Ice Cream Tasting

A group of us from my work have started a series of "tasting" parties. We started with the typical wine tasting where everyone brings a bottle of wine in a brown paper bag and we blind taste tested them to see if expensive wine really is better than the cheap stuff.

We had a blast and asked ourselves -- why stop there? So we didn't. We've tasted cheese, pizza, chocolate, salsa and now.... ice cream.

The rules:
Bring 1 pint of vanilla ice cream in a brown paper bag. It can be gellato, homemade, soy or from an ice cream shop but it must be plain vanilla.

The results:

1. Ben and Jerry's (54 out of 70): By far the best ice cream of the night. Most people agreed that there was a consistent vanilla bean flavor which nicely balanced the amount of cream.

2. Julies Organic (50 out of 70): Julie's stood out for its creaminess. It was less sweet and had a more mild vanilla flavoring. Comments included "creamy custard feel" and "very creamy."

3. Haagan Daaz (44 out of 70): Haagan Daaz did not hold its own in this competition. It didn't have any quality which stood out. Comments by the tasters included: "satisfying" and "Good but not that great"

4. Safeway Select (39 out of 70): Safeway Select is our local grocery store brand. Many people were able to guess. It had a pleasant consistent flavor but was a little more watery and plain than the branded ice creams.

5. Soy Dream (37 out of 70): We had a soy lover in the room (which may have skewed our results) Testers could tell it was soy but not immediately. Soy Dream has a strong vanilla flavor and is curiously creamy (creamier than Safeway).

6. Davis Creamery (27 out of 70): Very disappointing show for our local creamery. I wonder if we got an off batch. It unfortunately had a bitter after-taste which everyone commented on.

7. Rice Dream: (19 out of 70): If you're not doing dairy, do Soy! Rice dream was pretty watery and didn't have a very strong vanilla flavoring.

Triathlon Training: Mexico City

In June, Ulrich and I are running a (short) triathlon. Training has been going well. We have worked our way up in distances for all three events -- and last weekend did a practice (800m swim, 14 mile bike and 5 mile run) and it didn't kill us. Breathe, so far, so good.

Small wrench, my work decided that it would be cool to send me on a variety of trips making me travel for the entire month of May. Initially I was worried about what all this travel was going to do for my training school. Particularly since we are running with my two brothers (Scott and Adam) the former of whom was talking a lot of shit -- which in the end means -- I need to have a respectable time or live with a lifetime of commentary about my performance.

SOOO... I gathered up my best workout mixes and am taking training on the road. This week, Mexico City. I went for my first run yesterday around the neighborhood where I'm staying. (I took video footage from my cell phone to prove it -- look for the posting soon).

It seemed that training from all these various places would make a good series to blog.... so... stay tuned. Many adventures to come.

Lent

This year lent seems to be less about what I'm going to do for God but what God is doing in me. On Ash Wednesday, I chopped off hair that I've had long since I was 14. I donated my long braid to Locks of Love. I was trying to figure out something that I could give of myself that would push me. My hair has been a big part of who I am. It is a source of comfort. (I think only girls that wear long hair can fully appreciate this). It has also been a symbol of respect to tradition and to culture. So, giving it up has been an act of trust that God would fill all these new spaces of my identity.

God has come so strongly into my life that I hardly even notice my missing hair. I had planned to stop being so involved with church so as to spend the season of Lent in prayer and study. God had different plans... I'm more involved with church now than I ever have been and it is really pushing me to grow. I find myself in ministry and with the responsibilities of ministry. Its a big responsibility and makes me know why Moses said -- "I'm not sure if I'm the right guy" I keep wanting to say that. But, ah, that's why it's lent.

Christmas Decorating

With the Christmas season upon us, we decided we couldn’t go our first Christmas without getting a tree. Remembering that

1. we have a small place and

2. we don’t have any Christmas ornaments between us –

We opted for a small 1ft tree which we drowned in lights.

We’ve been listening to Neil and Janelle’s collection of Christmas tunes on our Ipod home stereo while we finish up the last of our wedding thank you cards… Finally, just in time for Christmas cards.

Momma Schaff’s Birthday

The Monday after Thanksgiving was Momma Schaff’s birthday. To celebrate we helped with some yard work during the day and made her dinner that night.

Dinner was a little rockier in the making than I had hoped. I made her a german chocolate cake and burned the coconut twice – that’s what happens when you have too many burners going at once (Life lesson – I think so)

All in all the cake turned out well. And really, Judy was ecstatic that I got all the boys to help clean the kitchen after dinner while she watched. Having a second girl in the family was long coming.

Turkey Trot

We got our butts in gear and ran a 5k in November. Even though I absolutely HATE running – Ulrich talked me into training for it. Now, (so I don’t ever have to go through the hell of conditioning my lungs again) I run a couple of times a week.

Here’s a few pictures of us getting ready for the big race.

Tour our apartment

Here are some pics to guide you through our apartment. A "few" changes since the wedding. We are getting good at making these 800 sq ft look spacious. :)

Married Life

I am now married. Getting used to the idea that people will now address me as Mrs. Schaff has taken some time but it is growing on me. It feels to me that the first few weeks of married life is like being in a cocoon wrapped up in the silence of togetherness and creating a new life away from the world. I am enjoying this, but more I am looking forward to the joint that will come forth. Who we will be and what we will do ....

Wedding logistics

Today it dawned on me that engagement is similar to pregnancy. It's a time to let the change that is about to take place in your life sink in. As more and more people hear the news it becomes more and more real. It's a feeling that I wasn't expecting. Happy and nervous at the same time.

There are also so many little things to do. Everyone expects things like flowers and cake and whatnot. I haven't gotten to those details yet. I'm talking to people about when they will come, where they will stay, where are Ulrich and I going to live? I've spent the last day and a half updating my address book (which is itself a major project). This afternoon I am going to look at reception sites. It all seems like a movie.

Getting married

Lent has always been an important time for both Ulrich and I. We each have used the season to rededicate themselves to faith and to grow in their walk with God. This year, as we had grown close we decided to share it with each other. For lent we decided that Ulrich would come over to my house every morning to work-out and do a morning devotion. To remember Passover and the bitterness of Jesus’ death, we started every meal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. We had a plan to watch the sun rise on Easter morning as a celebration of Jesus’ victory over death.

The night before Easter, Ulrich left late about 11pm after watching Bio-dome with my and my little brother Scott. I was exhausted. But as I looked at my apartment, I thought to myself, "Jesus is raising from the dead tomorrow. After all this, you can't go to bed with a dirty house." So like Passover, I cleaned every speck and corner of my apartment. In cleaning out the refrigerator, I placed all the leftover matzo and bitter herbs on a white plate and covered with a cloth. I then put the ingredients for leaven bread in my bread-maker and jumped in the shower. I was so determined to make everything new. That night, I laid in bed waiting for Easter to come. It was like Christmas. I was so excited to greet the morning.

Meanwhile, Ulrich was home stumbling around in the dark trying to prepare a loaf of bread. A number of people had partied there the night before so he didn't get much sleep. But he didn't care. He was so excited that the moment he had planned so carefully was about to happen. In fact, he had purchased the ring back in January and was brimming that this bright morning he would give it to me.

It was still dark when he showed up at my house. Everything was white. I had placed white flowers and linens on all the tables and the smell of fresh bread filled the house. I was sleeping in the guest room on white sheets when he woke me up, "He has risen."

I jumped up, "He has risen indeed, hallelujah!" "We have to finish lent before the sun rises"

We hurried to the park in North Davis. It was chilly and he had brought a blanket to wrap me in. We sat on a bench facing the Eastern sky. The sun had not yet come up but the birds were already starting to make noises. He read the story of the burial and as he read we ate the last of the bitter herbs and matzo. We prayed.

The sun began to rise. The birds grew louder. There were more birds than we've ever seen there before. Ulrich began to read the story of the resurrection. We prayed. A hummingbird began to buzz around the bush in front of them. It was so beautiful. The whole of creation was thanking God that morning. Ulrich put his arm around I and began to pray about their relationship. It was deeper than any prayer he had prayed at that point. When he finished praying, we sat quietly for a while. The hummingbird came up close, about a foot from their face. I was mystified. It was as if the bird were smiling at us.

Not a few seconds later was Ulrich on his knee with the box in his hand. He opened it and pulled out a gorgeous ring. "Sara, your Dad said it would be ok if I asked, will you marry me?"



I was in complete shock, "Are you doing this? RIGHT NOW???"

I fell forward off the bench as he placed the ring on my finger. "Of course I will."

Laying on the couch

I'm not feeling well and I guess it gives me time to poke around on the internet and catch up on things like blogging. Spring is on the move in Davis. Flowers are starting to come out and the trees are starting to bud. Coming from Michigan, this feels so early yet I welcome it as spring is one of my favorite times of year.

A bunch of normal, ordinary days

Life has been more normal and ordinary than it ever has. Life in Northern California reminds me of "Everyone is free to wear sunscreen" It has been a period of great rejuvenation. My daily routine involves riding my bike to work, working, doing something at church and or hanging out in the evening. See, like I said, normal ordinary days. I've never had days like these so for me they aren't so ordinary but I am enjoying it.

A new day

So its been awhile so let me catch you all up. I've moved to Davis, CA to start a brand new adventure. This one proves to be a little softer. I got here and my first impression was -- is this pleasantville? I half expected to run into the Beavers.

My job here has taken some adjustment as it is a new position and both me and the organization are trying to figure it out.

I joined a church -- Davis Lutheran -- which has kept me pretty busy and allowed me to get plugged into the community.

I'm settling into my new place and starting to feel at home here. It's a new page and a new day.

Solar Eclipse

I get to mark one more thing off the list of things to do before you die. I watched a solar eclipse of the sun yesterday. It was a 98% eclipse, you needed to be about 100 miles north to get the full thing. However, it was still incredibly cool.

People here are still pretty traditional so they had to warn everyone ahead of time on the radio about what it was and why it was happening. Still, several people were either afriad or performed religious ceremonies.

I went with some people from work to the beach. I drew in the sand what was happening for some of the kids that came by.

At its most complete stage, all that was visible of the sun was a little sliver at the very bottom. Still this tiny tiny sliver, was enough to still make it impossible to look at without dark sun glasses. I was quite astonished how bright 2% of the suns rays are.

I took a picture for you all:

Here's what food aid looks like 

These dudes love this guys 

Here's the tour bus, loaded with groupies and music 

Groupies 

Notice the green dudes... 

International Woman's Day

To all the women out there, happy international woman's day. Here, the day was well celebrated at my job. All the women wore white to work. It was very beautiful to see. We additionally had a party at the end of the day. A guest speaker came to speak about civil law - birth, marraige and death. It was interesting for me to hear what Benin law and culture is regarding these life milestones.