulled off perhaps our best party yet.



20. rode my bike to the local farmers market.



21. tie-dyed 88 pieces of fabric for 88 kids in one hour.



22. got hooked on sugar cane lemonade and empanadas, the likes of which can only be found at a restaurant housed in what is surely the brightest colored building in all of portland.

23. introduced the kids to dairy queen dilly bars.



24. fell madly in love with ten tiny dances.



25. stood barefoot in a rose garden with mati and kelly rae.



26. found myself right smack dab in the middle of a lovebomb.

27. discovered magnificent manzanita, found starfish and anemones hiding in the tide pools at short sands.









28. watched belly dancers jiggle and undulate on mississippi avenue.



29. watched b-boys spin and flip at the mister's first solo art show.



30. saw my first double rainbow.

31. spent an afternoon wading in a spectacular public fountain.



32. spent an afternoon wandering through a quiet orchard.



33. spent time with so many rad women. all of them, terrifically lovely and amazing. fantastically extraordinary, fabulously gloriously marvelous. luminous and brilliant, radiant and remarkable women. absolutely inspiring, each and every one. so totally and completely awesome. I mean it, so awesome.

34. went a little bananas over an old polaroid camera.



35. was treated to dinner prepared by the best chef in portland.



36. visited the museum of giant shoes.

37. learned to love 82nd avenue.