The Gyms Are Full and Bloggers Are Posting Again...

...that's how you know it's the New Year.

I had hoped to not be "that person" and completely abandon this thing, but it happened and there you have it. At the suggestion of family members, one of my resolutions this year is to actually keep up with this blog. Not just for the sake of keeping in touch with friends and family, but I'd also like to be able to look back on this year and remember the chronology of things because that's the first thing that gets fuzzy for me.

Portland
The end of our Habitat for Humanity project was fantastic! We made marked improvements on both sites - Lents Landing (where I worked, closer to Portland, along with 3 other teammates) and Jubilee Commons (located in Gresham, where the other 5 teammates worked). Collectively, Silver 5 learned a bunch of new skills and lead dozens of volunteers. We also survived the housing situation just fine. In fact, it's kind of weird being back on base and spread throughout the dorm. It makes the dorm seem so much larger than it actually is.

Portland, as a city, is a place I'd recommend to anyone I know and love as well as people I stumble across in life. The neighborhoods and atmosphere made it possible to feel "at home" in a reasonable amount of time. The public transportation system and the wide variety of outdoor activities made it possible to have a lot of different experiences all in one place. Honestly, a couple more weekends there and I would have felt like a local. I wasn't ready to leave, but I was excited to get home and see everyone for Christmas!

I feel like I should make a "Top 5" or "Best of..." kind of list. I might have to go with a pansy Top 5 list. Pansy, because it'll probably have more than five things and they're not ranked in any order. Double pansy.

Top 5 Portland Memories

1. Intense Physical Labor Days - "Sod Day" and "Move All These Appliances Day"

     Sod Day happened at Lents Landing. We had to level the front and back yards, put down good soil, plant trees and then cut and lay the sod for all four units. It was a bunch of work but it was the most different day that our crew experienced. It was primarily outside and we had about 30 volunteers that day. It was rare for our site to get more than 5 on a regular day (especially once the weather started to get cold) so each of the NCCCers got to lead a group of volunteers that was far bigger than we were used to - but they were all great kids from both a local high school and a local university, so none of us minded at all! Though our volunteers had to leave at 3:30pm, the four of us (and fresh-on-the-scene-half-an-hour-before, Jeff) stayed until the job was done (around 6pm). It was dark, wet, cold and we were absolutely covered in mud but it was, clearly, one of the best times I had in Portland.

Myself and Andrea on Sod Day!

    
     Move All These Appliances Day was a Tuesday at Jubilee Commons. Tuesdays are days when the Habitat staff (including NCCC) are on but there are no volunteers on site. So the nine of us moved 40 appliances (ranges, dish washers, refrigerators, washers and dryers) from the truck (after Cory, the super-human in charge of driving them to us, unloaded them) and put one of each into the eight units. The stairs weren't totally finished so getting the washers and dryers up to the third story added extra danger to our day, but it was awesome work.


2. Multnomah Falls

     The Portland area has a lot to offer in terms of natural beauty, but I really loved visiting these falls. Everything from the drive there to the top of the falls was great. We stopped along the way for views and photo ops, and once we got to the falls I didn't even mind that it was so touristy - it's touristy for a reason! You didn't have to hike anywhere to get a great view (which, I'm sure, is why this spot is so popular) but once you started to hike up to the top the tourists fell away and you could enjoy the views in relative peace.


3. Mandatory Team Fun Nights

     Once a week, whether we stayed in or went out (we alternated so as to not spend a ton of money), we had some great nights as a team. Team nights in included card games, banana boats, and cooking meals together. For team nights out we went bowling, ice skating (in a mall!), or adventured in some of Portland's many small neighborhoods. Despite the fact that we lived in such close quarters and worked together, we needed these times to come together as a team to have fun and not be worrying about work, food shopping or other housing-related situations. Whether we were on the fence about the given activity at the time or not, everyone always wound up enjoying themselves and the company.


4. Yee Olde Thanksgiving

     Those of us at the Lents Landing site knew Yee, a regular volunteer for years and years and years, pretty well by the end of our time in Portland. But by the end of lunch on the first day we had worked with him, Yee had already invited us over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner: not just the four of us on the Lents Landing crew, but all nine people on our team. He wanted us to have someplace that was going to be as close to home as possible since none of us were going home for Thanksgiving.
     Yee said he was glad to have company for the holidays, but I'm pretty sure that Silver 5 were the clear winners that day. Yee cooked a trillion course meal (no joke) including not just a turkey, but a full roast as well! Everything was delicious and no one was prepared for how much food we were presented, especially when we went for a post-dinner walk around Yee's neighborhood. Yee lives on the northwest side of Portland, which is nestled into the hills. This means that Silver 5 dragged their ridiculously full selves up San Francisco-esque streets with gradients I didn't even want to think about. The view of the city from the top of his hill was well worth it though.

Tucker (center) is pretending he's ready for the post-meal walk we're about to embark on. But don't let this picture fool you - he whined the whole way. Left to right: Yee, Full Andrea, Scared Ellen, Groaning Josh, Tibbs (and his food baby), Zombie Jules, and Are You Kidding (Me).

5. McMenamins

     The McMenamins brothers bought a bunch of property in and around the city of Portland. Not just any properties, no way. Sure, they bought the typical bars and restaurants. But they also bought an old elementary school and multiple old theatres. While we never got a chance to visit the Kennedy School (though it's a ton of fun, from what I'm told), we still visited quite a few McMenamins establishments. My favorites were The Bagdad Theater and The Crystal Ballroom (where I saw the Black Keys, thanks to a new Habitat pal!). Both of these places were pretty whimsical, which was fitting because our team is going to bring whimsy back into our daily lives and the lives of others. It's right up there in our mission statement along with strengthening communities. Promise.

There are so many other good memories but to go into them now would be unfair since we're already into the second round! Before talk of that ensues, however, I leave you with...

...Christmas Break!
Break was wonderful, even if it did start off with terrible transportation issues. I saw friends and family from both Clinton and 'Cuse, but all for too short a time. I had some wonderful food thanks to some great homemade treats, home-cooked meals, and fun meals out of the house. Oh, and the SU football team won the Pinstripe Bowl! AND the basketball team remains undefeated! A good break? No, sir. A great one!