Six Months in Portland

Today marks six months since my dreams came to life. Moving to Portland, Oregon had consciously been my dream for about six months. I suppose the seed of the dream was planted in my childhood, by a trip up here with my mother and then-stepfather. The seed was watered a little more in my grad school search, and when a friend put Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller in my hands, and a year or so later when another friend put Through Painted Deserts in my hands.

In the past six months, I have had a chance to explore my faith like never before. I have relied on God to provide in ways I never knew possible, and been surrounded by incredible heroes of faith, people who understand the heart in ways I have never experienced before.

I have been surrounded by intellectuals who have challenged me to express the way I think in more efficient ways, and professionals who have taught me new skills and pushed me to the next level with the skills I already have. I have made friends and started to build my Portland family.

I have had adventures I never dreamed of – hiking up to Council Crest, walking to Pittock Mansion on a 90 degree day, making last minute plans with people I met the day before and suddenly becoming best friends. Other adventures I have had include;

• Hanging out with part of the 501st and Rebel Legion.
• Reading more books of my choice in the past six months than I did in several years before.
• Raising my definition of a short run from a mile to 2.75 miles.
• Going  to an apple orchard and making my own apple cider.
• Seeing an episode of Star Trek performed live in a park.
• Being a guest on a podcast (repeatedly).
• Making my own jam, from berries I picked with my own hands.
• Stepping up to be involved with new things, and finding new ways to be involved with old things in a new place.

I love Portland. I do not know how long I will live here. Some days, I do not want to know how long I will live here. Maybe I am only here for two or three more months. Maybe I am here for several years, or the rest of my life. Most days I think about what the ideal is, and that probably falls between three and five years.

I know that I will appreciate today, and I will appreciate the victory that it means. Because when I moved here six months ago, I was scared that I would not be financially able to make it more than four months. Yet I have. I have found an incredible opportunity to do a job that I become more and more obsessed with every day.

I think for the first time in a long time, I can say my life is full. I am blessed to have a great job, a wonderful church, some amazing friends, more books than I could ever possibly finish and a residence in a city that has endless volumes of activities to participate in.

From the past; my Two-Month post.