| Guests |
This place is special. Really. But it would have no magic without the people who
come to stay here and their stories. All of them have come from different places and
have chosen Portland and Beauty Sleep for different reasons. But they've all made
big decisions to find a new home and to create change in their lives for the better.
That isn't an easy thing - and sometimes it can be scary to move across the country
hoping for the best. We are so proud of each and every one of our guests and
delighted that we could provide a soft place for them to land in our great city.
So I'll tell you a little about each one and I hope that someday, if the time is right, you
or someone dear to you can join us.
Barb
My first guest ever. She drove to Portland from Colorado with only the things she
could fit in her car. She was getting a divorce and starting her life over - redefining
herself as an individual. She was scared and sad and happy and wide-eyed all at
the same time. Every day I'd see her she'd have a bigger smile on her face and tell
me about some experience she had just walking down the street and feeling like
this was where she was meant to be. She was blossoming and said that this was
the happiest she had ever been. I'm so proud to have been her first stop in her new
life.
Shitting Glitter
The first guests to stay in the Peacock Suite. They are an all-gay new-wave band
from LA who were playing a show in Portland. I found them on myspace through the
Church of Girl internet radio right here in Pdx. I loved the name, I loved their bios,
loved everything and told them they should come stay here on their tour. And low
and behold... they did! They were so cute too... before they even got in the door they
were clapping and giggling - saying "do we really get to stay here? yay!" Adorable.
So I made sure the fridge was stocked with an assortment of beers and there were
plenty of wigs and costumes in the suite for them to play with. They showed me
pictures that they took and they were so hillarious - they really appreciated and
enjoyed the alternate reality of the Peacock suite and I was happy to have them as
guests.
Leiko
Leiko has the tiniest little voice you've ever heard, so cute. She was coming to
Portland for a month to take a vegan cooking class. It was the middle of summer
and Portland was at its finest. She started out staying in the Peacock suite and
wearing a different pair of vintage bug-eyed glasses every day. So cute. She would
leave me notes written on Deary Lou stationary and dotted her 'i's with little hearts.
She was so excited when she scored a trunk full of strange puppets from a church
rummage sale. Things like that. Anyway, she wound up loving Portland so much
that she decided to try another month upstairs in the Golden Zen suite. And she
found a roommate to share the space with her... Cristi. A darling girl who she met at
the cooking class. I'll tell you more about dear sweet Cristi in a minute. I'm thankful
that Leiko found Beauty Sleep and chose to have this unique experience while she
was travelling and learning.
Matt, Val and Houston
A sweet married couple and their best friend. Houston was displaced from his
home in New Orleans by hurricane Katrina and moved to Nevada to stay with his
friends. Matt and Val wanted to come to Portland and have a better life - buy a
house, settle down in a great city. So all three of them moved in with Matt's parents
in Sheridan which is about an hour outside of Portland - tiny farming town. And they
went back and forth looking for places to rent in Portland and weren't having any
luck. And then, I posted on Craigslist and 2 days later we found eachother. They
moved in 2 days after that, they all got jobs within a week later, and the house hunt
was on. These people are motivated - I love it! They say they're going to do
something and then they do it. Gosh, I wish I had more of that. Inspiring. Anyway,
the timing was perfect and that's how you know its right.
Cristi
And that brings us to my new sister for life, Cristi. She moved in with Leiko and
shortly thereafter was all alone for 2 weeks while Leiko travelled to Orange County.
She was taking such good care of the place while Leiko was gone and didn't even
sleep in the master bed because it was Leiko's. She was good even when nobody
was watching - a good steward as they say. I wish I could tell you more about what
this girl has gone through in her life, but its sensitive. But suffice to say, she has
survived and she is the sweetest girl in the world. She takes good care of herself
and other people. She smiles and does a happy wiggly dance. When Leiko moved
out, Cristi came to live with me, in my suite. She cooked the most amazing vegan
meals and made tea every day. We became best friends. Cristi is creating an
amazing experience for herself. She has travelled and lived all over the place -
working hard and enjoying her life. But I don't think she ever felt like she had a
home until she came here to Portland. This neighborhood became hers and this
place too. For people who really never felt welcome or at home in their homes, this
means alot. Cristi will be moving to London soon to live with her boyfriend Greg.
He came to visit her here in Portland and I approve. Get this... they met in Hawaii -
Maui - while Cristi was living in a hostel and sharing a room with like 6 people.
Greg flew her back to England with him and they lived together there for 3 months
until she had to come back to the states. She follows her heart and I love her
always.
Marlin and Amy
The nicest and most well-read couple in the world. They moved here from
Oklahoma to try out Portland. He's a PhD in Computer Science and she does
massage, hypnosis, bartends, bellydances, makes raw foods, umm... they're both
super duper smart and know how to do things. Really easygoing people too. They
really wanted to live in this neighborhood in particular and they found a super cute
house only a few blocks away. And their kittens were the cutest in the world!
Keirsten and Justin
What can I say about these sweet people? So sincere, the cutest little married
couple in the world. Deeeelicious vegan food, cutest outfits, good hair... rosy
cheeks and super duper nice. I was in DC for a large part of their stay, so they were
deprived of the Nerdletta-ness and I them. And their kitties were loved and adored
from afar by my kitty.
Nicole Atkins and the Parlor Mob
I invited this sweet singing lady to stay with us after seeing her perform on
Letterman. Blew me away! I heard she was coming through town, invited her to
stay and she did! Her boyfriend's band, The Parlor Mob, stayed at our studio space
just 3 blocks away and they were all such sweet honest people. She even left a
bouquet of flowers with a sweet note and a huge bottle of specialty vodka from the
vine for us. Yay, we like her!
My Nana!
My darling dear 87 year old grandmother came to stay in the Peacock suite for a
month and it was deeeeelightful. She loved all the bric-a-brac and velvety curtains
etc. Her name is Saxon and she is amazing! We sat in the cutesy dining room and
ate together every morning noon and night.
Meagan, Chiaki, Sayuri, and Laura
Four of the sweetest happiest flight attendants you will ever ever meet in your life.
These ladies cook, they travel, they do it all. Portland was the new hub for their
flights to Amsterdam and Japan. So many stories to tell! And Meagan liked
Portland sooooo very much that she decided to stay and go to grad school!
Nikola
Sweet smiling Nikola! Here for a Forestry Service research grant, she fell in love
with Portland too! I hope she stays and stays here.
come to stay here and their stories. All of them have come from different places and
have chosen Portland and Beauty Sleep for different reasons. But they've all made
big decisions to find a new home and to create change in their lives for the better.
That isn't an easy thing - and sometimes it can be scary to move across the country
hoping for the best. We are so proud of each and every one of our guests and
delighted that we could provide a soft place for them to land in our great city.
So I'll tell you a little about each one and I hope that someday, if the time is right, you
or someone dear to you can join us.
Barb
My first guest ever. She drove to Portland from Colorado with only the things she
could fit in her car. She was getting a divorce and starting her life over - redefining
herself as an individual. She was scared and sad and happy and wide-eyed all at
the same time. Every day I'd see her she'd have a bigger smile on her face and tell
me about some experience she had just walking down the street and feeling like
this was where she was meant to be. She was blossoming and said that this was
the happiest she had ever been. I'm so proud to have been her first stop in her new
life.
Shitting Glitter
The first guests to stay in the Peacock Suite. They are an all-gay new-wave band
from LA who were playing a show in Portland. I found them on myspace through the
Church of Girl internet radio right here in Pdx. I loved the name, I loved their bios,
loved everything and told them they should come stay here on their tour. And low
and behold... they did! They were so cute too... before they even got in the door they
were clapping and giggling - saying "do we really get to stay here? yay!" Adorable.
So I made sure the fridge was stocked with an assortment of beers and there were
plenty of wigs and costumes in the suite for them to play with. They showed me
pictures that they took and they were so hillarious - they really appreciated and
enjoyed the alternate reality of the Peacock suite and I was happy to have them as
guests.
Leiko
Leiko has the tiniest little voice you've ever heard, so cute. She was coming to
Portland for a month to take a vegan cooking class. It was the middle of summer
and Portland was at its finest. She started out staying in the Peacock suite and
wearing a different pair of vintage bug-eyed glasses every day. So cute. She would
leave me notes written on Deary Lou stationary and dotted her 'i's with little hearts.
She was so excited when she scored a trunk full of strange puppets from a church
rummage sale. Things like that. Anyway, she wound up loving Portland so much
that she decided to try another month upstairs in the Golden Zen suite. And she
found a roommate to share the space with her... Cristi. A darling girl who she met at
the cooking class. I'll tell you more about dear sweet Cristi in a minute. I'm thankful
that Leiko found Beauty Sleep and chose to have this unique experience while she
was travelling and learning.
Matt, Val and Houston
A sweet married couple and their best friend. Houston was displaced from his
home in New Orleans by hurricane Katrina and moved to Nevada to stay with his
friends. Matt and Val wanted to come to Portland and have a better life - buy a
house, settle down in a great city. So all three of them moved in with Matt's parents
in Sheridan which is about an hour outside of Portland - tiny farming town. And they
went back and forth looking for places to rent in Portland and weren't having any
luck. And then, I posted on Craigslist and 2 days later we found eachother. They
moved in 2 days after that, they all got jobs within a week later, and the house hunt
was on. These people are motivated - I love it! They say they're going to do
something and then they do it. Gosh, I wish I had more of that. Inspiring. Anyway,
the timing was perfect and that's how you know its right.
Cristi
And that brings us to my new sister for life, Cristi. She moved in with Leiko and
shortly thereafter was all alone for 2 weeks while Leiko travelled to Orange County.
She was taking such good care of the place while Leiko was gone and didn't even
sleep in the master bed because it was Leiko's. She was good even when nobody
was watching - a good steward as they say. I wish I could tell you more about what
this girl has gone through in her life, but its sensitive. But suffice to say, she has
survived and she is the sweetest girl in the world. She takes good care of herself
and other people. She smiles and does a happy wiggly dance. When Leiko moved
out, Cristi came to live with me, in my suite. She cooked the most amazing vegan
meals and made tea every day. We became best friends. Cristi is creating an
amazing experience for herself. She has travelled and lived all over the place -
working hard and enjoying her life. But I don't think she ever felt like she had a
home until she came here to Portland. This neighborhood became hers and this
place too. For people who really never felt welcome or at home in their homes, this
means alot. Cristi will be moving to London soon to live with her boyfriend Greg.
He came to visit her here in Portland and I approve. Get this... they met in Hawaii -
Maui - while Cristi was living in a hostel and sharing a room with like 6 people.
Greg flew her back to England with him and they lived together there for 3 months
until she had to come back to the states. She follows her heart and I love her
always.
Marlin and Amy
The nicest and most well-read couple in the world. They moved here from
Oklahoma to try out Portland. He's a PhD in Computer Science and she does
massage, hypnosis, bartends, bellydances, makes raw foods, umm... they're both
super duper smart and know how to do things. Really easygoing people too. They
really wanted to live in this neighborhood in particular and they found a super cute
house only a few blocks away. And their kittens were the cutest in the world!
Keirsten and Justin
What can I say about these sweet people? So sincere, the cutest little married
couple in the world. Deeeelicious vegan food, cutest outfits, good hair... rosy
cheeks and super duper nice. I was in DC for a large part of their stay, so they were
deprived of the Nerdletta-ness and I them. And their kitties were loved and adored
from afar by my kitty.
Nicole Atkins and the Parlor Mob
I invited this sweet singing lady to stay with us after seeing her perform on
Letterman. Blew me away! I heard she was coming through town, invited her to
stay and she did! Her boyfriend's band, The Parlor Mob, stayed at our studio space
just 3 blocks away and they were all such sweet honest people. She even left a
bouquet of flowers with a sweet note and a huge bottle of specialty vodka from the
vine for us. Yay, we like her!
My Nana!
My darling dear 87 year old grandmother came to stay in the Peacock suite for a
month and it was deeeeelightful. She loved all the bric-a-brac and velvety curtains
etc. Her name is Saxon and she is amazing! We sat in the cutesy dining room and
ate together every morning noon and night.
Meagan, Chiaki, Sayuri, and Laura
Four of the sweetest happiest flight attendants you will ever ever meet in your life.
These ladies cook, they travel, they do it all. Portland was the new hub for their
flights to Amsterdam and Japan. So many stories to tell! And Meagan liked
Portland sooooo very much that she decided to stay and go to grad school!
Nikola
Sweet smiling Nikola! Here for a Forestry Service research grant, she fell in love
with Portland too! I hope she stays and stays here.
