Honey Lavender

Balsamic Strawberry, Early Grey, Salted Caramel, Stumptown Coffee...

What do all these things have in common? They are all ice cream flavors at Molly Moon's Ice Cream.

Seriously, this place rocks. I would say it's THE place to get ice cream in Seattle. There are several stores thorughout the city, one of which is right in Queen Anne. Molly Moon's is always coming up with fun, delicious flavors like Flagship Cheddar (made from Beecher's Cheese here in Seattle), Stawberry Lemonade sorbet, etc. And did I mention they have the best waffle cones ever. Drool.

These pictures were take the Summer 2010, our first summer in Seattle.

Want to hear something evil? My office is in the same building as the Capitol Hill Molly Moons and every so often the waffle cone scent fills the office. Cruel if you ask me. Here I am working away and then this ever-so-delicious waffle smell fills the room. (That, and then the bakery or bacon smells from Odd Fellows come in too).

Anyway, Josh and I have loved this ice cream since we moved here, so when the cookbook was released, we decided to get one.

Of course, the first recipe I chose was a froyo recipe (would you expect anything else from the Froyo Queen?). I picked the Blueberry Goat Milk Frozen yogurt flavor. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase goat yogurt at the store earlier in the day, but regular yogurt. And I had fresh strawberries I thought I could use alongside the blueberries. In essence, I made my own flavor, Strawberry Blueberry frozen yogurt, but it was still very good (and still using the basic recipe/idea). The result:

 At the store, or at home, this is gooooood stuff. ;)

National Frozen Yogurt Day

This is a big deal people. Big. Today is National Frozen Yogurt day [Learn more]. Finally people are "getting it" - taken them years to realize what I've known practically my whole life. Frozen Yogurt is the BOMB. (<--do people still use that phrase?).

Anyone that becomes my friend finally sees the light after my insistance upon the glory of froyo (and forcing them to go ALL the time). I've even created other froyo monsters along the way. I think my friends in Germany and Holland are mad at me because I got them to love the stuff and then they returned home and couldn't get it anymore. I'm glad I'm able to impart the love of froyo around the world. Perhaps that's why people call me the Froyo Queen (or, the fact that like 5 people send me the article about it being National froyo day).

In honor of National Frozen Yogurt day, I shall tell you about the beginning of my love for froyo. It started when I was in junior high. My soccer team had a pizza part in the Ralph's shopping center in Encinitas. Some of the team members left saying they were going to get dessert. I shrugged and kept at the pizza place. When the girls returned, I saw the deliciousness in their hands. I HAD to HAVE some. So I gathered some other friends and trip #2 to the froyo shop ensued. I got vanilla with oreo topping. Heaven in a cup. I remember the night vividly. The froyo shop was called Penguins. It's not there anymore, but it'll always remain in my memory. And now, in it's place, there are mega froyo chains: Menchies, Yogurtland, Red Mango, Pinkberrys (the last two are more tart, ehh, not quite the cookies n' cream brands that are my fav). Awesome.

Now do your duty and go get some froyo.

All I Want For Christmas

Today I witnessed a Christmas miracle. It was early in the season, but wonderful. As I went to downtown Queen Anne this afternoon to get some odds and ends at Bartell Drugs, Josh noticed some balloons near the sidewalk where i knew the building of a frozen yogurt store was being built. Could it be? Is it true? Is the frozen yogurt store open?

Yes, indeed! Frozen yogurt is now just 5 minutes from home! I'm thrilled. I'm estatic! Now Seattle is complete. And I'm lucky that the one store they decided to built is in the part of town right near home.

The store is called Menchies. I first tasted it in Federal Way, which is just south of the SeaTac airport. Apparently this chain is growing fast because my sister mentioned one opened near her a couple months ago. Feed the masses sweet froyo.

To the important stuff, my first taste of frozen yogurt in months. It was superb. I had so many choices - there are about 5 machines (=10 flavors). I picked two all time favorites: cookies and cream & pumpkin. I guess I'll have to going back to try the others.

Come visit and I'll take you to Menchies.

Freedom

Freedom is a day with no obligations. This is something to cherish. No work. No appointments. No need to do anything specific. A day like this is rare, and today I got to enjoy such a day. (Well, honestly I could find something to do, but I decided to put those aside. Also, then my whole post concept of freedom wouldn't be possible)

What does Heather do with a free day? To start, it's entirely necessary to stay in PJs as long as possible. Sure, at some point I start to feel the guilt seep in, but one must try. I managed to stay in my PJs until 12pm; that's freakin' awesome. I love PJs. They are just so comfy and nice. I can be pretty productive in them too mind you. I know others might not have this ability (or should I say skill), so I'm glad I am able to be one of the few that that pull this off. I don't mean going outdoors. Stacey and Clinton would kill me (note: that's a reference to TLC's What Not To Wear, a guilty pleasure of mine...guess it's not so secret anymore). However, I am productive online or doing random stuff. For example, I did some emailing, scheduling (for other days, not today!), and whatnot. Productive in PJs.

As I said, by noon I was out of the PJs. Actually, the changing out of PJs is in part thanks to it being a nice, sunny day. And it was the sunshine that drew me outdoors. I'm not a lay-in-the-sun gal. Plus it's was still a tad bit chilly, so I decided on a stroll. I've been meaning to walk the other direction on the path at Alton Baker Park (recall the Alton Baker Park post earlier in the year). This is exactly what I did. I brought along my camera to practice. For instance, I have some shots playing with angles and some of ducks butts. Yes butts. Curious? Check it out on Flickr.

With some fresh air, I moved on to indoor type stuff. I headed to Trader Joes, Target, and Market of Choice. I was gathering groceries, obviously, for a picnic planning for tomorrow as well as to make my favorite Cornmeal Cherry Scones (recipe from Berkeley's Cheeseboard cookbook - thanks Melissa & Jeff).

Along the way I made a pit stop at TCBY for Waffle Cone Wednesday - good deal. I ate that in the sun as well. Got to get that Vitamin D; soak it in. I also stopped to say hi to a friend, Kim, at Full City Coffee shop downtown. I bought a delicious pumpkin cookie for tonight.

On my way home, the clouds started to return. Now, it's raining. There goes the burgers on the outdoor grill. Indoor skillet here I come. At least, I got to enjoy the sun. Really, if you see the sun here in at this time of year, you've got the seize the moment. The weather in one day here can change very quickly. In fact, I may get to the grill yet. Let's hope the sun is around for our picnic tomorrow.

That's my free day. Tomorrow its back to the grind.

Northern Exposure

Runners Up (on Blog titles): I had a hard time deciding, so I thought I'd mention these too...Neighborhood Watching, Sleepless in Seattle, Scoping Seattle, and a few others which I've forgotten now so they must not have been that great anyway. Oh and one with following the 5 to the Emerald City, a Wizard of Oz reference. P.S. I didn't watch Northern Exposure so I hope there are no crazy deeper meanings.

The Distance:  The distance between Eugene and Seattle is closer than many would first think. It's actually driveable and takes roughly 4-5 hours. We opted to drive so we had my car and navigation system (we started calling the system Wifey on this trip). Josh did the driving on the way up Friday morning - we got there in 4 hrs 15 mins. I took over the wheel for the majority of the city navigating with some awesome parallel parking. In general, it could probably be called Mrs. O'Neill's wild ride.

Sunday we headed back in the afternoon just in time for the rain to return (so that's an indirect way of saying we had good weather all weekend). And it returned in torrents. The windshield wipers were seemed to be on crack and the rain came down in sheet. Luckily, I got us safely down to Portland. Due to the stressful conditions, Josh took over and drove us safely home. The return drive took roughly 5 hours (longer if you include the stops for gas, dinner, rain, traffic, etc).

Exploration: Take a look at this chart. Now, you can imagine why I was slightly panicked at the amount of exploration and investigation necessary on our ~2 days in Seattle. I calmed down after sitting down and reading though some other articles. And calmed down even more so after talking with our Seattle friend, Andrea. Andrea gave us the low down on all the neighborhoods. In a nutshell, keep north. Our favorite areas included: Ballard, Fremont, Green Lake, Queen Anne (lower), Bellevue, etc. Another fun fact about downtown street names is that they go in twos - two P's, two U's, two M's, and two S's (PUSM sounds funny tho). We now have a much better idea in mind on how the city is setup and where to begin if/when the time comes. Oh, and a Farmer's Market on Sunday = yay!

Non-Exploration: I haven't mentioned yet that Josh's parents were able to join us for our weekend adventure. They were our fearless passengers as we bopped around the city. It was great seeing them and enjoying some time together. Also, we meet up with our friend Andrea for lunch on Saturday (recall: mentioned above she gave some good Seattle tips). We had a nice little lunch catch-up time. We even squeezed in a quick hi and hug with Vince and Jonita, Brown family friends. I guess we not only saw Seattle, but friends/family too!

Food: Nom Nom Nom <-- That's the written version of me munching on tasty food. I imagine you now know that we ate some good food. A few sweet highlights include: banana bread at Columbia City Bakery, orange currant oatmeal cookie and raspberry oat bran muffin from Fresh Flours. As for food, a few savory delights included: crepe at Miro Tea, lunch at Purple Cafe, and dinner at Long Provincial Vietnamese. Seattle definitely has a happenin' foodie scene and the blogs that have been screaming Seattle as the current food trend were not lying.

Frozen Yogurt: I (practically) didn't have this all weekend. Yes, opposed to popular belief I can go without it for a few days without a meltdown. Don't get me wrong, it's tough, but possible. But it turns out Seattle was sadly lacking in this department. I did have the radar turned on though. You probably noticed I put "practically" in parenthesis in the first sentence. This is because I did taste some at a shop in Bellevue called Shnoo. However, I didn't not get a yogurt. For one, it was in the morning and I don't allow myself to eat it before noon (note: a few exceptions). Also, after a taster (or two. ok three), I decided that it wasn't that great. It's the trendy tart stuff and I deemed it just mediocre. Fear not, I have some bookmarked for future ventures north.

Pictures: I'm working on pictures. I forgot my camera, but luckily Don brought his along. I already have a few on Flickr that I took with my iPhone, but more should be coming soon. Keep checking out Flickr.

It was a great weekend and get-away!

Josh & Me in Fremont

Home Sweet Home

This past weekend I was in sunny San Diego. And yes it was sunny - WooHoo! It was a really nice weekend visiting my family in Encinitas and going to my childhood friend's wedding. Rather than have run-on sentences (ok, that'll happen anyway) and unorganized babble, I thought I'd set this up in my favorite style: bullets.

Travel

• I was able to snag a couple days off work and head down Thursday after work and return Sunday. The flight down to SD was like a trip to Europe - it took forever with all the layovers. I had stops in Portland and in San Fran. To give you an idea, I departed Eugene Airport at 5:45pm and got home at midnight. To top it, the last leg of the flight was uber-turbulencey and the flight attendants didn't even come out nor did we get our beverage service. The return flight was one layover in San Fran, but still long and late. And to throw in the pity card...I returned at midnight and guess who got to open the next morning...2-3 hrs sleep, oh boy. Needless to say, the travel portions weren't glamorous - but worth it!

Friday

• Froyo Alert - Yes, my radar went off yet again this week. I spied this place as I was enjoying Chicks, a lunch favorite, with my mom (more specifically, the chicken bowl dish). The new shop was in the TJ Max center across the street and I saw the glorious words...frozen yogurt. We popped on over for further investigation after our lunch. To my delight, the flavors included my all-time favorite, Cookies 'n Cream. That raised the place up in my book. The name is Swirls, and apparently there are a couple of them here in North County SD. It passed the taste test and ambiance with flying colors. The texture was smooth and rich and tasted oh so yummy. The store had the trendy, almost IKEA style going - very white, clean, and sleek. The logo was also nicely done. This is officially now my new place to go when I come home (not to mention, it's closer to our home than Golden Spoon - I still love GS though mind you). Please stay Swirls! Maybe I should seek out the owner and ask them to test the Pacific Northwest market.


• Blast from the Past - Being retired, my mom has been helping out at the school she taught 4th grade, La Costa Meadows (LCM). It also happens to be the elementary school I attended oh-so-many years ago. We had to make a pit stop there Friday to drop of some art project. Although there were many changes, it was like a blast from the past. I remembered the old classrooms and playground. It was weird to be back.


• Intense Relaxation - The afternoon was intense, or should I say intensely relaxation. It began with my hair. I headed to my usual girls at Entourage. These girls are great. Josh and his parents went to this salon when they lived in Carlsbad and were friends with the girls that own the place. Since I met Josh I've been going and kept it up since they do a good job. After hair, I hurried back, picked up mom, and we headed to the spa for our pedicures. It was a very nice place and we left with beautiful feet. Except...the crazy Russian lady that did my mom's nails. She just kept talking and we couldn't understand half of her conversation (but it did make for a funny conversation afterwards). The evening was finished with a nice meal at Sbicca and movie time with my parents at home.

Saturday

• Around Town - The morning my dad played tennis and went to a softball game, so my mom and I hung out. Of course, we ate breakfast at my favorite Honey's Bakery and Bistro. Yum oat bran muffin - the best ever! Then we roamed The Forum and shopped around. Then we met up my dad for lunch at yet another favorite, The Counter. Then we headed to the closest mall, UTC, since my mom needed eye liner. We ended up getting our make-up quickly done at Chanel for the wedding. Oh and a real mall = heaven.


• The Wedding - My childhood best friend, Jessica Trogler, got married! Yup, I came on this particular weekend because it was her wedding day on Saturday. She married Chris Anderson at Rancho Valencia, a gorgeous resort in Rancho Santa Fe. The ceremony was outdoors with a trellis at sunset (beautiful but a bit blinding with the sun - you'll see in the picture). It was a smaller wedding, but very lovely. The reception was at the resort. I enjoyed how they did the first dance upon entering the reception. Also, there were some cool things like the 1,000 cranes and guest book with polaroids. In a nutshell, a beautiful wedding and good fun.

Sunday

• Taxes - Blah! That's about all I can say. Blah taxes! But they're over. Yippee! I spent the morning working on my taxes with my dad around to help with all that tax mumbo jumbo.


• Pizza Port - This place was discovered over Christmas at home. Josh saw it in a micro-brew beer magazine...I guess it had good beer, but it has good pizza. Although my dad declared it a bit noisy inside.


• Randomness - After some stuff at home, the four of us (mom, dad, sister Lindsay) roamed around North County doing a bit of shopping. We found some invitations, my mom got instructions on how to use the make-up she got Saturday, food for my flight, etc.

As usual, I'll end with some photos. To jazz things up a bit, I've made my pictures into a slideshow below for your view pleasure (some random photos in there, I know).

Lastly, in the words, of Porky the Pig, that's all folks.



Wedding & Weekend Home from Heather O'Neill on Vimeo.

Froyo Alert

My froyo (frozen yogurt) rader went off this week...beeeeeep, new froyo shop in town. Beeeeeep!

Of course, being me, I had to investigate this supposed new froyo shop. My friend Kim joined in on the first visit adventure. Going into it I was a bit apprehensive. Would this be a tart, plain, original froyo shop that's all the rage right now? Would it be a hippy, organic, hemp place common to Eugene? The hopes were high entering into it though. I mean YoCream is just up the road in Portland, so there was a fair chance this could be a great place. The only way was to make a visit...

Upon entering the store, I was a bit shocked at the brightness. It wasn't sunny, but it was sure darn yellow inside -- the walls were neon yellow! They took it to the extreme with the neon and candy everywhere. It was like a little kids heaven. I definitely knew who the target was for this place...kids. What about us young adult with crazy like addictions? Would this work? I continued further.

I spotted my friend inside toward the back where the machines were located. Good news...YoCream. The shop owner was there helped us out and giving samples (my appetizer). The atmosphere was forgiven when I saw three beautiful machines - that means six flavor options. Oh boy, oh boy!

Of course, I had to discuss the froyo with the owner. Does she really know her stuff? I mentioned the article I found online with the local newspaper. Apparently her husband and her got the idea from a Cali visit, the land of froyo. She really didn't seem to want to go into much further detail, so I decided to go for a taste test.

Sadly, I found that cookies 'n cream was a recent past flavor (so hope for it next visit). There was peanut butter, blueberry, strawberry, cheesecake, chocolate, and vanilla. Very standard. In fact, most of these flavors are at the sub shop. If you know me, you know I tend towards the cookie type flavors so I opted for the PB and chocolate and vanilla swirl combo. Verdict? It was decent. The texture was decent, but not as smooth as it could be (Yumi is safe). I think they might need to play with the temperature and mixes a bit to get it more velvety. Perhaps I'll mention it next time if I find the same situation.

As for pricing, well it was self serve. I get carried away with self serve and it can add up quick. TCBY is cheaper for sure. However, it could have been worse. On a good flavor visit, this could be totally worth every penny. I shall just have to visit again SOON.

All in all, I was happy to get my froyo fix and hang out with a friend. Oh, and BTW, I did join their FaceBook group. You can check it out.

Kim & Me @ Sweety's

The "Big" City

Two notes before you begin this blog: (1) It's not in chronological order, (2) you might enjoy listening to this Cake song as you read - at least the beginning of the song seems fitting at parts because of the hipsterness of the area...Now onto the post:

Here I am sitting in a tiny, cute-as-a-button coffee house in Portland while Josh is hard at work (cool logo/branding too - makes me think of Scrubs ostriches). He's taking an ethics exam that's necessary for lawyers in a some states. Washington doesn't need it, but neighboring Oregon and also California do require it...really it's just in case dash who knows where we'll end up safety. So, while he is busy taking the exam, I'm out exploring.

Exploring is a favorite pastime of mine (aka roaming). I love walking around new areas and finding awesome places such as this coffee house on Alberta Street called Random Order. I ended up on Alberta Street, after roaming around the University of Portland (where Josh has the exam). I took a few shots of cherry blossom trees as well as some nice river views. It's a pretty school. At least, as cool and neat as schools go, but only 20 minutes of exploration is really necessary. Now we transition to...Alberta.

To be perfectly honest, I've been in this area previously. In other words, I'm not exploring a entirely new area. However, I didn't roam much last time and recalled thinking it was deserving of more exploration. For some background the last exploration, we basically were here just to eat and network. It was at a place called the Tin Shed and Josh and I met up with a gal I met through an Acxiom co-worker when I was pursing the Portland job market more vigorously (pre-Eugene living).

I'm excited by my return to Alberta Street. There is definitely one end of the street that the newer and more trendy, hippy. The other end was in more need of growth and stores. Since it was an absolutely beautiful day, I walked the length of the street . To my dismay, most stores don't open until 11am. Ehh, back to the nicer area and find a place to chill (or plop down, to say it in a fun way) for the remaining time. That brings us here, to this moment of me writing this blog in a free wi-fi coffee shop.

<<RING RING>> Josh just called and the exam is over! Blog to be continued...

Okay, now I'm back home in the evening to finish this off. Before I go on to the rest of the day with Josh, I'll mention Friday (note: today is Saturday). Friday after work and an appointment, Josh and I packed up and headed to Portland. We got into town and checked in to our hotel, Hotel Fifty. We got a great deal on Priceline and it was conveniently located downtown. The trip started off really great with a street parking spot right in front of the hotel - that means no paying for pricey hotel parking. Woot! We threw our stuff in the room (ok, we didn't literally throw, but you get the idea), and headed out for a stroll to uptown Pearl District for dinner. I was very hungry, so we opted on a tried and true favorite, Silk. We were not disappointed. It was a awesome meal of fish and curry. We even splurged on dessert of banana bread pudding with tapioca pudding....melted in our mouths. Tummies full, we strolled back to the hotel via Powells Book store. Josh did some final studying and I did random computer stuff.

Back to Saturday before the exam. We had to get up early - ugh, early on a non-work day (boo). Aren't I a dedicated fiancee? We got breakfast at North Star, which turned out to be quite good coffee. That was just a side note since I wanted to mention the breakfast place. Now, back on track. I picked up Josh after he called and we headed back to the awesome coffee shop for lunch. We enjoyed pot pie (Josh) and sandwich-salad combo (Heather). We strolled around the part of the area I didn't quite get to thoroughly. We also got tasty tea at Townshend - btw, we've tried it in Bend before and liked it immensely. So we strolled with our drinks on a sunny day. And if I like anything more than exploring, it's exploring with Josh with me! Heavenly day.

Oh, and that's not it. We drove back across the bridge to downtown and hit up the real mall experience and Pioneer Place. How I missed you mall! I got a free mini-facial (with product sales, of course) at Origins. Josh got a Mac Store "fix" and all we well in the world.

And I'm still going. We ended the fine day at YoCream. You CAN'T, I repeat CAN'T, go to Portland without a stop for decent, real froyo. I was a bit disappointed in flavors, but I still loved it.

After all this, we drove home and here I am. One complaint: I have to open the store tomorrow (aka wake up insanely, inhumanly early). But I I'm going to go watch some How I Met Your Mother and be happy.

Pictures to come soon, Here's some as a preview. Perhaps a video (thinking about it & whether my "old" computer can handle it). Perhaps Perhap. Oh, and in case it didn't make send, the song reference on top is because Alberta, and Portland in general, is hippy and it's a hipster type song.

Heather's Exploration Shadow

Re-Charging Our Batteries

Yes, super mini. I say super mini because we left Friday afternoon and returned Saturday evening from a little getaway up north. Josh received some Bed and Breakfast gift certificates (a combo birthday and xmas gift from my folks), so we decided to put them to good use and head out of town. The timing was perfect because I had two days off work in a row and it was the weekend before Josh's last semester begins.

After some debate early in the week - beach, mountains, vs. city and then exactly which B&B - we ended at the Camas Hotel which is a cute little Parisian-style boutique hotel located in Camas, WA. Camas is just over the Oregon border (that would mean Washington) and along the Columbia River Gorge about 20-30 minutes outside of Portland. We thought we'd get more bang for our buck out there and it'd be peaceful, quite, and quaint.

Josh took a week long, one unit Corporate Finance drafting course before the semester began that ended Friday. After his class, we high-tailed it out of Eugene up the 5. The rain was coming down in torrents so the driving was a bit tough (thanks Josh for taking over the wheel.

Finally, we arrived in Camas just in time for a nice little pizza dinner at Twilight (not related to the movie mind you). We wrapped up the night up with a martini and apple crisp at the recently opened restaurant next to our hotel, Harwood's restaurant.

Saturday morning we opted to get a bigger breakfast instead of the continental option at the B&B (which was sparse by 9am when I scoped it out in the dining area). We took a few steps down the road to a diner called Natalia's Cafe. The order? A Josh-like meal of hash browns and a Heather-like meal of egg whites and veggies scrambled. Not too shabby, and it was an adorable little diner to boot. Then we walked around for a bit since it wasn't pouring at the moment. The town did turn out to be quaint and cute, but pretty small. You can tell it's really trying hard to build up, but it's not quite there yet. There is a paper mill at the edge of town that has kept the area running over the years - a mill-town in other words.

Next up: Vancouver. That would be the closer Vancouver, the one in Washington as opposed to Canada. We walked the waterfront area, but it was pretty small. Nice condos and apartments though. After a quick walk on the water, we hopped in the car and found downtown. It was uber quiet - oddly quiet in fact - in the little downtown square we found. Our overall opinion of Vancouver: its a nice, quite place to live.

We then headed back over the bridge to the sales tax-free Oregon (always nice when eating out). We went to our favorite area, the Pearl District and walked around like we lived there. For example, we were giving people directions. Also, we hit up a few of our favorite shops, which of course means a stopat Oblations, "the scene of the proposal."

Eventually our tummies rumbled for some lunch so we jotted over to another favorite, Silk. I got a delicious curry with yams, eggplant, and chicken while Josh got a Vietnamese beef sandwich. We tacked on some tea to share since it was chilly. A perfect cold weather lunch. To top it off, Josh got a spicy mocha at Masterpiece.

Before heading back home, we did a Heather-must-feed-the-addiction stop at YoCream. I think I about died and went to heaven when I saw cookies 'n cream (my all-time favorite), Irish mint, and chocolate macadamia nut. Yummy in my tummy. Even though I wasn't incredibly hungry I ate a very large yogurt (dang that self-serve spout), but it was worth the pain...glorious.

A super great mini trip ended on the YoCream high and then back to Eugene. Need ed to get out out town..check. Good food...check. Spirit of Adventure...check. Relaxation...check. Recharge batteries...check. Well, you get the point, we checked off all our needs. This translates to...an excellent weekend!

As always, photos for your viewing pleasure on Flickr. The sneak peek picture below is along the Vancouver Waterfront.

Vancouver Waterfront

Random II

You may remember the Random entry I wrote back at the end of September. This is the second Random entry. I plan on doing these types of posts every now and again because they are easy and I often have smaller topics to bring up but not really needing their own entry. Note the II (yes, I'm going to have to learn Roman numerals better, as I think I only know them up until like 19 or something --> yea Internet).

• Halloween: Josh and I kept the evening low key and decided to stay in. Plus all the kiddies were depending on us to deliver candy and I did not fail them! We actually didn't really end up getting many trick-or-treaters. This was probably because our porch light doesn't work and so it's pretty dark at our door. We got about 4 door bell rings, but each visit had a fair number of kids. The 4th (and last) ring was like 10 kids at around 7:15pm. This 4th ring got me all excited (& worried about having enough candy), but it turned out to be the last ring of the evening. The only costume I recall is an ambulance made from a box, which I though was very creative. Once the trick-or-treaters were apparently not coming, we settled down to watch Interview with a Vampire. I wanted to prove to myself I could watch this and not have nightmares. Yes, I actually had nightmares about vampires last time. Mainly the nightmare was how I would say to myself (in the dream of course) that I didn't believe in vampires; however, Lestat showed up to prove me wrong! So far no nightmares...whew!


• Big Game: That would be University of Oregon vs. USC football game that happened this past Saturday. Apparently it was even covered as ESPN College Day. The game brought in lots of out-of-towners and I met them all working a shift on Saturday. There were lots and lots of USC fans (there is a hotel near the store). It was fun to see everyone get so hyped up. Seriously, it's big here. I mean you go to the store and you get asked if you are watching the game, etc. (Sorry Uncle Ron, Aunt Pat & Lindsay - it was a sad day for your team).


• Flowers: Josh was super sweet and surprised me with flowers on the table when I came home from work the other day. I was feeling less-than-perfect at my coffee abilities that morning before work and this really brightened me up. See the bouquet on Flickr.


• Pizza Takeout: I just had to mention this. We picked up pizza yesterday and the box was beautifully painted with a flower design. This is where we say, "...only in Eugene." See the box on Flick too. By the way, this is one of our favorite restaurants. It's called Pizza Research Institute (or PRI).


• Baking Crusade: I'm still baking and cooking a lot! I'm still trying to find the perfect muffin. Yesterday I not only made Sweet Potato Carrot muffins (from family cookbook), but a delicious apple crisp (with modifications, so ask me if you actually try this one). Also prepped dinner for tonight which was scrumptious R. Ray dish she called Turkey Chili and Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie (it's very orange for Halloween).


• Froyo Alert: My froyo radar is still going strong. Apparently Springfield, Eugene's neighboring town, has a froyo place coming soon. It's called Sweety's (corner of Main and 6th St). I'm desperately trying to find when it opens (I'm not around that part of town much, but I might be soon - wink wink).


• Missing the Bay: This has been on my mind lately, so I thought I'd share. No no no, don't get me wrong, I'm very happy; however, I still miss many things none-the-less. Oh and Josh agrees on many of these too...
  
  
  
  • Here's a few things I'm missing: Friends (this is the biggest miss!), Yumi Yogurt (and the plethora of options), Malls & Shopping (the mall here stinks and nothing compared to Santana Row and Valley Fair - although I shouldn't be spending anyway so this helps stop me!), Radio Stations(really they need better music, but I got iTunes, Pandora, and streaming), YMCA (miss the people, classes, and the little TVs on each treadmill. BUT I'm enjoying Oakway Fitness cycle and interval classes), the Liveliness of the Bay (how in the Bay you are on the cutting edge of what's new and cool...am I missing anything? should I know about anything up and coming?), and Restaurants(very limited here). Sure there is more, but that would be sad to continue. I MISS YOU GUYS!
  
  
  • On the flip side, I could list a bunch of things I'm enjoying here in Eugene too: Josh is here (yes, this is #1), Coffee Shops & Bakeries (not just Starbucks either, but Full City and more), Nature & Trails (did you see my hike post from last weekend? enough said), Friendly people (very gun-ho on the sports, just more smiles and hellos while you're out and about), Seasons (pretty colors), and more.
  
  
  
  


• Starbucks:
  
  
  
  • Funny Weekend Experience: Josh and I decided to stop at the River Valley Center Mall on Saturday after my shift. As I wanted into various stores I saw our "regulars." I was like "oh there is the "iced venti, 6 pump sugar free vanilla, passion tea" customers! I reminded me of my mom (Mrs. O'Neill, the teacher) going shopping and seeing her students. Hehe.
  
  
  • Telephone Game: A customer mentioned this and I thought it pretty right-on...working at Starbucks is like a big game of Telephone (just not whispering). You call it out and then it goes down the line of others calling it out.
  
  
  • What's Heather Drinking: I added a sidebar plug-in to share my "drink creations" - check it out on the right. I'm still playing around with this setup, so if it's not there right now then come and check again. Until it's 100% up and running, my newest I've been calling Snickers. This is basically a mocha with hazelnut and caramel syrups. How I "call it" (order it)? Here you go: double tall, 2 pump sugar-free hazelnut, 2 pump sugar free caramel, non-fat, no whip, 1 pump mocha.
  
  
  
  

• Josh's Creative Work: To end on a high note, Josh was playing around with the video and photos from my iPhone from our hike last weekend. Here's the result (enjoy!):

Clips From Sahalie Falls from Joshua Brown on Vimeo.

Random

I'm just chugging along like usual, but I thought I'd post some random stuff--things on my mind or going on but nothing worthy of it's own post really.

• Mouse - No a mouse was not in the house nor was it seen in the front yard like the deer and turkey mentioned previously. Actually, I got a new mouse for my laptop--one that does not make a clicking noise when I scroll. Not only is it functional, but it's pretty too. A nice bright blue color, teal blue (blue being my signature color). It's Microsoft's Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000.


• Yummy Pumpkin - Fall has arrived and that means pumpkin time. The great news (nay, the fantastic news) is that pumpkin froyo arrived at the Sub Shop this week (see my yogurt post). I was so thrilled that I did a froyo dance when I got home (this sort of scared Josh). I got a quart of it with vanilla...delish!


• Coffee Art - Should I cheat at try this at work? It's stencils that you can put on coffee form. Hehe. I found this on Rachel Ray's magazine blog. Actually, we did see some awesome coffee art in Vancouver at Caffe Artigiano.


• Muffins - I'm on a quest for the best muffin recipe. I like oaty, bran type muffins. You know Honey's is my favorite. If only I had their recipe. Sigh. I tried one today from my Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Cookbook. They weren't bad, but there are still plenty more experimenting to come.


• Fall TV Season Begins - What I'm watching: House, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, So You Think You Can Dance, The Office, and Project Runway. Lots of TV time ahead (and the rain is coming soon so this is a good thing!). Even more exciting: we have the Comcast DVR option so I can just set the recording and watch whenever.


• Sonic - I got my first taste of Sonic over the weekend. I got a limeade thing. Josh drools about Sonic so we had to make the trip. Seems to me like it's a Dairy Queen alternative with a roller skater twist added. I think I'll stick to the yogurt treats, surprise surprise (but go to Sonic for Josh of course).


• iPhone - Yup, still enjoying it!

Traversing the Yogurt Wasteland

or: how I learned to stop eating Yumi and love alternatives

You had to expect this post from me sooner or later. Actually, probably more sooner more than later...come on, really, how could I resist? I'm in love (and/or obsessed) with the stuff. I could go on talking about it forever (so beware, this might be longer than you'd care to read). But I must spread the word & share the love for the froyo. Plus, I know you are all very curious about Oregon's options. Side Note: In case you were uninformed on the lingo, "froyo" means frozen yogurt.

To start, let's delve into some of the nearby, local Eugene options.

• TCBY: This is probably the best option in Eugene for the frozen yogurt craving fix. The reason this one beats the Sub Shop (below) is for two main reason: (1) it has a variety of flavors that change every few days, (2) and the daily specials. Josh really enjoys the daily specials and he almost asks for froyo because of them, which I can't object to. They are pretty good deals though. For example, something like $1.50 for a shiver on Thursdays, which is like a blizzard type thing. The pricing in general is actually quite good. One downside is that they lean heavier on the fruit flavors, and I prefer the candy/chocolate based flavors. Also, the yogurt doesn't keep very well in the freezer for a long time. Overall, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's The Country's Best Yogurt and definitely no Yumi Yogurt, but it does help satisfy my yogurt addiction. BTW, another point earned this week from TCBY by serving Pumpkin!


• Campus Sub Shop: I don't think I would have ever known about this place (well, my froyo radar probably would have kicked in at some point) if it weren't for my friend Jessica Geller. This may lead you to ask: how did she know there was froyo at a tiny sub shop in Eugene? Well, Jessica went to U of O and we meet while I studied abroad in Madrid. And we talked much about our froyo cravings. Anyway, this is really like the name of the establishment indicated, a sandwich joint. They do have 4 standard machines (yields 8 flavors) and have the YoCream brand. However, they never change flavors. Luckily, they have peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla. I get this mix as a quarter once a week to keep as "safety stock" in our freezer. Someone did mention they get pumpkin in the late fall though...only time will tell. For that, I'll ignore the funny smell in the store (yes, a funky store smell).


• All American Frozen Yogurt: This is at the bottom of the list. I've been only a few times, as it's not the best. The flavor and texture just doesn't compare. Plus it's inside the mall, so it's funky hours and not the most accessible. It is close to the movie theaters though, so it might work out for a pre-show treat. I ought to give it a few more chances especially since the Starbucks I will work at is in a center just across from the mall. Still, I'd probably try to head out to TCBY or Sub Shop even it is more out of the way...worth it.

And there are more options in Oregon, but not as close as the above.

• YoCream: YoCream is probably the most widely distributed frozen yogurt mix to all the froyo stores. Most stores don't actually make their own yogurt, but rather get it from distributors like YoCream, Wow Cow, or Carbolite. Anyway, YoCream recently opened their own store in Portland airport PDX at Cascade Station (next door to IKEA). They opened very trendy self-serve shop. It's like a mini-yogurt heaven with 5 machines, tons of toppings, and other yummy goodies. I am also able to purchase the mix, bring it home, and put it into my Cuisinart machine. It's not the same, but it works. This probably ties for best option in all of Oregon (alongside A.C. below) that I know of at the moment. Still, I think Yumi is the best. Yumi just knows how to mix the flavors and get the best texture. However, don't pass this up if you're near PDX. It's a hip, and lively place with great froyo!


• Active Culture: Here's the kicker on this one...the owner of this shop was a former Yumi Yogurt employee down at the Santa Clara location! He was inspired and opened his own shop, trying to follow many of Yumi's methods. I really liked this place as the temperatures seem to be set right to get a great consistency. The only probably is that the flavors change only weekly, and sometimes I've gone and they had only fruity type flavors (boo--give me cookies n cream, give me graham cracker cheesecake!). And it seemed on the pricy side. All things considered, I rank this right up there with YoCream as an Oregon top option.


• Yogurt Hut: This shop is located in Ashland (Southern Oregon) and is yet another ever-so-popular self-serve option. It serves the YoCream brand, so it's pretty good. I don't think they have the temperature quite right, so it loses a few points there. Again, a bit pricey (or maybe I just don't know when to stop!). I don't get down to Ashland too often, but it's there if I travel back to CA by car or go to a play.

And for the yogurt alternatives, I'll leave out descriptions since they are froyo after all...

• Coffee: Lots of shops in Pacific NW for this tasty alternative


• Ice Shack: Shaved Ice in Grants Pass


• Homemade Baked Fruit: Better for cooler weather--apples and bananas mostly

If you are in Oregon or know of any other Oregon options, please let me know with a comment or email!

P.S. Josh says I should actually watch Dr. Strangelove