Broker, Bend, and Bombdrop

Aside from this weekend, we have been very busy/active/on-the-go! Last weekend we went to Bend for the first time. What a cool place! I now know what everyone means when they refer to it as "the high desert." The land out there isn't as lush or as green as the Willamette Valley, but the scenery is still spectacular. Amazing vistas and bold landscape formations make for breathtaking photo opportunities at nearly every highway turnout. Downtown Bend is also a great place with unique small businesses, kind people, and a strong sense of community. The city planning is top-notch with easy-to-navigate streets, beautiful landscaping, and intuitive provisions established to counter the blazing sun. The tall buildings separated by narrow streets provides hours of afternoon shade that favors the foot shopper on even the most scorching days.

Although Bend offers a wealth of recreation and entertainment, I found it difficult to indulge in its offerings. My Broker's Exam was scheduled for 2:00pm, and all I could think about were the real estate concepts of which I needed absolute proficiency. I found myself leaning against many storefronts, dog-on-leach, iPhone-in-hand and notes-on-screen, as Katie shopped. The anticipation and uncertainty of what to expect on the 200-question exam just about drove me crazy! Katie reassured me that I'd be okay, though. She suggested we go to the main park to relax before the exam and to take some of the worry out of me.

A Shakespeare Festival was going on at the park, but we didn't go into that section as it was fenced off. Instead, we went to a little beach-like area and threw the stick for Toby. He prances with authority in shallow water, and now swims after the stick without too much hesitation when he can't touch the bottom! The appeal of a soggy twig thrown by his masters is just too much for him to resist.

On our walk back to the car, we crossed a small bridge and spotted some lake-front properties that could've easily been featured in an issue of Whole Living. A mix of Craftsman and Bungalow-style homes with private docks and immaculate landscaping graced the water's edge and served as a nice visual inspiration for the impending exam.

Finally, two o'clock came and it was time to perform. With earplugs in and fifteen year-old computer in front of me, I began to work my way through the questions. They looked surprisingly familiar to my study materials. The test quickly pointed out one of my weak points: calculating tax prorations. I was almost positive that those questions--which seemed to make up more than 10% of the exam--would break me. Imagine my delight when I received my results! I scored a 91% on the National portion and an 88% on the State exam. I was on top of the world.

Our trip to Bend was not over, though. Katie had done extensive research on camping opportunities in the Deschutes and Willamette forests in the weeks prior to the trip, so we took the scenic route back up to Portland in hopes that we would find an open campground. After driving through Sisters and seeing the iconic mountain range, we came upon a hidden gem with a befitting name: Lost Lake. We now know there are 18 lakes in Oregon by the same name, but it still feels like a secret worth keeping.

Toby had a blast chasing toads and birds, and we enjoyed our first successful campfire in a long time! Every time we’ve gone camping in Oregon, the conditions have been too wet to have a real campfire, so we were pleasantly surprised. We were also surprised, albeit not pleasantly, by thunderstorms and flash rain! I’m glad we stuck it out rather than heading back to Portland as the weather soon cleared up.

One of the great joys Oregon has to offer is a diverse ecosystem. In particular, our campsite had hundreds of tiny frogs hopping around. We had to be careful to not step on them when we walked up to the main road. I can’t promise that all of them were spared :(

Our vacation to Bend ended the following day and we found ourselves back in the rat race. Katie’s friend, Chandra, came up from San Jose for a night earlier this week and stayed with us. She needed a place to sleep for the night as she is moving up to Portland and her rental was not yet available. We were happy to help a fellow transplant out and can really identify with the weariness, excitement, and sense of adventure she’s experiencing. Toby said hello to our guest and then resumed his 3-day recovery period from camping. It looked something like this:

Friday was my birthday, and Katie took us out to a great little restaurant called the Sapphire Hotel. I won’t go into too much detail, but she made it a very special evening with delicious food, tickets to one of my all-time favorite musical groups (Thievery Corporation), and an awesome wallet gift as I badly needed one! Thanks, Katie!

For Memorial Day weekend, we drove out to the coast with intentions of camping. Unfortunately we found that, after 6 hours of driving and scouring sites, everyone and their mother had already claimed them. Oh well…

This week is going to be quite interesting. I drop the bomb on Friday, and I’m not quite sure what to expect. My branch has had a lot of turnover lately, so I know that putting in my notice puts my coworkers in a bind. Upper-management also recently gave me a bonus, which I am sure is going to be the subject of a major guilt trip, but I’m ready to face the outcome. My position is cash-sensitive and high-risk, so they may just let me go on the spot. If that’s the case, I’ve got three weeks of time to kill before starting as a Commercial Real Estate Broker with O’Connell and Associates! By the way, I saw this yesterday when I looked up my name on the Oregon Real Estate Agency website. How cool is that??

Below are some videos from our trip. I thought it'd be best to just include them at the bottom.