I named my daughter Holland nine years ago because she is 25% Dutch heritage on her dad’s side. It is a province, not a country.  

I grew up in Iowa, but we did not eat pork tenderloin sandwiches.  I think the first one I had was after I left the state, and I can see why my parents never subjected us to them.  They are awful.

Hey there fellow Portlander. I am from Des Moines, originally, loved the Waveland occasionally, and hung out with Jason Momoa a couple times. Pork tenderloins, however, are fucking disgusting.

I would hope he did!

As a former resident of one of these states, this statement is 100%. But, on the plus side, I got to attend a lot of rallies and hear from a lot of candidates (and shake Obama’s hand) so that was fun.

Thank you for sharing. I had one at about 16 weeks due to a chromosomal abnormality as well. I underwent a series of tests, culminating in a traumatic CVS that solidified what I’m sure they already knew-that the pregnancy would not go to term. I was also lucky living in Oregon and felt supported, even by the doctors…

This is good to know.  I gave my 1990 Samantha to my daughter last year for Christmas, but she’s an old lady now and her legs are almost fully detached.  Glad to know they do work on the Pleasant Company dolls.

My city has done this for years, of all the metro high school yearbooks going back to the 1920's. It is totally fun to see the older famous people who attended my high school’s photos. We didn’t do senior quotes though. I also think classmates.com has a wide variety of cataloged yearbooks from all over America.

The thrift store one was written straight out of 1980's Halloween episode of Growing Pains.  I would’ve eaten that shit up as a child.

Just thinking about my college racing suit hurts my shoulders.

Damn. Less suit is generally better anyway. One year before state when I was in high school, we had a naked practice (women only) and it was so sleek. Another year, our team opted to have the uniform be a freaking silver bathing suit. Silver swimsuit plus chlorine meant that a lot of nips were showing through after a…

Canada, definitely Canada.  

She looks like Nicole Kidman but with a fake nose and wig.  Also Carlson is hella short and Kidman almost 6', maybe they could’ve digitally shrunk her a bit.

As a former Iowan, the best was in college at the U of Iowa, during tailgates, a nice man would sell them by going around saying, “Big ass turkey legs, get your big ass turkey legs” That was one of my favorite parts of Saturdays in the fall

This makes me so sad the only YMCA in the Portland area is out in the burbs way too far away from me. There’s a great community center in my area and also a Y camp nearby, but I grew up going to the Y in Iowa and attending the Y camp there for several years. I wish Portland had a more centralized one.

I was in one of these back in April at a fancy resort on the east coast. Thursday was the rehearsal and dinner, Friday was spa day and the themed welcome party for everyone, Saturday wedding and Sunday had a morning brunch. It was definitely over the top, but it was also incredibly fun.

Chacos are the best shoe ever invented.  Been a fan for almost 20 years.

My husband got me a relatively modest ring as I am not a super flashy person and I have two pave diamond wedding bands soldered to it, which is still very modest all in all and didn’t cost an eye and a tooth. I literally had a friend tell me once that she wouldn’t say yes to her now husband until he got her the ring…

Yes, fuck fondant and it’s nasty peel off layers. Growing up, my mom always made buttercream frosting for our cookies, but opted to do royal icing this past Christmas. It made for great fun for all the grandkids between the ages 2-6 to pipe and flood the cookies.

I had a massive stroke at 20 due to a strange extra rib in my upper thoracic cavity that compressed my artery causing an aneurysm and clot to pass. I was extraordinarily healthy, and a college athlete and it came out of the blue. I was at my parents home on break from college and had had some pain in my arm but was…