Back on the Blog, Baby

    It's been a while since I've dusted this little corner of the internet off. Life looks a lot different now, but I'm coming back to keep you all in the loop. Instagram stories disappear, texts get lost, but here we can all slow down, and I can share snapshots of what our life really looks like. Trying to approach this like a monthly letter, short, simple, and honest. 

    Of course, the new star of the show... Monster! He's the newest addition to the Slayitz household. For privacy reasons, I'm keeping him private, but not a secret. He's real name, face, and personal information will not be put on the internet, and I ask all family and friends to please respect our decision in keeping him protected. You'll still see glimpses of him here and there; tiny hands, little feet, messy stroller adventures, but always in a way that keeps him safe online. 

Motherhood, is a wild mix. Some days I feel like I've got a rhythm, and others I'm Googling every thought in my head at 2am. It's not always Instagram-ready, but it's real... and even though it's not always insta-ready.. I'm making an effort to step out of my comfort zone and post on my social medias again.

Right now, Portland is hanging on to summer, with another heat wave approaching us this weekend, while I'm mentally preparing for fall. Both in season and in work. I'm slowly setting out the fall decorations in our new house, breaking in the oven with baked goodies and counting down the days until Halloween. 

On both sides, our family is spread out, all around the state, the country and the world. We don't always get to see each other as much as we'd like, but if this blog can help bridge the gap even a little, I hope it's worth taking a few minutes out of your day to read. 

For now, here's the plan: one post a month. Nothing fancy, just updates, little stories, and whatever feels worth sharing. That way, you can peek into our world. 

Thanks for reading! I'll check in with ya, right before spooky season.

A Year Away

Photo from 2018/2019

    "New year, new me". A sentence said by many, sometimes repeatedly throughout their lives, and now it is my turn. Or my year. 2024 is forecasted to bring many exciting adventures, changes, and hopefully improvements for me and my family, but before we get into that, I think I should start with where I've been. 

     Last year was a year of getting established and getting grounded. After the years of COVID, 2023 felt like the year of starting over or returning to pre-pandemic days. We went to several of our friends' weddings, went to baby showers, and started to experience life again. Roy started working again and quickly excelled while I returned to my true passion for fitness and recreation. New lifestyle changes, new apartments, new cars, and most importantly new adventures all to read about. The most exciting part about last year was our travels to Saudi Arabia. 

     Of course, if you'd rather skip the reading and see the picture timeline, you can see it on my Instagram, or you can see a quick highlight video on my TikTok.

     Let's start at the beginning; a month-by-month play-by if you will. At the beginning of the year, Roy started personal training again and is still currently in the process of building up his online presence. Readers, if you have some time we would both appreciate it if you could give his platforms some love: | Website | Instagram | TikTok | Youtube | He also does some training at a local gym and continues to enjoy training and building up his social media. 

     In the early spring, we took a weekend trip to the coast to attend the wedding of one of my friends. We took the opportunity to spend some time at one of our favorite towns, Lincoln City, and searched the shoreline for glass balls. Unfortunately, we didn't find any glass, but the weather was good and we made a fun road trip out of it. The wedding took place in Newport, so we also got to spend some time seeing the attractions of Newport. 

Red Sea

    A month later we packed our suitcases, checked our visa, and took a month-long trip to Saudi Arabia. Since the direct flights to Saudi were not available, we had to take a slightly longer route and a short detour. Our flight to Saudi Arabia went to Qatar first and we had a six-hour layover in Qatar. Since we didn't have enough time to leave the airport we wandered the Doha airport and enjoyed the beautiful indoor garden they have. Doha even has an indoor pool, but we choose not to swim, although, next time I might have to (just for the Instagram picture). We arrived in Jeddah late at night and went straight to our rental. 

     We traveled during the month of Ramadan and while Roy had informed me that the day would be quiet, I was surprised by how different observing Ramadan was in a truly Muslim country. Like many, we spent our days inside, resting and fasting, then explored the city at night after Iftar. However, I did drag Rowaid out of the house for a few days to go take Instagram pictures with me. Especially in Old Town Jeddah, Al-Balad. The beautiful architecture and experience of Arabian culture at night were busy, with people enjoying games, food, and re-enactments of life and other various Ramadan activities, but during the day, while everyone was fasting the streets were empty. Same with the beach. In the photo, I am along the beach at the Jeddah Corniche, a waterfront park with sculptures and events. Typically it is very busy, with lots of people enjoying everything to offer, but the first few days we were there during the month of Ramadan it was quiet and setting up for a festival. 

     For Eid, we traveled to spend time with Roy's family. I got to see other parts of Saudi Arabia and visit Roy's childhood memories. Other places we visited while in Saudi, included KAEC -King Abdullah Economic City and Thuwal. While in KAEC we visited more of Roy's family, swam in the sea, and explored the city. In Thuwal we went to the fish market. We got to select our fish, and after they cooked it to our liking we got to enjoy a traditional Saudi sea dish. The fish market was probably my favorite part of the trip. Not only is seafood a favorite of mine, but it was a great experience of the culture and a great bonding moment with Roy's family. 

Eid

     To return home from Saudi, we took the same flight route home, with an added layover in Seattle. Once we returned home, we quickly fell back into our routines and let life carry us away. My work became really busy, really fast and I let it consume most of my time. At the end of the summer, we were able to escape to attend our first Renaissance faire, and take another trip to the Oregon coast. On our summer coast trip, we had allotted ourselves a little more time and were able to make a week of driving south to Florence, and slowly driving back up north. 

     The coast trip is one I hope to repeat again in the future, maybe in the opposite direction, but it gave us a good starting point for exploring our state. We started in Florence and spent two days between Florence and Reidsport, meeting a family friend and playing in the sand dunes before driving up to our favorite town, Lincoln City. We spent the days there relaxing and sitting on the beach before continuing up to Seaside. We went during the Hood-to-Coast race, so we enjoyed the various vendors and new attractions put up but left for Astoria before the crowds came in. 

    The final stretch of the year was filled with busy work schedules, a move to a newer, bigger apartment, and time to prepare for the new year. Now that it's 2024 there have been some big changes, the first being that I'll be starting a new job at the end of the month. We also have some big plans lined up, and if you haven't already guessed, my New Year's resolution is to get back to Samable and keep you all updated/entertained. Let me know what you want to read more of this year!

Afuri

     This week's restaurant of choice is one of my favorite foods; ramen. Located in Old Town Portland, Afuri Ramen + Dumpling is next to the famous Voodoo Doughnuts. Normally, I choose not to venture near Old Town very often, but there are some amazing places to eat. Additionally, it is close to the waterfront and provides a great location for tourists to visit. 

     This location does bring in the down-town-attitude. The restaurant is busy with locals and tourists alike. The tables are communal tables with more private seating along the outer edges. For those who are looking to meet new people, the center communal tables provide a great environment to start a conversation with someone new. The window seats are great for individuals or pairs looking to enjoy their meal in peace. Outside the windows are great views of downtown Portland and the individuals who inhabit downtown. 

     Afuri is a great Japanese restaurant with several locations world-wide. According to their website; 

     "Afuri [named after a mountain in Japan] has long been known for its waters, and
in days past, it was considered a sacred mountain of good harvest, and thousands would journey to Mt. Afuri every year in pilgrimage. We like to think we're bringing sacred Mt. Afuri to the rest of the world. The mountain provides us with a kind of philosophy. It can be a little tricky to translate it literally from Japanes, but let's just call it "Higher". We push higher in everything we do - everything, from pickling to serving - and we intend to reach for excellence as we are AFURI. Mt Afuri remains - straight, honest, steadfast, dependable. That's our aime. One ramen. One staff. Always higher." 

     When you first enter the restaurant seat yourself, on the table are containers with chopsticks, napkins and an ordering explination. On the table are laminated QR codes to scan for the menu. I personally do not mind QR code menus and with COVID have noticed the recent increase in popularity. I do, however, know there could be potential difficulties with this. For this restaurant you do everything from the QR code. Each QR code is specific to where it is located within the restaurant. From the menu you can start a tab, order and pay all from your mobile device. For groups this makes splitting the bill much easier, but for families or groups that want to be on one check this means everyone has to share the one mobile device that it is set up on. 

Yuzo Shoyu

     When we went it was just Roy and I, and we don't mind one of us paying for the bill. I also enjoy when Roy orders for me since he actually knows what I do and don't like. Sitting next to us was a larger family with about four or six individuals. In this situation it meant that one of them essentially had to play waiter. There appeared to be two choices in situations with large groups on one check. One, pass the phone around to everyone, or two everyone reads the menu from their own phone and tells the person ordering what to put in the phone actually ordering. 

     I ordered the yuzo shoyu, a ramen in chicken broth with bamboo shoots, an egg, pork, fride garlic and nori (seaweed). Roy got the yuzu ratan, a slightly spicer ramen made with, chicken broth, bamboo shoots, sesame, peppers and lemon peel. While ours were not, they do offer gluten free and vegan options. 

     Another popular menu item is the gyoza dumplings. We have too many to count at home so we decided not to get some, but the family next to us got a couple servings and I almost immediately regretted not getting some. 

     In terms of accessability, I again did not venture to a restroom to see, but the rest of the restaurant is very friendly to all. In honest, the most difficult part would be other customers. The tables are spaced far enough apart to not only allow for customers to freely wander, but also to allow the staff to quickly navigate around crowds of people. 

      Afuri Ramen is a great place for lunch or early dinner. During evening hours I would not reccomend it just do to location. With that being said, Afuri has a sister restaurant (that I have not been to yet) in southeast Portland. Afuri Izakaya from it's pictures appears to have a much more upscale vibe and would be a much better dinner option, I'll try to make a trip accross the river sometime soon to verify. 

Azuri Ramen + Dumpling at a Glance:

• Simple, easy to chose from menu
• Moderate volume
• Communal tables
• Great accessibility
• Easy to navigate areas, low tables, extra space
• Price: Two ramens, one drink, plus tip $45.00