Good morning, world!

Today I sit looking onto my front lawn while the morning sun stretches across the stillness.   A year ago today I woke up in Santiago on Thanksgiving morn in Eugene, Oregon.  We were parked on the street in Jacob's neighborhood - what a glorious day that was!

The boys went golfing in the morning, and JJ and I went shopping for dinner.  Since the boys are, well, boys .... there was not much for food in the refrigerator.  There was beer, ketchup, and some other yummy treats.  Not that I have a lot of room for this judgement, I in fact had none.  


Sis and I had arrived in Eugene just a few days earlier on our grand Peace Love and Coffee Tour.  Guess what was in our fridge?  Coffee, ketchup, and some various staples.  :)  We had already run out of money and had just enough gas to plant ourselves in Eugene .... but the stories that came from that experience are priceless and are full of laughter and tears.


We made an arrangement, us girls and those charming boys.  They would pay for the food and we would prepare the feast!  Perfect! They also provided us with a warm place to hang out, shower, and call home for a bit.  Thanks Jakie, Clay, Casey and Scott!

Their first time carving the turkey.

It was such a humbling experience for a mama to have these young adults provide the financial support for a holiday meal.  But how grateful I was for them, for the food, and for the opportunity to cook for them.  We had NFL, turkey, mashed potatoes, and homemade pecan pie!  Yum!


In radical appreciation for this day,
Lisa

Mike's favorite coffee place (I'm posting on his behalf)

My personal favorite place to have coffee (especially with beautiful company like Lisa) is on our back patio here in Eugene,OR.

Much love, Mike.

We are off to the west coast!

Tomorrow is our departure from Eugene to the coast to restart our journey down Highway 101!  "Santiago" looks forward to drying out the wetness he has absorbed in the last few rainy weeks in Oregon.  I think he took on about 100 lbs!  "Metro Millie" (our scooter) even got a little TLC and is ready to go, too!

This parking lot at Valley Covenent Church was our home for the last 5 weeks ... they have been amazing hosts.  On Christmas Eve I helped them light luminarias around the church before the evening service where I was welcomed with open arms.  The folks at St. Vincent de Paul found the parking spot for us when we felt lost and needed a place to land.  The staff at "First Place" was awesome!

Boy, do I miss the sun on my face.  We will be adding more color to Santiago once we have more than 30 minutes of sunshine.  He is SO ready for more sass!

This is me and Mike.

He has shown me the sights and sounds of Eugene over the last month.  Thanks, Mike!

This is Adam.

I have been working for him for the last several weeks in his home office.  You know how I love to organize!  We have also become very good friends.  Our friendship may even last awhile, IF I don't bonk him over the head first.

There is something about the people in this quirky and diverse cultural climate.  When I first arrived I found myself judging their actions based on what I expected to see here ~ love bugs, peace signs and smiles.  And they may not be friendly at first glance, but what I have observed after letting go of those expectations is compassion, depth of character, and their sense of connectedness with the universe. 

A little word of advise ~ get out there in the world!

Listen to your heart and

acknowledge your dreams.

I did it and look what I have found!  Love, friendship, new adventures ... strength, courage, wisdom ... listening to your heart has its advantages :)

Ciao for now!

Sunshine ...

Sunshine is a great builder of soul power!  Like solar power, it generates goodness exponentially!  Eugene has little to no sunshine this time of year, so as a "Eugeny" I am learning to savor the glimpses of that warm, bright thing in the sky.  I take that time to recharge my battery with the juice of new energy.

I am visiting Gary's Coffee in Eugene near the 5th Street Artisan District.  I love, love, love my barista!  His cool, orange energy is very "sun-like" and I am soaking it in.  Can you tell I listened to Sheryl Crow earlier?  His name is John and he has been barista-ing for 9 years with his beginnings in Michigan, of all places.  Since I am in the NW, they have convinced me that this IS the place for US coffee history and I have messages into a couple of people to find out more about that.  I will ask them about the Michigan connection ... tee hee.

He just walked away to assist a guest .... more soon :)  I'll get a picture, too.

The Shift ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

There it was on the calendar of the church I went to today: "The Shift"!  YAY!!!! 

I have been so excited about seeing this movie by Wayne Dyer and here it is!  I could have just spit!  I was able to stay to watch it this afternoon.  It was different than I expected it to be as I thought it was addressing the shift happening in the world ~ humanity's shift.  But it was about the shift that happens in the later seasons of one's life.  I guess it fit metaphorically.  It was beautifully done!  I loved every moment as he walked through human stages of growth toward wisdom.  I highly recommend this for everyone!

The movie touched my soul.  I felt like he was speaking to me personally.  It softened my outlook on myself and I realized that I need to give myself space.  Lots of it, actually.  Space to breath.  Space to listen.  Space to make mistakes and be wrong.  Space to celebrate, too. 

I am so very hard on myself, especially lately.  Here we are in Eugene near family, three weeks into our journey.  The weather is fair during the day, but the nights get pretty cold, like 30 degrees and damp.  We don't want to intrude on Jacob's household of young men, but we don't have any heat in Santiago as our propane tanks are empty and I need to make money to fill them.  Yuck.  I feel stuck here and frankly, a bit desperate.  But that is part of the journey and I want to experience all of it fully. 

"Dragon" has a vegetable farm in Willamette Valley now, but used to have a soul food restaurant on the Oregon Coast AND he knows Five Points in Denver (my hometown!).  He is a happy person, for sure.  We chatted for a bit at the Saturday Farmer's Market today (yes, they are open on Sundays, too).  He said with a huge grin, "So Eugene has been good to you!  Welcome."  He's right!  I found a job likity-split and have meet FABULOUS people here!  It's all in how you see it.  I am blessed!  I just need to look at it from the correct lens. 

Tee hee hee.  Sis and I convinced the boys to let us both sleep in the house tonight (we sneaked the kitties in, too).

Today I choose joy! (Thanks, Rev. Linda)