I Listed a Little (Halfway Point)

A while back I wrote a post about what I was going to do while I was home. I wrote the first half of this post about a month ago, when I had completed half the items. Now, it is 3 days left before we head BACK on the road (yikes and yay!) so I am here to see if I completed what I said I would.

1.  Make cookies with my Mom. And Banana Bread. And…. I did this. I also made pies, turkeys and turkey pies. It has been very fun. I still have not gotten the nesting feeling out of my system.

2.   Get the BIG CAMERA (yay!) out of hiding and USE IT. I did this! To see some of the photos that have been the result of this, you can GO HERE.

3.   Cook a Thanksgiving turkey (actually, it will be my first time) Yes! A great Thanksgiving! A non dry turkey breast. Life is good.

4.   Meet K’s new baby A (and see K and A of course) see photos and details HERE.

5.   Have a couple of glasses of wine with my brother done!

9.  Chop down a Christmas tree (it’s a family tradition) We tried, really we did. But it snowed, REALLY hard and we couldn't make it up the road. So we stopped and bought one from the boy scouts instead.

13. Have lunch with Grandma B and dinner, and breakfast, and coffee, and more lunch! and great conversation!

14. Go to the Pig Roast in Acushnet (last year’s photos are HERE) Much pig was eaten, many stories were told. Much talk about the Patriots was to be had.

17. Make/send Christmas cards Call me obsessive, but I finished them before Thanksgiving!  Yay!

18.  Meet N’s new baby (C) and see her new house So colorful -the house. So calm - the baby. We looked through old photos of childhood -- it was a lot of fun!

25. Help Dad with the “winter” cleaning Sheet rock. Check. Window washing. Check. Shelf building. Check. I am becoming an expert with the screw gun. **Added - fix the roof, check! Caulk is my friend! (hehe)

26. Beat my parents at Rummikub. Hopefully. Beaten, they were. Play them again, I will. (I lost to my brother in ping pong though -- there WILL be a rematch!)

27.  Go see The Moth in NYC So FUN! If you ever get the chance to go, do! If you like funny stories told by real people, you would love it! 

28.   Visit my East Coast Family breakfast with Aunt and Grandma! A fabulous time!

As of today, December 24:
6.     Go to the Mission district in San Francisco and EAT a BURRITO. Yum. Went to the Mission but did not eat a burrito. Instead ate Thai, Turkish and Japanese...yum.
7.    Do a photo walk around Tobin (The Muses are doing a “where I live” series I am looking forward to contributing to) I did do this, but have not posted it online yet
8.    Make a snowman NOT YET!!! I am dreaming of a white Christmas!
10.   Drive from Quincy to Des Moines - a beautiful drive! See photos here.

11.   See Lea’s new house - so cozy! and I had a wonderful time!
12. Go to Target to re-up my travel supplies (and to gawk…I havent been to Target in ages!) I love Target!
15. Organize all my travel photos (eeek) halfway done. I did make a slideshow, does that count?
16. Finish my journal (or at least TRY to catch up) got up to August 4th...I guess I am still behind!
19. Day After Christmas breakfast with the girls In the works!
20. Take a walk on the beach on both the East and West coasts. Did it on the East but not the West.
21. Fix the roof of my house (dread) Not as bad as I thought it would be
22. Autograph Sara’s favorite photo Just did it now!
23. Read some books (I have been slacking lately) I read ONE. Review coming up.
24. Try to finally complete one of Katrinas Photo Walks (even though I am months late)

I had a wonderful few weeks at home/visiting friends etc!! Now its time to make like a tree and leave. In three days, I fly back to China for a contination of the adventure!

Sleeps With The Fishes

I have had many people ask me…where do you stay when you are on the road? I, along with my trusty notebook (where I [naturally] keep all my lists) am here to give you a few examples. FYI, we generally do not make any reservations; we just take what we find once we decide where we are going.

- Usually we stay in hostels. They are generally the cheapest option and almost always have an availible bed. For usually about 10 US dollars each, you get a dorm bed. Yes, you have to share a room with other people sometimes. But normally it is only a couple other people and for the amount of time we spend at “home”, we are not there enough for them to bug us. In fact, you oftentimes end up making friends with the people in your room and usually get along with them well enough to even hang out the next day! If nothing else, you get great travel advice this way.

- We also did a lot of camping. Unfortunately, we ended up going to a few countries where even the hostels were too expensive, so we traded a Europe guidebook for a tent (thanks S&R!!) and this is how we lived for a couple of months. The camping facilities where we were (Zambia, Namibia and South Africa) were wonderful usually. They mostly had great views, were in nice locations and were anywhere from $5 USD to $10 USD each.

- Guesthouses in some of the cheaper countries, such as India and Nepal (and Southeast Asia), are definitely the way to go! You get your own room WITH a bathroom (Hallelujah! In most hostels you have to share) for only about $1.50 USD - $5 USD. If you feel like splurging, you can get a room for (gasp) $8.

- Thanks to my job, which forces me to stay in a hotel about 9/10 of the year, we have hotel points**. Although using them is about 1,000 times faster than gaining them, we did get a few free nights at a nice hotel, which we saved for special treats OR places like Venice, where a simple hostel is about 25 Euros each!! (that’s about 32 dollars…EACH!) **if I have not blogged about these before, which I am sure I have, let me suggest that even if you only stay in a hotel a couple nights a year, make sure you sign up for these programs! You will eventually get a nice reward out of it.

- One time we slept in a car, which fortunately we had, becuase we were staying in a tent and it was pouring rain and everything was soaking wet. This was not the most comfortable night, but it was an adventure!

- Lastly, although we would not pick this on purpose, once or twice we could not get accommodation (like I said, we do it all on the fly, without reservations) and we had to pay for a night in a regular old hotel. We saw it as a treat, although that was not our first choice.

So, this is where I sleep. Some of the places are nice; some are not. None of them were downright scary, but some definitely were not super clean. All of these are great places to find out about the area, meet other travelers and hopefully get some laundry done.

Where do you stay when you travel? Do you splurge on accomodation? Or do you sleep in your car on the side of the road? What is important to you? A clean bathroom? A pool?

Crafts and Creations!

Come and visit us over on the Holiday Pals website, where we are blogging about crafts and food!!! Also, if you have a great recipe or craft idea, we always want to hear it!

Happy Holidays!

For All The Whos Down in Whoville

According to Entertainment Magazine these are the top nine (I don’t know why it’s nine and not ten) Christmas movies.

1. A Christmas Story
2. Love Actually
3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
4. It’s a Wonderful Life
5. Elf
6. The Muppet Christmas Carol
7. Miracle on 34th Street
8. Die Hard
9. Scrooged

What is this world coming to? I mean, lets start at the top. Why is Love Actually a Christmas movie? Is it because it has a scene where there is a Christmas play involved or because Hugh Grant opens a Christmas card from the hot assistant? Maybe I have a bad memory, but my overall memory of the movie was not Christmas related.

Next, don’t even get me started on the next one. Really? Can a National Lampoon really be number THREE? What about all the others? This really tops Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life? Who is voting for these movies? 12 year olds? (I apologize if you voted for or really love these movies. I just believe there are tons of movies that are better than these.) This also goes for Elf (I am not really a Farrell fan, except when he was the cheerleader on SNL) and Die Hard. Really? DIE HARD? Excuse me if I don’t understand.

So, let’s talk about really good Christmas movies. In our family, Christmas movie watching is a sport. We usually have one on in the background at all times. My Mom especially is a Holiday movie aficionado. Here are a few movies (in no particular order) that I believe should have made the list (this list is supplemented by both of my parents as well).

1. Rudolph
2. White Christmas
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
4. Santa Claus the Movie
5. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the original, cartoon version)
6. Charlie Brown’s Christmas
The above, along with numbers 1, 4, 6 and 7 above, would constitute our top 10 list of Christmas movies.

Photo Credit

What are YOUR favorite Christmas movies? Do you agree with the Entertainment Weekly list? Are you tired of A Christmas Story or can you never tire of repeating, “IT’S A LAMP!” and “Fragile, must be Italian” and “Help Me God, he had YELLOW teeth!”?

Oldies But Goodies

I have been home for the last week and on my to do list for probably the last 5 years (or so) has been to "scan old photos". I finally got around to doing a few of them! The quality is not great, but here are a few anyway!

Letter to Santa 1982

My Two Moms 1988

Girls Soccer 1993

How I Feel About My Brother 1984

Rock and Roll

I have so much to say that I don’t even know where to start. It’s been two weeks since my last confession.

In case you don’t know, it is not always easy for me to get on the internet. You take for granted your smart phones and your high speed internet. I do as well, at times. However, now, today, I do not. I am staying with my parents for the holidays. They do not have cell service. They do not have broadband. They have a land line, which works most of the time (more about that later) and they have….bum, bun, buhhhh…..dial-up. Yep. Dial-up. You thought that most people in the world had high speed internet? Well, you are wrong.

When I am not at my parents, I am usually traveling. While most places do have faster internet than my parents (imagine that. Africa – Medium Speed. California – Internet like a turtle) it is not always easy to find a computer, or one that has the internet. Needless to say, I am not one of those bloggers who blog every day. Some people I follow even blog multiple times per day! How do they do it!? I don’t know.

Here in California, in the mountains, in the “civilized” world, we can’t look at photos; we can’t check our Google reader; we can’t do much. So we just don’t do anything which includes the internet. It is too frustrating to try to get online. So we try to find other things to do instead. You would be amazed at what is exciting in these parts.

First off: Rocks.

My parents live on a very windy road. In case you don’t know it, it is in the Mountains near Sacramento. Think of Lake Tahoe. If you have been there, you know it is beautiful. There are endless spans of green pine, cedar and fir trees. There are peaked snowy mountains. There are windy mountain roads along gushing rivers. There are tiny mountain towns. People ski and snowmobile for fun. They sometimes have to do this to get to their houses because the roads are not plowed. It is the boonies. I love it. I think it is beautiful.

However, with beauty (and boonies!) comes danger. Snow creates accidents. Windy mountain roads are slippery. Mountains are full of…you guessed it. Rocks. Now you know where I am going with this story. Last Friday a rock came down on the highway and a lady ran into it and died. Yes, I said A ROCK. One rock! Here is a photo from the local newspaper.

On Tuesday my parents went “to town” (yup, we say that. We live that far out of “town”) to run errands. About 30 minutes after they left (and in the middle of a batch of cookies! Luckily the stove is gas!) the power went out. With it went the phones. This is the phone I was talking about before: the one and only phone, the land line. So I sat in the dark with no phone and no TV, trying to read my book with the light of two candles.

Yesterday (today is Thursday the 16th, who knows when this will actually be posted) there was another rock slide. This actually closed the highway. The big rock in the photo above was huge, but “luckily” only covered half of the highway. Mind you, there is not really a way around. If this highway is closed, you are SOL. Unless you have a 4WD vehicle, know your way around the mountains and are prepared to drive in snow, you have to wait. They said the road would be closed for about 3 hours. It was still closed today, 24 hours later.

So, we are on a roll. In the week I’ve been home we’ve had two rock slides, one causing a death, the other closing the one-and-only highway for at least 24 hours. We’ve had a power outage; we’ve lost our phones; we’ve had an unusual amount of rain. We’ve tried to trap a skunk (as of yet unsuccessful) and we’ve almost run over dozens of deer (without any luck).

Who says life is not exciting in the boonies without internet!?

On Procrastinating

I just wanted to say really quickly that if you haven't made your Christmas cards yet, you are in luck.

Kim at What am I Going To be When I Grow Up tipped me off on a great deal. Shutterfly is giving away 50 free holiday cards to bloggers! I already made my cards unfortunately, but maybe I will get started with next years' cards! Wink, Wink!

Anyway, even though I am probably not taking advantage of this great deal, I though you may want to! Good luck, Happy Blogging and Happy Holidays!

By the way, if you are a friend or family that normally receives a card from me and you haven't gotten it yet, please email me! They should have been there by now!

Road Trip: Day Five (aka Last Day)

Oh the last day of a road trip! You just want to get to your destination, so you don't stop to take photos or go to the Wizard of Oz museum because it is 30 miles off the highway and you don't want to spend another half an hour on the road.

Today's trip: Salina, KS to Des Moines, IA

Have you ever taken a road trip? We used to take them as kids. My dad had a 1970s era motorhome that was orange and white. I remember going to the Grand Canyon. I remember asking him, "how much gas mileage does this thing get?" (I think the answer was about 8 mpg.) I think asked him, "and how much does gas cost?" Then I would figure out how many miles we had to go and how much the entire trip would cost us. That was fun for me.

We would also play the license plate game, which is where you try to find as many different states' license plates as you can. My brother and I had a contest to see who could get the most. I honestly can't tell you who won those games. However, I still play that game, even when I am by myself. I found so many different plates on this drive!

The License Plate Game:
Farthest away plates: Alaska, Maine, Florida
Most common plate (other than states I was in): Minnesota

On this trip, I went through a total of 7 states. California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. 
Here are some of the stats:
Flattest state: Colorado (I did not go through the Rockies in CO)
Snowiest state: California
Coldest state: Nevada
Warmest state: Kansas

I have to say, call me biased, that the most beautiful state of all the states that I went through was, you guessed it, California. I like trees, preferably green ones that smell like pine. And mountains. If you can have both, that is even better. Although all the other states were beautiful in their own way, I still love California the best!

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that no matter how far you roam, "There's no place like home!"

Which state do think is the most beautiful? and why? 

Highway 70, California

Santas Little Blog Helpers

I follow a lot of blogs. There are several reasons for this. I can relate to a lot of the things that other people say, whether it is a problem, an opinion or a joy. I find lists that I didn't know I needed to make yet. I learn how to take better photos.

And taking better photos is what Katrina Kennedy does. I have been following her blog for a while and she has given me so many good tips! She is teaching an online class this month to help other people learn how to make the most of their holiday photos. If you are interested, you can find her info HERE. 

She is also doing a giveaway for a free class, which I believe ends this Friday, so put your name in the hat now! You can find that HERE. 

She also does a photowalk most months. She is from Sacramento and I'm sure would love your company. Or, if not, you can find her list online and do your own at home (that is what I will do, since I am in Iowa this weekend!) It is a good way to keep your photographic eye sharp!

Road Trip: Day Four

Country music is funny. Today on the radio, since I could not get any other stations, I listened to these songs:

1. All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan
2. Pretty Good at Drinking Beer

After that I turned it off. I don't mind country, if there is nothing else, and I will definitely pick it over Christian rock, but how silly can you get? Speaking of driving through Kansas, I have found out a few things about Kansans:

1. They LOVE Jesus
2. They HATE abortion (there are tons of signs on the side of the road to prove both of these)
3. They make their bales in rolls. I like the rolls better than the cubes. (see photo at bottom)
4. Their BBQ is okay, but not "the best BBQ in the country". Sorry, Kansas. Actually Iowa so far has been the best I have eaten.

Today's journey: Denver, CO to Salina, KS.

Agate, CO

Agate, CO

Genoa, CO

near Grinnell, KS

Tomorrow is the last day. I will travel from here to Des Moines, which is about 350 more miles. There I will get to see my HS best friend and some old work buddies (in case you didn't know, I worked in Iowa for about 7 months and I learned a lot about corn while I was there).

Road Trip: Day Three

I have flown through Denver dozens of times and once had to spend the night due to a flight delay. However, I have never really BEEN to Denver (or Colorado in general!) So finally I made it. For real. I had a meal downtown and walked around the 16th street mall. So, now what do I have to say about Colorado?

1. They are worse drivers than CA, NV, UT or WY (but better than LA or FL!).
2. It is warmer here than in all the other states I have been through (the record was NV at -1 degree; it is in the 30s in CO)
3. There are a lot of bums downtown.
4. The mountains are BEAUTIFUL!!! but Denver is not as close to them as I thought it was.
5. There are a ton of towns with the name "springs" in the name. 

Also, let's not forget Wyoming. I thought it was flat; it is not. There are mountains and rolling hills both! It is beautiful. I only just skimmed the bottom edge of it, but I can't wait to come back when it is warmer and I have more time and go hiking, see Yellowstone, climb the Tetons and explore!

Today's stats:
Favorite license plate so far: Wyoming
Highest point: 8,640 feet
Number of pumps of chocolate in my Venti mocha this morning: 3
License plate from farthest away state: Alaska! My first one ever! (does anyone else play this game?) 2nd place: Florida (that guy must be freezing up here!)
Cost of parking for two hours in downtown Denver: $2.00
Miles remaining: 700

A couple of questions for you, readers: Have you ever taken a road trip? If so, where? What is your favorite place? And where's the coldest place you have ever been? The highest?

Today's trip: Rock Springs, WY to Denver, CO (a little bit of a detour to Denver, but I heard it was worth it)

Here are today's pictures. I noticed I have a lot of "road" shots, but hey, it IS a "road trip"!!! These were all taken in Wyoming. There is no snow in Colorado so I wasn't as photo crazy. 

Road Trip: Day Two

I woke up, walked outside, and my nostrils froze together. Once I checked the weather, I realized it was because it was below zero outside. Luckily it was not snowing anymore, but the roads were a little icy at the beginning. I went from Elko, NV to Rock Springs, WY today.

A few stats:
Number of White Pickup Trucks spotted: 456 (thats just an estimate)
Cost of full breakfast, including large coffee (at crappy casino cafe): $6.00
Number of times it snowed: 3
Average duration of snowstorm: 1 minute
Top Speed Limit: 75 mph
Number of states crossed: 3

Here are a few photos from today! I love the way everything looks covered with snow. It is white + another color. California was "black"; Nevada is yellow, Utah is red. I mostly drove through Wyoming in the dark, so I will have to think about that more tomorrow.

Elko, NV

near Wendover, Utah

near Skull Valley, UT

near Skull Valley, UT

near Skull Valley, UT

Salt Lake Marina, UT

I am having a great time listening to bad 80s music, singing at the top of my lungs and contemplating life as I stare at the back of the big rig in front of me. Tomorrow I will head towards Denver after exploring what Wyoming has to offer (it is surprisingly NOT flat, like I pictured!)

On Facebooking

okSo I am going to TRY to become a separate entity on Facebook. If you don't use Reader, this may a good way for YOU to keep up with my blog!

Here is a widget that links to it so you can see if you like it:

Travel Spot

Promote Your Page Too

B is For Borrowing

Sara did my job for me and put up a bunch of photos from Thanksgiving. There is even one of me making stuffing (or dressing, if you will) and Dad apparently showing me where the turkey's neck or other hole is. Also on her site is Mom massaging a turkey and a bunch of shots of various items of food going into people's mouths. Anyway, instead of me uploading a bunch more photos.....please go to her site to see our family photos! (in the photo above, thats Sara on the bottom, second from the right, in case you didn't know). Thanks Sara!!

Road Trip: Day One

Today I traveled from Quincy, CA to Elko, NV. The beginning was a little rough, as it had snowed all day yesterday and then got down to about 27 degrees last night, so the road was a layer of ice. For those of you in flat places with straight roads, consider yourself lucky. The first two hours was an icy, windy, uphill, downhill, slippery road. Once I got to Reno, I stayed on Highway 80 the entire way, so it was mostly clear except for a little snow around Emigrant Gap (about 6000 ft).

Day 1

Some stats for today:
Cups of coffee: 5
Number of times I stopped for gas: 1
Number of times I stopped to pee: 6
Number of danishes I ate, thanks to the Blairsden Bakery: 2
Miles driven: 371

Here are some photos. By the way, none of them are black and white, but I love how the snow and dark trees make them LOOK like they are! 

Near Graeagle, CA

Graeagle, CA

That ICY curve before Williams Loop.

Graeagle, CA

Bathroom stop, somewhere in CA

Bathroom stop near Winnamucca, NV

F is For Family and Other Random Thoughts

Well I have a lot to say, but unfortunately have not had the time nor the internet to post it! So, for now, I will give you random blurbs.

-When I first got here, I spent some time with K's family, both new and old. It was great to see her and A, to meet the new baby and to see my other set of parents. We ended our visit meeting my Mom and Dad at Brocks in Yuba City, where we gorged ourselves on banana splits.

"grandpa" Dad

- Dad put me to work sheetrocking the garage. He always manages to put together a "To Do" list for me when I am home. Actually, it is nice to be home long enough to actually be able to help him with it! Usually its just a weekend here or there and we barely have time to see each other, never mind accomplish any tasks.

After sheet rocking the ceiling

 - I met N's new baby. He's very quiet, just what I like in a baby. We had a great dinner with them, got to see another one of my sets of "parents" and to meet the new fiancee!

C and N

- I went to NYC and MA. There were a few fall colors holding on and they were really cool to see, especially in Central Park. I ate a lot of pig at the annual pig roast and had a great time hanging with Mr Lovely's family, as well as my own, who I met up with for breakfast at Cape Cod.

Goats at the farm

Brooklyn Bridge, NY

Mystic, CT

 - Then I came home for Turkey Day!! We had a great time with the whole family, mostly on my Dad's side. We played many games; I beat the boys at cribbage; I had wonderful chats with my aunts, uncles and grandma who I don't get to see very often. It was great. Here is a photo of the family doing what my Dad makes us do (as always!), which was to "act silly". I think Uncle J (middle top) is the winner in the silliness category, with Aunt D (wine glass in hand) as a close second. What do you think?

Acting Silly!

So, sorry I bored you by putting EVERYTHING on the same post, but I am not sure when the next internet opportunities will be, so I am covering my bases! I do have so many ideas about what to write, all the time, but after a few minutes, hours or days of not putting it down on paper, I forget. Once I am at the computer, I forget. Hopefully I will remember some more and I will be near the computer and I will be able to get them written down.

Next up -- I am driving from Quincy, CA to Des Moines, IA to see my best HS buddy, Red! My journey starts tomorrow! I am very excited to be alone in the car with my loud music and to see my friend, who I have not seen in a LONG time (since last Christmas I think).

Here's to a month full of great friends and family and Fun! For pictures, see my flickr site.

Ten on Tuesday (2)

10 on Tuesday 11/16/10

Sorry if the formatting is messed up; I am sending this from my phone. Speaking of that, does anyone know of a convenient way to blog on blogger from your iPhone? If so let me know! 

This is volume 2 for me of Ten on Tuesday, inspired by Chelsea at Roots and Rings rootsandrings.wordpress.com

1. What is your favorite breakfast pastry?
Bear Claw from the bakery in Blairsden

2. Were you ever in a Thanksgiving or Christmas play?
Yes, every year from Kindergarten to 6th grade. I was an elf, a tree and even a donkey one year. I was so embarrassed. 

3. What is your favorite clothing accessory?
Scarves and Shoes. I collect them. 

4. What is your favorite item of clothing?
My running shoes. I've really missed them. Okay and a comfy pair of jeans. Dress them up or down. Love it.  

5. What is your favorite color and why?
Well I always say blue but in photography terms, it's definitely red. 

6. What is your favorite type of Christmas cookie?
Russian kisses. 

7. What is your favorite scent (food, perfume/lotion)
Baking cookies or bread, fresh shower soap scent, grass, lilacs, wisteria, fresh brewed coffee... The list goes on. 

8. What is your favorite household cleaner?
Scrubbing Bubbles. Works like a charm. 

9. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? And what did you actually grow up to be?
I wanted to be a Vet or a Marine Biologist. I have a degree in Kinesiology but I work for an Architecture & Engineering firm. 

10. What is the last song or album you bought?
Bought? Haha. I can't remember. Probably something in 2002 or 2003. 

The Joy of Cooking

I got home on Monday night. By Tuesday at noon I had made an apple cake, almond cookies and chocolate chip cookies. I hadn't realize how much I missed doing domestic things! And it's the kitchen I missed most of all. I like to cook; I like to putter around getting things ready; I don't even mind doing the dishes. And no, we don't have a dish washer. Well we do actually and it's name is...Me.

I've been extremely busy since I've been back. Aside from cooking the above mentioned items I also made a successful chicken pie (with crust! I'm a little surprised and proud it turned out okay), helped build a lumber rack (yes my dad put me right to work), sheetrocked the garage (another one in dads to do list), gone through my mail (ug 6 months worth of junk) and tried to get some organizing done of things long since forgotten.

It's nice to wear clothes that haven't been worn for the last six months, to sleep in the same bed for several nights in a row and to putt around getting organized rather than stuffing your clothes back into your pack, putting on the same dirty holey outfit and climbing on a smelly tiny bus.

It's nice to be able to bake cookies even though I don't even want to eat them instead if trying to figure out if I am going to eat at that chutney restaurant or make a pb&j sandwich.

It's nice to sit on the couch in a warm room watching The Great Race for the hundreth time, the whole family shouting "push the button Max!" along with Jack Lemmon (if you haven't seen it, it's an oldie but goodie. It's very silly).

It's nice to have my computer and my big camera (I really missed the big lug), to take a million photos of a bug without making anyone wait for me and  to sort my photos right away.

It's nice to visit with friends who I haven't seen in so long and to hug their new babies and to laugh with them and to feel like I never left.

It's nice to be able to pick up the phone and call people whenever I want and we can talk for a minute or an hour or forever.

It's really nice to be home.

Go Home!

All I have to say is....2 days until I go home! Yay. Cookies beware, I am going to cook and eat you.

Today we are in Hong Kong. First, we spent a quick two days in Guangzhou, China, where all we did was walk around looking at lights and dried snake skins and mushrooms. Actually that is a lie. We also ate 3 big macs and a S load of meat on a stick. Funny story - I wanted Cantonese food; I have been dying to try the "real" Chinese food. However, Mr Lovely was dying for a burger. So, we spotted Micky D's and we decided HE would get a big Mac and then I would go get Cantonese. He went to the counter and returned to the table with this story:

Him: I want a number 3
The sweet little 15 yr old cashier: Number 3?
Him: yes, and an apple pie
Her: hm?
Him: number 3

The girl gets the manager.

The manager: yes?
Him: number 3
Manager: 3?
Him: yes

Then he comes to the table with....you guessed it, THREE Big Mac Meals! Three. So I ate one.

Then we walked around and found the best place EVER. Chicken on a stick. Octopus...ON A STICK. Little balls or wieners on a stick. Little balls not on a stick. And so much more. The next day we tried them all. Octopus wins, hands down. 

Now we are in Hong Kong, eating more delicious food and seeing the sights (ie a TON of shopping areas). BUT, in only 2 days (Sunday) I get on a plane and fly home. I am looking forward to being home for a while. Family, friends...see you soon!

30 Days Of Gratitude (Day 1 to Day 5)

Scarlet at Nutwood invited everyone to do a November challenge for Thanksgiving. It is entitled 30 Days of Gratitude. Her she challenges us to: "write a sentence, tell a story, take a photo... blog it, tweet it, facebook it, journal it, scrapbook it... share your gratitude daily or summarize it weekly... invite your friends, your family, your neighbors..."

I probably won't do it every day but instead in 5 day spurts. So, since I am already behind, I will do day one to five today. I am grateful for so many things. This year I have been very lucky -- I have about a million things I could mention. But here are the first five for now.

1. I am grateful that I have the support of my family and friends, no matter what I do or where I do or how long its been since I have seen them. Working apart from everyone and then traveling the rest of the time means I don't always see everyone as often as I would like but they are always there for me, both literally and figuratively, when I get back home. Speaking of that, I will be home in 2 days!! I can't wait to see everyone SOON!!!

2. I am really fortunate to have been able to travel to so many great places. I feel that it opens up one's mind and makes one see how the other side, every other side, lives. I think it makes me more tolerant of others (except when they cut in front of me in line) and gives me a different perspective on things.

3. This year I have had the opportunity to learn to take better photographs (and I'm still learning!) I have had great people to help me learn along the way, both on the internet and in person. I am also grateful for the people who wait for me when I take multiple photos of the same flower and the same bee.

4. I am grateful to not have been unemployed (at least not when I wanted to be working.) I have some friends who have been trying to get a job for months. It's not easy.

5. Thank goodness my family has had good health (my grandma had a little heart thing but is doing great now!) My grandfather always used to say that being healthy and wise were the two most important things (the other one was wealthy, but that was always third).

These are my first five things I am grateful for. For now.

Ten on Tuesday (1)

Chelsea at Roots and Rings does a fun Tuesday questionnaire called Ten on Tuesday. I thought it was fun and you can do it too. I am a week behind her, but it's probably for the better since I can't always count on internet access. If you like the list, you can click on the linky thing at the bottom (this is my first attempt at this so bear with me) and link yourself so people (and me!) can see who else does it. Also, please leave a comment letting us know you did it as well!

Here is my first list.

1. What is your favorite decor item in your house?
I don’t have a house. Right now I am traveling and let me tell you, if I have a hot shower, I am really, really, REALLY happy. So, screw the couch; give me a shower and a non lumpy bed. Oh, and a blanket that doesn’t smell like pee. 

2. What is your favorite hair product?
My favorite WHAT? I am sorry, but hair I have, product I do not. 

3. Are you a good dancer?
Nope. I am white. Need I say more? The stereotype is true in my case. 

4. You get some good news, who’s the first person you call?
My Mom and/or Dad, K, Red or Mr L. It depends on the news. 

5. Would you rather take pictures, or be in pictures?
Both. I love to take pictures, that is for sure, but I am not afraid of being IN pictures. Why not? When I am old and wrinkly I will look back and say, wow, what a good looking young thing I was. It would be sad not to have pictures. They are my memory, since mine is so bad. 

6. What is your shoe style?
I am traveling. I have to carry EVERYTHING I need on my back. My shoes are hiking boots and Reef sandals. At home, I have a job in damage assessment, so usually its work boots or sneakers. I am not very glamorous. 

7. How often do you eat out?
Right now, every day. But its cheap. Normally, I cook about 5 or 6 days a week and eat out once or twice. I am always on travel status, even with work, so it is nice to get out of my hotel room for a change (and to make new friends at work!)

8. If someone has food in their teeth, do you tell them?
Yes. Or if their bra was showing or they had toilet paper on their shoe. I would rather have 2 seconds of embarrassment than….who knows….minutes, or HOURS. 

9. Do you fold your underwear? 
Yes, when I am home. When I am traveling they get kind of rolled/folded (and put into a Ziploc freezer bag with all the air squeezed out. I am weird like that. 

10. Milk, dark, or white chocolate?
Dark. Or none. I am not a big fan of sweets. 

Happy Tuesday! Do this list on YOUR BLOG. Don’t forget to link!

That's Classic

I love to read. When I have the chance I can read a book a day. Most of the time life does not accommodate that however. When I am at home, working, trying to work out, blog and have time to sleep, the reading tends to wane a bit. However, I am always looking for new books to read and time to read them. Jess, one of the bloggers I follow, suggested Booksfree, where, like Netflix, you can get as many books as you want per month for a set fee. I personally usually just go to Goodwill and get the 50 cent paperbacks. I will read pretty much anything. When I travel I read whatever I can trade at the book exchanges, which are sometimes pretty slim pickings. To see some of the really bad books I have read over the last 6 months, you can go to my Goodreads page. I also just started using LibraryThing, which even lets you get free books to read as long as you do a thorough review.

What I really would like to do is try to read more classic books. Since I am traveling it has been really hard to get good books, or any books in English for that matter. Mr. Lovely bought a computer, so I decided to downloaded the Kindle for PC, which you can download to your computer (without having an actual Kindle) and then get FREE Classic (public domain) eBooks from Amazon which you can then read right on your computer. However, I have not really been doing it. It is a pain to open the computer just to read a book. I just haven’t done it.

In trying to find out what classics I should read, I found a list on the internet at the Cincinnati Library website to give me an idea of what I am missing and what I realized is I have actually read a few of these books, more than I thought I had. Out of the 40 odd books on this list, I think I have read 14.

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Do you have any you think should be added to this list? Which is your favorite? Do you have any book lovers tips?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1884 by Mark Twain

All Quiet on the Western Front 1929 by Erich Maria Remarque

Beloved 1987 by Toni Morrison

The Best Short Stories 1945 by O. Henry

Brave New World 1932 by Aldous Huxley

The Call of the Wild 1903 by Jack London

Catch-22 1961 by Joseph Heller

The Catcher in the Rye 1951 by J.D. Salinger

The Complete Sherlock Holmes 1936 by Arthur Conan Doyle

Crime and Punishment 1886 by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Cry, the Beloved Country 1948 by Alan Paton

Don Quixote 1612 by Miguel de Cervantes

Ethan Frome 1911 by Edith Wharton

Gone with the Wind 1936 by Margaret Mitchell

The Good Earth 1931 by Pearl S. Buck

The Grapes of Wrath 1939 by John Steinbeck

The Great Gatsby 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Heart of Darkness 1902 by Joseph Conrad

Invisible Man 1952 by Ralph Ellison

Jane Eyre 1847 by Charlotte Bronte

Lord of the Flies 1954 by William Golding

Moby Dick 1851 by Herman Melville

My Antonia 1918 by Willa Cather

Native Son 1940 by Richard Wright

Nineteen Eighty Four 1949 by George Orwell

Of Human Bondage 1915 by W. Somerset Maugham

Of Mice and Men 1937 by John Steinbeck

The Old Man and the Sea 1952 by Ernest Hemingway

Pride and Prejudice 1813 by Jane Austen

The Red Badge of Courage 1895 by Stephen Crane

Robinson Crusoe 1719 by Daniel Defoe

The Scarlet Letter 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A Separate Peace 1959 by John Knowles

Silas Marner 1861 by George Eliot

The Sound and the Fury 1929 by William Faulkner

The Stranger 1946 by Albert Camus

A Tale of Two Cities 1859 by Charles Dickens

Tales 1952 by Edgar Allan Poe

Tess of the D’Urbervilles 1891 by Thomas Hardy

Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston

To Kill a Mockingbird 1960 by Harper Lee

Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe

War and Peace 1889 by Leo Tolstoy

Winesburg, Ohio 1919 by Sherwood Anderson

Wuthering Heights