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What is now a tradition began as a one-off on January 16, 2023. It was my first visit to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The Kraken were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning, my hometown team. My husband, our dog, and I made the nearly three-hour drive up from Portland, arriving just an hour before puck drop. We checked into our spacious, pet-friendly king room at The Maxwell Hotel, located within easy walking distance of the venue—a major bonus. With puck drop at 1:08 p.m., we r

The three of us sat there, eagerly squished together on a tattered black leather loveseat. A buzz of anticipation floated over our heads like the muted drone of tattoo guns in the background. I looked down at my arms splayed out in front of me. Left, then right. Left again. Wondering which to mark. We decided on an orange blossom, each of us a varied byproduct of Florida. Not all born there, but mostly all raised. It wasn’t generally something we boasted about, given the curr

It was barely a glance. The one that she forced, was futile. Not shy or timid, but weak. It felt fake. Unwilling. I could feel how badly she wished I didn't exist. Past me, she moved quickly and clunky, not swift. Under the hot sun, I froze at her desire to erase me. Cold, like her. She smiled, not at me. Familiar. Not through, but around me. Familiar. So far removed, it hurt. Familiar.

A long, secluded, rainy weekend in the Gorge was just what we needed. My husband, our furry tagalong, and a long-awaited bucket list stay in a yurt made for a lovely getaway. Our drive from Portland felt typical for a late-winter evening. The roads glistened with rain and narrowed as we approached our destination. We passed by the city, crossed the Oregon-Washington Bridge, drove through the charming town of Stevenson, and continued about three miles north of Carson before tu

It was just after 5 p.m. on a Thursday. As I was about to shut off my working brain as well as my laptop for the day, my phone rang. I...

Each year, spring in Oregon arrives when colorful blooms begin to push up through the newly thawed ground of a frigid and bitter winter....

This morning, my alarm didn't wake me up. Instead, I felt a brush of coarse hair across my face, then quickly, heard a sound I can only...