we're in love

with portland!

we moved all the way across the country to live in a place we'd never visited. and then it took four visits (commuting from seattle) over the course of a month to find a home. & my classes, the very & only reason for moving here, were cancelled. but we decided to go through with the move anyway, blindly, and we're so glad we did!

after two years of having most of our things in storage,
living in other people's furnished homes,
(indiana + north carolina)
never fully unpacking,
we are loving this ability to nest again...

why we are smitten:

* about a dozen friends of friends, many of whom we were meeting for the first time, showed up on short notice to help us unload our truck that had been in storage since august. we felt so welcomed by the people in this city!

* the house we found was SO worth the wait. we're renting a unit in a triplex. an old victorian home. we have the 2nd & 3rd floors (& the mudroom on the 1st). it's huge. spacious, bright. bamboo floors. crisp white walls. open kitchen, dining room, living room. tiled bathroom. a sunroom/bonus room off of each of the two bedrooms, which means a studio + prayer nook for me, and an extra play space for the kiddos. and the kicker... the landlord recently renovated the attic & it's the coolest studio for josh, big enough to double as a guestroom even.

* we live 1 block from a fabulous park + rose garden (+ community center where heron can take dance classes, swim lessons, tumbling, etc., & i can finally take a "it's never too late to learn" ballet class!). heron & i hang out in the park daily. two blocks to the south is portland community college, where i may be able to pick up some art classes. & we're <1 mile north of the n. mississippi area, where many of our favorite shops & restaurants are located. plus, ours is a very diverse neighborhood, & we love that!

* we've already met some of our neighbors, & they're fabulous! andee, our realtor (during a brief spell when we were contemplating buying, even to the point of putting in an offer) & now friend, had mentioned some of her friends during lunch one day while we were house-hunting, and we ended up moving in across the street from them! robin & jans & their kids wren, juniper, and little cypress (just a wee bit younger than heron) are so great, so welcoming, and we're excited to be their neighbors. we've met a few of the other neighbors, too, & have many friendships to look forward to. lots of musicians + kids on this block!

* josh and i LOVE hospitality, and we've already jumped into it full-speed. awesome! we had overnight guests for 3 of our first 6 nights here. zack & gala & their youngest, caspar, were in town for gala's art opening at half/dozen in the pearl district. they stayed over our 2nd & 3rd nights here. oh, & teal & c.c. stopped by for lunch on their way from seattle to san francisco. then josh & julia rosen & their kids shai & ezra (heron's age) spent a night + day with us en route to israel.

* portland is just a really amazing place. we had no idea. & though we're still figuring out our purpose for being here, we're blessed to be living in a place that is so intriguing to us, a place so fun & creative, a place we like so much, a place where we already kind of feel at home.

please come visit us! we can't wait to share this place with you!