Off

Sometimes I wish I could just let things lie
No need to wonder if I should say hello or goodbye

One of those nights

A lot can happen when you just chill and stay open minded...

You meet new people
You start focusing on yourself
You realize what things in your life are good and what aren't
You take life in to your own hands

You gotta look out for yourself.

Summer

I think it's official. At least it is to me. Summer is HERE! When you can come out of your apartment after the sun goes down and you don't need a jacket...what's when I know it's summer. Other summery things?

• BBQ's!
• Loungin by the pool
• Loungin at the park
• Frozen yogurt
• Shopping for new sun glasses
• Skirts
• Tanks
• Shopping in general because you are not prepared for the sun
• Prepping your skin for the sun (be it sun block or tanning oil)

Lets just be grateful that by the end of May we have gotten some sun! (I should probably be knocking on wood as I type that)

Mom's

Mom's flower from the backyard+a couple clicks on my laptop=THIS!

Just Say Yes

Sometimes you just have to say yes. Opening up your life to new things means that no matter how tired, or reluctant you may be; just say yes.

First Thursday in the Pearl? Yes.
Taking on more responsibility? Yes.
Sushi at Saburo's? YES.
Skinni Dip? Yes.
Going out after a long day at work? Yes.

Saying yes can open you up to so many different experiences, so many different people, and so many parts of yourself that you may or may not have known existed.

A lot of people say that it's just too hard to meet people after you're out of school. Maybe it may not be as easy to find people who you have common ground with like you do with school, but maybe it is. Maybe you just have to say yes.

Say yes to a dinner invite.
Say yes to thirsty Thursday.
Say yes to the baseball game.
Just say yes.

Great work

The "Kinght to Remember" auction benefiting Chess for Success was AMAZING. Not only did we raise a ton of money for the organization, I had a personal note in the auction.

My sister donated two paintings and has finally put her work online...

www.mclblogalicious.blogspot.com

Next

Next time...

YES!

GO BLAZERS! Two more...

Keep it up

Alright people...lets keep cheering! Things happen. We can do it!
GO BLAZERS!

Portland Rise

It is a gorgeous day here in Portland (as well as other places in the area from what I've heard). Hopefully the sun will help people forget about the first game of the playoffs. It's a new week and a new game is on the way tomorrow. A little optimism is all it takes. Portland's been waiting a long time for the Blazers to be back to a point where we can cheer them on and be proud of our team. I have no doubt that Blazer fans at and watching the game will cheer boisterously as we take game 2.

Playoffs

Ok. Now is the time people. Playoffs, tomorrow. 7:30pm. You'll find that I am quite biased when it comes to sports. As much respect as I have for teams and players that are genuinely talented; I will always root for The Oregon Ducks and The Portland Trailblazers.

This weekend, I am definitely rootin for the Blazers! I am however keep and extra eye on Aaron Brooks since he plays for the Rockets and used to play for the Ducks. It's that alumni pride I just can't seem to get enough of!

As for the Blazers, if you didn't stand in line or camp out for tickets...watch them tomorrow, Saturday the 18th at 7:30pm on ESPN. One glimpse of the top of their heads at PIoneer Square is surely not enough.

Refreshing

What's nice about working for one of the most financially sound banks in the nation, among other things is that I get to show my work spirit like this! I carved it myself.

It's empowering to work for a company that gives you all the tools you need to be successful. Not only does it combine my love for finance and people, now I can help people even more with my new found resources. It's quite possible that some of you who read this will think "oh great, now she'll be boring us with MORE finance talk". It's probably true. I'm a talker, especially about things I'm passionate about. You'll be hearing a lot more from me about Umpqua and what we, and especially me, can do for you (yes I realize that didn't work gramatically but I like the rhyme, sue me [not really]).

All that I'm learning is ground-breaking really. Real life finance can be so easy with all the right tools, and people helping you out. Speaking of ground breaking, yes, there is A LOT of construction by my store on SW Bond Ave in the Portland South Waterfront district. It'll be worth all the headache in the long run though. It's gorgeous down here on the water, the store itself is marvelous (there are pics at umpqualab.com) and once the park across the way gets finished at the end of this summer it will definitely be the spot to be.

(duh, I'm here :-D).

Saving

In this type of economy, one would assume that people would try their hardest to save...just never know what the future will bring. It's amazing how many people roll their eyes at the idea of saving, thinking "yeah, if only".

There are countless articles online and in papers recently outlining ways to save. It can seem daunting when you get a paycheck every two weeks and it all goes to bills. Most of us have been in a position where we just don't have anything left over to put in to a savings account...or a money market account (they're getting better interest rates right now). Then you see an article that says something like "Just a dollar a day adds up!". Of course we all think, a dollar's nothing...I can do that. So you do. You put a dollar a day in for a week. Or you think, I can't borther to do that once a day every day...I'll just put in or transfer $30 for the whole month.

Then $30 starts sounding like a lot, or maybe that extra $30 should be my splurge since I've been so good about this whole saving thing. This is the point when people start getting in trouble! It's that one time that you give yourself a break that it turns in to just that...a break. A break in the savings system. Stay on track and you can succeed!

Save hard. Spend smart.

Weekends

Now I believe that most people I know would agree that this is a great way to end a weekend. After a crazy weekend with old friends, working through the week will be a piece of cake (mmm cake...or merengue, or cheesecake). Gotta love the word "sampler", especially when it's prefaced with the word "dessert".