Sunday, October 23, 2022
Howdy Friends, thank you for stopping by my Self-care Sundays B.R.E.A.T.H.S. blog where I share a variety of self-care strategies that bring me joy. The first week in October, I told about my family visiting Halloweentown in St. Helens, OR. The second week, I posted about my friends and I enjoying our time celebrating at McMenamins Cosmic Tripster Party. Last week, I detailed my love of music and its influence on me throughout the years. This final week, I am sharing about my experience today with my family and their friend at the Dogman Musical in Portland, Or.
Oregon Children’s Theatre
After three years on pause due to Covid, today was the opening day of Oregon Children’s Theatre’s premiere of Dog Man: The Musical, located at The Newmark Theatre downtown Portland, OR. Each year during Small Business Saturday, I purchase children’s musical tickets for the upcoming year, and the last time I purchased was 2019 and I had four vouchers to use before the end of this October. There were three kids and myself, two of us had wheelchairs, and mine was electric but ran out of charge, so we had to push it to the car after the show.
Sushi Snacks in the Portland Park Blocks
Since there was a birthday this month, we gotta make it extra special with sushi snacks in the Portland Park blocks right next to the theatre before the show. We arrived an hour early to eat and take pics. We enjoyed our food, played with squirrels, smelled the roses, then talked to a friendly busker singing and playing guitar.
Dog Man: The Musical
We rolled around soaking up the Portland Arts District ambiance and taking pics with backgrounds of Dog Man: The Musical. The kids have been to the Newmark Theatre before on school field trips, but this was the first time we got to go all together as a family. The show ran for about 70 minutes with no intermission, but the kids said it only felt like five minutes, lol. It is based on a popular children’s chapter comic book series by Dav Pilkney. They loved the characters (about their age 10-11), clapped along with the singing, and cheered for the multiple heroes (no pics and videos during showtime). Overall, the show was a huge hit.
VooDoo Doughnuts
Whenever venturing off into Portland a couple times a year, we like to stop at one of their main food staples for dessert called, VooDoo Doughnuts. They have been around for the better part of two decades with their 24hr gourmet doughnuts, weddings, and merchandise with their fun catch phrases like: “good things come in pink boxes,” and “the magic is in the hole.” The kids each picked a doughnut that looked good to them, I picked my favorite, Bacon Maple Bar (they thought that sounded gross, lol).
Conclusion on our Family Self-care Sunday
We are learning to show self-care by doing things that bring us joy like spending time with loved ones, playing in the park, attending Broadway musicals, and eating exotic treats. The kids are learning more about their neighboring big city: appreciating the sights of the sculptures, high rises, and graffiti; ears perking to the sounds of the light rail trains, bus brakes, and boat horns; and tasting the ethnic, gourmet, and staple cuisines. What are some ways you like to share self-care with your family while in a big city?
Thank you for reading and viewing,
