K.I.D. Collective

The grass is always greener, in Portland, Oregon. You can’t really argue, especially with all that rain. For as long as Jevan and I have known one another, we’ve tossed around the idea of moving to Portland. He’s from there. And years before I knew him, I came very close to moving there. Twice. The first time was for a summer internship. Atlanta called instead. After graduating college, Portland came up again. This time, Denver ended up being home. Once Jevan and I got together, we relished in the idea of someday moving to Portland. Not really sure when or how it would happen, we knew we would be open to the opportunity.

After 9 incredible years of living in Colorado, playing in the powdery white snow, basking in the over 300 days of sunshine per year, getting to know some incredible people who have become my family, it’s time to move on. And this time it’s Portland, OR. Third time’s a charm, right? It’s definitely not goodbye. Because you’ll still see me here. And know that we’ll be back to the Cee Oh. I can’t go too long without sunshine or the fluffy snow that I know and love.

I’m here for a few more months, until we sell our house and I wrap up a few projects. Jevan leaves much sooner. He’s going to be working with a brand new snowboarding company, more on that soon. In the mean time, we’re taking advantage of all Colorado has to offer. And summer really is an incredible time to be here. A list is in the making. It includes all the fun things we want to check off before we head out. There are bike rides, camping, Sunday jazz in the park, the Ft. Collins brewery bike tour, trail runs, and brunch with friends (Denver is getting really good with the breakfast thing). There are still a handful of restaurants I have yet to try. And of course, I’m planning to spend as much time as possible with the people that I love.

The one word that rings true throughout this process is bittersweet. I am going to miss Denver with all my heart but am so excited for this new opportunity. I get to meet new people, eat new things, explore new places. It’s going to be very, for lack of a better word, new. Over the next few weeks, months, however long it is that I’ll be here, I’m going to share some of my favorite things about Colorado and what made it home. I always want to remember my time here and what I love about this place.

And, here’s just one of my favorite Coloradan’s sharing her 30 days of awesome. Check it out, if you’re into awesome.

Portland Photos: zisforzephyr, unruly things

I always rolled my eyes when adults said “time flies”. It took me 32 years to understand this saying and man, were they right. What seems like just yesterday but was actually three years ago today Jevan and I were married in Crested Butte, Colorado. All of our closest friends and family were there despite the blizzard like conditions. It was a wedding suited perfectly to us; simple, casual and perfectly cozy. A foot of new snow for our post wedding day on the mountain didn’t hurt either. I designed and made my wedding gown, a simple silk charmeuse number of the most perfect silvery color. The rest of the wedding party wore black and there were pops of magenta and turquoise with a few peacock feathers for added drama.

We were married here and stayed the entire weekend at the CB Retreat with friends and family. A few hours before the wedding, the snow let up and the sun came out, it couldn’t have been a more perfect mountain setting. That day was such a blur of emotions, I’m so happy to have had the weekend to celebrate with friends and family. And, I look forward to not only the next 3 years but what the next 30 will bring. Happy Anniversary my love.

photos: 1. the K.I.D Collective 2. Suzanne Shaff Photography

I’m back in Tennessee again and school is canceled because of a slight dusting of snow. This makes me giggle a little because of the lack of snow on the ground but with the anticipation of more to come. That’s good ole’ Tennessee for you. In all honesty, I did love those impromptu snow days. They usually didn’t involve sledding or snowball fights like most snow days, because of lack of snow remember, but instead involved my brother and me sitting at the kitchen counter making something with my mom. Usually chocolate chip cookies but sometimes crafty type things too.

Part of the reason I’m back to the South is to celebrate Onnie’s 90th birthday. Onnie is my grandmother on my mom’s side and she’s been known as Onnie for as long as I can remember. That’s her in the photo above with my grandfather. The photo was taken some time in the 40′s.

She’s an incredibly strong, independent woman and has been a role model to me my entire life. At 90, she’s still taking complete care of herself, including drives to her exercise classes and to see friends. She still has her garden, although only a quarter the size these days. Her home grown tomatoes are the reason I can’t eat a tomato from the grocery store this time of year. I wait for the real deal. She’s also the one who taught me pickles don’t have to come from the grocery store, you can make your own. And every single birthday until I was officially an adult, Onnie made me a homemade birthday cake. Whatever shape, theme or flavor I wanted. And she didn’t just do this for me, she did it for everyone.

To celebrate, we are having an intimate family dinner of 20ish with some of her favorites; meatloaf, mac and cheese, green beans and apple pie. She said, if she makes it to 95 she’ll have a big party but there’s no point in making a big to-do about 90.

That’s Onnie and me on my 1st birthday. I’m trying my first ever birthday cake, made by Onnie of course. I can’t say I loved it. Thank goodness she didn’t seem to mind.

Hi, remember me? I’m a little behind schedule when it comes to posting these days. I have so much to share but haven’t made the time to put together some posts. Here are a few photos from my grandmother’s farm. We took a walk around the property after a very filling Christmas Eve meal. This used to be a full working farm complete with hen house, smoke house, pig house, 2 barns, a pond with ducks, and even a little koi pond. We were reminiscing about time spent there while on the walk. It truly impressed me at how sustainable my great grand parents and grandparents were. They grew and raised just about everything they needed for food. My grandmother will be 90 this year and leases out the property to other farmers because it’s a little much for her at this point.

The hen house.

One of the two barns. My grandmother also used to raise goats.

Opa’s smoke house and a perfectly shaped silver maple. Opa, my great grandfather, used to smoke the most incredible sausage from this little house.

A little pop of red on an otherwise gray day.

Photos: all photos taken by Jevan