Grief is winter cold, isolating, wet then frozen. Grief making your eyes swell enhancing the world inside, outside and unseen. Sometimes it makes you hold the door open wider for others. Your smile like a sincere mask to penetrate the receiver with eyes softly begging, please, please see me and my deep deep pain. Be gentle. Be very careful. If life is a gift then all I have to give is this moment. When you look away I’ll begin to fade again into the person who feels only loss.
Another PDX city guide! yes! yes! yes! Here are my favorites in no particular order! The place, what I love, and the area of Portland to find them.
♥ Herbivore: clothes & books! (SE)
♥ Food Fight!: Food! (SE)
♥ Sweetpea: sandwiches & sweets & coffee & tea & all! (SE)
♥ Portobello: EVERYTHING! I love the gnocchi, burger, arrabiata pizza and everything! (SE)
♥ New Leaf: If you’re around on Wednesday afternoons in Portland you can go to the farmer’s market at People’s and buy beautiful and delicious raw vegan food from the lovely Agnieszka! Hazelnut milk!! (SE)
♥ Portland Juice Press: Need to stock up on juice in your hotel or home? Go here and grab! I think their lemonade has honey, but all ingredients are boldly listed on the front label! (SE)
♥ Canteen: Portland Bowl & green juice! (SE)
♥ Back to Eden: Whoopie pies! (NE)
♥ Pok Pok: vegan papaya salad, coconut sticky rice and their spicy forest mushroom salad! (SE & NE)
♥ Sip: juices and shakes!!!!! (SE)
♥ Mt Tabor park: walk the dormant volcano forest hills or around the reservoirs! (SE)
♥ Homegrown Smoker: Vegan BBQ! (NE)
♥ Blossoming Lotus: Goddess Bowl! (NE)
♥ Slappy Cakes: You can make your own vegan pancakes (because the grill is in the middle of the table!) with loads of sweet or savory toppings or they’ll do it for you!!! (SE)
♥ Mi Mero Mole: always three vegan taco options! (SE)
♥ Wolf & Bears: Falafel! As a salad or wrap! (SE & NE)
♥ Sweet Hereafter: Bowls! (SE)
♥ Bye & Bye: Everything everything everything! (NE)
♥ Plantfit: Workout with vegan trainers! (SE)
!!!
XOXO
Love,
Ami
My son outside of the Bye & Bye 2012
Dress: Anthropologie. Leggings: Forever 21. Boots: ModCloth. Necklace: Vaute Couture.
I heart all things with um, a heart T: Vaute Couture. Pants: Anthropologie
Dress: Anthropologie.
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso
The 8 hour diet just wasn’t for me and that’s okay! I have enjoyed coffee and will continue to drink it on occasion- that’s one of the biggest takeaways along with my love for breakfast (I’ve missssssed breakfast!)! I could NOT go until April 30th waiting to eat food everyday at my self induced scheduled time of 11am! And then my Plantfit (crossfit) class was at noon. I was doing and feeling fine for the most part but as the days went on I was simply enjoying the schedule less and less. If life’s not enjoyed you have nothing. Cutting off eating time by 7pm with an 8 year old and a husband with their own schedules and needs added to the challenge.
So there you are 16/8, the 8 hour diet, intermittent fasting – whatever you want to call it is not for me. Weight loss, tightening up (in a good way 
) and all are not worth it. Plus I’ve been on the fence about fasting for awhile. To each their own- I like to do it maybe once a month for 24 hours and I usually do a juice-smoothie-water fast and I feel fantastic.
I’ll always be experimenting and playing with my food, I have yet to write about Ani Phyo’s Fat Blast which was one of my favorites!
Much love, Moving bodies and Mindful eating!
XO
Ami
In the fall I wore a dress from Target, coat from Vaute Couture, Hunter boots, J Crew tights and gloves. Marc by Marc Jacobs bunny iphone case.
In the winter on the beach in Hawaii. Bikini from Victoria’s Secret.
Also in winter dress from Anthropologie, Dr.Marten’s vegan shoes, J Crew tights and Target striped t.
Tweets from last night:
2 weeks into my 8 hour diet experiment, fasting until dinner Mondays & Fridays. Told myself I’d go until the end of the 30th but hating it. (oops! I meant the end of the month or April 30th! But whatever, it’s twitter- no going back!)
And
And absolutely having a love/hate thing happening with drinking coffee everyday too. Strange stuff, caffeine.
So yes, two weeks and two tweets to share; a few pounds down and feeling strangely leaner then the scale says. I didn’t tell my husband I was doing this and he even noticed the new leanness and tightness which is nice but does it mean I want to continue? hmmmm. I’m no quitter but fasting until dinner twice a week is getting borrrrrring. The sun is out, I want to run to and from the gym and on fasting days it is so challenging!! And maybe not the greatest idea. Alright, I just decided. I’m going to remain disciplined and see it through one more week. Hope I don’t pass out during crossfit! Perhaps I should up the caffeine? Maybe a side effect is rambling? Yes, a definite side effect is rambling.
See you on this topic next week.
xo
