#91 April Fools by Sizzle Pie
01 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
My roommate found this little yellow envelope stuck underneath the windshield wiper of my car today. Turned out to be a ticket for a complimentary slice of pizza.
Very clever, Sizzle Pie. Congrats on being pretty much the only April Fools’ Day joke I really enjoyed this year.
#92 Beppe & Gianni’s
02 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna’s parents sought to hunt down a restaurant highly recommended by a friend. Deanna and I hadn’t heard of it, but I’m glad we know about it now.
Beppe & Gianni’s makes some really good Italian food. Like, really good.
#93 The Almost-In-Laws
03 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
It’s been a lot of fun having Rich and Beth up for the week.
On this day in particular, we lived life like the ultimate double date. We had a picnic at a winery, then went for ice cream, bowling, sightseeing from the top of Skinner’s Butte, indoor mini-golfing, and playing Ticket to Ride. All in one wonderful afternoon.
#94 Salamander
04 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Went on a walk with Deanna’s parents around the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum.
We found this guy because Deanna almost stepped on it. But then, it definitely appeared dead when we started prodding him with rocks. We left to skip rocks down the river and went back to prodding the creature, but this time, before prodding him, he started walking, seemingly back from the dead.
#95 A Happy Easter
05 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
He is risen. ㅎ He is risen, indeed.
Had a great morning with an early Easter service and spending some time with Deanna’s parents before they make the drive back to California. Looked forward to some travel later in week and the launch of spring.
It’s was a good day to get happy.
#96 Baseball’s Back!
06 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Very excited for the return of baseball season. Not expecting very much from the Phillies, unfortunately.
Love the game enough to still be stoked about the season, especially with a few other storylines going on– the Cubs looking good, the Mariners having potential, and the Padres reinventing themselves.
#97 Downtown Lunch Break
07 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Perk of working in a downtown office– getting to take my lunch breaks at Sizzle Pie.
Been a demanding workweek, so far, but I that’s because I needed to get a lot done early to accommodate the pending fun. Here’s to upcoming travel.
#98 PDX > LIT
08 April 2015 // Portland, Oregon
Little Rock bound for the weekend. About to make an inroads in the part of the country I’ve seen the least.
What’s your favorite airport? Mine’s PDX. They were actually rushing people through security telling us not to take off our shoes. Gonna get a banh mi to enjoy mid-air.
#99 Little Rock
09 April 2015 // Little Rock, Arkansas
Had a fantastic day exploring the city of Little Rock with my mom on our random mother-son trip to Arkansas. Pretty underestimated city!
Spent the morning walking the riverfront, took a trip to the capitol, and got an incredible fried catfish and oyster meal.
#100 Hot Springs National Park
10 April 2015 // Hot Springs, Arkansas
This is the strangest National Park. It’s got a lot of natural beauty, for sure, but it is also way more urban than any other park. A main shopping street runs right through it.
Still, Arkansas is pretty, and incredibly green. Definitely came at the right time of the year for some good sights.
#101 Little Rock Central High School
11 April 2015 // Little Rock, Arkansas
The high school where the Little Rock Nine once entered with the National Guard to protect them from the turmoil going on during the desegregation of the schools in the south.
One of the coolest parts of this story is hearing from one of their former bullies and tormentors. Over time, she realized the error in her thinking and actually made friends with some of them, who forgave her on account of her ignorance, and asked her to break the chain of racism with her own children.
#102 Empty Sanctuary
12 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Went to Eugene Faith Center’s campus for the first time, not for church but for a marriage prep class. This place was way bigger than it looked from the outside.
The marriage class was great and the guy working with us had a lot of helpful things to share. Love thinking about and working through the ideas of what makes a relationship strong.
#103 First House Hunt
13 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna and I officially have our first place together booked! We’re signed up to move in come June, but we’re really liking it!
We’re going to be bit further outside of town, but it’ll be a scenic spot– right at the foot of Spencer’s Butte. Can’t wait for us to start living together.
#104 Stack of Second Chances
14 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
What’s this? Oh, just a stack of books and a coffee mug? Nothing to see here, then I guess. Just a typical, overdone shot for Instagram. How original. What’s next, a camera lens that is also a coffee mug? Right… Scrolling right along.
If Not For Second Chances. Officially out in the world this weekend.
#105 If Not For Second Chances
15 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Today has been a blast! Also a bit of a weird feeling, because as excited as I am to have a book out and available on Amazon and stuff, the part I’m really looking forward to is having people read and enter into the story. That could be as soon as this weekend, though, thanks to Amazon Prime!
Oh, yeah, Prime is available with this book. But don’t stop there— AmazonSmile is one of my favorite things Amazon does and yet hardly anyone uses it. Buy my book via AmazonSmile for the exact same price and a chunk of the money will go to a charitable organization of your choice.
#106 Morning at Vector’s
16 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Got to meet up with our new friend Josh and hang out in the morning over some coffee. Also got to discover one of Deanna’s favorite spots around town– Vector’s.
Also went back a bit later for a night of music from different local bands. Fun spot!
#107 TTNKP
17 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Happy #tothenorthkoreanpeople day everybody. Just had a chance to celebrate with one of my favorite TTNKP day traditions, leaving a message of support for the people of North Korea. Go on to tothenorthkoreanpeople.org website to leave a message.
I know, getting any sort of info into North Korea that isn’t propaganda is quite an ordeal, but it happens way more than you’d think. Episodes of Friends and Titanic are black market commodities, and I know I wouldn’t mind having my message as an opening act for The One With Phoebe’s Birthday Dinner.
Also, I’m loving this hat, LiNK!
#108 The Saturday Studio
18 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent the afternoon recording another episode of Pints & Mics. Fun stuff!
Here’s a look at my living room studio– coming soon to our next episode, this Stone IPA meant to be drank before 4/20/15. Made it just in time!
#109 Coburg Vintage
19 April 2015 // Coburg, Oregon
Took a quick little day trip to Coburg to visit the antique alley. Wanted to see if I could luck out and find some goodies to be used at the wedding.
I did find a wedding arch, but unfortunately, it had gotten too old and rusted for me to take apart to get it down to California. Oh well. At least I got to have visited Coburg.
#110 Sunlit Path
20 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Went on a walk through the Pioneer Cemetery on campus, which is eerie in the fog, but actually pretty sweet on a warm sunlit day.
Ended up at an awards reception for the award I got way at the beginning of the year. But there was free food and beer, so there’s that.
#111 Signing Books
21 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Signing a stack for some family friends. It feels really strange that this is something I can do now. It still feels more like I’m defacing somebody’s property.
So far the best part of writing a book is knowing that I get to connect to people through the thoughts that are on its pages, the stories that went into it, and the beliefs I’ve come to prize. The writing happened long ago and even the book release is in the rearview- but this most fun part is still coming as people get deeper into the chapters.
#112 Mango Barramundi
22 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Homemade potato chips are my favorite.
Got home early with a little extra time to cook, so I fired up some homemade chips and a fish with mango salsa. Fun to make.
#113 The Thursday Circle
23 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent my lunch hour with these guys getting to hear some life stories and personal journeys.
Love groups that share life together. Already looking forward to the next lunch sesh.
#114 Don’t Forget The Lyrics
24 April 2015 // Springfield, Oregon
Played this classic board game with our friend Alyssa.
Unfortunately, the only thing that was missing was a way to integrate Wayne Brady’s charm into the experience.
#115 Double Rainbow
25 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Took Deanna on a multi-stop date. We found an interesting vintage mall with a café on the inside, several used book stores, and a new growler fill stop in Springfield.
When we got back to Eugene, the sun and hail that had been duking it out left us this to look at. Oregon gets beautiful.
#116 Day at the Beanery
26 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent the afternoon getting some work done at the Beanery underneath some rain.
I’ve been wanting to try this place out for a long time- solid, but extremely sweet creme brûlée latte.
#117 Jared and the Mill
27 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Big thanks to our friend Karla for inviting Deanna and I out to this show to kick of our week.
If you are one of those people lamenting Mumford & Sons’ choice to sound less like Mumford & Sons, you will probably enjoy these fellas.
#118 DIY Henna
28 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna and I decided to make a night of the Indian cultural experience, which started off with me making some mango lassi.
Somewhere along the way we decided to attempt henna. Mine didn’t quite go as planned.
#119 Last Day at Mobility
29 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Today was my last day interning for the RightsNow project at Mobility.
This was a really great internship and a fun place to work for. Hope to still see people around town.
#120 Path Appears Screening
30 April 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Went to a screening for A Path Appears at Santa Clara church in the evening. Also helped to run a table for Haven.
Glad to have had the chance to get involved with the ever concerning issue of sex trafficking around Oregon.