SUDM Do it for the kids!

Hey everyone! I'm back... or at least hope to be for a while :) I know it has been quite a long time and I would love to update you on some awesome things that have been going on with me specifically the last part of the summer and beginning of MY SENIOR YEAR IN COLLEGE!! But before I get into all of that I wanted to tell you about a really important thing that I have been involved in over the last few months I've been at school.

Has anyone every heard of Dance Marathon? If you go to SU I'm sure you have (or you better have!) but for those of you who don't know, here's a short summary. The Seattle University Dance Marathon is a student lead 16 hour fundraiser for Seattle Children's Hospital's uncompensated care fund. SCH has never turned down a patient and by donating to this cause and doing this fundraiser we help to keep that going. On the day of the actual Dance Marathon event everyone that signed up to be a dancer and who fundraised all get together and we dance for 16 hours straight without any breaks! Not sitting or leaning allowed. We do this to symbolize all the children at SCH that don't get to take a break as they battle their illnesses. It's probably the most fun and important organization I am a part of on campus, and I absolutely love and support the cause with all my being!

Me and a couple of fellow Morale Captains during 80's hour last year!

I did Dance Marathon last year for the first time and I was a Morale Captain, which involves being a leader for a dancer team throughout the 16 hour event. This year I am on the steering committee as Morale Chair and I am in charge of planning activities for the event as well as hiring, training and overseeing all morale captains. It's a big and time consuming job, but I love it and have learned so much from being a part of it! Not to mention, I have met some of my best friends doing it :)

The Whole Dance Marathon Team from last year!

One of the most anticipated parts of Dance Marathon is the "line dance" which is choreographed and taught to all of the dancers throughout the night. It's always full of energy and everyone loves it! Here's everyone at the event doing our dance from last year... enjoy watching it! And guess what else? I'm choreographing the dance for this year! Maybe you will get to see it someday :)

Our event will be held on February 26, 2011 from 10am to 2am. I just wanted to take the time to give you a chance to be a part of the cause and donate. I have provided a link which will lead you to my personal donations page where you can easily donate online. And it is 100% tax deductible. If you would rather send in a donation through the mail please let me know and I will be happy to give you our address. I, as well as everyone else would greatly appreciate any donation, because every little bit helps! Thank you so much!

http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=727&participantID=32914

A Day With Tara and Taryn is Never Boring

I met Taryn two years ago when we went to school together at Mt. Hood. We got to know each other doing music together, and have been great friends ever since. She's definitely one of the funniest people I have ever met and every time we get together we always have some sort of adventure! I will attempt describe our day, just because everything was so funny... to us at least, some of the things might be "you would have had to be there" though so just humor us haha.

We hadn't seen each other in a while since I am going to school in Seattle now and she is in Gresham so this summer we made it a point to get together. She invited me to go with her to a modern church downtown on Saturday night called Solid Rock, so of course I said yes and we went out for the day.

We met up around three and went downtown to hang out. For reasons not mentioned we ended up driving, which really made this adventure even more fun a crazy! Now if any of you have ever driven in downtown Portland you know that it isn't very fun and can be extremely confusing, especially when you are trying to find a parking spot. We drove around for a while and Taryn had to parallel parked for the first time! She made it and did very well. I was proud :)

We decided to walk around Saturday Market and the Waterfront for a while to check the place out. All you Portlanders out there can vouch for me that there are all kinds of crazy people and things that you will see. One of our favorites were a man riding a tiny tricycle dressed as a chimney sweep, and a guy dressed in leather and chains walking a cat on a leash. There were many more though and if you haven't walked around downtown Portland I highly suggest it!

We were going to meet a friend at Pioneer Square a little later so we decided we should go closer to it and the church we were going to that evening so we headed back to the car. Very quickly we realized we didn’t look to see where we were parked in the first place so consequentially we wandered around for a good half hour looking for the car! By that time it was 5:10. But we laughed it off and kept on going.

Since we didn’t want to pay anymore to park we decided to try and find a McDonalds with a parking lot to park in (and we wanted a smoothie). Not even knowing where we were we used the GPS on her phone, but that took us to the World Trade Center which did not have a parking lot for free let alone a McDonalds in it. Taryn knew of one by a Panda Express though so we just put that in to the GPS and hoped it take us to the right one. Luckily it did but it was 2 miles from where we wanted to be and we had already walked a ton! That's what you get for listening to a GPS!

Anyways we went in to get a smoothie. And here comes one of the funny parts. Taryn orders and here’s how the conversation went: “Can I get a Wild Berry Smoothie and the biggest cup of water you can give me?” Cashier: “Sure, that will be $3.14.” Taryn: (Hands him 3 dollars) “oh wait I can find 14 cents for you.” Cashier: “Don’t worry about it I’ll cover it for you.” Then I go up to order my Berry Smoothie… Taryn: “Wait you never gave me my change” Cashier: “You don’t get change, you should be giving me 14 cents!” Taryn: “What? I’m confused…” The cashier explains the scenario we just witnessed and Taryn and I both start cracking up realizing that he had said he’d cover the 14 cents and we had instantly forgotten. He basically thought we were crazy the rest of the time we were there, but if he would have just given her the biggest FREE cup of water instead of paying 25 cents that wouldn’t have happened. It really was hilarious I swear! We then left the counter to drink our smoothies, when I pipe up and say “Dang I have a bunch of random stuff in my purse” I pulled out 3 parachute men. We started hysterically laughing over that and Taryn says oh I have some weird stuff in mine to, and she whips out a light that goes on the back of a bike with a broken compass. “I found it on the street and though my brother would like it to fix up.” By this point we a laughing so hard that we’re crying and the entire restaurant in looking at us. We decide its time to leave… Did you have to be there to think it was funny? Sorry!

We get in the car because we don’t want to walk two miles and turn right out of the parking lot and are looking around waiting for our turn to get on the main street, we waited for a while. Then we realized that a homeless man was pointing at us a little frantically to go the opposite direction. We then noticed we were on a one way street…facing the wrong direction! Never fear, these kinds of things just happen when Taryn and I are in a car together. We tried to make a u-turn and ended up facing the homeless man head on and we were about 2 feet away from him. He just continued to look at us, unimpressed, like we were crazy because we were laughing so hard and kept pointing in the other direction. I think he sees that a lot, well I hope he does. We make the turn and start working our way back to the area we were supposed to be in. Along the way we turn into almost every dead end and wrong turn possible, but that was mainly because there is so much freakin construction going on downtown that we kept getting turned around (or at least that’s what we are saying). Finally we find a place to park and this time we make sure that we look to see exactly where we are so we can find the car later. By this time it’s about 6:15 and we were meeting her friend Jenna at 7:30.

We walked around for a while in Pioneer Square just hanging out and debriefing on the day that we have had so far, laughing hysterically the whole time. At 7 the church we were going to has a BBQ before the service starts at 8 so we decide to head over and grab a bite to eat. We get our food and got to sit down, but all the tables were full already so we go over and sit in the fancy low-to-the-ground striped lawn chairs available. We sit down and start eating when suddenly Taryn looks over at me and I have collapsed and folded into my chair! It was a little embarrassing, but funny at the same time. After another good laugh and a few awkward stares we finish dinner and get a call from Jenna saying she was almost there and to come meet her. Up we go again to walk the 5 long blocks about 3 times. We were kind of being dramatic since we had walked so much! Finally we meet up with her and go to church! I really enjoyed it, since I hadn't been to something like that in a while. It was good for me.

When it got over it was about 9:30 and we decide that it's time to go home. Proudly we remember where the car is so we take one last walk stopping to listed to a band on the way. Our final adventure, taking Jenna back to Clackamas Town Center. A few wrong turns later we made it on to the freeway. Luckily Jenna knew where we were because Taryn and I are both directionally challenged. Just talking and reminiscing about the day was enough to keep us laughing throughout the entire ride. We finally get Jenna safely back to her car and say goodbye. Then after getting stuck in the parking lot (one of my peeves) for a few minutes we were on our way home. A couple of nearly missed exits later and we made it back to my house.

It was such a good (and tiring day)! My legs were shaking from walking so much and my stomach and throat hurt because I've never laughed so hard over a 9 hour period! Excellent time. I love you Taryn Zickefoose! P.S. Let me know if I left anything out... Hahahahahahaha!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

On July 20, hosted by the Portland Beavers was the annual "Bark in the Park" at PGE park where you can bring your dogs with you to watch the baseball game! So who better to bring than but my beloved basset hound Libby. We are always looking for ways to get her out and socialized since she is still a pup (although no light weighted small fry as you can see in the picture above). Plus it was going to soon be her 2nd birthday so I thought this would be a great early birthday present! And I really wanted to go since recently I have started to become a fan of watching baseball (Thanks Lisa. ...although it will never replace my love for basketball and the Portland Trail Blazers!) This time they were playing the Aces from Reno, NV, and even though they aren't the greatest team they won 2-1!


Since it was my puppy's first time to a baseball game, we had to do it up right! Above is a picture of her eating her first ballpark hotdog, something everyone must experience! Of course she loved it! Maybe because she kinda looks like a hotdog herself...? As well we got her a miniature Beavers baseball bat, which she proudly carried around. My dogs are so spoiled!

Naturally we met a lot of other dogs there as well which was so fun! One of her favorite new friends was a 5 month old baby beagle named Willie, he was so stinkin' cute! And they played for a while in the stands. We met a lot of other people there as well all who either adored her (because she's adorable) or said something along the lines of "Whoa! That's a long cool looking dog!" It was great, we all had a blast!

After wandering around the stadium for a while visiting and meeting new friends, we took a seat and watched the rest of the game. There she is just enjoying watching the baseball fly across the field and resisting the urge to run down and chase it. (As well she continuously tried to reach her neck out and snag that couple's hotdog in front of her). She's such a laid back dog, I love it! All in all it was a great day at the ballgame and we can't wait until next year! Anyone who lives in Portland and has a dog should definitely join in on the event!

Jammin' With Jam!

The other day my family and I made homemade jam! For most of us it was our first time making it, but lucky for us my cousin Andy's wife Heather is queen when it comes to anything and everything sweet and deliciously homebaked! So she gave us a tutorial on the art of jam making.

We started off by going to Rowell Bros. Fields on Scholls Ferry Rd. In Hillsboro, a u-pick berry farm to get our most important ingredient. We decided that we wanted to make blackberry, raspberry, and boysenberry jam. We ended up picking about 50 lbs worth of berries!! It was time to go back to the house and start cooking up the deliciousness that would be homemade jam! By the end of the day we were pros making nearly 30 jars of jam! We could have made more because Lord knows we had more than enough berries to feed a large army but we got tired and decided to call it a day. Since I had such a great time I think I will attempt to teach you how to make it as well! So here goes... Keep in mind that this is only the recipe for most berry jams, except strawberry so don't try and make peach jam with this recipe!

You will need:

(utensils)

-2 large sauce pans

-Mixing spoon

-Hot sterilized jars with lids like in the picture

-A funnel

-Tongs

-A towel to place the hot jars on

-A wet washcloth

-Extra bowl to hold sugar

(ingredients)

-5 cups of the berry of your choosing

-4 cups granulated white sugar

-1 tsp butter

-1 package pectin

*Makes about 3, 1 pint jars of jam.

Preparation:

In one of the sauce pans boil hot water and place the lids in the water to sterilize. As well the jars need to be hot so the best way is to just put them in the dishwasher and turn it on with no soap. If you dont have a dishwasher they can set in the hot water but make sure you get as much water as possible out before adding the jam. Keep them boiling on the stove until needed. Next measure out 4 cups of sugar into a bowl and set aside.

Now its time to start cooking!

Measure out 5 cups of berries into a large pan as close to exact as possible. Add the pectin, butter, and 1/4 cup of the sugar you measured out earlier. (There should be 3 3/4 cups sugar left in the bowl now.) Place the pan of ingredients on the stove and continue to stir, mash, and mix together until it becomes a liquid and is brought to a boil. When it starts boiling quickly add in the remaining sugar. Mix in vigourously (it will probably start to foam and rise but thats ok, keep stiring and it will go down). Let it come to a rolling boil again and time it for one minute, then remove from the heat. Make sure you are stirring the whole time it is on the stove to keep from burning.

Now its time to put them in the jars! First take the boiling water holding the lids off the stove. Set the jars up and using the funnel fill them with the jam leaving only about an 1/8 of an inch at the top of the jar. Then with the wet washcloth, wipe down the edges of the jar so there is no spilled jam on the outside or around the rim. With the tongs carefully take the lids out of the water and put them on the jars. When they are on tight, flip the jars upsidedown to seal and leave them for about 10-15 minutes. After flip them back up and you are done! To check if they sealed push down on the lid, if it doesn't pop then it worked! If not thats ok to, just stick it in the fridge and you are still good to go!

Congratulations! I hope you enjoyed making jam as much as I did! If you want to make a different type, inside the box of pectin there will be recipes and directions for many other flavors of jam!

Love is in the air...

Over the last few years since I have been out of high school many of my friends have tied the knot and gotten married! Which I think is great! I love weddings and am so happy to have been a part of so many of them!

Katie and Josh Tompkins

A few years ago on August 10, 2007 my cousin Katie Judd and her husband Josh Tompkins got married! I was the Maid of Honor in their wedding! It was actually the first wedding I had been to and one of the most beautiful! I love you Kate and Josh!

Angela and Andrew Block
On September 20, 2008 Angela Rassmusen and Andrew Block got married. I met Angela while going to school at Concordia University, and although we didn't know each other for very long then I was so happy she thought of me to invite to her wedding! She is a great friend and helped me out through a lot at Concordia.

Gina and Steven Gandee

This last year on October 24, 2009 my long time high school friends Gina Ellis and Steven Gandee were married. I met these two doing theater in high school freshman year and we have been friends ever since! This wedding was great not only because it was Steven and Gina, but because it was sort of like a mini high school theater group reunion! We all got to be together again for a great night and it was so good to see everyone!

Amber and Matt WestfallJust last month another friend from high school had a wedding. On May 14, 2010 Amber Drape and Matt Westfall got married! I was a bridesmaid in this wedding and so honored to to be a part of such a great friend's big day! Amber and I met sophomore year in high school and have been great friends ever since! I love her to death and couldn't imagine a life without her in it!

Megan and Ted Moore

Just yesterday on June 26, 2010 my two good friends Megan Petrie and Ted Moore got married. It was a perfect day for a beautiful outside wedding! I met Megan when I went to school at Mt. Hood Community College. We were in the musical "Drood!" together and instantly became great friends! Plus Ted is hilarious, they are perfect for each other! And guess what?! I caught the bouquet at this one... you know what that means!

Congratulations to all of my friends and family who have gotten married over the last few years! I love you all and wish you nothing but the best in your new lives together. You are all perfect for each other in every way and am grateful to see you all so happy! Can't wait for the next wedding, who knows who it will be...? Congrats again, I hope you live "happily ever after!"

Moved Out... 6/12/10

Bellarmine 740

Everyone is now officially moved out of SU and finished with the 2009-2010 school year. It has been a great one, with many stories to tell (which will be coming in the next few posts most likely).

Move out day is both exciting and depressing at the same time. As well it is stressful, overwhelming, and a time to hone your organizational skills like none other! About a week and a half before school got out it was time to start collecting boxes to put EVERYTHING in to get it all out on time (approx. 9:00am on 6/12/10).

So here's a little story on the box collecting extravaganza Alyssa and I went on. We decided that we were going to meed quite a few boxes so we went to Safeway to ask if they had any left over that we could have. They gave us about 4 boxes which was nice. Next we went to another Safeway because we were going to need a few more, but we were a few minutes to late and didn't get any from them. Feeling a little defeated we went to QFC up the street from the school. Little did we know when we got there this guy in the produce area told us we could, "go downstairs to the back and go through the 2 black doors, then take what we want." Through those two doors we found a mayhem of boxes so naturally we started piling them into our cart. We probably came back to school with a good 20+ boxes including a giant "Pistachios" display box we probably weren't supposed to take, which was way more than we needed! We jammed them all into my car, and barely was able to fit them all. We took them up, dropped off a few in Alyssa's room then somehow managed to stash the rest of them into Lisa and mine. Needless to say it was very cramped in there for the remainder of our stay at SU. Little by little we got all our stuff packed away into storage but let me just say, the process took forever and we were climbing over boxes for days!

Here take a look at some before and after pictures of Mine ad Lisa's shoebox of a dorm room during the process of packing and after we got everything out...

Before

After

It was quite bare, sad, and depressing to see our once lively room looking like such an empty little closet... But it was time to say goodbye to good old Bell 740... and everyone in it. That's always the hardest part of the end of the school year is saying goodbye to all your friends. (And I have to say, it is extremely lonely sleeping in my room all alone every night). However as difficult as it is we know we will all be together again in just a few short (well kinda long) months. By the way... Thanks to all of my wonderful friends (Lisa, Alyssa, Allie, Courtney, Connie Rae, Angela, Morgan, etc... etc..!) for making my first year at Seattle University a fantastic one!

21 years ago...

I have realized that it has been far to long since I have written a new post. Due to the busyness of the last month of school before we moved out I literally have had no time to myself (although I know that is a terrible excuse) so I think now it's time to PARTY!

On June 10, 1989 at 5:15 am I was born into the world... So naturally on June 10, 2010 I turned 21!!! That's right, it was my 21st birthday! My friends and I kept up the tradition of going to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner at the end of the term. Great idea, since I was given the most horrible birthday presents by my teachers, called FINALS! Gross. It was an excellent way to end the year and celebrate my birthday! SO once I was done with exams, we got dressed up and went out.

The very first time we went to the Spaghetti Factory we had this awesome waiter named Tyler, who was hilarious because he literally came to our table every two minutes asking if we needed anything and gave us tons of extra ice cream and bread to take home. Throughout the night we eventually became friends and he pretty much just hung out at our table the whole time. We then decided that it was officially tradition to come to this restaurant at the end of every term and have Tyler as our waiter (even though he only was one time we went there). This time however we had our new favorite waiter named Erik F. (who also happened to be a friend of Tyler's, crazy right?) Here he is taking our orders and checking my ID for the first time!

This is me after I ordered an Agave Fruit Punch margarita on the rocks. Which was delicious by the way!

After dinner we went back to school where my fantasticly wonderful friends had a delicious cake waiting for me. It was an ice cream cake with red velvet cake and "birthday cake" ice cream from Cold Stone! Which we then ate off of Spiderman plates and napkins that my mom sent up to Lisa along with decorations and, you guessed it Spiderman loot bags! I am only turning 21 after all...

So to everyone who made my birthday so fantasic, I would like to thank you! It was a great night and I appreciate everything you guys do for me! I love you all and can't wait for the next person's birthday to celebrate!!