Marilee’s Travels

i left on thursday april 26. (i was supposed to go the weekend before, however, i double booked my parents visit ((which was planned well in advace)) with my trip to see daniel and josh.) it all worked out and i was very happy to recover in palmer. my expectations for going north were… seek some closure to tess’s death 1.5 years ago, smell their house (which, if you know me, isn’t as weird as it sounds) and sit in the presense of daniel and josh. i found all of that and more. i found support, love, acceptance, curiosity, calmness, open thoughts, stress free living, life without media, conversation, connection, peace, non judgement, warm smiles, fantasic food made with love… the list really could go on for a long, long time. all these things have left me wondering about where my life is now. is this what i want? is this all i want? is this where i want to live? is this what i want to do? is this making a difference? am i making a difference? obviously, these are questions that i have pondered (on some level) for 33 years. it was a great wake up call from my hamster wheel that sometimes continues to turn even without me doing a thing.

- What the mind expects, it finds.

- Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.

- Energy flows where the thoughts go.

- Suffering is the result of being at war with reality.

- A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds love in what he does.

it is coming up on the end of march and the last time i wrote anything was valentine’s day. i suppose a lot has happened since then. my brother got engaged and i turned 33 on the 14th of march and i am happy to say, this year is feeling pretty good. i have made some tough and healthy choices about what i want in my life, taking time for myself and always trying to move forward, worthy of all things that come my way. with this… there have been many changes. some good and some not so good. finding, that not everybody likes me… and how to settle into that. stop pleasing and starting living. forgive. making conscience efforts to surround myself with things that fullfill me. clearing my mind of useless thoughts, worries, needless negativity. “energy flows where the thoughts go”. knowing that ALL my thoughts contribute to where my energy goes. i want my energy to go to things that fullfill me, inspire new ideas and thoughts and passions. (at this point you probably realize that i am rambling. why? because i can. it’s my page… i paid for it. damn it.) : ) i have continued to connect with long time friends. (camesha, joy, rona, erin… ) which i am happy to report, fill my soul with mushy stuff and fill my heart with laughter. thanks!!!! yesterday day was victor’s birthday and the first day it was warm enough to drive to and from work with the top down on the jeep. woo hoo! i got jeep hair. here’s to spring.

last night i was treated to an amazing meal at Genoa. they don’t have the valentine’s day menu up, but the one that is posted sounds just as magnificant. it almost felt like being in buenos aires again. a long, drawn out meal full of rich conversation, good wine and delectible food. THANKS VICTOR!!

time to catch up.

1. didn’t win the photo contest but thanks for your help! i was a finalist and after seeing how many people participated and attended the ‘gala’ i am pround to have gone that far. time to start shooting for next year’s contest!

2.went to NYC for 4 days with work at the end of january. it was great, saw amazing things. (MOMA & copper hewit museums, a few galleries and lots of boutiques) it was pretty chilly but very nice, despite my coworkers continual complaints while outside.

3.a childhood friend was in town this past weekend (2/9-2/11). Joy Luccesi Ford (sorry for the misspelling). we’ve been friends since ‘86. she stayed with another long time friend Camesha Hart Robb (earsier to spell). i was able to hang out with them 2 nights and my belly hurts from laughing so much. if only we could do that every week.

4.i also had the opportunity to go up to seattle for ANOTHER long time friend’s birthday party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN! (reynolds/gollwitzer) AND my dear friend Rona Spellecacy was there. (she lives up there, too)

5.i’ve started working out again. (damn… i’m gonna look hot! if i can make it past the “i can’t walk upstairs without crying” stage.) wish me luck.
6.it’s almost spring here. we have some trees blooming and there are signs of early flowers pushing there way out of the cold, soggy, winter dirt.

victor has purchased a new camera and here is one of the fun things we did. we are not sure what the world would do with 3 marilee’s… but this might be what it would look like on a normal day.

be sure and check out the latest addition to woolace.net!

www.jimmy.woolace.net (thanks victor - our webmaster)
don’t forget to check out his photos, too!

on a side note. i’ll be in new york from the 29th-1st. this time it is for work. team building with our design team and collecting inspiration for the coming season. am excited to see even more of the city. i would imagine that i will see a whole other side. we’ll be staying in the soho grand and eating like kings and queens. will post pictures upon my return.

it is my lucky day. one of my portraits has been chosen as a finalist in the ‘photo of the year’ contest here in portland. woo hoo!

if you go to www.photooftheyear.net and look in the ‘faces’ category you can vote for my photo, that looks like this. “Morrow”.

tell all your friends and come to the event.

ok… so little by little i am getting some photos up! there are more in my “favorites” album. i haven’t manipulated these at all. some i’ld like to crop, color correct or change to black and white. this may or may not happen.

i am sad to say that, it doesn’t feel like i was gone for a month. nothing really changed here in portland. people love me, people hate me and my work is where i left it. there are 2 things that happened while i was gone that prove to me that it all happened. my credit card balances went up and bodo’s nails got longer.

time to plan another trip. it somehow gives reason and meaning for going to work everyday.

(wooooha. can you say downer?)

“Travel pushed my boundaries. When you travel, you become invisible, if you want. I do want. I like to be the observer. What makes people who they are? Could I feel at home here? No one expects you to have the stack of papers back by Tues. or to check messages, or to fertilize the geraniums. When traveling, you have the delectable possibility of not understanding a word of what is said to you. Language becomes simply a musical background for watching bicycles zoom alongside a canal, calling for nothing from you. Travel releases spontaneity. You become a godlike creature full of choice, free to visit the stately pleasure domes, make love in the morning, sketch a bell tower. You open, as in childhood, and — for a time –receive this world. There’s the visceral aspect, too-the huntress who is free. Free to go, free to return home bringing memories to lay on the hearth.”
Excerpted from A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes.