Shufflin’

Sad times: I had a dentist appointment this week and one next week. Turns out next week is the tooth out. Which means I was totally unprepared for a lecture on needing to floss better AND lacking awesome painkillers to make that lecture more fun. Boo.

This means you’ll have to wait till next week to hear how smart I am on drugs*.

Anyhow, way overdue trip recap continues!

Here in Oregon we don’t get a whole lot of that “summer” thing I hear other places get. Case in point:

Mid-July. Looks like February.

It’s part of why we drink so much here. Numbs the grey.

Astoria is at the mouth of the Columbia River. There used to be canneries and things here. But the canneries mostly moved where they could better catch dolphins or something, so the piers have been remade into other stuff. Including a tuna museum. Not joking.

We went for breakfast at Coffee Girl out on one of the piers. You could actually drive *on* the wooden pier, but that seemed terrifying. So we parked and walked across. Which meant cars drove past us AND you could see the spots where the wood MOVED when you walked. Equally terrifying. Good choice me!

But I had a big ol’ scone and coffee the size of my head

I’m on a scone kick. Because they taste like straight butter. Butter has like no carbs so I think it makes me skinny. Right?

The husband had a bagel sandwich thang

We looked through the window at the grey river

And then wandered Astoria for a while, so that we could justify lunch.

We went to the Astoria Column

Totally thought it was going to be lame, but it actually had redunk views.

And finally we’d killed enough time to justify eating at what we’d been told was the best spot in Astoria

The Bowpicker

It’s a boat. A real boat. In a parking lot. Serving fish and chips.

So basically, it’s awesome.

Delicious.

And now, since The Goonies was filmed in Astoria, making this almost relevant, my favorite thing on the internets today:

Everyday I’m shufflin’

 

*Unless you went to college with me.

I’m Lovin’ It

I have been a slacker blogger!  Thanks for all the good wishes on the half.  We had day 2 of Foot Traffic U today and it was fantastic.

While I’ve been a lazy blogger there’s lots that I’m lovin’, so I thought I’d share.

I’m lovin’ Lululemon bags as lunch bags

These suckers are big enough to hold the 12 pounds of food I bring for lunch AND my water bottle.  I used to use a reusable grocery bag.  This is slightly smaller, and makes me feel less awkward.

It also helps you make friends with other teachers who share your affinity for $12 headbands.

Also lovin’ the Nike Employee Store

That’s just part of the shoe section.  Blew my damn mind.  Huge.  Full of half priced Nike.  Went there this week for an alumni event.  I’m not a sneaker wearer, but I still wanted to buy seven pairs.  Held it in.  Barely.

Shoes I am lovin?

My Danskos.  Can’t lie.  Such teacher shoes.  But unless you enjoy watching chaos erupt you don’t sit when you’re teaching kindergarten. You need comfy shoes.

I’m lovin’ how weird the new kitten is

He’s eating green beans.  What cat eats green beans?

I am lovin’ my EnviroKidz Koala Crisps

In college my mom would send me these in care packages.  It’s organic, so it’s healthier than the cocoa pebbles it tastes like, right?

We almost never eat cereal, but some days you just need a bowl of Koalas.

And to go with my chocolate cereal I’m beyond just lovin’ and am in a relationship with this coffee

We’re registered at Crate and Barrel.  It’s that serious.

It’s Stumptown, cause I’m predictably PDX like that.  I’ve never been picky on coffee.  But Hair Bender has made me a believer.  Stumptown describes it as

Coffees from every major producing region provide the individual components of this complex sweet and savory blend which yields flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, jasmine, meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple.

Did you catch how it says milk chocolate in there?  Milk chocolate.  I’m in love.

Are you picky on coffee?

What are you lovin’ right now?

Healthy Holiday Living

In honor of it being almost Christmas, I thought I’d share some healthy living tips with you.  It seems to be the thing to do.

So here friends, is how I stay healthy at Christmas:

1.  I’m about 95% sure that elastic waist pants coming into style are proof God wants us to enjoy Christmas. Jeggings are like $15 at forever 21.  Give yourself a Merry Christmas

2.  Holiday drinking.  Do it.  If you do enough of it, you won’t care if your non-elastic waist pants fit!

3.  Winter is cold.  Embrace being part bear.  Know what bears do to be ready for the winter?  They eat.  Eating makes you less cold.  No one likes being cold.

4.  Worried about calories?  Make cookies with a small child.  Watching them pick their nose and then touch the cookies is a great appetite suppressant.

(Unless you’re me.  Then you still eat them.)

5.  Walking is exercise.  You have to walk when you’re shopping.  This means the more you shop, the healthier you’ll be!  If you finish shopping for others, get something for yourself.  Jeggings perhaps?

6.  Rather than getting a calorie filled peppermint mocha, get a plain latte, and sweeten it yourself.

(Source– although to be totally honest, there’s some in my house.  I’m just to lazy to go take a picture of it.)

With peppermint schnapps.

7.  Watching someone else put up Christmas lights can do a great job of raising your heart rate!

It’s like cardio, but without having to move!

8. Rock out.

Burns calories + everyone is full of schnapps so there’s no judging!

and finally….

9.  Don’t stress about it.  Stress gives you wrinkles.   I’d pick an extra 10 pounds over needing botox.

This concludes my one and only healthy living tips post.

You’re welcome.

I missed my friends

So, today I subbed in the class where I student taught (the looped, so it’s mostly the same kids.)

The whole Vegan Day thang sounded fun and all, but when teaching in the projects one needs coffee.  And this was the only cream-like substance in the house

Although I think it’s mostly water and chemicals. So you know, vegan-ish

I grabbed a breakfast

Clearly, not vegan.  Also, turns out that yogurt has like 60% of your daily value of saturated fat.  Awesome.  I still ate most of it.  Let’s not kid ourselves.

and went off to see my class.

This was a class with a lot of friends. And a lot of great kids to.  But still, a high amount of friends

I packed a lunch that I ate after shooing the children to lunch (The schools here serve the most disgusting pizza, that the kids LOVE on Thusdays.   I generally avoid the school lunches)

Leftover quinoa, plus oranges.  And water.

And I am TIRED.

But considering today the fiance had to present stuff to the legislature and his fiance’s boss declared the recession is over today I’m guessing my day was at least a little lower key than his.

I’d much rather teach in the projects than deal with that.

And lest you think my day was all “friends” and no fun, I planted flowers!

And while unpacking (cause lord knows we’re not done) I found$31 of winning scratch tickets!

And chocolate!

It’s all in the little things.

What was good in your day?

Not so Orange

Look what I found last night at Fred Meyer!

I microwaved a mug of it last night-yummy!  Needed some more spices but it amused me.  And it’s not that scary creamsicle color that starbucks pumpkin spice is.  (Have you ever noticed that?  There’s a weird orange tinge to it)

We had curry for dinner

I love curry.  This was just things we had in the house thrown together-carrots, spinach, peas, chicken, lenils, and potatoes on top of brown rice.

Love you curry.  Love you.

I made some brownies to go in the fiance’s lunches.  And we ate some.  You know, for quality control.  Can’t send him to work with bad brownies.

Box mix, with yogurt instead of oil, vanilla and walnuts added.  Lesson learned:  adding vanilla to the boxed mix makes the house smell AMAZING.

I had a second one, just to double check that they really were good.

Today I wasn’t super hungry for breakfast, and I’ve been lazing around in this lovely spot

We finally finished getting our fireplace together yesterday.  It’s fantastic.  And warm.

And I found a happy match made in heaven to drink

My mug is gross because it’s already been filled and consumed once.  Just need to add more cinnamon to this and I can sit outside starbucks and make millions off of vegans.