41 Things more important than your GPA in college. {Nyla}

I'm coming up on my senior year of college.

Panic has set in.

I decided I would put up a post today I had on an old blog.

It seemed fitting.

Hopefully you enjoy this as well.

1. Finding Yourself.
2. Finding a major you enjoy
3.Making friends you actually like.
4. Interning.
5. Volunteering your time.
6. Taking a class on something you know nothing about.
7. Learning how to pay bills.
8. Figuring out where the money is going to come from to pay your bills.
9. Learning to live with people besides your family.
10. Learning what you like to do.
11. Learning how much alcohol you can handle
12. Learning how much alcohol you can't handle.
13. Finding a passion you didn't know you had.
14. Opening your eyes to the world around you.
15. Realizing you actually really like your parents.
16. Discovering the value of a dollar.
17. Learning what a deadline means.
18. Making deadlines.
19. Doing something stupid and having a good story.
20. Learning to keep in touch with people while your in a different place.
21. Traveling
22. Taking a class you absolutely hate.
23. Failing miserably at something.
24. But getting up the next day and trying again.
25. Learning to do your own chores.
26. Managing Stress

27. Eating healthy

27. Exercising when you don't eat healthy.

28. Starting to figure out what you want out of life.

29. Changing your mind about things.

30. Forming your own opinion and thoughts about things.

31. Especially politics and what you like. 

32. Changing your major if you find a new one you like.

33. Trying your hardest.

34. Accomplishing something you thought you couldn't.

35. Going to a college football game.

36. Tailgating

37. Learning to work with people you don't like
38. Figuring out how to make a budget.
39. Sticking to a budget.
40. Figuring out how to make things work when you don't stick to your budget.
41. Making it to graduation.

Sidenote, I am not saying your GPA isn't important.

Because it is, but people get so caught up on a number. 

Just like with your SAT score, which by the way only 4 years later and I have no idea what I got.

There is so much more to learn and discover during college.

Try your best and learn something new everyday.

You'll be fine.

Hood to Coast

After the success I found in my 100 miles for Relay for Life, I decided that I would join a Hood to Coast team.  

Our team this year is through Living Water International, and we are fundraising to build a couple wells.  There are 783 Million people without safe drinking water in this world.  

Everyday I take for granted that I can walk into my kitchen and fill up my water bottle and not worry about boiling it or having to travel to get my water, it is right next to me.  Many walk miles one way to the nearest well everyday to get water.  That's time spent that could be used to help bring income into the family or educate children.  

My goal is to raise $500 towards Living Water International.  

I have 3 legs during Hood to Coast.  A 7 miler, a 4 miler and a 3 miler.  The last two are cake.  BUT I have never ever ran 7 miles before in my life.  But as of today I am currently at 5 miles.  I have over a month and until Hood to Coast and just need to go 2 more miles. 

Join me as I help build wells with the rest of my team!

Here is the link for our fundraising page.

https://www.crowdrise.com/HoodtoCoastRelay/fundraiser/nathanclark1

Thanks Everyone!

One Pot Pasta {By Nathan}

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I would try it.  It is very simple and fun to make, as well as very tasty. 

Ingredients:

1 Pound of Spaghetti 

2 Andouille Sausage Links (12 oz.) Thinly Sliced

1 Large Onion Thinly Sliced

3 Cups Halved Cherry Tomatoes

4 Cloves of Garlic

Basil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Dubliner Cheese (grated)

In a large pot on medium-high heat, combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes and basil together over medium-high heat.

Once that begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer pasta until water is gone, roughly 8-10 minutes.  Top with cheese and enjoy.

Serve Immediately.  

I strayed a little bit from the recipe I found because I accidentally bought cherry tomatoes instead of grape, and I didn't have parmesan cheese.  But it gave it a delicious taste.  

The original recipe can be found on my pinterest here:

http://www.pinterest.com/nathanlclark/all-things-edible/

It was incredibly easy to make, it took less than 10 minutes of prep time, and it cooked itself after that.  Great for a dinner in a hurry, and it makes quite a bit, so if there is only one or two of you, it gives you lunch the next day.  

I think next time I will add some more garlic and Nyla suggested that I char the tomatoes and add them later in the process.  

Hope you all enjoy it!

Summer Bucket List

Since we both are in summer school, we will be staying in the Eugene area for most of the summer.  But even with school and work, we will still get a good amount of free time, and that means.....

SUMMER BUCKET LIST TIME!

So far, this is what I would like to either accomplish, or in general do more of.

Nathan's List:

Travel Abroad

Finish In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck

Paint

Run Hood to Coast (Coming August 22nd.)

Run 7 Miles (Must do this before I do Above.)

Visit Crater Lake for the first time after 16 years in Oregon.

Read A Call to Action by Jimmy Carter

Make a Fruit Tart

Work on my Mcmenamins Passport

Nyla's List:

Go on more hikes

Attend an outdoor concert

Finish The Fault in our Stars

Take more photos

Go Wine Tasting

Finish our gallery wall

Go to the Zoo

Do you have any Summer Goals or a Bucket List?

Tell us about yours!

Tacovore --Restaurant Rec. {By: Nyla}

Last night Nathan and I were out and about running errands and decided to stop and get some dinner.

We have been both been dying to try out Tacovore since it opened a few weeks ago.

It's located in one of our favorite neighborhoods in Eugene, the Whiteaker.

The area is located on blair and features tons of great places to eat and drink.

It's a fun neighborhood for walking around and enjoying these great summer nights we have been having.

So when we heard a new taco place had opened we knew we had to try it.

Tacovore has a great open area making the place feel huge.

We both really liked this because it instantly felt like somewhere you could come with friends be loud and stay for hours while not bothering anyone.

You walk up to the counter and order what your hungry for.

One complaint we had was the menu was not listed anywhere so you had to decide what you wanted once you reached the register.

This made me feel like I needed to make a fast decision and I couldn't really weigh my options out.

I went for a fish taco and carne asada.

While Nathan ordered the taco of the day (A lamb taco) and went for a bowl of gazpacho.

We also ordered chips and salsa to share.

I heard a lot about their margaritas so decided to try them out as well.

The drinks and chips and salsa arrived first.

The had a salsa bar so we grabbed some other flavors that looked good.

The Margaritas lived up the their hype. Salty, limey and delicious. 

Fair warning though, they are strong but oh so good.

They were 8 dollars which isn't bad especially for the size of these bad boys.

The chips were really good. 

They are homemade and fried fresh.

They came out nice and hot.

The salsa was pretty good. It tasted fresh but I may have preferred something with a little more kick.

Nathan's Taco of the day. Featuring Lamb, Olives and feta cheese.

My Fish and Carne Asada Tacos.

Look at that fish, it's huge!

Nathan's Gazpacho soup. A cold Mexican soup. I had never had it before but it was good!

Limey and sweet!

All in all we highly recommend this place. 

Great food, drinks and atmosphere.

Not to mention a great location at the start of the Whittaker.

If you decided to go:

Tacovore

Address:  530 Blair Blvd Eugene, OR 97402

Eat: Fish Taco

Drink: House Margarita

If you try out Tacovore let us know what you think!

Where to Eat: Isla Mujeres {By Nathan}

I'm not sure of the actual name of this food stand, or if it even has a name.  But I do know that it is owned by a sweet and talented lady named Algentina (I believe that is the correct spelling.  The g makes the h sound.)

We stumbled upon it as we walked home from the beach on our first full day there.  We were enticed by the sign with everything being 10 pesos each.  As we walked up we noticed that she had a large bowl of cornmeal, and told us that she was making beef and chicken empanadas.  Not wanting to miss this opportunity, we ordered some.

OH MY GOODNESS they were heaven.  She fried them up right in front of us and gave us our choices of toppings.  They were soft, but crispy, and greasy.  They were delicious.

As our trip went on, visiting Algentina became a daily necessity.  We tried her tacos and quesadillas as well.  Her tacos were basic but tasty, and her quesadillas were filled with your meat choice and white queso.  I loved getting pork quesadillas, and then stuffing it with pico de gallo and cabbage.

It is my favorite place on the island, for its price and its experience.  Everyday we would chat about the island, the school across the street, and about our lives.  It was great to learn about life through someone in a completely different culture.  Her husband worked across the street, chopping open coconuts for customers to drink the water out of.  The whole street that this was on had other small carts selling hot dogs and hamburgers (which made me laugh) and more traditional foods such as tamales, fruit and tacos.

I loved eating here everyday and giving my money to a family that worked hard to have a successful small business, and that created mouth-watering and scrumptious food.

Eugene Farmers Market {By: Nyla}

Since we have gotten back from our vacation we have had no food in our house at all.

So last weekend we got up early saturday morning and walked over to the farmer's market.

This past year or so we have been working to buy more local and fresh produce. 

Buying at the farmer's market is a great way to do that.

We love being able to buy straight from the source and buying from neighboors.

The Eugene Farmers market is huge, they have one block with arts and crafts and a whole other section just for food.

There are stands with produce, meats, cheeses bread and even starter plants for your own garden.

Getting up and going saturday morning has become one of my favorite activities that we do.

Let us know in the comments if you love going to the farmers market and what your local one is like.

Here our a few snaps from our trip this past weekend.

Heres a photo of some of the goodies we picked up.

-Cilantro

-Tomatoes

-Carrots

-Red Leaf lettuce

-Beets

-Yukon potatoes

-Purple Potatoes

Not Pictured:

-Olive bread (SO DELISH)

-Ground beef

What's your favorite item to get at the farmers market?

Bally Hoo--Restaurant Rec. {By: Nyla}

One of My favorite Places we ate while on the island was at Bally Hoo.

A small restaurant sitting on the water.

Before we left for the trip I had looked on some travel forums for food recommendations.

Everybody said Bally Hoo had the best fish tacos on the island. 

About half way through the trip we finally made our way over there and they did not disappoint.

We actually ended up going twice during our trip because the food was just too good.

Between the great food and the location this place is a winner.

Its also super affordable.

One night we each got beers and two full meals and our bill came to a whopping 16 dollars.

I'm telling you if you're on the island you gotta make a stop by.

Its right on the main road by the beach behind the gas station.

It can be a little tricky to find the first time.

Ignore the Sun burns people.

The sauces that come with the meal are to die for. Although you may die if you get to much of the green sauce. That is one spicy son of a gun. The red salsa though is delicious and made fresh everyday.

The tacos are some of the best I've ever had. The batter is light and crunchy and not greasy at all.

Just what you want out of fish tacos. 

The Restaurant literally sits on the water providing a cool breeze and shade from the sun.

We both highly recommend making a stop by Bally Hoo if you ever find yourself on Isla Mujeres.

Also do yourself a favor and order the fish tacos. You will not regret it.

Our Trip to Isla Mujeres

On June 16th, we departed on our 10 month late Honeymoon to Isla Mujeres, Mexico.  Isla Mujeres is a 7 mile long island just off the coast of Cancun.  

Our hotel, Hotel D'Gomar, is the Red and white 4 story building just left of the center.

After a tiring 24 hours, 3 plane rides and a 25 minute ferry ride, we made it to our island vacation.  Walking off the ferry, we heard sounds of "Do you need a Taxi?"  "Snorkling!!  Golf Carts!  Whale Sharks!  Interested?"  The sun was shining, and it was hot.  A much welcomed change from our Eugene weather.  We stayed at the Hotel D'Gomar, just across the street from the ferry docks, overlooking the ocean.  A small independent hotel, we received an extremely affordable rate.  $65 a night for our king bed with a view over the ocean.  We stayed in their downtown area, on the northern part of the island.  

We were able to spend our 7 days doing what we wanted, when we wanted, how we wanted.  We slept in until 11, drank beer on the beach, and swam most days.  We swam with schools of fish, and explored the rocks that they lived in.

One memorable day was on June 20th, when we rented a moped and drove down to the southern part of the island.  

We visited Punta Sur, where they have ruins of the Mayan temple to the goddess of Fertility and Child-Birth, Ixchel.  This is also the most eastern point in the country of Mexico.  We were able to walk around the small park, as well as walk along a path by the ocean.  Nyla also made a new Iguana friend.

Nyla and her new reptilian friend.

Nyla and I on the lower walking trail of Punta Sur.

A nifty crab.                                        

After we ate some ice cream, we headed back up the island to stop at Castillo de Garrafon.  A small hotel and beach area where you can could cheaply rent snorkel gear and swim.  We dropped our stuff at the beach chairs and ran into the water.  Not even a minute in we began to see dozens of different types of fish.  I (Nathan) have never been snorkeling before, and it was an amazing experience.  Swimming with so many colorful and beautiful fish was a fantastic memory.

We drove around where many of the islanders live, enjoying the bright house colors and local shops and restaurants.

THE most memorable part of this day will be when Nyla drove the moped.  She drove it around a parking lot, and decided that she wasn't comfortable driving one.  But she decided that she would drive it down the street.  I said that I don't feel comfortable with her driving if she isn't, and she replied with, "Nathan!  I'm actually offended!"  Being a good husband, I told her I trust her and lets go.  5 seconds out of the parking lot, we find ourselves on the ground with the moped on top of us and the front wheel under the back of a taxi.  We couldn't help but just burst with laughter.  Luckily only the tires collided, no damage done.  More was done to Nyla's ego.  Why she gassed instead of break will be a mystery to us all.

We spent the rest of our time on our two legs, enjoying the local food stands, beer, coconuts full of alcohol and relaxing.  It was wonderful to spend such a calm and fun vacation just the two of us, and travel together.  

More about our Honeymoon to come, including our favorite foods, places to eat and more about the island!

Spencer's Butte

While Eugene may be smaller than Portland and offer fewer exciting things to do, I find that one of everyone's favorite spot to go is Spencer's Butte.  Only about a 2 mile trek, most is up hill and the last part involves scaling small rocks, one should prepare to be drenched in sweat.  While on the way up, you may be cursing your decision to have left the car the view from the top is breath taking.

One of the highest points in the area, you get a 360 degree view of Lane County.  To the North, the entirety of Eugene is spread out for you to enjoy.  One can see Autzen Stadium, the University of Oregon campus, as well as Eugene's downtown area.  To the East, South and West views of country homes, forests and farms can be enjoyed.  It is absolutely marvelous.

My favorite part of the trek is always scaling the rocks.  I, like most others, can never find the specific trail that leads around the side to the top.  So we all make our own way over the rocks.  I'm reminded of Lord of the Rings, scaling rocks and mountains and forests to save Middle Earth.

Photo from our first hike up.  Left to Right Nathan, Kathryne and Nyla.

A few years back my wife Nyla (girlfriend at the time), some friends and myself went up on a cold February day.  It was Nyla and I's first time going.  It was muddy but the rain was holding off, and I remember coming upon all the rocks, and noticing it getting colder.  As we began our way up it started snowing little tiny flurries.  Nothing stuck but it just kept coming down.  Once we went back down to the treeline, it stopped.  You've got to love Oregon weather.

Snow Fall from our first hike.

The Trees, they are always so beautiful.

Little Butterfly resting on a Flower

I went last Saturday with a Fraternity brother and his girlfriend.  It was chilly so I brought my sweater, but that was a terrible mistake, as the sweater became soaked with sweat after trekking upward a mile.  The top was sunny and clear.  I was even able to get a squirrel to stop and pose for a picture, as well as a pretty little butterfly.

This little guy kept running up to people.
I was excited he stopped and posed for me.

If you are ever in Eugene, and want to experience the area, Spencer's Butte should definitely be on your list.  All ages can enjoy this hike.  While it is exhausting, it is manageable to young children and the view is more than enough reward.

But be careful though, there have been increased sightings of Rattlesnakes in the area.  A few years ago there weren't any, but they are beginning to populate the area.  But don't worry, I didn't see any while I was there.  (I was freaked out the whole time though, I hate snakes.)

My friends Matt and Karlee
Behind them is a view to the South of Eugene

Relay for Life

I kept forgetting to sit down and write about my experience at Relay this year.  We got there and setup our campsite.  The sun was shining, we were lounging and everyone was excited and running around playing games.  The event started and spirits were high.

One side of the track.

It got dark, but it was still warm and festivities were still going strong.

We started the Luminaria ceremony at 10PM and lined up around the track.
Drip, drop, drip, drop.  The rain started to fall.  I found it funny, right as we begin to reflect the rain begins to fall.  "Oh well, this won't last long."  I thought.

I was wrong.

We end the ceremony and go back to the festivities, but the rain kept falling.  I had searched for my rain jacket at home, but had left it in the trunk of my car.  Oops.

With all of our backpacks under the canopy, there was barely any room for some of the guys to stand under the canopy.

The rain fell and fell, and it looked like it wouldn't stop.  When it did let up, you couldn't sit back on the ground.  People were cold and wet.  We didn't want to run around and play the games.  Being tired, wet and cold sucks.  Everyone got grumpy.  But we still took turns walking.  We still laughed, and we still remembered that this isn't the end, it's just one night and we will be fine.

We thought that once it stopped it would pick up and everyone would be excited again.  But instead it began to pour and pour.  I kept walking, and noticed that I saw less and less tents and people over all. Many people decided to just pack up and leave.  It made me sad.  Tonight was supposed to be about support, but instead people were cold and went home.

I ran into a friends mom and she said this that stood out to me; "If someone can go through chemotherapy and endure cancer, I can endure a little rain for one night."

It wasn't a little rain, but we'll get over it.

In Oregon fashion, the sun rose to a cloudless morning with the birds chirping and fresh morning air.  Of course Oregon, of course.

At the beginning of that week, we had raised approximately $15,000 of our $38,000 goal.  By the end of the event, we were at $31,000.  The chair of the event shaved her head because they had raised over $4,000 in the night alone.  I got to cut off her pony tail, after breaking a pair of scissors.  With all the excitement of a shaved head, everyone who had endured the night stood around the stage.  I could feel a sense of happiness, and humbleness in the crowd.  As they chatted with us info about the closing of the event, we were reminded what this was about.

It wasn't about the games, or the shaved heads, forget about the rain and the cold.  We were there for support of our friends and family who have fought cancer, to remember those who had lost the battle, and to help prevent the future battles that many of us might face.

Thank you to everyone who donated to me during my 100-mile run.  Thank you to everyone who cheered me on.  The event was wet, but it was an honor to be there and to support those in my life.

Below are some photos of the Luminaria bags that I made.