Geocaching

For a few years now, I've wanted to try geocaching. For those who are not familiar, it's basically like an Easter egg hunt for adults. People hide a container in a location, then they post the gps coordinates online, and people can go look for the container. Dan and I decided to finally give it a try today.

We set off with a list of caches (the term for the locations/containers) that were relatively close to our house (within about 15 minutes). We had a lot to choose from.

From 2010-05-02

As you can see from our notes, some the locations have clues and/or hints to help you find them.

We set off for our first location, which is at the YMCA in our parking lot. We looked all over that place, and never found a thing. In fact, we got in a big argument. Needless to say, Dan and I will never go the Amazing Race together because we value our marriage too much. We abandoned the hunt and went to the next spot.

From 2010-05-02

We used Dan's running watch (a Garmin). We looked through all sorts of brush and trees.

From 2010-05-02

Just as we were about to give up I found it! Success! It was tucked in a container that looked like a hide-a-key box. It was wedged in the guard-rail.

From 2010-05-02

Inside, there was a log to sign to prove to the world we had been there (I know the world was worried we had lied about it).

From 2010-05-02

We set off for the next location, which was very close to the first. Realizing that the containers were not hid 5 feet under the brush and dirt, I looked for a more obvious place this time. It was right on a tree. This container was more the size of a band-aid box. There were little trinkets in it you could trade for. We traded a mini set of playing cards for this little guy.

From 2010-05-02

Basically, we wanted a momento to remember the day by. At the next location, I hit my head pretty hard while looking under a bridge. It was at that exact moment that Dan found the 3rd container (his first find), so I feel bad for taking his moment from him. The third container was this little tiny round one, hidden in the knot of a tree. Good thing he was tall enough to reach it.

From 2010-05-02

Our last location was at the bend of a country road. Over the course of the morning, we drove all over and saw a lot of Clark County we had never seen, though all the spots were relatively close to our house. We will be going out again soon. We had a great time together walking around, getting fresh air, seeing sites, and racing to see who would find the cache. On a final note, we went back to the YMCA after we found the other 4 caches feeling pretty confident in our seeking abilities. We still couldn't find that one! Dan and I have told ourselves that some has moved it. It makes us feel better.

This little pig...

Went to market! The Vancouver Farmers Market!

We've been going for a couple of years now. It's very small, but we like it that way. They have both local vendors, as well as vendors/farmers from the east side of the state. They have flowers, produce, arts, jewelry, bake goods, live music, etc...

We always get a bouquet for the apartment. They sell from $5 to $15. We usually go for mid-range bouquet (seven bucks).

From 2010-04-30

I got some fresh parsley for 50 cents. I used it to make some beef pho (Vietnamese rice noodle soup). It's usually made with cilantro, which I hate. I added leeks (from the market), fresh lime juice and jalepenos. It was delicious! Dan ate it and said, "I like leeks!" Mind you, he hates any form of onion. It was my first time using leeks. They really are mild.

From 2010-04-30

I am joyfully gluten free (most of the time joyful, all the time gluten free). Dan is joyfully gluten free (all the time joyful, most of the time gluten free). He does splurge on a few gluten items, including an organic cinnamon roll at the market... he says the ones I used to make taste better :0)

From 2010-04-30

We came home from the farmers market and cleaned of the deck. Some of our herbs weathered the winter including the pineapple mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, and spicy oregano.

From 2010-04-30

Happy Spring!

Healthy America!!!

Daniel and I cheer today for the people of America. We now have health care!!! People can no longer be denied for pre-existing conditions, dropped for getting sick (don't we keep insurance in case we get sick?), and more women will be covered (women are grossly under-covered now).

Mind you, Daniel and I already have health care. I have fantastic insurance, Dan's is OK (we can't afford to have him on mine). My wish is that everyone has my coverage. However, as we all know, working does not equal coverage.

I've worked other jobs, full-time, 40 hours a week, and was given no option for coverage. Also, in college I did not have coverage. Now, adults can keep their kids under their coverage until they turn 26. That gives kids enough time to graduate and find a stable job.

I watched coverage of the debate all day on C-Span (it's one of our "bonus" channels now that we have only 13 channels). Dan came home for dinner and afterward, we watched it some more. We talked about how we fell upon an Obama speech in New Hampshire...

From New Hampshire Trip

From New Hampshire Trip

Picking apples after...

From New Hampshire Trip

At the Obama speech...

From New Hampshire Trip

Good job America!

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

I decided to venture into the gluten free cooking world today. After a month of gluten free, I missed some old favorites, namely, mozzarella cheese sticks. So I whipped up a batch today.

I cut some mozzarella into sticks. Then I used a gluten free flour mix to coat them. I dredged them in an egg and milk mixture and finished them off with gluten free breadcrumbs mixed with seasoning. Here they are before going into the freezer.

From 2010-03-15

I put them in the freezer for an hour to make sure the cheese wouldn't just ooze out of them when I fried them. I fried them on the stove in some canola oil. It only takes about 30 seconds per side (at about 350 degrees). Deep fried goodness...

From 2010-03-15

Crunchy yet gooey...

From 2010-03-15

The last picture is blurry because the steam from the mozzarella stick kept fogging up my camera lense. However, blurr aside, you can see the delicious, melty cheese. Yum.

Do you want anymore baby?

Do you want anymore baby? It's going kind of fast.

That's what Dan said of my popcorn. It really is quite marvelous. All the credit goes to 2 people. First... My mom. Thanks Char! She bought me real popcorn for Christmas. I didn't crack it open until about 3 weeks ago. I've made it 4 times since.

From 2010-03-15

It's been an adventure! Popcorn and kernels fly everywhere. Second credit goes to a food blogger. The stove-top tequnique I use is from Elise. She's a food blogger. Of course, I don't know her, but I read her blog a lot, and that's the name she uses. You can find her at Simply Recipes. She suggest putting a few tester kernels in until they pop... take them out and let the batch fly. It's been perfect every single time!

From 2010-03-15

Holy Moly it's good! Real kernels, real butter, salt...Microwave popcorn tastes like drano compaired to this stuff. And, it's a lot cheaper then store bought stuff. I'll never go back!!!

Seussssan

Seussssan. That's what I heard yesterday. It was my birthday (32 if you are counting) as well as the late, great Dr. Seuss' birthday. I'm happy he shares his birthday with me. My co-workers dubbed it "Seuss-an's Day."

Dr. Seuss wrote a lot of catchy children's books, however, he wrote quite a few progressive books based on adult issues; They still rhyme, have colorful picture and made up words, but they talk about deep issues. Conflicts, resource/earth mangement, hatred, etc... Interesting stuff. My students love our Dr. Seuss study. I highly recommend the Sneetches and the Butter Battle Book.

I received a lot of flowers this year (which I LOVE!). My wonderful sister came through with some of my favorite flowers, tulips. She is solid. I don't like to expect a lot for my day, but I admit, I rely on her to celebrate Halloween and birthdays with. Not that I need a gift from her, but I know she gets excited like I get.

From 2010-03-03

Dan got me an orchid, my teaching team got me a gorgeous bouquet (amongst other gifts) but one of my favorite things was a potted daffodil from a sweet student of mine.

From 2010-03-03

I'm gluten free! No more wheat, barley, rye, etc... I feel a million times better. I'll talk more about it later. For now, know that I still enjoyed a gluten free cheesecake I made. Almond, butter crust. Yum! Dan loved it too!

Thanks to all of you who got me this far!

Back on Program

Dan and I officially started weight watchers again today. Last time we were on program for a little over a month. I lost 6 pounds, was working out, and that's when I got pregnant (which ended with the miscarriage). Here's hoping the diet works again!

Dan is doing points, I'm doing simply filling. He has 34 points a day. We entered in all his food for today and he still has 6.5 points leftover to eat. What a rat!

Menu this week:

Sunday: Ham, Twice Baked Potatoes, Broccoli and Salad
Monday: Steak with Sauteed Onions, Mashed Cauliflower, Salad
Tuesday: Spice rubbed chicken, Green Beans, Brown Rice
Wednesday: BBQ Pork Chops, Pineapple, Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower, Salad
Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Burger (Dan), Sloppy Joe (Susan), Raw Vegetables, Apples
Friday: Will be traveling to the Harbor. Maybe Subway. Maybe we'll pack something.

Made up some black bean soup for my lunches. Dan is eating his roast beef on sandwich thins. Bonus of the week? Found out our sugerfree fudgesicles are 0 points! Yeah!!!