Adventures in Oregon!

Two weeks ago on a random Wednesday we were visited by our old friend Mason. He was down from Oregon for an undetermined amount of time...well during his visit to us we started talking about Oregon and how we should go visit some time.

EVENTUALLY in this conversation someone says (probably Mason because he's been trying to get us to visit for awhile!!) well why don't we drive up there this weekend!

Before I go any further everyone should know we are not super spontaneous people, I think we'd like to think we are but we never really end up doing much!

THAT being said the next hour was a complete discussion about how this whole weekend would play out and what we were going to do and when to leave and yadi yadi ya.. FINALLY after two hours of deliberation Nate says go home Mason we will pick you up in the morning and start driving. (I was shocked and happy because I've been wanting/needing a vacation-- everyone around me knows how much I talk about traveling!)

So, Mason leaves and Nate and I settle down to fall asleep and Nate says I can't sleep what if we leave now (I think the hour was like 10:45 pm). I said whatever, we called mason and to Oregon we went!

To start the adventure we get to Fillmore and get pulled over!! We are let off with a warning to slow down ( even though we weren't going that fast anyway..) the officer pulls away and Nate goes to start the car...........ANDDDD the battery is dead. So mason and I get out and push the car so Nate can start it. (This is the only time I have been pleased to own a stick shift!)

Fast forward 10 hours and we have arrived in Ashland, Oregon where mason and his girlfriend Alyx live! I love Ashland! It's seriously so pretty and small town and awesome. I even loved the strange rain!

The next day we decide to go to Portland, unfortunately it's another 5 hours away but fortunately we made lots of stops along the way to keep entertained.

Stop#1: the Oregon vortex! I thought I was going to be able to explain what it was after going but really I'm just more confused. We all left feeling as if someone sold us some snake oil, but it was still fun. Apparently it's a place where things are different height and things appear different, based on the earths blablablsbla. I dunno look it up if your interested or look at the pictures below to see the weird crooked house and us measuring our height 50 different times.

Stop#2: Taco Bell
Stop#3: a drive through coffee shop thing, they are all over the place it's quite a fad!
Stop#4: the gas station..why this is an interesting stop is because it is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon! It's seriously the strangest thing! I've never had someone pump my gas AND wash my window before its hilarious and Alyx knows how astonished I was, I think I laughed the whole time and every time we stopped at a gas station.

Finally, PORTLAND! We ate at some place where Nate and mason braved frog legs and alligator jambalaya! I tasted both, and it was pretty good. Then we went to voodoo donuts which is the coolest donut shop ever. I got a voodoo doll donut, but wish I could have tried one of each, especially the ones with cereal on them!

We stayed at a hotel right by the Portland temple so Nate and I walked there one day and saw how awesome it was!

We went to breakfast with kellen (another old friend) and got the best driving tour of Portland ever!

I don't even think we were in Portland for 24 hours, but it was a nice visit! We then drove another 5 hours back to Ashland (with a lot less stops this time).. We ate some more delicious food, played some card games, and the next day started driving back home!

Sheesh, I'm sure I missed something! But I'll add a lot of pictures at the bottom to help illustrate!

It was a wonderful getaway weekend thanks Mason and Alyx (and trouble the cutest dog alive)for being awesome friends and hosts, we are already ready to come back! And thanks kellen for our driving tour and breakfast!

That's our exciting times for now.. Trying to stay spontaneous.

-Nate & Meg-

Monday is the new Saturday

As I have said before I have been working at my sisters salon: KINshoppe. Well as I am getting used to the salon world, lingo and much more I am now getting used to this whole no work on Monday thing! Monday being my new Saturday is a new and weird thing!

I'm sitting here looking at all the things I should and could be doing (cleaning, grocery shop, organize our little place, etc.) and instead just watched Pretty in Pink, where is my motivation!! So instead of doing the things on my list I decided I'd blog about them instead.. Maybe later it will inspire me to actually do them. Ha!

Meanwhile Nate has been at work already for 5 hours..now I feel even worse!!!!

Motivate motivate motivate... That's me trying to work myself up!

This blog would not be a blog without talking about food, so ill talk about the yummy stuff!
This week my sister and I geniously thought we would do a cleanse. This cleanse didn't sound so bad because you actually got to eat. Well by the end of day one I was already ready to crumble, and by day 3 (out of 7 days) we were done and had caved!!! Here's what said cleanse looked like:
Day 1: ONLY fruit and a ton of water
What day 1 turned into was a lot of pee time. Yes that's right we were all peeing a lot! I think my total for the day was like 18 times or something (TMI?).
Day2: a baked potato with "a pat" of butter ( open for interpretation mine probably had 2 pats!!!) for breakfast, and then ONLY vegetables and tons of water..
What day 2 turned into was me starving all day.
Day3: was fruit and vegetables and lots of water.
This day was horrible and I felt so sick I wasn't even hungry.. And at night I made pesto chicken pitas and they were delicious and I kicked said cleanse to the curb.

Luckily because day 4 was supposed to be just bananas and milk, if that doesn't sound gross I don't know what does!!

On the flip side yesterday was corned beef and cabbage day and it was delicious even though only me and kris enjoyed it! I also made a green banana cream pie ( I used all the milk and bananas from day 4 in the pie. Ha!)

I believe that's all for now... I'm going to go do what I keep talking about and be productive! Because Monday is my new Saturday!( maybe ill use my brand new birthday running shoes for their first time run, or maybe not..) Too bad it's not the same for Nate, I could use the company!

-Nate & Meg-

The shortest month of the year!

This month flew by. It is March already and I'm not sure how that happened, well that's a lie I do know how that happened. It happened because I'm pretty sure I've never had a busier month in my life.

For anyone in eye range of this I'm sure you are aware of my sisters BIG endeavor of opening up her own salon...well February 1st was the official open date, and since that day I have practically lived there. And if I have lived there then she has moved in and is never leaving! It's been crazy but very fun! I have helped her with the front desk area, cleaning, managing, and pretty much anything else that has needed to be accomplished. Somehow I also became the manager in all that mess, and so now I am quickly learning the salon world, YIKES! Besides all the crazy I am very proud of my big sis, and I already looked up to her before all this, now she's just even higher in my books! So if you are looking for me anytime soon try the salon chances are I will be there!

In other news I still have not heard back from graduate schools, I'm expecting to hear back by at least the end of April! Those admissions people sure know how to keep a girl waiting. (Good thing the salon keeps me busy to the point of forgetting all about these applications!)

Nate has been working a lot! It is a big blessing for us that he has a good job in crazy times. The only down side is he drives to LA everyday which means his alarm goes off at 4:30! Early bedtimes is a regular thing in this house (loft?, loveshack?, itty bitty home?)!

He also has started his like 5th or 6th Buena play today! Sergeant Peppers lonely hearts club band! He is the stage manager again and I know he loves working with the kids! Opening in may!

I got a new calling at church to! I'm yw 1st counselor! Sad to not be with the old group, but excited for the new one! It should be a lot of fun, and if anyone has any activity ideas shoot them my way!

Today I started celebrating birthday week (i never really celebrate birthday week, but my momma is gonna be gone saturday!) by going to Santa Barbara with my mom.. A little shopping and lunch. We ate at this really yummy place and shared a ravioli sampler and a roasted garlic bulb/Brie/bread/pear deliciousness deal (pictures below!) thanks momma for a fun day!

French macarons are my new favorite if you look close at one of the pictures below you will see some we got for the grand opening that were divine, from Marie Shannon's a little place downtown across from Ventura theater! Go there! They are the cheapest and most delicious in town!

I believe that's enough rambling for one night! Till next time!

-Nate & Meg-

Cooking from Pinterest

I love Pinterest as much as the next person, but just because it is on Pinterest does not necessarily make whatever the item is amazing and wonderful! Unfortunately some things end in an epic failure, and others are just mediocre.

The funny thing is that before I tasted this stuff I took pictures and thought I would be all bloggy and do the step by step picture thing..so you get step by step pictures to nastyville.

My first is the wonderful banana soft serve...seems simple and delicious right? WRONG!

First you take the old bananas, cut them up and freeze them. Then you blend with whatever ingredients you feel is delicious, I chose peanut butter ( what a waste of two huge scoops!). And voila banana soft serve!

VOILA turned out to be VOIyuck. My bananas might have been funky or something but even still it was just overwhelming. It had like this nasty fermented after taste and the consistency never became truly soft servy, more smoothy-esque.

Moral of the story: don't try it, just eat ice cream. ( Ben and Jerry's strawberry cheesecake or pistachio is my recommendation)

Next on the list goes under the mediocre category. It wasn't terrible, but I probably would never try it again.

Lemon shortbread cookies:
Easy enough 7 tbs butter, a cup of flour, a third cup of sugar some lemon zest and some salt. With the glaze of 2 tbs lemon juice and half a cup of powdered sugar.

It was easy, it just wasn't fantastic. Tasted more like floury butter with some lemon. Not very sweet and sugary as cookies should be! I was especially disappointed because I LOVEEEEEE lemon anything..

Moral of the story: make lemon bars.

Needless to say I hope my next Pinterest adventures will be better.

And just remember NOT EVERYTHING ON PINTEREST IS FANTASTIC.

Over and out

-Nate (the taste tester) & Meg ( the disappointed cook.)-

I'll never grow up!

My mom has started this awesome tradition of giving us play tickets for Christmas. It all started I believe in high school when I had an obsession with Wicked, and so that Christmas I got tickets for it... Since then it has become a regular thing! It's pretty fun too because then the Christmas fun doesn't just end December 25 but continues a little bit longer...

Anyway, that being said we got to see Peter Pan at the Pantages theater on Friday and it was so much fun! Cathy Rigby played Peter and she was amazing, not to mention she is 60!!! I hope at sixty I can have half as much energy as she had (and I know I'll never be able to do the splits at 60, but maybe still be able to do a cartwheel)!!

I love theater, there is something so fun and magical about it. I am even more appreciative of it because that is how Nate and I met..I love that he loves theater just as much as me (maybe even more)! I'm glad that my momma loves it too and has cultured me in it.

Nate and I had a fun time with my momma, my sis Kris and her kiddos Gav and Lyla, my aunt Eva and cousin Shay(e?), my not the momma Cathy Milligan, and my adopted brother Hayden! So we may have been missing a few of the regulars (Beck you were missed!), but it was still a fun family trip.

We started at Buca di Beppo at city walk, where we stuffed ourselves into oblivion, and ended at the show where we laughed and laughed.

It was a perfect night out (even though we were pretty tired after!), and I can't wait to continue the tradition next year! Thanks mommacita!

-Nate & Meg-

It's forbidden!

I believe we have reached the end of the holiday eating season...maybe, hopefully! So to commemorate that I made dinner at home ( the first in a week or so..oops!). A few months ago Nate and I were watching some cooking reality show, and they used FORBIDDEN RICE!! I have seen purple-ish rice when I lived in China, but never forbidden rice. So it's been sitting in the cupboard for quite some time and I decided to make it! It's pretty fun stuff, and tasty too. It has the consistency of brown rice, more than white rice ( a little crunchier).

Besides cooking adventures we started back up to normal routine which means work and online classes for Nate, and work on the salon and watching the kids with Kris for me.

The weirdest thing for me today was the realization that I have NO school! I hope I take advantage of these next 8 months, but I probably will just get lazy!

Anyway try forbidden rice, and enjoy 2013!

-Nate & Meg-