PBJ Gets a Make-Over and Cinetopia

Today was the first day of my 9 day break from everyday life.  It was supposed to be a much more elaborate affair, however, the universe had other plans and I decided that simpler was better.  So "Stay-cation" it is.  I've been working hard this summer learning my new job and a brain-break was in order.  For the next 9 days I get a break from everything and a chance to enjoy some Crazy Fun with my best girl.  Today's adventure was pretty low key.  There were some things I wanted to get done around our apartment and then I thought a trip to the new movie theater would be fun.
First on the to-do list this morning was the farmer's market.  Beaverton, OR has one of the best farmer's markets in the country.  Lots of fresh produce, entertainment and some of Portland's best food carts.  I had been up a while and by the time I arrived I was hungry.  Usually, I'm rushed through and not really able to browse or sample some of the fine food.  Today that was not the case.  I decided to try something I had been looking at longingly these last couple of months and I was really excited.  PBJ's is a food cart from NW Portland that sells different varieties of grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Let me tell you something, PBJ has ALWAYS been a favorite of mine and these fine folks have taken the humble childhood favorite to a whole new level!  I had the Oregonian, a delectable treat made on fresh Callah bread with Marionberry jam, Rouge River Blue Cheese and Hazelnut butter.  The whole thing grilled to perfection so that the ingredients blend together in a tasty treat that sends your taste buds to the heavens.   I'll be visiting these fine folks at least weekly as they are located on NW 23rd between Lovejoy and Kearny within walking distance of Good Sam.  They are also very reasonably priced.  My sandwich checked in at $5.50.  For what it was, it was well worth every single penny.  The owner and I joked that a nice pinot would be very tasty with this sandwich and it had to be 5:00 someplace right?
Our other adventure was to Cinnetopia to see Cowboys and Aliens.  The theater is very nice and offers dining options but those are limited for the under 21 crowd.  We ended up in the large screen theater for our movie and it was so loud that we ended up bailing for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2.  I'm sure that Cowboys and Aliens is a fun flick, but honestly we would have been hard of hearing by the end and it also seemed a little on the violent side for a PG 13 movie.  Really?  Not a good choice for those under 15.  Harry Potter was much better and even thought the theater was smaller the seats were comfy and of course it's a great movie!!  However, if given the choice again, I'd probably go back to Bridgeport to the Regal Cinema.  Better seating  options and cheaper.  No offense to Cinetopia they were so nice to let us switch theaters, just seemed a little spendy for a movie theater.
Tomorrow we are off to OMSI for $2 Sunday and a few more chores around the house!  Cheers everyone!

Summertime and and Old Pot

Summertime has FINALLY arrived in the Pacific Northwest.  The last time I posted, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever get here.  The rain and chilly weather just seemed to drag on, and then just shortly after the 4th of July it began to warm up.  Our trips to the pool began to increase and before I knew it, the beautiful blue sky of the Oregon summer was showing up on a daily basis.  You have to have visited this wonderful state in the summertime to be able to visualize the cerulean shade I'm talking about.  Take the Cerulean Crayola Crayon to white paper and you will see what I see everyday.  It's amazing.  We have no humidity so the sky is this color from early morning until the sun begins to set in the evening.  It's one of the best parts of our summers here.  Our winters are not for the "seasonally disaffected".  It usually rains from Halloween  until the 4th of July.  It's maddening sometimes.   I often have to seek sunshine in February or March so that I can last until summer.  The beautiful blue sky that signals summer is here is a welcomed sight.   Our temps have been lovely as well.  Ninety is a long shot at this point and  I am very grateful for that as we do not have AC.

Besides the weather, the other part of Summertime in Oregon that is absolutely wonderful are the berries.  This is berry heaven.  Every variety you can ever imagine is grown in this great state.  Because summer arrived so late  means that the berry crop will not peter out anytime soon.  Strawberries are just finishing up.  The "seascape" variety is at the height of its season and they are really tasty.  The "queen" of the strawberry set are the "Hood" variety originally grown on the slopes of our very own Mt. Hood in the Hood River Valley.  These little berries are just as sweet as can be and are much anticipated.  Then come the Willamette Red Raspberries which to me taste like pure sunshine.  If the sun had a taste it would be these little gems.  Then my favorite the Marion Blackberry.  God's reward for living in the Great State of Oregon.  This is my reward for surviving the yucko wet winter.  There are of course other varieties of blackberries, but none of them are as sweet and wonderful as the Marionberry.  There are also Loganberries, and Boysenberries and black raspberries as well.  August brings us the hearty Blue Berry which lasts until almost September.  Then alas, berry season is done and the long days of summer are not  to last much longer.  Seems a shame. :(   My daughter and I discovered the joy of berry picking this year and as it turns out, $1.25 per pound was a wonderful surprise in these tough economic times.

This year our berry season will go on and on.  Last winter my mother sent me a pot.  As soon as I saw the pot I remembered it.  This was one of the many pots that my dear little Meem Mom used to cook her fabulous mashed potatoes and other delights of my childhood.  I'm sure she used it to make her famous Beach Plum Jelly and this year we have made jam in it.  My Aunt Candy sent me a wonderful cook book for my birthday last year.  In it, is a marvelous recipe for homemade jam.  There are only natural ingredients in this jam.  The fruit pectin comes from a shredded green apple, skin and all.  It cooks down with the fruit and jells it naturally.  My daughter and I dubbed July "July Jam Month."  The first batch was strawberry and the event was "The First Annual 4th of July Jam  - Star Spangled Strawberry".  This was followed by "July Jam's  Razzle Dazzle Raspberry" and ending with "July Jam's  Ma-velous Marionberry."   August will find us ankle deep in blueberry syrup  for our winter pancakes and waffles and Bread and Butter Pickles.  All of these lovely treats to be whipped up in "The Pot".   Our garage shelves will be full of goodies from the summer when the rains come and the cold winds blow.  We'll open up those jars and just for a little while we will remember the beautiful blue sky, berry picking on a warm sunny summer day,  evening kickball games, swimming in the pool, and all the wonderful things that remind us of Summertime in Oregon and we will look forward to next summer!
Cheers!

The Dragon's Way

Today, I had a proud mother moment.  For the last year my daughter has been studying Chung Kuo Chuan, an ancient Chinese martial art.  It is older than Kung Fu which is the form that most people are the most familiar.  Chung Kuo Chuan means "Chinese Boxing Form, and both of us have learned so much.  My daughter has studied and practiced and sparred.  It has been a big commitment on her part, and she has embraced it whole heartedly.  My daughter was born in Northern China in the provincial capital of Liaoning - Shenyang.  Just about a year ago she was searching for something that could provide a connection to her heritage.  She wanted something Chinese that could be all hers.  Something she could study and practice and would provide a bridge to her homeland.  That first day she tried it out was amazing.  She was a totally different person.  The "dragon" inside my daughter leaped out and neither of us have been the same since.  It seems to have become an extension of her person.  

Her sifu or teacher is Master Clark, a 6th degree Chung Kuo Chuan Black Belt.  He is patient, encouraging and totally great with his students.  He helps his students to become not only disciplined martial artists, but also the best people that they can be.  My daughter has always been on the shy side, but this last year has been amazing.  I have watched her confidence grow by leaps and bounds.  She speaks up and looks you in the eye and the shyness is just a mere memory.  When she walks into the Dragon's Way Kwoon or school she becomes a martial artist.  She is all business and trains hard.  There aren't many nights that she isn't soaked in perspiration.  It's a tough workout, but it has done so much.  

Today she took her third test and at the end received her Orange belt. (Every time she takes a "belt" test she starts all the way back to her White belt and moves through the information in each one.) The easy stuff is behind her.  Now the real training starts.  She gets her hands on her first weapon in this belt - the bow staff.  Everything is kicked up a notch, but I know she's ready.  This tiny girl from Shenyang defies gravity when she leaps in the air.  Her grace and ability are a thing of beauty.  I'm so excited and proud of her and I know Master Clark is too.

Time Out - Take Time to Relax

Summer is finally in full swing at my house.  My daughter started her first camp today, golf camp, and we both have started our summer reading lists.  You would think that we would be just exhausted from the school year and wanting to just lay low and recoup, but it seems like Summer is "Having Fun - At Break Neck Speed."  We need a "Time Out."

We went to the Oregon Coast over the weekend to visit a friend who recently retired and moved in to her beach cottage.  Just about the time I'd sit down and get comfy in a chair with a book, my daughter would come along and say "Come on Mom, let's go to the beach, or Let's throw the football."  Yikes.  I finally put my foot down and said "Enough! Relax kiddo!"  One of the reasons I love going to Gearheart is that I don't have to worry about jumping up and cleaning something, or running an errand or being Mom's taxi service.  I think we often fill every minute with something instead of filling downtime like weekends with nothing.  

This summer I'm letting my daughter go to a couple of different camps, but I'm also making her take a week off in between each one in the hope that she will let herself relax and enjoy her summer by going to the pool and relaxing with a book or a picnic in the park.  She loves to go, go, go, but I want her to learn to stop, just every now and then, so that when school starts again in the fall she doesn't wonder what happened to her summer.  

Our family is going on vacation in August for two weeks.  One of the two weeks I'm going to the beach EVERY SINGLE DAY - period.  I'm taking the beach umbrella, a cooler and my beloved beach chair.  The only activity for those days will be an early morning walk and moving my beach chair to suit the sun and the tide.  I'm going to read and just enjoy being home.  The second week, we are planning a trip to Washington DC and some other fun stuff.  I don't want to come back to Oregon and wonder what I did on my vacation.  

This weekend, 4th of July, is all about Jam and sitting by the pool and cooking out.  I'm going to take at least one "time out" every day to just enjoy being off.  Isn't that the point of a long weekend? Listen up kids... YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO, GO, GO  ALL SUMMER LONG!  It will be over before you know it - 104 days is all.  Enjoy it, because before you can blink an eye, you will be out of school and going to work EVERYDAY and you will miss those 104 days A LOT.  It gets pared down to 2 weeks. That's not a lot.  I know I miss summer vacation and some day I'm going to find a job that will allow me to have those 104 days back.... Hey I can dream, right?!  :)  Have a good summer.

Last Day of School Memories

  Tomorrow is the last day of school for most kids here in Oregon, my daughter included.  When I was little the last day of school was always a good time.  My daughter has a full day ahead of her.  We only went to school for just long enough to pick up your report card and tell all your friends, " See ya in September!"  Then the adventures of summer began!  My mom always took the day off and we'd go to Rehoboth and get hotdogs and french fries at Louie's or Grotto Pizza.  Then we'd walk on the boardwalk or if it was warm enough, we might go to the beach.  I always remember that being a very fun day.  Even when I got older,  it was still fun.
  Tomorrow my daughter will "fly up" to middle school.  A big deal indeed.  Her teacher is retiring after 45 years of teaching.  He told me that in the fall he would be headed back to his native Australia.  I'm not certain if he's going back for good or just for an extended vacation.  My daughter wanted him to have a present so she picked out some pens made from recycled water bottles and a leather bound journal that he could write about all his travels in.  The best part she thought was that it would fit right in his back pocket.  I felt like this was her best year of school so far.  Mr. Seggie was indeed revered and achieved "Rock Star" status early on in the year.  I thought the gift of a journal was especially sweet since he just raved about my daughter's math journal all year long.   I wonder what he's thinking about on this eve of his retirement?
  I feel  a little bad that I'm not off tomorrow or Friday, but we will do our celebrating next weekend.  We are taking a trip to the Oregon coast to visit our good friend Pat, who just recently retired and moved into her beach house.   We will ride bikes, maybe take a hike or two and spend time just enjoying our beautiful Oregon coast.  The town where we are going reminds me a lot of Lewes back in the day.  Before all the T-shirt stores, fancy shops and restaurants.  It's like the Old Lewes, when the last day of school was a big deal, and us kids were so excited to be free for 100 days!
Happy Last Day of School to all you "kids and kids at heart" out there.  The best 100 days of the whole year are about to begin!

New Beginnings: The Real High Cost of Healthcare

As many of you already know I am no longer a "hands on nurse."  This was my second official day in Nursing Administrating.  So far so good.  I was really nervous about giving up clinical practice, but after today, I decided that it's ok.  I can use all that knowledge that I've worked so hard for the last 17 years (I'm counting nursing school in there) and put it to really good use.  My official title is Sr. RN Charge Capture Analyst and today I felt like I proved that I was worthy of such a lofty title.  It was so nice to be respected for all that I know and looked to when trying to wade through some very complicated surgical procedures. I've never been prouder of the job I'm doing.  I remarked once that I was going to use this job to try and untangle the health care debacle one surgical record at a time.  Surgery is a huge money maker for a hospital, but I think sometimes we tireless healthcare workers, and I'm talking about my colleagues who are elbow deep in it everyday, are often blamed for the high cost of what happens when we enter the hospital to be treated for what ails us.  Honestly, I swear it's not us.  We are there helping to make our patients better and looking in every nook and cranny for cost savings to pass on to them.  Now I get the chance to prove that by the job I'm doing.  I'm still looking in every nook and cranny for cost savings for our patients.

Oddly enough, it's not the band-aids and the everyday items that are expensive and drive up the cost of health care it's the pens and the do-dads that the sales reps from the drug and gadget companies hand out to the nurses and doctors that are part of the rising cost of health care.  I know it sounds crazy, but if you look at the cost of pens, flashlights and key chains (I'm talking about the good ones) you'll see.  It adds up.  I don't take those things from the reps.  Some people call it "advertising", I think it's like "nurse/dr. crack".  The reps bring in a swanky pen for everyone and there you go -- it takes $$ to purchase those things, even in bulk and guess who pays?  Yep, the cost of the gadget or drug gets passed on to the patients, and that includes the "advertising."  My health system might just have eliminated the pen problem, because we just implemented an electronic charting system called Epic, and it is.  It's so much easier to account for everything and I know in the long run it will save our patients money. Incorrect charges can be immediately identified and corrected before the patients ever get the bill.  Hopefully,  when they get their bill, it will be easy to read and hopefully accurate as to amount.  So the next time you are in the drug store and some drug company is handing out pens, just say no thanks.  Sooner or later they'll get the message, and maybe if enough health systems adopt an electronic charting system like Epic then pens will become obsolete in the medical profession and we can all rest easier when we have to go to the hospital!
Cheers!

Summertime

We are about to jump into my favorite season - Summer.  It is already summer where I grew up.  Temps in the high 70's  - low 80's with sunshine etc, and of course the weekend warriors driving down from Philly and over from DC to enjoy the Delaware beaches.  When I was growing up the official start to summer was Memorial Day Weekend. My mom would break out her white shoes, and purse, as well as pants, as did Dad.  They were stylin' let me tell you.  It used to take the whole month of June to get warm enough to even think about starting our favorite family sport known as Olympic Beach Sitting.  That entailed packing up a  picnic lunch,  and  the Coppertone suntan lotion - the mere thought of it makes me think of that wonderful smell - it was the smell of summertime. I liked #4. We also packed up the beach umbrella, a cooler of Shasta sodas and usually a bag of Fritos.  Once we got to the beach mom and dad would give me some change to go to the snack bar and get pixie sticks and Lance crackers.  I always got new flip flops and a new bathing suit, and of course we'd have to visit Mr. Frank Fox's 5 & 10 for new sand toys, bucket & shovel and watering can.   Summertime was wonderful.  We loved the beach.  Olympic beach sitting was so much fun.  After we got there, we'd stay all day long.  If you got sunburn, you'd put zinc oxide on your burnt parts and sit under the umbrella with a t-shirt on.  We'd go home as the sun was going down.  Sometimes we'd go later on in the day and stay and go water skiing in the evening.  Dad would trot up to the Dairy Queen and get hamburgers and hotdogs and my uncle would bring his boat around and the adults would ski and the kids would splash and play at the water's edge.  Those were good times!  We didn't worry about much back then.

Here in Portland things are a bit different.  Summer is usually delayed until the 4th of July, but after that look out! It gets warm and bright.  Sunshine everyday and it stays light out side until after 10 at night.  Even when it's a nice hot day (high 80's) I still usually have to warm up in the hot tub before we head home because it cools off so fast. Humidity is just non-existant here.    Kaysie and I are fortunate enough to have a nice pool where we live.  It's one of the big reasons why we have been here for so long.  Instead of beach sitting, we do Olympic Pool Sitting.  We pack up snacks and a cooler of drinks and the waterproof UNO cards, and we stake out our spot.  For the first few years we camped out at the umbrella table in the shallow end.  Now that Kaysie is a very good swimmer/diver/flipper we camp out at the umbrella table at the 5' end of the pool.  Sometimes we go early and stay until dinner time, sometimes we go later and stay until dusk and cook out on the gas grill that our community has for its residents to use.

Tonight we made the pilgrimage to buy our stock of summer bathing suits, cover up, flip flops new pool towels, suntan lotion and swimming goggles.  There was also a waterproof football and Kaysie wanted her own pool bag.  I put a bottle of #4 Coppertone Suntan lotion in the cart for later in the summer when I'm a little browner and can afford the #4 SPF.  I took the cap off when we got home and inhaled that wonderful smell...that smell of Summertime and decided that I'm very glad it's here - even if it's only for the weekend!