Birthday Bash

I'm not into celebrating my birthday.  Lots of reasons why.  So, if you ask me why, I usually make up an answer that will satisfy you so we can move on.

By chance, I didn't have to work at Mt. Bachelor, so I slept in despite Yam walking all over my head and pillow.  Emil took me to McKay Cottage for breakfast.  My usual is the breakfast sammy without bacon and a hot chocolate.

 

It was fantastic!  Emil had the classic eggs benedict.  What a perfect way to start off the day.  After breakfast, I worked on book marketing and other miscellaneous stuff.  Then, I baked my favorite cupcakes of all time.  Self-filled cupcakes.  The recipe is from my grandma.

I didn't eat them all although I was tempted!  The rest of the cupcakes traveled to work with me the next day, and I fed my co-workers.

A surprise doorbell in the afternoon revealed beautiful flowers from my friend, Katie, and her boyfriend, Erik.  It was such a wonderful surprise!  She always sends the best gifts.

The night before, we had friends over for dinner and cards.  It was really nice, and we had plenty of leftovers.  I made two calzones - eggplant and italian sausage/red pepper.  So for my birthday dinner, we heated up leftovers and enjoyed a lovely evening together.  Low key and just what I wanted!

The Book

My book is finally published and available for purchase.  It's been a long, frustrating experience, but I learned lots of information on publishing and editing.  Thanks to everyone for their patience!  Here's a link to buy the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Dating-Sara-Rishforth/dp/1494339773/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396477865&sr=8-1&keywords=adventures+in+dating

If you're local or wish to buy it directly from me, I'm happy to send you a book.  Cost is $11.95 plus $4 for shipping.  Email me at sarrie7@yahoo.com with your contact info.

Everyone kept saying I needed a goal with this book.  Financially or otherwise.  My goal was to publish it.  Of course, I'd like to make back the money I spent on it, but I'm just happy with the process completed.

Time to work on book number two.  *grin*

Platform bed - NEW!

After many years of having our bed on the floor, we are now grown ups with a hand-crafted platform bed.  Emil worked hard for several days building it, but he spent many weeks sketching and designing it.  He wanted the platform to raise up easily, so we can stow totes and such.  It's a success!

So high up!  And raised three inches higher at the head of the bed.

Yam approves it.

Watch...

Magic! 

Now, Emil is sorting through totes and deciding what to stash under there.  I'm repacking totes and trying to assist, while still gimpy.  Emil loves the bed.  I'm still getting used to the height.  I wonder what his next project will be!

Excursion to Eugene

For Emil's Christmas gift, I bought him tickets to see Martin Sexton, an amazing musician.  He is on tour and came to Eugene on Wednesday.  I saved my pennies, booked a room at our favorite B&B, and we left early on Wednesday morning after dropping the cat at the kennel.

Check out his music!  My favorite song is "Glory Bound."

http://martinsexton.com/

Since my leg is still wrapped up and sore, Emil drove us.  An easy drive (especially for me) over a wet mountain pass.  On the way to Eugene, we saw elk right by the road, daffodils, snow on the sides of the pass, and pink blooms on trees.  Spring has arrived to the valley.

Before we checked in to the B&B, we stopped in to the best bakery in the world!  A Sweet Life.  I gave up sweets for Lent, so I tried to avoid the dessert case.

Emil selected a slice of Blackberry Silk Cake.

We dined at Hot Mama's Wings, approximately three blocks from our B&B.  A long walk for me, but I made it.  It lightly rained on the way to and from the restaurant.

Tempeh wings in Asian Honey Mustard sauce

Tempeh Reuben - perfect for us vegetarians

Martin Sexton was ah-mazing!  The venue was intimate, and there were about 150 people in the audience.  Jay Nash opened for him, and I really enjoyed his music.

Martin Sexton

Merch table!

We love The Oval Door B&B.  It's owned by two friends, who are also trained chefs.  Their breakfasts are fabulous!  They served us crispy polenta topped with poached eggs, goat cheese, and corn/pepper relish.

http://ovaldoor.com/

After hitting our favorite stores (Cabela's for Emil), we hit the road. At least three inches of fresh snow on the pass, plus rain all the way from Eugene past the McKenzie River.  Typical!  Glad to return home and pick up Yammers!

February Open Mic

In February, a group of us sang and played at the ukulele open mic.  Emil was kind enough to record and edit it.  I was recovering from a cold, so I didn't sing much.  But, it sure was fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAdFuzy9zbM&feature=youtu.be

Skiing is awesome!

On Wednesday, we cross-country skied at Mt. Bachelor.  It was a gorgeous day, and the snow was icy.  We skied approimately six miles and even clocked 24 mph down the common corridor.  One of my better days skiing, but I was tired by the time we returned to the lodge.  I packed us food to make a lunch, but forgot to pack jelly.  Typical.

Our real plan that day was to take an alpine lesson, but we couldn't get into a lesson.  I receive complimentary lessons if there's one paid person in the lesson.  Emil receives a discount on the lesson.  Unfortunately, no one signed up for a lesson.  Our back up was Nordic, so it turned out fine.

That evening, I hatched a plan.  We would watch a few youtube videos on alpine skiing ... just for some helpful tips.  I mean, we are already familiar with skiing, so how hard can it be?  Plus, I watch skiers and boarders coming down the hill from my ticket window at least three days a week.  I see what they do. 

So, we would drive up, rent equipment, and ride the free beginners lift for a few hours.  Easy.  One quick stop for donuts in the morning, and we were on our way!

We rented equipment at Sunrise Lodge.  Jeff, the manager, was super helpful with the fitting, how to carry our skis without whacking people in the head, and declared me the experienced skier since I took one lesson in the eighth grade.  Now, find the chair lift, put on our skis, and get out there.

Getting sized up for skis.

It was a perfect day.  Snowing, four inches of fresh wet snow (slow snow), and not crowded.  We clipped in, skied over to Carrousel lift, and loaded up.

First run:  A few falls for me, one for Emil.  We practiced linking turns, pizza, and french fries.
Second run:  No falls for either of us.  We laughed, cheered each other on, and managed not to fall off the lift, or drop off poles.
Third run:  One fall for me.  None for Emil.  Still laughing.  Enjoying the falling snow.
Fourth run:  No falls for either of us.
Fifth run:  I felt I was going a little too fast, tried to pizza, and fell.  By the time I bit it, I was going slow, but my knee bent a really weird way, and I heard a pop.  Huh.  Oh well. 

I tried to ski across, but was a little shaky.  Then, I decided I would just take off my skis and walk down, then rest my knee.  Emil pushed the quick release for my ski, and my knee popped to the left again, and I fell down.  Time to call ski patrol.

Side note:  Ski patrol are young, cute, bearded guys who show up within three minutes.  How do I know this?  I've had to call them several times for guests with injuries.  I time them.  Once, I saw them put a girl on a backboard, into a sled, right in front of my window.  They were amazing - nice, considerate, and thorough.  I also see hurt people coming down in a sled, and I vowed I would never ride in that sled.

My friend, Francis, had just skied over from Pine Marten to see how we were doing.  He was going to teach us some of his bad habits.  I told him we were doing great before he arrived, but would he mind skiing down and asking the lifty to call ski patrol for me. 

BOOM!  Two minutes later, Kyle, from ski patrol showed up.  I told him I was an employee and not to tell anyone he was helping me.  He immediately told dispatch via radio about "an employee, he was assessing."  I told him I was not able to walk, and I was not going in a sled.  Thankfully, he skied down for a snowmachine and brought it up to me.

Wow.  We're back in rentals where it all started.  Except, I have to fill out an incident report, and I can hardly walk.  Yay.  Time to hit up Bend Memorial Clinic Urgent Care.  Kyle, the ski patrol, ruled out broken bones.  He was so NICE!  And, he said it was a steep part of the beginners area.  When he taught ski school, he never took folks down that part of the hill.  Interesting.

It was a long wait at Urgent Care.  We never ate the lunch I packed us.  To redeem myself from the forgotten jelly, I pre-packed our sammys.  So, while we were in the waiting room, we pulled out our lunch.  I'm sure people looked at us and wondered why we packed food to come see the doctor!

So, the doc thinks I have a sprained knee and fit me for an immobilizer.  If my knee doesn't feel better in two weeks, I'll have an MRI done.  Fun fun fun. 

Skiing is awesome!  It really was fun.  We laughed on the slope, in the waiting room, and over breakfast this morning, as I hobbled around. 

For now, I'm working on a cover story to tell my co-workers, so I don't have to admit it was a skiing accident.  Any ideas?

Cribbage

We played cribbage the other night with a bunch of friends.  It's one of my favorite card games, next to euchre.  I learned to play cribbage at a very early age.  My grandparents taught me to play, and I have many fond memories from playing over the years.  A few years ago, I taught Emil to play and passed down the wisdom I learned from Grandpa.  Never break up a run.  You never know what the turn up card will be, and it could make a huge point difference in your hand.

Here are a few memories from playing:

1.  During my teen years, I always wanted to watch TV while we played.  My grandparents had cable, so I could soak up MTV when I visited them in Florida.  I lost every game if the TV was on.  A huge distraction, but I vividly remember watching the Paradise City video by Guns N' Roses.

2. If there wasn't a seat for me at the table, I played waitress and took drink orders.  At their home in Cincinnati, I would carry around paper and pen.  Of course, I was too little to fulfill the orders.  Pretty sure that's where my waitressing career began.

3.  In close point games, I remember Grandma and her partner would say funny things before cutting the turn up card - little chants and such.  Sometimes, they would switch chairs, thinking it would change the outcome of the cards.  Being a little kid and watching that seemed so fun.  Sometimes it would work.

4.  Snacks were a big thing.  I remember eating Gardetto's Original Snack Mix out of small wooden bowls.  Two bowls on the table in between folks.

Here's a pic:

We played cribbage last night during the Olympics.  Just didn't work out since my attention span was on the women's skiing!  Go figure!

Coming soon ... my book!

So ... in about a month, my book will be for sale. You can buy it from Amazon or from me (free shipping to the first 50 buyers). I hope you'll support me. The book is a quirky romance set in Anchorage, starring my friends!

It's been an interesting process thus far.  Honestly, writing the book was the easiest part.  I have a feeling the marketing of the book will be quite a hurdle, but I'm looking forward to it.  I'd love to come to Anchorage for a book signing.  We'll see how it goes.

A huge thanks to everyone who has helped me so far.  I appreciate you answering emails so quickly, looking at grammar books, and helping me create the characters.

Here's a few factoids regarding the book:

- Most of the interactions between my work husband and me are true.
- I always wanted sisters.  I love listening to sister stories from my friend, Lori.  So, my character in the book has two sisters.
- My character has an entire closet dedicated just for shoes.  I own less than five pairs of shoes now since my feet shrunk.
- Many of the characters are named after friends I've lost touch with over the years.

Okay, enough teasers.  I'll let you know when it's available for purchase!  Thanks for your support!

Christmas Celebration

As usual, our Christmas was non-traditional and full of fond memories.  On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a delicious meal with neighbors and then played Christmas music on ukes, guitars, and a mando.  We stayed up super late and went to the 10:30 p.m. church service with our friend, Debi.  So glad we went!  The service was fantastic with a guest sax player, singer, handbell choir, and entertaining message from the pastor.  I had to call my mother the next day and tell her about their communion, which offered gluten-free bread.  My, how times have changed in church.

I switched shifts and worked on Christmas day until 1 p.m., so Emil enjoyed a delicious ramen soup lunch while I slaved away, selling ski lessons.  We opened a few gifts in the afternoon, and then friends came over to play games.

Our real Christmas meal was splurging (since we're uber poor) on breakfast the day after Christmas.

Hot chocolate

Egg sando with lemon aioli

Chicago Hash with basil hollandaise

Sunrise on Christmas Day at the bus parking lot

Emil opening gifts.  Each gift had a clue.

All in all, it was a nice Christmas, even if a little disjointed.  Looking forward to 2014!

Christmas Season

'Tis the season to be super busy!

12 days of work at Mt. Bachelor by Christmas
7 uke jams or gigs
6 meetups
5 potlucks
3 holiday parties
2 house-sitting check in's for a friend
1 photo shoot for my author pic
1 late night Christmas Eve service to attend

Whew! That's just a glance of our December schedule. We've turned down several events to give us a little breathing room.

Here are a few pics:

Free concert in Redmond last week

Emil attempts to brush Yam's teeth.  Unsuccessful.

Splurging on dessert after a soak in McMenamin's Turkish Soaking Pool.

Getting up after my second face plant.

First ski of the winter season.  Overdressed and a little timid on hills!

This afternoon, we have a uke gig at the Senior Center, and then another one in Sisters this weekend.  There are more potlucks to attend, and I'm busy replenishing baked goods from the freezer.

In between all that, I finished another round of edits on my book, had my picture taken professionally for the book cover, secured an ISBN and Library of Congress Control Number, and sent Christmas gifts to my family.

Here's the final pic:

Well, time to pack up my uke and hit the road!  Thanks for reading my blog (my mother and Aunt Jayne are probably the only readers).

Happy Thanksgiving

What a relaxing, stress-free holiday!  Perfectly planned at the last minute, of course.

First, we hiked Pilot Butte three times in a row.  Burn the calories before eating.  It was a gorgeous morning.

After a bit of football watching, Emil cooked a late lunch.  Huevos Rancheros for me, and cream cheese stuffed french toast with strawberries and ice cream for him.  So good!

 

Next, we went to a dear friend's home in Northwest Crossing.  They are our board game friends, who taught us to play Rummikub.  This time, we taught them to play Euchre.  Fun times!

Finally, we changed into pajamas, lounged on the couch, and enjoyed the rest of the evening.  It was a perfect day!

Come on 2014!

I'm counting the days until 2014.  I had several family members pass away this last month, and it's very sad.  I'm ready for a new year.

I'm also ready for some new challenges in my personal life.  Finishing the publication of my book will be great.  What type of book should I focus on next?  There are several ideas swirling around in my head.  But, I feel like I can't focus on those ideas until my book is put to bed.  Must be done by the end of this year!

It's too early for resolutions, but I do have a few goals in mind for next year. 

1.  Take skate skiing lessons.  Listen to the instructor.  Practice, Practice, Practice.
2.  Take downhill skiing lessons or snowboard lessons.  Taking one lesson when I was in middle school didn't stick.
3.  Get to my goal weight.  This means even more exercise.  Which would be easier if my heel wasn't hurt.  I'm patiently waiting for the Affordable Care Act to kick in.  I'm headed for PT, and I've already picked out the office.  Close to my house, and I know the therapist.
4.  Volunteer at a meaningful organization.  Oh, Food Bank of Alaska, I miss you.
5.  Be a better spouse.  Isn't that on everyone's list?

Well, today is Thanksgiving.  Time to cook a ton of food, gain weight, and watch football.  Wait.  This year, we're totally non-traditional!  We've planned practically nothing for today.  Possible ideas for today:  Walk the Butte, limp through the I Like Pie 5k, eat huevos rancheros, chase the cat around the house, practice uke from the comfort of our couch, play games with friends, soak up Vitamin D on a walk, eat stuffed french toast and tater tots, list stuff on eBay, watch the Ravens win, talk with family, and go to bed early.  Sounds perfect to me!

Open Mic

A few weeks ago, I gathered my courage and played open mic at our ukulele jam.  It's a new addition to our ukulele jam on the first Tuesday of each month.  I kicked off the evening, and then nine more people got up and sang/played.  What a fun evening!

Emil recorded the event.  Watch the link below.
http://youtu.be/uKwYuT9q4GA

We laugh and contemplate what our lives are like now.  Never in a million years did we think ukuleles, Oregon, and more would be our life.  What a ride!

Cincinnati Adventures

What a fun-filled trip to Cincinnati!  So little time, so many highlights, and so much accomplished!

We played ukulele with my nephew, Aaron.  He taught me the strum to "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers.  I'll practice it for open mic at uke jam.  In return, we taught both nephews to play Euchre, the best card game ever (right after Cribbage, of course!).  We also had an impromptu music sing-along with my parents, who drove up from South Carolina.  I appreciate their time in coming up to visit.

A lovely lunch with my Aunt Jayne on Thursday.  See the fun pic below of Karla and I outside the restaurant!

Thursday evening, Ted, Karla, Emil, and I went to a live taping of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" at Cincinnati Music Hall.  Over 3,000 folks were there, and it was super fun!  A little hard to hear, but it was neat to see how they record it.  Here's the link to the show:  http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/.  John Lithgow was the guest.

Lots of good food from Karla and the usual food joints in Cincinnati.  Our new favorite place is Sultan's Mediterrean Cuisine.  Yum!!  http://www.sultanscincinnati.com/.  We also stopped by to see younger nephew, Sam, at his Tae Kwon Do competition.  He did very well!

One particular highlight was visiting with my Aunt Anna and Uncle Bob.  They generously handed down my Uncle Bill's banjo uke to me.  We've ordered new tuners for it, and I'm looking forward to playing it.  Playing a few songs with them was quite enjoyable!

Scroll down for a gazillion pics of our trip!

Cincinnati airport - Chick-fil-A and Gold Star Chili!

Cincinnati Chili - Trip #1

The historic Cincinnati Music Hall

Wait Wait!  This is NPR.  So cool!

Hot sauce display at Jungle Jim's.

Huge jars of Tabasco.

I remember eating this as a kid.  Pretty sure I thought I was eating turtles.

Little Dachshund-shaped cheese at Jungle Jim's.

Aglamesis Brothers Ice Cream - Trip #1

Pumpkin, Butterscotch, and Cinnamon ice cream

Ted smoked two chickens for dinner on Friday night.

Sam in action.

Breaking boards with his feet.

Bowing down to receive his award.

Uncle Bob and I jamming.  He's a talented musician.

Me and Aunt Anna.

Uncle Bob pickin' away.

Family platter at Sultan's

Busking at Gold Star Chili for a 4-Way with beans and a cheese coney

Laundry is in, watching snow fall this morning, breakfast at Pilot Butte Drive In, and resting up to play Euchre tonight with 14 friends.  Welcome Home!

A Perfect Beach Wedding

This past weekend, Jennifer, married her best friend in South Beach, OR.  Gorgeous weather and a perfect venue.  The groom was decked out a nice suit, and I cried as soon as Jennifer stepped outside.  Took a few pictures in between tears.  Jennifer looked fantastic, and it was a lovely wedding.

I won't post pics of them since I snapped the pics kind of unofficially.  They'll want to see professional pics of the whole thing!

Overlooking the beach on a bluff

Fall colors.

After the wedding, we headed south to Florence and then over to Eugene to The Sweet Life Patisserie.  A whole Chocolate Silk Torte with Raspberry Topping awaited us.

Beach and a bird

Foggy morning

Hello Sunshine!

Quiche and goodies at The Sweet Life

The cake!

We can't eat this entire cake ourselves, right?  So, we invited some uke friends over for tacos, uke, and cake last night.  The cake is super rich and perfect to share with dear friends.

Lots of leftover cake ... hope it freezes well!