Today was my last official day at the law offices of Davis Wright Tremaine.  I wore waterproof mascara so was better prepared than yesterday, after what they did blew me away and had me in tears.  Those lovely ladies on the 23rd floor all brought an incredible smorgasbord of homemade cinnamon rolls and breads, decadent chocolate, and all manner of treats.  Best of all, they doled out great big hugs to wish me goodbye and happy future travels.  They pulled that on me yesterday even though I had another day to work because some would not be in the office on Friday.  I was gifted with two bottles of much more expensive wine that I'm used to from two of the attorneys that I worked for, Tom and Shannon – appropriately, the ones that drove me to drink (only kidding, ya'll --- Not)!  My other attorney, Kristen, was new to Portland and she is a lot more self sufficient - thank God, because God knows I didn't have much time for her workload.  But even though I had less contact with her, she made the effort to find work for me in Ashland through her contacts there.  She was a joy not to work for and sure fun to talk to.  :-)  She visits Ashland occasionally and we hope to get to see more of each other then. 

All day long, even though being kept blindingly busy by Tom, I had Shannon's card in front of me (as well as the bottle of French wine) to keep me inspired.  She is an amazing woman and I really enjoyed working with her.  She wrote:

"Malia - Thank you for everything over the last few months.  Thank you for your great attitude and willingness to jump right in, thank you for sharing your dream and your wonderful philosophy of life.  I wish you well on your journey.  You're an inspiring person.  Have fun, travel safely, live joyfully, and enjoy..  Take care and God bless you."  Shannon

Now tell me, despite all the jokes to the contrary, that there aren't at least a FEW good lawyers around who are actually good human beings, also!  I was lucky enough to work for 3 of them.

Then this morning, the paralegal gang from the 24th floor that I worked with last time I was in Portland came down bearing my favorite bagels and other goodies that kept me fed through lunch.  That was especially touching because I hadn't worked with them at all during this stint, yet they all had made efforts to see me and catch up somewhat.  Keeping in touch with them by email over the last couple of years has cemented our relationship despite proximity, so it's good to know that's still intact.

It's people like the ones I've met here, some for the first time, others "old" friends - that make me realize what a blessing it’s been having to work as I go like I have over the last 3-1/2 years of my RVing life  ---  but not enough to make me abandon my dream of making my living doing something with a lot less stress involved and involving a whole lot more enjoyment and personal satisfaction.  I intend to continue pursuing that and actually things are going quite well in that regard.  More later about future dreams…

As a perfect example of synchronicity, I had already contracted for installation of a tripod satellite internet system, and it will be up and running next week.  And now the firm has given me an opportunity to do some contract work for them that I can do from the road - and the money made from that will pay for the system.  This was a great lesson for me affirming the wisdom of following your strong gut instincts.  If I hadn’t already decided to invest in the satellite even though I saw no immediate financial return, I would not have been set up to take advantage of a great opportunity I hadn’t even envisioned at the time.  I get such a kick out of the play of the universe sometimes!

Since I want to make sure the satellite is working right, I've decided to stay in Portland a little longer, and I also won't be so rushed in the process of getting going again.  I've been so tired by the time I get home, I haven't gotten a lot accomplished at night, so the delay is a good thing all around.

The Molalla Narrows and the Sunburst

The “Park Blocks” leading to Univ. of Portland campus

Mount St. Helens

November 23, 2004 – New Opportunities to be Thankful For…

It took quite a while to get the satellite working, but once we were actually aimed at the right one, it was smooth cyberspace surfing.  I've been able to cut out 2 dreary hours of commute time each day, can work on weekends at home in my comfy sweats and slippers, Tom is able to get his massive syndication documents prepared on time, and I'm making enough money to pay for the satellite.  How sweet it is!!!

I am thankful to have been invited to share Thanksgiving Day with Jennifer, one of my “old” friends from DWT.  Jennifer is firm renown as a fantastic cook, a skill I can personally attest to from the goodies she’s created for my and other DWT going away parties and celebrations.  Given where I thought I would be spending this holiday, I am especially thankful to be able to spend it with friends..