Italian Clay Pots

Sorry for the delay all.  The last few weeks have been very busy.  But first, I wanted to get my first craft project of the summer up here!  A few weeks ago, one of my oldest friends in the whole world, Meghan, got engaged to her own engineer nerd (they are the BEST husbands! :)) and has asked me to be a bridesmaid! So, first thing we did was sign up on Pintrest! Yes! I love being creative and crafty!  Not only is it great for wedding planning ideas, but also for everyday things.  Soooo this first crafting project is something I sort of "borrowed" off Pintrest, but I figured it would be super easy to do and would get my herb garden going!

The end result of painting my clay pots.

So... I got these italian clay pots two summers ago when we lived in our tiny apartment, and planted herbs in them.  I killed them off by leaving them out in the cold once winter came back around.  Oops. And I let some dirt sit in them since then.

Before paint.

 I wanted to brighten them up a bit, so I went to the craft store and picked out my three favorite colors...

My favorite colors... a fern green, slate grey, and turquoise

 ... in Ceramcoat paint.  I also got a big fat bristle-y paint brush and a new plastic paint dish.  I ended up painting three coats on each pot, leaving the rims to their natural color.  At first I wasn't so sure about the look the bristles gave the paint, but I ended up really liking it better than the smooth look.

Painted Italian clay pots in grey, blue and green.

I also painted the dishes of the pots, with the intention of mixing them up on purpose for an arts-y end look.  However, it is hard to see the colors on the bottom.  I've been pondering going back and paining the tops of the dishes, but that might be a bit overkill.

Now all I need to do it get some herbs in there!  My Tuscan Blue Rosemary survived the winter! They are pretty tough though, hard to kill.  Good thing though, I love to cook with rosemary.  This one is still young... it can only get bigger from here!

Busy Bee Barista!

Just a quick update on my professional career!  This year, we have made it a company goal to get the managers up to speed in the barista world.  This year, we are lucky enough that the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) will be hosting their annual Event in Portland this year.  Which means that we are making big plans to attend, and to use this opportunity to make leaps and bounds in the way we do things at Coffee Culture.  One of the things we will be doing at the Event is taking the certification test for Level 1 certification through the SCAA and the Barista Guild of America (of which we are now members.)  We have begun our studies already, by first taking an online Webinar on Customer Service.  We will be training with Nathanel, who is the trainer at Portland Roasting, to prepare us for the written and practical parts of the test.   We will also be attending classes and lectures to learn about ways to better ourselves and our shops!

We are also lucky enough that our roaster, Portland Roasting, was named Roaster of the Year by Roast magazine.  This may sound silly, but it is a prestigious award.  They plan on celebrating by having a block party on one of the nights during the Event weekend.  They are a friendly, fun group of people and I am looking forward to meeting many of the people that I talk to on the phone all the time.

So, between getting Coffee Culture registered as a cafe with the SCAA, getting the management signed up with the SCAA and Barista Guild, and getting certified as a PRO barista, it is a big year for our company and for me!

Spring Tour: Medford

On the road againnnnnn... 

This last weekend we went to Medford to visit my sweet Nana.  When we left our house in Corvallis, it was pouring down rain. But as we drove along, we caught a glimpse of blue sky.  It was kind of weird.  So I took a picture!  The double light there is my phone's flash, not two suns. :(  

We actually didn't do a whole lot while we were there, which was actually a nice of change.  I read most of The Help (if you haven't read it, do!), and watched a marathon of NCIS, one of Nana's favorite shows.  Dave and I tried to go run, but I was cramping up really bad. But, while there and staying in Aunt Candy's old room, I decided that I needed proof that this toilet DOES exsist!

And the matching sink exsists too! (By the way, these are both BRIGHT yellow, to match the tub, walls, and carpet of the bathroom.)

I just had an idea!  Next time I go to Nana's, I will take pictures of other, random details of that house, just so I have proof, for others and future Jess.  

So, it was wonderful to spend so much time relaxing, and not doing much.  Dave started Spring term on Monday, and I an getting ready to take my certification test in a few weeks.  I will try to take lots of pictures at training on Monday.  

Seattle Trip! Second Weekend of Spacks Spring Tour

Downtown Seattle from "old" Nuun Headquarters on Capitol Hill

Hey everyone!  Yes, things are going well now (well, sorta).  This weekend we went to Seattle to visit friends for a birthday and fundraising event.  Our friends Trista and Tyler are on a Team in Training for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Basically, they compete in triathalons and host fundraisers for caner research.  For her birthday, Trista hosted a fundraiser at Tyler's workplace in downtown Seattle.  So the boys and I packed the car Friday night and drive up to their house!  Saturday we spent the day setting up for the event and playing around downtown (there was lots of good coffee, ice cream, and people watching).  The Capitol Hill area is very "hipster."  Lots of bicycle riders, tattoos, art, and culture. The event itself was really fun, they did raffles of cool running gear, Nuun and water bottles.  They held an auction and played Mega Twister.  It was hard for Dave though, because the entire night his allergies were getting the best of him.  We figured out that it was something inside the old building that was making him so miserable.  But we had fun though.

Sunday we got up, had delicious breakfast, and went over to our friends Ben and Lin Becker's house.  They were the adorable couple that did the photography for our wedding.  They recently moved back to the Seattle area, and are getting settled in at their new house.  We had some leftover beer from Saturday night, and it was a beautiful day, so they boys got to being goofy.  Spontaneous house warming party!

Standing on the front steps, giving thumbs up to people driving by.

They are the best friends that any of them could have.

Bailey, Lin's parents dog, was visiting too, and decided she wanted to be a pretty flower, so she sat herself right down in the middle of the flower bed.

And finally, the part of the day that made me almost pee my pants.  Romo, being the evil genius that he is, decided it would be funny to put Ben's yard bin near the street and pop out of it to surprise the busy car traffic going by.  The part funniest to me is his delivery...

Dave tried it too...

These guys are so much fun to be around!  I don't know where I would be without any of them... especially the confused bear... ;)

We loaded up the car and drove home and hour or so later...

So that was our weekend.  It was pretty fun.  Our Spring tour continues this weekend with Donna and Kent coming to visit, and next weekend when we visit Nana's house in Medford.  The plan is to see Dad and Jacka too, but Jackie was admitted to the hospital Saturday night for observation and evaluation.  She isn't doing so hot. (So if you have her number, call her or text her!  It would lift her spirits!)  I have been calling her twice daily, and hopefully they will release her soon enough to come see us!

Why J.Spacks is sad today...

First of all, I woke up to this...

 

Yes... freaking snow.  All. Over. Everything.  Yes it is beautiful. Peaceful. Clean (looking).  All fine and dandy at Christmas time.  But for the second day of Spring?!  At the end of March?!  I think not.  I was super depressed by it.  When the sun is out I am the HAPPIEST camper on earth.  But then, when it starts to rain again, I get bummed out.  I couldn't help it; I got off on the wrong foot today.  I just keep telling myself that in a few months I will be in Orlando, hugging Micky and Minnie and drinking Butter Beer with Harry Potter.  This helps, along with lots of other happy thoughts (see end of post.)

Second thing that got me down today, a rude customer named Richard.  Long story short (okay not so short...), the guy has bi-polar disorder and is schizophrenic, which makes him a bit unstable.  He has taken it upon himself to get involved in the lives of the girls at the other location closer to his house.  (He's lonely.  I get that part.  But that fact doesn't mean we are getting paid to listen to him rant.  We are professionals, and we get paid to make espresso drinks.) Gina, one of our girls, is roommates with 2 of the girls at the Timberhill location, so he has decided to know everything about her.  She made the mistake of accepting his friend request on Facebook. Now, he knows what she is studying in school, what her boyfriend's name is, what he is studying, has shown up to her boyfriend's wrestling meets, etc.  So now, everyone once in a while, he comes by the shop looking for her, and makes rude comments when she isn't there.  Then talks loudly, and way too long at, all the other employees (except me, he already learned that lesson).  So today, he came in looking for G, and when I said she wasn't there, he said "Oooo too good to work!  Gina doesn't work enough."  Excuse the following French, but that just pissed me right off!  How dare he talk about her in that way?!  But I had to put it in perspective: he wants her attention, he wants all of our attention, and when he doesn't get it, he gets mean.  He really made me mad though... Gina was taking a final exam for school.  Eff him if he thinks he can talk about people like that and get away with it.  I usually go in the back and "do dishes" while he is in the shop, just in case I end up loosing my cool.

Then a regular's husband said some thing rude, but was "just kidding."  I almost started crying at that point.

After work I went to the grocery store.  I don't really like the grocery store.  I love food, but the store takes my money from me.  And sometimes can be frustrating with a hungry, indecisive husband at hand.  But going alone, when I'm not super hungry was manageable. AND it's quiet in the middle of the day, so I don't have to deal with people.

 (Mind you... it's still snowing, and now it is starting to stick pretty good.) 

After getting home and relaxing I felt better.  Got Dave home and fed him.   Dave left again to take a final.  So I tried to Skype with my sister.  Most every time, this always makes me feel better no matter what is going on.  But today, it got me to crack open a bottle of wine (that's not a good thing... I'm trying to loose some weight and eat healthier... drinking from the bottle doesn't help any of that...)  I love my sister. Very much. Beyond the descriptive word choices the English language gives me.  But I can tell that she is having a hard time.  And I want to help.  But it REALLY hurts my heart when I try to give advice to help ease any anxieties or worries she might have and she attacks me.

I'm what my mother termed very well, "a mother hen."  I'm the oldest child in my family.  Now, I have a total of three younger sisters, a niece with another niece/nephew on the way, and eight girl employees that I love and look after like younger sisters.  I love lots.  I have LOTS of love to give.  And most days, I am giving that love to my family and my husband.  I really want to help all my girls (and Dave) when the need it the most.  Everyone knows that my house is safe and everyone is welcome.  I want to help them feel better, to help them feel loved and to treat them the way I would want to be treated.  It really hurts my heart when I try to give someone love and affection and they turn it on me.  Twist my words.  Make me feel like I was wrong to try and give them that love and advice.  I don't know what to do.  I don't know how to react.  What do I do?

The best answer I can come up with is to wait. And keep loving.  Maybe that is all I can do.

So that was Jess' crappy snow day.  I must keep focusing on the positive!  Run!  Stay healthy!  Going to Seattle (hopefully, weather permitting) this weekend!  Going to Medford next weekend to see my sweet Nana!  Annie is moving back in May!  Running a half-marathon (yes, you read that right) in June! Maybe another in July!  Going to ORLANDO in July!  Baby Carpenter in August!  So many things to be looking forward to and working for.  These are the moments that are most AWESOME in one's life.

Shamrock Run! (First trip of the Spack Spring Tour)

I did it! Yay!

Even though the "after" picture above is super unflattering, I felt great in it!

Yesterday I ran the 8k Portland Shamrock Run.  I have always wanted to do it, but have never been brave enough. This year, a few of the girls from work were going to do it, so I decided to give it a go!  I signed up for the 8k, thinking I may be able to finish it.  I have been training since signing up in January, and have reached the point where I can run 6 miles easily, although I am not very fast... at all.

So yesterday was the big day.  After working really hard all week, and spending all day Saturday working, driving, checking into our hotel, picking up race packets, having dinner with friends, going to bed late because we were up giggling all night, then running Sunday morning, I was pooped!

Here is what our hotel room looked like right before bed... The purple sleeping pad in the lower left is where I slept.  Next to me on the floor was Kasie in the middle, and Jenna is there texting on her phone with the white blanket.  On the roll-away was Kirby (yes, that is blocking the door to our room...)

This picture is just a continuation... there's Jenna again in the lower left, with Zoe and Gina on the pull-out couch.  Behind where I was standing was the "bedroom" where Lisa and Rachel shared a bed.  Bodies everywhere!


My goal for the race was to do the distance in under an hour.  For me, that's fast.  We all started out together at the start line, but since I am a turtle, and many of the girls run like hares, it ended up being me and Jenna running together.  We chugged along at a steady pace, and half the time if felt like we were dodging people instead of moving forward.  There were SO many people!  There were 32,000 (yes, THOUSAND) people that participated (there were 4 events, a walk, 5k, 8k and 15k).  SO many people!

According the timing chip they gave me for the race, I did it in 57:31, making my pace 11:35.  Not very fast, but I beat my goal!

I still have yet to figure out when my next race is , but I need to sign up soon!  We shall see!

This post brought to you by Runners' High!

Yes, Runner's high indeed!  If you have ever been a runner, or played sports, then you may know what I'm talking about!


(For those of you who don't, the official definition: a feeling of euphoria that is experienced by some individuals engaged in strenuous running and that is held to be associated with a release of endorphins by the brain; Merriam-Webster told me so...) Haha, after reading this I also realized that it is said the same endorphin release happens when people get tattoo'd. Fortunately, running is cheaper and generally less painful. I wish runner's body was just as permanent as a tattoo though... :)


Lately I have been running, a lot.  I have been training to complete the Shamrock Run in Portland, which is this Sunday!  I am signed up for the 8k (which is about 4.97 miles).  Somehow, between the time I signed up for the race in January and now, I had somehow convinced myself that an 8k is 5.97 miles. So, long story short, I have been running lots and pushing myself to get up to about 6 miles for a comfortable run.  I went to the race website today and found myself pleasantly surprised that I am ready to run 6 miles, rather than just 5.  Whew!  That makes me feel better, but also makes me feel SUPER PROUD of myself!


When I am running a longer distance, I find my mind wandering.  I often try to plan out blog posts. I entertain myself by writing them out in my head, about how good it feels to run, what emotions I go through, and what I might change for next time.  But by the time I get back, I forget to sit down and type it out. It's probably a good thing though, if I tried to write after a run I may find myself over-using the (!) with every sentence, and rambling about random things.


So, with the race being this weekend, I need a new race to sign up for... suggestions?! (Dave says half-marathon... I told him I would think about it...)