Caffe Milan

Today's coffee house trip was to Caffe Milan. This charming coffee shop stands on the corner of 12th and Fairview. It is relatively new. It is small, but cozy and charming. I had a caramel coconut latte and, oh my goodness! was it amazing! I also had a chocolate chip/orange scone. Also very good. They also serve delectable desserts, soup, sandwiches, breakfast, lunch, bagels, biscotti, muffins, and probably anything else you'd expect a good coffee shop to sell. They have free WI-FI, but we had some trouble getting our computers to connect to the internet. They have tables and comfy chairs as well. It's also a drive-thru, so if you're in a rush and want can't stay it's easily accessible.
I sound like I'm promoting this place, but it really was very good. I think it's my favorite one out of all of the coffee shops we've been to this semester. If you're in Salem, you should check it out...and let me know so I can come too!

I Love Seasons

I love seasons. I love autumn when the leaves begin to change and the wind starts blowing and it's just a little cooler in the evenings. I love the white of winter, or the sound of the rain outside my window while I sleep and the fires that are so inviting to curl up in front of. I love spring when the flowers bud and the sun begins to warm everything, but it's not too hot. But my favorite time of year is when the sun goes down in the summertime. Summer nights are my absolute favorite time of day, season, and year. I love to feel the warm breeze on my face, and hear the crickets and the nocturnal birds sing their songs. I love that it is dark and I'm not cold. I love to smell the warmth that is still left over from the day. I love looking up at the deep blue sky and seeing the stars sparkle by the millions.
Right now I'm sitting outside - the only one on campus on the lawn after the sun's gone down. It could be considered odd, but why would I stay in my room when it's so inviting outside? I know that it is not summer yet, and in a few days the temperatures will fall again and the rains will more than likely return. However, this night is a promise. A promise that spring has ushered winter out and will soon be announcing summer's arrival. I'm reminded of home. The crickets are singing. As I look down the hill from where my dorm stands I can see the city lights of Salem - a scaled down version of the cities surrounding my mountain home. The only thing missing is all those stars...and the smell of the horses nearby.

More Free Food

I've said before how much I love free food. Well, yesterday, my roommate and I were downtown. We walked to the Governor's Cup and bought something to drink (If you like iced tea, you should try their Khan's delight. I'm not certain what is in it, except for mint and rose hips and some other herbs. It's also herbal tea, so if you don't like the bitterness of black iced tea, this is for you! I didn't even put too much sugar in it and I loved it! So refreshing!). Then we mosied by Great Harvest for a free slice of bread. I overheard the other day that they bread they give you is two days old. They can't sell it and who wants to waste it? Besides that, I did make a purchase there the other day. So, I felt no shame in taking ANOTHER free sample.


I did feel some shame about the free caramel/walnut See's candy that I got on our way back to my truck. My roommate did buy something, but I felt a little bad. It was, however, very worth it. I haven't had chocolate in a long time due to my stomach problems, and it tasted SSSSOOOO good!

I won't be going downtown for a few days, so those who are so kind to give out samples will be ride of me for a little while. I do think that I may buy some bread or a muffin at Great Harvest one day soon. I'd hate for them to just throw away all that good bread because one Corban student kept coming in for free food and never bought anything!

'80s Dance Party

How many of you miss the '80s? Yeah, me neither (I was born in '89, but from pictures I've seen and old t.v. shows I'm not feelin' the '80s. Especially the hair. Oh dear!). Well, last night on of the fellowships at my school put on an '80s dance party. Normally I'm not much of a dance party girl. I like small crowds and don't dance very well - especially among a group of people. However, a couple of my friends are on leadership for the hosting fellowship, so I agreed to go. It was actually quite fun. It was very intriguing and enjoyable to watch...and I even went out on the dance floor a few times. I stayed for about an hour and a half and then left because I was really tired and really hungry.
When I arrived back at my room, my roommate and I watched another Carey Grant movie: The Grass is Greener. We weren't sure about this one for a little while. However, the feud between two men over one of their wives ended up being very intriguing. Carey Grant is very clever. Not to mention attractive and a talented actor.

Fence Building and Galloping

I went to bed last night expecting to go for a trail ride today. This morning I woke to a phone call that the trail ride was cancelled, but I was welcome to come out and ride anyways. I mulled over it for awhile. Some friends were going to a softball game and I hadn't been to one yet or hung out with them very much this year. At last, I decided that I would go to Dallas. The weather didn't look promising when I left, but by the time I arrived in Dallas it was much nicer.
Plans changed further when Debbie asked, "Do you want to help me do some fencing?"
"Sure!" I replied eagerly. Manual labor is something I enjoy and I miss it when I sit in a classroom all day everyday.
"Really? Okay."
So, I helped her start building her fence for her pasture. It was a beautiful day and I even got a sunburn on my neck! Most of what I did was just hold the T-posts while she pounded them into the ground. She did have me do one of them and, well, we'll just say that I'm not as strong as I was seven months ago. After about three hours on the fence we reached a stopping place.
I got Chance and we went for a ride. Growing up on a foresty mountain, there weren't really any places to just let the horses run (they're all old camp horses who just want to walk, anyways). There's a nice field behind Debbie's place. After trotting for awhile, it was clear that Chance wanted nothing more than to run as fast as he could. So, I let him. We leapt over a log and ran a couple of strides before he let go of a playful buck. I scolded him and we continued on with no further display of playfulness. It was delightful to have the stolen from me as the wind whipped past us, whistling in my ear. When we came to the gate that led us back onto Debbie's property, I slowed Chance to a walk and we rode for a little while in the field beside her barn. It was so delightful. A very satisfying Saturday.

The Pump Room

For those of you familiar with Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion" you will recall that much of the social aspect of daily life in Bath takes place in The Pump Room.



As a young girl growing up with such a place as familiar to me as the story lines that took place in the above Room, I had never imagined that such a place really existed. Or, if it did, that it was too old to still be standing. Imagine my excitement my as I was fingering through my new book "The Tea Council's Guide to the Best Tea Places in England"

and found a page dedicated to the famous setting of Miss Austen's novels! It has been turned into a luncheon and tea restaurant, but there it still stands with all its history. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine that you are Miss Catherine Morland, meeting the charming Mr. Henry Tilney for the first time. Or (for my male readers) you find an "almost handsome" girl who intrigues you and then wins your heart.
I think it's safe to say that Katie and I will at least visit The Pump Room, regardless of whether or not we have tea there. What place from literature/history would/do you want to visit?

Easter Weekend

I love Easter. I love the colors and the Easter hymns...and the new dress that I always get. As long as I can remember I've had a new dress for Easter Sunday. This year, however, I was simply too busy to go out and buy one until Saturday night. I made a quick trip to Ross and found a couple of cute dresses. They just weren't cute enough to be $20 when I still had a cute summer dress and sweater still hanging in my closet. So there was no new Easter dress this year.
There was, however, the old tradition of a big family gathering (which wasn't quite as big as other family gatherings in my memory) with lots of delicious food and some people that I didn't know who I am related to. A new tradition (I hope. It would be a neat tradition to start) was the presence of some friends with me. Two of my out-of-town friends joined me, one being my roommate. They got to meet the family (I hope they agree to come back some time) and stay the night with me at Grandma Bonnie's house.

We watched a lot of movies yesterday afternoon, coupled with a lot more delicious food. Today we were fed more delicious food and went downtown McMinnville to take some pictures. The weather wasn't certain if it wanted to be raining or sunny, but we were able to get some good shots when the sun was out.



I also bought myself a camera bag for my new camera.


Now I won't have to hold my breath every time I put the old bag down.


It isn't the $60 purse looking bag that I had my eye on at Best Buy. However, the $25 certainly makes up for it.
I guess it's a good thing I didn't get the new Easter dress after all.