One of my favorite stories of my mother actually took place fairly recently.
My mother shows up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday to help me move out of my apartment which happened to be on a very awkward third story apartment. This was the last day I had the keys, so the heavy stuff HAD to be moved out that day...which I was NOT super stoked about. (Send me off on a 2 hour run any day...but carry heavy things? NO THANKS)...and it was just going to be her and I that day.
Upon getting the huge entertainment center staged to go down the stairs I look at her with a worried look. In my head, I was searching for a solution to get another set of hands to support the weight down the stairs...and she just simply says..."okay lets go."
And we carry it down the stairs (okay, some of it we had to slide...), along with both parts of my bed, dresser/storage, and multiple boxes.
After getting the truck loaded I asked her, "Why don't you ever ask for help? I mean we have so many strong triathlete men friends, why don't you ever ask for help?"
I have memories of my mother doing all our house work in our little house on Willamette- her crawling under the house to fix this, her getting on the roof to fix that, replacing her entire back porch, building a fence, not to mention painting our kitchen walls literally once a month for 5 years. Through all of this, she never once asked for help, or had anyone over to help her.
She simply said, "Why have someone help you with something that you can do yourself?"
So we went on moving everything.
We ended up moving everything into her garage when I had to go to work for a few hours.
When I got home that night I noticed all my things were gone, as if nothing was ever in the garage. Mini panic attack later, I go inside and she asks me to go upstairs in my room and blow out a candle for her.
She had moved everything, and I mean everything, up the stairs by herself.
I know I am biased, but my mother is super woman and I hope I can be half the person she is.
So this last weekend we drove down to Portland area to spend time with the sister, mother, and I for Mother's Day.
It's probably been 2 or 3 years since we've had a couple days with just the three of us. It was awesome.
I love Portland because it can be so Portland.
Mid- morning run we ran into a dog 5k which was trying to break a world record for most dogs in costume. It was hilarious. I find some dogs funny anyway, now put thousands of dogs in costume. My mom and I are looking at each other like...oh, only in Portland.
We agreed though that one of the best ways to experience a city is on a run.
After running we got some Clover coffee from Starbucks. If you haven't had it, find a Starbucks close to you that has a Clover. It literally is a $30,000 coffee machine that drips the coffee upside-down (from what I understand) to create a more complex taste profile (okay I'm not quite sure). I am sure though, that this $5 cup of drip coffee is worth every penny.
My sister lives in SE Portland, which is a young/hipster/vegan/prettycool neighborhood. This is the same area I lived in when I was in Portland. She always has such a cute set up in her apartment.
So we picked her up and went to my family's hometown Clatskanie, OR
Only after a stop into Whole Foods though. I would have issues if we had one of these in the Tri.
I just can't even explain to you how much I love my Viuhkola family. We went up and checked out my grandparents land they are building a house on. Claskanie is such a small, pretty town. If you have driven from the Tri to Astoria or Seaside, you might have gone through this little town in about 20 seconds.
I know that I will have a time in my life where I will live close to here.
One of my friends put it well, that if there is a time to live in a city, it's when you are young. I totally agree and am looking for options to get me to the West Side (updates soon).
I believe I have a definite draw to the quiet of a small town, however. Every trip we make down here I create a deeper appreciation for the trees, the people, the back roads.
Life just goes slower.
The Mother, Sister, and I at breakfast.
Two biggest Heroes.
So on our way home, my Mother was SO EXCITED to stop and hike Beacon Rock, which is along the Gorge. We have driven through here SO MANY TIMES in my life and I cannot believe this was my first time up the hill.
Typical shoe shot.
I just know that I belong in the Pacific Northwest.
The story behind this rock was kinda cool- I definitely recommend stopping if you're ever on your way through the Gorge. It is only about a 10 min detour off the highway...and a quick 20 min hike to the top.
It was amazing how many families were hiking the hill at the same time. I love when people can get together like this.
Anyway, on to a swim and work for me today. Our lucky swim team moves outside....meaning this lucky swim coach gets to coach outside today (in the sunshine).
love, erin
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