Well, the first week is complete and I do have to admit that there was a point when giving up was definitely an option that crossed my mind.b Between the content of the material, homework, and getting ready for the test, lead to lack of sleep and it was not pretty.
Towards the end of the week though I was able to find a balance that helped me get peace of mind. Every morning would start at 5:15 and I would go to the gym for 45 mins to an hour where I worked out, broke a sweat instead of crying and studied for the upcoming test that morning. This helped me get in the right mindset to take on the day and helped me feel like such an accomplishment was already completed.
After spending 8 hours in the most uncomfortable chairs possible, I would head back and figure out what was for dinner. This is my least favorite part. The hotel food was not that great and rather expensive and eating out is already getting old. We still have 3 weeks! There is only so much you can make with a microwave.
We did have a 3-day weekend, which has totally helped the anxiety because I was able to study for 2 full days and still get to go out and have some fun. I mean we are in Portland Oregon… it is so beautiful!
Got to spend the day with Erika and Nick and we went up to the waterfalls, with everyone else who thought this would be awesome idea, and hiked the Multnomah falls that was so beautiful...it was an amazing escape!
We then headed over to Salt and Straw and had the BEST ice cream I have ever had in my entire life. If you are ever in Oregon, you have to get yourself over to one of the Salt and Straws. It is absolutely amazing. Super cute story on how it came to be to.
Here is their story from their website:
Our story is part luck, part strategy and part love (for ice cream, family, local foods, and other stuff we can’t mention here). I (Kim) have been wanting to open an ice cream scoop shop since 1996. I thought it would be nice to have a local spot where you could run into your neighbors, celebrate with your family, reward yourself…whatever! And I love exploring fun, interesting new flavors. After toiling away in safe mode working for several amazing Fortune 500 businesses, I moved back to Portland for love and found the window of opportunity and support that I’d been lacking to jump start my idea.
In the mean time, my cousin Tyler had been studying in China and traveling in Asia. He completed his business degree and had just announced to the family that he was going to enroll in Culinary School. I actually saw a posting on Facebook that he was considering moving to Portland and phoned him up…not even knowing about his plans! We traded stories and updated each other – coming to realize we are on similar paths by coincidence. Next thing I knew, I was getting reports from Tyler regarding ice cream tests he was running with his friends and family as tasters. He had a million ideas and wanted to join me in this crazy idea. How could I resist? He literally dropped what he was doing, loaded up his car and drove to Portland from Seattle to start work as our head ice cream maker the very next day. I would probably be somewhere rocking back and forth in a corner without him. He’s amazingly talented, super smart, hard working, and quite possibly the nicest person ever.
So…I cashed in my 401K, signed a lease, created a custom push cart, and spent days and days in Sarah Masoni’s kitchen (head of R &D at the Oregon Food Innovation Center) creating ice cream recipes. And now, here we are.
We’re hoping to create the kind of company that’s fun to support, work for, and partner with. We’re about building strong local community – both in the neighborhoods where we do business and by purchasing as many local products as possible (to keep our money in Oregon and help create stronger local economies).
But at the end of the day, we just really hope you enjoy the ice cream.
Check them out at: http://saltandstraw.com/about/ "
I think I am ready to tackle week 2!
