WILW: Friends in Portland!

What am I loving today? Glad you asked!

I love catching up with friends while I'm far away from home.. in person.. AT LUNCH!

Benitez is a great friend from college and he is traveling the country and setting up for a few touring bands!

Austin is another good friend college

These KA boys and this KA Southern Belle had delicious pizza at Hot Lips Pizza. Love that place!

These boys contributed to my good time at Western and then we all moved the good times to Nashville! It's a shame that to see each other we have to meet up 3,000 miles from home! Still, good to see you boys :)

Update - Where I've Been!

After traveling to plenty of states that I've been to before, I'm finally able to cross a few off my list! If you don't remember, I made a list of all the states I'd been to thus far. On August 5th, I had traveled to 25 states... as of today, it's 28!

I told Gregg I wanted to make a map like this and it's precious! 

Well, the first one doesn't count because I forgot that I'd been there! It's MICHIGAN! I have definitely been to Michigan. Flying to Detroit and driving around in Detroit definitely means that I've been to Michigan. Also, my next assignment is to Bowling Green, Ohio and I'll be flying back to Detroit soon!

Portland, OR is the next place I've been since my last post and I've been in Oregon for a whiiiiile. If you've looked at any of my posts, you've seen some of the amazing things I've done. I've eaten the amazing Portland food [including food from a TRUCK], I've seen amazing sites [Hello, Pittock and let's not forget the falls!], and I've been to quite a few places that have been highly recommended and are staples here in Portland! I really love it here and I'll be quite sad when I leave.

Gregg and I met in Seattle, WA this past weekend and we had a blast! Finally able to mark Washington off the list, I'm also happy to say that I absolutely loved Seattle! More pictures and details of our trip to come but here's a sneak peak :)

Can't wait to post about our trip! Stay tuned :)

Cupcake Jones!

Are you "jonesin'" for a delicious treat? If you're in Portland, you have to check out Cupcake Jones! We were planning an event here in Portland and we decided to sample some cupcakes before the event [rough life, right?] and they were amazing. Everything is FRESH and they don't even use dyes in the cupcakes. Au naturale, baby! And they change up the flavors every day.. helloooo, variety!

Here's a shot of the pearl, the peanut butter chocolate and the caramel apple!

Downtown Chocolate Brown and Pumpkin Pie!

The Red Velvet is my fave. Amazing. That's a sugar coated petal.. don't knock it til you try it!

Here we've got some new ones including Molasses Spice and German Chocolate!

Chocolate Covered Pretzel. I die.

Cupcake Jones
307 NW 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
503.222.4404

Voodoo Donuts!

Last night, I was craving chocolate. Where better to go than Portland's Famous Voodoo Doughnuts! It's literally right down the street from my hotel so I walked over... passed this pretty cool sign on the way!

Portland's got this "Austin" type attitude. I like it :)

View from across the street

I can only imagine how awesome this is after the bars... Voodoo is open 24/7! Be prepared: CASH ONLY but they have an ATM inside.

Yuuuum... good luck deciding!

Please take a look at some of the items on the menu

Such a cute little area to sit and have your treat!

I got the Diablos Rex [description below]

Devil's Food Cake doughnut with chocolate frosting, red sprinkles, vanilla pentagram and chocolate chips in the middle. Ahhhh so good! If you find yourself in Portland, you have to come here. No questions asked.

Another tip: figure out what you want online before you go. They aren't the friendliest people I've ever met.

Voodoo Doughnuts - Downtown

22 Southwest 3rd Avenue, Portland

(503) 241-4704

Voodoo Website

Nice Little Saturday in Portland

My Saturday in Portland was so much fun! I have been thinking happy thoughts about the weather and I was pleasantly surprised with NO RAIN yesterday! Trust me, this is a big deal!

After working, I made my way to Jovana Salon to have my hair done. I brought a groupon for $65 for a cut, highlight, wash and style... a serious deal! And not only does my hair look GLAMAZING [Thanks Project Runway for that word] but the people are SO NICE. They told me if I come again, they'll give me that rate for my hair. I'm in!

Look at that color! Fab job, Kelly!

After my fabulous salon experience, I met Lauren and her man friend at Vault. I have been itching to go to Vault for weeks now. Last time we tried to go it was closed for a private event.

I found this picture online and that's clear because it was too damn cold to sit outside. Just wanted to give you an idea of how cute it is on the outside :)

I grabbed a corner and waited for Lauren and Greg and it's a good thing that they were late because the drink menu is literally a BOOK. It took me forever but I finally made a decision and it was perfect!

I ended up going with Greed... one of the seven deadly sins.

It was tart but sweet. AMAZING. I'm craving it now. Great.

Lauren got a glass of wine [BORING] but her man got a G3 which is basically a chocolatey treat. So good.

Some of the martini's that stuck out in my mind:

Habenero Martini - made with Habenero-Pineapple infused vodka

Cilantro Martini - Vodka, fresh cilantro, fresh squeezed lemon and lime

Botox - Bluebery vodka, soda and lemon [tagline for this martini is "life's a party with a face full of poison"]

Strawberry Basil - Strawberry Vodka, fresh basil and mint

Vault

Neighborhood: Northwest Portland – Pearl District

226 NW 12th Ave

Portland, OR 97209

503-224-4909

After our cocktails, we went to Deschute's Brewery to have some grub and beers!

I had a winter ale and it was amazing!

Soup has been sounding so good lately so I got the french onion soup. Mmm good :)

I got a good nights sleep on Saturday night and was finally able to sleep in a bit. And then I woke up to another beautiful day in Portland! I repeat, this is a big deal :)

 Stay tuned for a recap of my crazy Friday night. I finally found the bars in Portland!

Healthy Traveling

So I've mentioned in blogs past that I would really like to eat healthy while on the road. I went to the grocery last night and I'm pretty proud of what I came out of there with!

Here's my list:

• Chicken Strips [I can heat them up in my hotel]
• Canned and raw veggies
• Yummy low fat/low cal chicken tortilla soup [much like the one I just made but not]
• Boiled eggs [great to eat before a workout!]
• Apples and peanut butter.. yum :)
• Atkins breakfast shakes [So good..I have to stop myself from chugging it]
• Almonds

Last but not least, I decided to get cherry tomatoes, corn and mozzarella with olive oil and spices. I know you're confused by the corn but it was a great little addition to my impromtu caprese salad!

Anyone else have good healthy foods I can eat on the road?

I'm all ears!

Plans for Portland!

I'm back in Portland, Oregon this week... I really love this city and this weekend, I'm ready to explore!

I bought a Groupon to have my hair done here this weekend. I don't typically get my hair done by straaaangers (love Jessi and Lauren!) but my hair is in dire need.

Also, this deal was too great to pass up! I'm getting a full highlight, cut, shampoo and deep conditioner and styled all for only $65! Thanks Groupon!! I'll let you know how it goes :)

While I'm at it, I just might pamper myself further...

:) I just love a good spa day

Lauren and I have been planning a big weekend to really explore a popular section called the Pearl District. She's going to have her man friend in town and I totally plan on third wheeling it to a couple of these places:

Blue Hour - French, swanky and a fabulous happy hour. I'm there!

Vino Paradiso - A wine bar and restaurant. We all know my love for wine.

50 plates - Another swanky/amazing happy hour joint. 

Vault - A martini bar with the longest list of amazing drinks. Can't wait to try this out!

Mmm S'mores Martini. Stay tuned for the recap!

Food Carts!

It's official. I have finally taken everyone's advice in Portland.. I've eaten out of a truck.

Food trucks are all the rage in Nashville and in other cities but Portland has been doing this for a WHILE. There a plenty of locations downtown where you can pick up some street meat, a burger, burritos, Thai food, YOU NAME IT!

This picture is of the carts near the burger place we went! You can see they are all lined up together so you can take your pick, if you're not sure what you want to eat :)

 

Here's the burger place we went, Burger Jerk.

Here are some purdy pictures of the amazing grub we ate from a truck. If you're ever in Portland, just walk around and you'll find some tasty food carts. If you're not feeling that adventurous, visit this site to help you find one. Don't knock it til you try it people!

Sushi Go Round!

I bet you're thinking the sushi out here in Portland is AMAZING, right? Well, you're damn right about that. But it's not only amazing, the restaurants have a cool concept:

There is a big conveyor belt that goes around the entire restaurant... Sounds crazy, right? Might even sound a bit unsanitary but no worries, it's completely clean and so tasty! 

In this specific restaurant, each plate is $1.50. Suuuuper affordable!

At another place I went, they had different colored plates. Red = $1.25, Blue = $1.50, and so on. A little bit confusing for me at first but I got the hang of it eventually.

Each plate is covered - that made me feel better. I didn't want to risk getting a sneeze roll from some guy across the restaurant. 

If you're visiting Portland on a dime, you'll get the best of both worlds at any sushi restaurant downtown: Amazingly priced amaaaahhhzing sushi!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

It's been a while since I've graced the blog world with what I'm loving this week. Calm down people, I'm about to give you the goods :)

I have always loved wavy hair and I just can't get it right. Anyone have any tips for effortless waves, like my sweet friend SJP?

I payed to have my nails done last week and within two days, they were chipped. I am going to economical route and painting my own nails. And I am LOVING Chinchilly by Essie!

I have been on the lookout for new tennis shoes for a while. It's honestly just not fun for me to spend $110 on tennis shoes. I put it off until my old tennis shoes rubbed a huge blister in my foot. Twas time. I was ready to spend the big bucks when my coworker said "Why don't you try Nordstrom Rack?"

I gave it a shot and found EXACTLY what I was looking for in my my exact size for only $50! And I feel like my workouts are 10x better than before. [I got the same Gel Asics that are pictured about, but in blue]

Speaking of workout, this is my absolute favorite new app.

It's the Nike Training Club app and it has four sections: Get Lean, Get Toned, Get Strong and Get Focused. I like to mix up the workouts and let me tell you, I am SORE today. Try it out!

Okay, forget the workouts... let's talk food.

Does this look amazing or WHAT?! This weather is making me want to make soup and eat it every night for dinner. It's hard for me to do that with my job but I definitely when I'm at Gregg's this weekend. Check out the recipe here

I just love this sweater. That's all :)

This is a street in Downtown Portland and I just wanted to express how much I love this city! Except for all the rain, that's kind of getting old.

And last but not least, I'm loving my wonderful mother on her birthday!

Look at that precious baby... that sweet, adorable, modest baby :)

Wish I was in town to help you celebrate but I'll be back soon and then we're definitely having a girls day :) Happy birthday, mom!!!

What are YOU loving today?