What to pack: Portland edition

I cannot believe it. The day is finally here. I am on an airplane (right now!) flying out to Portland see my longtime friend and old school running partner, Casey. We've been talking about this visit since she moved (almost a year ago!) and I purchased my ticket back way back in early March. So this has been a long time coming.

To say I am psyched is an understatement. I've been to Seattle, but not to Portland. Something tells me I'm gonna like it there! Ok, so maybe it's a someone rather than a something and her name just happens to be Casey, but still! I trust her judgement. Mostly because as I have noticed of late, me and Case are pretty much spot on with our habits.

Ok, so I climb and she bikes, but everything else is there. We both love to run (admittedly she is faster than me, but she's a rockstar that'll slow her roll to hang back with me), we both love (live) music - usually the same exact bands, we both love to eat (maybe me more than her :) and we both love being outdoors.

So I'm super psyched about this trip because a) it's a new city for me to explore b) we're going to do all of the fun activities mentioned above and c) mostly because I knew I had missed this gal, but until the days for this trip ticked down, I didn't realize just how much I've missed her.

Me & Casey at the Avett Brothers show last spring in Tuscaloosa

Since she gave me the bright idea of the "What to pack" blogposts, I couldn't let her down with this one. Casey seems to think my style is gonna fit right in to the scene at Portland, so she wanted to see what I would fill my suitcase with so she could get some style inspiration herself (though I insist she doesn't need it.)

As I've mentioned (three times now) I haven't been to Portland so I am basing my outfits around the stereotypes that are associated with the city and the Pacific Northwest in general. I'm thinking pretty casual (I had to pry the heels and wedges out of my hands so that I wouldn't pack them) and not a lot of bright colors.

Really, I'm pulling out my most hipster items. I've got flat sandals, dark colors and of course a plaid top, a fedora and my vintage Ray Ban Wayfarers. Oh and I'd be an idiot not to pack a rain jacket, though honestly I'm hoping to hit up an REI or a local outdoors store to get some new rain gear since this jacket is at least 7 years old and has seen better days. There's also a tiny crossbody bag in the mix that's perfect for keeping things light while carrying the essentials when we go see the Alabama Shakes play an outdoor show.

Of course I have my running gear and my climbing shoes because there will be lots of runs in our future for the next few days and I'm pretty psyched to be hitting up the Portland Rock Gym as well. I've got a couple of breezy dresses thrown in and a romper too for any biking, dinner or thrifting adventures.

Seriously, this is going to be the greatest trip ever....are you jealous yet?!

I think Case has pretty much everything planned, but if anyone out there wants to throw any Portland suggestions my way, I will gladly take them! Especially if you know where to go for thrift and vintage stores. Leave me a comment below.

Hope you all have a great long weekend!

A cheapskate goes to...Africa!

Photo taken from visitingorphans.org

Yes! You read that correctly. I will soon be traveling across the world to Africa, more specifically Uganda. Me. A cheapskate who has never traveled overseas. Bananas. Hope you have your coffee handy because this post is going to be a long one!

It all began earlier in the year when my friend Lauren emailed a group of us asking if anyone would be interested in serving somewhere in Africa because she had been longing to go back since she traveled there the first time. Her original plan was to stay a couple of months. Well, I'm not a teacher, so summer vacation doesn't exist for me anymore, so I thought nothing more of the opportunity, said thanks but I couldn't possibly go. Then the plan was altered to going for a couple of weeks instead of months and all of a sudden I was interested. Lauren and I had coffee to discuss the trip seeing as I have never traveled anywhere further than the Bahamas...on a cruise. I had many questions and was nervous about the travel and the money (of course) and also what we'd be doing.

See, there's a small group of us who are part of a larger group who are going to serve orphans in Uganda with an organization called Visiting Orphans. I have never participated in a mission trip either, so clearly this is a BIG trip for me. I absolutely love that my first stamp in my passport will be Africa AND that it's there because I am going to help others who are in need, particularly children without parents. I have been so blessed in the family department with two awesome parents who have done whatever they could for me, and also with a great brother, sister-in-law and nephew, that I am so happy to go and serve and bring that family joy I have experienced to children in need. And something tells me they will in turn give me joy and love as well. You can learn more about the trip I am taking to Uganda on July 22, 2011 here. Overall, we will be working with children at Return Ministries, My Father's House, Amazima Ministries, Canaan's Children's Home and SixtyFeet. I have no idea what I will see or experience, but I can tell you that I am so excited to go and will hopefully hit the ground running with open arms as soon as we arrive in Uganda.

As you can expect from anyone going on a trip like this, I have a few requests for friends, family and my blog readers. Basically, I need help!

There are five major ways you can offer your assistance:

1. Money. Of course I have waited until the last minute and I have less than two weeks to raise $2K towards my trip. But I have decided that nothing is too big for God. So if I'm supposed to raise $2K in two weeks, then it will happen! If not, I have money in savings and He will just provide for me (as He always does) later down the road. So if you are able to donate just even a few dollars, I would be so grateful. Because a little truly does go a LONG way! Especially in Africa, according to our trip leaders.

Here's how you can donate money. Just go here, type in how much you are able to donate, click on on the July 22 - Aug. 2nd Uganda trip from the drop down box, continue to fill out the remaining fields with your payment information, then click continue at the bottom of the page. Somewhere on the following page there should be a field to enter "Christen Lewis" as to the person you are donating the money to. It's pretty simple really! You should receive an email with a letter for tax purposes, but if you don't, please let me know and I will be sure to take care of that for you.

2. Buy a magnet. My sweet friend Ashley at Magpie Magnets has created a magnet called "One Love" specifically for my trip to Uganda. She is donating ALL the proceeds from the sell of these magnets to my trip! Just another illustration of how a little goes a long way. Plus, wouldn't it be a great reminder to have that image on your fridge to remind you to pray for that country and those orphans every day?

3. Buy stationery. From now until the end of July, everything I sell from my personal stationery collection will go towards my trip. I had hoped to already have some Africa-themed stationery designed, but life has been a little too hectic lately. Hopefully I will have some new designs uploaded soon though.

4. Items for donations. If you are in the Birmingham or nearby area, I will also accept donations of items that are needed at these orphanages. Just let me know when and where to pick them up and I will do that for you sometime before July 22nd! Here's just a quick list of items I know have been specifically requested:
• granola bars
• hair elastics
• good coffee
• peanut butter
• crayons and coloring books
• school supplies of ALL kind (pens, notebooks, pencils, chalk, whiteboard markers, rulers, maps)
• sports items
• first aid/medicines (particularly baby medications)
• children's clothing and shoes

The list could honestly go on and on, but I thought I'd just put the smaller items I felt I could fit easily into my luggage. (btw, doesn't it just make you want to cry when you see this list and all these things that are so trivial that we take for granted all the time?!)

5. PRAYER. I possibly should have put this item first. Prayer is always welcome, always helpful and it's free! Please pray for our group's safety and health. Pray that we are what the children need and can tend to them in the way they need to be cared for and tended to. Pray that we are able to bring them more than what we or they expect us to bring—whether that is the physical or intangible items. Pray for those who are serving these children on a daily basis, those who have dedicated their life to caring for them every day because no one else can or will. Most of all just pray that God's will be done on this trip. I think that should cover everything if that's your prayer!

Ok, I think that is actually everything! Sorry for the long post. And if you have any questions or wishes or problems with donating, anything at all, please feel free to e-mail me at fashionplatecheapskate{at}gmail.com. And of course, expect an AMAZING update post after my return from Uganda in August. And for those of you who are able to fund a part of my trip, I would love to hopefully come back with a little something special for you :)

Travel cheaply: UAB Outdoor Pursuits

Me and Ashley at the Grand Canyon. Socks and boots are hot, no?

I think it's clear from most of my posts so far that I am pretty much a "girly girl." But what you probably don't know is that I have in fact gone 7 days or so without a shower, let alone heels or makeup. And I'm proud of that! In fact one of my coworkers thinks it's highly entertaining that I come to work in my stilettos and dresses and crazy outfits, but I'll go spend a week and a half in the outdoors with nothing but a tent, sleeping bag and some food. I like to think of it as I'm just dynamic :)

Beyond just enjoying being outdoors, there are many other reasons why I love going on trips with UAB Outdoor Pursuits. For one thing, you meet lots of great people. I mean, it's kind of imperative that you become fast friends with a group of strangers when you are riding in a van together across the country for three days straight. Another reason I love these trips is because you're splitting gas among several people and staying in tents vs. hotel rooms, so it's an affordable way to see lots of amazing sights. I certainly wouldn't have been able to afford to have visited places like Yosemite or Grand Canyon, or let alone had the knowledge to backpack in those areas if it weren't for UAB Outdoor Pursuits. Plus, I can't even begin to explain everything I have learned on these trips about the outdoors, myself and one of my best friends/travel partners, Ashley.

So if you are in the Birmingham area and you're looking for a little bit of affordable adventure, I highly suggest you check out UAB Outdoor Pursuits. They have some great trips coming up this summer...and expect to hopefully see me on one later in the fall! And if you're not in the area, check your local colleges to see if they have an Outdoor Pursuits program that offers trips available to everyone, not just students. Or you could also check your local outdoor retail store.

I'll leave you with just a few of my fav pics from previous trips to help tempt you to sign up for an outdoor adventure soon.

View from the rim at the Grand Canyon. photo: Kerri Howard

Our descent the first day into the canyon. photo: Kerri Howard 

Part of our hike in the canyon. photo: Kerri Howard

Our awesome team and our nasty boots. photo: Kerri Howard

We caught the most amazing sunset at Sunset Point our last day in the canyon. photo: Kerri Howard

Me and Ashley before our attempt at canoeing Fontana Lake in North Carolina.

Fontana Lake in North Carolina.

The coolest creepiest building we found while backpacking at Fontana.

The most beautiful fall foliage at Fontana that I have seen in a while. 

Bridge and foliage at Fontana.

More pretty fall foliage, but this time it's at the Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama. 

More pretty fall foliage at Sipsey.

An amazing view of Upper Yosemite Falls.

One of the rivers flowing through Yosemite.

The most beautiful lake I think I have ever seen, in the Yosemite National Park area.

We start our hike in Yosemite in snow!

Me and Ashley taking a break from hiking in Yosemite.

The Lower Yosemite Fall. 

One of the MANY huge sequoia trees we saw up close.

ps. You can see Ashley's Etsy store Magpie Magnets here. And you can visit the blog of my friend Kerri who took the awesome Grand Canyon pics here.

A cheapskate goes to LA: the follow up

So clearly I am mixing things up this week and thought instead of my usual "Plated" post today, I'd do a quick photo recap of my recent trip to California. My mom and I definitely had an amazing time and I am dying to go back again soon....or, ahem, maybe live there?! Oh one can dream, right?

So here's a quick photo review of the trip.

Our AH-mazing view of the city from the backyard of the place where we stayed.

The Chinese theater

Me fitting my hand perfectly into my fav leading lady's handprint, Miss Judy Garland.

I've been told I look like Hilary Swank (among other celebs, too), so I had to snap a pic of her star.

My first real great view of the Hollywood sign. We were staying up there in those hills!

Me and my mom at the WB studio VIP tour.

A "perk" of the VIP tour: getting to stand on the Central Perk set from FRIENDS. Ha, get it? Perk!

Another bonus? Me standing on Lorelai Gilmore's front porch!

Rodeo Drive is certainly not where a Cheapskate belongs! But it was fun to pretend :) 

The beautiful palm tree lined streets of Beverly Hills.

The most amazing cupcakes. Second to my friend Peaches' cupcakes, which she makes with love.

Griffith Observatory - where the end of Rebel Without a Cause was filmed.

The life changing french toast I had at The Griddle Cafe — they were stuffed with Nutella! Yum!

The ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier. What a fun place! Perfect for family fun, or dare I say a date!

The stunningly gorgeous canals of Venice Beach.

Me at the canals

Venice street sign. I bought the fantastic vintage dress from yesterday's post at a store across the street.

If you know me, you know I love Disney! And now I love their fence posts at the Disney studios, too.

Can you see The Seven Dwarfs acting as columns and holding up the top of the building?

We had a great hike Sunday afternoon at Runyon Canyon.

Finally! We spotted a celebrity — LL Cool J — at Katsuya . He was so incredibly nice to us tourists!

Just one fantastic view from the PCH that we took up the California coast to Monterey.

Another breathtaking view of God's creation via the Pacific Coast Highway to Northern CA.

It was a long drive up the coast, but totally worth it to see my old college roomie Abbe!
Here we are at the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.

Lombard Street in San Fran - "the crookedest street in the world". Can you see how crazy curvy it is?

Funny little sea lions at the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

The "Painted Ladies" in San Fran, or what I like to call the Full House houses!

Hope you enjoyed my virtual tour of California! Happy Friday everyone!