Saturday, October 29, 2011

Kitchen Gadgets

A little bit ago Jake and I purchased a new blender.  Well, not a new blender, but a used one that's new to us.  It's a Ninja, so it's got blades all up the inside!  Super cool, and not a bad deal at 40 bucks!  Anyways, since we've purchased said blender, we've gone smoothie crazy!  We're drinking some right now!  Plus, working at a shop that sells smoothies all the time, I've learned how to make a wicked smoothie!  My new favorite combo is strawberry/blueberry/cherry with peach nectar!  Nom nom nom

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Chronicle of our Camping Trip

This weekend we went camping at Big Sur.  We decided it would be the best weekend to try because of the holiday. However, things went a little bit awry.  Big Sur has several different camping sites, and we decided on Limekiln (because they allowed walk-ins and they had showers).  Thursday I reserved the camping gear, Thursday evening we went shopping.  Friday morning I worked, and then when I got back, we packed up and went and picked up the gear at about 3:20.  We (Jake, Krystal, Andy, and myself) got everything packed into the 2 cars and we got on the road.  First we couldn't find ice for the coolers, then by the time we found ice it was already getting kind of late.  We FINALLY got on the road at about 4:50.  The gps estimated that we'd get to Limekiln by 6:05.  With traffic, and us stopping once to take pictures, we arrived at about 6:35.  I REALLY HAD TO PEE. But, the campsite was full and so we were locked out!  Now, all of the other Big Sur campsites were 45 minutes back the other way!  Somehow we had managed to pick the last one!  We found a small shop on the side of the road where I could pee, and there we re-grouped.  We decided to stop at all of the campsites on the way back, but everybody was already full!  We planned to go on home and try again the next day, but then by chance decided to stop at the very last camping ground, just to see if they had room!  And, they did! They had only a couple of spaces left, so we stopped.  By that time it was almost 8:00, and it was dark.  And cold. But, the boys found us a spot, and we set up camp.  We had to carry all of our shit quite a ways, and it was exhausting!  Also, we didn't have any firewood so it was coooooold!  It was past 9 at that point, we hadn't had any dinner, we had very little heat (just some charcoal in the pit with whatever little sticks the boys could find that weren't wet) and we were exhausted!  But, once we warmed up some stew that Andy had made and made up all the beds and stuff, it was so much more fun!  We roasted some marshmellows and went to bed! Andy read us a fairytale and we fell asleep.  In the night I heard coyotes around us twice, and it was kind of scary.  We awoke just past 7, made breakfast, and started adventuring!  We went to the river, and then to the beach, and it was awesome!  We had to cross really cold water to get to the beach, but it was worth it.  The waves were so huge, and there were cliffs and mountains around.
Since the campsite that we chose was more like a field with spots to camp in and not very secluded, we left the camp in search of a new one!  However every other single camping site was full!  So, we just came home!  Camping FAIL!

Next time, we decided to make reservations, be more organized, and execute the plan better. But, it was a beautiful drive, and it was fun while it lasted.   Here are some pictures from our trip!


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

October!

I just have to say - October is the best month of the whole year.  It's the quintessential fall month!  The air just smells better.  I think that it's the most magical month of the whole year, and I'm determined to enjoy it to my fullest capacity!  I'm going to miss the leaves changing in NC, and that makes me sad!  But, I still love CA!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Employed!

I finally have a job!  I never actually applied there, I just gave them my number and they hired me!  It's at a place called DLI Cafe, and it's on the Post, so it's super convenient.  I already worked my first day, and I work again Thursday.  The pay is higher than what I got at home, but the cost of living out here is higher than at home.  I'll probably only work 3-4 days a week, which is perfect because it still gives me plenty of time at home!  I actually really enjoy being home now, and I like the solitude as well.  The kitties and I play and hang out all day, and it's really wonderful.  Today I have to get a TB test for work, which I'm a little worried about.  I had it 2 years ago, and it was fast, so I think it shouldn't be too bad.

I'm going to create another facet of my blog called 'Robin Cooks' which will photo document/share recipes that I'm trying.  I have become a more adventurous cook, and keep trying and adding recipes to my repertoire.