Best Hot Chocolate in the Entire World

Yes, it has been found! The BEST Hot Coco I have ever (and you will ever) have!

Moonstruck Chocolate is in downtown Portland. I had never heard of it before, but my boyfriend and I wanted something to go along with our Escape from New York pizza (yes, hot chocolate and pizza are a wondrous combination) so we went and checked it out.

The delectable aroma that greets you when you first walk in the door is your first clue that you’ve stumbled on something awesome. The glass display case shows off their massive assortment of wonderful looking chocolate treats. Check out the drink menu and you will find that they have not one, not two, but four different hot chocolates. Regular milk chocolate, dark chocolate, a mexican hot chocolate and a mayan hot chocolate. This last one has all the same spices as a mexi coco but it uses dark chocolate instead. We each ordered a mayan hot chocolate and went and sat down to await its arrival. They serve it to you in a nice mug on a saucer with a piece of chocolate on the side (I used this to aid me in eating the mound of real whipped cream on top of the drink). How can I describe it? It was rich, it was fluffy, it was heaven; it was almond, cinnamon and other delicious flavors blended perfectly with the dark creamy chocolate to create the best hot coco either of us had ever had. Yuuummm…

Try to keep this a secret though guys. If it gets out that they have the best hot coco in the world, I’ll have to be waiting in giant lines to get my new favorite treat!

Viva la chocolate.

-N

Over the River and Through the Woods

The road to my grandma’s house in incredibly cliche. Just as the age old song depicts, we do indeed trek over a river (if you count the sad little creek that continues to trickle persistently between the two neighborhoods) and through the woods (woods that frame the road up the hill). Lacking the horse who knows the way to carry our nonexistent sleigh, we instead bundle up into the back seat of our station wagon for the 4 minute trip to grandma’s house. This trip is so short that our car is just beginning to warm up by the time we pull into the driveway…

Enter the warm, cozy house, delicious scents of holiday baking greeting our noses just as grandma greets us with hugs. Ahh… relax. Have a cup of coco! Crack nuts in front of the blazing fire. Listen to the age old record spinning out it’s christmas music on the record player. Light the Advent candles, sing a song. Holding your family’s hands as Grandpa prays. Digging into a delectable dinner of  some amazing, time tested recipe that Grandma worked on all day. Exclamations of admiration. Being the fullest you’ve ever been, since last Christmas. Cup of coffee, slice of pie. Continue the exclamations of admiration. Lean back, listen, talk, stories. Some of them you’ve heard a million times before. Some of them are new. Blending of the young and the old. Tradition and new explorations.

It’s Christmas Time.

=)

-N

What is in a name?

So, this blog needs a name… as  you can see its still a “working title”.  What are YOUR ideas?

-N

Day 1.5

So, the day before yesterday marked the start of my three part marathon training program! As usual, it was a rough start. Due to other obligations I didn’t have a free hour until about 6:00 and by this time it was dark out. Stupid daylight savings adjustments… Lucky for me, I had just read this article and felt inspired to continue despite my lack of time management. Thus, I found myself in my  black winter running apparel plus gloves and a really dorky headband, striding confidently out the door to begin my adventure.

100 ft into it, I realized the Garmin’s batteries had died… “Ok, no biggy, I’ll just use my watch” I thought to myself and went back to get my watch. Again, I ventured out. It was very cold and dark, but it wasn’t too bad until I reached the pedestrian path that runs parallel to the parkway by my house. Because the traffic is so far away, I didn’t feel the need for reflective gear, which I don’t have. Unfortunately, that decision also lead me to forgo the headlamp as well; mostly because I don’t have one of those either. So there I was, running in the freezing cold, unable to see two feet in front of me, like some kind of blind urban ninja.

I made it probably 1/4 of a mile before something in the bushes moved beside me and I nearly jumped out of my skin. There was nothing there of course, but I was suddenly coursing with adrenaline. Another 50 ft up the path I realized I was passing the spot where the homeless folk like to crawl past the fence and live in the dark, creepy looking woods outside the neighborhood. Before I had time to calm myself down, my feet had already turned themselves around and were heading in double time back towards the streets with lights. An easy run turns into a sprint. At least I got out the door…

That however, was 2 days ago. That was an entirely different person. That was a person who had no sense of preparation or, apparently, self preservation. This time I was prepared! This time I had the time slot saved for my run! This time I was going to train for a marathon properly! This time I was trudging through the icy, pouring rain, in a jacket that was certainly not waterproof, disgruntled dog by my side, wondering what the hell I was doing.

Thus ends day two…

Stay tuned for updates!

-N

Here I Am…

…this is me. There’s no where else on earth I’d rather be.

Hey guys, its me! So here we have a blog, and behind this blog, tapping anxiously at the keyboard, is an aspiring writer. No doubt I’ll be writing about whatever has/is/will be coming into my mind, but I would also love it if I could have your input! My friends are my greatest source of inspiration and I would love to hear about what is on your mind. Send me on missions to find out what the best food cart at the Saturday Market is… give me a keyword and have me write a story about it… give me reviews about your favorite (or least favorite) movies and I can post them along with my own…consider me your own personal freelance journalist!  The possibilities are endless, and that’s kind of the point.

-N