CuppaYo

I have a confession.  I love frozen yogurt.  Like, a lot.  It’s delicious and fairly good for you considering it’s a treat.  Plus the self-serve froyo places are so cool!  But sometimes I get slightly overwhelmed by the topping choices.  It’s hard enough sometimes to decide which of the eight flavors you want to enjoy (or how many of the eight…) but then to decide if you want Fruity Pebbles (highly recommend) or fresh fruit or chocolate chips or granola or nuts or whatever else for your toppings…it’s crazy!

The other day I went and I got lemon bar and outrageous orange yo and threw some yogurt chips on top, so yummy and perfect on a warm day.  I was going to take a before photo but I got too distracted by how much I wanted to eat it.  So here’s an after shot.  :)

 

And check out the orange couch they have in one of the rooms, looks just like that couch from Nickelodeon.  You know, back in the 90s when they had the coolest shows ever.

Next time I go to CuppaYo I think that I’m going to try their Huckleberry yogurt.  Sounds delish.

Loves.

Books!

I have become a reading machine.  Although I get much more enjoyment than a machine would most likely get out of reading.  Unless it’s a super cool machine that has feelings and experiences joy.  And if that machine (nee robot) exists then I want to know why it’s a big secret.  Heck, they made a big deal when they made a robot that “runs”, to me it looks like it’s having a bathroom emergency.  Right!?

The last month or so I’ve read about a book a week, sometimes more, and I’m enjoying having reading time again after having had relinquished that luxury to school work.  But because I’m reading so much and so fast (and I only read before bed so it’s not like I’m intending to power read) I’m looking for new and good books to read.  More recently I’d been reading books from my usual authors and series but I’m desiring something new and different.  I’ve been reading books that aren’t what I’d assume to be my “cup of tea” because people with good taste in books strongly recommend them.  For example, I finally read The Hunger Games because two different people assured me that they were 1) fantastic and 2) worth the trip into a genre that I normally avoid.  And they were so very right.

Anyway, the point of this post is not just to tell you that I’m reading a lot but to ask if you have any recommendations for me.  I feel so out of the loop on good fiction recently, so please tell me what you’ve read or have heard good things about down in the comments.

Loves and happy reading!

Pouring Brews

Last year when visiting Bend, Dad and I attended Bend Brewfest and I posted about that here.  This year I decided to volunteer for the event!  I knew that I wanted to attend but I’m not much of a beer drinker so I figured that volunteering would be the best solution.  Not only did I get to still check out the event, but I also got a free shirt, mug, and tasting chips.  So basically, you pour drinks for five hours and you get some drinks on the house!  Actually I got extra drinks on the house since I worked a closing shift (Thursday 6:30-11p) and after taps closed all of us volunteers went back-stage (literally) and we were poured some of the specialty beers that cost extra chips to taste.  I tried Gilgamesh’s Mint Kolsch and it was pretty good, I like that it had a good mint flavor without a weird aftertaste.  Added bonus, a super low IBU aka bitterness rating.

When I arrived to check-in as a volunteer I was randomly assigned to pour for Maui Brewing.  My card read “Maui Brewing.  Bikini Blond Lager.”  And yes, I made a joke referencing how I’d have planned my outfit and hair color better had I known beforehand.  I was also asked a few times while I was pouring where my grass skirt was.  My standard response: I left it at home since I knew it’d be breezy that evening.  I was supposed to pour with another person at Maui Brewing (all pourers were volunteers, no brewery representatives poured) but we weren’t busy/popular enough so they took him to another area that was getting much more attention from the drinkers.  I then became Bikini Blond Lager girl and Mana Wheat girl.  Which was fine with me, because it was a bit crowded in my corner.  Maui Brewing sent over cans rather than kegs so I had a large plastic tub behind me filled with cans and ice.

Mana Wheat, Bikini Blond Lager

After about an hour of pouring I wasn’t as thrilled with having cans.  My fingers were cold from reaching into the ice tub and my index finger on my right hand was not happy from popping so many tops.  I swear my finger still hurt two days later!

I really wanted to try the Mana Wheat because it was brewed with pineapple juice and a lot of people asked me about it.  But as long as I was wearing my green volunteer shirt I was prohibited from drinking any beer.  If I did I could get in trouble and the event shut down.  It got tiring to explain to people why I didn’t know more about the beer than what was written in the beer guide that everyone was given.  Especially when they 1) obviously had tasted a few brews already and 2) didn’t understand that I was not from Hawaii or Maui Brewing.  Not sure what part of my “tan” screams Hawaiian…  But most people understood once I explained that I can pour or I can taste, I can’t do both.  In those cases they were happy to hear which one I was pouring more of and the feedback I’d gotten.  (Bikini Blond started strong and stayed strong while Mana Wheat got popular once people heard it had pineapple.)

The guy pouring the next station over and I chatted and laughed about the characters we saw throughout the night.  We spotted a guy with neon MC Hammer pants and neon sunglasses….hard to miss.  Then there was a bachelor party group that was dressed up as scouts (both boy and girl) and uber-nerds (cowlicks and pocket-protectors included).  Great people watching event.  I had a lot of fun and would seriously consider volunteering again next year.  But if I work another closing shift I’m remembering a light jacket, it got cold at about 9:30!

I still haven’t gotten to try either of the beers I poured but next time I go to Whole Foods I’m buying a can of each!

Loves.

Water Dogs

My work is right next to a section of the Deschutes River so on nice days I like to spend my break outside.  I get to watch all the people floating down the river, and envy them a little bit because I haven’t gotten a chance to do so yet.

The other day I was enjoying my Strictly Organic vanilla chai (one of the best I’ve ever had) while walking the path along the river and watching everyone on the river pass by.  Suddenly I spotted a stand-up paddle boarder coming up river.

I quickly pulled out my cell-phone to get a shot.  I love that she took her dog along with her.  Though I’m not sure if the dog loved it quite as much, it looked a little unsure about this hobby.  Doubt Dixie would join me when I go paddle boarding.  Haha!

Three days later I spotted a group of people and one dog lounging on a large raft going down river.  I didn’t realize that so many dogs here enjoy water sports!  Don’t have a photo of that one because I wasn’t as quick with the phone.  I’ve got to start taking my real camera on my break with me!

Loves.

Crooked Dealings

Not too long ago my dad, uncle and I took a quick drive to Crooked River to check out the steel arch bridge there that was build in 1911.  Ok, so you’re thinking what’s so cool about a hundred year old bridge.  Well 1) it’s 100 years old and still in use and 2) there is a lot of air between the bridge and the river below.  Check it:

Could you even imagine working on building that?!  No fear of heights allowed!

And here’s a view of Crooked River, aptly named don’t you think?

The bridge above was constructed for trains and is still used.  There is also a bridge for the highway, and the old bridge for the highway.  Here’s a shot of the two of them, followed by the old highway bridge which can now be walked across.  The closer bridge is the old one, the farther one is the new one.

Hello narrow bridge!!!  I think I’d stop breathing if I was driving across this at the same time a semi was coming across towards me.  How can a truck and car fit!?  And let’s not even go into those crazies that would bike (as in bicycle) across this thing.  (Not that I have anything against those that chose to bike, but I fear for them sometimes because cars don’t always pay as close attention to them as they should.)  The new bridge is much wider.  Oh, and check out those awesome clouds!  That’s without playing with the image!

Loves.

I’ve Changed My Name

Because my blog was named “Adventures of This College Girl” and I’ve since graduated, I felt that I ought to change my blog name to be a bit more accurate.  And the description of me blogging about my experiences transferring from community college to university is now also inaccurate.  So, I’ve changed my blog name slightly and updated the description.  And hopefully I’ll get around to posting more often.  Or even remembering that I should be posting.  I’m planning a few local outings to better acquaint myself with my new city so hopefully I’ll have some fun stories or good photos to share.

Loves.

Hello From Oregon and an Oregonian!

I am officially an Oregonian!  I have ditched my California ties, and have moved north to the land of the Pacific Northwest, Mount Hood, Crater Lake, and The Goonies.  Sure I could have mentioned something obvious like rain, or the end of the Oregon Trail, but that’s boring.  Though I was checking out the official state symbols out of curiosity.  Check it:

• Animal: Beaver (and if I get into OSU I shall be a state animal)
• Beverage: Milk (hey, it does a body good)
• Bird: Western Medowlark (hark! a lark!)
• Dance: Square Dance (good thing I learned how to promenade and do-si-do in 3rd grade)
• Flower: Oregon grape (guess it’d be rude not to pick the flower with the state name in it)
• Insect: Oregon Swallowtail (flutter-by!)
• Motto: Alis Volat Propriis “She Flies With Her Own Wings” (pretty, I like it)
• Rock: Thunderegg (do you think when it hatches it produces Thundercats?)

I’ve already gotten my Oregon driver’s license and let me tell you that it has far fewer security features than California’s.  And I’m not even talking about California’s super new license design which must take for-ev-er to make.  Here, I took the test on Wednesday the 20th (only missed three questions, which I feel were dumb questions to ask me anyways) and received my license on Monday the 25th.  What, did it take like 4 hours to make?  You know most of that wait time was for it to go through the mail.  I’m just happy that my license photo is actually up to date.  I was 15 in my CA one!!  When being ID’d they’d ask me if that was me, not so effective.

Now all I need to do is get my car switched over to being an Oregon resident…and you know I’m going to get the special plates that make a donation to Crater Lake.

Loves.