Weekend with Janessa

My weekend was awesome.

On Friday I went for a run and crossed the Broadway Bridge (so I ran for probably, like, 2 miles total, but it's baby steps, people, baby steps.) and then my sister-in-law Michelle came over for baking.


I baked that savory vegan birthday cake--with sun-dried tomatoes, dried rosemary, and apple sage vegan sausage. It looked delicious, but I haven't seen Craig yet, so I may eat this one and make another. Round 2 usually tastes better anyway. I also made some mini chocolate cupcakes, and had left-over batter, so added some rum extract and made a chocolate rum cake. I have yet to do anything with those. I think I may have to whip some more stuff up today to bring to the potluck in Washington Park. Michelle made a coconut peanut butter chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and topped with chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut. Wow. For a girl who says she can't bake, she sure blew me away.



After our baking and sampling and giggling, I had a bike date. I met Rob down at the Steele Bridge and we biked down the Eastbank Esplanade to the Springwater Corridor and into Sellwood.

I mapped the journey on ByCycle.org (this site is only in beta version in Portland and Milwaukie, Wisconsin right now, but it's my new crush. It's like mapquest for bike routes.) and learned that it's about 7 miles from my house to Sellwood. Hot and sweaty, we headed into New Seasons, picked up some picnic food, and went down by the water. I had a roasted vegetable sandwich on foccacia with a white bean spread. Pretty good, a little too bready. I also got their edamame salad. Which was light and tasty great little snack.


There were tons of cute dogs! (And a few really ugly ones) I wish I could get a dog. I've got dog envy. Sheesh. Anyway, the waterfront was so beautiful!

We headed back into town to the Slow Bar for a beer (so there went the non-drinking thing. But I felt after a run and biking 14 miles that a beer was extremely necessary.). I had a Belgian White that was DELICIOUS. I wish I could remember what brand, because I'd really like to get it again.
Then we headed to Burn After Reading, the new Coen Brothers movie. Decent. Kinda seemed like a throw-away film though. Nothing too spectacular or redeeming about it really. Rob and I hit up the B Side Tavern after that and then Muchas Gracias--a 24 burrito place on Weidler. Our burritos were delicious and cheap (2 of my favorite things) and after we ate there I heard a bad story about that place. But, like most bad stories about fast-foodish places, it involved meat. Since I will never have a chicken burrito there, I will be back for their bean and rice and lettuce burrito. Mmmmm.



So that was just my Friday! Saturday I went to work, then headed down to the Boiler Room for Melissa Chester's going-away-to-New-Orleans(-a really interesting time to move!) Karaoke Party. I don't usually like the Boiler Room, but it was so much fun this time!

From left: Melissa Chester, her friend Anna, Beth-a co-worker, and Andrea

Oh man. My friend Andy from Portsmouth, England came. Rob came. Ingrid came. Andrea (my dress designer--the one who covered me in duct tape) and our friend Shana came.
The Boiler Room was packed with so many fun people, most of whom were with us (and of course the requsite 21 birthday girl drinking Long Island Iced Teas and her cohorts).

Top: Zhara, Ingrid and I. Below: a big bunch of us

We sang and danced and drank (I had 3--maybe 4?--glasses of wine but felt simply awful in the morning!) and took pictures and just generally had a blast. Got home late, woke up late.

Yesterday, the Day of Rest, I puttered around the house for awhile, took a nap, took a few headache pills for my hangover, and then pulled it together about 2pm. Biked downtown and got a new bike lock from the Bike Gallery, a local bike store. They were very helpful. By the way, it was about 90 degrees yesterday, which by itself is awesome, especialy in Oregon, but when you're biking around and dripping sweat out of every single pore, it can feel not quite so awesome.
Met up with Shelley in the North Park Blocks, who is rocking a new hairstyle and a new bike, and we headed up to Joette's for a BBQ.

Note the tattoo

Lots of yummy food, met some new people, had a nice mellow time.

Shelley and I shared this plate: garden burger with mustard, ketchup, and relish, macaroni salad, pasta salad, spinach salad, blue corn chips, and some spinach dip. I didn't eat the spinach dip, but everything else was good.

Shelley and I left around 5 to meet our friend Dave Pendleton for gelato at Via Delizia, since none of us were drinking. Oh boy. I shared some with Shelley--1 scoop of rum, 1 scoop of tiramisu. First of all, the rum flavor was amazing. Second of all, I haven't consumed that much dairy in quite awhile and my stomach was definetely letting me that it wasn't okay with that decision. Yikes.

We left Pendleton and headed home over the Broadway Bridge. Stopped at my house briefly to lay on the floor and pant, then biked up the Mississippi Hill. I made it all the way up, Shelley had to get off and walk for a bit. That hill is HARD.

We rode up to Vendetta, where I ran into Dan The Fisherman. For those of you who don't know this story, let's just say he's the one who caused me to walk down the street in heels and tears on New Year's Eve, right as the bells were ringing, whistles blowing, and lovers kissing. Ugh. So that was awkward. I shook it off though and Shelley and I ended up playing some killer games of Yahtzee.

Then I headed home and was in bed by 11!

I hope everyone else had a great weekend too. Today is my Sunday. I went for a run this morning (just to the Broadway Bridge, not over it this time) and am going to bake something, then bike over to that potluck this afternoon.