You're 28! It's Time to Tuck in Your Shirt...

...at least it is if you have a body like mine, which is all butt and thighs. The ultimate fashion lesson you can learn, and one that I have finally learned over the last three years, is to dress for your body. This may seem like superficial life lesson, but it has made a big difference to my sense of identity and self-esteem. You see, I went through a phase that I think most women go through at some point in their lives, during which I had reached a weight higher than I was comfortable with and wore what Israel referred to as "frumpy" clothes (man, am I lucky to have an honest husband;-)) because I just didn't care how I looked.  Except I did care. The better thing to say was that I thought I didn't care about my appearance; what I actually felt was a lack of control over how I looked.

Boston, 2009. I certainly could not find a picture of the level of frumpiness reached on my typical workdays, but this picture (in which I was having a grand time, actually!) illustrates the lack of thought I put into my outfits: loose, flared jeans and a square-shaped jacket- NOT flattering at all!

I got really lucky and lost a significant amount of weight during my student teaching and first year of teaching- this motivated me to step up my appearance. But even a loss of 20 pounds did not melt away my largish arms, nor my"junk in the trunk." So, when making decisions about what to buy and how to wear my clothing, I had to consider what I should wear to accentuate my best physical features. And to learn what to wear, I had to become familiar with What Not to Wear.

That's right- TLC's best guilty pleasure taught me most of what I know about how to dress my body. Before I became just another working gal with a DVR, I was a recent college grad who often made the mistake of wearing quirky trends- I was part hip, part laid back, and 100% hot mess. My main problem was that I knew nothing about proportion, so I would do foolish things like wear long, loose shirts with flared jeans (oh, the humanity!). I didn't realize that, in doing this, I was hiding my best asset (pun intended!)- that place at the middle of my body where my relatively small waist met with my objectively bubbly posterior. While it seemed that I was wasting away on the couch, chuckling at Clinton and Stacy's lovingly bitchy comments, I was actually learning some simple strategies for dressing my body well.

What Not to Wear's Clinton and Stacy- tough love is the name of the game.
Source: http://corporate.discovery.com/blog/2011/02/28/local-mom-blogger-gets-a-makeover-on-tlcs-what-not-to-wear/

If your body is anything like mine (little in the middle, but you got much back, as Sir Mix-A-Lot would say) , you might benefit from ensuring that you own some of the wardrobe staples that I have acquired, as recommended for me personally (through my TV) by Stacy and Clinton.

1. A Belt Fitted To Your Waist


Remember when it was cool to wear your belt slung below your waist? Well I do, because I did it, and made myself look about 10 pounds heavier in the process. As Clinton and Stacy always say, you want to draw attention to the place where your body is the smallest, and the best way to draw attention to it is to outline it! I try to buy clothes that are already cut to fit to my waist, but when a flowy shirt or dress catches my eye, a belt like this comes in real handy. It allows me to achieve a carefree vibe while still keeping my body's proportions. This is where the tucking in of the shirt comes in; any shirt that is going to hang loosely over my waist and past my butt gets tucked in, sometimes with a belt, and sometimes not (depending on how rebellious I'm feeling! :-P).  Flowy dresses always get the belt treatment, and always right at the waist.

This is how I like to wear a belt to accentuate my waistline. The dress was already fitted, but I thought that belt would make it more flattering. It was also my white accessory for my sister's black and white party (which also had the yummy appetizers I'm chowing down on here!).

I also have waist-fitted belts in black and brown. I find that, with the white belt above and these two, I am covered for almost any outfit to which I want to add a belt.

2. A Smart Blazer


Smart is the perfect adjective for a blazer. It conveys the fact that a blazer automatically makes you look fashionable and put-together. It doesn't matter what you wear it with. I've worn mine with a Depeche Mode T-shirt and shorts. I've also worn it with a blouse and pencil skirt. And guess what? It looks awesome with both! A blazer is what Clinton and Stacy would call a structured piece- it is made to hold its own shape, so if it has a flattering cut, it holds that flattering cut against your body when you wear it. A well-cut blazer (for me, that's one that comes in slightly at the waist and has a slit down the bottom of the back so it can flare out slightly) can honestly make you look your sleekest and most slender, regardless of what you wear it with.

Here is one of the foundation pieces of my wardrobe: my Banana Republic blazer. I wear it with the sleeves rolled up for a more casual look, and rolled down for a more formal look :-). Definitely one of my most prized material possessions.

3. High-Waisted Skirts


Notice how I specified skirts; those adorable high-waisted shorts that all the skinny girls are rocking belong nowhere near the middle of my body. But a high-waisted skirt is perfect- it sits on my waist, yet flows out to cover the upper part of my thighs (the thunderous part, if you will). Here, again, I tuck in whatever shirt or blouse I am wearing with it, and even add a blazer, cardigan, and/or belt, if I am feeling particularly festive.

This is my favorite "fun-day" skirt- too short to wear to school or work, but perfect for  a day out and about or a night of dancing, like this one for Taleen's birthday :-). The tank top is long and loose, so I made it flatter my form by tucking it into my skirt. 

4. Button-Up Cardigans


Oh how I love my cardis. I would hope that anyone who knows my sense of fashion can immediately identify the cardigan as my favorite fashion staple. I have always been on the feminine side of the fashion spectrum; even when I feel like mixing it up and going a little edgier, I love the softening effect that a cardigan can have on an outfit. Cardigans are usually flowy, so I remedy this by either securing one or two buttons at the waist (if I am in a more casual mood) or putting one of my aforementioned waist-fitted belts around it (for a dressier/more formal look).

The cardigan I'm wearing here is long and loose, so I added a belt to bring it in. Of course, not outfit compares to the cap and gown of an accomplished college grad! (Love you, Jack :-))

I have to say, I am by no means a fashion expert. I'm just a girl who happens to be hooked on a reality show that actually taught me something that I found useful, and thought that others might as well. Just know that, if you've been in a funk lately about your appearance, remedying this could just be a matter of making a few adjustments to your wardrobe. And it doesn't really take many changes to the contents of your wardrobe, but rather how you wear them.

Thanks, as always, for reading :-)

-Melissa

SONG OF THE DAY: "Rocketeer" by Far East Movement. This song has been stuck in my head since I heard it yesterday at Ulta. I wasn't sure what it was, since I am out of touch with the top 40 scene, so I whipped out my Sound Hound, found it on Spotify, and have listened to it several times since. Why? Simple- it's not auto-tuned, you don't feel obligated to shuffle to it, and it doesn't feature Rihanna (sorry, Ri-Ri, you're overplayed for sure). It has a catchy hook with nice vocals and a good beat. It made me want to bust out my moves right there in the Maybelline aisle. That's the sign of a good song.

My Breakout Freakout...And How I Dealt With It

While I was in Oregon, I had the worst breakout of my life. I didn't want to mention it in the post about my trip because I did not want to sour a perfectly pleasant recount of a good time. However, it was there, lurking in the back of my mind the whole time, because it was so much worse than anything else I've ever had to deal with (regarding skin care, of course!). It even brought me near tears the first night I noticed that it was really something that I could not control, because I had no idea what was causing it.

I'm gonna describe it, not to gross anyone out, but because I want to convey the severity and the trajectory of this particular breakout. It started as a couple of cystic-type blemishes on my chin- nothing too strange, since that is where I normally breakout. But then two became three, three became four, and so on until I had six painful, red bumps in my chin area. At this point I was worried, but still had myself convinced that it was just my skin (still!) adjusting to the change in my skincare routine. Then, the night that we were driving up to Oregon, in our precious little Dunsmuir Inn & Suites hotel room, I noticed these bumps radiating outward from my chin in all directions- to my cheeks, even to my neck (where I have never in my life had a blemish). So...I got freaked out. I felt myself spiraling out of control because this...this was a situation I had never encountered- and I had no idea how to deal with it.

This unflattering photo was sent to my mother to show her that I was wearing the earrings she got me in Oregon. Though the lighting is terrible, you can see the neck blemish (circled in red) that completely freaked me out.

I stood there, staring despairingly into the mirror at this face I could not believe was mine, and tried to figure out what on earth could have cause such an eruption so quickly. It was literally three days before that my skin had been perfectly normal. Israel suggested that it might be the oatmeal (but I suspected he just wanted me to stop using it because it weirds him out :-P), but I could not understand how something that was supposed to be as soothing as oatmeal could cause something that was...well, the opposite of soothed. But he was close. He was onto something. What I am about to admit is going to make me look very stupid, but I don't want to look at it that way. Instead, I'd like to say that I am stubborn, and continued doing something that I had a feeling was unhealthy because it fit my vision of what I wanted my skincare routine to be.

So, let me take you through my realization process. Oatmeal (once it's wet) is a food, yes? And food, on a surface, when not properly cleaned, grows bacteria, right? And bacteria is the essential cause of acne, no? And what was I doing? Using a surface with food on it that had not been properly cleaned and was growing bacteria to scrub my whole face. And what was that surface, you may ask? Why, the bristles of my Clarisonic brush!

These unsightly fellows probably had something to do with my "unfortunate skin incident."
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2009/05/were_covered_by_trillions_of_b.html

Lord knows what possessed me to use my Clarisonic brush with oatmeal in the first place- I am certain that the two were never made to be used together. Actually, the Lord knows why I used the two together, but I know too: I just couldn't bear the thought of not using my Clarisonic, because it was so expensive and I enjoyed using it so much. The Clarisonic brush is meant to be used with facial cleaners; oatmeal is now my facial cleanser, so I hope you can see my logic...

Anyway, the first thing that should have tipped me off was the smell. The brush did not smell good. It did not smell like something I should have been pressing against my face. The smell made sense given that I used the brush to push actual food around my face, then gave it a quick rinse under lukewarm water and covered it back up with a plastic cover. I think that is what laboratories do when they intentionally want to grow bacteria. Yet, I was blinded to all of this science because I just wanted to use my Clarisonic brush. Please don't me judge me. I know it was a ridiculous choice (at least, I can see that now), but, man, was that brush expensive! And it was the only part of my former, highly effective skin care routine that I could continue using, so I was hesitant to give it up.

Once I realized that the brush was likely the culprit, though, I did stop using it (*sniff*tear*), and, pretty much instantly, it started clearing up. Now, about two weeks later, it is almost completely gone. I think that the oatmeal (the use of which I am much more cautious about now) definitely helped with that. My only problem now is that I have a $200 skincare product just sitting there, collecting dust, until I can figure out a good use for it. Any ideas?

My now headless Clarisonic, sitting idly, waiting to be put to use again :-(

The take home lesson here, and the reason I bothered sharing such a disgusting tale, is that bacteria is the direct cause of acne. Bacteria is usually bred from excess oil that clogs pores, creating the perfect moist, enclosed breeding ground. And, well, oiliness itself can be caused by myriad factors: diet, hormones, the makeup and skincare products we use...it is probably impossible to pinpoint exactly what causes your skin to produce excess oil (if it does).

I got really lucky (yes, lucky) in this situation because my breakout was directly caused by bacteria and, once I was able to figure out the source of the bacteria and cut it out, my skin went back to normal. If you find yourself with a massive breakout on your hands (well, face, really), my suggestion to you is that you consider any possible exposure to bacteria that your skin has had recently. This simple analysis might tell you exactly what the source is (especially if you're as dumb as I am and that source is as glaringly obvious). If nothing stands out to you, and you notice it spreading in an unusual pattern (most of us know our breakout areas and patterns) rather than improving, seeing a dermatologist might be helpful. I'm all about staying natural, but, as I've mentioned in other posts, there is a balance between feeling good about what's on the inside and what's on the outside- so if you have to sacrifice being super nice to your insides for a little bit so that you can bear to look at your outsides (which, in my case, was difficult to do), well, that's ok.

I hope that the lesson that I learned from my pseudo-traumatic experience were somehow helpful to you. Or, if not, that you were amused by the fact that I kept rubbing a stinky brush all over my face because of sheer stubbornness. Thanks for reading :-)

-Melissa

SONG OF THE DAY: Rihanna, "We Found Love (in a Hopeless Place)." As I nearly collapsed from loss of electrolytes during bootcamp at the gym today, I couldn't help but hazily notice that every other song they played was by Ri-Ri. Seriously, does no one else make good dance music anymore? Well, in case they don't, I decided to share the disturbing video for the one Rihanna song I actually enjoy. Time to go do some squats!

Get Outta Here, Frustration!- In Three Easy Steps

I was cursed with a very low threshold for frustration and annoyance; it doesn't take a whole lot to make me feel as though the world is falling apart. I went through a phase, after having realized this and chastising myself for it, when I tried to change it. I decided to try to be a cool, calm, "everything's gonna be ok" kind of person. But I have developed the personal belief that we cannot change the essential elements of who we are. I am a worrier, a pessimist; it occurs to me that the worst possible thing will happen to me before I realize that it might not. It is much more powerful and effective to try to cope with these traits and control them than it is to fruitlessly try to eradicate them.

I bring this up because, today, my threshold was surpassed several times; in fact, I basically spent the whole day at a steady and perpetual "threat level orange." In the past couple of years, I have combined my expertise as a degree holder of the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (please sense the the facetiousness) with information gleaned from my brief stints in therapy (Hey, what I say? I'm a believer!) to develop a method for coping with my frequent bouts of "freaking out"; unfortunately, I did not effectively use it today. I allowed myself to get to the point of strongly disliking (not hating- I wasn't quite seeing red) everyone and everything about today before I got the chance to decompress and apply my fool-proof three steps to chilling the eff out. But, once I finally did get around to it, I felt my blood pressure go down and my breathing regulate itself (yes, I am that anxious of a person). If you ever need this, just make sure you use it before your voice starts cracking uncontrollably in front of a client (or something equally unprofessional)...

I tried to look like this on the outside...

...but I felt like this on the inside!
Source: http://www.eduguide.org/library/viewarticle/753/

Analyze the Situation and Ask Yourself...


1. Is there anything I could have done to prevent the situation?

I am ashamed to admit that I am very quick to point the finger of blame at others when I am feeling at the end of my rope, which I think most of us know is not helpful. Why isn't helpful? Because we can't do anything about what other people do! So, strangely, I find it comforting to consider what I did wrong to create the situation at hand. Today, for instance, was the culmination of a level of procrastination not seen since Sociology 1A during my freshman year of college (which caused my infamous 4-week zit). So many little things went wrong today that really irked me, but when I thought about them, each one was something that could have been prevented by some good, old-fashioned time management. When I realized that, I went into problem solving mode: what could I do keep myself from having to do five days worth of work in one day? Um, I don't know, maybe do some work the other four days (Geez, Louise, how can I still have to tell myself these things? I only admit this because I know I'm not the only one!)? So many times in my life, I have felt better turning that finger of blame towards myself, because once it fixed straight on my shortcomings, I have the power and motivation to fix them.

Lunch of mama's delicious mole and Mexican rice leftovers that I never got to eat because of poor time management. I have no one to blame by myself... :-(

2. Is it worth doing things differently?


Once I know what actions I took that contributed to the situation, I have to make sure it is worth the effort to stop myself from taking them again. I know that sounds irresponsible, but we all encounter situations in our lives in which we are very conscious of the negative repercussions our decisions will have later, but we make them anyway. And this is ok occasionally, as long as we acknowledge those potential repercussions and are prepared to spend an hour, a day, a week, or any other undetermined amount of time being ok with blaming ourselves for any frustration we feel as a result. This route may be easier for those blessed with higher frustration thresholds than me; I have definitely done this more than once in my life (and will inevitably keep doing it), but, through an accumulation of life experience, I have learned that intentional avoidance of any frustration is healthiest for me. So, for me, it's usually worth the effort to make those changes in my behavior.


3. What are the things I can't change?


Most frustrating situations involve some kind of interaction between individuals, whether in a professional, personal, or any other setting. And, in any interaction, there are aspects that are out of your control. So, you need to be able to identify those and, as I like to do, literally picture them rolling off your shoulder, onto the ground, and into the sewer, where they belong. Things like mistakes other people make, what they think about you, what they say- these have no business bouncing around in your head. I kind of felt like some of the people I interacted with today were a little on the rude/presumptuous side; but, once I cleared my head by identifying my own mistakes and planning how to fix them, somehow it was a lot easier to let go of everyone else's faults. Could it be sympathy for their imperfections upon realizing my own? Who knows? I'm just glad it works!

Get that dirt off your shoulder like Snow White here (Thanks, Jack, for showing me the awesome tumblr with this gem of a gif...had to borrow it!).
 Source: http://meangirlgifs.tumblr.com/post/19542201338/haters-gonna-hate

Freud Don't Live Here Anymore...

Sorry, Sig- your teachings just don't cut it in a time crunch!
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud

As you can see, this method deals primarily with changing behaviors and thoughts, not feelings. For so long, I was stuck in the mentality that I should not feel frustrated; but all that bred was guilt and, ironically, more frustration. It was really quite liberating for me to realize that there are intentional actions that I can take to avoid unpleasant feelings (or at least try to get them under control as quickly as possible). No more lying on the couch delving into painful childhood memories to understand your quirks (although I do still enjoy the occasional psychoanalytic conversation with close friends ;-)); no, this is all about the new school- cognitive-behaviorism in the house, yo! Seriously, though, your thoughts and behavior are so much easier to control than your feelings, so try to control them and you'll take great strides toward avoiding the negativity that stems from frustration. This is no easy feat (oops, my title was misleading...); I have to work at this almost everyday, and, as I already shared, some days I am more successful than others. But, I am telling you, the days that I choose to react using these steps instead of blaming the world for my frustration- those are the better days :-).

Thanks for reading and I hope that this is helpful :-)

-Melissa

CLIP OF THE DAY: Scrubs, Season 5, Episode 9: "My Half-Acre." I love Scrubs. I love Donald Faison. I love dancing to "Poison" by Bel Biv Devoe. And I love the running man. If you watch this video, you will love all of these things, too. 

Getting the 411: The Skin Deep Cosmetics Database

Now that I am back home from my travels and settling back into my routine, I have had time to consider what I would like my next post to be about, and in what direction I'd like to take this blog. I kind of got freaked out, because I realized there was no easy, obvious choice. I had a running list of ideas, but none stood out to me as the one I had to pursue next. Then, my friend, Rita, called.

Rita and I are a lot alike, in that we both try to be conscientious consumers and are slightly paranoid about putting unhealthy things in our bodies. And so, her phone call a few days ago, anxiously and rapidly detailing how my first blog post had prompted her to spend her evening doing hours of research (I love how excited she gets!), should not have come as a surprise, but it did. I just did not think that my blog would influence anyone that heavily. But Rita had really taken off with it, having discovered information and resources in one night that took me two months to find. And one website that she came across was the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database by the Environmental Working Group, which I had been looking forward to exploring and possibly writing about. Her curiosity and proactivity made me realize that, because of the problems on which I had shed some light in my first post, it was time that I offer some solutions.

EWG's Skin Deep Database.

EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

The Skin Deep Cosmetics database has safety information and ratings for over 74,000 beauty products, ranging in everything from fragrances to hair care to sun protection. You can search their database for specific products or browse products according to category. Products are rated with an overall score ranging from 0-10, with 0 being the safest and 10 being "Chuck this. Chuck this now." (my own personal supplemental qualifier for their rating system. I know, I know- very effective.). Included with the numerical score is a rating by the database on the amount of research available about that particular product, ranging from "none" to "robust." If you're content with that level of information, you can stop there. OR, if you are detail-oriented, you can click on the product within the search results and find out the reasons why the product is rated as it is. If you decide to do so, you will be provided with ratings of the overall hazard, cancer concern, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunutoxicity, and use restrictions, as determined by the ingredients in the product. Beyond that, if you click the link that says "About the Ratings," you can get a breakdown of the level of safety and concerns for each individual ingredient in the product. More than you ever want to know, huh? Or, maybe, exactly what you need to know to make an informed decision (see below for examples of search results)...

I kind of wish I had known about this before I went all militant on my own skin care routine (see my first post), because, as it turns out, I wasn't doing too badly with what I was using (relatively speaking). Probably the scariest parts about the products were the levels of endocrine disruption and developmental and reproductive toxicity, which is disturbing, but not the indication of cancerous sludge that I was expecting. Here is a breakdown from the database of the three main products I was using in my skin care routine:

Face Wash: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

Health concern ratings for my Cetaphil Facial Cleaner.

Cetaphil was given an overall score of 3, which is a low-moderate risk. Not bad, considering the articles I had read decrying Cetaphil as the worst thing you can put on your skin- claims that nearly made me shed a tear for the flawless skin I would be sacrificing if I took them seriously. I did, in fact, take the claims seriously (though I did not actually shed a tear), and now I am wishing that I had done some more research. While I am still glad that I switched to oatmeal (which leaves my skin looking great without causing my endocrine system to go all nutty on me), my decision to stop using Cetaphil was based on the opinions of a blogger (stupid bloggers ;-P) rather than facts and data. Now that I see the data, I still feel that I made the right decision for myself, but I also feel that some of the claims about Cetaphil were highly exaggerated.

Night Time Moisturizer: Olay Regenerist Serum, Fragrance-Free

Health concern ratings for Olay Regenerist Serum, Fragrance Free.

My beloved Olay serum was scored 5 (moderate risk), by which I was also surprised. I figured any mass produced product that was so affordable and made my skin feel so much like silk had to be made of some unknowable laboratory concoction. Which I am sure this is. But the concoction is not as hazardous as I thought it would be. More hazardous than the rosewater and vegetable glycerin spray I use now, but not necessarily a product whose use I'd lose sleep over. 

Day Time Moisturizer: RoC Multi Correxion 4-Zone Daily Moisturizer, SPF 30

Health concern ratings for Roc 4-Zone Daily Moisturizer.

I remember the day that I bought this at Ulta. It was a relatively recent addition to my collection, made after I had started researching the dangers of ingredients in beauty products but before I realized that safe(r) products could be relatively affordable. Not that this was very affordable either, but compared the the $56 for the self-proclaimed natural cream that was my only alternative, $22 for this seemed like a good deal. I used this until about two weeks ago, and seeing this, I am glad that I stopped. I find the level of reproductive toxicity particularly alarming, though I shouldn't, given that avobenzone (a synthetic sunscreen), which is the main ingredient, is known to disrupt hormone balance. But, again, with a score of 6 (high-moderate risk), at least it did not flash bright red like I expected it would. 

Some Other Cool Things About the Cosmetics Database

1. If you click on one of categories of products listed across the top menu, it provides a list of products in order from lowest toxicity to highest, which means...

2. You can find safe alternatives by browsing through the list and searching either online or at your local health food or drugstore for said alternatives (tip: if you want to know how well the products work for their intended purpose, cross reference with ratings on MakeupAlley).

List of facial cleansers provided by the database. As you can see, these all have scores of 0, and they are a few of many.

3. The database does not link to sites where you can purchase the products, which reassures me that the EWG is not sponsored by particular brands, but rather is an unbiased, informative third party.

So, There Is Hope...

I know I freaked some people out with my first post (aha, got your attention!), and I am sorry for that. The truth is, going natural was a personal choice that I made because I wanted to make a conscious effort to avoid ingredients that are known or thought to be harmful whenever possible. But, while I do think it is important to be aware of what you are putting on your skin, it is possible to balance being well-informed with that healthy dose of vanity that makes us all want to look our best. I continue to use some makeup products that I'm sure don't rate so well- but I try to do so sparingly. That's what's so great about the Cosmetics Database: it covers the "well-informed" part so that you can make your own decision about the purchase and use of beauty products by weighing the facts against your own values. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope this relieved some of the anxiety I might have caused you earlier! 

-Melissa

NOTHING OF THE DAY: Today I woke up at 1 p.m. (I know- what a bum, right?!), started writing, went to my mom's house (and talked on the phone during the drive there-oops!), came home, and wrote some more- all that to say that I have not listened to a single song, watched a single TV show or movie, or seen a single picture today worth sharing. But, you did learn something about me from the sheer fact that I slept past noon. Take from that what you will...

Portland to Palmdale in a Day (And Other Recent Adventures)

This blog is starting to feel like a travel blog. It's not. It just so happens that I did the lion's share of my summer traveling in the past week and half, and had some cool experiences along the way :-). Yesterday, I completed the longest single-day drive of my life: from Portland, OR to Palmdale, CA- 15 hours, 950 miles, and (luckily) three drivers. It's definitely not something I'd recommend that you do often, nor was it as bad as I thought it would be. Good conversation and some hilaaaaarious (any Louis C.K. fans out there?) comedy albums to fill the silence made it completely...bearable.

The 952 miles did not take us 16 and a half hours to drive...but it still tested our patience, perseverance, and ability to withstand the odor of three people crammed into one car for the duration of their waking hours.

We were returning from a long-anticipated trip to Oregon for the nuptials of two of our favorite people in the whole entire universe, Jon and Jessica. Maybe part of the reason the drive was so bearable was that we were still coming down from the high of such a relaxing and fun trip. You all would hate me if I tried to include all of the details of our trip ("Not ANOTHER novel from this chick," you'd think to yourself, rolling your eyes and quickly closing your browser window), so I'll just describe the highlights and hopefully make you want to make the long, but beautiful, journey to the Pacific Northwest yourself.

The Drive There

The view right outside the door of our little road-side motel room in Dunsmuir, CA (please don't mind my finger ;-)).

Israel and I were alone for the drive up the 5 (yes, THE 5- not I-5, not Highway 5, not just 5, you non-Southern Californian weirdos!), as our third companion, my big brother, Eric, flew up to meet us. We had two days to get from Southern California to Portland, so our pace going there was more leisurely than the return. On our first day, we drove from Palmdale to the quaint little mountain town (as all mountain towns are, at least in my experience of having grown up in one) of Dunsmuir, CA. Here, my dream of finding a relatively cheap roadside motel with awesome views and nearby culinary destinations came true. The Dunsmuir Inn & Suites was nestled right among all of the redwoods that surround Mt. Shasta. AND less than half of a mile away there turned out to be a local microbrewery, Dunsmuir Brewery Works, with delicious food, their own IPA, and cherry-pie made from scratch with cherries grown on a tree right next door! A quick one-night stay over turned out to be a detour worth making again :-).

Fresh-baked cherry pie a la mode at Dunsmuir Brewery Works.

McMenamins Edgefield


After our surprisingly pleasant and relaxing night in Dunsmuir, we hopped back onto the 5, weaved our way through the remainder of the Northern California redwoods, and crossed the border into Oregon. Though Dunsmuir was a hoot, we were now headed toward our REAL destination: Edgefield.

We pulled off the 5 and went on a mini-hike to get this picture of the "Oregon Welcomes You" sign with the endearing green paint splatter.

McMenamins Edgefield is a wonderland for fine beer-wine-liquor-tots-and/or-greenery-loving adults. Allow me to explain. First of all, by tots, I mean tater, not two-year-olds. And by tots, I mean AMAZING! NOT Napoleon Dynamite lunchroom-looking tots. Oh, no. These are a fried potato delicacy, offered in both plain and cajun styles. I could write a whole blog post just about these tots, so I should just stop there. The beer-wine-liquor component is easily explained by the fact that Edgefield has its own brewery, distillery, and winery ON SITE- fine beverages and the source is literally feet away. As for the greenery, a few simple pictures of the grounds speak for themselves.

The garden on site at Edgefield, which provides some of the vegetables used in Edgefield's restaurants.

Greenery defined. Just gorgeous.

Just chillin' with my glass of Black Rabbit Red...

Edgefield, like other McMenimins locations, has a rich history and backstory to its property. This particular location was first established as a poor farm near the turn of the century (1911), then became a nursing home after WWII. It spent the 1980's abandoned and derelict, until it was purchased by McMenamins in 1990, and the conversion into the beautiful property we get to enjoy today began. Among all of this rich history, beautiful scenery, hearty food, home-made libations, and loving friends and family, our good friends exchanged their vows, and I cried- A LOT. Luckily, they were happy tears, and the wedding and days surrounding it (during which we were lucky enough to get to stay at Edgefield) were a blast.

The quirky artwork inside the main building tells the history of the property.

The winery is located in the basement and has a cozy yet creepy vibe, if such a thing is possible. Oh yeah, legend has it that the building is haunted. This is the only place that makes me think it might be...but it's still cool :-)

Portland


Between all of the wedding festivities, we managed to squeeze in a day in Portland. Not being well-seasoned hipsters, we decided to stay in the downtown area, which boasts what I think is one of the coolest attractions in Portland: Powell's City of Books. This place is ridiculous- it takes up a whole city block and has color-coded rooms to direct you to what you're looking for BECAUSE IT'S THAT BIG. Jackpot Records and EM (Everyday Music) are also worth checking out if you're vinyl collector, which Israel recently became. We ended the night at a bar/club called Dixie's, which reminded me of the places I used to party at in San Diego when I turned 21. This is good because it allowed me to reminisce and dance as I have not done in a while; it was bad because I realized how old I am getting when I was kind of annoyed that I couldn't carry on a decent conversation because of how damn loud it was. A late-night stop at Dante's Pizza helped clear my ears and fill my stomach, but I only got to stare longingly at Voodoo Donuts, as the line was way too long to stand in at 1a.m. Next time, Voodoo. Next time.

Didn't get a picture myself, so I had to borrow this blurry one from Powell's website. Source: http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books/

Oregonian Suburbia 


My cousin, Fatemeh, was kind enough to open her home to us on our last night in Oregon- and what a gorgeous home it was. It was built into a hill among the famous and ubiquitous Oregon pine trees, of which you got THE most spectacular view from the large (like, floor to ceiling large) window of her family room. A walk around the neighborhood, including down a lovely trail about 500 feet from her house, had me convinced that this is where I want to live. Israel thinks that I couldn't handle it because of all of the rain. I love this man to death, but sometimes I wonder if he knows me but at all!

Feeling like a kid again in the Oregon suburbs :-)

Portland to Palmdale in a Day...


The saddest part of any fun trip is saying goodbye. We woke up early on our last day in Oregon to say goodbye to Fatemeh and her lovely family, and off we embarked on the part we had all been dreading: the 15 hour drive home. We split it into three 5 hour shifts, with Israel, the morning person, going first, me, the NON- morning person, going second, and my brother, the brave person, going last. Probably the highlight of the trip was that, after years of making that drive up the 5, we FINALLY stopped at Santa Nella for the "World Famous Pea Soup." It was good. The cheese and bacon helped. Certainly beat our other options of Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell. The other highlight was finally seeing the lights of the Antelope Valley on my right as we approached it on the 138. Much as I pine (haha, get it? Me so clever!) for a home like Oregon, right now this place is my home- and I was relieved to be back.

So here I sit, with honey on my face (will write a post about that soon!) and memories in my heart, feeling lucky that I have the opportunity to make little journeys like this one and fantastic friends and family to make them fun. Thanks for reading. I hope that you'll consider checking these places out if you ever find yourself on the same path I did, and let me know about experiences you've had if you've already been there!

ALBUM OF THE TRIP: Louis C.K., Hilarious. Sometimes people suck, and this man is a GENIUS at making fun of the reasons why. So funny that we listened to it on the way there AND the way back.

"Hey, I got a cup, in case we need another cup."
"Dude, you're a GENIUS."
- Louis C.K., Hilarious