And just like that is was August and we’re living in Portland…
That’s right, the move finally happened. After two weekends of back and forth trips between Vancouver and Portland, packing boxes, unpacking boxes, sorting, storing and donating, we are more or less settling into our new city life.
To say it was a piece-of-cake would be a total lie; I definitely do not recommend moving yourself unless you are being forced to. Because we were only moving some things to the condo and procrastinated on sorting, donating, and throwing away things, our move was a bit more complicated and harder to delegate to a moving company or friends and family. Again, do not recommend, definitely get movers if you can or have a packing party with friends. We did it though!
It’s been a much bigger adjustment moving to the city than I thought it would be. Then again, the last time that I lived in the heart of a city was when I lived in Canton in Downtown Baltimore in 2011-ish, so a good 10 years. I love city life {most parts}, but I’m much more sensitive, rather much more tuned in, to how the energy of certain places and how it affects me. I can definitely feel the hustle and bustle of city energy.
For the first week that we were here I felt like I had lighter fluid coursing through my veins. I was always running through the lists of what I needed to check off before I could relax {kind of how I functioned in 2018} leaving me anxious and most likely in fight/flight mode. I wasn’t sleeping well, getting anxious about not getting sleep, over-caffeinating to compensate for said sleep deprivation and doing it all over again. It wasn’t until last weekend that I was finally able to checkout. I booked a massage and a pedicure, went for a hike in Forest Park {now a stones throw away from us} and tried to avoid my to-do list.
Now that I’ve had some time to decompress, I’m finding new daily habits that help establish that calm in an {energetically} less calm environment. I do miss the quiet of living outside of it all and being able to step out the back door and put my feet on earth, but with a few tweaks to my daily life I can still get that. I’ve also been getting back on the meditation train {noise-canceling headphones have been a game-changer!} and carving out several times a week to journal which has really helped me clear my head!
Hope your month is off to a great start! xx
Listening To
Vanessa Wants To Know Podcast – Oddly enough I started with the final episode from season 1 finale. I’ve always been fascinated by people’s life journey {especially other multi-hyphenates and explorers} and how they got to where they are and this episode is exactly that. I also really loved her episode with Phillip Lim and his journey towards sustainability as sustainable fashion is a big interest of mine.
I randomly put on this episode of Life with Marianna and am really glad that I did! It features excerpts from three different interviews {Melissa Wood, Melody Ehsani, Jen Atkin, and Tinx} that all center around finding your passion. These kinds of episodes always inspire me when I’m feeling stuck in a creative rut or need a little razzle dazzle in my week.
Reading
Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown – I’ve literally had this sitting on my nightstand for almost two years and am finally forcing myself to read it. So far it’s a winner. If you’ve ever suffered from self-doubt, perfectionism, judgement or any shade of something in between I highly recommend it.
Things Of Note
I have this laptop case from Cuyana, but recently came across this case and am so curious about the cactus leather!
I have a mild obsessed with AMANU sandals. I have a low volume foot so finding sandals with straps that fit snug over the top of my foot can be hard to. AMANU has made-to-order sandals {as well as a collection of ready-to-wear} so I can have the straps adjusted to fit snug over the top of my food. I have these and absolutely love them. They’re so versatile and go with anything and everything. They also launched heels earlier this year that I can’t wait to try!
After 2 months of trying, I finally found a pair of denim shorts that I love! They’re the perfect length and not too tight. I have them in Snapshot and Vortex.
I love a good back situation and this Héro onesie has my heart.
Cannot get enough of SIR The Label’s dresses this year – they’re the perfect mix of edge and femininity and have effortless summer style written all over them. I’ve had my eye on this floral print and love the way their knit dresses fit.
xo
~S
S. All images and their original sources can be found here.
