Heirlooms

Some of my most treasured possessions are items that have been passed down to me from previous family generations. Here is a collection of lovelies I've inherited from my maternal side:


A painting done by my Great Aunt Pinky. It hung in the guestroom of my grandparents' home for years and I grew up admiring it deeply. It now proudly hangs in our own guestroom.

A teacup and saucer my Gramma passed down to me years ago. I use it for special tea times and it makes me feel very fancy.

Not as much an heirloom, but here is a postcard I recently came across that my Grandparents sent me from Kenya back in 1994. They were quite the world travelers. My Gramma's opening sentence, "Dear Deanne, The way you like jewelry, you would really get to wear a lot of it here! The ladies make all their own jewelry and it is very pretty."

The locket my Gramma passed on to me many years ago. Inside are two black and white photos: one of my gramma at age four, and one of my mom at age four. Besides my wedding ring, I think it is the piece of jewelry I treasure the most. I wear it often.

I never had the privilege to meet my Great Grandma Proffitt. She died of cancer when my Gramma was only fourteen. I have one of her porcelain gravy boats and an old handbag of hers. I love them both!

I inherited this beautiful rose-colored glass bowl from my Gramma. It was one of her favorite decor items, and my mom said it often sat on their dining room table, filled with floating flowers.

Two gorgeous ivory pins that belonged to my Gramma--some of the many items she collected during her world travels.

I share a few more sentiments about a few of these items in a recent post, A Letter to Gramma.

Back to Oregon

The recent passing of my Grandma, although heartbreaking, provided the happy opportunity for Matt and I to return to one of my favorite places in the world: Oregon.

It is my home away from home. And I will tell you that last night I dreamed about Portland's old, distinct, and famous (well, at least to Portlanders) airport carpet, which is set to be replaced.

Most of the extended family on my Mom's side reside in Portland. I was so excited to see them all again! But I was most excited to see my brother, Brandon, my sister-in-law Karyl, and my niece and nephew Krista and Sam. It had been a year and a half since we'd last seen them. They used to live in Portland, but moved over to the Oregon coast about one year ago.

We decided the trip would be too hard on Makenna at this age with the flights, funeral, family gatherings, driving, hotels, etc. Thankfully Matt's parents were available to watch her for us and Makenna had a blast staying at "Nana and Papa's" house. In retrospect, we absolutely feel we made the right decision in not taking her along.

We squeezed in so much in the four days we were in Oregon and it was just lovely. Besides reuniting with extended family (and I must say that time was far too brief), I arranged for my first friend in life to swing by our hotel room for a quick visit.

The lovely Katie

The day after the funeral, we visited my "happiest place on earth," Powell's bookstore in downtown Portland.

It's an entire city block of new and used books. I know precisely where to find their archaeology section. I have lugged so many books home to Michigan from this section over the years.

We left Portland behind and headed west to the beautiful coastal town of Astoria, where my brother and his family now live. Portland bid us farewell with this gorgeous view of Mt. Hood.

We arrived in Astoria at sunset and met Brandon at the prime lookout point in the town. There are no words to describe this beauty.

Astoria is nestled on the shores of the Colombia River {the river which runs between the borders of Washington and Oregon}, right where it flows out into the Pacific Ocean. It is simply breathtaking, and the weather was perfect, especially for the winter time.

We hopped into Brandon's truck and he drove us down to a spot along the ocean lined with big boulders. We arrived just after the sun had set.

Brandon and Matt climbed down to pick mussels off of the rocks for our dinner that night. Karyl was cooking us a seafood feast with homemade clam chowder, crab, and mussels {of course!} cooked in a rich and delicious sauce. Quite fitting for their new home on the seashore!

As the guys were busy at work, I sat and enjoyed a gorgeous view of the Oregon coast.

It was just what my soul needed. Watching water has a way of calming my heart like little else in this world, and I find myself deeply drawn to the shore, whether it be the beaches of Lake Michigan, where I was fortunate enough to grow up, or the mighty oceans.

I visited the Oregon coast with my Mom and sister just after my Grandpa Dorsey passed away. It seemed only right to return here again after Grandma passed, too. Some of my last memories with them in the years before their health started declining were trips to stay along the Oregon coast. We always had amazing views because they so loved to just sit and watch the ocean. It felt like a small homage to them, to return to their beloved Oregon coast after both of them had passed.

After plenty of mussels had been gathered, Brandon drove us down onto the beach. There was barely enough daylight left, but we were able to catch a glimpse of the remains of a famous shipwreck which hauntingly protrudes from the sand.

We celebrated New Year's Eve with Brandon, Karyl, and the kids in their home. It was so lovely. Although, we had to laugh...the kids weren't able to stay awake until midnight and us four adults barely made it. {Matt and Sam had fallen asleep cuddled together on the couch!} The fact that it was almost painful to stay awake that late certainly made us feel pretty old!

We enjoyed a wonderful New Year's Day brunch together at a restaurant after sleeping in. Then they showed us around downtown Astoria {so quaint--I wish I had more pictures!} and took us down to the docks to watch the seals.

Another highlight was stopping to see the house from the beginning of the movie Goonies. It was filmed in Astoria and the private owners of the house welcome visitors to walk up to their house and check it out, from the outside, of course.

The "Goondocks:"

We also went to the Astoria Maritime museum. It was especially fascinating because Astoria is located on some of the most treacherous waters in the world for sailors--it is there that the powerful Colombia River flows into the mighty Pacific.

We stopped to check out antiques and finished our busy day with a quick visit to a nearby waterfall. Waterfalls are one of my very favorite, plentiful features in Oregon. It wouldn't seem right to visit Oregon and not see a waterfall.

It wasn't frozen, but the mist from the waterfall covered the surrounding area in a thin layer of frost.

I am so thankful for all we did and saw in Oregon, but most especially the wonderful memories we made with Brandon and his family. It was perfect in every way, except that it was far, far too short.

Until next time, Oregon.

Portland Visit

I had originally intended on posting yesterday, but no offense, everybody, I had something much more important going on...

Yesterday, Matt and I were celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary together! Matt had yesterday off of work, so we had a lovely, romantic, relaxing day together.

Four years ago:

{The Rehearsal}

{Lake Michigan}

Now on to my trip to Portland!

Most of my trip revolved around my participation in Katie Kyle-Lewis' wedding this past weekend and we were running to and fro so much that I didn't take nearly as many photos as I'd hoped.


On a side note, I have to rant a teensy bit about my flight out there. I have never paid as much money for a plane ticket to Portland as I did this last visit. It was horrendous! Secondly, the ticket I booked was on Southwest Airlines, the cheapest by far. Though you can check up to two bags for free {which is excellent}, that was the only plus. The downside was that my flight from Detroit made two scheduled stops on its way to Portland; one in Denver and one in Salt Lake City At both stops, there is hardly time to get up and use the lavatory or stretch one's legs, and one can't exit the aircraft. So with these two stops plus air travel time, I was on that airplane for a total of eight hours. EIGHT. And for so much money!

Thankfully, the gorgeous views of the Pacific Northwest cheered me considerably on our descent into Portland.

My delightful view of the mountains in Washington State

Mount Adams is in the foreground and Mount Rainier in the background

The best part about my visit was staying with my brother, Brandon, his wife Karyl, my niece Krista {8}, and my nephew Sam {4}. Brandon is 3 1/2 years older than me and his is absolutely the best brother a girl could ever ask for.


We've always had a special bond growing up. {Maybe it's the red hair??} As kids, Brandon passed down his old cassette tapes to me, shared his football cards with me, showed me his hiding spots for his knife collection, and even took me along to hang out with his friends, among many other things. Seriously, what big brother does that?! He always made me feel sooo cool. And since Brandon was always one of the popular kids at school, I believed that anything Brandon liked must be cool.

It just kills me that I don't get to see him but once a year or so. And now; now he has his beautiful family that are so far away, too!

I had a blast hanging out with Krista and Sam. They're super-affectionate kids that make me feel abundantly loved! We had time for playing Barbies, blowing up and popping balloons, cuddling up and watching movies, and lots and lots of giggles.

At Katie's Wedding

Sam is such a typical rough-and-tough little boy.  He's usually shirtless and barefoot and covered in a good layer of dirt. But that's exactly how Brandon was as a little boy, and in fact, Sam is the spitting image of his dad at that age.



Trying on Aunt Deanne's boots


I didn't have time to see all my family in Portland this visit. I have my grandparents, three sets of uncles/aunts, and seven cousins and their spouses who live there. I did have two lunch dates with my Grandma and got to visit my Grandpa for the first time since he's moved into a beautiful care facility. He has Parkinson's but is doing as excellent as possible with that, and he's really happy and comfortable in his new place.

"Heidi's" Swiss Restaurant, one of my Grandma's favorites

We ordered breakfast food for lunch. I'm just like my Grandma--we would happily eat breakfast for every meal!

On my way home, I first caught a flight south to my connecting flight in Sacramento, CA. This allowed for a view of the ocean most of the way, but even more delightful was this view of Crater Lake, Oregon.

I visited Crater Lake in college with my uncle, brother, grandpa, and best friend, Laura. The crater was formed after a volcano erupted thousands of years ago and has been collecting rain water and snow ever since. It's the deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere and third deepest in the world. The most striking thing about Crater Lake, especially up close, is the incredibly intense blue color of the water. It literally looks like someone colored the water with blue dye!



Tomorrow I'll share all about Katie's wedding and the related events...

Oregon Trip, March 2010

Last month I went on a fabulous trip to Oregon with my parents. Matt was in Florida for three weeks at the time, training for his upcoming deployment. My parents were planning to go out for a visit during this time, so they invited me to go along! It was wonderful! Oregon contains, other than all its natural beauties, some of my favorite people in this world: my big brother & his family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends!

Although I usually go to Portland at least once every year, this trip was exceptional in that instead of flying there, we drove there. Yes, that's right--we drove all 2,400 miles from Dayton, Ohio to Portland, Oregon. My parents were driving a car out for my big brother. When the three day drive had ended, we had driven the length of seven states and passed through a total of TEN! It was long, but I really enjoyed doing that with my parents.

A highlight for me at the tail end of our journey-by-car was a short stop just over the state line in Washington where there is a replica of England's world-famous Stonehenge. It's built to represent what Stonehenge would have looked like when it was first built, and unlike the real Stonehenge, you can walk through the structure. I had my mom take a picture of me lying on the "Altar Stone," ready for sacrifice. Haha! Although the history-lover in me must tell you that scholars now know that the real Altar Stone was never used for sacrifice, be it animal or human.

We arrived in Portland on my Grandma Dorsey's 85th birthday, and she didn't know I was coming out with my parents, so I got to surprise her. That was so fun! We had a joyous dinner with family to celebrate her birthday.

We spent the weekend with my big brother, Brandon, his lovely wife Karyl, niece Krista, and nephew Samuel. I love them all so much--I hate that we live so far away from one another. My parents and I snuck away, just the three of us, one afternoon while Brandon, Karyl, and the kids attended a neighbor's birthday party. We visited one of my favorite places in Oregon: the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped for a view of the Gorge and Crown Point, then stopped at various waterfalls that dot the Old Scenic Highway of the Gorge. The biggest and most beautiful waterfall is Multnomah Falls. There are two levels to the falls and a majestic stone bridge crossing over the second tier of the falls--it makes a hauntingly beautiful scene. We browsed the gift shop and warmed ourselves with vanilla lattés.

On Monday, my dad, my mom and me took my grandparents to the Oregon Coast. This is one of my grandparents' favorite things to do! We stayed in a rented beach house that had the most amazing view of the ocean! The first evening, there was a gorgeous sunset that seemed to transform moment by moment. There were stairs running straight down from the back of the house to the beach. The beach literally stretched for miles in each direction, and I spent a lovely solitary afternoon walking up and down the coastline. Unfortunately that was the only time I got to spend on the beach itself while we were there...as can be expected in Oregon in March, there was rain, rain, and more rain. Nonetheless, we spent three lovely days lounging, eating delicious meals at local restaurants, and doing a bit of shopping. It was perfect!

The last two days of our trip, I had more visiting time with friends and family. My cousin, Kristen, took me to one of my favorite spots in Portland: Hawthorne! It was here that many years ago she introduced me to what is now one of my favorite stores in the world--Presents of Mind. Anyway, we ate dinner in Hawthorne at a French Crèperie called Chez Machin and I was in heaven: melt-in-your mouth Boeuf Bourguignon, a sweet lemon and sugar crèpe for dessert, and Orangina.

Lastly, I got to spend two nights at the house of my lifelong friend, Katie Kyle. Katie was my FIRST friend in life...we "met" and became friends before either of us was one years old! I'm not kidding! To this day, she is one of my dearest friends. Katie didn't always used to live in Portland, so it's wonderful that she does now, because I can be sure to see her each time I'm in Portland. We had lots of girly giggling-time, but also spent a lot of time with her son, Josh, and my brother and his family, who literally live just around the corner.

Here are some pictures of this fabulous trip!

(I've included several pictures of my Uncle Roger and Aunt Penny's home and property just outside of Portland. It's literally on the side of a mountain, in the woods, and is incredibly breathtaking. I always tell them how once I win Publishers Clearing House, Matt and I are going to buy it, and since they have wanted to sell their place for years, they're crossing their fingers for that, too!)

Oregon Girl

I love vintage prints, and this one is a favorite of mine. Despite having lived in Michigan since age eight, and although I was born and lived in the state of Washington when I was little, I still feel like an Oregon Girl. Since my mom is an Oregon Girl, I've decided I can be an Oregon Girl, too. I have many roots in Oregon-grandparents, three sets of aunts and uncles, countless cousins, and most importantly, my brother and his family. So over my lifetime, I've spent a lot of time in Oregon (Portland, to be exact), and I have had the chance to travel over quite a lot of the state. The beauty of Oregon never fails to amaze me. Beautiful coastline, waterfalls, the Columbia River Gorge, fir trees, and Mount Hood--the wonders never end. When I'm in Oregon, I feel at home. That makes me an Oregon Girl.

"Matthew"

I found this "Matthew" charm at a little shop in Troutdale, Oregon. I already had the bracelet, and given that soon I will give up my husband for one year and be in a state of constant longing for him, I thought it appropriate to purchase this sweet reminder. Now whether I wear it on a bracelet or a necklace, this charm will always remind me of the man who has my heart.

Book Worm

As each year passes, I become increasingly more obsessed with expanding my collection of books. This mostly involves my hunt for antique books; the older, the better. I have established a fair collection of antique books, mostly in the subject of history, but some in the subjects of literature and theology. The "hunt" for these books is part of the fun. Antique shops draw me in, enticing me with beautiful heirlooms, but my eyes pass them over, searching instead for the old, musty books tucked away on bookshelves in the far corners of the shop.

There's something about the smell and the feel of the fragile, yellowed pages that fills me with wonder. The hardcover of the book holds knowledge passed down from those that have come before me. And I always find myself imagining who the previous owners of these books might have been. I enjoy finding books with names and dates written in the front, or notes scribbled in the margins throughout the pages. For me, it is a way to participate in the lives of others who lived before me, others I will never know. These scribbles, or other times elegantly written notations, connect me to these previous owners, and it makes me feel special.

I have collected books from various states around the US, mostly from antique shops, but also from my favorite bookstore, Powell's. It is found in Portland, Oregon, and is the largest new AND used bookstore in the world, encompassing an entire city block. Any place that consists of wall to wall books is a place to where I'd happily commit several hours of my life. Be it Powell's, a library, or even Barnes & Noble, I relish my time browsing leisurely through the stacks, scanning titles and making notes of books I want to add to my "To Read" list. I get lost in those hours. It's a stress reliever for me; a way to escape reality for a short while. During my junior and senior years at Anderson University, every Monday evening, I'd make a 40 minute drive (each way) to the nearest Barnes & Noble in Noblesville, IN. I'd bring my homework along, and though I was sometimes diligent enough to sit in the café and do homework, I'd mostly spend my time sipping a Starbucks Frappucino and browsing the aisles. My senior year, I took my dear friend Sara (Spitters) McDonough with me on these Monday trips to Barnes & Noble. It made for some great girl times!

I thought I'd list here some of the titles and dates of these books I have scooped up:
-Treasure Island 1930
-The Simple Life 1901
-Last Day of Pompeii 1884
-Quo Vadis 1897
-Nicholas & Alexandra 1967 (not that old!)
-The Last Days of Pompeii (sadly the pages with the copyright are missing, but based on the condition of the book, I'd place it somewhere in the late 1800's)
-The Literature of England, Vol. 1 & 2, 1941
-The War of the Revolution, Vol. 1 & 2, 1952
-Napoleon 1926
-History of England and Greater Britain 1916
-The Story of Scotland Yard 1935
-Bartlett's Familiar Quotations 1919
-History of Europe 1927
-A History of the Ancient World 1912
-The Emperor 1881
-A Dynamic Faith 1901
-Four Great Americans 1897
-Wuthering Heights 1953 (the name of a lady and 'Belfast' is written in the front!)
-Stories of Legendary Heroes 1909
-The Secret of Salvation 1896 (by E.E. Byrum, of Byrum Hall, for all of you AU Alums)
-The Man of Galilee 1907 (also by E.E. Byrum)
-In His Image 1922
-Anna Karenina 1939
-Our Father's House 1870 (!!!)
-The Light in the Dark Ages 1949
-History of the World 1937
-The World of the Past, Vol. 1 & 2, 1963
-Mont St. Michel and Chartres 1933-Facts about France 1918 (given to me by my dear friend, Amy Woolsey)-La Quartero 1858 (a novel written in French; my oldest book!!!)
-Library of Wit & Humor 1901
-The Complete Works of John Bunyan 1873 (!!!)
-Caesar's Gallic Wars 1897
-First Year Latin 1901

I imagine my search for rare, antique books will continue my whole life. Each antique shop I see is an opportunity to locate another treasure to add to my collection. To me, pure happiness can be found curled up on a corner of a couch with a book and a cup of coffee or tea. And each time I open one of my antique books, feeling the worn pages and smelling the musty smell of decades past, I feel special all over again.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

You can never get a cup of tea large enough,
or a book long enough,
to suit me.
~C.S. Lewis

Trip to Oregon 2009

Sad to say, this post is about two months overdue. Nevertheless, I had to take the time to share about my wonderful trip to Portland in March. I went with my mom and sister--a girls' trip. My mom was so wonderfully generous to purchase airline tickets for me and Erin with her frequent flier points. That was the only way we could afford to go, and unfortunately it meant that Matt, my dad, and my brother-in-law Dan were left at home.

Once me, my mom, and Erin all met up in Portland (we each flew separately), we picked up my grandparents and went to the Oregon coast to stay for several days. These are my maternal grandparents, Cecil and Ethel. I love them so much and don't get to see them often, so this was very special for me. My grandparents LOVE staying along the Oregon coast and we were so pleased to take them there! The weather was really perfect...a bit cold, but still pleasant to be on the beach. We had some overcast days and even one sunny day, and we were fortunate enough to avoid the oh-so-common Oregon rain! My mom shared a condo with my grandparents and Erin and I had our own room in another building within the resort. We spent lots of time with my grandparents in their condo, just sitting by the fire and chatting or playing card games. Erin and I had some great times at the beach, exploring sea creatures together at low tide, as well as spending time alone for journaling and quiet times. We also ate at many great restaurants along the coast.

After our lovely stay at the beach, we returned to Portland for several more days. We stayed with family there, and boy, do we have a lot! Here's my family that lives in the Portland area: Grandpa/Grandpa, three sets of uncles/aunts, my brother/his wife/kids, and five cousins/their spouses/families. We spent most of our time with my brother, Brandon, his wife, Karyl, Krista (6), and Sam (20 months). It's really hard living so far away from Brandon and his family. We don't get to see them much at all, and of course the kids are growing so quickly! My whole family in Oregon is amazing and I am so blessed by all of them.

Here are a few pictures that highlight our trip:

The beautiful sea


A view of our condos from the beach


The view from my grandparents' condo

We saw so many starfish at low tide, in all colors!

An evening meal
Grandma and the girls :) Me and the best mom in the world!


Krista and Sam



Could he be any more adorable?



Me and Krista after climbing to the base of the first falls

All of us at Multnomah Falls