Adventure: Angel Island

Last Saturday I went on my very first "Adventure with Ariane." She should probably start marketing and charging for these tours. We went with Dustin, Kenny, and Nate to Angel Island. We took our bikes (thank you Kenny for having a truck for all of the bikes!) and rode the ferry from Tiburon to the island. Then we rode around the entire island! Ok- it's not THAT big of an island, but we rode around an entire island. :) It was one of those gorgeous Bay Area kind of days, and even though there were some big hills and we learned more about the not-so-wonderful happenings of the Immigration Station (the very discriminatory Ellis Island of the West), it was really a very fun day. Thanks Ari!

I made everyone take pictures by the actual Angel Island sign. This is me, Kenny, and Dustin (pre-bike ride). Ariane always tells me that "if you don't take pictures of it, it didn't happen." So...we have official documentation.

Look at this view! This is (obviously) a self-portrait, but that view! We rode our bikes down to one of the fort areas where there are picnic tables, and this was our view for lunch. Not bad. I will say that the hill was really steep to get down there and I had to keep telling myself, "Just use your brakes. You're not scared. You're not scared." I was, actually, a little bit scared, but I made it down. The power of positive thinking!

I tried to take one of those pictures where you look like you're squishing the bridge. Clearly it didn't work.

This was Nate, Dustin, and Ariane getting ready to ride to the ferry.

Nate, Kenny, Dustin, and Ari on the ferry on the way to the island. Nate and Kenny do NOT look like they are having fun, but I think they did have at least a little fun. :)

I'm sorry Dustin - I had to take this picture. I took it while I was riding because I couldn't pass it up. A grown man with a tiny backpack (I KNOW it was for water, but still) and both pant legs rolled up showing off the high white socks. Classic.

I also took this one while I was riding. I am a very good bike riding photographer. Point and click, baby.

Oooh! This one I took pointing the camera behind me while I was riding. Serious mad skills!

Thanks everyone for a fun day!

"Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton"

Every time I roll in my chair at work I feel like Alex P. Keaton from the TV show "Family Ties." Remember the opening song where they always showed him pushing himself in his rolling chair from his desk to someplace to check the answer in a book and then rolling back again? Anyone? No one remembers that? It's just another one of the weird pieces of television folklore stuck in my head? Ok - I can live with that. But I still see that scene in my head almost every time I roll in my chair.

The Last of the Short-Lived Food Posts

I really thought that I had so much to post about in the area of "food." Turns out...I don't. So here's my last hurrah for now:

This was our Laurels "Un birthday" (non)Tea Party. My contributions: cupcakes with pink frosting and cucumber sandwiches. And pink lemonade of course. We're so fancy. Aren't these girls just adorable?!

Our New Beginnings (a Young Women Program) cake. We had an Olympics theme, so I make a big cake and covered it with fondant and then made fondant olympic rings in the YW value colors.

This is one of the yummiest apple cakes I've ever eaten. Click here for the recipe. I even used my dehydrated apples from my food storage to make it. SO good!

In my other attempt to use my food storage, I tried making a black bean soup. Basically all you're going to get is the picture of the label. Let's just say that even though the apple cake was a success, my cooking with food storage has not yet been perfected. :) I ate the soup, but it wasn't really very good. I'll give it another go another time.

I'm realizing that this is kind of a boring post. However, I'm now at the end of it. So instead of deleting it I'm just going to go ahead and post it. And then go eat Sunday dinner.

The Food Just Makes You Happy!

Last night, as we were exiting the Buckhorn Grill after a FABULOUS meal, we were laughing about who knows what, and someone said, "The food just makes you happy!" What a true statement. So...here are a few posts in an Ode to Food. (Or something like that.)

This was last night at the Buckhorn Grill after we finished our practically free and very delicious meal. They really do have good tri-tip!

Ariane and Alyssa showing off their empty plates.

I was going for a full-belly type smile, but it just kind of came off weak. Oh well.

"How did you get a free meal?" you might ask. Such a good question!

It was totally thanks to a fun adventure that I didn't blog about back in February. Cameron, Ariane and I took a field trip over to San Francisco for the Giants' annual Fan Fest. It was kind of cold and rainy at first, but the clouds finally broke and we were able to enjoy a hot dog in the sunshine in the seats that none of us can normally afford. A little slice of heaven. :)

AND...to get back to my original point, they were giving out free samples of tri-tip along with coupons for free sandwiches. And yes, I walked by twice. Two samples. Two coupons. But let me tell you - it was great for their business, because last night when I redeemed my coupon I upgraded to the combo (excellent mashed potatoes!) AND I'm telling people about how good it was. So, they're glad they gave me two coupons.

Anyway, that's the story. Here are the pictures. Enjoy!

I was a little surprised when I picked up the phone to the bullpen and someone actually answered on the other end! Ok - it was a kid, but we did decide that Zito was done for the day and it was time to bring in Wilson to close out the game.

View from inside the dugout. Though I'm guessing the players can see the field a little more easily when it's actually game day.

Cameron and Ariane as we were waiting for our tour of the clubhouse.

This is the clubhouse. I believe Ari liked to call it the locker room, but whatever. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but I was actually glad to see that it wasn't ostentatious. But very nice. I sat in one of the little locker places, but I don't have that picture. Sorry.

I liked that they give a "Good Guy" award. Way to go!

Important safety tip. Thanks Egon. (Anyone know what movie?)

Motivational I guess. They'd do more of this (winning) if they could ever score some runs.

Do you know who these guys are?! Barry Zito and my all-time favorite Giant as a kid - WILL CLARK!!! I know it's not a great shot, but it was fun to see him in person and listen to a bit of their Q & A session.

Do you know who these guys are?! Me neither. I didn't want to stand in any of the ridiculously long lines for pictures and autographs, so I took their picture from the field. Turns out that #37 is Todd Wellemeyer (the Giants' 5th starting pitcher...for now), and the other two aren't even on the active roster. Oh well!

Ariane in the press box. They really are great seats. :)

It's so fun to go to this. If anyone wants to go next year, let me know!

Literary Adventures at Work

I had to stop and laugh at myself the other day at work. I was in the middle of some mindless filing. You know - pretty much just making sure that things were correctly alphabetized (which I actually think it kind of fun). This left my mind to wander wherever it so pleased. A few minutes into my filing, my boss (a very smart lawyer and businessman) walked into the room to make a copy or something, and I was roused from my daydreaming. It was then that I realized that I am pretty glad that the running commentary that goes on in my head isn't broadcast for everyone to hear (at least until I blog about it). Why? Because THIS was what was in my head (thank you youtube). Go about 1:20 into the clip, and you'll hear what was in my head.

It's a fascinating world inside my little brain.

Any input on any off-the-wall musings you've found yourself in while at work? Feel free to leave them in the comment section. Just for fun, you know.

Bad Hair Day?

Is it a bad sign when you think you've done yourself up alright and your boss walks in and the first question is, "Are you OK?" Maybe my good-morning smile needed to be a little more chipper today. :)

Can Anybody Find Me Somebody To...Date?

For those of you who didn't get this on facebook...

First off, I hope that you heard Queen (or at least Glee's remake of the song) as you read the title of this e-mail. Otherwise it's not funny and doesn't make any sense. Onward...

There are two things in life (ok – definitely more than two, but just go with me on this one) at which I’m not very good: 1. asking for help; 2. dating. I really want to be better at both of these short-comings, so I’m putting them together in this letter. Yes, I am asking for help with dating.

This may seem more than a little unorthodox, but let me explain. In an effort to be a better dater, I set a goal at the beginning of the year. I wanted to go on 24 dates this year. In fact, my unofficial slogan was going to be, “Jenn meets men in 2010.” Catchy, huh? I figured that I could easily find a way to go on two dates per month. As it turns out - that’s easier said than done. So far, we’re mid-way through the 2nd quarter of the year and my grand total is…3. I know – pathetic.

So I’ve decided to swallow my pride (it’s a rather big swallow, let me tell you) and ask for help. Even though I like to think that I can do everything on my own, maybe I can’t. So here comes the question: Will you - family and friends - rack your collective brains to try and think of any nice eligible men that you know who may want to go on a date with me…and then set us up?

:) What do you think?

Let me give a few simple guidelines to help as you ponder this. I’m not trying to be a micro-manager, so just think of these as helpful hints. I’ll keep them short and sweet: 1. active member of the LDS church; 2. somewhere within a five year radius of my age (I’m 31); and 3. not creepy. Yes, I know that these are pretty broad guidelines, but use good judgment. I do reserve the right to be picky when it comes to chocolate, shoes, and marriage. But I’m pretty open when it comes to first dates.

Please know that I’m not asking any of you to find me Mr. Perfect. Maybe just Mr. I-think-he-and-Jenn-might-enjoy-spending-a-couple-of-hours-together-on-a-date. Heck – even one hour. Lunch counts as a date, right? Also, I am willing to travel (within reason) and/or come up with ideas for and plan the dates. (Just FYI - I’ll be in Vancouver BC for a week in June and Boise sometime this summer.)

Really, I just want to give dating my best effort, and I need help to do that. It’s hard to meet people. And kind of scary - if I may be perfectly frank. So I (and I’m sure my parents) thank you in advance for helping my plight. I’ll end now. You all are the best for humoring and helping me. Much love and many thanks, Jenn

If You Need a Good Laugh...

This happened a couple of years ago, but if you ever need something to bring some happiness to your day, go to you tube and search for "Jenn's Big Spill," or just click here. It never gets old. You should definitely listen to my sister's running commentary. It's funnier than my big spill. :) In my defense, it's really hard to ride one of those trike things, that was the first time I'd ever been on one, and though my family knew you weren't supposed to ride it on a hill, they had me try it on a hill.

Enjoy! I hope this brightens your week. :)

Jenn

Adventure: Disney World

At the beginning of March, my youngest brother, David, and I hopped on a red-eye flight and ended up in Orlando, Florida. Our sister Kari lives there and works for Disney World. This was the first trip to Florida for both David and me, and it was FABULOUS!!!!! Kari knows her way around the parks like nobody's business, and we learned to just keep up with her. She was so fast. In fact, when David and I were on the trip home we had a quick connection (that ended up delayed) in Minnesota. As we were flying through the airport, I commented on his lightning speed. He just turned and said over his shoulder, "I've been training for this moment for the past three days." Too true.

We laughed a lot. We ate a lot. We bought matching t-shirts. Basically we had a magical amount of fun.

Thanks to Kari's creative genius, she managed to put three days worth of high-intensity Disney action into a 10-minute video. I think it's worth every minute, but if you're not into seeing other people's vacation footage, don't click here. Otherwise - watch. It will make you want to be in Florida right now.

My only word of caution: Do not - I repeat - DO NOT go on the dinosaur ride at the Animal Kingdom! It is SO scary!!!! If you watch the video you will see pictures of me and David literally trying to get on the floor of the ride to get away from the fake dinosaurs. Terrifying. Every other ride I went on was awesome. :)

Thanks, Kari, for being our fearless leader on this whirlwind trip. Here's to the Trifecta of Fun!

Just for Erin...

I won an award this week. I know! So exciting! Here it is:

Now...don't worry. This award was not given because I am an amazing blogger. It was given in the hopes that I would actually update my blog. So, Erin, thank you. After months of sitting and gathering proverbial dust on the internet, the Adventures of Jenn live again!

In oder to accept this high honor, I am now required to tell all of you faithful followers ten - count 'em TEN - things about myself that you may not know. Drum roll please.

1. I dislike cats. Cats that live in people's homes generally gross me out. The hair. The climbing on counter tops where food is prepared. Litter boxes. Gag me! I can't handle it. The only way I believe that I will ever own a cat is if I live on a large piece of land and the cat can live outside pretty much ALL the time. This will allow the cat to entertain any potential children and also kill any potential mice.

2. I am irrationally afraid of scuba diving. I am an excellent swimmer. I have been a lifeguard and swim instructor. But there is something that scares me to death about the thought of being that deep under water. Also the sharks scare me. The only true panic attack I can remember in my adult life came as we were getting ready to certify for a one-day baby scuba adventure. I couldn't even get through the flip-chart presentation. Bad.

3. It may sound silly, but I love living in Rancho Cordova. Maybe it's because I grew up in Stockton, but I feel totally at home here. Happy. :)

4. Even though I have been home from my mission for almost seven years (yikes! has it been that long?) I still sometimes miss it so much it hurts. I can sometimes feel what it was like to be there. The smells, the weather, the people. It makes me homesick for a country that's not even my home. Funny, huh?

5. Tonight, for the first time in my life, I dipped an Oreo cookie directly into my jar of peanut butter and then ate it. It was pretty much absolutely delicious. It definitely was not the last time I will do that in my life.

6. I'm a horrible dater. I know - shocking, but oh so true. I take set-ups, so if anyone knows any good men out there - let me know. :)

7. I own a safety orange colored couch sack. A couch sack is like a Snuggie, but instead of being a blanket, it has arms and legs and zips up the front. Now...I did not purchase this for myself. It was a gift from a dear friend and roommate when I was living in Utah. And though I probably would never have purchased it for myself, I'm really glad she got it for me! I used to use it in Utah, and that thing was so stinkin' warm. I'd put on a t-shirt and leggings and then the couch sack, and I was so toasty warm. I hate being cold in the winter.

8. I read the April Ensign today, so I am officially prepared to get married. The articles were good. I feel that I have internalized them, and now I'm set and ready to go. Only problem...see #6.

(This is hard! Do I really have to come up with two more things?! Is anyone even still reading?)

9. Sometimes when I run I love to listen to the theme song from the original show "Fame!" I always hope that this song comes up on my ipod when I'm on a trail by myself. This is because when I hear the part when they sing, "Fame!" or "I'm gonna learn how to fly - HIGH!" I feel that I need to leap in the air. Specifically on the words "Fame" and "High." So, if you ever see me running, and I leap and stretch out my arms, it's because I'm listening to this song, believing that "I'm gonna live forever! Baby remember my name. (Remember. Remember. Remember.)"

10. Just like Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality," I really do want world peace.

Erin - how did I do?

More adventure updates soon friends!