Gobble Goodness

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Josh and I no longer have problems with those dang turkeys that roam around our front yard now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. Did you think I was serious? I mean that last picture I shared earlier in the year had them eating off the road...YUCK! Like we'd eat those turkeys. We did, however, make our first Thanksgiving turkey this year. Okay, it was only part of a turkey, but it was a whomping 6 Ib bone-in turkey breast.

Since I worked everyday during the Thanksgiving weekend with the longest hours on Thursday, we decided to celebrate on Friday instead when I only worked until 2pm. I prepped everything in advance, so Friday went smoothly. I followed a combination of two recipes - Alton Brown and Ina Garten. We decided to brine the turkey (which we've decided that we'll always do from now on since it makes it so delicious). And the herbs from Ina's recipes really added a nice touch. In fact, I would consider doing this same herb rub technique with a chicken or pork too! We did have some troubles with the roasting time since our little thermometer was apparently broken. But not to worry, we just popped it back in the oven and it turned out perfectly. Overall, the turkey came out a success - moist and flavorful.

We didn't just have turkey. I also made a sweet potato casserole I made with rave reviews last Christmas (everyone wanted the recipes). It didn't let me down this year either. Then one of our guests said that it wasn't Thanksgiving without green bean casserole, so I whipped up one of those as well. I'd never made one before so I tried another Alton Brown recipe - another keeper. The other food was brought by our guests - cornbread stuffing, creamy cauliflower, roasted carrots, chocolate bourbon cake, pecan bars, and more. A feast indeed!

Since Thanksgiving is full of friends and family, we were excited to be able to see some friends from the Bay Area over the weekend as well. Jeff and Melissa, some very special friends, have family up on Roseburg, OR (about 1.25 hours south of Eugene). They were up seeing family for the holiday, so Josh and I drove down to Roseburg on Saturday to have brunch. It was incredibly great to see them - it had been since early summer when I left the bay area! For all you friends that are reading this...we miss you!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's on to Christmas. Bring out the music, the movies, the decorations!! And a movie review post is in the works too.

Thanksgiving Feasting Thanksgiving Feasting

Molasses Spice & Everything Nice

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Oh my goodness, I just had to share this recipe with you all...these cookies are scrumptious. I decided to get my kitchen going today (not to mention it warms up the house) and try out a new Molasses Spice Cookies recipe. They are crispy on the edge and softer in the center. For my twist I used turbinado sugar for the rolling. This really gave them texture and an extra pazaow of sweetness.

For some insight on the secret: the recipe is from a blog I follow called Simply Recipes. I think the writer, Elise Bauer, is quite well known in the blog world. And I would agree as I made many successful dishes from her (btw, I follow a bunch of blogs--many of which are food/recipes blogs).

After the cookies were out of the oven, I moved on to dinner making. Tonight was Rachael Ray's Straw and Hay pasta. Which turned out to be yet another success of the evening. We really enjoyed this quick, simple yet tasty dish. I got this one from watching the Rachael Ray Show. It's on every weekday morning from 9-10am. I know, I know, the Rachael Ray Show, really Heather? However, I must say that I'm learning (since I have more time in the day with Starbuck shift schedule) that daytime TV is not great. And early in the mornings, even Food Networks doesn't have much but paid programming (and it's worse at 4:30am or 6am..bah).

More cooking later this week cuz it's Turkey time!
(we're doing it Friday instead though)

Molasses Spice & Everything Nice Molasses Spice & Everything Nice

No Wonder they're Ducks

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Ducks are the mascot at University of Oregon. I say it's no wonder with all the rain. The mascot needs to paddle around. I was driving to the gym today and the streets were like mini rivers. Everyone warned me of the rain, and it's been what I've expected so far. Actually, so far it's been better than I thought. Up to this point, the rain has been more like the Red light, Green Light, Yellow Light game. Did you ever play that game? Oregon plays it a lot with the rain. It doesn't rain, it does rain, then it just is on the verge of rain. It skips through these phases like every 30 minutes. One day can be a whole range of weather. And it doesn't pour a lot, but rather a constant drizzle. The locals tell me to layer up, so I bought another fleece a week or so ago. To be honest, right now the rain isn't so much of an issue as the temperature. It's just so cold--inside and out. Burrr! Next on my shopping list: rain boots and those gloves that have the finger flap.

A few songs I sing when I see the rain (cold):

  • Blind Melon's No Rain

  • Heather Nova's London Rain

  • Ella's Baby, It's Cold Outside (ok, it's not a rain song, but it is COLD)

  • Milli Vanilli's Blame It On the Rain

  • BJ Thomas' Rain Drops Keep Fallin' On My Head

  • Not sure the name: It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. He went to bed and bumped his head and couldn't get up in the morning.

Classic Cappuccino

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Although this is not a holiday and/or seasonal drink, cappuccino is a classic favorite of mine. In fact, it reminds me of visits to Europe--Germany, Holland, etc. I still like mine sweetened up with vanilla (if that's not available, then add in the Splendas for sure). How to “call it” (order it)? Tall (or double tall), sugar-free vanilla, nonfat, cappuccino. Enjoy the foam...it's the best part!

Home for the pre-Holidays

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I just returned from a nice, long weekend trip to Encinitas, my other home. It was a busy, but fabulous weekend with my family. Sadly I won't be home for Thanksgiving, so this was a good pre-holiday visit and I got some quality family time. Because it was such a busy-busy weekend, I'm going bullet style on this one...

  • Flying: Luckily I was able to fly instead of drive. The drive would be something like 18-20 hours (I think), so this way I got much more time with the family instead of time in the car. Since Eugene is such a tiny airport, there are not too many direct flights. Usually you have to fly to Portland, Seattle, or San Francisco and then onto your final destination. Yes, I could go to Portland airport, but that is another 2 hour drive and then you need to park, yada yada. Anyhoo, my flight layover was in San Francisco. Landing and seeing all the familiar sites brought back all sorts of good memories--made me miss the bay area. I even saw the green roofs of the storage building next door to my old apartment. Not to mention, the very common SFO delay.

  • Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey: I'm not lying in my blog title, it really was an early holiday celebration. When I arrived home on Thursday evening, my mom had put together all the works: roast turkey, salad, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and butternut squash. Oh how I love turkey - gobble gobble goodness.

  • Usuals: Every trip home is full of usual, must-do activities. To start, I got my hair cut at my favorite salon, Entourage. Nada, Josh's mom, introduced me to these wonderful ladies a few years ago. Nikki did my hair this time and we added some dark blond under-tones and a bit longer on the sides. Also, my mom and I went and had our oh-so-relaxing pedicures. I picked a fun Christmas color called Glove You So Much (aren't nail polish names fun--interesting job, nail color decider).

  • Discovery: As I was betraying my Starbucks and getting a Winter Dream Tea Latte at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the Forum, I spied a "coming soon" for the Counter Burger. Yes, one of my favorite restaurants from the bay is coming to Encinitas. If only it were open now! They say December - let's certainly hope so I can eat it on my next visit home.

  • Dogs:  Not just Keely, but many dogs. Many, many dogs. In fact, I counted about 25 dogs. And all at the Vista Sun "Dog" Park. This is my mom's dream come true, while I was reminded of the movie All Dogs go to Heaven. On week nights, the neighborhood dog owners all come out and let their dogs lose at Sun Vista, a "new" park down the street from our house (the area below the former "dirt area" off La Posta and I say "new" because it's not really new but still seems new to me since it was build after I moved to the bay area). The dog people were talking about walking at the Encinitas Christmas Parade - HA, that'd be hilarious.

  • Olivenhain Craft Fair: Bummer for mankind, no scrunchies or Judy's pies this year at the fair (many of you may know the story of Jessica and I hosting a stand at the fair when we were kids). Saturday morning, Sue, Pat, my mom, and I were dropped off at the fair (dad=taxi). Mom and I used to go to this fair every year, so I was line memory lane walking around. I got a fuzzy, soft scarf to help battled the cold Oregon weather. FYI - Olivenhain Meeting Hall is the area were Lindsay and I used to ride horses!

  • Oregon Influences: I made a comment at the hair salon how nice the weather was that day--they all looked at my weirdly. Good weather? It's like mid 60s and it hit me that this is SoCal, not Oregon and this is cold. Here I am all happy it's warm; my SoCal roots are failing me! Then I had to get gas for my mom's car, and I was actually happy to pump my own gas (rather than awkward instruct the gas person "uh full tank, filler 'er up, regular, uhhh...).

  • Food: O'Neills are big on food, so I am obligated to write about some highlights on where and what was eaten. Qe'ro, a super delicious Peruvian restaurant on 101 in downtown Encinitas. I had tasty sweet potatoes, sage roasted mushrooms, and swiss chard dish. All caramelized goodness. I even sneaked a few bites of my mom's chicken and quinoa. Roy's La Jolla, always a favorite with the melt-in-your-mouth misoyaki butterfish and Hawaiian Martini. Chicks, my hole-in-the-wall chicken rice bowl favorite.

  • Froyo: Back to California means back to froyo land. Hurray! Of course I had to indulge daily. Sadly former favorite, La Costa Yogurt Shack was a bit of a disappointment since they apparently changed ownership and yogurt brands a few months ago (yes, I asked). However, Golden Spoon came through as usual (must say they are consistent there and never fail to please). Plus more seem to be popping up--just too little time! Most notable flavor of the visit: cinnamon.

  • Lindsay: Lindsay has been crazy busy with applications and the end of the semester, so we decided to meet halfway between Encinitas and Pasadena - at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. We made Grandma Ruth jealous and had lunch at Claim Jumper (that's one of Grandma's favs). Lindsay opened her b-day gift from me (btw her actual b-day is 11/18 which happens to be my parent's anniversary as well). Then we shopped around the mall for some early Christmas gifts. Last, we ended up at Starbucks for a tea break--apparently I just can't get enough (that or my family found out about my discount).


And that concludes my wonderful (and sunny/warm) weekend at home. Next trip coming soon...Napa for my mom's 60th B-day in December! Oh, and don't forget to check out more pictures on Flickr!

South Coast Plaza South Coast Plaza Xmas Tree

Olivenhain Craft Fair Olivenhain Craft Fair

Leaving Home to go Home

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Two homes. One girl. You heard me right; I have two homes. One home is here in Eugene and the other is in Encinitas (childhood slash where my parents still live). And it is to my Encinitas home that I'm headed for this afternoon. I'm flying down for a long weekend. I'm looking forward to enjoying some quality time with my parents and it'll be a nice little break from the rain (but the rain ain't that bad really). Plus, this will give Josh some time to focus in on finals prep which is coming up. I'll write a weekend recap when I return! Don't miss me too much--wink wink.

Bring it Indoors

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Who says s'mores is just for camping and bonfires? Not Josh and me! We decided tonight's snack would be marshmallows roasted over the stovetop. Yes, that's right, we roasted them over an electric stove on high. And the results were...wait for it...heavenly.

Josh made his s'mores the traditional way with graham cracker, chocolate, and roasted marshmallow. However, I decided to add a twist to mine by adding some delicious and nutritious bananas. I couldn't believe the success. Guess who added bananas onto their second serving?! Yup, that's right, Josh (never doubt my creations again mwahahaha).

Another yummy, gooey snack (not to mention also a nice & warm snack--perfect in our 58 degree living room).

S'more Fun: Roasting Marshmallows S'more Fun: Roasting Marshmallows

Heather's Banana S'more Heather's Banana S'more

Mexican Mocha Maddness

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Starbucks doesn't have a really Mexcian hot chocolate or mocha mix like you might find in other coffee shops or at the supermarket. For instance, those Abuelita Mexican Chocolate tablets you can buy. However you can mix up a drink that gets close to the real thing. I really didn't come up with this, but rather a customer asked for a Mexican Mocha. I said we didn't have it sadly, but then looped in my colleague to see if she had any brilliant ideas. She certainly did (worked at SBux for years and always has some fun ideas). Here's what came up and how to “call it”: (fyi: it's my "skinny" version of it): double tall, sugar-free cinnamon dolce, non-fat, no whip, cinnamon sprinkles, 1 pump mocha. Yum!

Holidays Begin. Bah Humbug.

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Actually, there is not a inch of bah-humbug in me (or with holidays). But there is, ok there was, in Scrooge! And so, it was with bah-humbug that Josh and I decided to kick-start our holiday season.

I know it's early, but the stores* are doing it, so why not? I'm probably a hypocrite going to see a Christmas movie before Thanksgiving since I'm always saying how we need to celebrate each holiday. Poor little Thanksgiving always gets brushed aside in the big Christmas preparation rush. Seriously, we still need to appreciate Thanksgiving. It deserves it's rightful time and enjoyment, not to mention my love for turkey and all the goodies that come along with it (yum, leftovers).

*Side Note: Starbucks is starting Christmas already with our holiday cups, special drinks (eggnog, gingerbread, and creme brulee), and coffee blends.

Anyhoo, Christmas is coming none-the-less and I must begin preparing. I'll start with movie watching (the music I only give myself permission to start the day after Thanksgiving -- Josh will love that I'm sure). The movie I really need to start because there are so many favorites that I must watch each year. So little time, so many movies! By the way, I'll write a post on my Christmas favorites soon.

The actual purpose of this entry was to tell you about the movie I that started the holidays this year. It was Disney's A Christmas Carol 3D with Jim Carrey. Charles Dickens' classic tale has always been a special story. I enjoy watching all the different variations / versions and I've even read the book. We decided to see the flick Friday night (later at night so as to miss the kiddie crowd). Here's some thoughts on the movie:

  • Special Features - The movie wasn't over done with 3D features. As tempting as I imagine it might be for a director, there weren't many scenes added just because it was 3D and would be "cool." Rather the effects were nicely weaved into the film so that I even forgot it was 3D at times. It was my first time seeing 3D (besides Captain-E-O at Disneyland). Although it was a fun experience, Josh and I found it was a bit pricey (luckily I had some handy Regal gift certificates to use). I'm  not sure if we'd pay the big buck for it on too many occasions. I think it's Hollywood's idea to get us back at the theaters, but it's just too much mulla right now.

  • True to Story - This very seemed to stick true to Dickens' tale. In fact, so close that parts were pretty darn scary. When you think about it, the tale wasn't really meant to be a children's story, but to get the holiday spirit going again in Britain. Read more.

  • Setting - Josh and I really enjoyed some of the images and scenes of the story's setting. For instance, at the begin the film took us flying over London--showing fun famous points of interest and whatnot. Actually, it really made us want to go back for a visit (and good memories from our trip a few years ago).

  • Scary, Bizarre, yet Humorous - I made a comment on the movie being scary above, but I thought I'd give some more detail. We all know the 3rd ghost is really the scariest, but I thought he was down-right frightening in this version. I mean, how do kids watch this and not have nightmares? And the usual jolly ghost of Christmas Present, my favorite by the way, had some scary moments. You might recall how he only has a certain amount of time upon this Earth. Well, the ending to "his time" was a bit chilling (this ain't Halloween folks, what the heck?!?). The first ghost was a bit bizarre if you ask me--portrayed as a candle. Plus some of the facial movements of the ghosts and whatnot throughout the movie were a bit strange. But there were some humor twisted in as well. I though mini Scrooge funny and some of the remarks they added caused some laughter.


Overall, the movie was entertaining and fun. And being that to entertain is the purpose of movies, then that means it was a success. Josh and I were glad we went and saw the movie. I would recommend it as a Netflix or if you haven't seen a 3D flick get, then go see it in the theaters!

Remember, coming soon is a entry on Christmas favorites--movies (plus other A Christmas Carol version I love), books, and more baking.

I'm Reviewing the Situation

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I hope you're breaking out in song like I do with my blog title. No? Not singing the Oliver song too? Blush. Oh well, I'm a dork, what can I say.

Glee Soundtrack: Since we're singing, let's start with a review of my recent music purchase. I even pre-ordered the album on iTunes since I like the TV show so much. This sums it up: Glee makes me happy. I listen to the album and I'm jammin'...I'm jammin' around the house, at the gym, or on the road. And not only is the music good, but the show is as well. The show is funny, unique, edgy, and just something I look forward to each Wednesday.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: I just finished this yesterday. Yes, the title is long and strange, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like the title, this book is unique (sorry I used this word again, but it just fits best in both instances). It is composed of letters--just letters between all the characters. I was worried at first of not being able to keep track of the different people, but as you read on, it just clicks. The setting is post WWII and is about a writer looking for a topic for a book to write and how she enters the lives of the people on an little island in the English Channel. I highly recommend!

Pudding: I thought I'd just throw in a review on a new snack I've been eating lately. Don't fret, it's not replacing my precious froyo in any way, but it's not as chilly in cold weather. What? Pudding! I jazz it up too. I add banana, vanilla wafers, and whip cream with either banana or chocolate pudding. Bowl licking good!

That's the review for today! Like my random entires, you'll see reviews every once in a while too. If you didn't read my earlier review, it's The Critic.

...I think I'd better think it out again! (<--that the end to the Oliver song)

Random II

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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.

Boiling Lava Hot

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It was Tuesday and just another typical day on the job. However, little did I know that today would be the day soy milk would attack me and my poor wrist. Here's the sad tale:

As I said, the day started out nice; just chilling behind the bar (that's barista talk for making coffee). Then it got busy! Dun dun dun. I tried to work fast and keep up with the orders. A line of empty cups was forming. My brain telling me, "work faster, work faster!" So I did (or tried is probably the better word). To work fast behind the bar, one must multi-task. Set the milk to steam while pulling an espresso shot or blending a Frapp, etc. Well, I was doing just that when suddenly I turn around to see flying soy milk. Correction: flying evil soy milk. My brain pauses...what is going on! I go to grab the pitcher, but Brain says, "bad idea Heather, hot liquid is bad! Hit the off button!" I go hit the button, but as I do so a bit of scalding, lava hot liquid strikes my innocent wrist. Burn! However, in the spirit of true customer service, I continue onward to finish off the rush of drinks and serve the thirsty people.

The good news is that the burn didn't turn out to be major (really, I would have stopped if that were the case). With some ointment added, the next day you could barely even see the "sunburn" redness on my wrist and there wasn't any pain. However, remember this: If you are at a coffee shop, be nice to your barista because she's most likely trying to work as fast as possible AND never underestimate the power of soy milk. And now I think I ought to find a better way to work faster.

On an ending note, since I mentioned "boiling lava hot" you really ought to check out Jim Gaffigian. I LOVE his comedy...Click here! (note: at the 1-min 37-sec mark on the video you'll see about "boiling lava hot")

Forget Lazer Tag, Let's go Bowling

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Okay, so I wasn't very good at lazer tag. However last night's bowling turned out to be a great success (for me that is). Now I wouldn't go far as to say that I'm a great bowler, but I did in fact win and I was better at it than lazer tag. Also, I would like to say for the record, that although there was bumpers up, I did not in fact hit them or use them in any way, so my win (and score) was totally legit. Below is a picture of the score board for proof.

We didn't just randomly decide to go bowling. Our Starbucks store went to celebrate a good customer review score and have some team bonding time. Josh and I were on a alley with my manager, Rebecca. We had a fun time and it was nice to introduce Josh to all my new co-worker friends. What can I say, just another fun Sunday night with Heather and Josh (and I'll admit it...winning did have some factor in making it more fun than not - wink wink).

Bowling..my Fab Score! (see the H) Heather's Score - 135

Meandering the McKenzie River

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Today we thought we'd venture out and explore the area east of Eugene. Josh has a fun Central Oregon trail book and we thought we'd give a hike a try. Although Friday's weather was stormy, the weather today turned out chilly but otherwise sunny and nice (side note: I'm finding out that the weather changes day-to-day and hour-to-hour here in Oregon so layers is key).

After a quick breakfast we headed on the road taking the 126 east toward McKenzie River. The drive was absolutely gorgeous with all the fall colors. We kept saying "pretty" and "look pretty" - yes, that's as far as our vocabulary went, but what can I say, it really was pretty!

As we got closer, we started to lookout for a sign for our decided McKenzie River Trail #61. We stopped at the Ranger Station, but it was closed (you'd think they'd stay open for the weekend, silly). Oh well, onward ho with the tiny book map. Using the book map, we passed all the book's landmarks and then suddenly we were too far. We shrugged and decided trail #62, Sahalie and Koosah Falls, would work just fine.

The trail was took us along a roaring river and waterfalls. And it was not just water, we also went "through forests of 6-foot think Douglas fir and droopy-limbed red cedar." I have quite a few pictures posted on my Flickr site. The waterfalls were my favorite though, mostly because the pounding water created some beautiful rainbows!

On the road home, we made some random stops. Here's the stops:

  1. The first was the Christmas Treasures store. It did not disappoint with the number of Santas and reindeer ornaments. I saw some of my mom's favorite Salvation Army caroler figurines too. But one can only take so much of that store, so we make it a <5 minute stop.

  2. Our next stop was the Goodpasture Bridge, which is a beautiful covered bridge. We drove across it (scary, but cool), took some pictures, and then continued on again.

  3. Lunch was entirely necessary as it was late in the day already. Our lunch stop was at a cute BBQ place along the road. I thought their sign was funny, which said they were open 8 days a week (wowzers!). Josh got to have his Fritos pie - beans, BBQ meat, Frito chips, cheese, jalepanos, and probably some more I don't recall. I just smoked turkey sandwich.

  4. Our last stop was a fruit stand that was extended into a pumpkin patch. There was lots of produce, animals (pigs, ducks, donkeys), and other random things. It was like a miniature Bates Nut Farm for all you So Cali's.


And that completed our fun day outing! And Trail #61 some other day. Check out the "on the road" video:

[flickr video=4040713073]

Fall Favorites

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Rain drops on roses, and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens...and these are a few of my fall favorite things...

  • Leaves - This is officially my first fall living in a city where the leaves really turn. The bay area had a few trees and some color changes, but not quite like here. I'm seeing all the fall color spectrum - red, orange, yellow, etc. It's really beautiful!  I've taken a few pictures and posting on Flickr, not really capturing the true feeling, but perhaps a glimpse.

  • Flavors - Or should I say the yummiest time of year! I love pumpkins, apples, pears, ginger, sweet potatoes, and squashes (to name only a few). In fact, I have dilemmas. I just don't know what recipes to cook next. I really enjoy pumpkin recipes but there is so much out there. It's driving me nuts. I can only cook/bake so much (not to mention, it does cost to buy ingredients). Do I go with the tried & true or attempt something new that could be potentially fabulous?? I have to choose my recipes wisely. If only more money and more time. Yesterday I made some pumpkin muffins (a new Ellie recipes). You saw the apples last week in Josh's b-day dessert (a tried & true recipe). I want to make cookies, pies, risottos, mashes, crisps/crumbles (whoops drooling there, j/k). All I have left to say is, YUM!

  • Weather/Air - Nature again (see leaves above). The air is just so crisp and fresh and then you get a whiff of fireplaces or something cooking. Deep breathe, close your eyes = happiness. And it's not yet too chilly outside (nor rainy yet - but we are getting some rain).

  • Candles - I feel like I can light up my candles in the cooler weather and so another thing I love about the fall (this applies to winter and early spring too though). I especially love candles with spice smell like pumpkin (big surprise there), cinnamon, and such. Right now I'm burning a Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin candle...ahh so nice.

  • TV Show - This is bad, but yes the TV shows are so great in the fall. If I allowed myself I would be plopped down at the TV for hours on end. I'm enjoying all my fall favorite shows like House, Greys, Fringe (a new fav), Glee (a really new fav), SYTYCD and more.


[Remember to check out my photos by going directly to the Flickr site, clicking on the photos on the right sidebar, or clicking the one photo I chose below.]

Fall Leaves The Road Home

Life's not just Beans

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I thought I'd write a quick entry about how work is affecting my life. Let me tell you, it's major. Before coffee was just something nice to have with a scrumptious muffin in the mornings. Now it is taking over my life. It's a muffin with my coffee (exception: the delicious Honey's oat bran muffins from home-home). A recent exchange with Josh make me realize...life isn't all about beans!

Just the other day, I was lounging on the couch in the morning and I decided to ask Josh what I should pick up that afternoon for my weekly mark-out (yes, I get a free bag of beans every week). Josh said, "how about Sumatra?" My response, "well, you know that is going to be more bold and spicy and...." There is was: work at home!

Not only that, but Josh and I are becoming more coffee snobbish. I mean we are flipping through channels and we stop everything to watch Alton Brown episode on coffee. (By the way, if you're interested there is a snippet on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.)

In all seriousness though, I'm enjoying work. In fact, I coming up with my own drink creations (only for myself really, but hey it's fun for me). My newest is a Skinny Caramel Latte with a pump of Pumpkin Spice--sort of a twist on the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte. Also, I'm realizing a job like this makes it tough to keep track the weeks--work weekends, mid-week days off, work mornings but afternoons free (or vice versa), etc. It's a nice change though.

On an ending note, I am drinking tea for a switch-up and in a cup that says, "Coffee isn't just a drink, it's a magic potion that helps me think." I thought it was a fitting quote to end this entry (fyi: it's Josh's cup).

My Starbucks Cup

Where is my store located? Valley River Center.