Adventures of a Jam/Smoothie/Beaverton mom

So, I don't have another trip on my calendar, which is hardly surprising considering that when I took this job I knew that there may be very little notice (as in, you are flying out to 2 days, get a flight that doesn't suck)

Instead of chronicling my travel, I thought I could tell you what I do in the meantime. I know, snore. If you expecting another Jesus statue, so sorry. Once we have more of the house projects completed, I will get right on it.

So, last weekend I made raspberry jam. Do you know how easy it was to make this stuff? It is literally just pectin, sugar and raspberries. Why did I used to buy this stuff when I can make it with love in my very own kitchen? The only reason I can find is that the raspberries do splatter, so I looked like I had gotten in a knife fight. How did I possibly get raspberries on my upper arm? That is the price to pay for homemade fresh jam I suppose. It also helped my street cred, so I am not mad at it.

In addition to making more jam this weekend, I think I will attempt to put some of these smoothie packets together. I have seen many of these step by step, but I like this one because it has you freeze the yogurt and include it in the bag. Many of the others require you have fresh yogurt which usually ends up in the back of my fridge with at least 2 months of mold. Nothing better than cleaning rotten milk products out of something. It makes your house smell AMAZING.



I was able to get a flat of raspberries last weekend for $27 at Lolich's Family Farm and a half flat of blueberries, but I cannot remember how much. What was interesting was that the flat boxes were marked with "Gonzales Farms in Cornelius, OR." It kind of sucks, because either they were re-purposing some crates or my raspberries and blueberries came from an entirely different place.  I don't know why this bugged me, but I kind of want to be able to say that the berries I use come from the area I live in. I may go to one of the other MANY farm stores in the area to get more local fruit.

We are so lucky to live on the verge of farm land and have access to so many farm stores. I often have to remind myself why I am OK with living in Beaverton. Being a Portlander my entire life, having a Beaverton address is still tough. These are the reasons to live in Beaverton:

1. Good schools. Our elementary school is ranked a 9 on Great Schools. They are also building a brand new high school really close to us.
2. Affordable. I should say - affordable at the time I bought. The house is worth at least $50,00 more than I paid for it two years ago.
3. Murrayhill/Progress Ridge shopping centers. Nothing better than having lunch at a french bakery, getting your nails done and then seeing a movie at a theater with armchairs.
4. Convenience. Everything that I need on a regular basis is close to the house, including the daycare that I love.
5. Proximity to wine country. This is two fold: I like to get my drink on and when hubby gets a full time job in the wine industry, it will be an easy commute.
6. Safety. I have never felt scared for myself, family or property in Beaverton. When I lived in Portland, the chances were higher for criminal activity, especially when I lived downtown. The only exception was when I lived in Forest Heights (which was an alternate universe that is meant for another blog another day)

The reasons why Beaverton sucks:

1. No easy access to a highway. I have to travel at least 15 mins to get to the nearest freeway.
2. The restaurants suck. You can't swing a purse in Portland without hitting an AMAZING farm to table restaurant. There are only chains or OK local restaurants in my area.
3. Reinforcement of my inferiority complex. When I tell people I live in Beaverton, there is usually a mix of disgust and pity unless the person lives there too (see above good list, especially #5).

As you can see, the good list outweighs the bad list by a LONG shot. However, I still cringe when I have to say where I live. I am still working through the steps to Acceptance. I will let you know when I get there.

Marshfield, WI

Got back from the great state of Wisconsin.

Started my travels with a trip to a little place we do not have in Portland anymore, Chili's in the Chicago airport. The choice of Chili's was made in the following way: I'm hungry. What's close? The answer was Chili's.

I ordered a watermelon margarita and a bowl of the chicken tortilla soup. Normally, I would have ordered a sandwich or burger but the jerks put the calories for the food on the menu and I was guilted into the soup choice. Thankfully, the calories for the margarita were not listed and therefore it was calorie free...I am assuming. 

I landed in Central Wisconsin Airport in the late afternoon and made my way to the care rental desk. I flirted relentlessly and was assigned an upgraded Chevy Malibu. It was a nice ride for the next 40 minutes to get to Marshfield. 

I then checked in to the nicest hotel in Marshfield, the Holiday Inn of course. 

I then tried to drive around to find food. I was looking for something kind of healthy and passed a Subway. I placed that location in the back of my head, in case I needed it. Not that finding it would have been a problem considering there is only one main road in town. I then saw a McDonalds, Dairy Queen and then Hardees. Hardees is the equivalent of Carl's Jr. in Oregon, so I thought they may have some of the salads I like. Yeah, no. The entire menu consisted of what I can only describe as a FRIED ONLY menu. I am not even sure if they offered tomatoes and lettuce on the burgers. I promptly drove back to the Subway.

Now here is something only the traveling mom can understand...I got to watch HGTV on my hotel bed while eating my sandwich with BOTH HANDS. This is monumental for a couple of reasons:

1. I got to watch what I wanted. Not Mickey, not Super Why, but what I wanted to watch. ALL NIGHT.

2. A hotel bed gets cleaned for me, so i can make a mess and ask for it to be cleaned the next day. No laundry on my part involved.

3. Eating a sandwich with BOTH hands is like seeing a beautiful sunset. You don't know how much you miss it until you see it again. Hello old friend of eating without having to coax/bribe your child to also eat with the other hand. 

I promptly unpacked my suitcase and took a shower. After exiting the shower, I realized that I forgot not only my toothbrush, but also my brush. So I put on the same clothes I traveled in (ewww) and went to the front desk becuase they had a sign on the bathroom sink saying that they would be happy to give me a toothbrush, toothpaste and a comb upon request. I went to the front with my tangled, wet hair and they informed me they did not have combs. But they did have this:

OK, so that was half the battle. Now how am I going to remove the tangles from my hair? Glad you asked. The front desk lady told me there was a Pick 'n Save across the street where I could buy one. So I marched myself down the block and across the street. I got catcalled twice on my way over there (at 9 pm, lord only knows what would have happened earlier in the day). 

If you haven't had the joy of walking into a Pick 'n Save in central Wisconsin 45 minutes before they close, you haven't lived. All of the staff is super friendly and I had a very pleasant conversation with a gentleman about his garden while he restocked the chip aisle. My walking away clearly gave him the signal to continue talking and in order to be polite I stood there for another 5 minutes discussing his garden. 

I decided that I would need something to get me through the day. So, this happened....

I also decided to treat myself to a nice toothbrush instead of the crappy hotel version. Holla

We had a meeting all day with the client that went well and then decided to do some "sightseeing." Marshfield is acutally know for one thing in particular. The World's Largest Round Barn. Here I am basking in the glory...

And here is the historical information I know you want...

The World's Largest Round Barn is actually located at the fairground where there is also the home of the Marshfield Curling Club.

I also found this little jem that I believe was important to share. This statue is on the main thoroughfare of Marshfield and is pretty hard to miss. I knew I would need to have a picture of this and would need additional help because there was not easy pull off area to get it. A big shout out to my new boss for dropping me off, circling the block and picking me up in my need for this picture. 

Yes, that is a gynormous statue of Jesus standing on the world with "Christ Guide Us On Our Way." I am not sure if the flags are because of my trips timing close to July 4th or if they are there all the time, but I think they certainly add to the whole situation. One other thing to bring to your attention is that the North and South America are pointed toward the street because GO 'MERICA!

They have clearly gotten complaints about this and so they have to display this:

PRIVATE PARK

THIS ENCLOSED PROPERTY IS NOT OWNED OR MAINTAINED BY THE CITY OF MARSHFIELD, NOR DOES THE CITY ENDORSE THE RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION THERON.

God bless our American right to erecting ridiculous shrines and calling it free speech. 

My last little adventure involved a little place called Nutz Deep II. It was located across the street from the Holiday Inn and was recommended to me as a good place to eat. You cannot see it very well, but the windows are actually heavily tinted. Walking up to this place, you definitely expect to need a stack of one dollar bills. 

On the inside, however, it is just a bar with greasy food. LAME. WHAT A LET DOWN. The only thing remotely interesting about this place is that it is called Nutz Deep II, with no Nutz Deep 1 and a second location of Nutz Deep II. Maybe counting is not their forte...

Here are the tings I have learned about Marshfield,WI:

1.The people there are extremely warm and helpful.

2. Fried cheese curds are delicious.

3. Jesus is standing on the Ozone, which is probably causing global warming, if it actually existed

4. The city has obviously received complaints about #3.

5. I would not mind going back. (see #1)

On the road again...

As I sit here on the eve of my first leg of travel in my new position, I cannot help but marvel at the differences in my life since my first business trip. I was at my previous employer for almost 8 years and traveled around the world. I felt like I was constantly on the road and I was.

Back then, however, I did not have a toddler and a husband and a house. I did not have the roots that can keep you grounded in both a good and difficult way. I have made the choice, however, to get back on the road because I am antsy. I am not a desk, 9-5 kind of person. I need to spread my wings and fly (literally on the fly part, not so on the spread my wings).

Things that have changed since I traveled for work last:

1. TSA Precheck is a real thing that can actually help you. Back when I was traveling before there were so few airports it didn't make sense to get it. Now it is everywhere and I am excited to utilize it.

2. Mobile boarding docks. Yes, they had them before but I did not utilize them as often as a print out at work. The only thing I am concerned about is keeping my phone charged.

3. No longer status. Stick me in steerage with all of the "normal people." LAME.

4. This company does not allow me to expense lunch. REALLY?

Bon Voyage ya'll. Off to Central Wisconsin.