How I Survived the Zombie Apocalypse

There are certain people in this world who truly bring out the best in you. I have been blessed to know many people who do this for me. This weekend, I was able to spend time with three of them.

1   1. Sophia Maria Tortilla Garcia. Sophia and I worked together at the YMCA and we lived together for a little while, too. When I first met her, I remember thinking she was snooty. For some reason, we went on a run together and from that point on, we were hooked to one another. When I am around Sophia, I feel like a better person. Suddenly, I am funnier and crazier. I’m wild and free and adventurous. We always have so much fun together. Well, I hope she has fun. I know I do. I mean, who wouldn’t have fun talking with a horrific southern accent, dancing on the counter in Albina Press and singing F.U.N. songs at the top of your lungs while butchering the lyrics?

      We really did have a wonderful time together. The first evening I picked her up, we met up with my family for Salt & Straw Ice Cream. I had the lavender honey with a scoop of Hawaiian peanut butter and jelly. Something was said and I squeaked quite loudly and scared a man in line. On our way to the creamery, I asked Kaylee to drive because my foot was hurting me. As we pulled up to a stop sign, a homeless man began walking toward us like a zombie. Kaylee got nervous and couldn’t figure out how to lock my car doors. The man ran into the car and smooshed his body against the window. He proceeded to lick the window then inch his way toward the door handle. I calmly locked the door and Kaylee gunned on the gas, pulling out right in front of another car. I am happy to say, we survived the zombie apocalypse part 1.

The next day, we pulled ourselves out of bed and grabbed coffee at Bipartisan before driving downtown for the Saturday Market.

“Hide everything in your car,” my parents warned me. “If a homeless person sees any sort of food, drink or anything that can be used as a weapon, they WILL break in.” And my parents wonder why Kaylee is so paranoid…

After looking at the booths and watching a street performer, we decided to move on to the Hawthorne District, where we browsed the shops, ate a waffle from the Waffle Window and grabbed coffee at Albina Press. As soon as I walked into the shop, a flashback of an afternoon spent there with Ryan, Jordan and Heather flooded my mind. Déjà vu. I pulled out my camera and began taking pictures of Sophia and my family. Dad said we should get a photo in front of the bat, but Sophia didn’t want to stand on the counter with me, so I stood alone and danced a jig for the photo shoot. Hey, I’m just trying to play my part in keeping Portland weird!

Sophia and I left the group and drove out to Multnomah Falls where we hiked up to Devil’s Point and back around to Wakheena Falls. So beautiful! One thing I love about Sophia is she is willing to be active and outdoorsy with me. Randomly, we bumped into a family from the YMCA. The wife informed Sophia that since they ran into her in Portland, it must be a sign that she is supposed to move here. By golly, I do concur!

About 3 miles into the hike, we ran into a woman who said there was no way we would finish the hike by nightfall. Sophia seemed hesitant to keep going, but I was stubborn. “Oh yeah,” I assured her. “We will turn around at the bridge.” I was lying through my teeth. I knew we were not going to pass the bridge on our excursion so we could keep going and not turn around. Turned out to be a good idea though, because the hike was gorgeous! And we made it with plenty of time to spare. Well, maybe not plenty. We had to rush back to the hotel and throw on clothes before meeting Kaylee for a show: Hannah Glavor and the Family Band, The Show Ponies and Deerborn/Josef all played at the Secret Society.

We walked into the venue and as we were paying, I caught a glimpse of an old friend. “Kaylee,” I screamed above the music. “There’s Caitlin!” I hadn’t seen Caitlin in 9 years and it was so fun to bump into her. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying great music, teasing Kaylee’s hippy guy friends, checking out magnificent mustaches and being in the moment.

Sunday was filled with church at Solid Rock, brunch at La Provence and me using a very poor accent at LuluLemon. “Oh yeah, hi, Sugar. I would if all y’all could be a doll and get me a dressing room.”

“Why are you talking like that,” Kaylee asked.

“Because I can,” I explained.

“That is a terrible accent. It doesn’t sound believable in the slightest,” Kaylee informed me.

Giggle, giggle. “I know.” Giggle giggle.

I drove Sophia back to her parents while singing at the top of my lungs and thought to myself, “How lucky I am to be single and free and young! I can do whatever I want whenever I want to do it and I love my life!” I am just so thankful that I was able to spend the weekend with such a dear friend.

2    2.   Kaylee. My sister is such a doll. As we were fist pumping and feeding off of each other’s energy, I couldn’t help but cherish the fact that I love her. So many sisters have awkward relationships where they don’t relate to one another or enjoy the other’s company. Kaylee and I are two very different women, yet we complete each other in a way. I respect her so much and have such a great admiration for her as a sister, a woman and a follower of Christ. She is hysterical and I can’t help but define my six-pack when I am around her. God blessed me greatly with the relationship I have with Kaylee. Honestly, we are probably the cutest sisters ever.

3. Parker. The first time I met Parker, he thought I was in high school... I was 25-years-old at the time... four years older than him. He was persistent in spending time with me. My foot had absolutely no range of motion, yet he insisted we go on a bike ride... followed by salad eating... followed by paddle boarding and getting our things locked in a bistro. All of the adventures we had this summer were exciting and memorable. The first thing I noticed about Parker was that our conversation always flowed incredibly well. You put us together and we are just two peas in a pod: Both Norwegian athletes who don't eat meat and enjoy kicking butt. There has never been an awkward pause in the conversation; one conversation always leads to another and there is so much to say. I don't think it's possible not to smile around Parker; he has the ability to make everyone he is around feel like a million dollars. We went to dinner on my way out of Portland this weekend and even the waitress was our best friend by the end of the night, just because Parker really makes an effort to get to know people and he genuinely cares about them.

All of these individuals have had a profound impact on my life. I was so blessed to be able to spend the weekend with them.