Nee How Ma? 你好吗?

Progress!

2012-01-18T13:14:00.001-05:00

Venue deposit - Check
Photographer deposit - Check

Phew...2 down! Yippee!!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T11:51:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!

Ryan and I celebrated by making Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling, dressing up as a Zombie and a Pirate, and carving some pumpkins.

More weekend love...bday love

2011-10-26T21:54:00.001-04:00

The weekend celebration continued Sunday as well! This time it was Birthday Time!!

Apparently it's quite difficult to get a Sunday brunch reservation for 11 people in a cool location in New York City at a "brunch hour". But, kudos again to Ryan for organizing a birthday brunch for me and David at Balthazar...even if it was at 9am ;)

Everyone was traveling back home Sunday (except for Michelle since she was the lone local) so we all met back up for breakfast before parting ways and heading home.

We chatted some more, exchanged birthday gifts, ate, kissed and hugged and then we were al off to check out some things before leaving via planes, trains, and automobiles (bus...really!).

Mmmmm....NYC bagels!

Star Wars theme continues! (Please see my previous Christmas Post!)

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs &

Scrambled Eggs in a Puff Pastry

Eggs Bella Donna

It was so great getting to be in New York City with everyone! I wished the weekend didn't go so quickly and that it didn't have to end so soon, but I guess this just means we'll have to all make plans to go back. :) What a great birthday weekend. Happy Birthday to me & Dave!

Lots to celebrate in one weekend <3

2011-10-25T16:53:00.003-04:00

First and foremost, let’s just say that I am one lucky gal! I’ve got an amazing fiancé..yup, fiancé and I have an amazing family!

What better way to spend a weekend than with them?!?

Before jumping the gun on the proposal…let’s lead up to it…it makes for that much better of a story!

So…I had wanted to go to NYC for my birthday for a while, but never really acted on it. Once I heard that Dave and Natalie were going to be in town, Ryan solidified plans for us to spend the weekend in town as well.

Ryan and I landed in NY Friday afternoon and headed over to Michelle’s to drop off our stuff and then met up with her at Aldea for dinner. Besides getting to eat dinner with great company (Ryan and Michelle), we also got to go into the kitchen and all meet Chef George Mendes.

Dinner consisted of:
Sea Urchin Toast, Portuguese Sardine on Brioche Toast, Cured Foie Gras;
Shrimp Alhinho, Spanish Octopus a la Plancha;
Hanger Steak, Diver Scallops, Arroz de Pato;
and some birthday desserts!

Next Up: We high tailed it up to the Theater District to catch Anything Goes!

Great show, even if it was full of understudies…jk

Dave and Natalie happened to be down the street catching The Lion King, so we met up and grabbed some food at a diner employed with Broadway hopefuls…more singing for the night!

Saturday morning, Ryan headed off to Starbucks to read while I caught up with Michelle and got ready. Mich had brunch plans so she was off while I met up with Ryan for some NYC bagels and some shopping before heading to Central Park.

Making it over Central Park, we walked around and toyed with the idea of renting a boat. Too bad there are protesters chanting for people to boycott the boathouse. OK, so boating in Central Park was out. We then continue to walked around…and around. Ryan seemed to be on edge. But oh well. I just continue to walk along.

Ryan was so insistent on walking around the park! It’s not like we’ve never walked around Central Park before! We make our way over to some rocks by the lake and settle ourselves up on top and do some people watching.

We’re chatting along and next thing I know, Ryan is in front of me with some cracker jacks and then...a ring box and I’m being proposed to!

We don’t have any real pictures of the actual event, but some staged ones work just fine for me! (Especially the one that starts off this blog entry!) Don’t mind me in my jeans, tshirt, and fleece. Ryan tried (covertly!!!) to have me dress nicer that morning, but I just wasn’t having any of it!

So now you might be asking…What does a brand new happily engaged couple do next in NYC to celebrate?

Shake Shack, of course!!!

Then it was off to our next NYC adventure which was another surprise to me - a helicopter ride over downtown Manhattan! We even flew over Central Park.

And then as if there weren’t enough surprises in one day…there was still room for ONE more <3

Ryan arranged a surprise celebration dinner at Buddakan. I knew something was up, but he just wouldn’t spill *ALL* of the beans. We walk downstairs, I turn the corner and then see…

How unexplainably a.ma.zing to see my family and Ryan’s family all there to celebrate this with us!

How even MORE amazing to me was how everyone, especially my family, kept it all a secret from me! I had even just spent an entire weekend with my family in FL and not a one of them slipped up. And they had all been in NY since the NIGHT BEFORE. (Sorry Dah Jeh Jeh couldn't make it...you were missed though!!!) I was wondering why no one was calling me that weekend...or why Ryan kept telling me to call them later on! Dave and Natalie didn't say anything the night before either. And Katie even told me she had to stay in Boston that weekend because of work. Well done families. Impressive...just impressive.

That’s really the word that summed up the weekend for me. I was and am so impressed with Ryan. He pulled off an unbelievable weekend. Amazing proposal. Amazing ring. Amazing dinner. Amazing families. Amazing Ryan <3

I couldn't have asked for a better proposal...or fiancé!

From Russia With Love

2011-10-25T08:11:00.000-04:00

Has it really almost been 4 months since I went to Russia?!? Guess, it’s about time that I posted something about it, huh? :)

Ryan had his last international Duke residency in St Petersburg, so how could I NOT tag along?!?

First night, after a long flight (actually 3 flights) in, it was dinner time! As always, I was excited to try out the food. We ordered Russian food that I was familiar with, but how exciting to be able to actually order it and then eat it IN Russia. No offense, Russia, but my family's dumplings and my grandfathers borscht is better ;-)

Next up, a whole lotta sightseeing! We happened to be in St Petersburg during the White Nights - those 80 or so evenings, running from May to the end of July, when the city emerges from long months of cold and darkness and celebrates the brief return of nearly round-the-clock daylight.

We spent the next couple of days checking out what I would think was a lot of, if not most of, the St Petersburg must sees before heading down to Moscow.

Here are some St Petersburg highlights:

The great thing about the White Nights is the almost around the clock sunlight. We went to a bar to catch the sunset at MIDNIGHT. Pretty cool seeing the sun and the moon out until almost 1am.

Sunset on the right; Moon already in the sky on the left.

Went on a boat ride and had dinner on a pirate ship while watching an endurance boat race.

Saw a Russian Folk Show

Checked out one of the most amazing churches with the most amazing mosaics

The Hermitage! One heck of a museum!

Those Russians sure know how to make beautiful floors

DaVinci and Michelangelo

Matisse

Went to the Mariinsky Theater to catch some ballet!

Saw Don Quixote

Climbed to the top of St Isaacs Cathedral to catch the sunset

Took a midnight boat ride along the Neva River to watch the drawbridges rise up

Took an all in Russian Tour bus out to Catherine’s Palace one afternoon

Metro’d out to Peter and Paul’s Fortress for the morning

Saw the burial site of the Russian Royal Family, the Romanov's

And visited the prisons within the fortress

Took the first hydrofoil out to Peterhof one morning

Caught the fountains as they were turned on for the day!

Wandered around the gardens..lots to see

And…got stuck in a TORRENTIAL downpour on our way back to the boat :)

Next stop…MOSCOW!!!

The Red Square!

GUM shopping, St Basils, the Kremlin, and Lenin...not a bad view

St Basils Cathedral

The Kremlin!!

The Moscow Metro

Beautiful, but oh so confusing!!! So confusing!

The Red Square at Night…could have sat here for hours! Oh wait..I did!

До свидания!

Dasvidaniya :)

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

2011-09-14T21:08:00.004-04:00

Ryan was out of town for his actual birthday so I figured it would be a good opportunity for me to actually get him something and have it waiting for him once he got back home on Sunday.

After much pondering on what to get him, Lelaine convinced me that I should go with my original idea of making him a birthday cake. Now let's remember that I loooooove arts and crafts. Baking or really decorating rather is the same as arts and crafts to me.

SO...with a decision made to make a Plants vs Zombies themed birthday cake, I was off! The baking part was easy. Next up was the deocrations...that's another story. Let's just say I may rethink ever wanting to make another birthday cake again :)

Anyways...in the end, I think the cake came out great! It was kinda sad cutting it up, but I love chocolate cake almost as much as arts and crafts (probably even more) so I got over the sadness pretty quickly :-P

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Labor Day in Naples

2011-09-14T20:16:00.000-04:00

I've never been to Naples before, so over Labor Day weekend we packed up the Wang family car and headed over to the southwest coast of Florida for a Saturday night stay.

We made it into Naples, checked into the hotel, grabbed some dinner, and headed to a sunset cruise aboard the Naples Princess. It's too bad it was cloudy out...not much of a sunset when it's cloudy, but it was still a nice 2 hour cruise around the canals of Naples and out into the Gulf of Mexico. We saw lots of (empty for the summer) houses...more like mansions...and even a dolphin.

Next up was the Naples Botanical Gardens. My parents and aunt love gardens and gardening so I thought this would be a great place to visit. We were all impressed with the gardens and decided that we'd all have to come back again once it was a bit cooler.

Checking out the Water Garden

In the Butterfly Garden where there were definitely a lot of butterflies

The main accomplishment of the day: Determining the difference between water lillies and lotus flowers

Elephants, Giraffes, and Penguins...Oh My!

2011-09-14T19:21:00.001-04:00

I Heart Zoos. I have even been known to visit cities just to check out their zoo. So how it's taken me years to visit the Indianapolis zoo is really beyond me. Well, I finally made it to the zoo here in town a few weeks back. It was a great day to visit. We went in the morning and it since it was a little overcast, it made for a great not super hot day.

Turns out a baby elephant was just born at the zoo on July 21st. Her name is Kalina and her mom's name is Kubwa. Interesting fact: This is the third time that Kubwa has given birth to a calf via artificial insemination. Kubwa is now the first African elephant in the world to give birth successfully via artificial insemination three times in a row.

Isn't the baby elephant soooo adorable?!? Too cute!

Giraffe snack time!!!

This penguin was just too cute. He stuck his face right in front of a jet and it was like he was swimming in an endless pool...just cruising along while not going anywhere! He was super photogenic too.

Fourth of July in Florida

2011-07-25T20:14:00.003-04:00

I thought the Fourth of July would be a good weekend to make it home to West Palm. After some flight hiccups on the way down, I finally made it to PBI where Dah Jeh Jeh and Goo Ma picked me up at like midnight!

Katie wasn't home so I crashed in her bed and in the morning, look who came to wake me up and say hello. Awww.

It was a pretty hot FL weekend so we decided to stick to air conditioned activities. The Norton Museum has free admission tickets on first Saturday of the month, so we thought we'd go check it out. They were having an exhibit on costumes/props from movies so that was kinda cool. I snuck some pics on my phone rather quickly so excuse the blurriness.

Star Wars!

Star Trek and a Batman suit worn by George Clooney

Indiana Jones' gear and the Holy Grail along with the Wicked Witch's hat

And of course a trip home wouldn't be complete without food and mah jong.

It's too bad I didn't get to stick around for Fourth on Flagler. I originally was supposed to fly out Monday night, but of course my flight got delayed and then I got rebooked and delayed and delayed. I was at the airport when the fireworks show started and I was at least able to catch a teeny tiny glimpse of it! Next time, I'll just fly out first thing in the morning...which is what I ended up having to do anyway! :)

Lots and lots of rebooked tickets!

San Diego

2011-07-24T21:40:00.004-04:00

My friend Emily moved to San Diego I don't even know how long ago and I'm just now finally making it out there to visit!

Not even batting an eyelash at the idea of "May Gray June Gloom" in San Diego, Ryan and I headed out to visit Em over Memorial Day weekend.

Fish Tacos...so delish!

Memorial Day BBQ and Beach (Bay, really...)

An Easter Island Moia! I still want to see the real things though ;)

Checking out Torrey Pines

Not a bad view from the restaurant/bar that we didn't eat/drink at

The bus tour at the San Diego zoo.

Ending the day with a California sunset

Visiting the seals...and impersonating a few

Dave + Natalie = Wedded Bliss!

2011-07-24T21:10:00.007-04:00

Back in May, Dave and Natalie tied the knot! Many congrats to the happy couple!!!

After ceremony/pre-reception photo stop at the beach

Family picture...don't mind my mom's closed eyes! Sure the official photog got a perfect shot :)

The Get-A-Way Car with all the bells and whistles...err, ribbons and soda cans I mean

The Machu Picchu Reunion!

Congrats, Big Bro! Love ya!

Aghhh...life.moves.too.fast!

2011-07-24T21:04:00.004-04:00

I really am a terrible blogger! I know blogging is a way to document life happenings, but life happens too fast to keep up! So here goes yet another attempt to keep up with life and with this blog! :)

I really should cancel cable...

2011-06-15T10:40:00.002-04:00

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – On average, 2.8 hours are spent watching TV per day.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I mean, I may not necessarily rack up 19.6 hours per week…but between what’s recorded on the DVR, the options of what’s available onDemand, the HBO GO and the PBS apps, and the occasional movie theater trip…I could probably come close.

That’s half a full work week! Well, what can I say? I like TV. The good thing about summer though is that most of the shows that I watch are on summer hiatus and frees up time for other activities. I’m doing my best to not add any shows to my regular summer lineup. So far it’s just So You Think You Can Dance and True Blood, but I’m sure some additional ones will sneak in.

About SYTYCD…I’m so excited this season. It’s only started (Top 20) and I like 19 out of the 20 dancers!

As for True Blood (Thanks to Lelaine for getting me hooked)…I’m interested to see how this season unfolds. Finally at the end of Season 3, I actually started to like Sookie. I just purchased the box set of books 1 through 8 so I’ll at least be adding some reading as well this summer to see how the series compares to the books.

Today is Top Gun Day!

2011-05-18T16:45:00.001-04:00

How is it that I've never been to an air show before? Ft Lauderdale has one every year (and its boats too) and I have never gone.

Well, this past weekend the Blue Angels were in town and I thought what better opportunity than now to see some planes and stunts.

Other than the painfully slow exit from the parking lot, it was a great time. I have just recently watched Pearl Harbor and having seen that and then walking in an open field with many fighter planes overhead, I felt like I was in the movie when the first planes started flying into Pearl Harbor.

With fresh squeezed (I think) lemonade and roasted corn in hand, we picked a nice spot and took in the sights.

Hard to see...but this guy is on the top of the plane on the wing...

Meatless Mondays...for now

2011-04-25T16:58:00.002-04:00

Let's see how long this lasts...

I've decided to try and eat vegetarian one day a week. In general, I don't think I eat enough fruits and vegetables (or drink enough water, but that's going to have to be another 'project') so I've been trying to have a vegetarian meal here and there. I always forgot or just decide that a meat dish sounds (and generally tastes) better and opt out of say the vegetable lasagna for the meatier version.

Since the swapping out a meal or two wasn't working...I thought I'd start implementing Meatless Mondays. Today is Monday #1. So far...so good...but I think I'm going to have to really make an effort to remember each Monday. For example, this morning I grabbed leftover pizza with pepperoni and sausage out of the fridge for breakfast and sadly had to put it back (giving myself some credit though since it technically did also have mushrooms, onions, and peppers on it).

Like I said, we'll see how long this continues.

Indulgence

2011-04-14T17:19:00.006-04:00

3 people + 6 desserts on Friday night = A second trip back on Sunday for the cookies and rice krispy treats that were left out before

What a great idea...only one choice listed on the menu: Salad, Steak, and Fries.And let's not forget a second helping included in the price of your meal!

Short but Sweet Trip to Florida

2011-03-28T20:48:00.009-04:00

Let Dave and Natalie's wedding countdown begin :) Nothing like a bridal shower to make it start feeling like a wedding is on the way!

Over the weekend, Natalie had her first of two bridal showers and I was able to make it down to Florida to attend. It was a Sunday afternoon full of the color blue, tasty snacks, presents, good company, and bridal shower games :)

Holiday themed cooking & baking

2011-03-20T21:42:00.014-04:00

For me, the best part of holidays is the food. I heard Paula Deen say the other day about Southern Cooking that "We show our love for someone through food." I'm sure of it that that saying can be said about Chinese families and cooking as well. I love getting together with my family and knowing that we'll get to spend time together and that there will be good food and a lot of it!

With that theme...here are some recent holiday themed food celebrations.

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies and Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Fat Tuesday Shrimp & Grits and Mini King Cakes

Deli purchased Key Lime Pie for Pi Day (3/14 for 3.14.2011)

Nigella's recipe for Chocolate Guinness Cake for St Patrick's Day

A Star Wars Christmas Joke for a Star Wars themed Christmas! How did Darth Vader know what Luke got him for Christmas? He felt his presents.

2011-03-15T20:57:00.007-04:00

Christmas in March...well actually Christmas pictures that I haven't had a chance to post on here until now. Better late than never.

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mother!

A recurring theme (of mine) around the holidays is family arts and crafts. There were the Chinese New Years Red Envelope Lanterns and the Christmas Dinner Make Your Own Snowflake Placecards and then this year...it was Star Wars Cookies and Meringue Snowmen.

Cookies - Hit...Meringue - Miss. No one makes my blood boil like Martha. She's so deceptive. SO so deceptive. Her and her 'its so easy'-ness. Ughh. Needless to say, the snowmen did NOT work out. Ok, moving on to the successes though...the cookies were fabulous. Great decorating skills, family!

Thanks to my ever patient and accomodating family for participating in all of my arts and craft projects! You are the best

The 'Hit' Star Wars cookies - Heroes, Villians, and Galactic Vehicle cookies

The 'Miss' Meringue Snowmen...this was the backup plan after 2 batches of anti-stiff peak meringue. Curses, Martha!!!

Ahhh, Christmas time with the family! Love it. Lots of food, lots of presents (including a hoola hoop, an as seen on tv scrubbing foot, star wars key chains, star wars pancake molds, starwars spatula, m&m toe socks, screaming slingshot animals, and the annual appearance of summer sausage just to name a few!), and lots of Beatles Rock Band!

A very happy birthday to my dear mother! I Love You!

I was even able to sneak in a visit with some friends and their babies. While everyone was home, we met up at Carrie and Catherine's Dad's house for some pizza, babies, and Apples to Apples.

Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?

2011-03-14T15:47:00.000-04:00

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios has been open since middle of 2010 and I'm *just now* getting to go! The delay certainly hasn't been due to a lack of interest...it's more been a fear of long lines filled with HP crazed fans.

I've heard insane stories of the crowds and long lines (even well after the grand opening), but couldnt pass up the chance to go when the opportunity presented itself! Sorry, Lelaine...we'll go back, promise! :)

Apparently, semi-rainy overcast days are great days to go theme parks. There was barely any traffic getting to Universal, parking was a breeze, and lines were minimal. The morning started out gray and pretty chilly (by FL standards) with some mist/drizzle but once the sun made its way out, the day both cleared up and warmed up. Taking advantage of the sparse crowds, we checked out Honeydukes Candy Shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, Ollivander's Wand Shop, Hogwart's Castle and it's accompaning impressive (and equally naseauting) broomstick adventure ride. Next stops were the Hippograff ride and then the renamed Dueling Dragons rollercoaster where we waited for the first car. I didn't mind waiting actually since it gave me some time to concentrate on not barfing!

Before leaving HP land, we revisited Honeydukes for some candy and then purchased a butterbeer to share before heading out to the other islands and grabbing lunch. We finished up our Universal visit with Poseidon's Adventure and then walked over to ride the Hulk.

And then I was offically done...and when I say done, I mean sick to my stomach. I was so done in fact that I couldn't even bring myself to have some Ben & Jerry's ice cream. And for those of you who know just HOW much I love ice cream, that should tell you how terrible I felt.

LOL...I'm going to chalk that day up to just a fluke. I dont generally get motion sickness that bad, but I have a feeling that it's probably more due to old age rather than having an off day. Ha!

Regardless, I had a great time and am excited I got to check it out. Universal did a great job with HP Land and I'm sure I'll be back to visit again!

Do you know the muffin man? Oh...why yes I do!

2011-03-06T23:06:00.005-05:00

In an effort to try and eat healthier...see previous post for a sampling of my current diet...I decided to bake some lemon raspberry muffins tonight to have for breakfast. I even used the whole wheat flour the recipe called for.

Ok, ok...so it's still a muffin. I know it's not bran or oatmeal or any other super food, but I'll take this as a small victory over the Oreo's :)

Rekindled Love

2011-02-28T16:25:00.003-05:00

OREO's are so amazing. It's such a love / hate relationship that I have with them! I love them so much that I can't open a package of them without eating an entire row of cookies at one time....and there are only 3 rows of them in each pack!!!

And now there are SPRING OREO's. Ahhh, the lure of spring! How can I say no?!?

I can't! That's the problem :)

Happy Lunar New Year!

2011-02-02T15:09:00.006-05:00

Technically it's Chinese New Year's Eve...but close enough...

Wishing You a Very Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Old man winter needs to take a hike!

2011-01-22T13:00:00.004-05:00

I'm not a fan of winter...and apparenly, I'm not a fan of winter shoes either.

I went to Nordstroms to look for some winter shoes or boots and ended up leaving with these instead! Winter be damned! I don't care if it's 10 degrees out today.

i ♥ Michael Kors

Hog Heaven

2011-01-22T12:14:00.006-05:00

Going to a fair really only means one thing...fair food!

Korean pork taco at the Minnesota Stair Fair?

Or maybe a peanut butter bacon hot dog?

Lots of fried cheese and some tasty Tiny Tim cinnamon sugar (and warm) donuts

Ok...I know I said the state fair means one thing, but I think the animals are a really close second!!!

Happy Belated Birthday Post to Me...and Dave of course

2011-01-22T11:44:00.004-05:00

I was clearing out my camera's memory card the other day and I came across pictures from my birthday this past year. The family came up to Orlando and we checked out a korean bbq place (and probably the only one in Orlando).

Frosty Jr

2010-12-05T11:22:00.002-05:00

My first snowman...ever. So what if he's mini? He's still SUPER cute!

I'll miss you, Nissan!!!

2010-11-28T10:41:00.004-05:00

The time finally came where I had to say "Goodbye" to my very near and dear friend, my car. It had been with me since 1998 and was part of the family. My dear Nissan, I'll always look back at our time together with great fondness. We went through a lot together and you will be missed! I hope you find a good home and eventually make your way to used car heaven and enjoy some well deserved R&R will constant car washes, frequent oil changes, and endless tire rotations!

I Heart Jon Stewart

2010-11-13T16:01:00.013-05:00

I've always had a little secret crush on Jon Stewart, so when I heard that he and Stephen Colbert were having their dualing rallies: Rally to Restore Sanity and Rally to Keep Fear Alive the same weekend that I was already going to DC to visit Lelaine, I was so excited! All I had to do was convince Lelaine to go with me. Turns out it wasn't too hard since she apparently has been harboring a little guilt since years ago, I wanted to go to some other event similar to this and she said no :-)

SO...with her on board and her connection with friends getting us VIP seating tickets, we were off to see Jon and Stephen with our homemade signs!

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

2010-11-13T12:52:00.008-05:00

Back in June, I found myself in PERU! Just now, I'm finding time to post about it. Once you read this though, you'll see why it took me so long. TONS of pictures, LOTS of memories, and just not enough time to put it all down in cyberspace...but here it is!!! And not in one, but FOUR separate blog posts nonetheless :-)

I never really thought this trip to Peru (Cusco and Machu Picchu) wouldn't ever really materialize. To me, it was one of those things where you say: 'Yeah, I'd love to go to Peru and hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu' and then nothing really ever comes of it. Well, not this time! One day we're talking about going and the next thing I know...trek is booked, plane tickets are purchased, and I have a huge hiking/camping equipment shopping list!

So with all the logistics in place, it just left shopping and getting in shape. The shopping part was pretty easy. The getting in shape part wasn't. I'd like to think that I'm not super unfit, but most people (definitely including myself in this group) could stand to get *more* in shape. I did my thing of running now and then, hitting the stair master at the gym, and practing walking up inclines on the treadmill for extended periods of time. Looking back....yup, I definitely underdid it on the workout routines. I'd also like to say though....I live in Florida...Orlando is only about 100 feet above sea level! We don't have much to work with when it comes to training for high altitude hiking :)

We make it to Lima and taxi'd to the hostel to meet up with Natalie, Ashley, and Yvetta. After a very short stay at the hostel (for Dave, Katie and I - about 6 hours...the other 3 girls had been there for a day or two already), we all head back to the airport to catch our domestic flight to Cusco.

Cusco, what a great city! It's friendly, picturesque, and always seems to have something going on. We stayed in Cusco for a few obligatory days to get used to the altitude..and boy did I need it. Just walking up a slight hill to our hotel was enough to take my breath away. And our 3rd floor hotel room...well, that was definitely a lot harder than at sea level! All signs leading me to think that I was in for a tough 4 day hike.

Then...the morning arrives for us to take on the Inca Trail! It's a really early morning...after a long night of packing and repacking to get our bags down to the itty bitty 2.5kg weight limit allowed for the porters. Yes, we hired personal porters and they were worth every dollar...and more!

Below is from the trek company, Peru Treks, who we did our hike through. As most of the days were a blur to me since I was either a.) out of breath, b.) amazed at the sheer number of steps to be climbed/descended, c.) dehydrated from being sick, d.) running to catch up, or e.) all of the above...I thought I'd let the itinerary speak for itself and I'd add color commentary (literally...my added comments are in a different color) Enjoy! And all "how hard it was comments" aside...I really did enjoy the trip. It was an amazing experience and I think how difficult it was just made it that much more enjoyable and made it that much more of an achivement once we made it to Machu Picchu.

Day 01: Cusco to Wayllabamba (12km)

The first day of the trek is relatively easy and serves as training for the days to follow. Travelers are collected early from their hotels (5-5:30am) and travel by bus, past the picturesque villages of Chinchero, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, for the 2½ hour scenic trip to kilometer 82 (the start of the trail). Buses normally stop at the town of Urubamba or Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley for about an hour to give people the opportunity to have breakfast.

JW: Rise and Shine! We're all packed and ready to go and head downstairs to wait to get picked up. Katie and I snag some rolls from the breakfast bar in case we need some snacks during the bus ride and then it's onto the bus we go. A few hours later, we're in town for some breakfast and some last minute supply shopping. We picked up walking sticks, some alpaca scarves, some ponchos, mini bags of cocoa leaves and charcoal (combined, they're supposed to prevent/relieve altitude sickness...not the tastiest combo, but hey...whatever works!)

Having arrived at km 82 hikers cross the Vilcanota River and follow the trail to the right as it climbs steeply up from the river. After passing through a small village, the ruins of the Inca hillfort of Huillca Raccay come into view high above the mouth of the river Cusichaca ('happy bridge'). The Incas, when they conquered the area, built a fort here since the site commanded an excellent view up and down the Urubamba valley and controlled the entrance to the Cusichaca valley. It is a simple descent down to the Cusichaca river. From parts of this trail there are great views of the Cordillera Urubamba (Urubamba mountain range) and the snow capped peak of Veronica 5860m.

JW: And we're off hiking! We started the day with a group photo and then off we went! Everyone kept telling us how the first day was the "easy" day and that this was to get us acclimated to hiking and to the long days of walking. I guess looking back, Day 1 *was* the easiest, but it was definitely a shock to the system. I still remember that first hike uphill immediately after we started on the trail. I was so happy to have that walking stick with me! Man, was the hill really steep and long! And then the rest of the hike up to our first rest break...phew...this is what they call easy?!? Well, at least we all made it up that first (of many!!!) hills to take another group photo!

Our first ruin sighting! We stopped for a quick break where Cesar talked about the ruins and then it was off again to our lunch campsite. Lunch was at a pretty little site next to a stream and then it was more hiking until we made it to camp the earliest we'd see our tents the whole trip. We had plenty of time to get settled and soak in our surroundings before dinner. We even got to walk up this path and see some ruins up close and personal. Then it was off to dinner and then bed...err sleeping bags. The tents ended up being roomy and the sleeping bags were nice although it was pretty chilly that evening! I can't remember the last time I've slept in gloves, hats, long underwear, and socks. The cold and the dark made it really hard to want to leave the tent in the middle of the night when you had to go to the bathroom...especially since the outhouse was a good ways walk away! I'm so thankful Katie and I inadvertantly timed our midnight break at the same time...since I couldn't find my flashlight which then led me to not be able to find my toilet paper!

Day 02: Wayllabamba to Pacamayo (12km)

Climbing up from Wayllabamba following the left bank of the Llulluchayoc river for about 1 hour brings you to 'Tres Piedres' (three stones) and a small bridge over the Huayruro river. There is a small campsite here toilet facilities. The stream is named after the Huayruro which is an ornamental tree. It's seeds are red and black. Many of the porters from the Ollantaytambo district are also known as Huayruros because of their traditional red and black ponchos! A little further on you'll enter a beautiful cloud forest passing a waterfall.

A further three hours trek through steepening woods and increasingly spectacular terrain brings you to the treeline and a meadow known as Llulluchapampa (3,680m). It is another 1½ hours climb to the first and highest pass of the trail (Abra de Huarmihuañusca or 'Dead Woman's Pass) at 4,200m. During this part of the trail hikers are exposed to the Andean elements: first scorching sun and then, closer to the pass, freezing winds. Once at the top hikers can celebrate having completed the most difficult section of the trail.

JW: This was said to be the toughest day. Today, we'd have to climb up, up, and then even higher up. We stopped mid-morning for brunch before having to climb up to 'Dead Woman's Pass'. The temperature dropped some more and it was gray and windy. The locals must have known this because there were at the brunch site selling hats, gloves and scarves. It turned out that it was sunny most of the way with pockets of shade/wind so lots layers really was key. For today, Katie, Dave, and I split a personal porter for our day packs so Dave "man'd up" and carried our 1 bag for the day and it was much appreciated. Even without our bags though, it was still a tough climb to 4.200m. You kept looking up and you'd see little dots of people wayyyyyyy up there and you realized you still had a long way to go. Then again though, you'd keep looking back down and you'd see how high up you were and how far you'd climbed up!

Up and up we go

...looking up and telling yourself...yes, you really do have to make it all the way to the top of that mountian...you can do this...its just one step at a time!!!

Then....after an intense set of "steps" up....We Made It!!! The highest peak of the trek! What a sight from the top!

The decent from the pass is steep although not difficult, following the trail on the left side of the valley to the valley floor and to the 2nd night's campsite at Pacamayo (3,600m). There are toilet facilities here.

JW: So what goes up, must come down. Now that we made it to the top, we had to go down...and really down. Like 3 hours of down. Before this trip, I always thought going up steps was worse than going down them. Now...I'm torn because they both hurt in very different ways. But we made the best of it...said goodbye to the Dead Woman's Pass and started down! At least we tried to make it entertaining with some jumping pics! Sorry, Katie...we were just too tired after our jumping pics to join you in yours. But you did good! Look great in yours :)

So lots of walking down a mix of gigantic and mini steps later, we made it to campsite number 2 for a late lunch. Afterwards, we had some free time before tea and then dinner. Most of us were so tired, we slept through tea and barely made it to dinner. Katie started feeling a bit under the weather and ended up skipping tea and dinner. Seemed that she wasn't alone...Katie along with about 8 others from our group ended up getting sick throughout the night and made for a long night. Personally, I barfed a few times myself and had to make a few midnight emergency runs to the 'bathrooms'. We're thinking we all must have had some bad food somewhere along the way. Luckily it wasn't anything serious...it just wasn't a good situation to be sick.

And to top it all off, it was the coldest night of the trek. Sleeping that night, I had 2 short sleeve shirts, a long sleeve shirt, a fleece, and a jacket, 2 pairs of long underwear under my long pants, 2 pair of socks, gloves, and a hat. Brrrr. BUT...that was to be the last cold night...the next night was going to be nice and toasty!

Note here that pictures from this day are scarce! It's hard to remember to document your adventures when you're feeling less than stellar!!!

Day 03: Pacamayo to Wiñay Wayna (15km)

From Pacamayo it takes about an hour to climb up to the ruins of Runkuracay. These small circular ruins occupy a commanding position overlooking the Pacamayo valley below.

JW: We all thought Day 2 was supposed to be the toughest day..but as we got to camp the night before, we all saw what was a pretty steep climb uphill and all wondered if that was what was in store for us the next morning. Well, it was! Since most of us were recovering from a night of being sick, it just made it even harder. The sun was shining though, so we just took it one step at a time and made our way up the mountain and took a break to visit the ruins.

Another 45 minute hike will bring you to the top of the second pass: Abra de Runkuracay (4,000m). At last you'll feel that you are walking along the trail of the Incas with paving, for the most part, being original. The descent down the steps from the pass is steep so take care. This section of the trail, up until the 3rd pass, is particularly beautiful as the path crosses high stone embankments and skirts deep precipices. After about 1 hour from the 2nd pass you'll arrive at Sayacmarca by way of a superbly designed stone staircase. The name Sayacmarca means 'Inaccessible Town' and describes the position of the ruins perfectly, protected on three sides by sheer cliffs. No one knows the exact purpose of these ruins.

JW: I love how now that I'm back, when I read the description provided by Peru Treks, it talks about the "steep steps" and the "deep precipices". So true!!! Well, they were definitely correct in saying that there are 3 passes. Each time we climbed to the top of one, we were greeted with more upward trails leading up to more steps! We started out with yelling ahead to the person at the front asking "What do you see?!?" when they got to the top but we soon learned that it was better not to ask! :)

Once we made it to the top of these sections of peaks though, what a place to take a break! A great view, perfect weather, and nice grassy patches to relax in. But alas the relaxing was shortlived and it was off to hit the trail again. Today was the longest day of hiking and we had a LONG way to go...

You have to backtrack a little to rejoin the trail as it passes Conchamarca, a small Inca dwelling situated in the shadows of Sayacmarca, which was probably a tambo for weary travelers on their way to Machu Picchu. From then on the path descends into magnificent cloudforest full of orchids, hanging mosses, tree ferns and flowers, passing through an impressive Inca tunnel, carved into the rock, on the way.

The trail then climbs up to the 3rd pass (3,700m). The view from the pass offers excellent views of several snow-capped peaks including Salkantay (6,180m) and Veronica (5,750m). A few minutes after the pass is Phuyupatamarca, the most impressive Inca ruin so far. The name means 'Town in the Clouds'. Access to the ruins is down a steep flight of stairs passing six 'Inca Baths' probably used for the ritual worship of water.

JW: At this point, I had already had a mini-meltdown and Katie already took some of the "Magic Potion" to feel better earlier that day, so we decided to pass on the ruins and just continue on. This is where my memory gets hazy on order of events since I was pretty much going along with the motions of walking up and down steps and inclines/declines. At some point in the morning, porters carried Natalie and Yvetta down the mountain piggy back...I wish I had pictures. It was amazing what these young men could do!

Leaving the site via an impressive Inca staircase leading from the west side of the ruins (the far end from the baths) you descend a thousand or so steps. Be careful with your knees which will feel the strain by the end of the day.

JW: The "thousand or so steps" in my mind was more like "millions or so steps". There were just soooooo many and they never seemed to stop. I thought the day before had a lot!

After about an hour of walking through cloudforest you may just be able to see the tin roof of the Trekkers Hostal at Wiñay Wayna, although it probably won't be for another 2 hours until you arrive.

JW: Hehe...I love the description above "it won't be for another 2 hours until you arrive". So there you have it...2+ more hours of walking down steps...some very huge...and some very steep! Some highlights include it getting pitch black. Luckily Dave and I brought our headlamps and our guide, Caesar, gave his cellphone to Katie to use to light the way. Casear walkie-talkied ahead to the porters who were already at the camp to run back up to meet us with more flashlights and to help us with our day packs. After some miscommunication, they additional porters showed up and escorted us back to camp. By the time we arrived, it was definitely dark and it was time for dinner.

Wiñay Wayna is the last official campsite before Machu Picchu. There is a restaurant where you can purchase drinks and even a well deserved beer, as well as hot showers ($1.5) and toilets.A short trail leaves from the southern end of the hostal to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna. The name in Quechua means 'forever young' and is named after a variety of pink orchid which grows here. The ruins comprise magnificent agricultural terraces set in an impressive location. There are also many buildings of good quality stonework and a sequence of 10 baths, suggesting that the site was probably a religious center associated with the worship of water. Ritual cleansing may have taken place here for pilgrims on the final leg of the trail to Machu Picchu.

JW: So as previously mentioned...it was pitch black when we arrived so I missed all those ruins mentioned above. We basically showed up, ate dinner, figured out the whole "tipping the guides, cooks, and porters" situation and then made our way to bed as early as possible since we had to get up the earliest of all mornings.

Day 04: Wiñay Wayna to Machu Picchu (5km), Agua Calientes, and Return to Cusco

The trail from the camp to Machu Picchu is clearly marked and takes about 1½ hours. We'll wake early at 4.30am, have breakfast and set off on the trail again by 5.30am to get to Machu Picchu before sunrise. The sky starts getting light by 5:30am and the first rays of the sun reach Machu Picchu at about 7am. The trail contours a mountainside and drops into cloudforest before coming to an almost vertical flight of 50 steps leading up to the final pass at Intipunku (Sun Gate). Suddenly the whole of Machu Picchu is spread out before you in all its glory - a fantastic sight for all.

JW: The morning of Machu Picchu has arrived! We have the earliest wake up time and this morning...no hot tea brought straight to our tent. That's ok...because we're going to Machu Picchu :) The highlight of this morning for me was packing up my bag and then realizing I forgot my toothpaste. I walk over to our pile of bags and try to find mine in the midst of 15 others. One of the porters helps me locate mine by number and points it out. It's in the back so instead of climbing over other bags, I decided to walk around to go directly to mine. It's still pitch black out and I'm wearing my headlamp which was directed down toward my bag and not where I was walking. Of course...this would only happen to me...I take a step towards my bag and then I feel nothing under my foot and then I'm falling off the ledge and down the slope. As I'm looking back up, all I hear are the porters yelling and grabbing towards me. It wasn't a steep cliff or anything and there was a lot of brush to break my fall. Even if they hadn't grabbed onto me and pulled me up, I wouldn't have made it too far down. Either way...I'm glad they caught me and I'm glad I didn't miss the chance to see Machu Picchu! :-)

Mishap aside, we headed out back on the trail. We made it to the entrance to the national park and had to wait until 5:30 when they opened up for the day. Once we were in, it was a free for all with all the other hikers. It was still dark when we started out so we had to be careful...especially with our tired feet and achey knees. Walking along, we made our way closer and closer to these 50 steep steep steps that we had heard about. And there they were! Using your hands definitely helped even if it wasn't the most graceful way to make it up! And then we made it to the sun gate and THERE IT WAS...MACHU PICCHU in the distance. What an amazing sight to first see it after 4 long days!

Sunrise walking to Machu Picchu

Almost there! Monkey Steps leading to the Sun Gate!

There it is! What an amazing sight!

We Made It!

Way to go, all! We survived the Inca Trail!!!

Machu Picchu! What an amazing sight for sore eyes...and legs!

2010-11-13T12:45:00.013-05:00

After an intensive blog post about the TREK TO MACHU PICCHU, I thought it would only be fitting that the ancient Incan site get its own blog post. After all, this was the culmination of what we all were marching towards and what made the 4 days of hiking/camping all worth it!

Morning of Day 1: Ready to conquer the Inca Trail!

Morning of Day 4: Inca Trail Conquered!

Machu Picchu, Here we Come!

We couldn't have picked a better day!

Post Machu Picchu, Back in Cusco, and Lima

2010-11-13T12:14:00.007-05:00

Ahh...our Peruvian adventures are wrapping up. With the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu completed, we're off on our way home. BUT not without a few more memories!

Leaving Machu Picchu...we hit up the food stand for some refreshments to hold us over until dinner and look over our passports with our newest stamps! And once we're in town, Pizza! Non camp food :-) And Soda!!!

A bus ride down the mountain later, we find ourselves in Aqua Calientes.

With a lot (like 6 hours) of time to kill before our train back to Ollantaytambo (and then another bus ride back to Cusco), we check out Aquas Calientes' markets, their few sights, and do a lot of sitting around.

Lots of goodbyes - to our trusty walking sticks and then to our hotel in Cusco

Back in Cusco, Dave decides he isn't ready to leave for Lima yet so he opts to spend a night in a Peruvian 'clinic' instead. Next morning, he's ready to go though!

We make it to Lima on our way home back to the US. No massages at the Marriott, but thats ok...Dave'll make it up to us somehow... ;)

Just in time for lunch! Dave's feeling better and ready to take on Pizza, Wings, and a Coke!

With more time to kill and left over Peruvian soles to spend, we played cards and sampled coffee and chocolate that David wasn't allowed to! :-)

Felicitaciones! (Congratulations in Spanish!)

2010-11-13T12:13:00.001-05:00

What a way to celebrate completing the Inca Trail by proposing! And saying 'Yes!'

Congratulations to Dave and Natalie!

So very excited for the both of you! You're great for each other and I'm so happy that we got to share your special day and can't wait to share many more happy moments with you two!

In all kinds of weather...We all stick together...

2010-10-17T22:14:00.006-04:00

It's been a while since I've been back to Gainesville for a Gator football game...it's been a REALLY long while since I've been to one with some good friends...and I've NEVER been to a game with Ryan. SO...when the stars aligned where Andrea, Carrie, Catherine, Ryan and I were all able to make it for Homecoming Weekend 2010...I was so excited :-) Watch out Gainesville, Gator Growl, and Homecoming...Here we come!

Highlights of the weekend include:
...getting to be back in Gainesville with the girls again and getting to show Ryan a little of what it's like to be a Gator
...a nostalgic trip to the Swamp and seeing girls celebrate their 21st birthdays...something I did as well at the Swamp....TEN YEARS ago...haha!
...getting to sit in the Touchdown Terrace...with a great view and actual backs to our seats! It's too bad we didn't win, but it's still Great To Be A Florida Gator!!!

Backdating stock options may not be all kosher, but backdating posts definitely are!

2010-09-17T18:19:00.001-04:00

I've finally gotten in a Blogger Catch Up state of mind. So without any further ado, some posts from the past. Charleston, Peru, Boston, China, and Taiwan...yes, yes...some are still in the works but they'll be up soon enough.

Hahvahd (Harvard)

2010-08-16T20:09:00.011-04:00

Ahhh...the joys of moving.

So joyful in fact that when I showed up to help Katie move into her apartment in Cambridge, she was already 99% moved in! Katie and crew arrived a few days earlier and had made trips to Target, Walmart, Kmart, IKEA, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, and who knows where else all before I got into Boston Thursday night.

All that was left to do was to enjoy the new surroundings :-)

Katie, Goo Ma and I ate our way (as always) through Cambridge and Boston and found Indian buffets, Asian noodle bowls, Boston seafood, Chinese breakfast, food courts, and lots of boba tea shops. We even found some time to see some sights around Harvard Square, Central Square, and Chinatown (which happened to be celebrating the August Moon Festival that Sunday we were visiting).

10 Year Trip Reunion!!!

2010-06-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

In 2000, Lelaine and I ventured out of Gainesville, FL for a ~2.5 week European Adventure. It was a whirlwind trip and solidified a friendship to be based on food and travel for the years to come!

So 2010 marked our 10 year reunion of that vacation. We batted around numerous ideas of locations and finally decided on Charleston, South Carolina. It's a location that has been on both of our lists for a while so we picked the week around Memorial Day weekend and off we went!

Since Lelaine was planning on driving from DC, I thought I'd fly into DC and accompany her on the trip down. Little did I realize that it was a 9 hour drive, but we made the best of it!

We picked up our Nissan Versa rental car in DC and headed out on the road. With it being Memorial Day, we thought a visit to Colonial Williamsburg would be fitting. It was a really hot day and we had a leisurely start to the day, but we made it in time to watch the reading of the Constitution, pop into some of the old time shops, browse an outdoor shopping tent, and grab some sandwiches at a gourmet food/cheese/wine shop.

Highlights of the rest of the day's drive included a ferry ride and dinner at the Golden Corral then a stopover at a South Carolina Red Roof Inn and then it was back on the road to Charleston. Driving the next day, Lelaine entertained my request to stop at South of the Border! South of the Border was something I used to remember always seeing signs for during my childhood family vacations and it was always exciting to get to stop there. Now...as an adult...it was still fun to see, but it was more a nostalgic visit. The place was huge...Paco definitely expanded his land area and there seemed to be a lot more buildings than I remembered.

And then...Charleston! We checked into our hotel and then we were off to get some lunch! Some of the trip highlights include: Hominy Grill, Magnolia Plantation, Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, oysters, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, ghost tours, sweet water basket price comparisons, crabbing, and lots of checking out local shops.

The Happiest Place on Earth...well, at least thats what Disney says ;-)

2010-05-25T13:45:00.025-04:00

At the beginning of the year, Disney was offering a Florida Resident 4 day Park Pass for $99 so we decided to take advantage of the deal seeing how it's $80 for one day for one park.

First up, Animal Kingdom back in February. We decided we didn't want to go to a mostly outdoor theme park when it was really hot out, so we thought going in February would be a good idea. Too bad, Mother Nature decided to send us a cold front that weekend! It was definitely a cold and cloudy day, but we made the most of it and had a good time checking out all that Animal Kingdom had to offer...minus Expedition Everest and the Kali River Rapids...just too cold for an outdoor rollercoaster and a water ride.

Next up, Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival for an early Mother's Day weekend. This time around, the weather was nice and hot and sunny. Almost too hot and sunny really. My mom, dad, aunt, David, Natalie and I spent the morning walking around Epcot checking out the impressive topiaries and gardens set up at Epcot for their annual festival. We grabbed lunch at Japan in the World Showcase and then said goodbye to David and Natalie. The rest of us then spent the afternoon checking out the rest of the showcase, taking the water taxi back to the front of the park, and then hitting up Spaceship Earth only to get stuck in it for about 10 minutes when the ride decided to malfunction.

Not Disney related, but we then rounded out the day with a stop in Celebration for the Pie Festival that was going on that same weekend. We bought some wristbands and entered into the Never Ending Pie Buffet. Many many many many many pie slices later (I think upwards of 20?!?), we were finally pie'd out!

Wrapping up our Disney Extravaganza, we ventured to Hollywood Studios on Saturday this past weekend. We decided since it's back in the 90's in Florida, we'd get to the park later in the day and stay later to catch the fireworks/light displays. Unfortunately our plan backfired since Hollywood Studio's Fantasmic Laser Show wasn't scheduled for the night we showed up. That left us with less time to catch all the shows/attractions, but we made the most of it. It actually happened to be one of the Star Wars weekends so that was kinda fun. The American Idol Experience was surprising entertaining too. Leaving the park though, we all collectively decided that Hollywood Studios is the lamest Disney park out of the bunch. Finishing the day, we grabbed dinner (and a lot of it) at Chevy's.

To finish out our 4 day pass, we then got up Sunday morning and went back at Epcot to check out The Land which we missed during our previous Epcot trip. I don't think I've ever set foot in The Land before, so it was pretty cool to check out. I've always said Epcot was one of my least favorite parks since it was boring and mostly "educational" but I have to admit that this was pretty cool. Maybe it's because it was mostly about food :-) And we actually did make it out of The Land for about 20 minutes to catch the Nemo ride.

We took the "Behind the Seeds" tour and got to check out how Disney grows their produce in their greenhouses using hydroponics and other scientific techniques and various methods...all without soil.

So I have 4 Disney visits in 2010 already and it's not even June yet. I think I might be Disney'd out for a while, but definitely not theme parked out...Harry Potter Island (or whatever it's offically called) is opening up at Universal in June :-) Butter beer and treacle tarts await!

Gainesville - Recruiting, Orange and Blue, and GRADUATION!!!!

2010-05-20T00:03:00.002-04:00

Rolling a few Gainesville visits into one post :-)

April 8th - Work recruiting event: I made a very short trip back to UF for a work recruiting event. A few coworkers and I spent the evening at the Career Resource Center talking to some students who came out to hear about working for a consulting company. It was fun to get back to campus and meet some of the students. They're all so eager and bright eyed and not yet jaded by the real world! :-)

April 10th - Yup, 2 days later, I went back to Gainesville for the Annual Spring Game - the Orange and Blue game. Turns out, it should really have been called the Blue and White game since there were no orange jerseys on the field.

May 1st weekend - KATIE'S UF GRADUATION!!!!

This of course is the highlight of this post! Congratulations, Katie on all your hard work at UF and all your accomplishments!!!! Can't wait to visit you at HARVARD!

More graduation pics to come...

Some Taiwan Pics to Start

2010-05-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

Hmmm....I don't even know where to start with my pictures from the Taiwan trip!!!

I told myself that I would *FINISH* my Europe trip posts before even starting on this trip, but that just seems waaaaayyyyy too daunting and the Taiwan one seems ever MORE daunting....so, I'm cheating (just for now) and putting up some one off pics.

Soooo....until I get motivated to finish Europe and start Taiwan....

Chicago Architecture Tour

2010-04-15T23:18:00.003-04:00

A walking architecture tour of Downtown Chicago is a great way to spend a sunny Spring day!

Last Discovery Shuttle Launch

2010-04-05T23:28:00.004-04:00

I had the great opportunity to visit Cape Canaveral for Discovery's last shuttle launch....EVER! I never would have called myself a space shuttle enthusiast, but I guess I sort of am since I've seen what I consider to be a lot! ;) They never get old! This time though, I got to actually be at NASA to witness the STS-131 Discovery Mission to the International Space Station.

It all began with a NASA shuttle picking us at at 2am the morning of the launch and bringing us to the NASA campus.

Before the launch, there were the "opening cermonies" where dignitaries and special guests were introduced, the national anthem was sung, and details including crew bios and mission goals were presented.

Post mission briefing, we headed to the breakfast buffet line before making it outside to the balcony to secure a spot to watch the launch. We were as close as we could get to the launch site...3 miles...and getting to see the launch from that close was pretty amazing. Night launches are always so impressive in my book! Getting to hear and feel the rumble hit you as the shuttle takes off is pretty cool too. And yet ANOTHER plus for this launch...minutes before Discovery's launch, the International Space Station could be seen passing right in front of the moon in the pitch black sky.

We ended with a beautiful early morning sky highlighting the launch afterglow and the NASA tradition of post launch beans and cornbread (and Lousiana hot sauce!)

BACK!

2010-04-04T14:33:00.000-04:00

We're home! Been back in the States now for a week. Finally starting to feel like I'm getting over jetlag :)

Had a great time and a lot of fun! Pictures to come!

Excited! But a bit apprehensive!

2010-03-19T12:58:00.002-04:00

So...tomorrow morning, bright and early, the Wang Family (Mom, Dad, Dave, and I) are heading to Taiwan! I think it's going to be a GREAT trip...once we get there...I dont think its going to be a great time GETTING there.

Here's an excerpt from an email I sent my friend about the upcoming flights:

Ugh, I think my flight has the potential to be miserable. It's Orlando to Dallas (manageable, even though it departs FL at 6AM), then Dallas to Tokyo, well Narita actually (I think I might lose it on that leg...plus I'll be with my brother who is not the most comfortable long flight traveler...I'm seriously contemplating a way to secretly roofie his drinks on the flight but that has so many potential ways to go horribly wrong...but could still be funny and amusing!) and then we have a 6 hour layover where Dave and I will sometime and somehow (without cell phones) meet up with my parents who are coming from another part of Florida and then it's off to Taipei.

Anyways...I'm sure it won't be that bad...I'm just being my over-melodramtic self :-) Its just been a long time since I've had to fly over the Pacific...

Well, I'm off to start trying to figure out what to pack!

Subway Rat

2010-03-16T18:13:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things to pass the time while waiting for the next subway is to look for rats...

The Land of Happy Cows!

2010-03-15T23:15:00.047-04:00

Catching what hopes to be the end of winter, Ryan and I took a trip out to Vermont to check out the sites as well as try our luck skiing at Stowe.

Unfortunately, Ryan missed his Friday morning flight and wasn't able to catch another flight out to Burlington until Saturday afternoon. That left me with a lot of time to kill by myself - Friday 1pm until Saturday 4pm.

So...loving the cheesy (no pun intended) tourist attractions - I hit up all that Vermont had to offer! Starting with....CHEESE!!! I went to Cabot Creamery and had the sweetest lady give me a tour of the factory. She even had cheese samples tucked away in her apron to share!

After Cabot Creamery, it was off to the Bragg Farm Sugarhouse where they make maple syrup. It's too bad you can't capture the feeling of a place because this place was warm, sugary, and oh so sweet. I got to watch Mr Bragg reduce down maple sap, sample the various grades of maple syrup, and try out the "Sugar on Ice" special which is shaved ice, hot maple syrup (somehow reduced down so its thicker and super sweet), an unsugared donut, and some dill pickles. I know, they lost me on the dill pickles too. Apparently its to cut down on the sweetness of the whole thing. Ehh, I love dill pickles so why not? Oh, and they threw in a cup of apple cider too!

Next up...the hotel! I checked into the Golden Eagle Resort and relaxed for a bit while contemplating what to do about dinner. As one can imagine, I wasn't really all that hungry after many many cheese samples, maple syrup tastings, and the sugared shaved ice. Ryan and I had originally planned to have dinner at Hen of the Wood but I wasn't sure if a) I wanted to go have dinner at a nice restaurant by myself and b) if I was hungry enough. Well, I decided to go and turns out was definitely hungry enough.

And of course, pictures of my (super yummy) dinner:

Jasper Hill Farm 'Constant Bliss' - Greensboro, Vermont

Champlain Creamery 'Champlain Triple Creme' - Vergennes, Vermont

Grilled Bread, Hen of the Wood Mushrooms, House Bacon, Poached Egg

(dont know why this picture won't rotate...so it's staying on its end!)

Labelles Farm Duck Breast, Chestnut Spaetzle, Local Cabbage, Mustard Seeds & Currants

Whipped Potatoes, Creme Fraiche

Saturday morning started off with a late breakfast of Vermont's version of eggs benedict...basically the same...except with a lot of extra cheese.

After breakfast I stopped off at a local sporting clothing shop where I picked up a pair of SOY underwear...I'll save that for another blog post...check back after Peru where I give them a try and see if they're all that they're advertised! Anyways...back to Vermont. I headed downtown to Burlington's Church Street Marketplace and stopped off at Lake Champlain Chocolate for a spicy hot chocolate.

After checking out the chocolate shop on Church Street, I headed over to the Chocolate Factory on Pine Street....hey, like I said, I had a lot of time to kill.

Finally...the airport! Picked up Ryan and then headed straight to BEN AND JERRY'S!

Yeah....Ice Cream!

Waiting for our free sample...Pro: Free Ice Cream, Con: Oatmeal Cinnamon Flavor

My favorite flavor..but not my favorite picture! Side Note: Apparently Half Baked is #5 on the Wall of Most Popular Flavors. I think it should be higher ;)

The graveyard of retired flavors. Interesting that Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz has a tombstone here, but yet they still sell it at the Ben & Jerry scoop shops.

Here is our obligatory touristy photo op shot

Post Ben&Jerry's we headed over to get some "Legendary Cider Donuts". After trying these donuts at 50cents each, I would have to agree!! They were definitely tasty...good enough that we stopped by for some more the next afternoon even.

Lots and lots of things can be made out of maple syrup!

More eating! We stopped to get some cheese samples and then made our way to dinner at Michaels on the Hill. We called it an early night since we had to get up early to go snowboarding and also because we were losing an hour due to daylight savings time.

Sunday morning: Breakfast and then Snowboarding! We tried the easiest of the easy hills a few times...mostly successful and then hit the cafeteria for lunch. Then, we took a snowboarding lession and ended our day with the 2nd easiest green slope.

And..thats the weekend!

New York Chinatown Soup Dumplings :-)

2010-03-10T23:48:00.002-05:00

小笼馒头

Yummy...I made a trip down to chinatown to get some soup dumplings! And ended up getting some scallion pancakes too. And then some ice cream :-)

Take me out to the ballgame!

2010-03-07T23:36:00.035-05:00

This should more appropriately be named: "Take me out to the outlet malls and to the ballgame!"

Saturday morning, my parents drove up from West Palm for a trip out to the outlet malls. My mom has been on the hunt (rather...I had been hunting and she had been directing) for some purses to bring back to Taiwan for her sister and niece. A few weeks back, I had purchased two at Coach and my parents were now in town to check out what else the stores had to offer in terms of bags as well as look for some shoes for my dad.

We spent Saturday roaming the stores where my dad picked up some shoes, Dave snagged a soccer jersey, and I scored some goodies too. My mom ended up keeping the 2 bags I picked out and we were then all set to go and get dinner.

Sunday, we had breakfast with Natalie and her parents. After TooJays (again!), we said "Bye" to my parents as they headed back to West Palm and we headed off to a Braves vs Astros spring training game.

Sadly I didn't take that many pictures...but here are a few!

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY, NATALIE!

Happy Year of the Tiger!

2010-02-12T11:40:00.002-05:00

Happy Year of the Tiger :)

What's a Chinese New Year Celebration without lots of food! We missed you, Katie! Here are some food shots we took for you since we al know how much you love those!!!!

Central Park Snow!

2010-02-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

I'm back in New York City for work these days...its great to be back, but its cold! Waiting for Spring :-)

Bacon of the Month Club

2010-01-29T12:07:00.000-05:00

For my birthday, Lelaine got me a subscription to a Bacon of the Month Club. Each month, I get bacon delivered to me :-) How tasty is that?!?

Applewood Smoked

The Windy City Weekend

2009-11-15T23:00:00.060-05:00

I had to go to St Charles, Illinois for a week of training for work so Dave took this opportunity to check out Chicago for a long weekend. Dave flew up Thursday night and I met up with him at our hotel Friday afternoon for a weekend of Chicago fun.

Friday morning, Dave checked out Wrigley Field while I finished up my training class. Once I got into town, we headed out to Mr Beef for an Italian Beef sandwich then walked around town. We checked out Millenium Park, the Art Gallery, the John Hancock tower, then caught a movie (The Men Who Stare At Goats) and had dinner at a pretty cool italian restaurant by our hotel.

Saturday, we headed out on a double decker tour of the city. Pretty informative tour and definitely an enthusiastic tour operator. It was a pretty windy day, but at least it was sunny! Even nice enough to snag 2 seats up top of the bus.

Afterwards, we stopped at Gino's East for some Chicago deep dish pizza and then headed back to Michigan Avenue for some Garretts Popcorn. After waiting in line for a long time (over an hour!!!) we went back to the hotel to catch the second half of the Florida - South Carolina football game. Then it was off to a late dinner at Grand Lux Cafe on Michigan Avenue.

Sunday morning we did some shopping on the Magnificent Mile before heading out to Midway to catch our flight back to Florida. Of course we couldn't leave Chicago without a Chicago Dog so we grabbed some for lunch at the airport.

Dave took most of the pictures over the weekend, but here are 4 off of my camera!

Hehe...Dave being dramatic about the line at Garretts!

Marine Corps 10K Weekend

2009-10-25T19:24:00.001-04:00

A while back, I decided that signing up for running a 10K road race would be a good idea. I've never run any races before, but have walked plenty of 5K ones. Not really sure why, but I thought a 5K would be too easy for me to cheat my way through...so I signed up with Lelaine for the Marine Corps 10K run in Washington, DC. It sounded like a great race and it gave me an excuse to go and visit Lelaine and Chris!

I got into DC Friday night before the race and we kicked off what was to be a fun weekend with dinner at Zaytina. It's one of Lelaine's favorite places and it also was a restaurant with a chef who competed on the latest season of Top Chef.

Zaytina oil and vinegar

Saturday was a pretty dreary, cold, and wet day but we decided to make the best of it and drive out to Maryland for some touristy fun. We headed out to Fredrick and checked out a great little chocolate shop, Volt Restaurant (also owned by a contestant on Top Chef), and a local Maryland winery. Back in DC, we had a "pasta dinner" in preparation of our run and headed back to Lelaine and Chris' to watch some Gator (Lelaine and Jenn) and Missouri (Chris and Doug) football before Sunday morning's race.

Downtown Fredrick, Maryland

Outside of Volt

This wouldn't be a very "Jenn Blog" if I didn't post pictures of the food! Volt's dining area was booked solid for lunch, but we were able to snag 4 seats at the bar and had a great $20 fixed price lunch. The bartendar was friendly, the restaurant was great (minus the bathroom door layout which caused me to totally NAIL some poor woman with the sliding door as I was leaving...oops!), and the food was tasty!

Ravioli Appetizer

Striped Bass Entree

Textures of Chocolate Dessert

Race Day! I'm such a cold weather wimp! I'm not going to lie...I really thought about not running at all, but with much coercing (and a lot of mocking by Chris!), I suited up and made it down to the Mall for the start of the race.

Pre-Race: Lelaine wasn't able to run the race because of a training injury, but she went with us to provide moral support, carry our stuff, and take pictures.

Post-Race: Chris and I stopped to pose with the Marine Corps Bulldog.

Lelaine channeling The Barefoot Contessa with her Tequila Lime Chicken!

Viva Las Vegas

2009-10-17T23:32:00.001-04:00

I ♥ Vegas!

This time, the hotel of choice - Encore.

An obligatory stop to the M&M World shop

A day trip to Hoover Dam

Reenacting Repelling

Back in Vegas to see JUSTIN at Mandalay Bay for his JT & Friends Concert

Friend 1: Jay Sean

Friend 2: Taylor Swift

Friend 3: Alicia Keyes

Friend 4: TLC (minus L, but she was there in spirit...err...voice overs and on the big screen)

Friend 5: Ciara

Friend 6: Snoop Dogg

Friend 7: Timbaland

And then...JUSTIN!

Birthdays, Arabian Nights, and NASA

2009-09-20T18:00:00.016-04:00

The BIG 3-0!

Seems like this birthday snuck up on me as far as planning for some big event to celebrate turning the Big 3-0! Even though Lelaine did her best to make sure we had some plans!!! Its ok though, I still plan to make up for it another time :)

Without grand plans, we settled on a family weekend to celebrate our birthdays (Goo Ma, David and mine). We ended up going to watch the ARABIAN NIGHTS Dinner Show, then went to Cape Canaveral to check out NASA and had a late lunch at a local seafood bar on the water.

Dinner choices for our dinner show - unanimous vote that the mashed potatoes were the best thing on the menu

Horses that were part of the show

A fruit cake birthday cake

Goo Ma's gifts

David boycotting some afternoon NASA activities

Looks like he's cheering up

Thanks for sharing the birthday weekend with me!!!

July 4th Blue Ridge / California Family Trip

2009-09-01T22:51:00.004-04:00

I thought about backdating some posts just to make me feel better about being a complete slacker when it comes to blogging...but I decided against it. A.) Because I'm lazy :) and B.) Because...well, I just dont think I am up for the work.

So...with that said - here is a brain dump of some events past!

4th of July weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Dave has had this idea to go "camping" for a while now. While there were no tents involved, we did rent a cabin out in the woods and spend a weekend "with nature". An 8 hour car drive later, we found ourselves home away from home in a cabin in Blueridge, Georgia.

We spent the holiday weekend hanging out in a very modern cabin, cooking, grilling, hiking, tubing, and watching fireworks.

Long weekend trip out to California to meet up with my parents:

Back in the middle of July, my parents flew out to San Francisco to spend a week or so visiting my mom's sister and her husband. I decided to fly out for a long weekend and spend a few days hanging out with them, check out the sites, and see my aunt and uncle who I hadn't seen in a year or so.

Saturday, we got up and made our way down the Pacific Coast Highway with our ultimate destination being Hearst Castle. The road was definitely windy (twists and turns, not wind gusty) but very pretty. My parents had made the drive a few years back and had great memories of this roadside restaurant they had stopped at. Of course we didnt know the name of the place and we werent sure what city it was in, but we figured if we drove long enough, we'dhave to run into it sooner or later. Well...turns out it was further south than we expected, so we had to stop earlier in the drive to get lunch. After a pretty disappointing lunch at some random grill in Big Sur, the restaurant of my parents' previous trip appeared some miles down the road. We stopped for coffee and to soak in the views of the Pacific Ocean.

Back on the road, we continued the drive to our hotel for the evening. At the end of the day, I think we had been on the road for 6-7 hours...I can't really remember, but I know it was long.

We checked into our hotel, drove around town and settled on a local Chinese restaurant for dinner. We turned in for the night and headed out the next morning to take a tour of Hearst Castle.

Once we made it back into San Francisco, we met up with my other aunt who lives in the area and we had dinner. Next day...more family eating! We skipped breakfast on Monday in preparation for a buffet lunch. Good thing because there was a lot of food. There also was a huge (taking up an entire separate banquet room huge) party there and the staff couldn't keep up with the food. They were literally RUNNING from the kitchen to the stations to refill all the entrees. I have to say, it was a good thing we got there early because there were huge lines once they got there.

Rhode Island

2009-07-18T11:14:00.010-04:00

Friends Jen and Dan got married in Rhode Island in early June and Dave and I make the trip up for the weekend to help celebrate.

The day was great...all sunshine and lemonade :)

We stayed at the 'swanky' NYLO Hotel in Warwick, RI. Trendy and modern with lots of concrete...oh and dance music till 2am courtesy of the DJ downstairs :) Once you move to a high enough floor and away from the bar area, you're good though!

We were pretty close to Evelyn's Drive In (featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives) so we ventured out to see what the place was all about. Unfortunately, it was mostly fried seafood. Normally that wouldn't be a bad thing, but Dave and I had just stuffed ourselves with clam cakes and clam chowder at the wedding. We took some pictures of the place and later on went to Bertucci's for dinner instead.
We spent Sunday checking out Providence, had a nice outside lunch and then headed off to the airport.

Catching up...again

2009-07-18T11:13:00.001-04:00

Been a while...again, so I'm going to do some catching up!

Way to Go, Dave!

2009-05-16T16:47:00.002-04:00

Crack open the champagne!
Dave graduates with his Masters in Engineering Management!

Dave decided against the pomp and circumstance and went with a party instead. The family drove up Saturday morning and we spent the day eating, playing some cornhole, watching the Preakness, and playing some Wii.

Sunday, the family met up for lunch (pho! yumm!) and took a field trip to a local Asian market but not before finding an Asian bakery to visit!

Palm Springs!

2009-04-19T14:19:00.009-04:00

Ryan had a conference in Rancho Mirage (a city within the Palm Springs umbrella) and I tagged along for what I thought was going to be a few days in the hot sun warmed desert. Too bad it turned out to be SUPER windy and pretty cold.

Making the best of it, we set out to check out the sights of Palm Springs and take part of some of the conference's planned activities.

Tuesday morning, we drove into the historic part of Palm Springs, stopped for breakfast, and headed over to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. $22.25 gets you a ticket for a 10 minute ride that begins at the Valley Station at 2,643 ft and stops at the mountain station at 8,516 ft above sea level.

Once at the top, we entered Mount San Jacinto State Park and checked out the views and walked part of some of the trails.

(The start...the parking lot)

(Half way up...here is a view of the other tram going down)

(Its a lot colder at the top! It was 41 degrees!)

(The new tram car with the rotating floor that was installed in 2001)

(The original tram car that was installed when it opened in 1963)

Leaving the tramway, we headed back to the hotel, stopped for lunch, and made it back in time to catch the start of our windfarm tour.

(Me, the wind, and some wind turbines)

Wednesday afternoon...the wind hadn't let down AT ALL. If anything, I think it got worse. Of course, that's the day of our Jeep Tour of the San Andreas Fault. The Jeeps picked us up at the hotel and we rode them for the 30 minute (or so) ride out to the desert and faultline. Yes, it was SUPER windy and cold.

(Me at the bottom)

(Ryan at the top)

Easter Weekend in LA

2009-04-18T14:25:00.018-04:00

I finally made it back out to LA!

I got to spend a few days with my cousin, her husband and their kids this past (Easter) weekend. We ate our way through some LA "favorites", checked out some of the tourist hotspots, and just lounged around as well.

Saturday morning, I got up bright and early and started my cross country trek from the Orlando airport to the Ontario (California, not Canada) airport. After an unexpected stopover in Albequerque, I made it to Phoenix for a layover and then was off to CA.

Shou Jeh Jeh (my cousin) picked me up and we headed back to her place. A quick stop off at her house and we were off to the mall. After our shopping trip, we headed back to pick up the rest of the family and headed off to a great dinner of Korean BBQ.

(Some of the tasty side dishes that came along with our meal.)

Dinner wouldn't be complete without dessert, so we stopped off at pinkberry on the way home. I have to admit that the yogurt out in LA tastes a lot better than the yogurt shops I've tried in FL. Completely jealous! If I lived out there, I'd be eating this stuff daily!!!
No one was really sure of our Sunday plans. Shou Jeh Jeh had wanted to go check out the Carlsbad Flower Fields but the kids weren't very interested. We thought about going to Santa Monica or Huntington Beach, but ultimately ended up with a plan to go and check out Hollywood.

First though, lunch. Myles had seen Philippes on an episode of Man vs Food and we thought we'd go check it out. They claim to be the ones who invented the French Dip sandwich.

We all decided that while the sandwich was good, it wasn't as good as Adam made it out to be on the show. Looks like we'll have to take Adam's reaction to all the food he eats with a grain of salt. It wasn't THAT great of a sandwich ;)

Next up, Hollywood! The Kodak Theater, Grauman's Chinese Theater, and the Avenue of the Stars.

(This would never happen at Disney's MGM/Hollywood Studios...Shrek out of costume!)

(The Kodak Theater lists out the Best Picture winner for each year.)

Leaving Hollywood, we picked up a map of the star's houses. We were going to go find the celebrity houses, but seems that they like to live far away from Hollywood and the drive was a bit too far for us.

Instead, we decided to do some more shopping. We were off to the Grove and to check out the Farmer's Market.

Leaving the Grove, we then made our way over to Pink's Hot Dogs. What a line.

(If you look really closely, you can see Myles and his dad in line...they're directly to the left of the street lamp)

An hour later, we had 2 Stretch Chili Cheese Dogs (Myles had no mustard or onions on his), 1 Mild Polish Sausage Chili Cheese Dog, fries, a slice of marble cake and a Bubble Up soda.

Stuffed, we headed home to veg out on the couch. Other festivities for the day included an Easter Egg Hunt, dinner at a Chinese restaurant and more TV watching.

Monday, the kids were back to school...spring break was over. Shou Jeh Jeh and I headed off to Orange County and checked out a mall there. Talk about name brand shops. Looking for bags and shoes all afternoon, I ended up with a pair :) After lunch and some more shopping, we headed home to have dinner at home and then made one last dessert trip for some yogurt!

After all that, it was time to say goodbye! Hope to make it back out there again soon though!!! :)

Catching Up Some

2009-03-01T17:13:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I've been on here blogging....so I'm going to cheat and do a quick catch up.

This summer, it'll be my six year anniversary with my job. In those six years (almost five of them traveling and renting cars), I've never been in an accident with a rental car. Last week though, I had a slight run in with a parking garage pole. I wish I took a picture of the side view mirror before I had to use both hands to *pry* it back into place. All in all, I got a good laugh out of the deal since it was just a comical way of denting/scratching...and mostly because I knew it was covered by my job's insurance. Not to mention the fact that I park at a valet garage at work where everyone drives a BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc...and here I was waiting for my Hyundai with a busted up door and mirror.

About a month ago, I cut off a substantial chunk of my hair and it was about that time to get a trim. I wasn't super thrilled with the styling of my first go round, so I on Dave's recommendation, I found this little shop that seemed uber-trendy. Geoff cut off more length but got into more of a classic bob and I'm much happier with the outcome this time around! Here's a shot of the back.

Locks of Love

2009-01-27T22:01:00.003-05:00

A few weekends ago, I finally went and got my hair cut. I needed a minimum of 10 inches in a ponytail in order to donate the hair to Locks of Love. Dave went with me for support and I got my hair chopped off. Ok, so its not super short...but its short for me!

Visiting with Friends

2009-01-04T17:28:00.004-05:00

It's great getting to all go "home" and catch up with friends when we're all together for a few days. Here are some pictures from over Christmas Break -

Aidan's Baptism

Congrats, Maria and Carlos!

Visiting with Amanda, Peyton, Melissa, Hunter, and Cathy (Chuck also).

It's too bad Lauren couldn't make it!

Dinner with some of the girls and their hubbies.

Andrea being sweet!

Happy 2009!!!

2009-01-01T23:26:00.011-05:00

My mom had some gift certificates for The Cheesecake Factory, so we headed over to City Place for a New Years Eve dinner together.

It was the last night where they had the nightly snow falls and we were just in time to catch the 6:30 flurries and the fountain show.

Not too bad...a 45 minute to an hour wait. Bad though...having one of the slowest and most unattentive waitresses EVER.

The food was good and company was great though! Dave and Dah Jeh Jeh, you guys were missed!!! The Cheesecake Factory, as their slogan says, really is a place that has "something for everyone".

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

More Holiday Fun

2009-01-01T23:01:00.012-05:00

With not much planned in between Christmas and New Years, we found a few things to do!

- We went and saw the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

- Dave and I met up with Goo Ma, Katie and Dah Jeh Jeh in Lantana at the Dune Deck Cafe to get breakfast on the beach

- We coarsely ground Columbian coffee beans at Whole Foods and used a french press

- We checked out a local art museum, the Norton Museum of Art and saw their Modern Chinese Art exhibit

- We took a drive along Flagler to see what has changed since we went to elementary school down there

- I had to have my car towed after the starter gave out :( At least it got me to the driveway before it decided to not start up again! :)

Wishing Everyone a Very Merry Christmas!

2009-01-01T20:24:00.019-05:00

Our Christmas was pretty low key for us this year. We didn't have any trips planned or any outings to go on...well Dah Jeh Jeh excluded!

Its alright though. We still got together and had fun spending time with each other (even though my parents were sick for most of it).

The day of Christmas Eve, Dave and I went over to Goo Ma's house to pick her up to get some coffee. Not sure, but we decided to get some donuts with our coffee and thought that Dunkin' Donuts would fit the bill nicely. Who knew that Dunkin' Donuts would be OUT OF DONUTS at 3pm. It wasn't just a Christmas Eve thing either...they weren't closing until 9pm and it wasn't even just that one shop. We went to 2 and I called 4! In the end, we made it to one of the shops and got 35 chocolate munchin holes, 1 plain stick and 3 coffees.

We then spent Christmas Eve at our house playing Mah Jong and having some beef noodle soup. Katie and I ended up breaking even in Mah Jong while my mom and Goo Ma were +/- 50cents.

Christmas morning was spent cooking the goose, making stuffing, gravy, bread pudding and sweet potato casserole to bring over to Goo Ma's house for Christmas. As always, we had too much food :)

(Goose)

(Bread Pudding)

(Sweet Potato Casserole)

While the food was cooking, we opened up some presents.

Next stop, Goo Ma's house for a great Christmas meal, some more present opening and some birthday celebrating for my mom.

Having too much to eat can only lead to one thing...

Hope everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What Christmas Cookie Are You?

2008-12-12T15:56:00.004-05:00

According to Martha Stewarts' Cookie Quiz...it tells me:

You are undoubtedly Molasses-Gingerbread Cookies.
You're warm, spicy, and multifaceted.

SEC Champs!

2008-12-06T19:30:00.002-05:00

Going to the Beach in December...only in Florida

2008-12-06T17:22:00.007-05:00

Friday night, we went over to Goo Ma's house for dinner of beef noodle soup (So great! Too bad it wasn't colder out though! Guess I can't complain about the weather though...see below)

After soup, we made a Publix run and stocked up on some haagen daaz. We then headed off to Hoffmans Chocolate Shoppes to check out their garden all lit up for Christmas.

Maybe its because I was younger, but I swore that place had more stuff when I was there before. Dah Jeh Jeh says Hoffmans was hit hard a few years back with one of the hurricanes and that they're rebuilding. I don't know... We walked through it in like 5 minutes. Then we headed inside to look at the chocolate shop. They have a pretty large candy making room, but there was no one there making any chocolate :( We did end up with some candy though. We waited in line and got 2 pieces of candy and instead of having to go to another line to pay, the candy lady let us have our Almond Jitterbug and our Chocolate Covered Apricot for free!

Here is a inflatable Christmas decoration from the garden:

The next morning, we all met up in Lake Worth for breakfast at TooJay's and then headed off to the beach for a morning stroll to walk off our food!

We walked along the beach and cooled off every now and then by walking in the water (it was HOT outside!!!) My mom collected some sea shells...twice! First time, she went to wash them in the ocean and the tide took them all back out to sea before she could fish them back! :(

Dinner with the Parents

2008-12-06T17:12:00.003-05:00

We decided to go Pei Wei for dinner one night but on the way there, my mom decides to go to Buca di Beppo instead.

Once we sat down, we saw on the placemat that Buca celebrates your birthday (within 7 days) with cake and a $5 credit off your next visit.

My mom's birthday was 8 days ago...but our waiter let it slide :)

Apparently they make you stand on a chair while everyone in the immediate eating area helps sing to you.

After my mom got serenaded to, we got 2 slices of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting :)

Christmas Season Beginnings

2008-12-06T16:59:00.006-05:00

Thanksgiving's over...and it's on to Christmas! Well, for me...its just more like "It's VACATION time!!!"

I'm in between projects right now and that mean's I've been hanging out in West Palm since Thansgiving spending time with the family.

Picking out a Christmas tree at the Home Depot with Goo Ma and Dah Jeh Jeh.

Goo Ma is an almond cake making machine!

And of course a trip to Goo Ma's has to include food...and more food! (Home made wonton soup for lunch one day...yumm)

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T02:08:00.002-04:00

Emily's Visit to Boston

2008-10-19T01:20:00.008-04:00

After much planning and sorting out a weekend that worked out for both of us, my friend Emily finally made it out to Boston to visit.

Here are the highlights of our whirlwind weekend:

Em got in Friday afternoon and of course things at work were "falling apart" so I didnt get to leave the office as early as I would have liked. Em was a trooper about it though. She made it to the apartment on the T and helped herself to the couch and some VH1 marathon of 2 guys teaching other guys how to become pimps. I dont know....I didnt watch, you'll have to ask her.

We spent some time catching up and then headed out to Franklin Cafe in the South End for dinner. Good thing we got there early (at like 6pm) because the place was tiny and by the time we left, it was packed. The food was great, the service was just so-so.

(Me at dinner)

After dinner, we wanted to go find some cupcakes so we started off towards Sweet Cupcakes. We later found out that they were closing soon and that they only had a few cupcakes left...and only cappuccino flavored ones. We decided to pass and walked over to Newbury instead. I remembered seeing a "Johnny Cupcakes" there.

A quick stop at the Apple Store to do some research (Thanks, Apple for the free internet) and we discovered that Johnny Cupcakes didnt actually sell cupcakes....but clothing instead. Bummer. Luckily, JP Licks was right around the corner.

So turns out that Johnny Cupcakes was having a "TShirt Release Party" of sorts that night. We walked by and saw kids lined up several blocks deep....some with lawn chairs and tv's set up (some had been there for days) all there trying to get their hands on $65 limited edition tshirts. Interesting.

After that, we hopped in a cab and headed home. We had to get up early the next morning for our date with sticky buns at Flour Bakery and Newport.

(Yumm! Sticky buns! We didnt get pictures of our just as tasty breakfast sandwiches!)

Full after sticky buns, breakfast sandwiches and chocolate bread pudding to go, we walked over to Hertz and picked up our Trailblazer and were on our way to Newport, RI to check out the Seafood Festival and the Newport Mansions for the afternoon.

(Em at the Seafood Festival which should be more appropriately named Newport's Fried Food Festival. This picture was right before her string of bad purchases...gross lobster fritters and then a really hard caramel apple)

Lunch was a bust (except for the kettle corn) so we went to try our luck with the Mansions. We had just enough time left in the afternoon to see The Breakers. We bought our tickets and got in line for our hour tour of the once summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.

(The house from the front)

(A view of the house from the grounds out back

(Me and Em at the back of the house)

(Pictures werent allowed inside, but here is a shot of the tiled roof of the "patio" in the back...so beautifully crafted)

Finishing up the tour, we walked out back and got onto the Cliff Walk. It was a pretty chilly day, so we didnt make it too far along the path. We did get to take a few pictures of the water and the houses that lined the coast though.

So long, Newport. We got back on the road and headed back into Boston (with a detour to the Dollar Store and to Walmart). Back in Boston, we bummed around in the apartment, got pizza and disappointingly stayed up to watch all of SNL (when Sara Palin made her guest appearance). The show itself was pretty bad...not a funny skit during the hour and an half we stayed up for to watch.

Sunday, more Flour Bakery and more STICKY BUNS! :)

Then we were off to catch the final day of the Head of the Charles. Another cold day, but we bundled up and found ourselves a nice hot baked potato for lunch...along with other goodies.

(Us with our Kashi goodie bags...they really make you work for the free stuff here. It really was pretty chilly, its not like we were the only 2 really bundled up...honest)

(A view of one of the races from a bridge above)

(One of the boat houses....Maybe this one is Harvard's???)

It got pretty cold and closer to Emily's flight time, so we called it a day and went back to the apartment to get her all packed up for the aiport.

All in all, a fun weekend hanging out with Em! Always a blast and will have to plan another weekend soon!

餃子 Making!

2008-09-30T08:17:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, we went down to West Palm Beach for part one of the birthday celebration. More to come on the birthday fun...

Saturday was spent making Jiaozi (餃子) and here is what I consider to be the PERFECT ONE! :)

Labor Day Weekend with the Parents

2008-09-01T23:13:00.001-04:00

For Labor Day this year, my parents decided to come up to Boston and spend the long weekend checking out the New England sites.

Friday night, I met my parents at the Boston airport and we headed back to the apartment. We got back around 10:30pm so we just hung out and watched tv while they unpacked and checked out the apartment.

Saturday morning, we woke up, got ready and headed out for a day in Boston. The weather was great for walking and the forcast didn't call for rain until the late afternoon (luckily, it never rained Saturday). We started our day out with a walk from the apartment to Faneuil Hall for breakfast. Dad got the usual, pancakes. Mom found an egg sandwich on a bagel. The pizza place wasn't open yet, so I settled on a bacon and egg sandwich on toast with hashbrowns.

After breakfast, we headed across the street to catch a trolley tour of Boston (the same tour company where we took a tour of Savannah, GA). We got on at stop one (Faneuil Hall), rode through the North End and got off at Stop 3 and visited the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young where we showed up right on time for a 45 minute guided tour of the destroyer.

In front of the USS Constitution

Ammo loading station on the USS Cassin Young

After viewing the ships, we got back on the trolley and headed over to Boston Common where we rode on the Swan Boats.

We took the trolley a few more stops and got off at the Prudential Center to grab lunch before getting back on the tour to take us to Cambridge. Once in Cambridge, we took the T (subway) 2 stops to Harvard Square to check out Harvard's campus.

After walking around the school for a bit, we stopped to get some ice cream at JP Licks before heading back to catch the trolley.

Once back on the tour, we finished the route and ended up back where we started at Faneuil Hall just in time to start thinking about dinner spots. We walked over to the Union Oyster House and checked out the menu. No one was really hungry yet so we decided to walk around a bit and ended up going to CVS to get my mom some new reading glasses. Afterwards, we decided on going to Anthony's Pier 4 since it was closer to the apartment. Dinner turned out to be just so-so which was pretty disappointing since so many people had given that place a good review. The food was just average but the service was just so incredibly slow. It did have a good view of the water though. In the end, we all decided that it wasn't a place that we'd go back to. (Although apparently the leftover halibut made an excellent breakfast Monday morning!)

Sunday morning, we headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car. We decided that we'd go check out Maine and find some lobster since we didnt end up ordering any Saturday night.

Ogunquit, Maine was pretty packed with people but we made our way to check out a lighthouse and some great views. We all got lobsters for lunch and then found some more homemade ice cream for dessert.

Saying "bye" to Maine, we headed back to return the car in Boston. We made a quick stop at a mall along the way to pick up a few things and get some coffee/snacks. Once back in the apartment, we all relaxed at home, ordered some Chinese food (again just so-so), and watched the news of Gustav making it's way to land.

Monday morning was mostly just cleaning up and getting ready to head back home to Florida. What a quick weekend...it all went back so fast! Hope you guys can come back again soon!

Thanks for visiting! Come back soon! Love you!

Nee How Ma? 你 好 吗?

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Dasvidaniya :)

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Central Park Snow!

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Way to Go, Dave!

Palm Springs!

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Catching Up Some

Locks of Love

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More Holiday Fun

Wishing Everyone a Very Merry Christmas!

What Christmas Cookie Are You?

SEC Champs!

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Dinner with the Parents

Christmas Season Beginnings

Happy Halloween!

Emily's Visit to Boston

餃子 Making!

Labor Day Weekend with the Parents

Nee How Ma? 你好吗?