Mexico

Greetings!

Well vacation is over. Brendan and I got back Thursday but decided to take it easy through Labor Day weekend. I guess that just meant no exercise, sleeping late, and playing with Cricket. But we had a great time in Mexico with Anna and Russ and two of their friends from New York. There isn't alot to write about our time in Mexico because we didn't do much. Eating, drinking and lounging in the pool was mainly what we did. The ocean was pretty rough and we only were able to swim in it twice. But that was ok, there are fish in that ocean and I was happy to leave them alone.

Russ, Anna, Brendan and I did go on a snorkeling trip. The boat ride to the snorkeling spot was so much fun. We sat on the mesh part of the catamaran so we could see the ocean speeding beneath us.

Unfortunately I got attack by jellyfish within five minutes of getting in the water. Anna took some photos of my attack arm, back and neck.

Yeah, that hurt. But don't worry within seconds of getting on the boat I had FOUR offers from people to pee on me. One lady came over with a beer in each hand and told me she was going to start drinking faster to make urine for me. Thanks to all the concern on board but I decided to pass on strangers urine. The crew members did pour a bunch of vodka on me so that helped with the stinging but I still have a rash and the welts and am hoping that they don't leave scars.

Another night we went into town to have some beers at the Baja Brewing Company which was started by some Coloradoans. They were not as excited that we were from Colorado as I hoped they would be but thats ok cause their beers wasn't good and I didn't want anyone associating their beer with the high quality Colorado beer.

Only 20 days till school starts and my new job! Still so many projects I want to work on

before I have to go back. Hope everyone is doing well we miss you!

New Creations

Hello! Here are some of the things I have been working on. First my new painting:

I really like how it turned out! I had alot of fun painting this.

I have also been making a dress. And contrary to the novice label on the pattern it was very difficult. I made a trial dress out of cheap fabric before the real deal. This is how it turned out:

Of course Cricket helped out. Everything went fine until the zipper which was a bit tricky. I learned how to sew darts and an all-in-one interfacing. Go me! But I will need some help on the zipper on my real dress. Mom- get ready to guide me through it!

We are off to Mexico at 4:30 in the morning tomorrow so I will have lots to post when we get back.

love

Jurassic Park

A picture representing what it feels like to hike in the North West made by my good friend Kelly Barker

Another Day at the Office

Ugh it's Monday. The only reason I hate Monday right now is because everyone I like has to work, except me. What's a girl to do? With 64 days until school starts I am rapidly running out of time before I head back to the salt mines.

Last week I made myself a purse! Brendan ordered me a manual to my sewing machine so I am learning how to use it properly.

Here is the purse I made! It even has a pocket inside!

I am pretty proud of myself! Maybe my calling in life is to make purses and little wallets and sell them at fairs. Maybe I could incorporate eating fruits and veggies into my purchases, that way I can still use my masters. Speaking of veggies I made the most excellent enchiladas the other day and highly recommend everyone makes them.

See don't they look good

They were so easy to make. I cut a few yams into small chunks and seasoned them with olive oil, salt, and cumin and cayenne pepper then roasted them until fork ready. Then I sautéed some onions and bell peppers (you could roast them I just forgot) and added some crushed garlic and a pinch of crushed red peppers. Then I mixed the yams, peppers and onions in a bowl and added a can of black beans and crumbled some cajota cheese (awesome mexican cheese) into the mixture. Then I rolled the filling into small whole wheat tortillas. usually I am skeptical of whole wheat tortillas but in this case it worked really well. I sprinkled some more cajota cheese on top and then put them in the oven till everything was warm. Then I sprinkled some cilantro and avocado on top. Yummmm.

I also finished a painting the other week but i think I will paint over it and try again I didn't really like how it turned out. In my head I have wonderful ideas that just don't seem to get across to my hand. I tried a new technique of painting then sanding it and then doing a brown wash to make it look "antique" here is how it turned out.

So onward I work on my new art career, thank goodness I have a backup career....well sort of. Have a happy Monday! And Cricket says hello!

Backpacking in Washington

Last weekend three of my girlfriends and I went backpacking. After the first failed attempt to camp at the Indian Heaven Wilderness area, due to snow, we headed to the Lewis Clark Trail. Note: when the National Forest Services' website says "trail closed due to snow" you should believe them, even when it is the middle of July.

So with plan B we went to the Lewis Clark Trail # 31 that follow the Lewis and Clark trail and has some spectacular waterfalls. In the begging we planned to hike in about 3 miles with our packs but ended up doing 7. It was one of the most beautiful hikes

I have ever been on with multiple stream crossings, waterfalls,

and giant cedars. Unfortunately my Chaco shoe strap broke so I did the whole trip with a broken shoe. And yes, I am aware I am wearing socks with my sandals.

In the morning we were greeted with three river otters playing in the water. I came to the conclusion that I want one. After hiking back out we drove up to the Lower Falls area, which is where one of the famous Lewis and Clark River Falls is. I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but these falls drop about 250 feet.

Standing on top of the falls! Moments later I watched a kayaker go down them!

The Summer of Emily

It's been way to long since my last post. After the craziness of school and going back home I have settled into the life of no homework or work! I thought that I would be pulling my hair out from boredom but I have been keeping myself busy with everything from baking, sewing, gardening, and painting to hiking, swimming, and biking. I can't remember the last time I was unemployed and not in school, probably in high school so I feel this is a well deserved break.

Brendan has been working away despite me bugging him and has come on some of the hikes and to the swimming holes. He is still working on his violin but is held up because he hasn't found a ban saw. Cricket is the happiest dog in the world between homemade food, hiking three times a week and going to the dog park she is pretty content.

There are many more things to do this summer including wineries, breweries, outdoor concerts, biking, and of course eating. Brendan parents are coming for the last weekend in July and I can't wait for them to visit. We wish everyone could come and visit us!

Kelly, one of my dear friends for Colorado, has made the move to Portland and is interning at Providence Hospital we have enjoyed exploring Portland together and being tourists in our new home.

This is the trail on one of my first Oregon hikes. It was so beautiful with the wildflowers and views of the Columbia gorge. After the hike Kelly and I went to the fish hatchery where they have one of the largest sturgeons, his name is Herman the sturgeon and is around 70 years old! Here is a video of him swimming around.

A very narrow trail that had a steep drop off almost the entire 12 miles. Cricket gave Brendan and I a heart attack when she decided to chase a chipmunk....down the cliff. I thought we had lost her forever but she came bounding back up. She was leashed the rest of the hike.

A rough place to eat lunch.

Hiking with Brendan and our friend Kelly (in the background)

A well deserved treat after a long hike. Yes, I am aware how big that serving of ice cream is. That is what the ice cream place considers a "medium" I consider it an Emily sized portion.

Hopefully I will keep the blog more up to date since I have lots of free time and I want everyone to move here. I will of course leave you with some photos of Cricket.

Exiting Times in Portland

Happy Spring!
Portland has been in full spring for the last month. Daffodils, Magnolias, Cherry trees, and many other beautiful plants are in full bloom. The sun has also been out and a nice 65 degrees. Brendan, Cricket and I are took advantage of the beautiful weather and had a picnic at Mt. Tabor, its an active volcano!



To avoid Bio-statistics homework I have been baking....alot. Recently I have been on a cupcake binge and made Mayan cupcakes with caramel frosting as well as spice cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. I also made homemade brioche which I made into bread pudding with apples, golden raisins, and Kentucky whiskey sauce. All of this and Brendan still isn't gaining weight, lucky.

Other things I have been doing is teaching myself to play the mandolin. I have really enjoyed it, but Brendan doesn't always appreciate my new hobby. I also raced an OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association) race, I did well even though there were 5 crashes! I only went down in one and finished with the pack. Brendan and I also volunteered for a bike fundraiser called the Worst Day of the Year Ride, historically the worst weather in Portland falls during the second weekend in February. Ironically that day fell on Valentines day and it was sunny and warm out.

Before my OBRA race

Volunteering!

Playing the Mandolin

Brendan came down with the Shingles and we spent the evening in the ER, also happened to turn into the morning of my homework. The ER is full of really great people at 10pm on a Monday evening. One man was standing and yelling "take a number and wait to die". While waiting Brendan kindly helped me with my bio-statistics homework. I hate to admit that he was on Vicodin while helping me.

Hanging out in the ER

Finally, I had my first collegiate bike race. It wasn't my best weekend of racing but I finished all of my races. During the final lap of the crit I was in a crash because I got stuck between a curb and another racer who wouldn't move so I tried to slow down and hit her rear wheel. I was bummed that it happened during the last lap and I was in a really good position for the sprint finish. I insisted on finishing the race and the race marshals put my bike back in riding order and I finished. Here is a picture of my race wounds, I also have one on my knee that didn't make it into the picture. As you can see Cricket is sad that I am hurt.

Ouch.

Well that was an epic blog post, I hope everyone is doing well and we can't wait for everyone to visit us! And what would be a blog post without a picture of Cricket.....


Love to all!

Happy Birthday Brendan!

As most of you know Brendan's birthday was last Tuesday the 26th. Happy Birthday Brendan!!! We will be the same age for just over a month. I took Brendan out to a nice dinner at Toro Bravo, a spanish small plates restaurant. We had dish like braised lamb over squash dumpling, grilled dates wrapped in bacon with a warm honey sauce, and grilled flat bread with truffle cheese and arugula. Yum yum yum!

After dinner we came home for homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and presents. We were too full from dinner so we split a piece. Ok, I shoved some down Brendan's throat because I slaved away making it and then ate most the piece myself.

Birthday Cake and Candle. And Brendan wearing his new shirt.

Other than Brendan's birthday I have been slaving away at school. Recently I turned in a paper on barriers associates with access to health care, hopefully I do well. I am also proud to say that I got a 100 on both of my Biostats homework!!! So yeah for me.
I have also started making Cricket's food. This weeks batch consisted of carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, ground turkey, whole wheat pasta, and oatmeal. Lucky dog.

Well, that is it for now. Think smart thoughts next week for my Biostats midterm. Yikes!

I Saw the Sun

I did, I really did. One whole day of glorious glorious sunshine. Brendan and I took full advantage of the beautiful day and went for a bike ride. Brendan went up to Multnomah Falls to do some climbing while I went for a ride with the PSU women's team.





Sunday was back the the drizzle so we went to our favorite breakfast spot, the Screen Door. I finally ordered chicken and waffles, three pieces of fried chicken stacked on a sweet potatoe waffle.

Huge!!!

Leftovers..... Don't worry I only could eat half of that for dinner.

Brendan had a modest breakfast of eggs scrambled with praline bacon, chives, cream cheese, and topped with fried oysters served with potatoes and toast.

Well, I hope you all had the wonderful and delicous weekend we had. Now off the write a paper on the barriers surrounding access to health care. Ugh, not my topic of choice.

It's been a while.....

It's been three months since my last post. I feel like I am in confession. But it is true, I am long overdue for an update on our infamous life in Portland, Oregon. Most of you know what Brendan and I have been up to: beach camping while dinning on crab and pbr, exploring Portland by bike, and soaking in the sun. Ok that last one was a lie. The rain and clouds have finally settled over us and after talking to some locals the weather is here to stay until May. Yes May, what kind of winter do they have here? Lasting till May!? We all know that winter lasts till February, anyways we are settling in for the long haul and run outside when we see the sun peaking out. Literally we run outside.

Oregon Fungi

I am in my third week of school, with only eight weeks left! Biostatistics has been hard but fun. It is always fun to apply math to the mortality, morbidity, and disease rates around the world, a real upper. My other class, Program Planning, has turned out to be a lot of work. I am working with two other students to create a plan for making convenience stores healthier. In other words, we are trying to have convenience stores carry fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, etc. instead of the standard soda, candy, and beer. Thus, I will save the world by making everyone eat healthier! My last class is not on my list of favorites: Health Systems Organization. This exciting three hour class is filled with fun facts about how the U.S. health care system is organized (actually how unorganized) and how health care is filled with money grubbing rich people who don't want to lessen the cost of health care. Do I sound a little cynical?
Anyways, besides my hours and hours of reading and math homework I have been training for the upcoming road season. Last weekend I went on a team ride, of course it was raining and I have begun developing the art of riding behind a bike for hours while getting sprayed in the face with grit, it truly is a skill. My first race will be March 20th in Corvallis, Oregon. I also get to travel to far away places such as Seattle, Salem, Montana, and Moscow (Idaho, silly). I am going to start in the Women's B category and will hopefully upgrade to the A's which means I have a chance of going to nationals in Madison, WI.
Brendan has been slaving away at work. On his spare time he has been playing with his new power tools and writing a new computer language ( I have no idea what that means). At night he has been giving me programming lessons using Java. It blows my mind. Cricket is still growing and growing and is almost 9 months old!


Well that is it for now, we miss all of you,
Emily and Brendan