Thank you Willamette Week

To my surprise I received a phone call from a writer at Willamette Week wanting to see if I would give her an interview for the Best of Portland issue. First, I was in shock and of course quickly said yes…then I got online and looked at last years Best of Portland. The list included a Glass Bender, Best Archivist of Ass-Kicking and Best Badass Barkeep- where in the world do I fit in? I am not a badass something-or-other and I feel that I am pretty boring but a creative person. My idea of a hot night out is cuddled up on my couch with the boys, watching TV and making homemade pizza from stuff out of our garden. In other words, I am not very exciting. But now I think I am pretty damn cool person that has a lot going on, more than I thought.

During the interview I started talking about myself and what I do not only do at LVD Media but how I love doing things in the community. I love living in the Pacific Northwest, and I love my fellow Oregonians and Washingtonians…and BC’ians. We are so lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world that give us so much. It is not hard to take a weekend and volunteer at one of our publicly owned beaches picking up garbage or walk a dog in the warm Spring rain or on a cold Thanksgiving day serve up a meal to senior citizens that have more advice than hands to help wash the dishes.

People often ask me where I get my energy and time to do the things I do, and simply I do not know. I try and be organized but if you looked at my desk you would laugh and my calendar usually quickly fills up throughout the day. I have not had a real vacation in over seven years, nor had a honeymoon but I am not complaining but just been contemplating why am I not more cranky about not having that summer vacation like most of my friends do. I think why I am so happy and satisfied is because my heart and head is full of memories of walking dogs in the rain or cooking a full Thanksgiving meal to 50 or so senior citizens that kept telling me I was doing everything wrong. My favorite memory is when I watched Obama get elected with a small group of co-volunteers. When it was announced that Obama won we hugged and cried, and stayed up until the wee hours laughing, talking and of course drinking. But I was proud to be a part of something so big even though I was just a little drop in the bucket but I know I had made a difference…and this is why I am happy and satisfied- I am a drop in the bucket that can make a difference in my community.

Best of Portland