Optimistic Soap

All my soap is hand-crafted, so… even when everything goes exactly to plan, there are always minor little bobbles, different textures, slight unevenness and tiny quirks.

But, even so, that one wobbly stripe was too much “quirkiness” for me to sell these Pride bars.

But it made me happy when I realized that I could sell them at a discount to folks who might actually appreciate the charm of a bar of soap with a little kink.

“Offbeat Pride” is now available: https://www.optimisticsoap.com/product-page/pride

We packed a lot into this trip and I’m still processing how much beauty, history, art and kindness we experienced along the way.
A few highlights:
🚂 Taking the Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago
Honestly, the train itself became part of the vacation. Watching the country unfold outside our window for 2½ days reset my nervous system in a way I didn’t expect.
And the dining car community seating — which I initially dreaded 😂 — ended up being one of my favorite parts. We met so many interesting people. One woman had worked on projects connected to the James Webb and Chandra telescopes and even showed us designs for a backyard project she’d created. I loved those conversations so much.
🏙️ Chicago
• Architectural boat tour (absolutely worth the hype)
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Oak Park + Frank Lloyd Wright home/studio + Unity Temple
• The Bean + Millennium Park
• The Winter Garden at the library
• Grant Park
• A fantastic free walking tour of The Loop through International Greeters
(Huge shoutout to Alan, our guide, who showed us astonishing architecture, stained glass, mosaics and interiors I never would have discovered on my own.)
• Another highlight: the extremely excited baby pug we met on Navy Pier. 😂
🦞 Boston
• North End / Little Italy
• Cannoli + lobster adventures
• Old North Church + crypt
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• Boston MFA
• Boston Public Library murals by John Singer Sargent (stunning)
• Freedom Trail wandering
• Back Bay walks
• Make Way for Ducklings statues
• Bartevian Shop run by 102 year old Pat. I’d heard about her from on the and the experience was as surreal as she described!

As wonderful as this vacation was, it also reminded me that joy isn’t only found in grand adventures. There’s joy in coming home too. In familiar routines. In being greeted by cats. In making soap again.

And yes, the soap shop is officially back open. If you’ve been waiting to place an order, now’s the time. Vacation was delightful… but now I want to get in front of the bills before they come due!

Thank you again to everyone

I’m raising money for — the Hillsboro United Mutual Aid Network — and I’m donating 20 bars of soap as a raffle prize to help support their frankly extraordinary work.

For every $10 donated, you’ll receive one raffle entry:
✨ $10 = 1 chance
✨ $50 = 5 chances
✨ $100 = 10 chances

HUMAN is a grassroots mutual aid group helping families affected by ICE with food access, emergency support, outreach, education, and resources — especially for people navigating fear, instability, and systems that are failing to meet basic needs.

This group formed because ordinary people saw neighbors struggling with immigration crackdowns and decided to step in and help directly. They’ve organized food drives, distributed resources and safety kits, supported immigrant families, helped keep families housed, and created meaningful community support systems powered almost entirely by volunteers.

And because HUMAN is still very new and grassroots, donations currently go through Venmo instead of a traditional nonprofit platform. I know that can feel a little uncertain online, so I want to let you know that I personally stand by this organization and the people involved. These are real people doing deeply important, life-changing work.

To enter the raffle:
🧼 Donate to Eri4HUMAN on Venmo: https://venmo.com/ERI4HUMAN
🧼 Include your email address AND the word “soap” or a soap emoji in the “What’s it for?” field

The raffle will run for two weeks. Eligible donations must be submitted by midnight (pacific) Sunday, May 31. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced the first week of June.

I know a lot of people are asking themselves what they can actually do right now to help. Supporting grassroots mutual aid is one answer. Community care matters. ❤️

Fine Print: Prize can be mailed to a U.S. address. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.

I can’t imagine how exhausting it must feel to be emotionally overwhelmed by what’s happening politically and get no support from your life partner.

And let’s not jump to a glib “time for a divorce” response. Long marriages, children, finances, caregiving, love, hope, fear, faith, habit. People’s lives are complicated and may be deeply intertwined.

Let’s make sure this doesn’t turn into a judgment session. I’d really love for the comments to become a place where people can share what can genuinely helped them cope.

I suspect more than one person needs this support right now.