let's be farmers...

i grew up in oklahoma in a town of 45,000. but i was a city girl at heart. i wasn't much for the cowboys that seemed to come in abundance. and i denied the idea that we were in the south. my mom and i would take frequent shopping trips to "the city" and yes, that's what we called it...and i would love to buy things at the trendy stores...i had no interest in horses, country music, having land...and i didn't understand "small town charm". and even when i first moved away from oklahoma, i was a little embarrassed to say where we were from...

but now i see that there is beauty in simple living, of growing your own food, having your own chickens to get your eggs...and i actually crave that life. i would love to own some land here in oregon. grow our own vegetables...and heaven forbid, maybe even have a cow.

i think maybe oregon has taught that to me. i drive out in the country and i am amazed. i can't imagine what it would be like to be a farmer here. it would be so much fun.

city life is wonderful. i love the culture. i love what it brings...but i have found and respected that thing called country living. and i hope i can bring some of that into my life...the life i wouldn't take part in as a child. it's still part of my heritage and i'm starting to embrace it.

i think i use to think you were cool if you lived in a big city...and now i'm realizing that is not the case. sure, there are some darn cool people in portland, i could only dream of being that cool. but i'm not so sure the city is what makes them cool.

country living for the first time in my life, is starting to appeal to me. i think i finally understand why travis loves the wheat fields of oklahoma and has such wonderful memories of helping his papa on the farm.

i just read lacie's blog on intentional community living and my heart leaped with joy...growing crops together, living on a big piece of land with a group of people and having our own garden and farm...what beauty!

"...She lifts her skirt up to her knees
Walks through the garden rows with her bare feet, laughing..." [ray lamontagne]

hiking at the gorge

thatch's first hike was a success. we went on a small little hike this week. the weather was beautiful, thatch slept in the ergo...i can't ask for anything more.

Here's to Thatch!

limited edition celebration pale ale...

Balanced with three types of hops, this American-style pale is down right delicious. Cascade and Williamette varieties with their citrus notes and subtle woody tones give this brew a lively flavor. Garnished with crystal hops for a floral aroma...mmmm it tastes so good on the lips. So, enjoy this limited edition beautiful thirst-quenching liquid delight.

And be sure to raise your glass and say,
“Here’s to Thatch!”

paternity leave

well...i'm slowly starting back to work (continuing to do graphic design at home and work on my card company) and travis has started his 2 months of paternity leave...hooray!!

this summer will be full of trips to the farmers market, hikes, and anything and everything outside...and hopefully a little more sleep for me!

minimal living

i saw this post and loved it...i'm a minimalist at heart and hope i can still be like that, even with the swings and toys that seem to be collecting at the moore household.

i can't remember how to make it a link and don't have time to look, so i guess you can just copy and paste...

http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-guide-to-creating-a-minimalist-home/

and this

http://www.blissfullydomestic.com/frugal_living/index.html

wine country

some of my college friends are here helping me with thatch. they overlapped their trip and we went to tour some of the wineries in our area. it was so beautiful!! cat came thursday and today...christi is staying through the week. it is so good to hang out with old friends, it's one of life's sweetest blessings!! and this weekend i finally got my nose pierced! yea!

heat wave

i love it that the 90s (with no humidity) is considered a heat wave here in oregon. people here freak out about it. and to tell you the truth, i'm freaking out about it too. this is my kind of place. i love the mild summers and that it only gets into the 90s a few times! here's to summer in portland...it is going to be a fun one...hikes with thatch, lots of walks, and hanging outside! wahoo!!

singing

"jesus jesus how i trust you
how i prove you o'er and o'er
jesus jesus precious jesus
oh for grace to trust you more"

this is the hymn i've been singing to thatch to put him to sleep. i love singing hymns over him. they are a hell of a lot better than nursery rhythms. : ) nothing against nursery rhymes or anything.

life is good. i spend a lot of the day with thatch in a sling bouncing on an excercise ball. he is a little high maintenance and takes some work to go to sleep and stay asleep. but he loves his sling and loves to sleep on walks...and he nurses for almost an hour and every 2 1/2 hours. i'm nursing almost every other hour...whew! i'm starting to read chronicles of narnia while i'm feeding. sometimes it works better than others. and i end up watching t.v. a lot...the life of a newborn!

thatch has been so much fun. i'm just loving motherhood. and he just started to smile a little and is really starting to notice everything around him!! it just gets better and better!

japanese gardens

we went to the japanese gardens this week...they were beautiful!! and we were dorks and went thru the guided tour...it brought so much meaning to the design!

saturday

summer in portland couldn't be better...and this weekend we had a little taste of summer...the weather was beautiful and we made it to the farmer's market. thatch was in his sling the whole time and loved it...we listened to live music and walked around downtown. so much fun!

outings and dance parties

my favorite thing in the last few days has been the dance parties with thatch. his favorite song is starlight by muse...and miss the boat by modest mouse is a close second. i sing along and bop to the music...i think he thinks i'm the best singer there is! he loves the the beat and dancing/bouncing to this song...

we've also had a few outings in the last week...to target, new seasons, to a baby store...and we even were able to go to church on sunday...it was so nice to see everyone and introduce thatch!

things are going well. i'm feeding about every other hour...he sleeps a little longer at night...but i'm not sleeping much around here...but somehow i manage to get a little sleep here and there...i think i came down from my adrenaline high a few days ago and realized how tired i was...but travis and i are tag-teaming it and it is so nice to have my mom here to help out with stuff.

celebration ale

in honor of thatch's birth, travis has created a celebration ale...he started brewing it tonight. you might just be lucky enough to enjoy it in a month or so...

if you are just tuning into this blog, you might think it is a little odd that we are making a beer for our baby...maybe so...but if you lived in this part of the country, you would start brewing beer too. travis started brewing last winter and he hasn't stopped since. he loves it...and i can't wait to try this new one.

we are thinking about calling this celebration ale..."wingman pale" or maybe just name it thatcher hobbes.

any suggestions?

thatch's blog

thatch decided he needed his own blog for weekly pics...so he'll be blogging at

thatchermoore.blogspot.com

i'll still update my blog, but if you are one of those family members that just can't get enough pics, his blog is for you!

Thatcher Hobbes Moore is here!

saturday at 12:40 am Thatch made his entrance into the world at 7lbs 6 ozs, 20 1/2 inches long...the birth was absolutely beautiful and we are so excited to have him in our arms. he is so precious. travis and i are doing wonderful and are about to leave the hospital.

he delights in me...

this past weekend through a couple podcasts from bridgeway, my church in oklahoma, and the songs that were sung on good friday and easter morning, i was reminded of the love God has for me. that he loves me where i'm at right now...that he delights in me...and that is what fills me up and causes my heart to overflow with thankfulness, with life, with love for him and the people around me...and causes my heart and life to change.

"you who knows me more than myself. you who loves me more than i know. you who speaks to me more than i hear. open my eyes, soften my heart, help me to hear."

yea! the baby room

here is mr. moore's room...and travis made a trundle bed for the room when company comes (and mr. moore will join us.) and my mom made the pillows, bumper pad and chair cover...what talent!

friends from phoenix

our close friends from phoenix...the whole crew, came to portland last weekend to visit. it was so much fun. we went to the coast, hung out downtown, had dinner at our house...it was a good time. and travis took the boys on a few hikes and to the gorge. (and i took naps) it was so fun to share the beauty of oregon with our friends.

jacob and joel (13 and 10) and their dad, errol, stayed at our house. and these boys are about the best kids you could have...they are so fun to be around and so good. i just love hanging out with them...and i love watching them hang out with travis. they just have so much fun together. i miss them already...

mr. moore

i'm so anxious to meet mr. moore, to hold him for the first time, to look into his eyes, to name him. i just can't wait for him to be here...

but it has also hit me that in one month (give or take) life will change drastically...

no sleeping in (and no sleeping at all), no doing what i please. life as i know it will not be the same. i will constantly be putting this little guy ahead of my own interests...which will be an incredible and wonderful thing.

and even though i'm starting to not sleep quite as good and starting to be a little more cranky (sorry trav), i'm relishing in this last month of...freedom. of life with spontaneity and no schedule. (maybe this is just me finding a way to make this month be enjoyable and go fast...because i just can't wait for mr. moore to be here.)

mr. moore's shower

this weekend was my baby shower, (okay really it was a party with the women from our church community) i haven't had a shower in 8 years...since the wonderful wedding showers...and you forget how much that kind of stuff means, until a party is thrown in your honor. i was blown away by the generosity and being surrounded by such an amazing group of women celebrating with me. it was so great to hang out with everyone...and we had a late night, it was so fun.

i'm just so thankful that travis and i have this community around us as we enter this new chapter...i can't tell you how wonderful it is havinga community to help and support us, especially with family so far away.

and i'm so excited to be a mom. so excited...

here's to portland...

so, i'm a little late in posting about this, but last month marked 2 years in the beautiful northwest...a place where nature and culture collide...

we've experienced a lot of what portland has to offer...loving the hikes, ocean, skiing, restaurants, microbrews, the best coffee you could imagine...this really is an amazing place. it feels like we've just been here a year, though. i feel like we are starting to settle in, but i'm not sure i'm completely at home, just yet...maybe it is being so far away from family, maybe it is all the moving we have done since college, maybe it is just because it is so different from where we grew up, that it will never quite feel like home.

regardless, we absolutely love it here. i'm not sure i'm going to be able to leave this area of the country (sorry mom) it has stolen my heart. if only oregon and oklahoma lived next to each other, the world would be perfect.

i have a rare situation where i could live in the same town as both my parents and my in-laws and be completely happy. i think i'm so blessed to have such an amazing family, so it is very hard being so far away from them. and i'm sure the arrival of mr. moore will make it that much harder...but we will make it work, because we are not leaving this superb place anytime soon!