Just a tote

I took a sewing class and created this fun tote in a few hours.  The class was held at PDX's Modern Domestic.  I would highly recommend their classes.  I've taken 2 classes and the instructors have both been wonderful.  And the sewing machines!  You sew on these amazing Bernina sewing machines that Modern Domestic sells.  Admittedly, they are kind of awesome and have all kinds of cool features to make your sewing even and perfect-looking.

My tote is made out of a black and white home decor fabric lined with a bright blue duck cloth (just like my cardigan).  It was a fun project and I'm hoping to do some more sewing.

Gravy in PDX

Gravy time!

Warren and I love a good brunch spot.  The latest place we dined was Gravy in Portland, OR.  Come prepared to wait!  But I'm happy to report that it was worth the wait (about an hour).  There is a cute little Stash Tea shop across the street from the restaurant.  My recommendation?  Put your name on the list (you have to go into the restaurant and literally write your name on the list yourself) and then pop across the street for some tea and a place to hang out while you wait for your table.

Gravy
3957 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97227
7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

I had the Fried Chicken & Eggs with the house potatoes.  The fried chicken comes with veggie gravy.  I'm not even sure I've ever had veggie gravy before, but it was AMAZING.  The house potatoes were pretty good, although they did have a weird spice.  They do have egg whites as an option (I've always preferred egg whites), but I would pass on it next time because there was a couple of dollars up charge for egg whites.  Plus, I didn't even eat my expensive egg whites because the chicken was so delicious I could not stop eating it.  The breading was crispy and scrumptious and the chicken was high-quality and tender.  Take away?  Go for the gravy and carnivore items!

Have you ever been to Gravy?  What did you think?

The Local Flavor Swap

My high school buddy Rachel clued me into the awesome local flavor swap!  I was partnered up with Minnie.  Now I just need to figure out what to put in the box to represent PDX.  I'll see what I can figure out this weekend. ♥♥♥

America's Got Talent ♥ PDX style

My lovely singing friend DeeAnna alerted me that America's Got Talent was going to be in PDX today.  She actually won tickets to the front of the line on the radio.  Even a sinus infection (me) and a lack of sleep (warren) could not stop us!  We went to Xfactor and this time the audition came to us.

Now one of the main keys for this whole audition thing is to arrive early!  I did go to the America's Got Talent audition the last time they were in PDX a couple of years ago.  We arrived at about 4:30 a.m. and there were about 50 or 60 people in line already.  Since I was sick this week, I wanted to get some sleep before the audition (I also had a bazaar during the rest of the day).  We arrived at 5 a.m. today and were number 7 and 8 in line!  

Yup, we thought it was just the security, but there is the beginning of the line!

Thumbs down Portland, why don't you ever show up to auditions?  How are we ever going to get shows to audition in our city if nobody ever shows up?  People were supposed to line up at 6 a.m. and even then there was still only a handful of people waiting.  (At other auditions, you have to get there a couple hours earlier than 5 a.m. to be anywhere near the front of the line, which is exactly where you want to be so you don't have to wait around all day to audition.)  To be honest, I'm sure you could roll into this audition anytime later in the day and not have any issue auditioning or worrying about a line.  BUT you don't want to count on this being the case.  It seems to vary A LOT depending on the city you are auditioning in.  And if you trying out for another show I would expect to have to deal with larger crowds.

 
And for the first time, we ended up in the first audition group!  I have to give major props to AGT.  They were super organized and super nice, especially when compared to some other auditions that I've been to *cough*cough* (X Factor and American Idol).  Did the fact that there were way less people to manage help?  Definitely, but AGT went out of their way to be considerate of the people waiting in line.  The brought us inside very early so we could wait out of the cold and rain.  They also kept things moving and I didn't feel like there was a lot of wasted time.

After we lined up inside, we filled out release forms.  Next, we had to go through security.  Warren and I were miked to get ambient sounds and taped going through the line (another first) and chatted with a producer (another first).  They say to wear colorful clothing on the website and I would recommend it--I think it's part of the reason we got noticed.  They take you back in groups of 20 to audition.  We were called in numerical order and three of us auditioned together in a room with a producer and a camera man.  They videotape your audition which makes sense--they can see how you look on camera and go back and look over tape to decide who to callback.  I heard that you don't hear back until March if they are interested, but I don't know if this is true or not.  I was just so happy I finally saw significant improvement in my audition, even though I prepped less!

 See the guy in the hat?  He was our audition buddy!  We all auditioned in the same room together.

Are you going to try out for AGT?  Let me know how it goes!  Happy singing honeybees :)

Spotted ♥ A Blazers game

It was my friend's birthday, a perfect excuse to go to a Blazers game!  It was so much fun.  And I even got this cute hat. :)

 Basketball players... enough said.

Spotted ♥ Carrie Underwood & Hunter Hayes on tour

I was lucky enough to see one of my very favorite country artists last night... Miss Carrie Underwood on her Blown Away tour.  And I do believe we were all blown away by her performance.  I don't know how she does it one night let alone night after night.  She has an amazing voice and doesn't hold back at her shows.  Underwood's outfits were divine and so sparkly!  The last time I saw her was during her American Idol tour and there is a huge difference with her confidence level and stage presence... she knows how to work a crowd now.  It's one of those concerts you can leave without a doubt that it was worth every penny.  Plus, her show was very reasonably priced when compared with other big names.  Hunter Hayes opened for Carrie Underwood, a great starter.  There were a lot of teenage girls in the audience who definitely appreciated it.  And I absolutely love his song "Wanted"... it was amazing to see him perform it.  I got chills!  I also love that Carrie doesn't shy away from doing her old favorites.  Jesus Take the Wheel, Temporary Home, Cowboy Casanova and Last Name... we got to hear it all.  It was such a fabulous show.  I would definitely encourage you to see the show if you get the chance.

Spotted ♥ Tara Thai

I went to a Stanford alumni event at Tara Thai yesterday.  It has a lovely outdoor patio area.  (Last chance to sit outdoors before fall is here!)  It also has a little parking lot in the back of the restaurant which is so nice if you can nab a spot (I did!).  They have a huge menu.  The food was just so-so, not bad just not great.  It’s still a fun little location if you want to stay and chat for a while.

 

Tara Thai Northwest

1310 NW 23^rd

Portland OR 97210

Spotted ❤ Dick's Kitchen

I am so excited to share this little gem!  It's right by my favorite nail salon CT nails on NW 21st in Portland, Oregon.  I stopped in for dinner at Dick's Kitchen and it was delish.  I'm slightly obsessed with portabella mushroom burgers and they had an amazing one that is also vegan.  I'm not vegan, but my friend Sarah is so I immediately thought of her when I saw they have vegan options.  But let's get back to the portabella mushroom burger - amazing seasoning and delicious even without any chesse!  They also have air baked fries.  You can tell they are healthier, but they are still crisp and delicious and come with yummy dips.  My favorites were the special sauce and chipotle one.  So good!  Also, my madre got the sweet potato fries and they were even better than the regular potato ones.  And there was a very goregous tall guy dining across the way.  Great food, great scenery.... I'll be back.  :)

Dick's Kitchen

704 NW 21st Ave. Portland OR 9721o

Spotted ❤ Hopworks Urban Brewery

I went to this brewery for a Stanford alumni event.  It's called Hopworks and I'm sure it's a beer lovers dream.  (Organic beer?  Who knew.)  I was excited to see a Portabella sandwich on  the menu (one of my faves and pretty hard to find).  It was yummy!  And the fries were even better.  :)  Parking was annoying, I had to try three different parking lots before I found a spot.  There is a big parking lot though, it's just all the way around in the back and pretty well hidden.

Spotted ❤ Learn to Salsa

My friend Penny picked a unique event for her birthday... Salsa lessons!  Penny had been to Aztec Willies for happy hour, but she wanted to check out the Saturday night salsa.  They had free lessons at 9:30 pm (check their website for the most up-to-date times).  I wasn't even planning to try the lessons, but everyone was doing it and it was actually pretty fun.  (So outside my comfort zone)  Everyone was really nice and it was a very female dominated crowd.  It was a $5 cover charge, but included free lessons.  Anyone can learn in the big group setting (obviously, it would be convenient to have a partner... luckily my friend Christine was there).  The lesson is fairly short, but you get the general gist of it.  There is a big dance floor and lots of tables around the edges, so you can sit back and watch some amazing salsa dancers shake it as the night goes on.

Spotted ❤ A charity auction

 We had a charity auction at work!  It's an annual tradition and this was my first one.  The theme was The Price is Right.  I didn't win anything, but at least all my cash went to charity.

Me & Debi with our paddles ready to bid!

Spotted ❤ Element

We tried a cute little happy hour place in PDX called Element.

My favorite thing about it was the decor.

The walls had black trees painted on the walls with cool lighting.

My friend Marise said her drink was yummy!  (I think it was some bluberrytini thing)  The food was okay.  Hit and miss with some of the food items, but the spinach and artichoke was good and on the $5 happy hour menu.  If you were in the area it would be a good place to stop, but it's not going to be a favorite.

Spotted

Voodoo Too ❤

I had long heard of Voodoo Donuts Too, but I had never ventured there until now!  And guess what?  It's great.  A shorter line (where you get to wait inside) and parking.  It's honestly a short drive from the main location and probably worth it for the shorter line alone.  It's not quite as cute as the main Voodoo's remodel, but definitely has the Voodoo flavor.


Voodoo Doughnut Too
1501 N.E. Davis St. in Portland Oregon

Spotted

First timer at Tasty n Sons ❤

Tasty n Sons is a popular brunch spot in the Rose City.  My friends and I have been trying to hit up a new spot at least once a month.  We all liked Tasty n Sons and agreed we would be back.  They serve up your items whenever they are ready.  They encourage you to "share."  It can get expensive if you want to try three different things like I did, but if you go with one item like both of my friends did, it's fairly reasonable.  The whole place was adorable, which is always a plus!

Spotted

Lauren Conrad & The Fame Game ❤

source: bn.com

The lovely Miss Conrad made a stop in Portland to promote her latest book.  The novel is a fictional take on Hollywood and reality TV, a topic she is quite familiar with.  The event was fabulous.  It was well-organized.  You had to purchase Lauren's latest book to get it signed.  You received a wristband which saved your spot in line to get it signed.

My friends and Lauren Conrad fans all joined in for the event!  Warren, Holly & Julie... I appreciate that I have friends that will do this kind of thing with me. :)

This was the line to get the book signed!  I was actually surprised it wasn't longer.  However, it was a good thing because she was only signing books for a couple of hours and while I anticipated more people, it's a good thing there wasn't because everyone would not have gotten their book signed.  There were at least 300 people there because we were in the 250s and there were probably another 100 people behind us.

This was the ONLY photo I was able to get of Lauren Conrad at the event.  You could take photos from the line, but since there were constantly people in line - you couldn't actually see her to take a photo from line and when you went up to table to get your book signed you couldn't take photos.  LAME!  This was my main disappointment, although I wasn't surprised.  I snapped this photo on my phone when we were walking away, but you weren't even supposed to do that and her security person came to tell us to move after I took it.

However, Lauren herself was a doll!  (As my friend, Julie told her.  Although, Lauren was a little confused... it was a total compliment.)  She was so petite.  I am always surprised how tiny celebrities are in person.  She was tiny, but looked flawless and gorgeous!  She was wearing a cute little dress and her signature winged liquid eyeliner. 

And of course, the final result, my signed copy of The Fame Game!

Spotted

The beauty bar ❤

The beauty bar is a great concept.  The have a happy hour special where you get a mini mani (basically, a polish change) and cosmo (or other drink selection) for $10.  The first couple of times I went were amazing.  The bar was adorable and had a great decor.  It was like a Barbie bar... LOVE!

But something seems to have happened recently...

Notice the graffiti in background?  The whole bar just seemed seemed run down on this visit.  And the people were kind of the same way...

The most fabulous decor around?  Yes.  But it needs a little maintenance.