Technology Detox

I needed it! I work all day on a computer, I come home and get on my computer. I am in a generation that needs (or thinks they need) to be connected all the time. It isn't true. There is more you can do than sit on a computer, such as read a book, cook, go for a run, take pictures, etc. It is sad how we depend on our computer and being on the internet.

So, I decided for the Thanksgiving I would not take my computer with me. It was great, I rarely thought about it and enjoyed being with my relatives. My uncle Doug and I flew to Oakland, California on Thursday to spend the holiday with my uncle Donn and aunt Debbie. I left my computer at Doug's and didn't get it back until Sunday night when we arrived in Portland.

I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I read over 200 pages of the book I had started a while back, enjoyed talking with my relatives and visiting the Bay Area.

If you have a chance to just disconnect yourself from the constant connection to your computer, internet or phone for a couple days I highly suggest it!

Snow Day, Oregon Style

Waking up to a text message at 6:15 am wasn't that enjoyable, but when it says the school is closed due to a 'snow day' it's a bit more enjoyable. When I received it I went and found Chantel and Natalie and we took a look outside. And saw this: (Please note that there is grass peaking through in the yard)

However, after laughing at the thought of school being cancelled we all went back to bed. I got up again to get ready for work, because I didn't know if I still had to report or the protocol for the 'grown-up' world in the case of snow. I knew I could easily get there walking or driving. Heck, if we got this little of snow at home they wouldn't even let the snowplows out!

I didn't have to go to Pacific, but did head out to work for Landscape Concepts for a bit. I was starting to have cabin fever sitting inside the whole day and the roommates needed to study as well. Natalie headed to Eugene (a 3 hour drive) in the treacherous conditions to pick a friend. After she made it home safely (not that we were super worried) we had another good laugh at the fact that the school was closed and enjoyed our 'snow day' movie night.

Recipe: Southwest Chicken Wraps & Homemade Oreos

So we had a snow day, which left us all a bit bored because it wasn't a typical snow day like in the states of Iowa, North Dakota and Colorado. However, more to come on that later. But in our boredom Chantel and I went through the recipe book made by Natalie's sisters to make dinner and dessert.

Southwest Chicken Wrap
Ingredients
1 cup rice, cooked
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (just boil the chicken until it's done & then shred it with a fork)
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 red or green bell peppers
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour Cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together rice, chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add chicken, beans, onion, bell pepper, cilantro and lime juice.

Preheat skillet or griddle to medium heat. Assemble wraps by sprinkling cheese on a tortilla leaving a one-inch margin (it's important to spread the cheese out because as it melts, the cheese holds it all together).

Place generous amount of rice/chicken mixture in the middle. If desired, dot the mixture with sour cream. Tuck in edges and roll up tortilla.Spray the outside of the tortilla with cooking spray and place seam-side down on heated skillet or griddle. Cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

It was delicious! We didn't add the chicken, so it was vegetarian style. Chantel also cooked the onions and green peppers before mixing them in, it was great!


Homemade Oreos
Ingredients
Cookie
1 Devil's food cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 egg

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions for Cookies
Combine all of the above ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Form into one inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool and frost.

Directions for Frosting
Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and cream well.

***Special note: Make sure you check the cream cheese box and see how many ounces it is. I didn't check and it turns out a typical cream cheese box is 8 oz., so we have double the amount of frosting sitting in the fridge...ooops!

Adventure: To The Heart of Texas

Last week I spent four days traveling with the Pacific men's soccer team as they participated in the NCAA national tournament. The NCAA selection show was last Monday and we were paired against the #1 team in the nation, Trinity (Texas) because they are in our region, not the greatest luck but we were headed to the warmth of San Antonio, Texas.

It was a whirlwind Monday and Tuesday as the coaching staff got flights and hotels booked and I got out the necessary press releases and stuff done so I could be gone as well.

Wednesday, after I slept for 3 hours the night before, we were on the bus on the way to the airport at 4:15 am PST. Since we could not get any direct flights to San Antonio we had a 3 hour lay-over in Phoenix, which then increased due to flight delays. We made it to San Antonio around 6:00 pm CST. Being the only female on the trip I got my own hotel suite, it was glorious!

Thursday was a pretty relaxed day, scheduled homework time in the morning allowed me to get a run in and relax before they had a short practice at Trinity's field. After the practice we headed to downtown San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk. However, the guys didn't shower before we went down there. So not only did they smell, but we did a downtown tour in record time! I would have enjoyed a longer time at the Riverwalk, but I can't complain the trip was free to me. For dinner we ate at an excellent Italian restaurant.

Friday morning was same thing, but the afternoon was game time. We played the 5:00 match, I took some video and game notes to make my story writing easier following the game. Pacific was defeated 3-1, but played fairly well. They did play the #1 team in the nation, who has scored the most goals in the nation as well, and kept them to one of the lowest scores they have had all season.

After the loss our tickets were booked home. We left San Antonio at 5:20 am CST, had a lay-over in Denver and made it back to Portland by 12:00 PST.

Let me tell you the time change was not fun. I hadn't fully adjusted to daylight savings time and then early flights and the central time zone threw me off a bit more! Saturday and Sunday I slept a lot and feel a bit better on the time, but my days are still off!

I did enjoy getting a chance to travel and cover the team I have been with all season in their last match.

Book Review: The Lucky One

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is the first book I have managed to finish in what seems like forever. It is definitely the longest Nicholas Sparks book I have read up to this point, but not a bad selection if you have time to read it. This book was another Goodwill find that I don't believe was read prior to me buying it, but I am not complaining because I only paid $4!

The story is told from the point-of-view of three main characters, who in the first few sections do not know each other but of course as the book continues on their lives become more entwined. Thibault is an ex-marine and walks across the country to discover his 'destiny' and find the person, Elizabeth, whom is his lucky charm in order to re-pay her. The town, Hampton, (there is even a shout-out to Hampton, Iowa) is run by the Clayton family, which becomes a problem for Thibault because Elizabeth used to be married to Keith a member of that family. The lives of Thibault, Elizabeth and Keith become more connected throughout the story and there is a struggle for power throughout. The end surprised me, but it still almost ended too happily ever after.

This wasn't my favorite Nicholas Sparks book by any means, but it wasn't bad enough to stop me from finishing.

Sense of Calm

I took today off, because Saturday will be a horribly busy day with 2 soccer matches, a volleyball match and football game (and I also picked today, because I checked the weather and it was suppose to be the nicest day of the week! :) ). All at home and the soccer teams and football team use the same field so transitions between events will have to go smoothly and our student workers will have to be ready to gear up for each different event and get the needed equipment where it should be, but that is Saturday, not today.

Today, I slept in. By that I mean I made it until 7:30 and was able to roll-over and sleep until 9:00. My body doesn't sleep in well, it is use to a routine and it sticks to it, but it was nice not to have to set an alarm. After waking up I found my bike gear and headed off on a short 12-mile ride to Banks and back. I am getting used to riding solo on the roads here, but still get a little stressed when semis pass me and don't move over.

After my ride, I walked with Natalie to class and got a Quiznos sub and headed to the park. I enjoyed a little picnic in the park and soaked up the sun, the beautiful fall leaves and the warmth of the day. Then walked on and discovered the coffee shop of Forest Grove, it was very calming and I was able to read for over an hour before heading home. When I got home I opened all the windows and doors to let the beautiful weather soak into the house as I cleaned.

It was weird how calming I found today. I never turned on music or talked to anyone. I just soaked in the day, collected my thoughts and indulged in the story of my novel. I also had the feeling that right now I am where I am suppose to be, I don't know where I will be next year, but right now I am where I am suppose to be! It is a great feeling to have and I am grateful to be feeling it!

I hope everyone can have a day like this, a day to themselves to relax, collect their thoughts and realize they are blessed and know they are in the right spot!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I am not ready for the Oregon rainy season, but it has started in full force. It's not like it rains all day, it is off and on. It may rain hard for 5 minutes, then the sun sneaks out, then it rains lightly, then hard, then sun, oh you get the picture, but I don't like it. I constantly carry an umbrella, but was recently asked if I knew true Oregonians don't carry an umbrellas? Well, I didn't but I am quite sure I will continue to carry my umbrella and stick out as a Midwesterner.

Pumpkin Carving
I had the urge to carve my Roloff farms pumpkin, but didn't want to deal with the mess. But Natalie's sister's family was going to carve their pumpkins so I joined in the fun. My artistic abilities are lacking in the pumpkin carving category and luckily Natalie felt the same way, however her sister, Jenny, is very talented. We looked at pumpkin carving ideas and worked away. And were entertained by Natalie's 2-year-old nephew, James, freaking out about the inside of the pumpkin and then attempting to put the pieces back into the pumpkins. Jenny drew out a Mario and Toad pumpkin that turned out amazing and made our pumpkins look pathetic! Jenny also baked the pumpkin seeds and they were tasty as well.

Halloween
For Halloween, I headed to the optometry party with Natalie. We avoided having to buy costumes and kept it simple by using our 80s outfits for future skating event. Saturday morning I hit up Goodwill and found an awesome Hard Rock Cafe sweatshirt to finish off my costume.

Soccer
The soccer seasons continue, but are getting close to the end. The women's team will play their last game on Saturday, but the men's team may continue on to the national tournament. This whole season has been a learning experience for me, I have had to learn soccer jargon, soccer statcrew and the stress of having one of the top teams in the conference and a nationally ranked team. The men have moved around in the national rankings and are one game from clenching an automatic bid for the national tournament. I have been told that if they qualify I will get to travel with them, so when Saturday comes I will know if they qualify and on Monday where we could be headed.

Golf season wrapped up last week, but swimming season has started and wrestling will be starting this weekend. I am amazed how fast time has been going since I moved here!

Also Happy 87th Birthday to my Grandpa on November 2!