I have moved!

Hello, all!

I have found that I like another server better. Thus, I have moved over to Word Press. It's also just a fresh start! So please follow me over to http://sydneymayfield.wordpress.com/ and continue to stay up to date with me and my blogging!

Thank you!

Wait, What?

You guys. I am in my fourth year of college. I am a senior at Southern Oregon University... WHAT?! Where did the time go? I often feel like I am not mature enough to only have 9 more months of school before I graduate from this institution. And then... what will I do after that? "The Real World?" 

I survived Week #1 of Fall Term 2013. Classes occupy my time on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I work Tuesday through Saturday. I feel like this term is going to be a challenge to have a "social life" once I start getting loaded up with assignments. Being in upper division business classes is sure to kick my bootay. Not to mention my Relay for Life work has already begun, too. Free time...say what? 

I live in a brand-spankin' new dormitory. Last year, SOU started construction work on the North Campus Village; they built 2 dorms (freshman and upperclassman buildings) and a new dining center. Let me tell you: it's GORGEOUS... I love where I live. My room is "suite style" which means that there are 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a living room/kitchenette. It's pretty awesome to know I live in a space that someone else hasn't "tainted" yet... haha. 

My favorite tree on campus located in the quad of the NCV

Summer Internship

Time to play a little catch up, I suppose! I have managed to keep myself busy with an internship this summer.

I have been interning at a wine tasting room in Newberg, Cliff Creek Cellars! Their vineyards are in Gold Hill Oregon, close to where I attend school, so things just kinda worked out perfectly for me! I am very blessed to have had this opportunity fall into my lap. I have been put to work doing a little bit of everything this summer from pouring, cleaning, inventory, social media up-keep, event planning, etc! So far it has been nothing but awesome! I love the people I work with and the fresh faces that I get to interact with; I have met some really nice people from all over the United States!

"Our Mission

We at Cliff Creek Cellars are dedicated to producing quality, estate-grown wines that will stand the test of time,  obtaining local, regional and national  recognition and distribution and to foster an enjoyable experience for the consumer at all points of contact.

Our Vision

To share our family’s legacy of the practice of good stewardship, love of fine wine and passion for the people we share it with."

Our Newberg, OR tasting room before we were all moved in!

Trying New Things

Yum yum yum...

Fish Tacos...  Well, for starters I am not much of a fish eater. However, my main squeeze is in love with seafood. So I was not going to throw too much of a fit when he told me he was making this for dinner. i had never had fish tacos before, so I was willing to try it as long as he was making it. Needless to say, the meal was delicious. He made everything himself and it was his first time, too! Cod, a creamy sauce, shredded cabbage and pico de gallo in a corn tortilla. He loves guacamole, so he let me make that to accompany our lovely dinner. Add a couple Bud Light Limes and we were set! I was very impressed and glad to not have had to do very much work that evening. I will gladly let him cook for me again!

Sydney's Guacamole:

• Avocados (I used 3 small ones)
• Diced tomato
• Diced white onion
• Lime juice
• Salt

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and dispose of it. Take a spoon and scoop out the avocado into a large bowl. Mash with a fork (I like mine a little chunky!). Add diced tomato and diced onion. Stir. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips. YUM.

Getting There: Relay for Life updates

I am about 3 weeks from my Relay for Life event.. May 18th is seriously sneaking up on me.

Yesterday we had a wonderful fundraiser put on by one of our local restaurants, Louie's. They were gracious enough to donate 100% of the profits ALL DAY if guests mentioned Relay to their servers. Does it get any better than that?? So thankful for the owners...

I was beginning to worry that things were not going to fall into place. However, the past couple weeks have been great. My contacts have been returning my inquiry emails and my event schedule is getting fuller and fuller. Of course, I am learning that there are things that I cannot control and just need to let it go. I do believe that that has been the hardest part for me. (I'm kind of a control freak when it comes to planning...)

I'm getting really excited for the event to happen. I'm so ready to celebrate my hard work, the committee's hard work and all the great fundraising efforts the team's have made in the past year. We have all done such a wonderful job.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This is the first crockpot meal that I have done by myself! No Mom! :) Just browsing things to make for dinner and wham, I found this recipe and adapted it to my own liking:

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 1 lb stew meat
• 1 package onion soup mix (dry) - I used Lipton brand
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Favorite type of pasta (elbow, rotini, bowtie....)
• 1/4-1/2 yellow onion - chopped

Directions:

• If the pieces of beef aren't in bite-size pieces, cut them accordingly.
• Put them into the bottom of the crockpot.
• Crack open those cans of condensed soup, add to crockpot.
• Follow with sour cream.
• Cook on LOW for 4-6 hrs, stirring occasionally.
• After 2 hrs, I stirred the mixture, making sure the soup and sour cream blended together.
• After about 3.5 hrs I added 1/2 a chopped yellow onion - they were cooked but slightly firm when I served it up... Perfect! :)
• Just about an hour or so before you want to serve it, mix in noodles.

Served up with a good helping of salad.

Not a great picture of it, but it tastes better than it looks!

My How Time Flies

Today is February 1st. I thought I would check in to see how ya'll were doing with your resolutions!

• What have you accomplished?
• Are you where you thought you'd be a month in?
• Have you made any changes to your proposed resolution(s)?

Of course, it doesn't always take a month to see results; it depends on the resolution! Things are going well for me right now, I still think there is room for improvement though. In the past 4 weeks I would say that my weight has fluctuated, but I have lost a total of 3 pounds. It's not much, no, but it is just the progress that I was hoping to see. It means that my new habits are paying off!

I have been taken under the wings of some of my gal pals who play rugby... These wonderful ladies are helping me out in the weightlifting department. I have been taught how to squat, bench, and hang clean. Lemme tell you, all of the above is not an easy task! The hardest of all was the hang cleans... 

I have yet to get the hang of it.

My roommate and I getting it done at Zumba!

Keep at it! Don't give up now :) 

"Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it." -Ella Wheeler Wilcox 

Food Lover

Seriously though, who doesn't love food? Burger and fries, burritos, pasta and garlic bread, pastries, milkshakes, etc. *Sigh... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it all!!

As I have mentioned before, I am a Hospitality and Tourism major. As I have gotten more in depth in my studies, I have come to love the industry. I'm learning about small businesses, corporate businesses, restaurants, hotels and motels. I'm seeing the in's and out's of everything and I find it fascinating!

Honestly, I probably watch too much of the Food Network... (Can you say, addiction?) and it has encouraged a new dream job. I still have my career goals, but I've created a new item for my bucket list...  I've decided I'd like nothing more than to be hired to travel and eat new foods/cuisines. Can you imagine?? Me, the female Guy Fieri.

I love to photo document most aspects of my life, including my food adventures (this blog is a great example!). I think my show would be called.... Food & Photos ... is that lame? :) I'd go to places and taste the food that they are most popular for, and then post the photos and review on here! I don't know if that's a seller, but hey a girl can dream, right??

First Snow of 2013

There is nothing more beautiful than waking up in the morning, pouring yourself a cup of coffee, opening your blinds and seeing snow falling outside. Sigh... It is day #2 of snow fall here in Ashland. It is gorgeous! So far today, it hasn't stopped snowing. I'll take snow to the Portland rain, any day. 

Here are a couple images from yesterday's snowfall:

Bright and early! Walking to class at 8:30am

And by the end of the day....

Happy New Year, Bloggers!

 
Welcome to 2013, everyone! You have now, hopefully, survived about 11 days of January. I hope that your new year is full of new experiences, new relationships and that you fulfill your resolutions.

Speaking of, did you come up with a few resolutions? Some of you may have created a list of things that you wanted to do with your year... But allow me to make a recommendation: if you brainstorm 3-4 resolutions to work on for the 365 days of 2013.... You are more likely to accomplish them all.

Let's see here, if you say you want to work out more.. (cause we all know that's the #1 new year resolution...) That's not specific enough for you to follow! You should say, "I'm going to schedule 30 min a day, 4 days a week to work out." THEN you will follow through because you worked it into your schedule.
Also, find a workout buddy. I have recruited my boyfriend to help get my bootayy to the gym. In addition, I am enrolled in a Zumba class 2 nights a week (that's a fun and great cardio exercise!). Week #1 = Success!!

I hope you all are in good health (get your flu shots!) and that you are enjoying your new year.