pdx blogger — Lifestyle

Happiness is there for the taking--and making.

--Oprah

I got to explore a state park in Florida! The trees, vegetation... it was all so different than Oregon. Plus, those signs to stay away from the alligators!

Toes in sugary white sand, enough said? :)

There is something overwhelmingly joyful about being close to the ocean. This is the Gulf off Siesta Key in Florida.

Yes, the Magic Kingdom gives me joy. I got the excited tingles just driving through the parking gate at Disneyworld. Also, how pretty is that castle?

Sprinkles cupcake for breakfast? If you know me... you know I love Sprinkles.

You can see from the photos above, my joyful moments surrounded a trip to Florida to hangout with an awesome, supportive group of women I met online through MoneyTalks. Travel most definitely brings me joy. There is something about exploring a new place or re-visiting old stomping grounds that is so healthy. It's important to get out of your routine and travel is a great way to do this. Also, friendships are so important. Trust me, I understand people can be frustrating, but it's very important to have a community of people to connect with--find that wherever you can.

I wish you the very best week with lots of joyful moments! Share one of your joys in the comments.

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I headed to brunch recently, a favorite weekend pastime with Warren and Holly. We went to Meriwether's Restaurant, which is in NW Portland in the industrial area. It's quite close to the NW 23rd area in Portland, but it's a little easier to find parking. The restaurant is super cute and so pretty. Meriwether's is located in a historic building that remains mostly unchanged since the 1920s. It reminds me a little bit of a fairy tale. We sat in the sunken patio, which is covered and absolutely beautiful decorated with a fountain and intricate birdhouse.

2601 NW Vaughn St. Portland, OR 97210

The best thing about this restaurant is that they take reservations! If you've tried to go to brunch on a Saturday morning in Portland, you know how crazy the lines can be. A reservation can help make brunch simple and nice and you can even make it online. The whole point is to enjoy good food with your friends anyway, right? The service at Meriwether's was okay. Everyone was really friendly, but our server was busy (i.e. waters could have been refilled). The food arrived quickly after we placed our order. I had the fried chicken & waffle served with apple compote and glazed pecans for $18. It was most definitely tasty. I thought the waffle could use some butter to balance out the sweet unique syrup and delicious apple compote. The chicken was dark meat--crispy and delicious. If you want to order this selection, go hungry! Overall, I would give the food high marks, but it's not life changing. My friends had the skillet dutch baby and biscuit & gravy, which they gave their thumbs up approval. Have you been to Meriwether's? What did you think? I think it would be fun to go back for dinner sometime.

I'm going to be doing a few different types of posts in this section. It might include restaurant reviews or blog posts about my travels. Most of my blog posts will still primarily focus on style and beauty, but I wanted to add this section so there is a place to include some different posts too. Especially, since I'll be going to Greece this summer and I definitely want to blog about that experience.

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