Well I know I'm long over due on a blog update and have had a lot going on in my life in the past 2 weeks.
Lets start off with some happy times and where i left off.
SO as i mentioned in my last blog i booked a flight home to see my family and MY GRANDMA.
So i caught my flight from PDX to JFK
I missed flying with a passion. I don't know why but i love plane rides.
Upon landing at JFK i was greeted by my mom and lots of hugs. She said she missed the smell of me.
I guess moms have a memory of the way their children smell????
We got to take a nice drive through New York to get back to NJ.
Mom and i Spent much of the morning chatting and trying to soak up the sun.
It was nice to get to see her and spend some time with her. I missed her more than words can describe.
I worked from her laptop while getting sun burnt in the back yard then took a much needed nap.
It was surreal but really nice to be back at Mom and Stan's home.
Later that afternoon Janis came to get me from moms and we took the drive down to the town i grew up in. It was an awesome hour and a half car ride of being stuck in traffic. Janis and i listened to music and talked about all kinds of stuff.
Janis dropped me off at my friend Adrienne's House.
I made Adrienne promise not to tell her kids i was coming so it would be a surprise.
I was greeted by the cutest Shrieking little girl screams as Ariana ran across the street to hug me in shock that i was standing before her.
Just then Faith came down stairs cause Adrienne told her to go let the cable guy in. Faith swore i was the best cable guy ever. LOL. I really missed these two and Adrienne.
Faith and Ariana are two of my favorite kids ever,
From there Shannon came and met me at a near by park. For those of you who don't know Shannon is the girl tattooed on my leg. She is like a sister to me. She spent most of my teenage years staying with me at moms. She was my partner in crime. And has done a lot of traveling with me over the years.
She decided to walk with me over to dads with a pit stop to see another long time friend i had not seen in years. My friend Gregg who i knew from high school. It was nice to see Gregg for the few brief minutes I did. From there Shannon and i giggled just like old times the whole way to dads.
TROUBLE REUNITED!!!!!
Axel came by dads with his bike to take me for a ride. He said since i didn't have a MC license there was no way in hell i was driving his bike so i bundled up and hopped on the back.
It was so nice to feel the wind in my hair again.
We didn't go far but i appreciated him taking me for a ride.
This is one of my favorite pictures i took from the back of his bike.
All while we were distracting dad my brother B was on his way down from PA to spend some quality time together with us as a Family.
B showed up and dad was beyond happy that he had both his kids together at his new home.
It seemed to be the beginning of a weekend you only see in movies and it gets better.
Considering I have been gone for a while and my brother Living in PA and us really not seeing each other much while i was in NJ we realized he had turned 21 and was now 22 and we had never had a drink in a bar together
let along with dad and Fran.
The night was filled with Singing, Dancing, Lots of giggles, and smiles.
I even had the DJ get on his knees and sing Bruce Springsteen's Jersey Girl to me due to my back tattoo.
Dad and Fran went home early while Shannon, B and I all went to another local Bar.
We had the best walk home which consisted of way too much laughing.
Shannon, B, and I were up till the sun came up laughing. I felt like i was in high school again.
My face hurt from smiling, laughing and i almost lost my voice from talking.
I swear i thought stuff like this only happened in movies.
I forgot what it was like to Be this Happy.
The last thing i remember before bed was someone sending me a Picture text with the words
Lucky You.
The next morning I woke and It turns out maybe my luck is changing and maybe i am a very very lucky girl.
Yup you got that right That's a 4 leaf clover and Its mine all mine.
LOL.
It was so amazing to have my dad and brother and Fran and Shannon all together.
My family really is amazing and this isn't even the beginning. It gets better.
From there my mom came to get me to go visit my grandparents.
My grandma has been feeling under the weather to say the least.
Grandma is a very private person so I'm not going to get into any of that but Lets just say i HAD to come home to see her. My grandma and grandpa are sort of amazing. When my mom had to work Grandma and Grandpa were always there for me. I was their 1st grandchild and the one who needed the most guidance. They really did bestow some amazing things in me that I'm slowly waking up and realizing. I admire them in everyday possible. They have been married for close to 65 years and are two of the most amazing people i have ever been blessed to know and love.
It was a great day getting to sit and talk with them. Grandma seemed pleased that my head is in a much better place these days and I'm actually focusing on myself and finding true happiness in myself.
we had a nice visit sitting outside on the back patio.
They both want nothing but the best for me.
I loved getting hugs from them both.
Aunt Lynn stopped by as we moved the family gathering indoors we spent a good long time talking and catching up. MY aunt Lynn is sort of amazing too. I really have been blessed with an amazing family. How did i get so lucky?
After a wonderful visit with the family mom and i headed back north to relax for a bit before people arrived at moms for a mini welcome home gathering.
It was an amazing night.
My high school friend Courtney came up.
Courtney means the world to me. She is another lady in my life who is like the sister i always wanted.
The funny thing about the picture below is Shannon, Me , and Courtney were in separable back in the day. And this is the first time since high school the three of us were back together.
Stan and Mom got a nice fire going in the back yard As people started to arrive.
Another friend who i had not seen since high school Kim stopped by too. It was a very magical evening.
I can't thank Mom and Stan AKA MY Staddy (Step Dad) for an amazing night.
You really did make me miss NJ which i didn't know was possible.
Maybe it was more that i missed my family and friends then NJ its self.
But Mom and Stan you truly are the Best.
Now for those of you that know me know my whole life i dreamed and prayed for the day that my mom and dad could be friends and hang out like old times before i was born.
Well my life truly is magical and i swore stuff like this only happens in movies, But my mom and Stan decided that since my time home was so short that maybe it would be nice if my dad and Fran and my brother B came up to share this special night of me being home.
It was amazing to watch my mom and dad laugh and chat like they were old friends and to see
My dads WONDERFUL girlfriend Fran and my mom and my AMAZING Step dad Stan all hanging out laughing and being friends too was a dream come true.
I swear that night was every child from a divorced families dream come true.
Thank you MOM, STAN, DAD, and FRAN Oh and of course B.
Many other friends stopped by that night too but i feel like I'm flooding this blog with a million pics so didn't want to add too many more. Thank you TOM, AXEL, Cowboy MIKE and everyone else who stopped by to share this amazing night with me.
The next morning Mom and i woke and had breakfast with Stan.
I said my sad goodbyes to Stan. I feel my time with Stan wasn't enough.
As we may have had our differences when i was growing up (But i was one hell of stubborn kid)
BUT Stan has proven to my best friend.
He is the best step dad anyone could ever ask for.
After lots of Hugs Mom and i were off to Girls day in New Hope PA to go wander the hippie stores and go see the Psychic which was always a mothers day tradition when i was around.
If you didn't know New Hope is an awesome little town in PA.
Very witchy and artsy and sort of hippie-ish
When we arrived the streets were lined with motorcycles and lots of people wandering enjoying the beautiful day.
We went and got our cards read by my favorite psychic who had lots of interesting things to say.
Some of which had already happened and some that i guess we will have to wait and see.
Janis drove up to have lunch with us.
Mom seemed really happy that it was such an amazing girls day out.
All of this is exactly what the Dr ordered if you ask me.
After lunch Mom took us to check into our Hotel that Janis and I booked so we could enjoy a great night of music in New Hope with friends and not have to drive home. After Checking into our room we went back over to my favorite little bar John and Peters to meet up with my friend Jennifer and Matt who i can't seem to find a picture of on my camera (which makes me sad) But we enjoyed a nice bite to eat and a drink. They took us back to our Hotel so Janis could change attire for the evening and we could meet up with my little brother B who rode his motor cycle up to spend yet another EPIC night with his big sister. I LOVE my little brother. I really wish we could have grown up together but there is no reason to dwell on the past. He is in my life now and that's what matters.
After Janis Jazzed herself up we headed back to John and Peters and to my surprise upon walking in Courtney and Axel drove up to spend my last night in town with me too. Could life get any better?
PS i love the speed bump signs in new hope.
The night was just getting started and the bar was filling in with interesting people.
I was in my glory and to make the night just a little better my friend's band from LA was playing.
Yup Warner Drive. Their music makes me happy.
It was an amazing night for them too. Jess from CKY and Mickey from Ween had decided to get up and play ace of spades with Warner Drive during their set. I must say it was sort of EPIC.
3 of my favorite Bands together. Sort of awesome.
My phone didn't take the best of pictures but here are a few i took during their set.
After their set it was cool to chat with them, and run into a few old friends.
It was cool to see Chad and Jess again and to run into Matty J amongst many others.
It was a great night. After the show Janis, B and I headed Back to the Hotel. B and Janis went off to play pool and find more drinks while i had a chat with a friend. I swear i was the first one asleep that night. Though i tossed and turned all night. I have been having the Weirdest dreams ever. I wish i knew why but that is a whole other blog post this one is already way too long. And still not over.
The next morning We all woke and went to meet a friend for brunch.
I swear this whole weekend home was magical in many ways.
After saying my good byes to my brother He took off on his bike and Janis and i went to get her fried pickles and then back to NJ we went.
I stopped by to check on Brians grandparents but we won't get into all that.
From there Axel came and kidnapped me to go see his amazing daughter.
Just as we were off to the airport Rich Oi Called saying sad he missed me.
Well to surprise Rich i wasn't gone yet we made a pit stop to have a Taylor Ham lunch with him at the REO.
From there is was back off to JFK and back home to PDX
Turns out due to fog and rain my flight was delayed by over an hour but no one told me.
I fell asleep on the plane and woke an hour later to discover i was still on the ground in NY.
Luckily I was so tired from such and amazing dream like weekend I passed out for almost the rest of the flight back.
Yes i know upon returning back to PDX i made a very shocking announcement Via FB but I'm not going to get into that in this blog. Maybe i will touch on that in my next one cause my blog is about to take a whole new turn cause life is about to get interesting to say the least.
Just know Brian and I are still friends its just what is best.
Ok back to the update. Upon returning home Zay needed a hair model for his interview so i volunteered my head. And no he would not hawk my hair nor would he dye it pink but he did give me some very nice layers and added a bit of blonde to the crown of my head. Pictured blow. Thanks Zay and it turns out he got the job too. GO ZAY!!!!
Ive been working my ass off at the gym and am Now down to 135lbs
My trainer was beyond proud that i have been working so hard and actually lost 8.5 inches total in 2.5 weeks. Not like you could tell by my amazing Gym attire seen here. Ill post a body pic in my next blog. maybe.
I have been realizing that i am having up days and down days. I'm trying to hold on to the Up's to help me make it past the downs.
Packing = a major DOWN. I hate packing.
But while packing more luck found its way into my life.
I heard my back door slam and freaked out thinking someone was in my house.
Well that someone who broke into my house was this little Black cat.
They say black cats are good luck and this one just tried adopting me. Too bad for this kitty I'm moving very very soon and can't take a cat where I'm going.
But she keeps coming by to visit me so i named her Juniper Jinx. Considering she kept trying to knock over my juniper plant on my back porch.
The next day was a Huge UP.
I was graced with a visit from one of my favorite people. Lily. Now Lily and i have chatted via email, and by phone for many many years but have never spent more than 5 minutes hanging out. and yes she is one of my favorite people. She has an amazing story and is such an inspiration.
Lily is an amazing writer.
Lily and i have have helped each other through tough times.
I value her friendship more than words can explain.
We randomly met through a website we both used to work for. She was in NYC and me in LA at the time. Its not my place to tell her story here but lets just say I love and believe in her and she has come so far from when i first started talking to her.
I used to dream about sitting in a park having long chats about life with her.
Well after many years that dream came true.
She arrived in PDX and i made sure my whole day was free for her.
Finally a picture of the two of us not in Halloween costumes as we met in passing in NYC on Halloween a few years ago.
She is a beautiful soul inside and out.
It was also a magical day cause she was reunited with her best friend chase that day too.
Chase is a great person too. We laughed and smiled and talked about life while wandering cemeteries to remember that life is so precious so seize the day.
We stopped to smell the roses in Portland's amazing Rose Garden.
I'm so grateful i got to spend the day with both Lily and Chase.
I have faith their lives are about to become amazing too.
The next day i woke early to head over to Help Tiffany with 2 photo shoots that she was modeling for.
The first one was an out door shoot.
She was shooting with a photographer named P-Mod
He was very nice.
While they were shooting i was on people look out so i sat down on the grass next to a bed of clovers and decided to start looking through to see if there were any 4 left clovers and to my surprise
I found 8 more 4 leaf clovers
I'm starting to believe my luck is bound to change.
The next shoot she had set up was at her house so i went and laid on her floor like a bum and just used her phone to snap behind the scenes pics while Dwam photographed her. This was my favorite pic i took on her phone of her snarling at her cats.
I also got to meet Tiffany's guy friend James for the first time too. He was very sweet and a perfect match for her. I'm happy he makes her smile.
Before departing P-Mod pulled out this beauty and i almost wet myself. I love this camera.
One day i will have enough $$$ to have one to call my own. Dad drool i did.
You ask what did i do for memorial day? UM a whole lot of Nothing. I went to the gym and sat in front of a computer and slacked off. Yup i took a mental health relax day and decided i didn't have to do anything.
And finally today i decided to be random.
The other day a friend of a friend commented on my instagram in regards to my vintage camera collection picture i had posted. He asked where i get them from. So i told him if he wanted i would take him on a tour of the most amazing vintage shops in SE Portland. He said why not. So we met up after i finished work today and had a great time wandering Portland by foot checking out all the retro stores that Hawthorne had to offer. It was a good day spent laughing and making a new friend who digs photography too.
Its funny that he has lived here longer than me but i was showing him around.
After we ran out of vintage stores on Hawthorne we decided to go grab a beer.
So i took him to my favorite bar in SE........ Yup APEX!!!!
Boys be warned Do not think you can drink Ghost Chili Infused Beer like me.
Its F-Ing Hot to say the least.
I love the stuff but i promise you it will make you cry.
Not me but YOU WILL CRY.
Proof below.
I guess me and my choice of drinks scares guys but that's OK in my book.
I'm happy i got to spend the day talking about cameras and all kinds of fun things with my new friend.
The down side of today was upon returning home I found out that a great friend from LA Passed away today.
RIP Mikey.
I didn't have time to dig through and find a pic of him but he was the first friend i made upon moving from NJ to Huntington Beach CA.
Ill never forget riding my bike over to get a phillie cheese steak and meeting him outside of the tattoo shop. I so should have been taught not to strangers but Mikey was an amazing soul. When i had black widows in my closet i will never forget calling Mikey and his boss allowing him to leave work and ride his bike to my place to kill these two tiny spiders for me. He never let me live that down. I would let him stay on my couch when he didn't feel like going back to LA. For all my years in LA we stayed in touch. He always checked up on me from time to time. And when he worked at the tattoo shop on sunset in Hollywood there were many of nights he took my keys away and made me and Arabia walk home. Even when i moved back to NJ he would call to make sure i was OK.
He was an amazing person and he will be missed by many. Including me.
Life has been interesting and I'm starting to feel like myself again.
But i still have some rough days and BIG decisions ahead of me.
I figure i will save that for my next blog.
For those that are curious i am moving out of my apartment tomorrow.
I'm going to stay with 2 amazing friends so don't worry i will be OK.
I'm just not looking forward to the rest of the packing i have to do tomorrow.
I'm staying strong and Have some amazing friends looking out for me who i have known forever.
And Brain and i are still friends.
Us going our own ways is just what is best.
I'm off to get some sleep so i can pack and move tomorrow.
Sorry for the lengthy Novel. I'm getting good at typing novels let me tell you.
You don't even know the 1/2.
Thank you for reading and following.
Till next time.
~T~
