Hey everybody!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas these days! Been super cold and raining hard for about a week or so. But I've had a great couple of weeks, everything is movin' and a groovin'!
Thanksgiving was a smash hit, Morgan and I got to visit two different houses, eat tons of delicious food, and catch up with some friends into the wee hours of the night. We had a great week, and even though I worked a lot of the time she was here it was so much fun to see her and show her around my little world. The week itself was exhausting, but full of much needed fun. I also have formulated the ABSOLUTE BEST macaroni and cheese recipe ever. Soooo good, and that went over well at the dinner we went to.
My birthday went fabulously well, ate at a restaurant I've wanted to go to since I've moved here. The food was great, company was wonderful, and had a great night celebrating.
Finished up my final marketing project on Thursday, a 25 page project for one of my classes. Wrapped up my budgeting project as well, and did several presentations over this last week. Just two more days of school and then I'm done with my management classes, looking forward to being back in the kitchen. We get to visit some of the top local businesses in Portland and see their kitchens and back rooms on Monday and Tuesday, so that should be fun. Also, my friend Althea and I are trying to plan a little end of the year party for Tuesday night. I don't have to work, and then no school or work on Wednesday! Yippeee!
Most of all, I'm looking forward to having some lovely days of family relaxation in NYC in just over a week! No school, no work, and my family for 10 whole days! I'm so excited I could burst.
Just wanted to catch everyone up! Hope all is well in everyone's part of the world, things here are just lovely!

-Cait

Well, Well, Well...

It looks like it's about to be Thanksgiving!
-And I have just 7 short days until I am 20 years old. I can honestly say that this year has been the most crazy I've had thus far in my life. Many changes of heart, mind, location, and spirit. I'm proud of the person I am, and can't wait to see what my life has coming for me next!
-It snowed here in Portland last night! Big snowflakes for a good hour or so, but it's all gone. Now it's just super cold, everything is frozen and the streets are icy.
-Just finished cleaning my apartment for the arrival of Morgan! Just a few more hours and I am going to see someone who I have known for longer than 6 months! So great, I can't wait.
-Making a huge batch of mac'n cheese tomorrow for the Thanksgiving dinner we're going to on Thursday. I've been hunting for recipes to make.
-Was finally able to skype with my parents, sister, and grandma on Sunday. It just made my whole afternoon to see their faces and hear their laughs. Such a great thing technology has given us!
going to go shower, get all cute, and then get on the train to meet Morgan at the airport. SO EXCITED!

Holy Cow

It's NOVEMBER!

I will be 20 years old in less than a month
I will be halfway done with school in about a month and a half
I will see my family in a week and a month
I've been living in Portland almost 5 months
what is this!?!?

I've been working lots, trying to make up for a few weeks I wasn't working enough. I think I've got all my bills paid for the month, and a tiny bit to live on until I get paid. Trying my best to budget! I was betty boop for Halloween, but I just worked and didn't really get to any parties or anything. Having a good fall so far though, the rain's been here almost every day. I'm in the market for a good, waterproof warm winter coat. So I think I might go on a quest as soon as I can.

Just living life as usual! I've been talking with two girl friends from work about renting a house in March, I think it'd be really nice to have some space and a yard for a garden. We'd be on the other side of the river, but at that point I might be looking for a job in the food industry so hopefully it'd work out. If not, I could be one of the hundreds of bike commuters in Portland.

Can't wait to see my family in December, missing everyone else. Thanksgiving is coming up! I've got about 5 different orphan Thanksgivings I might be attending, so there are plans a plenty.

Love everyone!
-Cait

It's been a while....

Bah! Sorry, I know it's been a month. But give a girl a break! I've been busy doing lots of things, like going to the Oregon coast pictures at this address:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057213&id=1535760329&l=186f68b93f

Enjoying lots of local eats, celebrating friend's birthdays, going to school, jogging , workin' like mad, and sleeping whenever possible.
I just got done with a loooong jog with my neighbor, we went twice around the bridges we usually just get around once, so I'm pretty worn out. Made myself a yummy chicken sandwich, about ready for a nap, and I work tonight 5:30-12:30.
Things have been exceptionally great here, I got a nice little 3 day break from school and work last weekend, I feel like it really helped to reset my mind. I was feeling pretty bogged down there for a while. All work and no play made Cait a pretty tired girl. I feel like I always go through a rough adjustment during this time of year. But now I'm good! Feelin' great! I think it's about to be time for the rain to start...the kind of rain that doesn't stop until next June. But I'm ready! The weather has been just beautiful, so crisp and clear. Feels like fall in these parts. There's a really pretty little tree across the street that has been changing colors for the past few days, and today it felt like all the leaves in the city decided to fall at once. Crazy! Beautiful colors everywhere though!
Excited to see my family at Christmas, and one of my best friends is coming here from California (where she goes to school) for Thanksgiving. So that will be lots of fun! Trying to get my Halloween costume together, I want to dress up as Count Von Count from Sesame Street. I have to work, so I thought it'd be fun to count everyone's change out and just be a general nuisance. We shall see, hopefully I can get some pictures if it does happen. And on that note- My birthday is coming up and all I want in the world is a nice new digital camera- pictures would be a lot more common if I actually had a camera instead of just my phone. So...keep that in mind? Haha I'm not soliciting on my blog or anything....

Much love! Falling leaves Love!
-Cait

A poem I wrote the other day...

I got my legs
from walking miles
in either direction,
I got my arms
from the great god above
my voice is from my mother
feet from my father
and my great-grandmother's
shoulders beneath my head.
My knees deep
in wine barrels, stomping
my hands from fire and wind
my mouth is recovered
from many others lip-lock.
hair is growing
thick and fine upon my head
my stomach filled with
disgruntled butterflies
heart swells with warmth
and burns when crossed
my elbows
only know my bruises
and bumps in the night.
my mind is a toss-up
of songs and stories
sadness burns holes
in the happy blinds-
eyes as windows
into a room as lost to me
as the hotel room
across the Texas interstate.

Rainin'!

Ah, well finally it's been a nice relaxed evening in my little bubble of the world. I had the past two days off work, and tonight, so I finally got the last of my to-do's done and figured I'd sit down and make sure everyone knew I was still kickin'.
I did three huge loads of laundry, while it was running bought a bathroom scale and an extra set of sheets. Then walked back home, put everything in the dryer, and then sat down to read some of Anthony Bourdain's new book. He spent about a chapter talking about Pho (a noodle-beef-broth soup) in Vietnam, and I ended up grabbing a huge bowl from a food cart, and a cup of coffee and enjoying my evening with lots of warm liquids.

I've been thinking a lot about my future plans after I'm done with school, weighing my options. I'll be done in less than a year, as as strange as it is. Basically I'm debating between two almost co-mingling ideas, and I would love some feedback. Keep in mind that I have been talking to a lot of current/former professionals in the culinary industry about my options, so I've done a little bit of brain-picking.
The first thing I've been thinking is that I would love to travel after my externship. I'll be working in some restaurant for about two and a half months as soon as I'm done with my last term at OCI. I would like to do my study in Brooklyn and be able to maybe sleep on Jory's couch for a month and a half and chip in as much as I could for rent. That would leave me with my stuff more than likely stored somewhere in Portland until my eventual return. I don't plan on renewing my lease after my 9 month long lease is over at my apartment now, but I plan on staying here in my building, just paying month-to-month. So basically I could go anywhere after my externship, and I am starting to mull around the idea of maybe doing the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) program and maybe go to Costa Rica or somewhere that I could really see some neat ways of farming and get out in the world for a bit. I could do that anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on any agreement I made with any farms. After that I could come back, hopefully get a job and start trying to make my way in the world of food. My externship will make my resume a lot easier to pass out, and I doubt that any experience in the world would really hurt me in any way.
Then, as another option, I could go back to school, and get some sort of writing/journalism credentials so I could start moving forward in that department. I've talked to my instructor Lance, who is a real, bionafied food writer, and although he initially said that he thought just culinary school would be enough to get my foot in the door for a magazine or paper, he recently said that having journalism degree would be a great help. The college that is just a few blocks away from my apartment now, PSU, is reasonably priced and there's also PCC (Portland community college) that I believe I could get in-state tuition for. Or I could go back to Texas and go to Sul Ross, which I haven't completely ruled out. Mostly I would need to do something that was cost-effective, and hopefully funded with grants/scholarships.

It's really strange, but this is the first time I can remember that I've actually considered going to College for the knowledge, and the understanding that it would make me better at what I eventually want to do. I feel like maybe because I've taken the first step, and moved forward with my life and the things I want to do, I have gotten to that point. Also, let it be said that I LOVE culinary school, and I don't regret my decision for a minute. I think OCI is going to prepare me in every way imaginable for any culinary job I could get, and the things I'm learning there are going to be completely indispensable. It's just a matter of figuring out what comes next. Just lots to think about. I'm hoping the right path will make itself clear and I will be able to go that way.

Cait! As an adult! Almost/maybe!
Crazy times in Caityville!
But good, important, growing, and beautiful times all the same.
And rainy times, did I mention that?
Love! So much love!

Deep Breath....

Siiiiiiigggggghhhh.

Finally, a minute to breathe!
It has been a CRAZY few weeks. Major talking points:
-My group ended up with the highest combined grade for our 4 day menu project ! We ended our reign as best group ever with a huge pot of pork shoulder chile verde made with mom's recipe.
-My neighbors toilet papered my bike, I caught them as I was walking home after work. Funny but I just thought it was a waste of good toilet paper. ha!
-Started my new term at school, now I'm doing 3 classes (Computers, Wine, and Restaurant Essentials) in the morning from 7:30-11, then we have a 30 min. break before we serve at the school's restaurant from 11:30-2:30. It's a longer day than I've been used to, but it's a lot of fun.
-Been working a lot at Starbucks, still lovin' it.
-Got a toaster!
-Went swimming at my friend Kristen's apartment building, they have an awesome rooftop pool.
-Watched Wayne's World with some friends from work
-Took a lot of naps

And other than that, just hanging out with my friends from work and school, still enjoying the weather, and trying to keep everything movin'! I can't believe it's almost September!!!! Which means, it's almost rain time...trying to brace myself for it!

Much love!
Cait

It's been 2 months, yesterday that I've been here! SO crazy!

I'm almost done with my first term of school, then I'll move on to classes about management, so I'll have a few months out of the kitchen. Right now we're working on our final menu project, we have to have 2 proteins, 2 grains/starches, 2 complicated sauces, and 2 vegetables plated each day for 4 days. Crazy intense, but lots of fun, and really good for practice.
I bought a couch today! and a set of drawers, finally. I've been keeping my clothes on the floor and in a crappy set of wire/fabric drawers. So excited, and got a good deal on both pieces.
It's been a wild few weeks, super busy. Spend most of my time at school and work, but lots of other fun stuff going on too. I'm giving one of my neighbors a sauce how-to tomorrow before work, he wanted to learn how to make a few simple sauces, and since that's what we're learning in class right now I told him I'd give him a short tutorial. I think he mostly wants to be able to impress his girlfriend. haha
Went to the bite of Oregon on Sunday, got to eat a lot of great food. My friend Laurie had vendor passes from the hotel she works at, so we got in for free! I was going to get to volunteer over the weekend, but I couldn't get my shift at work covered, so even though it sounded like lots of fun, a 14 hour day just was not going to happen.
Went on a crazy goodwill adventure with a guy from my class last week. He visits goodwill a few times a week, looking for original gallery prints that he then sells back to the artist/gallery for a lot more money than he pays. We went to 4 in one afternoon, and I got lots of neat things. Mostly really cheap clothes and jeans to turn into jean-shorts. But it was a fun trek across town, that's for sure. It was nice to be able to visit those places in a car! I didn't have to drag my stuff on the bus or train for once.

Just clickin' along! Trying to get in a few fun explorations every day off I get.

MUCH love!
-Cait

and everything is going to the beat...

just a quickie!
Pretty Things


here are some pictures from my latest visit to Suavis Island, and a few others.

much love! a longer post coming soon!
-Cait

Just a little posting in the wee hours of the night.

Crazy busy! This week has flown by, with many happenings.
-Had a wild and crazy night last Saturday, ended up going to a dance club with people from school. Just silly, but pretty fun.
-Went to a BBQ at a friends place on Sunday, enjoyed the weather and played corn hole and ate some really great food.
-The first part of my first quarter is done, I finished well, made a B+ overall, which I'm fairly happy with, but I've got some room for improvement. I made a 97 on my knife skills test though, which was exciting!
-I took a lovely trip out to Suavies Island on Wednesday, with one of my best friend's friends. It's about a 20 minute drive, but well worth it. There are berry farms where you can pick buckets for a few bucks. We didn't visit any that trip, we spent all our time on the beach. There's a really sandy bank to the river where you can hang out, have a bonfire, and then the river that runs is pretty clear, so it's great for swimming. It was a beautiful day to go out there, and my first time to visit. One of the best times I've had since I've moved though, tons of fun.
-We had a crazy day yesterday at work, they started flicks on the bricks at Pioneer Square, where my store is. They showed Ferris Beuler's Day Off on this HUGE screen they set up. We were super busy. They show a movie every Friday until about September, so I think if I can I'm gonna try to make it to one soon.
-Just took a nice midnight bike ride with a girl I work with by the river. We both had to close, so we wanted to ride a little bit. Just about 30 minutes, but a great way to defuse after a long day of work.
-Bought some really cool plates from Anthropologie today! Super cute, and on sale.
All kinds of other fun stuff too, just can't even think! Gotta sleep, I work tomorrow, as per usual.
beautiful summery Portland love,
Cait

" I went to sleep for the daytime I shut my eyes to the sunshine, turned my head away from the noise bruise and drip decay of childish toys"

Had a long week, just draining and exhausting, but here I am, I have survived.
I've had some time to think and just walk around listening to music that makes me thoughtful over the past week. Just thinking about how far I've come, and where I'm going. Can't believe I'm here, it's just so amazing to me. I feel so lucky to be in a city where I feel at home, where I belong. Just walking or riding my bike down the street makes me so happy and overwhelmed. Overjoyed!

Other than that, work and school pretty much ruling my life. The end of 111, the class I'm in right now, is in few days, so we have a final and a knife skills test coming up. I'm not too worried, but I'll be in the kitchen early cutting up potatoes for practice, that's for sure.

I had a frito pie party at my apartment! A few people from work came over and I made a big pot of chili, then we wandered around and went to Voodoo Donuts downtown. It was tons of fun. I've been hanging out with my neighbors a lot lately, they live right next door so we can pretty much just stay at our apartment and sit in eachother's tiny rooms. haha It's nice to have someone to share meals with though.

Gotta go to work today at 1:30, bout to start getting ready. There's an event in the square this weekend called Sand in the City, that happens every year. They have all this sand trucked in and special sand artists compete making sand sculptures. It's really cool, but makes our store pretty busy. But then again, I can't think of a time when our store hasn't been pretty busy!

Much love,
Cait

For those of you thinking about investing in Clear Internet; DON'T. DO. IT.
I've spent the better part of a month trying to figure out a plan and get something settled. I thought it was done, but alas I was duped again. I haven't paid them any money, and I won't!
That being said, I've worked it out with my neighbors to split the bill on a wireless router. So (HOPEFULLY) I'll have some stability from here on out. I think this time I might be in luck.

Anyhoo, Just got done with my first day back at school. Started vegetable cooking methods, so excited to be eating stuff that isn't all rich and buttery. After potatoes and starches and soups, something light sounds really nice. Even though I made pan fried eggplant today, the only vegetable fried in oil and topped with cheese.
Had a good break last week, didn't do anything exciting for the 4th, but I did manage to get to the Blues fest, bought some cheap furniture from the goodwill distributing 'bins' store, caught the farmers market, made myself a budget, took a long beautiful bike ride by the river, got a pair of chaco sandals, bought a fan for the hot summer nights, saw Toy Story 3, and even survived thousands of soccer fans watching the world cup in Pioneer Square where I work. All in all it was a great week, got so much done!

Gotta take a nap before work, I'm super sluggish today. I think yesterdays work day took the energy of a few days out of me.
I'll write more later, as long as my internet is still working! (crosses fingers)

Love, Cait

Well the sad thing is that now, even a week after my last post, I'm finally better.

Things are going well as ever, the weather has been fantastic, we got a few hours of rain the past couple of days but it's cleared up. My summer break starts now! I have next week off of school so I'll be doing a lot of working, sleeping, and hopefully exploring. I've been able to meet a few really neat people so maybe I'll have something to do for the 4th of July!

can't think of too much else, work has been so hectic, but now that I'm not sick it doesn't seem so bad.

Lovin' every minute! Missing everyone! The works
Cait

Bleghghghg

Well, it was bound to happen eventually.
I got sick, away from my mommmy!
I started feeling dry throat and sinuses on Wednesday, felt worse on Thursday, broke down and went to the doctor on Friday, and now I feel sorta crummy still, but have completely lost my voice. It's been a tough few days, but I think (hope!) I'm on the up and up, maybe tomorrow I'll feel better. I felt much better this morning, besides my lost voice, but work wore me out today, a 7 and a half hour shift is pretty tough when you're straining to yell at people who aren't paying attention to their drink orders.
I got let off a little early though, and now I think I'm just gonna make me some tea and call it a night.
It was a beautiful day here, it got hot! Well, maybe around the 80's, but when most places don't even have air conditioning it's pretty warm. Hated to spend all of my day at work, but since our store is made of windows, we got to see the square full of people basking in the sun.

Gonna maybe try and find a movie to watch on my computer or something. Made a pot of chicken soup yesterday, so I'll be eating that for dinner tonight.

much love from afar,
Cait

Yippeeee!
I finally have some internet set up in this place! It's been an off and on sorta thing so I haven't been able to update that much. Had to ride my bike up a lot of hills to get a copy of my lease to the internet providers to prove I'm a real person/resident, since I have no credit.
Things are going swimmingly here! Starting to feel sorta settled, which has made things so much easier. I made a HUGE pot of chili last night and ate some frito pie, and I brought home several bags of food from school today, so I'll have polenta, rice, and fresh pasta to last me a while. Everything at OCI has been incredible, my instructors are really great chefs and teachers. We get 3 hours every day in the kitchen, 2 in the classroom. Right now we're going through kitchen group rotations so we all get to make different potato/grain/starch dishes. My knife skills are getting better by the day, and I made some really good deep fried battonet (french fries) yesterday, made rice pilaf and creamy polenta today. Homework is also really interesting, I think that's made it a lot easier for me to sit down and do it. I get to read about knives and flavor profiles and spices every night.
I'm currently waiting for my laundry to run, I have too many uniforms (work, school) to put it off much longer. But 2 weeks isn't too bad for 2 loads of laundry.
It was pride weekend this weekend, so my Starbucks was super busy, but full of characters. And I managed to switch shifts with a girl so I could catch Bikesnob NYC, a bike blogger my dad reads and loves, at Powell's. Even got him a signed leaflet and everything. This weekend was also the end of pedalpalooza, a two week long bike craze in Portland.
Summer is finally taking over most of the weather, though every native Portlandian has complained that this is the worst summer weather they've ever seen. It usually starts pretty cloudy in the mornings, but we get a few good hours of warm sun till about 6 or 7. I've slept with my windows open every night, this morning I woke up and was a little chilly. But it's been nice otherwise. Most of the time I get out of school around 1:30 and get to ride my bike home in the sunshine. Think I might take advantage of today and sit at a park and finish up my homework and reading.
Work has been really awesome, busy but without a drive-thru so I couldn't be happier. All the people I work with have been super nice, and very welcoming.
I've added a few more pictures to the album that's linked down below, so feel free to check those out. I think I'll more than likely just keep doing that, maybe update the link if I get a new album started.
Missing everyone, but really groovin' on my city. I do think this is where I need to be, can't wait to get to know a few more people, want to make friends, but it's just sort of an odd deal. I meet people randomly, and everyone here is really nice, I just don't know how to say "okay, let's hang out all the time and get to know each other." But it has only been a couple of weeks, so I'm sure It'll get better.
Much love!
-Cait

Soooo I'm going to do this the easy way:

PICTURES

these are all the pictures I've taken so far, mostly on my phone but some from a camera. I made a facebook album, just because it was easier, but that link ^^ should make the pictures/album accessible to everyone.

It was a beautiful day today! Got to meet with my new store manager at Starbucks, working quite a few hours this week. Everyone was really nice that I've met so far, it's right on Pioneer Square, really close to my apartment.I also got a mattress set today! So I have a real big girl's bed instead of an air mattress. Actually had a really great experience, I found this place on craigslist selling new mattresses, googled it, and it had really great reviews on yelp. So I rode the bus out to Mattress Lot and had a really nice guy help me. He even gave me a student discount on delivery! I got them a few hours after I paid for them at the store. The mattresses are even made locally, so I'm supporting my community! After I got some sheets and stuff, I rode my bike for a few hours by the river and across the bridges. It's such a joy riding here, all the cars are aware that bikes are on the road, and most streets have bike lanes and even bike turning lanes. Such a great way to spend the afternoon.
I have orientation for school tomorrow! Can't wait! I will soon have pictures of me in a goofy chef's uniform! :)

Love Love Love!
-Cait

Well, just as an update, I made it safely to my new home! My apartment is adorable and in the perfect location, I visited my school and am very excited about starting there, I've seen the Starbucks I'll be working at and have gotten all my stuff! So many absolutely new experiences to process, it's impossible to sort through them all. My good friend Gilley is visiting me right now, we saw Crosby Stills and Nash last night in concert. Great show, good company! When I get my internet all settled (right now I'm using a router that was loaned to me by the cable company) I'll try to get some pictures posted. The internet speed is too slow right now for me to even want to try.
So much walking, trying to get a feel for my place. Used the bus/light rail a few times, but most everything I need/want to go to is within walking distance.
About to head to the Saturday Market! First time since I've been here!
Much love from the Pacific Northwest,
Cait

Airport

Well, I've made it to New Mexico! Due to the time change while flying, it's only 8ish here, and my flight leaves for Portland at 11:35 getting me there at 1:25. I am trying to resist the urge to buy random knickknacks to keep me entertained, but they have free wifi here, so that should be enough. Got off to a good start this morning, after the last night sleeping in 'the bed my daddy made for me.' Everyone was brave as possible, and goodbyes weren't quite as bad as they could have been. My suitcases on the other hand were over by 2 lbs! So there was a quick shifting of stuff into my carry on bag, but still a bit of panic.

Can't wait to get to my little apartment and have that done, it'll be such a relief to get behind a door with some keys. Might have to take a nap as soon as I stop moving, or might be too excited to stop. It's a rainy day says my weather channel app on my phone, so I get to dive right into my new environment as soon as I get there.

It's been strange, thinking about this whole move. Can't believe I'm actually going to be there within a matter hours. I'm about to be LIVING in a place that I've only visited, and a few years ago at that. But as Jory said during our Skype talk last night, I'm ready to kill it in Portland, no morbidity intended. Can't wait to get this life goin'! I will post pictures as soon as I get some of my place. until then, I'll be waiting patiently in the Albuquerque airport.

Three days left! Can't quite wrap my mind around the idea quite yet. Got the last of my packing done, have my plane suitcases done, took my boxes and boxes to the shipping place Friday, they should be there around the same time I am.

pic-a-tures

Been tryin' to take a few photos to put up in my new apartment, used my parent's oldie but goodie AE-1 to take some film. Lovin' the color, and I still have two rolls to develop.

To whom it may concern

fervent |ˈfərvənt|adjectivehaving or displaying a passionate intensity
and fire, because I expect to be spending quite a bit of time in front of one for the rest of my life.
This is mostly a venture in trying to stay connected to my family and friends as I move forward in my life. By no means do I expect this to be all that special or interesting or significant, but I do love trying to rope people into seeing the world through my eyes, and hopefully that's what I can do here. I realize that there will be many people who read this that will expect a bit of poise and a lack of cursing from me, and I'll try to keep it pretty kosher. But hey, gimme a break if I get a little crazy. That's pretty much all I ask.
So, I suppose we can go ahead and do this thing!
crazy, this is like xanga/livejournal/myspace blog alll over again .
-Cait