Ever since we left Portland last November, I have been looking forward to going back. For many reasons, but mostly to see my sweet friends Monica and Shauna and to go see Stephanie, The Dread Goddess. When we broke down in Spokane, we lost an entire WEEK of good times in PDX...so so so sad. BUT, I did make it in time for our girls day out and will get to spend a week enjoying all that this beautiful city has to offer.

We started the day at Pix Patisserie...a delightful little coffee/sweets shop. They even grind their own hazelnuts into a paste for lattes. Wow. Then we walked across the street and I grabbed a bite of breakfast at Tasty and Sons. Another wow. I ordered up an amazing orange curry glazed potatoes and egg dish and devoured it all. Yum. We arrived at our favorite spot, Akemi Salon with full tummies.

Stephanie was there waiting for us and got right down to business. One of the things I miss the most about having dreads is having someone else mess with my hair. Coloring, cutting, coiffing. Yes, I loved being pampered. So now I have made it a yearly tradition to trek to Portland to see Stephanie. Stephanie is one of the few people I trust implicitly with my dreads...and I can just relax in her chair and chat away about life and love and rainy days.

There are great magazines and books to read...including a lovely book completely dedicated to typographical tattoos *swoon*. Sitting on the sweet orange couch, there is hot tea available...to accompany the sounds of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and ethereal French music playing in the background. We enjoyed many hours of blissed out dready sisterhood.

After hugs and goodbyes, we headed to MeeSen Thai. This little Thai eatery...with it's open garage-door front (this seems to be commonplace in Portland), decorative glass water pitchers with metal cups, and super friendly waiters won my heart immediately. We had fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce and pad thai for all. Seriously delicious with an amazing vibe.

I was sad to see them go...but not for long! We're all meeting up at the Saturday Market. My sister, Laura, flew into town today from Minneapolis and we're driving to Cannon Beach for the weekend. Yay! More fun to come!

There is an entire photo set to peruse here. And the question of the day is:

"If you've been to Portland, what was your very favorite thing?"

I'm always surprised when someone tells me they have never heard of Barefoot Books! They are so beautifully written and illustrated...and I absolutely adore them. I actually had several Barefoot Books in my collection before I was familiar with them...all I knew is that they were my favorite :) So when my friend Erin approached me about selling them to make some extra income...I was intrigued.

We love reading in our house...and nothing makes my heart melt more than when my girls crawl up onto my lap with a book in hand. It's magical. But Barefoot Books make it even more magical!

Our income on the road comes from many sources, and I'm hoping this one will add to the mix nicely. If you enjoy reading my blogs and have some books/gifts to buy...please support my business by buying Barefoot Books. I promise you will love adding them to your collection!

One last thing, if you love books too and you're interested in earning extra money from home, be sure to check out the Ambassador program!

Have fun checking out the store! So much goodness...