community.

I took lots of photos of our downtown adventure today, but I'd like to post just one. The word 'community' just continues to come to mind when I think about this church. I'm not sure how they manage to incorporate each of these cultures into their Baptist community of worship, but I'm intrigued and encouraged to see the body of Christ dwelling with one another and reaching into the larger community through common traditions of language and culture.

first full week friday. read: tired.

I've always thought it would be really interesting job to be a window washer. Not only do you have the risk factor of scaling tall buildings with minimal support, but you also have the built in opportunity to observe the lives of people who are really only separated from you by a pane of glass. Fascinating. These are the things I think about while I wait to interview Portland's finest restaurant owners.

I also sometimes pretend to be a tourist and sit in the square and take pictures.

It was our first well earned friday!!

So we went downtown to Old Port and finally saw a bit of the ocean.

We got the most decadent chocolate desserts. We also realized we cannot afford to live like this anymore. But, it was fun while it lasted!

good humor.

Good news! The sun returned today!

This sums up my attitude.

I had a great first solo interview and took a few pictures on the way back to the office. The tourists were out in full force and the traffic was nutso. I'm becoming more and more thankful for my pedestrian status in this city. Although, this morning I was on a different bus than normal and the route comes up on the city skyline at an angle that made me think I was back in chi-town. for a split second. :( . but. I love sunny portland a whole lot!

After an exhausting day of running around Portland for more interviews...Mackenzie and I went to help out at this christian community center called the root cellar. It was awesome!

We met these great girls our age who are serving as interns for high school mission groups that come through to serve at the center in the summer. Hurray for new friends!

We got done early so we went in search of ice cream.

We like this place. "As far as we can discern, the universe is a very silly place"

I love sun.

I got coffee ice cream on accident. With chocolate covered espresso beans. So I'm still up and quite alert even though sleeping would be real nice...

Mackenzie dripped ice cream on her pants all the way back to the bus.

bus stop.

squares.

fog schmog

This was lunch today. The deliciousness Mackenzie and I cooked up last night! Notice the awful fog outside and the fantastic invisible children video watching extravaganza! ish.

This is a woman pushing a whole pizza on her walker. She was moving super slow through the intersection and people were honking up a storm. It takes a lot to get a Mainer irritated enough to honk. I think the fog is getting to them.

Here's a few photos from downtown portland where I work. I can't post pictures of the places I've been doing my research at, but I figured out I walked at least 2.5 miles today just going up and down main street trying to track down my interviews!

this is our office! smack between wild burritos and strange maine. the big bay window on the left is all mine!

looking east

and west. oh you miserable fog. see how it comes to like the 8th story of buildings? ridiculous!

hi mom.

this is an awesome ongoing art show of collage work at one of the art institutes on our street. pretty sweet.

tonight I got to help out with an ESL class that meets in an elementary school. It's so silly, but I still get butterflies whenever I have to take public transit somewhere new. I ended up getting off too early and walking a whole lot further...but I made it! I got to work with a really sweet girl from Cambodia and this hilarious guy from Iraq. such a great night!

beautiful

This morning I was listening to Phil Wickham's album Singalong and his song Beautiful was playing just as I walked up to the bus stop. There's a verse that goes:

I see your face in every sunrise

The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes

The world awakens in the light of the day

I look up to the sky and say

You're beautiful

Now, there hasn't been sun in Portland since last wednesday afternoon, so there's no sunrise or morning light stretching across the sky. Just dreary clouds. BUT

I looked up and saw that there's a Lutheran church across the street. I don't know how I haven't noticed it yet, or at least not noticed it like I did today.

But today the simple cross at the top just struck me as such a simple and graceful reminder of the beauty of the life and death of our Savior. I've heard a number of times the argument that having a cross as a christian symbol is one of the most gruesome we could choose...much like choosing to put an electric chair or noose on top of our churches. Still, the simple symbol serves to remind me of the Jesus that I serve and who loves me more than I could know.

Then I spent all day running around Portland talking to restaurant owners about our research project and trying to get them to sit down for an interview. It was exhausting, but exhilirating. I have 5 interviews set for the next week and about 9 follow up meetings to plan!

By the end of the day, Mackenzie and I needed a pick me up, so we headed to this great bakery/pastry place Geo's.

And got a chocolate and peanut whoopie pie!

It was Mackenzie's first ever!

And well, I just found it delicious. Delicious enough to awkwardly half pose for a photo.

Tonight we cooked up some pasta, chicken and veggies to make enough for lunches for probably the next week or two for less than 7 bucks! Cooking + organizing a fridge + Dave Matthews = one fantastic evening.

one swell saturday

This morning I got to try out the famed Rosemont Bakery!

This nectarine was the best I've ever had. seriously. I might be buying one every morning before I catch the bus from now on. I also got a delicious blueberry and granola muffin but I ate it before I remembered to take a picture. sorry.

I had such a lazy afternoon doing laundry, reading, writing notes. It got sunny for a bit and I took a walk to the library...these are some of Martha's gorgeous flowers!

I got my own Portland library card!

I also got some books.

I have a bit of a problem. But it's a problem I can live with quite happily!

Best part of today...a package from Mom and Dad and a card and bracelet from Kendra!!

portland in transit

We successfully navigated the portland bus system this morning...and arrived at work early...even in the rain!

It was a bit slow in the office, so I watched a lot of rain fall and a lot of wet people walk around.

Paul loves SMWC and so do we! (this is our main office area)

Sometimes we have to create drama when things are slow. So Mackenzie and Denver fought about the merits of EFCA and Walmart CEOs.

After work, we wandered around Old Port for a while, looked in a few fun shops, and found a fantastic place to eat dinner.

O' Natural!

and they had live tunes

I was a little hungry and it was so delicious!

Then we tried unsuccessfully to catch a bus...at two different stops. lame. we weren't happy

but then I saw my first pats flag

and we made cookies

and everything is better with good football and great cookies

:)