one of portland's best kept secrets...

you know those things that make you absolutely love where you live? not like the weather or the distance to the mountains, but the little things.

like the people you always ride by on your way to work. or the mexican store across the street where the ladies know you by name because you're in there so much. i could go on and on.

for me, there are so many things like that here in portland, more particularly in SE portland. and one of those is BARLEAN's HONEY.

luke's sister leah stumbled upon this and now i want to pass it onto you. for $10.50, you can get a quart (pictured here) of local, raw delicious honey from bees that either enjoy the flowers right in their neighborhood or the wildflowers up in sandy by mt hood or the blackberry bushes along the springwater. that price is unreal! just today at the farmer's market, i saw another local vendor selling a quart for $18.

the best part of their honey is that it is sold at their house. there is a cabinet in front, kept unlocked. you get to pick your honey and just drop the money in a slot in their garage. i love their faith in humanity. :)

i won't buy honey anywhere else. and once you experience the "honey house", i guarantee you won't either!

what's one of those little things that you LOVE about where you live?

Happy 2nd anniversary to us!

to celebrate our second wedding anniversary, we took advantage of the three day weekend. we backpacked in the tillamook state forest at gales creek, spent the night at a little spot by the creek, and hiked out the next day. we took a quick detour to (the very crowded) tillamook cheese factory for cheese curds and ice cream before heading to the mcmenamins grand lodge, blackberry picking along the way. what a restful weekend with lots of reflecting, mate drinking, and just enjoying each other. after starting my new job last week (more on that later), it was so wonderful to be free of responsibility and clear my mind. i am constantly surprised by how well luke knows me :)

since we were backpacking and packing light, i didn't carry our camera along but took many mental pictures along the way. wish there was a way to share them with you.

as we were hiking, i was struck by some of the ways that backpacking is similar to marriage. in both,
*you share the load. individually, there are often too many things to carry and juggle, but when there is another, it quickly becomes manageable. i am especially experiencing this right now as i just began my new job and the hours are long. luke is quick to step up and do what needs to be done, where at different times over the last couple years, those things might have been ones i took care of.
*your partner can help you see the beauty you might otherwise miss. while hiking, luke was constantly pointing out different things that i was walking right past. plants, sounds, sights. with an extra set of eyes, our vision is increased.
*the other person can lend a hand to help you when you've fallen down. obviously, i fell while we were hiking. heck, i fall a lot even when i don't have a heavy pack strapped to my back. and luke is always there to get me back on my feet. in our marriage, he is one of the biggest sources of joy and helps lift my spirits when i am down.
*your partner can help you remember where you've been. if you're like me, who is directionally challenged sometimes, all trees and trails quickly begin to look the same. luke helped me remember which trail and direction we came from, guiding me to make sure we headed in the right direction. in our life, he is quick to remind me of the past, experiences we've had and how they shape us as we move forward.
*you take turns leading. depending on skills of each person and the situation, it is not always the same one ahead, setting the pace. although luke is the head of our family, that doesn't mean that there aren't times where i am leading.
*it's ok to admit that you made a mistake. on our hike, together we decided to go one way and quickly realized that it wasn't where we wanted to go. i am grateful that we were able to change direction with blaming each other or holding a grudge. rather, extending grace to each other is one of the most tangible ways we can be christ in our marriage.
*there is encouragement and opportunities to push the other person to challenge themselves. it is in the presence of a safe person that one feels comfortable to try new things and stretch themselves.

but the most striking thing to me was THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY IS MULTIPLIED WHEN SHARED WITH SOMEONE ELSE. i am thankful daily for the companion that God gave me to journey alongside.

not surprisingly, rick mckinley at imago dei is currently walking through a series on god, sex, love. listen to the podcasts here.

oh yes and one last thing. rusty and marylou came and joined us this weekend at grand lodge. little did they know that while they were relaxing in the soaking pools with us, their community Springwater was busy building them a deck at their house as a way to thank them for five years of leadership. click here to see their reaction to their new deck!