Ra Ra Riot

Portland is known for its great live music scene. Last night I went to my first concert here in the city. My friend Eric got us tickets to see the band Ra Ra Riot at the Doug Fir Lounge, Portland’s hottest music venue. I had never heard of this group before, so I downloaded their album onto my iPod this weekend and learned the songs. I really liked their music, but loved their live performance. The lead singer has a unique voice and the band includes a violinist and cellist which added a great sound! The performance was high energy and entertaining. I had a great time, but today I feel like a grandma: I’m tired and still can’t fully hear, but it was totally worth it!

Before the concert, Eric and I went to the Adidas Originals Store, a trendy Adidas sporting wear shop. Eric is a biotechnical researcher for the Adidas headquarters here in Portland and tests the kinesthetics of their basketball shoes. Every last Tuesday of the month, Adidas employees can get a 50% discount in the originals store - and so can their friends! So we did a little shopping there and I got quite a deal on a jacket and tote bag. It's nice to have connections!

The Case of the Missing Crab (body)

This weekend I cooked crab for the first time for my friend Rachel's birthday! We bought the crabs live, killed them, cleaned them, de-clawed them and cooked them in a wok. They were quiet tasty little critters! However, when we were cleaning up we could only find 5 of the 6 crab bodies. One of them mysteriously disappeared - despite having no legs! (I hope it didn't end up in one of the girls' beds.)

Anyway, I made spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer. This is a great recipe for parties!

Spicy Spinach Artichoke Dip

2 pkg chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 8-oz pkg cream cheese (I used light or fat-free)
2 cans Rotel
8-oz fresh parmesan cheese
8-oz monterey jack cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, diced
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

Blend first 2 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Serve with toasted pita bread or tortilla chips.

Unconditional Love

Last night in my home community group, we talked about Love. What is love; how does our culture view love; what does that mean to us as Christians? The two Bible verses that come to mind are:

• Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
  
  1 John 4:11

• But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
  
  Romans 5:8

During these past 3 weeks in Portland, I have been shown this unconditional love - a love with no limits, expectations, requirements or obligations. The extended family that I have up here is giving me a wonderful place to live and amazing support and advice - not to mention the job that brought me here! My aunt makes coffee and cooks dinner for me. Her prayer group prays for me every Wednesday morning when they meet. My coworkers are more than welcoming and hospitable. We have lunch and dinner together often. They want to get to know me. My friend Carrie has invited me to her church, over to her house, on a weekend trip to Seattle! I have gotten connected with a wonderful church community group who is accepting and glad for me to become a part of them.

This sounds so cliche, but their kindness and love for me makes me want to be a better person. Its so easy to be exclusive with groups of friends or social activities. We often expect something in return for our good deeds.

I find this love to be contagious. It's simple: God loves us, so we should love our neighbor - whoever they may be.

Happy Birthday, Mary!

So this past weekend was Mary's birthday. "This Mary", not "That Mary". I work with a lady by the name of Mary Hill (there is also a MaryBeth). Terry (not to be confused with Mary or another co-worker, Carrie), refers to Mary Hill as "This Mary" and me as "That Mary". So sometimes it gets pretty confusing.
Recap: This Mary, That Mary, Terry, Carrie and MaryBeth.

Anyway, this past weekend was That Mary's birthday, so yesterday I made cake balls to take to work today for her birthday celebration. Usually I make red velvet cake balls, but apparently people up here don't make red velvet cakes. I went to 3 grocery stores and could not find a red velvet cake mix! So I made funfetti cake balls instead... and they were a hit at the office!

You ask if I'm bribing my coworkers with yummy treats? Is that wrong? :)

Cake Balls
1 boxed cake mix
1 (16 ounce) tub frosting
12 ounces chocolate chips
4 ounces white chocolate

* cream cheese frosting goes best with red velvet cake *

1. Bake cake according to package directions. Let cool completely.
2. Crumble cake mix in large bowl and mix in container of icing
(I find it is easiest to use hands or spatula).
3. Roll into 2 inch balls and freeze for about 1 hour.
4. Melt chocolate.
5. Dip balls in melted chocolate and set on waxed paper to dry.
6. Melt and drizzle white chocolate.
7. Let cake balls set in refrigerator.

Saturday in Seattle

Yesterday I took a day trip to Seattle with some friends. This was my first time to visit the Emerald City (really anywhere I visit in the Pacific Northwest is a first). It's about a 3 hours drive north from Portland to Seattle, so we left early in the morning and went straight to Pike Place Market. Have you ever seen on tv the place where vendors throw big fish around? That's the Pike Place Market! It is a large outdoor market full of fresh flowers, food and crafts. We visited the original Starbucks, listened to several folk bands playing on the street, stuck our gum on the famous gum wall, and even met a "cat whisperer". The market was very crowded yesterday because it was Valentine's Day and lots of people were buying flowers and food for dinner. We bought 2 and a half pounds of salmon, fresh vegetables and fruit, orzo, and a loaf of olive bread.
After we left the market, we visited a few parks that had a beautiful overlook of the city. First we went to Carey Park were we witnessed a couple get engaged! The guy got down on one knee, proposed, and then we took pictures for them. Next, we went to Gas Works, a park containing remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The views from these parks were gorgeous. I have only seen pictures of The Space Needle, Seattle's iconic building, on tv and in movies, so it was neat to see it in person.
I loved Seattle and can't wait to visit again and experience more of the city!

Pike Place Market in Seattle

A folk band playing in front of the original Starbucks

fresh and delicious produce

smelly, but tasty, salmon

our group in front of the gum wall

the view from Carey Park

Oh yeah, we went to visit the troll under the bridge and met the Seattle Hash House Harriers, a "drinking group with a running problem". They had just completed their Valentine's Day Red Dress run... interesting people.

Home Sweet Home?

I’ve really been trying to check out all of my options for a place to live here in Portland… and it’s been an interesting search! I’m trying to keep an open mind about different available living situations. The right place just hasn’t come along yet. Here are the interesting options I have encountered so far:

- Extreme Makeover: A roommate who shaves her eyebrows and pencils in green ones to make her eyes pop.

- Mountain Man Roomie: A house of 3 girls and occasionally "Luke, a bearded mountain man who lives on Mt. Hood. He and his lovely dog, Tischer, crash at our place every once in a while (we have a nook with an extra bed) when he's in town teaching outdoor ed classes. he's really loveable." I'm sure he is.

- Business Woman by Day, House Maid by Night: A house of 3 guys who will "trade rent for cleaning around the house."

- Not So Lofty: "There is a loft that cannot be considered a bedroom because there is no closet and a bed can't technically be fit through the doorway, but fear not, we will make it work."

- The Zoo: A girl showed me around the house and when we got to her room she said, "Sorry about the mess and the smell, i have 2 guinea pigs and a cat." No thanks!

A Real Snow Day

I woke up this morning, looked out the window, and everything was white! Snow - real snow! Now if something like this happens in Texas (which in never really does), everything would shut down. People would lock the doors, board up the windows, pull out the canned goods, and take off of work/school for a week. Here, everything went on as normal. People were even out jogging with their dogs! So I pulled out my spatula (primarily used to flip pancakes), scraped the snow off of my windshield, and crept down the road to work. Several times today, I caught myself staring out the window mesmerized by the snow. This is something I'll have to get used to.