The Whiskey Widow Adventures - Oregon

Have a friend that just lets you show up? Fly across country and don’t plan a thing. She just says, "Come."

I have such a friend. So, I hopped a plane to Portland, Oregon last August. My first solo trip as a widow.

Julie is the kindest soul. We met in Peru.

Both Ambassadors for Noonday Collection, a fair-trade accessory company that allows you to visit the artisans and see how things are made if you hit certain sales goals.

I owned my own law office at the time. I wanted to travel and do good and have a little fun outside of the serious and often stressful work I did on a daily basis. I enjoyed selling the beautiful handmade accessories and sharing the stories of how the lives of the makers improved thanks to their partnership with Noonday. Adam also came down to Peru and we hiked Machu Picchu, but that's a story for another day. 

Five years have passed since Julie and I shared a hotel room in Ayacucho, Peru, but we never lost touch.

Like so many other beautiful women I met on that trip, a group chat keeps us updated on each other’s lives because we live all over the country. Julie is a brave, kind soul that said, “Hey, grieving friend I haven’t seen in 5 years, come on out to my place.”

I am so glad she did.

I wanted to be outside and needed a break from single-parenting. Oregon seemed like the perfect place. We hiked in the mountains. We e-biked and paddle boarded in Bend. We took in an outdoor concert. 

We drank whiskey at Scotch Lodge and I got to meet a bright light of lady also walking the difficult path of widowhood. The food, friendship, and whiskey selection in that place was absolutely amazing.

It was a wonderful trip and I can’t wait to visit Julie and Oregon again.