Calm Down, Buddy!

The morning that Eva was born did not go smoothly. Nolan misunderstood where we were going that day. He thought we were going to his friend's house. However, we were actually thinking it might be the day that Jen would GO INTO LABOR.

We already had an appointment scheduled to visit Jen's midwife, since Eva was 1 week late past her due date. A double whammy made it worse when Nolan wanted me to wear socks and shoes instead of flip flops (you know, the important details! haha). So, with time ticking and sad-and-extraordinarily-depressed-Nolan refusing to hear any of our positive encouragements or pleas, we crammed him into the car kicking and screaming. After all, Jen started having contractions and might actually GO INTO LABOR!!!

He hasn't melted down like this in a long time. All the way to the Providence Maternal Care Clinic in inner SE Portland. Jen took the calm and cool Delaney into the waiting room and eventually the appointment, while Nolan and I stayed out in the hallway. Yep, he was still crying. We thought the toys in the waiting room might calm him down, but no way.

Often when I am parenting, flashes of Nanny 911 or Supernanny flood my brain. I loved those shows. I remember a few particular episodes when they instructed the parents to have their child sit on a mat if they need to calm down, and if they get off the mat, physically put them back on it. Over and over until they give up and stay. And so I did.

I was prepared for this battle to go on forever, but thankfully, after just about a dozen times, Nolan collapsed and decided to roll himself up in the mat. Yeah, it was probably dirty, but oh well. He actually calmed down! Something about being in his cocoon, his own little world where nobody was watching him and there was nowhere to run. As seen in the picture I took of him, I'm wondering if I can use this method of calming the next time any of our kids throws a fit at home! Sometimes the most helpful tools are just lying there in front of me!

After about 15 minutes just enjoying the silence, we had a father-son chat, laughed about the squares on the floor, and went into the waiting room and played with toys.

Then Eva was born about 10 hours later! :-)

Why We Moved to East Portland

We used to live in Southwest Portland. Southwest is known for its hills, peaceful neighborhoods, and low crime rates. We now live in East Portland. The east side is known for its lack of sidewalks, cheaper housing, and higher crime rates. 

So, why did we choose to live in East Portland?

Many people we know seem to be a bit confused as to why we moved to a neighborhood that would definitely not be considered "family-friendly," especially when we are expecting our third child to be born anytime now. In fact, we really want to live here. There are a number of reasons why: God has called us to be here, we were priced out of our old apartment, and we have community here. 

First and foremost, God has made it clear to us that He wants us here. We are members of a great church in Portland, Imago Dei Community. We have loved what God is doing through this group ever since we have lived in the city. The church is located in inner Southeast Portland, within walking distance of the river. Imago decided to form an Eastside campus at about the same time we were thinking about moving out of our 2-bedroom apartment in Southwest. Jen and I both felt like the Holy Spirit was telling us that we were being called back to the east side. We used to live at Burnside and 143rd before we had kids and before my teaching jobs moved our family around to different locations in the state. God was apparently providing a path for us to return.

East Portland has been often regarded as "neglected" by city officials and is arguably one of the most needy areas of Multnomah County. As the diagram to the right shows, crime is relatively high in this area, and we moved smack dab into one of those red spots, which indicates that residential robberies is "well above average." The funny thing about this not seeming like a "family-friendly" area is that many young families actually live in East Portland. 28% of the city's total population lives here, but it is home to 37% of the city's school-age children (source). We have an opportunity to make a difference here. God is at work on the east side, and we want to be a part of it. James wrote that faith without works is dead. We believe that God love the people in this part of the city just as much as any other area. If there is a need for help, then my question is... why aren't more Christians coming to live here? We want to act in response to our faith, so to us, this is a no-brainer.

"East PDX is Getting Poorer and Angrier"

Secondly, we live in East Portland because we were priced out of Southwest. Our rent kept increasing more and more each year in the 2-bedroom apartment we lived in previously. Living in Multnomah Village was an ideal location because I was able to walk to work, it was equidistant between my parents and our friends, and we were a stone's throw from an I-5 on-ramp. However, with our third child due to be born this summer, we knew two bedrooms would be too cramped. We couldn't find any affordable 3-bedroom apartments in Southwest, so we knew we had to look elsewhere. East Portland is known for its cheaper housing, and since we already knew the area, it seemed natural to look there. The unfortunate reality that many struggling families find themselves in is that if they have to move to a particular area, then other costs increase. For example, now that we live on the east side, I have to commute to work. We needed to get another car and pay for the gas and insurance that goes with it (I would love to take TriMet, but three hours round trip each day would be suicide for Riedl family morale).

To be completely honest, we actually feel like we fit in here, financially speaking. Our neighbors on the east side drive crappy cars, are on food stamps, and have a hard time making ends meet. We are in the same boat. Like many low-income families, we are struggling to keep our heads above water. We feel like we can identify with a lot of the difficulties people face in our neighborhood. In Southwest Portland, we felt like outsiders.

The third reason we really want to be in East Portland is that we have community here. Living in the Glenfair Neighborhood before we had kids, we helped start the Glenfair Community Garden, which was a great way to meet our neighbors and help those who can benefit from fresh produce. We got to know people in the area from church, grew to be friends, and now hope to do more of the same, especially now that Imago has an Eastside campus. We now live in the Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood, just off 122nd and Division. Driving down Division in this area certainly isn't as welcoming as driving down Capitol Hwy in Multnomah Village. They are polar opposites.

East Portland is also known for being more culturally diverse. According to the image to the right, the black, Asian, and Hispanic populations have been increasing while the white population is decreasing. Imago Eastside seeks to also be intentionally diverse--not just another white church in a diverse neighborhood--rather, a body representing the area it is located. There are already more races and ethnicities represented than the typical Portland church, which is something I am proud to say I'm a part of. With all the racial issues surrounding our country at a time like this with Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston, we want to be a part of what is going on. We don't want to just look from afar and spit out our opinion from time to time, thinking that words are enough to make a difference. No. It takes more than just words. It takes action.

Since action is what makes a difference rather than just talking about it, that is where I begin to wrap this up. We know that we want to be where the problems are so we can help make a difference. However, we are not done by just moving here. This is only the beginning. We need to step outside of our apartment and meet people. We need to remember their names and get to know them. Our goal in life is to love God and love our neighbors. We need to find a place or a way to volunteer regularly. There are other churches and non-profits who are already here following God's call to help their neighbors and we need to find them and work together. There is so much pain in this world and it's so much more apparent here than it is in Southwest. Christ has led us into a place that is uncomfortable, and that's a good thing.

Moving to Imago Dei's Eastside Campus

We had another gathering tonight for Imago Dei Community's Eastside Campus, which is launching slowly but surely. Pastor Eric Knox is leading us to the Hazelwood Neighborhood in East Portland. We are currently meeting monthly in a lecture hall in David Douglas High School.

God definitely made it clear to Jen and I that we are supposed to move back to East Portland after moving away to go to Ontario, Oregon and then to where we are now in SW Portland in order to find a solid teaching job for me. Now, since I have a secure job teaching at a private school in SW, we have the freedom to move anywhere we want (in other words, SW Portland is too expensive and we need to move somewhere cheaper and with more room for when our new baby is born, and besides, we miss the comforting Friday night sirens in East Portland too much). Lol

In all honesty, we really have a heart for East Portland and all the crap going on over there between it and Gresham. Before Nolan and Delaney existed, we were really enjoying starting the Glenfair Community Garden, which we helped our friends from Glenfair Church build from scratch. It was such an awesome way to get to know our neighbors and build community. We hope to do more of that in the future when we move back, including getting more involved with East Portland Neighborhood Office (EPNO) and whatever neighborhood association corresponds to wherever we end up living.

The leadership team for Imago Dei Eastside has a great heart for really wanting to help those who are already living their lives in East Portland without trying to change them into something they aren't. We want to build relationships and help them discover their assets and use those to their advantage in order to allow them to be successful with their immediate needs, and through that they will receive Jesus' love through us. We are partnering with SecondStories.org to learn more about how to build relationships and being WITH them rather than just doing things for them.

As for Sunday services, it is really up in the air right now. We need people to step up and volunteer in order to get a weekly service going. I will be leading the production of audio/video, slides, etc. while Jen will be working with the nursery and preschool kiddos. It is very strange to be in a small church type setting again, even smaller than when we were at Origins in Ontario. We definitely know this is where we want to be, since we want God to stretch us and use us to glorify His name in one of the most diverse, low-income, and neglected areas in the Portland area. God is already doing awesome things. We are just joining in!

Oh yeah... and we also still need to actually move there. Our lease ends in a few months, so, if anyone hears of any inexpensive 3-bedroom  houses or apartments for rent, we're hoping to find a place before our baby pops out in July! Hopefully by the end of June we'll be settling into a new place! Crazy changes ahead!! We are looking forward to where God is leading us. We are up for anything, good or bad... as long as we are loving God and loving others, we know we are on the right path!

Just out of prison

On a dark, drizzly night off East Burnside Street, I got off the bus to transfer. I was immediately greeted with a "Hey bro!" I met Gabriel, a 25 year old, at a bus stop just off the Burnside Bridge. He asked me for the time, and rather quickly the conversation transformed to him telling me he just got out of prison and was on parole. He showed me his ankle bracelet.

We talked for a long time. He mentioned how earlier that day he restrained himself when he wanted to pummel some guys who called him a retard. He was so proud of himself for not hitting them. We talked a lot about self control and the importance of thinking before speaking. I showed him my tattoo ("fewer words"), told him how I struggle with keeping my mouth shut when I'm with my wife, and we shared some laughs about how difficult relationships can be.

He said God has been so faithful to him. He has never given up on him. I told him the reason I was on the bus was that I was actually headed to church. We laughed some more.

>> Cross-posted from my TriMet Travels blog

Why I'm Not Ashamed To Use Food Stamps

I have heard that many people are ashamed to use food stamps when purchasing food from the store. For those who don't know, the Oregon Trail card is Oregon's debit card version of food stamps. More formally referred to as an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, one applies for these benefits through a program the Department of Human Services (DHS) offers, which is called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

I am proud to say that I am very thankful to be on food stamps and the new owner of an Oregon Trail card.

It seems to me that it's a touchy subject to talk about SNAP benefits. I don't personally know very many people who are getting these kinds of benefits. I'm not sure if it is because I don't actually know anyone on food stamps or if it is because nobody wants to talk about it. Why are people ashamed of this kind of assistance? We received government assistance to go to college and often joke about how much we are in debt from student loans, so why is assistance for food a big deal? It's a small drop in the bucket compared to the gallons and gallons of student loans.

From what I have heard in my limited experience living in this silly world of ours, many people will judge those who use food stamps when they buy food, like the cashier checking them out at the store or other customers standing in line with them. As they put items on the conveyor belt in the checkout line, onlookers might inspect the items purchased to make sure they are using their free money wisely. After all, the wealthy people out there who earn money and pay taxes toward assistance like this, their money is paying for these food stamps. So, they think it might be justified to make sure the benefits aren't wasted on junk food or other irresponsible purchases. That's how I think many people rationalize it, anyway.

When I made my first purchase with my Oregon Trail card, it crossed my mind that people might be judging me. I was in a Papa Murphy's buying pizza with Nolan. As I paid the cashier, I thought the people behind me in line might be judging me by looking at my clothes, trying to figure me out, deciding whether or not I looked poor enough to deserve the benefits. What made matters worse in my mind was that Nolan was playing with the containers of cookie dough on display. He exclaimed, "Daddy! Cookies! I want cookies!" As if I am an irresponsible parent who only feeds his kid cookies and pizza, maybe the people in line behind me thought I should have worked harder to get a better job and earn more money for myself before having kids. Then I wouldn't be depending on their tax money to pay for my food.

This all went through my head in the few split seconds as I bought my pizza. In reality, the people in line behind me were probably not judging me. They were probably only thinking, I think I'll get a large pepperoni pizza tonight. Heh, cute kid with the cookie dough. I'm glad I didn't bring my kids, they'd be saying the same thing.

I have to block out these thoughts in my mind. I should not care what other people think. It's not like I'm ever going to get into a conversation with them and explain to them that I am actually a full-time 5th grade teacher who doesn't make enough to live comfortably (according to DHS's standards, anyway) each month. What's even more humorous is that I teach at a private school, and many of my students' wealthy parents would probably be shocked to find out that their child's teacher is on food stamps.

In my previous post, I wrote about helping others in need. More often than not, people appreciate it when others help them out. That's how I feel about food stamps. I appreciate the fact that we live in a place where we can depend on each other in times of need. Personally, I'd rather depend on places like Neighborhood House and churches rather than the government, since it is more relational and less political. But I didn't write this to discuss politics... so, moving on...

Overall, in my heart, I know that I am doing my best for my family. As a husband who cares about his wife and a father who cares about his children, I know that taking a gift from others in the form of food stamps is something that I don't have to be ashamed of. If I think that I must earn all of the money for our family myself, well, that's just plain selfish. I work hard at my job and I earn a relatively small paycheck. Other people in this world work hard at their job and earn a relatively large paycheck. That's just life. Life isn't fair, but how you deal with situations that are unfair shows you where your priorities are in life. We probably should have applied for these benefits a long time ago. It really helps keep our heads above water. Even though I struggle with thoughts about what others think about me, I know that it's more important to be able to ask for help when I need it.

Thinking Differently: Faith in Action

My family volunteering at Neighborhood House

When I was younger, I thought that being a "good example" was enough of a witness to the message of Jesus. My plan was that the people around me would see that I lived a good life and ask me what motivates me. It would be then that I would be able to share my faith with them because they were open to hearing it. It seemed like such a great plan to me because I wouldn't have to bug them about my beliefs, and it would be perfect timing for them when they were ready to hear it.

That way of thinking was ridiculous. I didn't really understand that I sinned just as much as any other person in the world, so my idea of being a "good example" was flawed. This was just selfish because I didn't want to actually do anything with my faith.

Now, as a married man with kids, I am reading more of the Bible and learning more about this faith that I believe in. I am realizing that being a Christian is not just about what I believe, but how I live out my faith.

James says, "What good is it if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?" He goes on to say that someone who wishes someone well without caring for their physical needs is pointless. Jesus consistently cared for those who were hurting and in pain.

What have I been doing with my faith? It's not about just believing and working on my own life. God has called us to not only love Him, but also love others.

If I want to be more like Jesus, I should be caring for those who are hurting. What could I do? It seems overwhelming to know where to start since there is so much crap in this world. Getting out of my comfort zone is the first step. God gives me the confidence to think about others more than myself, get off my ass, and go help people in need. It's a witness of Christ's love when He is working in me to do something my flesh doesn't naturally want to do.

Jen and I recently took Nolan and Delaney to Neighborhood House to help volunteer. It is a non-profit organization that helps low-income people in the community. Their goal is to help vulnerable people overcome challenges to achieve success, stability, and independence. About once per month they have a family volunteer night that is ideal to bring kids to help. Nolan and Delaney had a blast!

My students volunteering at Neighborhood House

At school, I took my students to Neighborhood House in two groups. We plan to go back twice every trimester, developing a partnership that lasts. Not just a one-time food drive, but regularly helping with our time. I made a video with my students and we presented it to the other K-5 students at school. My students also had a blast!

If it is such a blast to help others (I think it is too), then why don't Christians do it more often? Why do we always make excuses NOT to help others?

I need to think differently. My faith must lead to action. These actions of ours are done as a response to the message of Jesus. He is the source of love. He saved us and we ought to respond with loving others as well.

It's Been A While...

A whole lot has happened since our last post here on Riedlblog. We struggled through a miscarriage, left a horrible teaching job in Ontario, joyously discovered we were pregnant again, moved back to Portland, lived with the 'rents for the 2012 summer, settled into a new SW PDX apartment, started a new teaching position, celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, welcomed Delaney into the world, partied in San Diego at Jen's brother's wedding, successfully finished a full year of teaching fifth grade, received a wonderful gift (a Zoo membership) from friends, spent this summer learning about animals and swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Riedl's, and are now, for the first time, on the brink of beginning a second year teaching at the same school. Many ups and downs were woven into the past 1.5 years.

Unfortunately, we have mostly bad memories from the time we spent in Ontario. We certainly don't regret going, however, because we know that God led us there in order to strengthen our trust in Him, humble us, and mature us. That was evident in the fact that the only aspect of living in Ontario that we found peace was in the church community that we were involved with there. God clearly worked through our great friends at Origins in order to help us through my painful job, our miscarriage, and being away from our friends and family in the Portland area. We look back on that time of pruning as a blessing from God.

Moving back to Portland without a job, I was thankfully offered one after my first interview at West Hills Christian School. We moved two blocks away from the school, so my commute is a 6-minute walk every day. Teaching 5th grade was a blast...much more fun than 8th grade. This fall, I will be back at the same school in the same position for the first time in my teaching career. Our entire family is looking forward to me not having to change schools and start all over again like the last few years. My hope is that I will finally be able to settle into my position and be able to hone my teaching skills into the future.

As for the family, God entrusted us with a super cute little baby girl named Delaney. Seven months ago, our lives changed drastically with the addition of family member #4. It has definitely required teamwork between the both of us in order to take care of a toddler and a newborn. I tip my hat to single parents...I don't know how they do it. It's amazing how less often Jen and I get a break from the kids. Our marriage has been tested now more than ever before. And now, as Nolan is learning to be intentionally defiant, we are learning how to be on the same page with parenting. It was easy when it was simply "Your turn to change his diaper." But now, we need to be consistent as we are feeling the weight of responsibility in how much influence we have on his future.

God is still pruning us. We are glad too, since life without struggle would be boring. The past has taught us many things (here and here). As we look to the future, and as we want our family to grow larger (even though we have no money for a bigger home or a larger car), we trust that God will be our immovable foundation. He is the centerpiece that our lives revolve around. This is His story, not ours. When we focus all of our energy on what is most important in life (loving God and loving others), then we can be at peace knowing that our Father is pleased.

Jehovah Jireh

"The Lord will provide" is what Jehovah Jireh means. Sometimes it is difficult to refer to God as Jehovah Jireh, however. Does He really provide for us? Or do we provide for ourselves?

39 days ago, Jen and I experienced something that has given us assurance to know that God should definitely be called Jehovah Jireh. He provides for us.

Our whole marriage has been a struggle financially. We moved to Portland from Seattle after being married only six months. Jen worked low wages and I found minimum wage work as we slowly used up our savings. I eventually took out loans and went back to school to get my masters degree in teaching. This was bad timing to be looking for a teaching position, as most school districts were making budget cuts and laying off teachers. I was eventually offered a full-time job teaching in Ontario, Oregon, so we moved our little family of three to the small town on the border to Idaho.

We thought it would be easier to pay the bills with my new teaching position, but we were wrong. We both wanted Jen to work at home raising Nolan, but didn't have any experience with the strain of having only one spouse bring home an income. The money we had saved when we were both working disappeared in our move from Portland and with each month of additional bills. We worked hard to be responsible and tried our best to cut expenses, rarely going out to eat and even starting to coupon with every trip to the grocery store. But we still were losing money each month.

The point of me writing all of this is about money. ...Duh... Not about how little we have, but about how much we were giving away. Over the past four years of marriage, we kept telling each other that we didn't have enough money to pay bills and also give 10% tithe or offering to church. So we didn't give. Well, not much. Maybe 10 bucks a month or something ridiculously convenient for us. We kept telling ourselves that because we didn't have enough money, we could give our time instead. So we served. We spent a lot of our time serving in the children's ministry instead of giving money.

This leads me to what happened 39 days ago. We are sitting with a cranky, fidgety Nolan on Sunday morning listening to our pastor's message about money. He starts talking about how the church budget had literally run dry. He told us, like so many times we've heard before, that God will provide the money even though we had not been meeting the monthly budgets to pay the church bills.

Up until this point, Jen and I both wanted to tithe enough for it to be giving Him the opportunity to provide for us. We wanted to actually trust God rather than just trying to make ends meet on our own. And we were in no position to do this. The minimum payments on our student loans were almost 50% of our monthly bills. Thinking about this statistic, I knew that we didn't have much hope for fixing this problem ourselves. I certainly knew I didn't want Jen to go back to work and have to put Nolan in daycare. We wanted to trust God with our finances for the first time in our lives. We didn't even have to discuss it...after the service, we both had the same conviction to give 10% of our income to the church, even when there was no way we could afford it. We were trusting that God would do something.

It only took 24 hours for God to work! The next day I heard from a friend about a plan that Obama was trying to pass that helped out graduates who are burdened by paying off their student loans. After doing a little research, I found out that this was called the Income-Based Repayment Plan and only certain people qualify for it. Jen and I looked into it, learned that we do in fact qualify, and stayed up late that night applying for the plan together.

While we would have likely discovered the repayment plan eventually, even without tithing 10%, we are certain that it was more than just a coincidence in timing. Right after we both decided to go out on a limb and be faithful to God with our finances, He answered our prayer quickly and revealed His faithfulness to us. We were guided to a place where we were not feeling the burden of bills that has weighed us down since getting married.

And two days ago, on my last day of school before winter break, I get a call from a lady at Home Depot telling me that a man came in to anonymously buy us a new washing machine. Our current washing machine has been leaking and slowly dying, and apparently someone we know who referred to himself as "Santa" wanted to be extremely generous and buy us a new one! Jen thought it was a joke at first, but we went in to the store to confirm the order and have it shipped to our apartment. We were racking our brains trying to think of who it was that could have done this for us, but then we stepped back and realized that we already knew who "Santa" was. It was God.

God has provided so many things in our lives, even when we don't even realize it. This Christmas season has been extremely special because God made it clear to us that He is the one giving us gifts...not just at this time of year, but all day, every day. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and it was especially clear to us here. We will always look back on this time as evidence that God is at work in our lives. He is Jehovah Jireh and we can only respond by giving up our lives (which includes our money) to serve and love others.

My Daily Battle With Poland Syndrome

Many people have commented on my previous post (I Have Poland Syndrome) that they admire my courage and bravery in sharing my birth defect with the world. They appreciate that I look on the bright side and love life, being confident that God made me this way for a reason.

Well, I want to let you in on a little secret... I'm not courageous. I'm not brave.

I'm self-conscious.

Now, some of you might think that I am courageous relative to others that have Poland Syndrome. Others with this birth defect are afraid to even tell their closest friends that they have a misshapen body and a figure that would get stares from people at the pool or beach. That may be true, but it is hiding the whole truth.

The reality is that all of my family and friends often forget that I even have Poland Syndrome. They thought it was interesting at first, and now they don't even notice it. It is not who I am, it's just what's under my shirt.

The real battle is with my own self-image. I still see my one-sided chest every morning. Every day I see my puny right bicep and thin arm. When I have my shirt off at the pool, I often intentionally put my towel over my right shoulder in order to hide my missing right pec muscle. When I pose in photos, I often intentionally stand on the left side of people to show off my left bicep rather than exposing my right. These are things I think about.

The first photo above was taken four years ago when we moved to Portland. I have this photo in a frame by my desk at work and every time I look at it, it reminds me how I purposefully stood that way to hide my right arm. I like the way I look in it because it shows off my left bicep and pec muscle.

The second photo was taken about a month ago. In this photo, I immediately look at my right arm and see how small it looks. Many would say "Aaron, it doesn't look small. It's not a big deal," but it looks small to me. I struggle with focusing on all of the joys in the photo. I'm not ignoring my beautiful wife and cute son on a beautiful day at the pumpkin patch, it's just that my eyes keep panning down to my arm.

This is the battle of self-image that I struggle with. It's not eating me up inside or anything. I live a pretty normal life. Most of my time is spent thinking about work and my loving family that I come home to every day. But those other times of the day when I am daydreaming or looking at photos, I see a man who is not as physically attractive as I would like to be.

The life-long battle of being self-conscious is one that will never end. I am constantly fighting these self-image issues and accepting the fact that I am different. Some days I love being different, while other days I wish I had a normal chest and two normal arms. It's a battle that I don't think I'll ever win... but I don't ever plan on losing the battle either.

God tells us in the Bible that although I want to do good and think good thoughts, evil is right there with me. The battle of my flesh is raging with what I know God wants: He wants me to focus on the love that Jesus covers us with...no matter what we look like. My body will eventually waste away and die, and it is what's in my heart and soul that counts. Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ!


Related posts:
I Have Poland Syndrome
My Tattoo
Will My Child Have Poland Syndrome?

Moving to Ontario, Oregon

A week ago, I drove approximately 360 miles and 6.5 hours through the Columbia River Gorge, over the Blue Mountains, and across the dry high desert to the small town of Ontario, Oregon. It is right on the border of Idaho and the last stop on I-84 before crossing over the Snake River. There are only about 12,000 people living in the city, and I accepted an 8th grade math teaching position at their only middle school. I'm pumped!

Ontario Middle School is filled with staff who are so welcoming and willing to help me out. I have had so many people offer me a place to stay, to drive me around, and advice about the town. I have felt nothing but comfort in my new position, and I can't wait to meet my students! There are many positive things that seem to be happening in the district. There is construction on new buildings at the middle school and the high school, so it is clear to me that the kids have people who really care about them.

My home for the past week has been the friendly neighborhood Motel 6. It has been a nice place to relax while searching for a rental in the area. I ended up finding a great place in the north end of Ontario and plan on moving my small pile of belongings in tomorrow. The funny thing is that some of the people from my school have told me that it is the "bad" part of town. With drugs, drive-bys, and stabbings. Stuff like that. My immediate thought was, "Hey! It's just like home in East Portland!" After riding my bike all over the city, it really doesn't seem that bad to me. And besides, I believe that if there is something wrong with a neighborhood, you need to be the change you want to see there (I think that's a quote from somebody famous). I talked to Jen about it and we both like the idea of living in an area where we can be a positive influence, rather than just fleeing to live where nobody is struggling to get by. After just a week of being here, it seems to me that there is a great need in this city. There is a need for unity and integration between neighborhoods and communities. I really hope to help Ontario as a teacher and now as a resident.

My loving wife showed her complete dedication to me by being willing to move across the entire state, away from friends and family to a small town where we know absolutely no one. It has been very difficult being away from her and Nolan, but thankfully due to the internet and the new Google+ Hangouts (see pic), Jen's beautiful smile and Nolan's adorable noises are just a few clicks away on video chat. They will be joining me in just a couple short weeks, and Portland will be in our rear view mirror.

I believe we have a great opportunity to make a difference in the city of Ontario. There are many people here that are hurting, and I hope that God will use the Riedl family in a way that pleases Him.

New Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail

Well, it looks like I'll be attempting another MAX Challenge in the near future! Here comes light rail into the south... Milwaukie!! Can't wait for the new bridge!

Related:
The MAX Challenge: Taking MAX to the Max!
MAX Challenge Success!

In The News!

Jen and I were both in a recent article done by East PDX News, regarding the Glenfair Community Garden!

Check it out:

New Glenfair Garden grows both relationships...and crops

MAX Challenge Success!

I have successfully completed the MAX Challenge. I rode all ride-able tracks on TriMet's MAX. It was quite an experience, totaling 7.5 hours! Please check out the slideshow below, or view it larger here.

The MAX Challenge: Taking MAX to the Max!

I love TriMet's MAX. I ride it whenever I have the opportunity. I took it to work the past few months before school was out, I take it when we hang out downtown, and I have taken it many times to visit my parents in Beaverton. We live so close to it that it is easily the most advantageous form of transportation available to us.

When riding, I sometimes wonder about whether or not anyone has ever attempted to ride all of the MAX lines at one time. It seems very unlikely. I calculated that it would take more than 6.25 hours to complete this feat...a goal that most Portlanders would shake their head at.

But not me. I will take the MAX to the max.* I will attempt...

The MAX Challenge!

Here is the plan:

It is more complicated than it seems: I can't just ride all of the lines from end to end. I must ride them in a particular way so that I roll over every bit of track that is being used. Naturally, there will be many transfers along the way. So I'll have to bring enough reading material and music to keep me busy. Below is the line/transfer schedule, starting at the station closest to home...

E 148th Ave to Gresham (Blue line; 15 min)

Gresham to PDX Int'l Airport (Blue to Red line, transfer at Gateway TC; 50 min)

PDX Int'l Airport to Hillsboro (Red to Blue line, transfer at Beaverton TC; 1 hr 40 min)

Hillsboro to PSU (transfer from Blue line at Mall/SW 4th Ave to Yellow line at Pioneer Place/SW 5th Ave; 1 hr 10 min)

PSU to Expo Center (Yellow line; 35 min)

Expo Center to Pioneer Place/SW 5th Ave (transfer from Yellow to Blue line at Mall/SW 4th Ave; 30 min)

Mall/SW 4th Ave to Clackamas Town Center (Blue to Green line, transfer at Gateway TC; 45 min)

Clackamas Town Center to E 148th Ave (Green to Blue line, transfer at Gateway TC; 30 min)

Total time: 6 hours, 15 minutes (approximately)

Click to see map details

I'm planning on attempting the MAX Challenge on a weekday. The reason for this is because I don't think my wife would ever go with me and I don't want to waste a precious day away from her over the weekend. If you are crazy enough to go with me during the week, then let me know! I'd love the company!

Stay tuned for a post following the big event!

This video was taken by the big nerd that I am, when the new Type 4 MAX trains were starting test runs a year and a half ago.

*"Take the MAX to the max" quote coined by Weston Ruter, a fellow Gwinn Challenge participant, TriMet enthusiast, and friend.

UPDATE:
MAX Challenge Success! 

Glenfair Community Garden

We have been keeping busy this summer working on the Glenfair Community Garden across the street from us. We were very excited last year when we started it with the planning committee. This whole process has been very new to me and extremely educational. Now I am faced with another role that is unknown to me: Garden Coordinator. I was elected to be the one who manages the garden, gardeners, paperwork, and upkeep. I am excited about the role and am happy to volunteer my time to do it. However, since I don't really know what I'm getting myself into, I hope that I am not too overwhelmed with the responsibilities. So far, I'm pumped because I'm all organized and ready to sign people up!

If you are in the Glenfair/Glendoveer/148th MAX Stop neighborhood in East Portland and are interested in a FREE garden plot, then have them contact me or visit glenfaircommunitygarden.com and fill out an online application.

Here are a few slideshows to show you what we have been working on:

The Fence


Tilling, Digging, Spreading


Breaking Ground

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (today) and Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday) are two big days for the school that I am currently teaching at. After all, it is named after him: King School. Today, we had a great speaker named Dion Jordan come talk to the students. He was very fun to listen to and took a bit of a different direction for a message than the stereotypical "dream big" speech that kids hear all too often.

He talked a little bit about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in order to connect the message with overcoming obstacles and standing up for what is right. The main part of Dion's speech was about how he grew up as a cripple. Up until the age of 11, he went through having to use crutches and leg braces because his legs were crooked and his feet pointing inward. He also had trouble speaking and stuttered when he tried to talk in public. He talked about his life and how he overcame the disabilities.

One of the highlights was Dion asking the students to participate in an activity. He instructed them, "Raise your hand if you think you have confidence." Just about all of them raised their hands. He then told them to stand up if a question he asks pertains to them. He asked them, "Who here can sing?" and only six out of about 120 fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders stood up. "Who here can dance?" he asked them, with about 20 students standing up. "Who here can draw?" he inquired, and close to 40 students stood. The large majority of the students were still sitting. He told us that when he asked the kindergarteners the same questions, they all stood up waving their hands, saying "Ohh!! I love to sing! I'm the best dancer! I think drawing is so fun!"

Why have the majority of the older students lost their confidence? Dion explained that we (including adults) lose our confidence when we listen to people that say "You're no good at singing" or "Your drawing needs some work" and we really do believe them. And then we start telling ourselves the same things. When in reality, we can all sing, dance, and draw. Dion didn't ask them if they were professional dancers or artists. Anyone can draw a stick figure. The lack of confidence comes from when we don't believe in ourselves. That is the biggest obstacle in the way of us achieving our dreams.

Overall, Dion Jordan was a great speaker. He made me laugh many times. I felt like I was laughing the loudest out of all the teachers there. The kids loved him. I would definitely recommend checking out his books and read more about his life story. He seems like a great guy and he's from Portland too!

The Portland Plan

This morning I got a chance to go to a Portland Plan workshop at Mt. Scott Community Center in SE Portland. It was awesome. Unfortunately, there were mostly white middle- to upper-class citizens there, which didn't accurately represent the diversity of the city, but there were still great comments and opinions shared.

Mayor Sam Adams led the event by taking us through a PowerPoint regarding the city. The Portland Plan is a city-wide plan to think about the city's future and where we want to be 25 years from now. There is actually no draft plan as of now. The workshops are just to build awareness and invite opinions and feedback from the citizens to let the city planners to know what to focus on before writing the plan.

There was a good amount of discussion among table groups at the workshop. In our particular group, we talked a lot about education, transportation (biking specifically), and housing issues. I brought up the fact that in my neighborhood, in East Portland, there is a large population of poor and uneducated communities that lack the basic skills to thrive. Basic education is one of many topics mentioned at the workshop that the Portland Plan needs to spend time reviewing. And not just educating our youth, but adults as well.

Overall, it was a great time to meet people from other parts of the city and talk about something that we all have common ground on: where we live. Nobody disagrees with the fact that we want our city to be the best that it can be, so it is a great way to find unity and cooperation together.

I'm planning on attending our neighborhood association's monthly meetings and possibly contributing my thoughts on the board meetings. Would be a great way to contribute to the city and make a difference!

More information:

Portland Plan website: pdxplan.com

Sewallcrest Park

Sewallcrest Park is located in SE Portland's Richmond Neighborhood. It is a cozy little residential park with a softball field, play structure, and a big field. There are often pick-up ultimate frisbee games here, but unfortunately I have not been able to come out to play recently.

We visited another Movies in the Park event here, watching School of Rock! It was fun laughing with the crowd about "stickin' it to the man" (typical Portland). Before the movie, there was a rockin' band that played, from School of Rock Portland. The band was just a bunch of kids and they were really talented. Perfect introduction to the movie.

More photos here (not the best quality, since they were taken from my cell phone).

Riedlblog label: Parks

Sellwood (Riverfront) Park

Earlier this month we visited Sellwood Park to see Indiana Jones 4 for one of Portland's Movies in the Park events. It was such a great party! I love Movies in the Park. There is food, entertainment (Elvis performed for us too), community, and warm summer evenings. What more could anyone want?

Before we watched the movie, we went down to Sellwood Riverfront Park to see the Willamette River. It's a cute little park on the river in the shadow of the Sellwood Bridge. Great park for dogs, lots of running space. Also an overgrown wetlands nature area with a little walking bridge.

Sellwood Park is up the hill a couple blocks. It has softball fields, lots of play structures, and an outdoor pool. Huge trees fill the area, so it is very old-growth beautiful. One of my professors was there with his family too and he saw me. You'll never know who you'll find when you go out and experience fun activities like these!

More photos here.

Riedlblog label: Parks

Ventura Park

Ventura Park is located in East Portland just a quick bike ride away from where we live. I have come to this cozy Hazelwood neighborhood park often to study and read for school. There is a good mixture of open grass with sun and trees for shade. Since it is located right next to an elementary school, there are plenty of fun things for kids to do like swings and play structures.

Hazelwood does not seem to be the most active neighborhood compared to others in the Portland area. Whenever I go to the neighborhood websites and such, it seems as though there is not much community involvement. The sites are not updated regularly and it is difficult to find events happening in the area. I think I'll be planning a visit to the East Portland Neighborhood Office to find out more. Maybe I'll be able to help out volunteering in some way.

There are very few parks in East Portland that are larger than Ventura Park and as easily accessible. I think the city is trying to get more community involvement centering around the park, because I have seen a lot of kids playing sports here and some type of martial arts/yoga/dance group (I'm not really sure, it looked funny though!) practicing together too. Additionally, the Second Annual Ventura Park Concert will be held here on Wednesday, August 26th, from 6-8pm. I think maybe we'll mosey on over to check it out!

More photos here.

Riedlblog label: Parks