Cookie VS Crab

Barefoot & Pregnant with the hubby out to sea

2011-02-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Now that we live in sunny San Diego in a house just a block from the beach, I get to take a nice long walk on the beach every day with my dog. I take off my shoes and enjoy the feel of the sand beneath my feet. I love being barefoot!

Scott and I found out in December that we would be parents in August. We're really excited. I've been really lucky and haven't had any morning sickness. I've just been really sleepy. As I'm beginning my 2nd trimester I just switched out of the military medical to a civilian group practice and I'm really happy with it thus far. My pants are starting to get a little tight but no noticeable bump yet.

Once again my hubby and I are separated for more than 6 months. Didn't we just do this? YES. He left on Wednesday and while his ship is not scheduled to return until September we've been promised that as a first time father he'll be able to fly home from whatever port they stop at in August and make it for the birth of our baby. I love that my husband has such a deep sense of honor and loyalty and serves his country. It was especially hard for him to leave this time. I'll try my best to include and update him on everything but he won't be there to hear the baby's heartbeat, to feel the baby kick, to tell me I don't look fat, or run to the store when I REALLY need some ice cream. It's just part of being a Navy wife.

Catch Up

2010-12-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

OK so here are the last 4 months cliff-notes style. After almost 8 months of separation I met up with my hubby in Rome, Italy. It was a fantastic trip! The best part was being together (cheesy!) Skype and phone calls are alright but seeing him was soooo good. There is so much to see and do in Rome. Scott and I really enjoyed it. We visited the Pantheon, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and so much more. Scott only had 4 days to spend with me so being the amazing husband that he is he flew my mom out the day he left so she and I could hop on a bus tour and see more of the country. It was a great tour with some interesting characters. Mom and I visited Pisa, Siena, Assisi, Florence, and Venice. We had a great time and some great food. We loved Italy!

A week after returning from Italy I was on a plane once again to head to Seattle for my Little Trucker friend Hayley's wedding. It was a special day and a lot of fun. I just love my little Trucker girls!

A couple of weeks after the wedding Scott came home from his deployment, YEA! It is so good to have him home. It's nice to have the one you love near you. But Scott's coming home was also a bit sad because it meant I had to leave DC. It wasn't easy and many tears were shed. I really miss my family and friends in DC. But I am a Navy wife so I better get used to moving! So we packed up the car and headed across the country to San Diego. We stopped at a few places along the way and enjoyed some of the "wild frontier." Check out the eyes on this horse in Oklahoma. One is brown and one is blue...

We also stopped in Utah for a visit with my family. Scott had never been to Salt Lake so it was fun to show him around Temple Square.

After our many stops and taking our time we finally made it to California. Our stuff was delivered right away and I've spent a lot of time unpacking and organizing in between visiting Scott's family in Orange county and spending a week in Hawaii! Yep as one last romantic getaway before we get settled in the routine of this new place Scott took me to Hawaii. We loved it! It was warm. It was beautiful. The food was fantastic. It was everything to love about a place. We really hope we'll be stationed there one day. Now that is a move I could handle!

The Land Down Under!

2010-08-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved Australia! I could've stayed another month. I saw so many things I'd heard about my whole life. I met so many rellies (that's how they refer to relatives) and just fell in love with them all. The land was beautiful and the people were amazing. I did have a camera mishap and lost a bunch of photos of Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and of Cairns. The 2 places I went by myself. They were really amazing so you'll just have to take my word for it. The above picture is me and Ky the koala. He was quite cuddly. Scott had visited this same zoo years ago when the Navy brought him to Australia so it was fun to get the same kinda of picture in the same place...just a few years apart.
Yeah what they say about those baby kangaroos hanging out in momma's pouch is totally true!
The rocks to the right of the 3 sisters all formerly known as Westerlund are also called "The Three Sisters."
The whole gang outside the Sydney Opera House. We took a really interesting tour of the building and watched one night as they projected images on the sails (that's how they refer to the domes). It was a beautiful place! I really enjoyed the city of Sydney. I think we all fell in love with the country. We imitated and perfected the accent the entire trip (except in public). We had tea at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney. We pet kangaroos. We tried every "Aussie" food we could. We had a great time and can't wait to go back!

Quick Update from Down Under

2010-06-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

After a very long flight my mom, 2 sisters, my brother and his wife all arrived in Sydney Friday morning. Noah and I had rented cars to get to our aunt's house from the airport. The Sydney airport isn't like any of those nice American airports that just spit you out onto a nice freeway. No the Sydney airport is several kilometers from a "motorway" and the signage is poor so the directions we had printed out were less than helpful. The book of maps from the rental car place were helpful but the 2 riding in my car are the type that get sick reading in a car. So after losing Noah who was following us and having no way to contact him we hoped we'd all meet up at our aunts. We drove all over Sydney getting more and more lost but for the most part I think I adjusted well to driving on the wrong side of the road and the car. Although I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the blinker...could be why I lost Noah. After making no progress and being totally lost we spotted a K-Mart and I decided to buy a GPS. Only after I bought it it started pouring and I had to run through it. I was soaked by the time I got back to the car. With the help of my new Navman we made it to my aunt's just 3o minutes after my brother.

My aunt and uncle have been great. They are a cute old couple with a whole herd of grand kids and we've had fun meeting so much family. It's especially fun to hear them talk and imitate it. Some of our favorite miscommunications have been a "wipper snipper" a weed eater, "sook" one who cries a lot (me), "rat bag" an idiot, "thick as 2 bricks" some one who doesn't quite get it, "chook" a chicken, etc. And there's more to come.

We've had the chance to tour a bit and have seen all kinds of animals. We fed kangaroos, pet koalas, ran from emus, stared wide-eyed at a HUGE crocodile, saw a dingo and claimed it ate our babies, and watched the most colourful birds eat from my aunt's bird feeder. It's been great! We walked past the opera house yesterday while touring the beautiful botanical gardens and today we'll take a tour of it. There's a lot to see and do and we're gonna do as much as we can...

Big Sky Country

2010-06-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

My friends, the Little Truckers, and I met up last week in Seattle (Hayley's neck of the woods) to enjoy a mountain retreat in Montana for our annual trip this year. We'd read A River Runs Thought It and were excited to enjoy the beautiful scenery Montana has to offer. While it did rain for much of the weekend we were not disappointed. Carren found us a great room at a fabulous spa/lodge/lake resort on Whitefish Lake. It had a super heated outdoor pool and hot tub right on the lake which we took full advantage of. We also took advantage of the spa and got massages and pedicures.
Glacier National Park was just down the road so we enjoyed driving through to see the beauty of God's creations. As it was pretty wet out we opted for the short hike to Avalanche Gorge. It was beautiful!
Cruising through the park we really hoped to see some wild life and we were not disappointed. Although we did create a slight "bear jam" just as we'd been warned not to. Oops! But it was a bear. Actually 3 bears. It appeared to be a momma and 2 older cubs. It was so fun to watch them. Carren may have freaked out a bit and Tristan swore the bear was looking at her. I just tried to get as much of it on video as I could.
After the bears we continued to enjoy the rest of the beauty of the park and hoped it would stop raining. Carren was MIA for this picture but there was still plenty of Little Trucker togetherness. I'm so glad I have these great friends and we do this every year.
Now I have to repack my suitcase 'cause I'm flying to Australia tomorrow!

The Ending of an Era

2010-05-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've worked as a genealogist at the Daughters of the American Revolution for almost 5 years now. Thursday was my last day of work before I begin a series of trips for the next 2 months. It's hard to sum up my life at the DAR in a blog post. My co-workers organized a really fun send-off pot-luck lunch. I got emotional when I had to stand up and thank them and say good-bye (I seem to do that a lot these days with the hubby gone - get emotional that is). Working a few blocks from the White House in downtown DC had been an experience in itself. I love Washington DC and I will really miss it when I have to leave. I'm weening myself off it one step at a time. Starting first with working in DC. There are so many things I'll miss about working at the DAR. Sure I'll miss working in a beautiful historic building/library/museum and front row concert seats but the more I thought about it the more I realized how much I would miss the people. The people I have come to know and love. The sweet little Salvadorean girl the I try to habla espanol with when she changes my trash. The big tough security guards who no matter what tell me it's always a pleasure to see me. The flag-waving, pin-collecting, God-fearing, white-cloved members of the society. The grandfatherly federal judge out on his morning walks who I was able to help with his genealogy. The lunch time yoga instructor. The dear old Peruvian librarian who sent me flowers for my birthday one year. Mary Jane who will be 87 this month yet keeps coming to work everyday to do genealogy. The sunshine crew who always bring a laugh to the office. The friends. I could say so much about so many people there. I can think of each of my co-workers and tell you what I'll miss about them. They are all great people and have taught me so much. It just doesn't feel like it's over and if I think about it too much I just might get emotional again...

My Stripling Warrior

2010-04-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

I was recently going through the 1000+ pictures Scott and I took on our honeymoon in December and came across a few that made me really laugh. As I see it it's my husband in his natural habitat. Shirtless and playing with fire. After going on the night safari at the Singapore zoo one evening we decided to stay and watch the fire breather's show. It turned out to be even more entertaining then we estimated. The fire-breathers wore native costumes IE loin-cloths and played traditional songs on the drums, danced, sang and of course breathed fire. It was all fun and games until they pulled Scott on stage. Then it was just funny! With little prompting from the main fire-dude Scott immediately threw his shirt off (I was surprised he didn't ask for a loin cloth to wear), then he blew out fire (well on the 2nd try any way), fed the other guys fire and as seen in this pictures was convinced to eat the fire himself. He was on his knees, mouth open, fire above his head when all the guys jumped off stage and left him. Ha ha! Then they came back did some dancing and fire tricks and challenged Scott to a flex-off. If anyone knows my husband you know that he works out A LOT and would never miss the chance to flex his muscles in front of a crowd. I think he was the perfect candidate to be pulled on the stage at a fire show... I also think that I'm so glad I found my very own Stripling Warrior. I remember seeing the picture of the 2000 Stripling Warriors growing up and as maturity/puberty hit thinking, "Mmm would I like to get me some of that." I think Scott is pretty close to one of those guys. He's brown, he's buff, he loves his momma, and he's looking for a fight!

One Year

2010-03-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

One year ago on Saturday Scott and I were sealed in the Washington DC Temple. I can and can't believe it's been a year. We've both learned a lot about each other and about ourselves. Scott is such a great husband and I love him so much. That's probably why it was a very hard weekend. I was SO emotional. I couldn't say his name or that it was our anniversary without tearing up and/0r bawling. It was by far the hardest day of this deployment thus far. I've been given all sorts of advise from other military wives and there is one thing they all say that is consistent "it's not easy." I really missed Scott this weekend but I had great friends and family who spent time with me and sent me well wishes. I'm blessed to have so many great people who care about me. It's Spring outside and I live in a beautiful place. I have much to be grateful for...especially a wonderful husband!

The Kids

2010-03-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Scott and I said goodbye for the second time on St. Patrick's Day. He arrived in Djibouti on Friday and has had several adventures already. Including but not limited to eating camel and having a cheetah drink water from his cupped hands. I should get pictures and more details soon. In the mean time I thought I'd talk a bit about those back home who miss their daddy.

Mac & Peanut Mac-zimus is our red-eared slider turtle we got from a man on the street in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Scott saw him and instantly fell in love. He told me he'd always wanted a turtle. My family found and tried to keep turtle all the time growing up. Mom confessed later that while we kids were convinced these turtles were super amazing escape artists, she was actually letting them loose! Mac was the size of a quarter when we got him. He's grown quite a bit but is still no more than 3 inches across. Peanut was ordered online. Yes you can get a turtle shipped to you in a box. He arrived in a small plastic contained filled with packing peanuts. He is a southern painted turtle and was less than the size a quarter when we got him. He's now just bigger than a quarter. He's the friendlier of the two.

Trudie
Trudie was purchased in Norfolk the day before Scott and I said goodbye for the first time. She is a Toy Yorkshire Terrier and about 4 months old. She's a fun little pup who makes friends everywhere she goes. She's a tiny dog who fits perfectly in a purse, although I've not put her in one because she's not an accessory. She is a lot of fun and loves to play and nap and be cute. Scott and her got to know each other over the last week and became fast friends. We all miss him now and can't wait for him to come home.

Thank you government inefficiencies!

2010-03-11T18:14:00.001-08:00

Due to a scheduling mishap my sweet husband gets to spend 10 days with me before he heads to Africa! His training ended a week ago and his flight isn't until next week. We've spent the last few days enjoying the sights of DC that he was just too busy to see when he actually lived here. The weather here has been beautiful and the snow is finally melted. Life is good!

Military Wife

2010-02-28T20:20:00.001-08:00

My boss once said that being in the military means you'll always be saying goodbye to someone. I said good bye 3 weeks ago to my sweet husband. He is being deployed to Djibouti, Africa and will be there for 7 months. Currently he is in overseas/boot campish training at an army base in South Carolina. He's cold. He's tired. He's exhausted. He's hungry. But Scott always has the best attitude and has managed to find good friends and together they made the most of these weeks of training. The good news is that while he is still heading to a war zone, it is a very safe one and he'll be at a desk not on the ground. While he is gone I have vowed to blog more and detail my life as military wife.

Martha Stewart likes rap music

2009-11-18T08:34:00.001-08:00

I heard her say it with my very own ears AND not just on TV. Live! My good friend Kim got us tickets to be in the Martha Stewart studio audience on Friday in New York City. We drove up to New Jersey Thursday night and were very nicely accommodated by some friends. Armed in our brightest camera friendly sweaters we took the early train the next morning to be at the TV studio by 8:30. While we waited in line we were fed a breakfast of donuts and hot cocoa while Martha Stewart paraphernalia was handed around with order forms. I couldn’t resist and bought a cookbook I would receive after the show. Once inside our purses were searched and our coats checked and the line for the bathroom grew. As we waited Joey, the audience cheerleader, gave us the run down on when to clap, ooohhh, ahhhh and all other important info. There are about 100 studio audience members, meaning 95 women and 5 dudes. We were lucky enough to get seats very close to the front and in the center.
The first guest on the show was Rachel Ray. Apparently Martha had been on the Rachel Ray show recently were she confessed her love of rap music so Rachel showed up to the show with a basket of Eminem CDs and a gangsta rap hat for Martha. It was pretty funny. Then Martha showed Rachel how to make a blackberry apple pie. It looked delicious and just might be included on the menu this Thanksgiving. Next was a rather ugly sewing project followed by a lesson on bulbs and bulb planting. I really liked the gardener, Anna Pavord. She was a delightful English lady who referred to some of the bulbs as looking “like dried up bits of sheep dung.” Watching them plant made me really wish I had a yard. It’s the perfect time for bulb planting, you know. During the commercial breaks rap music was played and Joey, our cheerleader, had the audience up and dancing as he ran around and handed out free stuff. While we didn’t get any of Joey’s goodies, despite our extra enthusiasm, every audience member did walk away with Rachel Ray’s new cook book, Bulb a beautiful picture and gardening book by Anna Pavord, an amaryllis bulb as well as a goody bag of lotions and samples. When the filming was over Martha took a few audience questions but had to run to another promotion. As we left the studio we received all our goodies and purchases and free lunch. It was a great quick trip to the city and so much fun. If you get the chance I’d highly recommend visiting Martha Stewart in NYC.

And now my ode to Martha…

Oh Martha Martha Martha Dear
Your amazing talents we all revere.
From weddings to parties and holiday fun,
Your cutesy crafts are number one.
On the menu you’re a culinary whiz.
You know your food and you know your biz.
But there you’ve made a big slipup,
So the Big House taught you rap, what up?!
Now you’ve more skills then ever before,
Garden tips, crafts, and recipes to adore.
Home-making perfection here we come!
Master chef, crafty crafter and a green thumb!

Apple Picking

2009-10-16T09:53:00.001-07:00

I like fall. I can’t say that I love it yet because I still hate the short days and the sad loss of summer (sigh) but since I’ve moved to the East I have learned to appreciate fall. It is simply beautiful out here. Since I moved to DC almost 5 years ago now, I go somewhere and pick apples every Columbus Day. I spend several Columbus Days in upstate New York but this year we stayed a little closer to home. Scott and I had the day off and found a nice farm in rural Virginia with lots of apples to pick. Apparently others had had the same idea and most of the trees had already been picked of those easy to reach apples. So we found ourselves a fruit picker pole. I used it to reach the big apples at the tops of the trees…
Scott used it to fight invisible enemies…

After getting our fill of stayman apples we solicited the help of a tree branch and with my camera on the timer took our picture. Then we gave our fruit picker pole to other pickers and drove to the red and golden delicious apple orchard.

There were no fruit picker poles here so I had to get on Scott’s shoulders to get the good ones. When I was on Scott’s shoulders a woman came by and asked for our camera. She wanted to take a picture of us because we were “so cute.” Now we have a half bushel of apples that need to be made into pies, cakes, muffins, crips and apple sauce! Mmmmmmm. Come on by and have some!

30

2009-09-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

It happened. I turned 30. It wasn’t as hard a birthday as I thought it would be because of my wonderful friends, family and husband. Celebrations began a few weeks ago in a hotel in Nashville when my friends the Little Truckers gave me a beautiful Tiffany’s necklace. Love those girls! (more on that trip to come…maybe)

The next celebration took place when over the weekend we had to go up to Pennsylvania for a bridal shower. Scott casually mentioned we were going to dinner and asked me to bring a dress. I wear a dress just about every day so no big deal for me. Well he surprised me by taking me to the Circular Dining room at the Hotel Hershey. It was fabulous! The place was beautiful and the food fantastic. They even wrote Happy Birthday in chocolate for me. It was great. If you visit Hershey, be sure to go.

The day of my birthday I woke up a little sad at the prospect of my lost youth. Sigh. My twenties are over. What have I done?... I felt better when I met my coworker on the walk to the office and he’d bought me a chocolate croissant. Mmmmm. Then I got to work to find my boss out. Woohoo! It’s always a good day in the office when the boss is out. At 1 my sis and nieces brought me a delicious lunch complete with birthday tart and candles. We all sat outside with Tinkerbelle birthday crowns and enjoyed the weather and the food. I love those girls!

After work I took a nap and waited for Scott to get home so we could head over to Bean’s for dinner. When I walked into Bean’s house I was greeted with shouts of SURPRISE as a bunch of friends jumped out of their hiding spots wearing “dirty Mexican” mustaches. It was a muy bien surprise birthday fiesta! A lot of great friends were there including Wilbur. Wilbur was a faithful companion to my roommates and me before I married Scott. We planned so many times to hang and beat him but we just never did. So he stood with fading crepe paper fur on a side table in our living room until my birthday when he was stuffed with candy and hung from a tree in my sister’s backyard. I took a few good whacks at him and so did my nieces but it was Kimi’s husband Joe who knocked Wilbur off the rope and into the neighbors yard. It was a proud ending to our faithful friend.

Overall a great 30th birthday!

Scott will never be allowed to grow a mustache...sick! Neither will Sammy!

Culture Shock

2009-07-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Because one wedding just isn't enough Scott and I had a Cambodian Reception for his family in June. I was able to meet a lot of his friends and relatives and learn so much more about his culture. His mom was very generous in planning everything for the Cambodian Reception and I was more than grateful for her efforts ‘cause lets face it I know nothing about Cambodians. I was told the reception would involve an 8 course dinner and that I’d be wearing several traditional Cambodian outfits and would need to be in California at least 5 days ahead of time so my outfits could be assembled. The more I thought about this the more uncomfortable I got. Sure I’m up for almost anything but I’m also a head taller and 40 lbs heavier than most Cambodian women. I was going to be “that big white girl” that can’t use chopsticks!

When we got to California sure enough I was about a foot taller than Grandma and 6 inches taller than all of Scott’s aunts and even his uncle. They were all very kind and welcomed me into the family with open arms and big smiles. Scott’s relatives have been progressively come to the US for the last 25 years and some speak little to no English. So there was a lot of smiling and nodding on my part. I really had no idea what was going on half the time.

It was decided that I’d wear 3 different outfits the night of the wedding reception. Traditionally Cambodian weddings can last 1 to 3 days and the bride changes clothes like a million times or something. Since I’m white and we’re Mormon we shortened it to a single evening. However, as the bride I had to start getting ready at noon the day of the reception. In Cambodian culture they hire a woman through a Cambodian bridal store to dress the bride and bridesmaids and to do the hair and make up for the bride, bridesmaids, and family of bride and groom. I felt like I had a 5 year supply of hairspray in my hair and years worth of make-up on my face. Then I was dressed. The first outfit I wore to greet the guests was silver. I wore a traditional heavily beaded thick sash on top and a traditional wrapped skirt on bottom along with 10 thick bracelets, 5 on each arm, 2 bulky anklets on each leg, 2 long necklaces, a metal belt with large buckle, an upper arm band, big dangly earrings, and a tiara. I felt like a warrior princess. My coworkers said I looked like a Cambodian Barbie Doll. I greeted all of our guests in this outfit.

The reception began at 6:30. By 7:00 most of the white guests had arrived. By 8 the Cambodians had all come. Scott, his parents and I then marched to the stage and welcomed everyone and announced the food would then be served. Then I was whisked away to change into outfit number 2. This was basically the same as the first outfit but in blue and gold instead, which meant all of the jewelry had to be changed as well. I realize later looking at the wedding photos, that I wasn’t the only one changing. Most of Scott’s aunts had 2 to 3 different dresses they wore that night.

Freshly attired in blue and gold, it was time for Scott and me to collect the money. Cambodians traditionally give money instead of gifts. We provided a stack of envelopes on each table in order to facilitate this. Depending on the crowd at the table we were given different tasks to do in order to receive the money. Many of the older more traditional Cambodians wished us well and gave us a Cambodian blessing and handed us the envelopes. Others made Scott to jump as the tallest person at the table stood on a chair and held the envelops as high as he could. At another table we were required to split a wintergreen lifesaver in half with our teeth. Scott had to drop and do 25 push-ups at his step-brothers’ table. It was an adventure to earn those envelopes of money and well worth the effort.

Once the money had been collected I rushed off again to change; this time into my wedding dress. Scott and I had our “first dance” which led to the evening ending in dancing. I managed to avoid the electric slide, which I had been told to practice, because Scott and I were busy saying good-bye and thank you to our guests. It was a really fun night. Scott’s mom put so much effort it to making everything so nice and we are very grateful for her hard work. While I never imagined I would ever have a wedding quite like this but I’m so glad I did!

Better Late than Never

2009-07-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

On the 31st of January Soktheas Scott Lieng asked me to be his wife. After throwing out a few dates and getting all kinds of hassle we decided we just wanted to get married and chose the date of March 27th. This gave me 6 weeks to plan our wedding. It was a VERY busy 6 weeks as I had 2 other weddings to attend in California and Utah. But everything fell into place. I found a great location for a luncheon, a great photographer, flowers and everything I needed. I bought my wedding dress, which fit like a glove, exactly one week before my wedding. There were many small miracles that we were blessed with and few mishaps, but overall it was a perfect day. It rained the day before and the day after but not the day of. We were sealed in the Washington DC temple on March 27, 2009. The ceremony was very small and intimate, just how I wanted it to be. After taking pictures outside the temple we met our friends and family for a luncheon at the National Harbor. It was great to be surrounded by people we love and care about and to receive their well wishes. It was a nice yet casual lunch, which again was just what I wanted. I’m so happy to be married to such an amazing and wonderful man!

Yes, I am still alive

2009-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

OK I know I know! It's been a long time since I posted. I'm planning on updating and revamping the blog soon. I've just been busy. I got married March 27th and can't believe it's been 2 months already. Scott and I are heading to California for a week for our Cambodian reception June 13th in Long Beach (If you haven't been invited and would like to come let me know. The more white people I have on my side the better ;) Once that is over I'll have some more time on my hands...hopefully. In the mean time here's a little tidbit from my good buddy Carren's blog...

http://mycket.blogspot.com/2009/05/til-we-die-die-story-of-friendship-and.html

Meet Scott

2009-02-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

The brown man on the right is Soktheas Scott Lieng. He goes by Scott or a variety of other pet names I’ve given him. He was born in Cambodia and raised in Southern California. He graduated from the Naval Academy, where he played football, in 2004. He’s been all over the world with the Navy and has a lot of great stories. He’s even appeared on Oprah. He’s the most ambitious and hard working man I know. One of my favorite things he has said was in an email yesterday. He said, “Every time I get a I love you from you I glow, not like a girly glow, but a toxic glow like the ninja turtles ooze glow, which is more manly.” This is a perfectly Scott thing to say. He treats me better than I’ve ever been treated and I love him. So I said yes when he asked me to be his wife!

We're just different

2009-01-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

Normally I make it a rule not to blog about my relationships. I do have some great dating stories, but those only come out after a few Henry Weinhards rootbeers. However, it has come time to make an exception to my rule. Mostly because all of my time is spent with this guy and I don't know what else to blog about. His name is Scott and he's not the typical guy I date. We're just different and here is why.

I grew up in Northern California. He grew up in Southern California.
He wants to take me to Singapore, Australia, Italy, etc. I want to take him to the Punkin Chunkin and the Hick Festival.
He thinks I should gain a few pounds. I think I should lose a few.
His idea of dinner always involves something that lived formerly in the water. My idea is something that grew or lived on land.
As a former MMA fighter and college football player he wants to beat everyone up. I run and/or drop to the ground in a fetal position at the first signs of danger.
I’ve rarely met a cheese or ice cream I didn’t like. He’s lactose intolerant.
He shops at places like Polo and Diesel. I shop at the Target store (as my niece calls it) and TJ Max.
My favorite concert was Dolly Parton. His favorite concert was Kanye West.
He’s a boy. I’m a girl.
He’s Asian. I’m white.

Punkin Chunkin

2008-11-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

For the 3rd year in a row Carren and I went to the Punkin Chunkin. It was awesome. Carren gives a great report of the whole thing on her blog. Check it out and don't forget to catch the special on the Discovery Channel some time! http://mycket.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-love-smell-of-pneumatic-air-cannons.html

The DGM

2008-11-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

Some times people come into our lives to give us remarkable gifts. To grant our most ardent wishes and make all our dreams come true. In Cinderella the Fairy Godmother grants Cinderella the chance to go to the ball, meet Prince Charming and start a new life. In Alexandria, Virginia the Dairy Godmother almost daily grants me the chance to escape from hectic city life into a world of tantalizing frozen custard and delectable baked goods. She's a culinary genius who has turned ice cream into an art form. Every 2 days she has a new flavor and I have taken it upon myself to sample each one. Some of my favorites have been chocolate orange shortbread, banana pudding and toasted almond. She even caters her flavors for the seasons and holidays. I'm looking forward to eggnog next week. With her shop just a few short blocks away I've become a regular and can't really imagine life without said Dairy Godmother. Cause let's face it, some days you just need a pint!

Wild and Wonderful

2008-10-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

This year for Columbus Day weekend my roommate Janet, my buddy Brian and I went on an adventure to John Denver's "almost heaven" West Virginia. We took a little detour on our way out and stopped at the Graves Mountain Apple Festival. Where we sampled and picked our own apples before heading to WV. Our first stop in WV was the Biscuit World, where they serve biscuit sandwiches with names like Ron, Tootie, Thundering Herd and Duke. It was delicious! Once our bellies were full we headed over to Cooter's Cabins & Campin'. "Cooter" was exactly what you'd expect a West Virginian to be, except he had a full set of teeth, but he was not without the overalls, goofy laugh, and country manners. His house is on the property and the "office" is located in the old barn. In the office there are a variety of things for sale, including Cooter's Cabins & Campin t-shirts puffy painted, I'm sure, by the misses. He showed us our campsite and warned us not to leave our shoes lying around 'cause the neighbor's dog would chew 'em up. The neighbor's dogs showed up an hour later to play an endless game of fetch. Nothing could deter this dog from the game in fact she was waiting outside our tent the next morning with the same stick in her mouth ready to go. But we had other things to do. Mysterious things.

My roommate had tried to visit the Mystery Hole several years ago but sadly it was closed that day. After reading their website we were not gonna let that happen again. The website makes it perfectly unclear what the Mystery Hole is. My favorite quote is "Now that you've read and digested this story I believe you understand what you think I've said, but I am not quite sure you realize that what you've read is not what I meant." So even if you think you understand, you don't. Like the website says, "seeing is believing." So we came to see. When we pulled up what should be playing on the loud speakers but the Macarena. It was then that I knew this experience would be extraordinary. We purchased our $6 tickets and waited for our tour group to be called. It's hard to describe what happened on that 15 minute tour. The best I can do is tell you what I saw. Picture if you will psychedelic happy face book fair posters, plastic Halloween skeletons, drift wood creatures, abandoned hornets nests, 1970s mannequins, a black hall way with spatterings of neon paint glowing under a black-light, a wood paneled tilted room where a golf ball running along a track appears to roll up hill, a mustached Hawaiian-shirted tour guide cracking goofy jokes, fun house mirrors, and the comfort of a bench seat that formerly resided in an old ford pick-up. It was almost as if some one had raided Good Will or their 90 year old Grandma's basement for decorations. Really its something you must see for yourself. If you are ever in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia don't miss the Mystery Hole! In fact you probably won’t be able to resist the powers of the Mystery Hole drawing you near…

Along with the Mystery Hole, another legend of the New River Gorge area of West Virginia is “5 Dollar Frank.” We asked Cooter about Frank and he had all sorts of great things to say about the man. Frank passed away a few years back and when he died he was apparently the oldest licensed pilot in the US, couldn’t hear a thing and gave rides in his Cessna plane for $5. He built the Fayetteville airport with his own 2 hands and everyone knew Frank. While we missed the opportunity to meet 5 Dollar Frank we did wander over to the Fayetteville airport and for a lot more than $5 dollars took a ride in a WWII biplane. A biplane! It was incredible! Admittedly I was a little scared, but it was also a once in a lifetime opportunity. The weather was absolutely perfect for flying. The leaves were at peak fall colors, the sun was shining and the sky could not have been bluer. The flight was about 25 minutes with amazing views of the New River Gorge and beautiful WV hills. We cruised along leisurely through the sky with the open air blowing past us. After the scenic part of the flight came the fun part. The acrobatics! We did some barrel rolls and hammerheads and while the cockpit is open, you don’t feel like you’d come close to falling out. And I had a parachute on “just in case.” It was like a very mild roller coaster. Not scary, just fun! Sadly my time was up after the acrobatics and we had to land. All good things must come to an end and we had to return to our real lives. It’s true what they say. West Virginia wild and wonderful!

Why I love visiting Bean

2008-10-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about visiting my sister is the greeting I get from the kids and dog. They know when I'm coming and are posted at the glass door ready to jump up and down and bang the door as soon as I'm within sight. I love it! I adore those 2 little girls and their momma too!

Nova Scotia Pictures

2008-09-26T19:38:00.001-07:00

Nova Scotia

2008-09-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have 3 of the greatest friends in the world. The 4 of us make up a group we like the call The Little Truckers. We went on our first trip together over 3 years ago and since then we have decreed that we will take an ATTS (annual trip to somewhere) until we die. DIE! This year we went to Nova Scotia, eh. Why you ask. Why not? It was absolutely beautiful! Picturesque if you will. We went over Labor Day weekend and it was a perfect time of year to be there. In preparation of our ATTS we usually try to read a novel that takes place where we will be vacationing. If you haven’t guessed what novel we read already you are either A. a dude or B. missing out on one of literatures greatest treasures: Anne of Green Gables.

On our first day in Nova Scotia we took a Ferry to PEI (Prince Edward Island) and spent the day enjoying the beauty of the island and the Anne sites. We went first to Green Gables, the house and land that inspired L.M. Montgomery to write her story. It was like walking into the novel; Haunted Woods, Lake of Shining Waters, Barry’s Pond and all. Next we visited Avonlea Village, again stepping into the story. The village was set up with a school, houses, church, gardens, farm yard, shops, etc. The characters from the book roamed the streets and at select times during the day acted out scenes from the book. It was so fun! There was even a pig race. I fell in love with Gilbert Blythe. He was adorable. Lucky Anne! After our Anne fun we enjoyed one of the island’s specialties: lobster. It was delicious. In fact I couldn’t get enough. I bought a live one in the airport and took it home to DC for dinner.

Day two of our trip took us on an amazing drive through Cape Breton, but not before stopping and taking pictures at a random house whose lawn was littered with painted wooden cut-outs of EVERY Simpsons character. The drive around Cape Breton was stunning. Alexander Graham Bell once said, "I have seen the Canadian and the American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland; but for simple beauty, Cape Breton out rivals them all." We spent most of they day ooohhhhing and aaahhhhing and taking pictures at scenic stops along the road. It was beautiful!

The third day of our trip was spent in Fort Louisbourg in the year 1744, when the French had command of the fort. I loved this place! Everyone was in period costume and played their parts so well. Visitors are allowed to walk all over the village and explore the buildings, restored and original, without supervision. I love Canada! We even had a typical meal that would’ve been served in 1744. As a genealogist and history nerd, I love this kinda thing. Living history is awesome. One day I aspire to take part in some sort of historical reenactment. One day.

Day four was spent exploring Halifax. We visited the Titanic section of a cemetery and the Halifax Maritime Museum which houses the largest collection of Titanic artifacts. After which we were obligated to listen to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." Then we shopped around for some Canadian goodies to take home. Little did we know that the grocery stores were closed for Labor Day. Yeah were definitely not in the US.

Overall the trip was fantastic. If you get the chance to go to Nova Scotia DO IT!

Excuses

2008-09-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

I hate excuses, but I’m about to give you a long list of them. These are the reasons I’ve neglected the blog all summer. I’ve been busy. REALLY busy. And I’ve had a A LOT of fun. So here it is. The reasons why I’ve not blogged / what I did this summer.

VA Beach – the boardwalk, a random firework show, the beach, and Elvis impersonators make for a great weekend

Kayaking – much harder to tip than a canoe and really fun

Camping – twice along the beautiful Skyline drive above the Shenandoah Valley

Tubing – there are few things more enjoyable than floating down a lazy river on a tube with a bunch of friends and cooler full of snacks in the tube next to you.

4th of July – What better place to be than DC? Fireworks, parade, food, fun and the Folk Life Festival.

Gettysburg – Huge Civil War reenactment. It was awesome. I felt like I’d stepped back in time. Cavalry, canons, Yankees, Rebels, bayonets, soldiers.

City if Alexandria Birthday celebration –fireworks!

Baseball games – incredibly on 2 different occasions my people were able to get free front row seats to Washington Nationals games in their bright shiny new stadium. We’re talking no one in front of us but the players. One game was even followed by a fireworks show.

DC – I just love visitors! It so fun to show people around DC. Arlington Cemetery, Tidal Basin paddleboats, Eastern Market, the Mall, the monuments, Mt. Vernon, etc etc.

Ghost Tour – nothing will beat the time that huge storm blew in and soaked Jordan and I as we ran from an old church grave yard, but I still keep going in hopes of something good.

NYC - I heart NY! I finally got to the Statue of Liberty, enjoyed some great NY eats, saw a show, shopped and enjoyed central park. Check me out on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-cEN1CrFvw

Hiking – along a river with waterfalls and swam at the base of some falls, beautiful and so fun!

Berry Picking – I have no qualms about picking and eating blue, black and raspberries ANYWHERE.

Manassas battle field – another Civil War battlefield, but no reenactment.

Concerts - Melissa Etheridge, Brandi Carlile, the Indigo girls and Neil Diamond. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Neil Diamond! Seeing him live has been a life long dream of mine and it was exhilarating to have it come true, for real. Love him.

Farmers Market – Del Ray has the most adorable farmers market with the tastiest yogurt and European breads.

Missouri – Lubbs and I visited Dad in Collins/the-middle-of-no-where, MO. We went to St Louis and I went to the top of the Arch. We visited historic Fort Scott, Kansas, Cahokia Indian mounds, put on our own fireworks show (all varieties of fireworks are for sale all year long in MO), cooked, enjoyed some Kansas City barbeque and just hung out with our old man.

Gardening – if the #$%& squirrels would keep out I’d have a lot more to show for all the work I’ve put in. It has been a ton of fun to play in the dirt again after living in a high-rise apartment.

Babysitting – I just adore my nieces and they both had fun fun birthday parties this summer thanks to their super mom!

Sailing – It is so relaxing to just sit in a sail boat on the water and feel the breeze in your hair.

Grilling – mmmmmmm

Crabbing – at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware we caught ‘em and had a fiasco trying to get them in the pot for cooking but it turned out pretty tasty in the end.

Soccer game – DC United, they have a serious Latino fan base that was so fun to cheer with.

Star Gazing w/ Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – Only an hour out of the city and you can see so many stars! This was awesome. An astronomer/huge nerd took us on a “star tour” with his super power pointer light and showed us a bunch of constellations after which we got to look through a few telescopes at the stars and planets.

County Fair – The best part about this is the people; Carnies, Latino families and high school kids. Grab yourself a funnel cake and enjoy the show!

And not to be forgotten are eating, sleeping and on occasion working. It’s not over yet though. I just got back on Tuesday from a long weekend in beautiful Nova Scotia and here it is Saturday and I’m in the Denver airport heading to Utah for a week. I promise I really do work…sometimes.

Tag! I'm it.

2008-08-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

So I just got "tagged" for the first time. Which means I am morally obligated to complete the following blog entry. This is good for me. Thanks Carren! I really have neglected my blog this summer and this is a great way to start back into it. So here goes.

Here's how it works: For each question, look up the answer on Google image search. Then choose your favorite image from the FIRST PAGE OF RESULTS ONLY. Just remember this is google image answering these questions.

Name?

Favorite Food?

First job?

Nickname?

Birth place? Appropriate, seeing as how I was born at home.

Bad habit?

College degree? Yes that's right. I have a degree in Genealogy and yes it's from BYU.

Where I want to go. Prince Edward Island in a few short weeks!

Favorite place? I'm pretty sure my "dream land" is not quite so pink and has a few more dudes in it, but this is a dream land nonetheless.

Favorite color?

Favorite animal?

Past love?

What I am doing right now.

Where I live.

Favorite object?

Grandma's name?

Age?

Girls just wanna have fun!

2008-06-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Working at the DAR has given me the opportunity to go to a lot of concerts. Constitution Hall is a great venue and you can’t beat $2 employee tickets, 7 rows from the stage. Saturday night I took my friend Laura to the True Colors Cyndi Lauper show. My first indication that this show wasn’t what I’d expected came when on my way into the hall, looking hot in a new dress and heals, the group of guys I walked passed did not check me out. Clearly something was wrong. Then I considered what type of guys might be going to a Cyndi Lauper concert. Sure enough the tour was organized to promote gay and lesbian rights and the entire gay and lesbian population of DC was there. The show was hosted by Carson Kressley, from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, who pranced around the stage talking about his wardrobe changes. There were 4 acts to the show, which is why I’d gotten the tickets. The first act was Teagan and Sarah, 2 Canadian Lesbian sisters who rocked out on the guitar. They were followed by the very talented Regina Spektor. She was fantastic! She’s a one woman show and sounds amazing a capella. At one point she was stomping her left foot, playing the piano with her left hand, beating the drums with her right hand and singing! I can’t even rub my belly and pat my head at the same time. It was quite the performance. Next came the party known as the B-52’s. If you’ve seen the Love Shack video, you’ve seen the B-52’s; crazy guy yelling, chics with big hair, outrageous clothes and everybody dancing. All in all a lot of fun. And finally out came Cyndi Lauper; 55 but with all the energy and of her 1980’s glory days. She’s quite the performer and had the crowd on their feet right away. As she started in on her second song, Laura and I sat down, but no one else did. When you sit down that close to the stage you can’t see a thing thats happening on stage. We didn’t know the song so we weren’t paying much attention. I leaned over to say something to Laura and the next thing I know Cyndi Lauper has me by the right arm and is pulling me out of my seat! I did not at all see that coming. She then proceeded to stand on my chair and sing to the crowd but not before turning to me and pointing with the Cyndi Lauper scowl only she can give. I was dumbfounded. I stood there staring at her singing to the crowd and standing in my chair. When she got down a minute later she stepped on Laura’s purse, then bent down and picked the purse up off the floor and put it in Laura’s chair, all the while singing her song. It was one of those experiences where you ask yourself, “did that just happen?” Yeah, it did. Cyndi Lauper pulled me by the arm out of my seat, folks. The rest of the show was fun, especially when they released dozens of giant balloons into the audience and everyone who’d performed came on stage to sing True Colors. Laura described it as the gayest night of her life. I’ll second that!

Camping and Bluegrass

2008-06-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I went camping in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia last weekend. We planned the trip around the Graves Mountain Bluegrass Festival for a weekend of backwoods country fun. The highway we were taking through Virginia also happened to be the main road of the town of Sperryville (population 1300) and the town happened to be having their annual parade and town celebration. We were lucky enough to hit the parade at midpoint when they were letting traffic through and we told to drive alongside the beauty queen and in front of the pink and green spandex clad baton twirlers. We waved at the locals in their lawn chairs lining the street and wished we had brought candy to throw. It was great!
The Shenandoahs were beautiful. We found a great little campsite right along side the Appalachian Trail and met hikers who'd been on the trail for 2 months having started hiking in Georgia. I almost wished I could join them as they continued on the Maine, almost. Being out in the woods, cooking over a fire, hiking, and playing in the water reminded me of so many family vacations long spent, except there was less noogies.
The highlight of the bluegrass festival was the legendary Ralph Stanley. He was pretty fantastic for being as old as dirt. Check him out!

Florida

2008-06-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

I recently spent a long weekend in Florida with a few of my good friends. It was a fantastic trip! It was my first time to visit Florida and I loved it. The wild life and plant life are so different from anything else I've experienced. We saw alligators just hanging out on the side of the road, manatees swimming with people, dolphins showing off jumping in the ocean, and pelicans having lunch on the waves. It was beautiful. Here are some highlights from the trip...

Lunch with an astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center,

my great pals Laura and Mellie and the rental Dodge Charger,

getting hosed at Universal Studios,

and the beach, of course!

Just Like Heaven...or 1989

2008-05-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

I keep a mental list of people I want to see perform before I, or they, die. In recent years I've been able to marked several names off the list. Like U2, Dolly Parton, and Ricky Martin (OK he wasn't on the list but he sure put on a great show). Topping the list is Neil Diamond. I nearly lost it when a few weeks ago I heard he was coming to DC. I sat in my car open mouthed staring at the radio in disbelief until someone honked and I had to pull myself back into reality. I will be having my moment with Mr. Diamond come August 5th. Another list topper has been The Cure. I was able to scratch that name off my list a few weeks ago. Anyone, no no, any white person who was a kid or teen in the 80's and 90's is familiar with the dark eyeliner, red lipstick and spiked black hair of lead singer Robert Smith. I am happy to report that he is still sporting all 3 key elements of his signature style. However he has not aged well and gained some weight making his costumed appearance even more effective/frightening. The show was awesome. I went with 2 of my good friends and had a great time. One of the best parts was standing in the hall people watching. I love people! They're nuts. The band sounded great and performed all of my favorite songs: Just Like Heaven, Friday I'm In Love, Pictures of You etc. Should you get the chance I highly recommend going. Don't forget the black eyeliner!

My new best friend

2008-05-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

Just up the street from my sister's house is a ghetto shopping center that plays host to a giant beauty supply store called "Beauty 4 U." One of my fellow white girls once ventured inside said store and was told she was too white, they didn't have anything for her there. I usually try to avoid this shopping center and, lets face it, most of the other stores in Oxon Hill. My sister once pointed out that there was a small bakery next to Beauty 4 U and suggested we try it sometime. I imagined it having a few stale donuts and M&M cookies under some glass guarded by a 400 lb former lineman named Gerard. Needless to say it wasn't a top priority to try it. But my mind was quickly changed when my friend Sam, a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, gave a high recommendation to "Desserts By Gerard." Turns out Gerard is not a 400 lb lineman but a culinary French genius whose delectable creations make me weak in the knees. The best thing are his mini tarts. Its so hard to chose one so why not go with 1/2 a dozen? These bite-sized treats are small enough that you can eat several and not feel guilty. This way you get to make an educated decision on what tart to purchase on your next visit. Desserts By Gerard is like an oasis in the dessert, not only is the food amazing but the ambiance of this bakery is fantastic too. Walking through those doors makes you feel like you've stepped right out of Oxon Hill and into a little taste of heaven. If you want to see for yourself come on by...I'll be there drooling on the glass http://dessertsbygerard.com/home.htm

The Pacific Northwest Pictures

2008-04-25T16:50:00.001-07:00

The Pacific Northwest

2008-04-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

I just spent a week in the Pacific North West and let me tell you, it was fanfreakingtastic! The weather was perfect and the land was beautiful. I started out in Seattle, WA visiting my dear Little Trucker friend Hayley and ended in Eugene, OR where I taught a genealogy workshop for the Oregon state Daughters of the American Revolution. I’d forgotten how much I love the west coast. Don’t get me wrong I still love my east coast home, but there’s just something that feels like home about the west coast. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. It would take way too long and be very boring to give you all the details of the trip so I’ve decided to give 10 highlights. (This may also be long and boring anyway) Here goes...

10. My bologna has a first name its M-A-Y-E-R – Yes folks that is right, I saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. It was just parked at the beach like any other car. No one in it and no hot dogs for sale. I made Hayley pull over and I jumped out to get a picture.

9. Mariners 8, Angels 3, Travis 0 – Hayley got us tickets to watch the Seattle Mariners beat the LA Angels at Safeco Field Saturday night. I love a good baseball game. We had pretty good seats and there happened to be 2 young single guys next to us. After a few beers one of them, Travis, got up the courage to start hitting on me. It just so happened that we were wearing the exact same shade of kelly green shirt. After a solid 7 innings of flirtations and despite his beautiful green eyes, I did not consent to go to the bar with Travis after the game and he left with his buddies. Better luck next time Pal!

8. The troll under the bridge - in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle there is a giant troll sculpture that lives under the Aurora Bridge. I thought this was pure artistic genius. It’s the head and arms of a ghoulish figure clutching a real VW Beetle. A troll under a bridge!

7. Cruising PCH - Driving up the Oregon Coast along Highway 101 was amazing! It is so beautiful. The houses, the trees, the wilderness, the beaches, the cliffs, the wind, the salty air. It was simply beautiful I could’ve sat and enjoyed it all for hours. Oh wait I did and I loved it!

6. G-Doggy Dog - There’s something about eating brunch on a sidewalk table outside a French café on a beautiful morning that screams metropolitan. I met my dear friend and roommate of former years, Gina Jung, at Le Pichet to catch up and enjoy a delicious meal. It’s always good to see an old friend especially one like Gina. She’s one of a kind. We followed our chitchat and meal with a little taste of heaven. Hayley had read about the chocolate dessert at La Pichet, which was why we’d come. It did not disappoint. It was a thick, rich chocolate soup with a side of heavy whipped cream. Sigh, I still dream about it.

5. What a view! - Not far from the Fremont Troll in Seattle is the neighborhood of Queen Anne which boasts the very best views of Seattle. Hayley took me here to show me her Seattle. It was a beautiful clear day and we could see everything. "The mountains were out" and Rainier was majestic. Seattle is a beautiful city.

4. Sunset on Alki Beach - The sunsets on the West Coast are amazing. I'd forgotten about how beautiful they can be over the ocean. Hayley was showing me Alki Beach when the sun started setting. I made her pull over and we marveled over the beauty of the day, took pictures, and tried not to burn our retinas by staring too long at the sun.

3. Rows and rows of brilliantly colored tulips - Skagit Valley, north of Seattle, holds an annual tulip festival the entire month of April. This was right up my alley A. Flowers 2. Festival D. Outside! 3 thing I adore! It was beautiful! Only a 1/3 of the tulips were in bloom, but that was plenty. There were tulips of every variety and color. I wanted to pick them all.

2. Pike Place Market - When anyone talks about Seattle they talk about Pike Place Market. There is a reason for that: its totally awesome, hello! I LOVED it. It was a lot bigger than I imagined and everything you can think of was being sold somewhere. I tasted everything I could and it was delicious. I saw a man with an opossum on his shoulder. I got a free hug. I watched the famous fish guys toss fish to each other. I ate the worlds best mac and cheese. I saw the original Starbucks. I added gum to the gum wall. I saw a man telling cats' fortunes. I bought some Seattle art. I loved it.

 1. Hayley! - With all the great things I did and saw, the very best part of my trip was hanging out with my great friend Hayley. She is fantastic and we really miss her out in DC. I'm so glad that we are friends. She's brave and strong and so much fun. THANK YOU HAYLEY!

Blossoms Blossoms Blossoms

2008-04-07T18:37:00.001-07:00

Cherry Blossoms!

2008-04-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this time of year! Love it. I love when the earth starts to wake up from the long cold winter and everything comes to life. I love the smells and the colors. I love the lengthening of the days and the increase in the temperature. I love the families on Spring Break with their matching sweatshirts. But above all I love the flowers. The daffodils, the hyacinths, the tulips and the BLOSSOMS. If you get the chance to go to DC for the Cherry Blossom festival, GO. One of my absolute favorite traditions (4 years running) is our annual cherry blossom picnic on the steps of the Jefferson memorial. My sister Bean has been pregnant for 2 of the 4 picnics we've had and the number of picnic-ers has been annually increasing. We've been lucky in that each year we've had great weather and have had our picnic when the blossoms were at their peak and before the rain got them. I think this year was the best I've seen yet. The blossoms were amazing. They trees were fuller than I've ever seen them. It looked like pop corn popping on the cherry blossom trees!

Lady Cake

2008-03-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

When a good guy friend turns 31 and is booted from his singles ward with no woman on the horizon, what does one do?... Make him an edible woman birthday cake! The "woman" is made from a 9 x 13 cake carved in the shape of a woman's torso, wearing a frosted bikini bottom and Sno Ball bikini top. It was an old trick I learned in college and as long as there are vending machines and gas stations selling Hostess Sno Balls, there will be woman cakes made. Its a real crowd pleaser. While my friend B-Licious was quite pleased with his woman, things didn't really work out between them (something about eating her). So a year later its time to make Vitamin B a new woman. This year I chose to go with a more modest woman and made him a Barbie Princess cake. While this cake is usually the highlight of little girls princess birthday parties, she was quite popular at this 32 year old male birthday party. So what am I gonna do next year?

That's all I want

2008-03-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

So there I was sitting at my desk on a rare break from the "genealogy consultant" class I've been teaching and observing for the past 4 days, when I heard something that reminded my of what my life is missing. Chickens. It was as if someone had run into the coop and scattered the brood of feathery old biddies and they were squawking their protests on the north portico of Memorial Continental Hall. Perhaps it was a group of DC tourists, or protesters on their way to the White House, or the 20 class participants/DAR members returning from their lunch break, but to me it was chickens. A bunch of puffed up proud hens strutting across the yard and pecking at grasshoppers. It was then that I remembered some of the things I've always wanted in life but have forgotten while living in this metropolis of Washington DC. Chickens. I've always wanted chickens and a front porch and a white picket fence. After my visit to Savannah last year and recently having read Gone With The Wind, I think I would now most prefer a southern plantation along with the chickens, porch and white fence. That's not too much to ask for is it?

The BEST thing to ever come out of New Jersey

2008-03-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

While the hair has gotten shorter and the abs tighter the leather vest remains and Jon Bon Jovi continues to be a hot ROCK STAR! Myself and a gazillion permed, 30-something, screaming women were seduced by his all American boy smile and awesomely bad lyrics last Thursday night at the Verizon Center in DC. The show was fabulous. Thanks to blow-dryers and wardrobe changes, Mr. Bon Jovi looked his best all night. He played a lot of new songs but neglected not his classic chart topping hits: "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Bad Medicine," and "I'll Be There For You," to name a few. Those of us who take pleasure in the art of Butt Rock are still singing those 5 words he swore to us. To relive the magic yourself I'd recommend youtubing a couple of his old videos. Ahhhh, the magic of spandex, leather, and big hair!

Thats How I Roll

2008-02-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow!

2008-02-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

When I was 12 the youth in my ward put on a road show. The play was about the man who invented the safety pin. While my brother played the lead role, I played a cow. For some reason the writers of this play decided it was necessary to include a herd of cows. Who better to play the herd than the Beehives? Upon delving into the dress up clothes for the previously mentioned tea party, my little sis found my cow costume. Naturally I made her put it on.

Tea Party and Dress Up!

2008-02-26T09:25:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is play dress up. I love it. Love it! Always have. I love to explore the dress up box whenever I go home and jump at any opportunity to clothe myself and anyone else in a "beautiful" dress. On my recent trip home to Utah to help my mom with her broken ankle, I wasted no time getting into the dress up clothes. The occasion was a "tea party" (really a hot chocolate party) with my niece and nephew. While my mom and sister made the hot chocolate and arranged animal crackers on decorative plates, I dug through old boxes of ballet costumes and dress up clothes to find beautiful dresses for everyone. Once dressed, albeit over our clothes, we transformed into our tea party characters by speaking in our best English accents and calling each other "dear" or "darling." We then drank hot chocolate until the teapot emptied, munched on pink and white sprinkled animal cookies and talked about the latest gossip. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to have another one!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

My niece, Gaga, and I in pink polk-a-dots want to wish a Happy Valentine's/Singles Awareness Day to everyone.

Ground Hog Day

2008-02-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

February 2nd came and went this year without my notice and/or a celebration of Ground Hog day. When I realized this I had to revisit my Ground Hog day experience of last year. Two of my good friends and I decided that instead of watching Bill Murray relive Groundhog Day over and over and over again, we would live it for ourselves. We arrived in the quaint little town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania around 11 pm February 1st and set up camp in the local community center; the $5 Crash Pad. Our luxury accommodations featured brightly striped bathrooms supplied with powdered borax soap and a distinct odor of elementary school, leaving me craving a Capri Sun and Ninja Turtle fruit snacks. Also featured were several halls of decrepit lockers which my then four-eyes and lunch money merited an immediate stuffing into by my comrades. The halls and floors were lined with people and sleeping bags of every size shape color and variety. We found a spot and tried to sleep for a few very short hours before waking up at 4 am to catch the bus to Gobblers Knob. We then spent the next several hours sitting in our lawn chairs, cheering for Phil, clutching our hand warmers and growing impatient while the temperature fluctuated between 11 and 15 degrees. At 6:30 am there was a fireworks show. At 7 the members of Phil's "Inner Circle" marched onto the stage to start the show. They tapped on Phil's door, pulled the little guy out of his cozy home and the president of the Inner Circle exchanged a few friendly words in "Groundhogese" with him. Then came time for his prediction. I was disappointed to learn that the whole "if he sees his shadow" is a crock. The sun isn't even up at that time! What they do is prepare 2 scrolls. One says "early spring" and the other "6 more weeks of winter." They put the little guy down and which ever scroll he walks towards becomes his prediction. As usual I decided my experience would be best expressed by poem.

I froze my butt off in Punxsutawney!

On February 2nd way before the dawn
People go to Gobbler's Knob and gather on the lawn.
They stand and wait in the frigid chill
And chant a name, Phil, Phil, Phil!
This year I decided to join the eager throng,
I even found myself singing the Groundhog Day song.
Excitement was thick in the cold air,
As Phil slept cozy in his groundhog lair.
We anxiously awaited his prognostication,
His weather prediction for the nation.
Will winter last for 6 more weeks?
I can't feel my toes, my nose or my cheeks.
Come on Phil! Come out of that hole!
Forget about your shadow just walk towards a scroll.
EARLY SPRING! Yea, Phil you're my hero!
Although a week later the temperature is zero.
I'm sure that cute fuzzy little critter wouldn't lie,
Although, I wouldn't put it past him. He is still a guy.

Ode to Nelson

2008-02-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love the "shuffle" button on my ipod. I hit it the other day and out of the 3448 songs I have, my ipod chose to play Nelson's Love and Affection. It brought back a lot of memories that I thought would best be expressed in a poem.

Rock on Nelson

With your leather pants and your long blonde hair,
My 12 year old heart thought you the perfect pair.
From your rocking guitars and snakeskin boots,
My love for Butt Rock took its roots.
In turquoise jewelry and studded belts,
Your awesomely bad lyrics made my heart melt.
I bought your cassette and hung up all your posters,
Then watched your career on its down hill roller coaster.
I never lost faith that you’d write just one more hit.
And I know that After the Rain you’re gonna make it!
‘Til then I must go on without your Love and Affection
It’s not you. It’s me. We’re not headed the same direction.
As you now make the rounds of select county fairs.
I may have moved on but my 12 year old heart still cares!

Quote of the Day

2008-02-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

The DMV - where they specialize in making you look like a mentally deranged cocker spaniel.

Court

2008-01-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

I've had a startling revelation. The boring definition of my name, Courtney, is "of the court." For years I've thought this far from descriptive of me. I am no where near a representative of a king's court, the legal courts, tennis or basketball courts. However; I realized recently that I am of a court and I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It all became clear to me when a friend suggested we eat at the food court in the Ronald Reagan building. Then it all made sense. I am Courtney - of the FOOD court.

Cookie Dough Decision

2008-01-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the articles in the Church magazines really speak to me. I read this and knew exactly what this girl was talking about. It is found under the "Trying to Be Like Jesus" section of the February 2008 Friend.
"One night, I was planning on waking up early in the morning so I could eat the rest of the cookie dough left in the fridge. The next day, I woke up before 6:00 in the morning, but then I stopped and thought about what Jesus would do. I decided not to eat the rest of the cookie dough. At breakfast I told my mom what I had wanted to do. She wasn't angry and understood. I repented about the cookie dough, and I was happy to know the Heavenly Father understood too." From Sarah P., age 8.

I don't know

2008-01-26T01:30:00.000-08:00

"I don't know." Its a phrase I've said and heard a lot lately. Mostly in reference to my future. I hate hearing it. I hate saying it. And I hate feeling it. But when it all comes down to it, I don't know. There are a few things in my life I do know. The rest is uncertain. I hate to make decisions. I'm terrible at it. I always want some one to just tell me what to do. But God is much wiser than that and allows me to make decisions, or leaps of faith rather, and once I've taken a step into the darkness, He lets me know if it was the right step. There have been many times I've chosen not to act because I didn't know "for sure." Those times have been some of my biggest regrets. I've missed out on too many things because I was waiting for a sign to point the direction to go. Or I was too afraid of failing to even try. Usually if I don't know, then I don't act. I sit complacent with my lack of direction and ambition. I heard and or said "I don't know" to one too many people this week and I've decided its time to know. Time to act. I'm never gonna know if I don't try right? So here goes nothing. Time to grab the bull by the horns! First act is to figure out what I'm doing with my future. This is my biggest "I don't know," but also the one I'm in the most control of. So... does anyone have any suggestions?

The finer things in life

2008-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Food. Food is one of the finer things in life. Good food, that is. Last week Washington DC celebrated "Restaurant Week." Restaurant Week involves many of DC's fancy schmancy and expensive restaurants offering 3 course meals on a pre-fixed price of $20.08 for lunch and $30.08 for dinner. These places are usually well beyond my budget, so this is a great deal. I was able to go to the Fourth Estate Restaurant at the National Press Club as well as Georgetown's own 1789. These are the kinds of restaurants where the valet helps you out of the car, the waiter scoots in your chair, and you have to know the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. Both meals were delicious and the atmospheres were elegant. I felt like a real socialite eating at such fine establishments.

Tonight I am again heading out with my friends to eat at a fine establishment. Bob Evans. I love Bob Evans. Love it. (For those of you in the West, Bob Evans is a family diner. Much like Denny's or Village Inn only its like 1 millions times better.) I've been excited for this outing all week. Probably more excited than for my meals last week. My good friends, the Little Truckers, and I started a tradition of dining at Bob Evans on our first trip to somewhere. (The Little Truckers have decreed that we will take an annual trip somewhere until we die. DIE.) It quickly became one of our favorite places to stop. While 2 of my Little Truckers have since moved out of DC, one will be in town this week and 3 of the Little Truckers will be heading to Bob Evans tonight and can't wait.

Our dear friend Mr. Bob Evans passed away in June and I wrote this poem to commemorate his life and our loss.

Ode to Bob…

Dear Mr Evans we’re your number one fans!
To celebrate your life we lend you our hands.
I’ll always treasure the fond memories we shared
And the many fine meals for me you prepared.
Turkey dinner and mashed potatoes,
Fresh house salad with tomatoes,
40 cents more for bacon and cheese.
Your Oreo pie makes me weak in the knees.
Flakey biscuits with butter and jam,
Eggs and hash browns with a slice of ham.
Fresh from the oven come your buttery rolls.
“Bob’s Sausage Chili” fills up our bowls.
You’ve now gone on to the life hereafter
And we morn the loss of a culinary master!
So raise your glass and grab the Pepto
To Bob, whose food we love and know.

Mom's gonna kill me!

2008-01-18T05:47:00.000-08:00

We finally got some snow in Washington DC yesterday. Huge fluffy flakes were falling all morning. When a sufficient amount of snow had blanketed the back yard, I dressed my niece up in the essential snow gear and we headed outside. I showed her how to make and throw snowballs so we would be ready when her mom came out to join us. It wasn't too long before that Bean was outside ready for a fight. (Anyone who knows Bean knows that she can't resist any opportunity to soak her friends and loved ones.) We couldn't play too rough because Gaga was with us but we each got a few good hits in. In a final attempt to maintain my "big sister" status, I lobbed a well aimed snowball at Bean's head. She looked up just in time to get hit in the face. As I watched her glasses fly off my first thought was, "Uh oh Mom's gonna kill me!" Fortunately the glasses weren't broken and Mom lives 2,000 miles away. 20 years ago I would've gotten the wooden spoon for sure. Good thing I'm all grown up now.

Is that Pat Benatar?

2008-01-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

I knew Monday at work it was time for a hair cut when every time I looked in the bathroom mirror, I wished I hadn't. I would see my reflection and sneer at the shapeless mass of brown hair hanging out of my head. After repeated sneerings and failed attempts with bobbie pins and rubber-bands to improve said mass, I called Bubbles for a 4:30 appointment. "It doesn't matter with who, I just need a haircut." 4:30 with Dawn. When I arrived at the salon a very tall and thin male hairdresser with lightening bolts bleached in either side of his head asked Honey if he could help her. "Oh me?!" Yeah apparently I'm Honey. He said he would let Dawn know I was there. When I sat down with Dawn I explained that I wanted the same haircut I had 4 months ago, it just needed to be trimmed and cleaned up. I also explained to her that I have aleopecia areata and that I lose random patches of hair. I could tell she didn't know what I was talking about when she asked in broken english if my hair had broken off upon my showing her my random bald spot. We settled on her cutting about an inch off. After the shampoo, Dawn proceeded with the cut and as I watched 3 inches of my hair falling to the floor I began to wonder how they measure inches in the Oriental country Dawn was from. I watched my hair fall to the floor and hoped it would all turn out ok when it was dry and styled. No such luck. After all was said and done, I ended up with what looks like a grown out mullet. Generally after the soccer mom like styling indigenous to hair salons I leave wanting to put on some cotton culottes and cruise in my minivan. However, this day I wanted to put on my Van Halen t-shirt and gas up the Thunderbird. Lets hope it grows out soon.

Oh what a beautiful day!

2008-01-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

Today was amazing! What felt like Spring crept into Washington DC with record breaking highs of 73 degrees. I wore a skirt and short sleeves outside IN JANUARY! I can't stay inside on days like this and was out the door as soon as my lunch hour hit. I love working in the district and so close to the mall. I love the people in this city. Like the guy with 2 braids for a goatee and dog paws tattooed on his left calf holding the leash of the biggest rottweiler I've ever seen, wearing a spike collar no less (the dog that is, although I wouldn't put it past the man). Or the Redskins fan on the bike who told me he liked my hair as he rode by. Or the lost family with the map and cameras asking me where the Vietnam memorial was. Or that bum panhandling with a Frisbee instead of a cup. Or that guy selling hot dogs from his cart. I REALLY like that guy. They are all faces of Washington DC and I love it. On days like this one of my favorite things in the whole wide world is to walk from my office to the Lincoln Memorial and read the Gettysburg address. It really is inspiring. The Lincoln Memorial is one of my favorite spots in DC. I love climbing the steps and feeling like Rocky. I love the view of the entire Mall from the top of those steps. They have taken the fence down around the building and I was able for the first time to walk completely around it. From the south side you can look across Memorial Bridge and see the house of Robert E Lee overlooking Arlington Cemetery. It was a new view for me and I wish I could've taken more time to appreciate it, but alas one must go back to work and leave the beautiful day outside. Jobs are totally over rated.

A little piece of Hell

2008-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

I HATE the DMV, or as they call in in Maryland the MVA. I spent 2 and a half hours there yesterday and wanted to stab my eyes out. If I ever go crazy I want it to be said that I went DMV not postal. I don't mind the post office.

I can't believe I'm doing this...

2007-12-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend Carren, I now have a blog. Hanging out with her tonight I said I was considering starting a blog. Next thing I know her laptop is in my lap and ta da! Here I am. I confess I stressed about what to call it and all the details but they will be worked out eventually. Right? Yeah, I'm gonna have to be a little more dedicated to this than say you know my exercise routine or something.