Open Seas

Weekly Cookie: Easter Cookies

2010-03-28T22:49:00.003-05:00

Well, I didn't keep up my theme of weekly cookies too long, but I wanted to post this cookie idea because I have lemon extract left from the lemon coolers and I have buttermilk, so I may just give these Lemon Buttermilk Easter Cookies a go, except I don't have bunny cut-outs. I would probably do a drop-cookie version, or maybe roll out the dough in a log and slice it up to bake... I just get inspired when I realize I have all the ingredients for something. :)

I'm going to do the lemon coolers again with my sister, and I'll use the leftover lemon extract for these. If I get time before Easter. :)

The Weekly Cookie?

2010-03-16T16:53:00.004-05:00

I love cookies. Most of you know by now my love of all things cookie. I even love their name and it's one of my favorite things to say: cookie. Cookie. Cookie cookie cookie. (..."starts with C!")

Ok I've sung the praises of cookie enough... I would love to have the time to bake cookies at least once a week. I have, actually, for the past two weeks. Here is my batch of cookies from last week:

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies. I was happy that I was finally able to produce a batch of cookies that were nice and puffy, and I believe I achieved this by finally switching to real butter rather than using those crappy vegetable oil sticks. I also used half cake flour and half all-purpose, and this may also have helped with their texture. The batter also uses a package of vanilla instant pudding, and I'm not really sure what that did for these cookies, but nevertheless they were good. Also, I used milk chocolate chips, since darn it, I just think that's how chocolate should taste. None of this semi-sweet stuff.

And today, I was inspired to bake Baking Bites' version of Lemon Coolers, a retired Girl Scout cookie, partly because I had all the ingredients and it gave me a chance to use up some more of my cake flour and some cornstarch, and partly because lemon cookies are delicious. All I had to pick up at my last grocery store trip was lemon extract.

I think they turned out pretty successfully! They do taste a lot like the old Girl Scout cookies.

Will I have time to bake more cookies next week??? Here's hoping!!

Another Letter on the Health Care Debate

2010-03-05T10:59:00.000-06:00

This letter from the AUL (Americans United for Life) website lays out the abortion concern in the health care package much better than I could ever do with what I know just from debate on TV. Go here to send this letter to your Senators and Representatives:

Mar 5, 2010

Senator Claire McCaskill
Hart Senate Office Building, Room 717
Constitution Avenue and 2nd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20510-2507

Dear Senator McCaskill (and Todd Akin, and Kit Bond),

I am deeply concerned about the President's health care reform bill that will shortly be considered by the Congress. Under this version of reform, the federal government will have the power to require private insurance plans to include abortion coverage as a part of their package of "preventive care." This is a serious defect in the legislation. While it is true that the current version of reform states that certain federal funds cannot directly pay for those abortions that currently cannot be paid for by federal funds under the Hyde Amendment, that critical safeguard will become meaningless if the Hyde Amendment is ever eliminated. This is a very serious threat and grave concern given that supporters of abortion have identified the elimination of the Hyde Amendment as their highest legislative priority, and will no doubt take action to eliminate Hyde quickly if reform, as currently proposed is passed. Furthermore, this funding prohibition is narrowly written and would not apply to other funds in the bill, such as the 11 billion dollars authorized for "Community Health Centers." Those funds could be used to directly pay for abortions.

Also, under the current reform bill, subsidies to insurance plans that cover abortion will be the norm; individual states will have to pass new legislation to prevent subsidies from going to plans that cover abortions in their state. This requirement is a complete reversal of the long-established federal approach to abortion.

Inclusion of the Stupak Amendment is the only possible remedy to these serious problems. I urge you and your Congressional colleagues to address this matter by including the Stupak Amendment in health care reform legislation without delay.

Sincerely,

Miss Kristin Weiland

Passengers vs. the Airline Industry

2009-12-21T18:01:00.002-06:00

Wow, this administration did something I might actually agree with. MIGHT. We'll have to see how it plays out, though. There could be unforeseen consequences with this...

The government imposed a three-hour time limit on airplanes delayed on tarmacs. The airline industry countered that it will only result in more delayed and cancelled flights. Which, I can sort of understand that, BUT, I think the needs of passengers stuck on a metal tube without ample access to food, water, and proper facilities, especially for the elderly and those in poor health, are more pressing that those that have to wait longer for a flight in an airport.

But like I said, since I deal directly with the airline industry, it'll be interesting to see if it really benefits travelers overall. It may result in higher fares and more fees from airlines trying to offset the fines they will be charged if they break the three-hour limit. Airlines can come up with any reason at all to impose more fees, and if they don't like these new rules, they'll come up with some way to complain, most likely at the cost of their traveling customers. They used the rising gas prices as an excuse to hike fees, and those fees have not come down, even though gas prices have. So I wouldn't be surprised if they come up with some way to protest this decision.

But I do feel a little better about flying, now that there is less chance that I would be one of those poor people stuck in that traveling nightmare!

Z is for Zest

2009-07-14T20:55:00.005-05:00

Zesting a lime or lemon was one technique in baking that used to intimidate me, but ever since I made my lemon raspberry cake for Easter, I am no longer afraid to zest away. It's amazing how much flavor just a little bit of the outer layer of a lemon or lime adds to a batter.

The implement pictured above is a microplane, but I just have a regular zester that I got from Schnucks for something like $5 and it did the job. The microplane might be more efficient for quicker zesting, but I couldn't find one for less than $12.99 and the little zester worked well enough for my purposes.

So now that I have the technique down, I really need to apply it to some more recipes, such as:

Lemon Sugar Cookies
Lemon Bars
Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes
Lemon Cupcakes filled with Lemon Curd
Lime Loaf Cake
Key Lime Pie
Key Lime Cupcakes

Whew, that's enough for now, don't you think?? Eh, maybe... :)

And we come to the end of my little A-Z Baking list. We'll end this Z post with one more little fun tidbit... I love Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, but which one is my very favorite??

Not Twinkies...

Not Swiss Cake Rolls...

Not Hostess Cupcakes...

You may have already guessed....

Zebra Cakes. LOVE 'EM!!!

Don't go too far, I may be starting another ABC list soon on a new topic, just because it's fun! See ya then!

Y is for Yeast

2009-07-13T16:15:00.009-05:00

I said before that I have never attempted baking bread with yeast. But I bet you get some pretty good results with it, probably better than with quick bread recipes. Bread that I bake usually turns out crumbly and doesn't hold together well. I'm betting that yeast gives it a more bready and less cakey texture. (My one exception, of course, is my family's Pumpkin Bread, which while it does have sort of a cake-like texture, it is absolutely perfect without yeast.)

It is definitely on my list though, to attempt making bread with yeast. This Rustic Country Bread looks like a nice recipe to start with.

That recipe uses bread flour, which would give me practice with yet another kind of flour to add to my repertoire... :)

Yeast seems to give you a better variety of the types of breads you can bake. Another recipe that is a bit more savory is this one for Feta and Tomato Focaccia. WOW.

I bet it would also be fun to try out my own English Muffins...

...and pita bread.

Some more I'm bookmarking:

Cinnamon Buns
Perfect Pizza Crust
Yeasted Blueberry Pancakes
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Basic Baguettes
Classic Monkey Bread

And this is off the subject, but I am starting to become tempted to bake up a batch of Gooey Butter Cake... simply because I have all those ingredients and it sounds sooooo goooooood... and my work buddies would love me! :)

X is for Xanthan Gum

2009-07-12T23:09:00.005-05:00

Now this post is almost a 180-turn from the last post...this post is about using non-wheat flour. When baking with a gluten-free flour (such as rice, buckwheat, or chickpea), a fine powdery substance called xanthan gum is often added to the recipe to help with the texture of whatever baked good is being made. This is a handy tip to know in the event you ever have to bake for someone with celiac disease. Who knows, you might make that person's whole day by knowing about this powdery stuff.

So just in case you ever need a gluten-free recipe, here's a pretty extensive list of recipes that use xanthan gum, including blueberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin bread... because no one should EVER miss out on pumpkin bread.

As for recipes starting with X, the closest thing I got was this recipe for X-traordinary Rich Chocolate Pudding Recipe. Also Hot Cross Buns look pretty delicious and they have X's on them... ok maybe they're supposed to be crosses, but turn 'em diagonal and it's an X! Right??

And my totally random recipe that I just feel like posting because it looks good is this one for Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake. I LOVE breakfast desserts. :)

W is for Whole Wheat Flour

2009-07-11T18:04:00.001-05:00

Of course I have baked with all-purpose flour... have also baked with cake flour. But I have yet to try baking with whole wheat flour. It adds bonus nutrition to your baked goodies with no extra effort. I rounded up a few interesting recipes (of course from Baking Bites... I just have to say I love how she indexes and catalogs every recipe she has posted):

Strawberry Whole Wheat Pancakes
Whole Grain Banana Cake
Whole Grain Blueberry Buckle
Whole Wheat Maple Muffins
Cornbread Griddle Cakes
Whole Wheat Popovers
Whole Wheat Pie Crust
Crispy Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies

Who knew cookies could be so healthy? :)

V is for Vanilla Bean

2009-07-10T18:06:00.003-05:00

Who doesn't love Cheesecake Factory's Vanilla Bean Cheesecake??

Then I bet these Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars would be almost as good:

But have you ever baked anything with an actual vanilla bean?

I sure haven't, which is one of the reasons why I am intimidated by this recipe for Real Vanilla Bean Buttercream (the other reason being you have to boil sugar to a specific temperature). I browsed around for other vanilla bean recipes and hit on one for crème anglaise that looked pretty simple (it's combined here with a recipe for cream cheese bread pudding, which sounds a-maz-ing!): it's only egg yolks, sugar, and hot milk, and usually flavored with vanilla.

That looks like it would sweeten any recipe!

(Ok then I had to wonder what to do with the leftover egg WHITES after using those 4 egg yolks. I happened to find this recipe for Berry-Topped Pavlova that also looks creamy delicious and simple, and uses, ta-da, 4 egg whites. HmmmmmMMMMmmmmmm....also, the Sour Cream Pound Cake I linked a few entries back also uses 4 extra egg whites... HMMMMMM again...am pretty tempted to make this as another office treat...)

But wait, I'm not quite done... no entry on vanilla bean would be complete without a mention of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

If you can split vanilla beans, this is the treat to make.

U is for Upside-Down Cake

2009-07-09T17:36:00.000-05:00

I've never baked one, but how bad can a spongy cake topped (bottomed?) with fruit be?? By far the most popular kind is pineapple...

But another one that sounds equally good is peach:

For a delicious breakfast-y dessert, how about an Apple Upside-Down Skillet Coffee Cake?

These fancy little Banana Upside-Down Cakes look cute and classy:

But I especially enjoyed reading this account of a Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake which seemed destined to go wrong at every turn, but still came out irresistible.

And as always, there's Baking Bites with her contributions: these muffin-sized Little Blueberry Upside-Down Cakes, this cute pan for making perfect mini pineapple upside-down cakes, and her own recipe for Banana Upside-Down Cake. She also baked something called a Tarte Tatin that is basically an apple upside-down cake made with puff pastry.

(Wow, I had no idea I'd be posting so many links about a dessert I've never really known much about! Good research.) :)

T is for Tiramisu

2009-07-08T18:53:00.004-05:00

I one time bookmarked this Tiramisu Layer Cake as a possible future project. It was when I was thinking of what I could bake with the bottle of Kahlua I had in my pantry. It looks so pretty. I'd have to have a pretty special occasion to bake it though...

These Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars look more on the "quick and easy" side, and pretty yummy too:

It would definitely be something new to try!

S is for S'mores

2009-07-07T18:59:00.002-05:00

I made Baking Bites' S'more Cookie Bars for a housewarming party a year or so ago. They were maybe one of the most amazing things I've ever made, and pretty simple as well. I loved how you can perfectly fit two king-sized Hershey bars side-by-side in the 8" baking pan to provide the gooey chocolate inside.

But my jaw almost dropped when I saw she took the S'mores idea even further and developed a S'mores Cake.

She used graham cracker crumbs in the place of flour to make this cake. Genius, I tell you. Sheer genius.

And speaking of genius... my favorite sweet-toothed lady, Jessie Oleson of Cakespy, created a new treat with a name all its own: S'moreos!!

Yep, folks, that's an Oreo opened up with a marshmallow and piece of chocolate in between. Super cute.

Did you know there's a National S'mores Day? Me neither! And it's only a week after my birthday! :) Almost (almost) makes me want to go camping and take along the skewers, graham crackers, marshies and chocolate.

And something else not related to S'mores at all, but still starting with S, is this delicious-looking Fresh Strawberry Pie:

(That's in honor of Janice, who LOVES Strawberry Pie and whose wedding anniversary is today. I don't think she reads this blog either, but Happy Anniversary anyway, Janice!!)

Added later: I just saw after I posted this entry that Houlihan's sent me an email letting me know that S'mores are back on their menu. Sweet!

R is for Rainbow Cake

2009-07-06T08:44:00.008-05:00

A woman I work with has a part-time gig baking cakes. So we liked to discuss cake-baking between us, and she had lots of good advice to offer me when I made my lemon-raspberry cake for Easter. One day I was browsing around online and came across this beautiful rainbow cake:

I sent her the link saying, "do you think you could make this cake??" And she was all about it. She wouldn't stop talking about it.

So when we had our baby shower for our coworker (the one that I baked the Maple Cornbread for), she decided to try it out. Here is her version:

I have to say that even though she didn't get the order of colors right, the cake still tasted quite amazing. Each layer has its own flavor (red=raspberry, yellow=lemon, green=lime, purple=blackberry, and so on) and it was frosted with a white chocolate icing. The link says baking this cake will make you think you baked up a dessert of Fruit Loops, with each fruity flavor that goes into it. I just wonder if I would ever be brave enough to take on a baking project like that... you have to create 6 different-flavored layers for this!

Or, I could opt for Baking Bites' much simpler Rainbow Cupcakes:

They're pretty darn cute as well.

(I thought it was fitting to do a cake post for today, as it is my sister's 30th birthday today. She doesn't read this blog, but Happy Birthday, Jen!)

Q is for Quaker Oats

2009-07-03T16:26:00.001-05:00

Last winter I developed a craving for the warm, gooey taste of oatmeal... my favorite way to eat it is just with brown sugar and maple syrup stirred in. If I want some quick, I love the Banana Bread instant variety that Quaker Oats makes.

However, I bet Coconut Cream Pie Oatmeal would also be good:

Or Steel Cut Oatmeal with Caramelized Apples:

Plus that bowl is just way cool.

But since this is ABCBaking, we shall now focus our attention on a baked good that uses oats: oatmeal cookies.

A couple of weeks ago I baked Banana Oatmeal Cookies that were delicious (I made them without the chocolate chips). Here are some more oatmeal cookie recipes I'm bookmarking for future enjoyment:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Sandwiches with Cream Cheese Filling... or rather, your very own homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies!

P is for Peanut Butter

2009-07-02T19:35:00.007-05:00

I keep meaning to bake something with a peanut butter frosting. Chocolate cupcakes would be good, banana cupcakes would also be interesting, or I bet it would be good on a chocolate or banana cake.

More fun recipes with peanut butter:

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Peanut Butter Crumble Cake
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Pound Cake

Speaking of pound cake (which also starts with P!), I have a bundt cake pan that I have never used. A pound cake would be a perfect choice to try it out... but there was also that Maple Syrup Cake I mentioned a couple posts back that would also be great. Decisions, decisions...

Plus, if I make pound cake... I can make those grilled cheesecake sandwiches I mentioned earlier...yummmmm.....

And one final "P" favorite... pancakes, of course. Here are some recipes I have tried or am dying to try.

Apple Pie Pancakes (I have made these twice now...I think this is the same recipe I used...it is from Midwest Living and I'm pretty sure that was the magazine I copied the recipe out of)
Brown Sugar Pancakes with Brown Sugar Maple Syrup (have tried, but mine came out flat due to bad baking powder)
Coffee Cake Pancakes
Banana Pancakes
Best Buttermilk Pancakes (made these... yum!)
Pumpkin Pancakes

Pass the syrup, please...

O is for Orange Smoothie

2009-07-01T19:35:00.005-05:00

Ok so you don't bake it, but it is sweet and delicious, and I've been making more of them lately. Great summertime treat. I just use about 3/4 cup of orange juice, 4-5 frozen strawberries, half a banana, and some ice, and blend it up. Delish.

My other favorite smoothie to make is a Chocolate Banana smoothie: 3/4 cup milk, half a banana, a tbsp of cocoa powder, and ice.

I do heart bananas. In fact, (and this DOES have to do with baking!) I am baking up a loaf of Apple Banana bread tonight. Just because I have some mushy bananas to use. I guess I didn't make enough smoothies!

N is for No Peek

2009-06-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

I'll take a break today from the sweet stuff to do a delicious main course post. My mom taught me to make "No Peek" chicken, basically a chicken/rice/condensed soup bake. It's super easy and reliable.

All you need is some chicken (a whole chicken cut up, or just parts you like), rice, a couple of soups (I like cream of chicken and cream of celery), and a packet of dry onion soup mix. Mix together the rice and cream soups, layer the chicken on top, then sprinkle on the onion soup mix. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 325º for 2 hours (no peeking!) Easy peasy.

(The pictures are actually taken from this blog post which added a nice bacon spin to the whole chicken/rice/soup bake. Might have to try that sometime...)

M is for Maple

2009-06-29T20:35:00.002-05:00

I love maple syrup. I love pancakes and waffles and french toast, but what I love most about them is that you can soak them in maple syrup. No fruit or whipped cream or powdered sugar, I just want syrup-dense cakey joy.

So naturally I like to bake with maple syrup. Not too long ago I made Maple Cornbread for a co-worker's baby shower. Ok so I don't know what cornbread has to do with a baby shower. I just wanted to make the stuff.

Also at work, I scribbled down a recipe from some cooking magazine I found some time ago, for Maple Syrup Cake. It's a bundt cake with a maple syrup glaze. Sounds yummy delicious and I can't wait for the right opportunity to bake it.

I also found this recipe for Maple Cupcakes with Maple Butter Frosting. Whoa.

Speaking of maple butter... I will never forget the delicious maple butter on honey wheat bread I had at 54th Street Grill & Bar in Wentzville. I think I ate a whole loaf.

L is for Low Fat/Cal

2009-06-28T13:28:00.001-05:00

I love my sweets, but I also love staying in shape. It's a never-ending battle. While I would love to indulge in some sugary carbohydratey treat every day, it's just not smart. Or it's just too much work to stay on top of the calorie intake.

So whenever I bake, I cut cals or fat at every chance I get. I try to use low-fat versions of sour cream, cream cheese, butter, and milk; and purchase reduced-sugar versions of cake mix and brownie mix whenever I use them. I never tell a difference in the final product. Now whether or not the trade-off is actually positive due to other chemicals those products have to make them low-fat or low-cal, could be a whole other debate. But I will stick with stemming the caloric load for now.

Here are some low-cal recipes collected from BakingBites that I'd love to try out sometime:

Low Fat Fudgy Brownies
Low Fat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lower Fat Carrot Sheet Cake
Light Chocolate Mousse
Low Fat Lemon Curd (to use as filling in cakes, pastries, lemon cupcakes, etc.)
Whole Wheat Maple Muffins

I've also mentioned before, the Applesauce Layer Chocolate Cake and the Low Fat Vanilla Pastry Cream and Mini Eclairs.

K is for Kahlua

2009-06-26T18:50:00.002-05:00

My contribution to Cinco de Mayo this year was Kahlua Fudge Brownies. I had almost a full bottle of Kahlua in my pantry (still do) and wanted to use it for something, and I thought brownies were a good match. They turned out well, but people at work were saying I should've used more Kahlua. I'll remember that for next time...

I also found a recipe for Kahlua Fantasy Chocolate Cheesecake... that is on the "To Bake" list for SURE. My Baking Addiction has a pretty simple-looking recipe as well...

I'm sure there are other things that can be baked with Kahlua as well... it's also pretty good with a bit of milk. :)

J is for Jan Hagels

2009-06-24T18:02:00.001-05:00

I made these freaking addictive cookies a while back and was an instant huge fan. They are basically just easy butter cookie squares sprinkled with chopped nuts.

They are super simple to make. All you need are: 1 cup butter or margarine, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg (separated), 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp water, and 1/2 cup very finely chopped walnuts. Mix together the butter, sugar, and the egg yolk. Add in the flour and cinnamon, sifted together. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Mix the remaining egg white with the tbsp of water and brush on top. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350. Cut into strips.

Go on, I dare you. Believe me when I say they are addictive!

Here are my little cookies, before I devoured them. :)

I is for Icing

2009-06-23T18:35:00.000-05:00

I am not one of those people who scrapes icing off cakes or cupcakes. It is never too sweet or too rich for me. I will take the corner piece of a cake, thank you, and I will actually eat those big icing flowers. BRING IT!!

Icing is pretty simple to make with confectioner's sugar, milk, and butter, then flavored or colored to match whatever you're putting it on. I have made lemon buttercream frosting that turned out pretty well. But to really whip up a batch like a true chef, you have to boil the sugar to a certain temperature, then beat in egg whites, and finally add butter once it has cooled down. The result is a creamy frosting that is, as the author puts it, "not too sweet" (she IS one of those people who doesn't like too much on her cupcakes!).

So I guess I won't be going to all the trouble to make "real" frosting, I'll take the easy, sweeter stuff! Yum.

H is for Honey Bread

2009-06-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

Some time ago I baked a Milk & Honey Bread that had a good honey flavor to it, but the bread itself was quite crumbly and difficult to slice. I found Baking Bites' version of Honey Buttermilk Bread that sounds pretty good, except I have never baked bread using yeast. One day I will get over my fear of yeast and just bake a loaf with it, whether it's this Honey Bread or some other kind of bread... mmmm. Bread.

G is for Grilled Cheesecake

2009-06-21T21:43:00.001-05:00

Again, Cakespy comes up with a GENIUS idea: sweet-ifying a grilled cheese sandwich by grilling a piece of cheesecake between two pieces of pound cake. Someday I'm going to try this. I actually found some Sara Lee coupons right next to each other in a Sunday paper insert that were for single serving pound cakes and cheesecakes. I cut them out together, for the purpose of trying this. It's as if they knew...

F is for Flan

2009-06-20T18:20:00.000-05:00

I think flan could serve as a litmus test for how much you like sweet desserts. If you can handle flan, there is little you can't do in the world of sweet. I have never made it before, but you can make Jello versions of it.

That would be nice and easy!

Flan is known as crème caramel in some circles, which may have been what I had at one of our hotel showings in Lyon, France:

It may have been one of the most delicious desserts I've ever had.

Baking Bites has made a Thai Coffee Creme Caramel that sounds pretty durn good as well!

E is for Eclair

2009-06-19T19:41:00.001-05:00

Eclairs, those delicious bakery staples, are like a fancy dressed-up custard donut. Until I started this blog and had to come up for an idea for E, I never thought of making my own. But hey, if I'm playing with the idea of making my own donuts, I could go a step further and make some beautiful delicious eclairs, right? Sure!

Baking Bites even has a mini-eclair recipe with low fat vanilla creme... perfect! And so cute, too!

D is for Donut

2009-06-17T18:24:00.007-05:00

Actually the name of this post should be "D is for Donut Imitations." Those aren't really donuts... they're donut pies. They're made from pie crust and filling, fried and topped with pretty frosting to look like donuts. I could totally do that. I've never fried anything myself before, but these would be a good start.

Another way to make my own donuts are these cute little Sugar Donut Muffins. Those would be a cute side dish to a Sunday brunch at the parents' sometime. :)

Or, I could just get my own... nah, too dangerous.

C is for Cookie ...Cake Pie

2009-06-15T18:00:00.011-05:00

This genius conglomeration of cookie dough, cake, and pie crust is Cakespy's own creation... she is a GENIUS, I tell you. I think she and I are similar in how much we love sweet foods. This looks like it was cooked up by little kids grabbing anything they can find in the kitchen. When I get the chance to try it, mine will be done with sugar cookie mix and probably the funfetti cake that she used, with of course some sprinkles on top. :) I could also do the chocolate chip cookie dough, but then it would be done with yellow cake and topped with chocolate chips, and possibly chocolate icing instead of buttercream. Oh, the possibilities. I tell you, it's pure genius.

I could spend loads of time on C. So let's shorten this entry by featuring a few more C combinations like the one above, shall we?

First up: this week I baked a Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze to spread some cheer among my coworkers. I got LOADS of compliments on it and brought home an empty dish.

Two more of my favorite C foods are cheesecake and coconut. This Coconut Cheesecake with a shortbread cookie crust looks seriously, dangerously, good. If nothing else, I HAVE to try out that shortbread crust for something. Hm, maybe it would be good with banana cream pie...

And also, let's not forget chocolate and cupcakes!! I recently found this recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting that I just HAVE to try soon.

Like I said, I can go on and on with C... but that does enough damage for now!

B is for Banana

2009-06-15T17:31:00.011-05:00

Today's selection is another delicious fruit to bake with... banana cream pie is my dad's favoritest dessert ever, so I need to learn to bake this from scratch for him. Would be good for Father's Day this weekend perhaps... if I get the time! Of course mine would be done with a vanilla wafer crust with vanilla wafers garnishing the top. :)

I have also experimented with banana bread in the past as well... I have made Banana Cream Cheese Bread that turned out pretty well, as well as Nonfat Banana Muffins using applesauce as the liquid (as I mentioned in the previous post!). But an idea that looks too delicious to pass up is Baking Bites' Peanut Butter Swirl Banana Bread, made with bananas, peanut butter, and cream cheese. I gotta try that out sometime!

And one more idea for banana bread: BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST.

Behold the Tower of Awesome.

Edited to add: I am making the banana cream pie pictured above for Father's Day. Just finished the batch of custard and it smells delicious. Wanted to take a spoon to it, but will save it for the pie. Decided to just use regular crust instead of vanilla wafer...going to keep it basic. Am finishing the pie up tomorrow and we'll indulge on Sunday... can't wait! Will try to remember to take a picture!

A is for Apple

2009-06-15T12:21:00.008-05:00

There's something rustic and homey about an apple dessert, like apple crisp. They're everywhere in the summertime, particularly around the Fourth of July. I have never made my own before, and the Fourth is coming up, so maybe I will try one out of my own to serve at work or for a family gathering. I have a perfect stoneware dish that it should look nice and pretty in. :) And of course I won't forget the vanilla ice cream!

Cakespy did an interesting post a couple weeks ago about all the different varieties of fruit desserts and their strange names... ever heard of a "pandowdy" or a "slonker"?? Me neither! But it's fun to learn about the cultural traditions behind these fruit creations.

Another use for apples in baking is using applesauce as a substitute for oil or eggs in recipes. I have made some pretty tasty muffins using this technique, but Baking Bites recently posted a recipe using applesauce to make a low-fat chocolate cake. Now THAT I gotta try...I hope it is as moist and delicious as a regular chocolate cake!

ABCBaking

2009-06-15T11:47:00.005-05:00

Well of course I didn't win the United tickets. So it doesn't look like Open Seas will be hitting the open skies or the open road anytime soon... unless I decide to pull together some trip for my week of vacation over my birthday, but I have no plans as of yet.

So I'm going to occupy this blog with another love of mine, sweet treats. I love baking and my coworkers are even starting to ask me when am I going to bring in the next baked treat into the office, so I seem to have a tiny bit of a fan base, or so I like to think... :) So I'm going to do a baking version of an ABC blog for awhile, where I post ideas, recipes, and pictures of sweets I have baked or want to try out sometime. Should be fun.

Most of my inspirations come from Baking Bites, Cakespy, and My Baking Addiction, with maybe a few pulled from Recipe Goldmine, but I guess ideas can come from anywhere, if I think of something specific I want to do and just do a Google search for it.

Well we'll see how it goes... let the yumminess ensue! :)

Vacation Bug Bites Again

2009-06-08T20:09:00.002-05:00

I am *NOT* holding my breath, but I entered to win two free United Airlines tickets at work. They were supposed to announce the winner today, and I am announcement-less, so I assume I didn't get them, unless there is an email waiting for me at work. Again. NOT holding my breath.

But it would be super cool. I'd take my sister to NYC, the week of my birthday, because I already have that week off. I have a super awesome friend we could stay with. We'd go to the Statue of Liberty and THIS time I won't miss out on the museum in the base of the statue. We'd probably see a show or two on Broadway. And I'd totally hit up this restaurant. It would be SO FUN.

So fun, in fact, I just had to look up and see how much tickets to NYC are right now for that week, since I most likely won't win the tickets and will have to buy them instead if I really want to go... American was offering them for $259.20 for roundtrip to LGA. Soooo tempting........ but my sister probably won't bite if the tickets aren't free.

So right now I have that week off with no plans. What to do? I can't just sit at home for a week! Well... I easily COULD. But I SHOULDN'T.

It'll be the dog days of summer, so Phoenix doesn't sound too appealing... heading north sounds better... but of course, it's summer, so traveling anywhere will be more expensive... agh. Going to think about this a bit!

New Schedule

2009-03-16T12:19:00.002-05:00

I am moving to a new schedule starting March 28th:

Tuesday/Wednesday: 8:00a-5:30p
Thursday: 6:30a-3:00p
Saturday: 7:00a-4:30p

Not all that crazy about the Thursday super early shift, but I'll adjust. I now have Fridays off instead of Thursdays, so that is sorta nice. Except I can't stay out too late on Fridays because I have to work early on Saturdays. We are transitioning to a 35-hour workweek, so that is the reason for the new schedules.

Maybe the change will be nice... have been experiencing that "stuck in a rut" feeling lately and this will be a change of pace. Hopefully for the better.

In another note, am hoping that maybe next year will be the year my sister and I make it to France... I have saved up a nice little stashpile and am feeling the urge to use it on a trip. She needs to stabilize her job situation first though, but when that happens, hopefully we'll start talking about it again. I hope. I want to go. Don't want to wait too long for my next out-of-the-country journey...

What Next?

2009-02-04T20:33:00.003-06:00

Well, I've finished colorblogging... now I want to try out a new theme, but am having trouble coming up with one. This year is not looking like a good year for travel, because I am poor and need to save money, so this poor little blog will not be used much for its main travelblogging purpose. So while I am landlubbing this year, I need a new idea. The ABC Blogging was fun, as was colorblogging. But now what??

I could pretend I am traveling around the world, and blog about a new place every day along an imaginary trail... I could even leave clues as to where I am and have you guys guess...eh, maybe too "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego"-ish...

I could bake a different kind of cookie every week since I love cookies. Well, that takes money to buy ingredients. Hm.

I could pick a song from my iTunes at random every week and just blog about that. Make it song-blogging or something.

I dunno... does anyone have any other suggestions?

"Oh THAT'S Puce."

2009-01-05T20:17:00.003-06:00

I have to admit, I didn't know what puce was until I researched it for this, my last colorblogging post... I had expected it to be some shade of green. Instead, it is a dull mauve.

Nice, I guess.

I meant to finish my colorblogs before 2009 hit, but oh well. 5 days late isn't too bad. Happy New Year, everyone!

Recipe Gold(enrod)mine

2008-12-18T13:21:00.006-06:00

A while back The Great Steph sent me a link to a site that posted a bunch of recipes for using candy bars to make cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. Turns out that website, Recipe Goldmine, is a treasure-trove for just about any kind of recipe you want. For example, I found a bunch of bread recipes on there when I was looking for something to bake for my boss for Christmas (she doesn't like pumpkin, so I couldn't go with the usual), and I ended up doing Banana Cream Cheese Bread for her, which I think turned out rather well. And the Junior Mint Cheesecake, which was from the candy bar set that Steph sent, was a smash success with my coworkers. So I've been going back to it more and more often.

Lately I've been perusing the crock pot recipes trying to get some inspiration for using my crock pot more. Right now I only use it for my creamed corn chowder and chili recipes, but I'd like to experiment some more and come up with some new stuff. Since I work 10 hours and come home at 7:30 when I don't feel like cooking, a crock pot dinner makes a lot of sense. I found a fairly simple-looking Sloppy Joes recipe that I might play with a little, and we'll see where I go from there... but I also wanted to ask if any of you have any simple, but good crock pot recipes I could ~~steal~~ try out. I'll probably start playing around after the holidays when I can justify spending a lot at the grocery store again (am trying to make it through the end of the year buying as little as possible and getting by with what I have)... but send me links, recipes, whatever you got if you know of any! And thanks!

Coloring with Cornflower

2008-11-24T10:46:00.005-06:00

I used "Cornflower" to color the princess's dress, which is my segway into this next colorblogging post... :)

I want to resurrect the Coloring Party! I know we are having our Clothing Swap party sometime in January, but I would love to get together on a separate occasion to color or work on whatever crafts you have going (I could do either), and eat some chili and drink hot chocolate and other yummy winter treats... I just like nothing better on a cold winter day than working on fun activities inside with friends.

(First time we did this, I wanted to call it the "C" party, because just about everything involved started with C... first of all, Coloring, but there were other Crafts, like Crochet or Crosstitch, and we ate Chili with Cheese and Crackers, had hot Chocolate or Chai or Cider, and some Cookies too! I could also make Creamed Corn Chowder! And don't forget coloring with Cornflower Crayons! hehe.)

The only problem is, my place is kinda small to host this. :( It's kind of crappy living in a tiny apartment for that reason... I had to have my PartyLite party at my sister's condo because I just can't fit a group of people in here. Well... I have four seats at my kitchen table, 2 or 3 can sit on the couch... a couple on the floor... I dunno. I guess it depends on how many other people want to do this... so let me know and hopefully we can plan something!

(BTW... that picture shows just how bored I can get when it's slow at work over the Christmas season!)

On Sex and Marriage

2008-11-17T15:44:00.001-06:00

There's been a lot in the news lately about gay marriage...particularly with Prop 8 in California, and all the subsequent rallies and protests... I've been wanting for awhile to put my thoughts together on the subject in my own words, just to explain what I believe and why I feel the way I do about this. As most of you know, I have pretty strong beliefs on these subjects and I'm just going to explain them as best I can... well here goes.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In the beginning was also Love, and Love was God. God, being Love itself, created the world out of love. We are created because God loved us into existence, to be his children, his beloved.

Male and female he then made us, two equal halves of the same coin, made in his image. And making us in his image, he also gave us the power to create out of love, as he made us, when we join together our two halves in the act of sex: sacred in the fact that it creates life, as God does, out of love for each other. Therefore children are meant to be loved into existence, to serve as the beloved of the two whose love was so powerful it brought a new life into the world. This act of creation is a mirror image of God's creating us.

That is why sex is so sacred, and should only be allowed within the bond of holy marriage, when a man and a woman are bonded together, combining their two halves into a single whole, committed to each other for life through this sacramental bond which God has blessed. And as the new life they bring forth is permanent, so should their marriage be, to nurture and grow that life with their love that it so deserves. Deny any part of this equation--love, marriage, or God--and sex is not as God designed it: as the vehicle through which God brings about new life through a bonded couple's love. This is what is meant by the "sanctity of marriage": a phrase that is repeated so often that the meaning is sometimes unclear.

So when this design is corrupted, it profanes this gift which God has given us. We destroy the sacredness of this act of love and creation. And this can be done in many ways: denying the unity aspect by having sex outside of marriage, denying the creation aspect through the act of contraception, or disrupting the whole arrangement by trying to make two members of the same sex bonded in marriage. It just doesn't work. Two members of the same sex do not reflect God's image of love and creation; instead it tries to twist his creation to fit that couple's OWN idea of love, which God did not intend. God does not recognize this as a valid marriage, because it is not how he designed marriage. He created sex and marriage for us; they are not ours to twist and shape into our own molds and make them what they were not intended for.

Bringing children into this unnatural arrangement complicates things even further. The child is denied the right to a family as God designed it, with the special attributes that a man and a woman bring to a family. Instead they have two moms, or two dads, and are missing an integral part of the family body. Parents are supposed to be the first teachers and role models for their children; where is the role model for a little boy who has two moms, or a little girl who has two dads? Even for a little girl with two moms, if she grows up to be heterosexual, she is missing the basic foundation from which to model her own family on. A good family foundation inspires the offspring to want to model their own families on it, but for a heterosexual child of two gay parents, they have a somewhat limited exposure to how heterosexual family structure is supposed to work, not having grown up in one. Not to mention that all children should be raised to know God, and a homosexual "marriage" does not reflect God as he is.

It is so hard for modern society to understand why gay marriage should not be allowed, because it doesn't understand what marriage should be in the first place. But the fact is that we did not create love and sex for ourselves, so we cannot make them what we want them to be. They were made for a specific purpose, and that is so we can know God better. Just like everything he creates... all is to know and love God more.

Thoughts? Disagreements? Additions? Anything? I'm open.

Photoblogue Update... and Baking

2008-11-06T21:33:00.002-06:00

I'm WAY overdue for this, but I just added my pictures from Indianapolis to the Open Seas Photoblogue. I also played a little with the front page design. Cool.

I have also started practicing for my holiday cheesecakes... tonight I baked a chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. Sounds like a perfect marriage of two of my favorite sweets ever. I got the recipe here. It's cooling in my fridge right now... hope it turned out ok! Will probably practice on one or two more before I make my Thanksgiving pumpkin cheesecake... yum.

I'm in a Photo Contest!

2008-10-30T13:35:00.006-05:00

Sort of... Tracie has entered a photo of me in a portrait contest! I'm so flattered... hehehe. Anyway here is the picture:

A little background on this picture... this was taken on our excursion to Charleville Winery this past April. To me, it looks like this picture was snapped right after I popped a cracker in my mouth. I look a little guilty about it too... so my title for this picture would be "Stolen Cracker." Heh.

You can go here to submit your vote. And to be fair, here is a link to the actual contest, so you can check out other photos as well.

Um... I never thought I would be saying this so close to Election Day, but..... VOTE FOR ME, GUYS!!! :D

Returned from Phoenix

2008-10-09T11:24:00.004-05:00

Phoenix was a good trip. We spent some good time together going to the zoo, eating wonderful meals together (my sister-in-law is an AMAZING cook), watching videos, and the boys and Mike and I even went to see the Chronicles of Narnia exhibit at the Arizona Science Center, which was super cool. I think the kids warmed up to me pretty well while I was out there, which will make their visit in December even more fun, that they'll remember me being out there and we'll get to bond quicker. It can take awhile to warm up to little kids when you've been away so long.

Brandon, who's 8 years old, drew a picture of me that I now have hanging on my fridge. On the back he wrote "Love Brandon." I love it. Ryan read a whole story to me called "The Squire's Scroll" that I liked a lot. He's a very good reader for a 7-year-old! When Emma, who's 4, broke my rubber band, she was sweet enough to loan me her very prettiest blue rubber band with sparkles on it for me to use when I wash my face. So sweet. Oh and we painted our fingernails together too. Claire and I did lots of puzzles together... she's pretty good at them actually, for being just 2 years old. And I spent time with my newest nephew, John (10 mos), and my arms are actually still a bit sore from holding him (just not used to babies I guess!). But it's a good sore, definitely. :)

I had to pull out some of my rusty old daycare skills for being around that many kids sometimes when Theresa and Mike were out of the room, but they listened to me and respected me. That was good. On the first day I was there, I kept thinking "MAN I'm glad I don't have to live with this EVERY DAY!" But by the end I was starting to think that I could maybe get used to it after awhile. They definitely grow on you. :)

Vacation in Phoenix

2008-10-03T20:46:00.003-05:00

I'm on vacation for about a week and a half!! I don't go back to work until October 14. WHOOPEEE! Part of my time off will be spent in Phoenix. I leave tomorrow, Oct. 4, and return Oct 8. Going to be hanging out with my brother and his family for a few days. Super excited! The rest of my vacation will be spent bumming around, hopefully going to the wineries next Saturday, and doing a little bit of nothing the rest of the time. I can't WAIT.

I may post an update or two if I get a chance while in Phoenix, so check back with me over the next few days... if not, I apologize, I am just having too much fun. :) Talk to you all later!

Forest Green? How About Forest Orange?

2008-09-25T09:26:00.007-05:00

Fall is here!!! So here's another series of lovely nature pictures, brought to you by Open Seas.

'Tis also the season to bring on da pumpkin.

And of course the various treats you can make with it, such as...

Pumpkin Cheesecake. :)

Which brings me to a NEW pumpkin wonder I just heard about last night... Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream. As soon as I get some money... I will have it. And, it's also time to put in an order for Pumpkin Spice Coffee. Man, I love fall...

Views of Lavender

2008-09-18T11:35:00.020-05:00

It's such a soothing color.

Oh. Heh. That's the Lavender Suite at the Lemp Mansion. Would love to stay there some night... if I'm brave enough...

And speaking of... the Lemp Mansion is hosting their annual Halloween Party this year on Saturday, October 25. Ticket prices are $45 in advance, but it's a great time. We went a couple of years ago and I had a blast costume-watching and dancing to the live music. Oh and we found out the Lemp Mansion has a BASEMENT. COOL. Of course, if I go, that means I'll have to come up with some sort of costume... but I can come up with SOMEthing without spending too much money, I'm sure. Anyway, if anyone is interested, please let me know!

Not in My Navy... blue

2008-08-28T11:36:00.005-05:00

You guys know I hate to do posts of this sort of nature... but, well, I need something navy blue, and this seemed timely for this week, so well...

...there ya go. :)

I Love This Idea!

2008-08-25T11:52:00.005-05:00

I think these might be the cutest desserts ever... I have never tried this or heard of it, even though the post says it was something of a phenomenon in the 80s. I gotta give this a try sometime!!

ICE CREAM CONE CUPCAKES!!

Color post to come soon (as soon as I figure it out!).

The Pink Post

2008-08-07T12:28:00.013-05:00

YAY PINK!

I bet you guys were wondering what was taking me so long to do a Pink Post, huh?? Well I just couldn't narrow down what I wanted to do for pink, since I felt expectations were just so high!!! AGGHH!! Hee. Never mind.

I COULD just show a lot of yummy pink things...

But, I'll try to stay with a real topic... I know I've mused about this before with some of you, but in case I haven't... I have been pondering over phones lately, because I am eligible to get a new phone this month. This is the phone I have now:

So I kind of want to stay with the pink theme, and go with this phone next:

But the question is, do I want to pay for the higher service to have a BlackBerry? I think it would be cool to have one. But I don't NEED it so it's probably a waste of money. My provider, Verizon, just doesn't have a whole lot of options when it comes to cute, compact phones though, so I may go with it just because of that. I refuse to get another flip phone. Mine's a pain.

I guess it all depends on how much of an actual discount I'll get on the phone when that time comes around though. Maybe I can stay with my basic plan and just add internet for another $9.99... that would only be about $50 a month. Not too bad.

Oh and my birthday was this week.

Need to add 30 more candles to that (pink) cake... it's funny, I don't FEEL 31. That just seems old. I should be wearing a suit to work every day and living in a house and paying mortgage or something. But I don't. WHEEE! I feel like I'll be 25 forever. I'ma go have a pink donut. :)

Peach Rhymes With...

2008-06-30T11:01:00.005-05:00

...BEACH!

This is one of my favorite "summer" wallpapers to use on my desktop. It nicely illustrates my whole blog theme of Open Seas... you don't get much more "open" than that! :)

If you click the image, it'll be big enough to save as your wallpaper, if you want. You can get this one and a bunch more Caribbean scenes that make great wallpapers here.

Well, it SOUNDS Beige...

2008-06-26T12:18:00.006-05:00

I am continuing with color-blogging! Please direct your attention to my "Cargo" links in my sidebar: particularly to Lion Coffee. This stuff is my drug. I discovered this stuff from some coworkers, twin sisters Becky and Renee. They would bring to work delicious brews such as Vanilla Almondine, Toasted Coconut, Chocolate Macademia, and Vanilla Macademia. It wasn't long before I became thoroughly and hopelessly addicted.

So now I buy my own flavors instead of mooching theirs: my favorites have been Vanilla Nut Crème, Lion Caramel, and Vanilla Crème Brûlée. Another flavor, Honey Nut Java, had been out of stock for awhile, but I eagerly awaited it to return. It sounded nummy:

"Light Medium Roast. The sweetness of Hawaiian White Honey, buttery walnuts, and flaky pastry dough enhance the flavor of this coffee to perfection."

So yesterday I noticed it was back in stock, and grabbed two bags of it. Can't wait till it shows up! MMM.

Ever notice that when I can't think of anything for the color, I turn to food??? I can usually find something yummy to talk about. :)

However, this does NOT look yummy.

Gross. I'll take the real thing, thank you!

And More Italy Pics

2008-05-22T11:30:00.003-05:00

A few more added... all from Jen of our Spanish Steps visit, particularly to the McDonald's there. :)

Just finished my actual physical photo album too. Yay!

New Italy Pics

2008-05-15T13:36:00.004-05:00

A few new Italy pictures have been added to the Open Seas Photoblogue. They're marked "new" when you're viewing the album. Just a few that I was able to snag from Craig. :)

White Fluff

2008-05-14T22:38:00.005-05:00

Marshmallow fluff, to be exact.

I made S'mores Bars for a recent house-warming party I went to, and they turned out awesome. Seriously awesome. I almost regretted leaving them there, but I had to. :) Now I have about 1/4 of a tub left of marshmallow, which lately I have been just eating spoonfuls of now and then. There is no end to my sweet tooth, I am telling you.

So since I have been returning to that site, Baking Bites, so often to find yummy recipes, I'm just gonna link it to my blog. You'll see it in my "Frequent Stops" section in the sidebar. So now whenever I'm itching for another good cookie or brownie or whatever to bake, that is usually my first stop. Good stuff to be found there. (I don't know if I should credit Joan or Linda for suggesting that site to me. But to both of them, THANKS!)

And something else sweet and white that I am obsessed with lately... ICE CREAM!!!

I went to my favorite ice cream dealer, Cold Stone Creamery, this week and picked up Cake Batter Ice Cream, my truest love... and also a pint of Shock-a-Cone, which is Sweet Cream ice cream with cookie dough, chocolate chunks, and sugar cone chunks swirled in. Total. Yum.

My sweet tooth will be the death of me yet. So evil, yet so good.

Marooned

2008-04-19T21:39:00.006-05:00

Poor me... poor lonely, lonely, me...

Hee. Just kidding.

Seriously, where would you like to be marooned? Is there anywhere you'd like to be just dumped and left to find your own way back...or just hang out for awhile? Wouldn't that be sorta cool to be blindly dropped off anywhere in the world, and have nothing at all but your own knowledge to find out where you are and how to get back home? Is this sort of the idea behind The Amazing Race? I don't know why I don't watch that show. Oh yeah I do. It's reality TV. Heh. :)

My obvious answer would probably be Wales (I'm reading Here Be Dragons again) but then I might not want to find my way home. :) Ok I would. After a while. :)

Speaking of, to those who would be interested: I found this site. Don't think I'd stumbled across it before.

George Gray

2008-04-10T17:47:00.007-05:00

I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me --
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire --
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

-Edgar Lee Masters

I read this poem in junior high and it has stuck with me ever since. I like the image of a ghost reflecting on his own tombstone and how it represents his life, a life he wishes he'd done more with. And I think of it sometimes when I look at the framed picture I have in my living room: boats at rest in a harbor, with furled sails.

I just don't want to be a George Gray myself. :) This poem provides a little bit of inspiration to me in my own life: to seize chances in life while I have them. It almost makes me freak out a bit... what HAVE I done with myself so far? What should I be doing? Am I just letting chances pass me by? I need to get to work planning my next trip!!!! :)

(I don't get to go on the Berlin/Budapest trip, by the way... will just have to keep a lookout for the next one...)

Mounds of Turquoise

2008-04-03T21:30:00.005-05:00

I try to remind myself that it's good be a tourist in my own town more often. There are so many things that I take for granted that I can do whenever, but never do. There's the Anheuser Busch brewery that I haven't toured since I've been of drinking age (but I got a stuffed Clydestale from there when I was 8 or 9). I don't take nearly as many trips to the zoo as most people I know, and don't think I've been there in about 10 years. But another nearby attraction that would be absolutely fascinating to tour again, since I haven't done it since a 4th or 5th grade field trip, is just about a half hour east of here, Cahokia Mounds.

Did you know that Monk's Mound, the four-terraced mound with a stairway to the top, is the largest man-made earthen mound in North America, and has even been referred to as "World's Largest Pyramid" by the Travel Channel? Did you know that the site has its own version of Stonehenge, called "Woodhenge," a circle of posts made to observe the sky, built while the Middle Ages were going on in Europe? (Do you ever wonder what was going on in North America while they were having their Middle Ages?? Well this helps explain that!) And, that Cahokia may have previously been the largest city in the U.S. until the population of Philadelphia exceeded 40,000 in 1800? Crazy, huh? These and many more mysteries surround the site, including why the city was abandoned around 1400.

All I remember about the place when I toured it as a kid, was that their gift shop sure had a lot of turquoise jewelry.

(not actual jewelry from Cahokia; I couldn't find pictures of the jewelry in their gift shop)

I remember I bought a pendant ringed with cubic zirconia. I'm not sure what happened to it. But I'd love to go back to get something new! :) And of course take time to actually appreciate the rich history embedded in this site. Anyone wanna go sometime? Wouldn't that be a cool excursion? If we can get around all the little kiddies there on their field trips... :) But I had to deal with that at Mount Vernon, so I've had the practice. :)

My Magenta

2008-03-27T15:36:00.004-05:00

Oh my magenta hoodie.

It's my current favorite. I wore it to DC and I'm wearing it today. Love.

Also, while perusing for subjects relating to this purplish-pink color, I discovered there is a band called Magenta. They are a progressive rock band with a female vocalist. Sounds like my kind of stuff, doesn't it? Oh but wait for the kicker: They are WELSH! YAY! I listened to a few samples online of their music, and while they're not as metal-y as some of the other bands I listen to (Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation) some of their stuff was sort of interesting. One song, "The Traveller's Lament," had a nice Celtic feel to it that I instantly liked. So maybe I will pick up this CD of theirs called "Home," just to see. Yay for new music! :)

DC Pics Done

2008-03-25T20:43:00.004-05:00

DC pics are up on the Open Seas Photoblogue. They should appear as the "Featured Album." Go check em out! :)

Grabbing for the Gold

2008-03-21T23:05:00.005-05:00

Other than a couple brown shirts with gold accents (like my new Hard Rock Cafe Tshirt from DC) and my awesome gold belt, gold doesn't play much of a role in my life... so once again I am scraping the bucket on this one. :)

I am getting swept up by the phenomenon that is March Madness, as this year I filled out a bracket to try to predict who will go for the gold this year. On my first bracket I picked Memphis to take it all. My sister gave me a few wise pointers and I re-did my bracket, now picking Kansas to take it all. We shall see. As much as I don't like Kansas...but anyways. I am no good at this. But so far I haven't been doing too terribly. I'm sure the next round will be the bracket-buster for me. :)

And since this is the gold post, here are some pictures of gold things... places actually... ;)

They have announced the next fam trip at work, Berlin and Budapest! The bottom picture shows the Corinthian Grand Hyatt in Budapest which is one of the hotels we'd get to stay at. (The first picture shows the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, second picture is of buildings along the banks of the Danube River in Budapest.) They haven't started the sign-up sheet yet, but I'm gonna put in for it... it will take place the first week of May. I could do that. But since I did get to go on a fam trip last year, my chances probably aren't good...they like to pick people who haven't been on fam trips yet. I guess it all depends on how many other people put in for it. But I sure won't miss a chance to go for this golden opportunity to expand my travel horizons!

Book of Silver

2008-03-15T13:32:00.007-05:00

Ok quarters don't technically contain silver anymore, but that's what color they are, right? And this is color-blogging, right?? Hee.

I'm not much of a coin collector, but when the U.S. Mint started releasing the 50 States Quarters in 1999, my dad got me a set of collection books to start collecting all the different quarters. The books hold 100 quarters total: 50 state designs, each released from both the Denver and Philadelphia mints (each quarter has a D or a P on it).

2008 is the final year for the coins to be released, so only a few more designs are left to come out (New Mexico will be released at the end of this month, then Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii will be left). Time to start assessing my collection... I was able to add a few more quarters after I got back from Washington, but I am still missing lots from over the years! Of course I try to collect the shiniest, prettiest specimens I can find, but I'm looking for anything that I need now. Here are the designs I am still missing (check your pockets and wallets; I'll buy these from you if you have them!):

Kentucky (P)
Ohio (P)
Mississippi (P)
Illinois (D)
Alabama (P)
Maine (P)
Arkansas (P)
Michigan (P)
Florida (P)
Texas (D)
Iowa (P)
Wisconsin (P)
Minnesota (D)
Kansas (P)
West Virginia (P)
Nebraska (P and D)
Colorado (P)
North Dakota (P and D)
South Dakota (D)
Washington (P)
Idaho (P and D)
Wyoming (P)
Utah (P and D)
Oklahoma (D)

It will be cool to have my books totally full! Then maybe this collection will be worth something... :)

Edited to add: I found out in 2009 they will be releasing quarters for the District of Columbia and also some of the territories... cool! Another year of collecting! :)

Arlington and Mt. Vernon

2008-03-13T21:20:00.009-05:00

I am back home now, so I can upload a few pictures! :)

I made it to Arlington Cemetery Wednesday morning, following groups of tourists once inside, because the map they provided of the area was not the greatest thing ever. In fact, I walked right by the JFK grave, which is near the entrance. I was following some group thinking they were going that way, but we ended up at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Which actually proved to be good timing, because I got to watch the Changing of the Guard. Hey, if I missed it at Buckingham Palace when I was in London, at least I got to see it here. :)

Visited the memorials to the Challenger and Columbia shuttles, then saw the Tomb of 2,111 Unknown Civil War soldiers, and the Robert E. Lee house before making my way to the JFK grave.

Paid my respects then headed for the exit. It was another long walk back to the Metro.

From there I decided not to go back to the Mall; my feet had had enough. I visited a cathedral that was close to our hotel, and got there in time for a 12:10 Mass, so that was nice. Then relaxed at the hotel for a bit until Tanya showed up.

That evening (late afternoon, actually) we headed back to the Mall so she could check out the Gallery of Art and she wanted to see the National Archives that wasn't the researcher side. She hadn't seen the documents since she was just a kid. So we did that and we got to see the Magna Carta which had just gone on display there that day. Cool. Then I waited while she went around the Rotunda since I had just done it yesterday. Then we went and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I got the Twisted Mac and Cheese, which was just to die for. Then took a picture of the Ford's Theatre (where Lincoln was shot), which was right next door. It was closed for renovation so we couldn't go in. Oh well.

Went to bed early that night so we could get ready for our big day the next day at...

...Mt. Vernon! I think this was the most fascinating part of the whole trip. I loved touring that old house. We couldn't take photographs inside though. Got to visit George Washington's tomb.

Martha is on the left; George is on the right.

We also did the "National Treasure" tour, because apparently part of the second movie was filmed at Mt. Vernon (I never saw it). Tanya was super excited about it though, and we got to see parts of the tour that you can't see with regular admission, such as the basement, the icehouse, and the riverwalk down the hill from the house:

Definitely worth it.

After our little visit to Mt. Vernon we had to catch a bus, subway, and plane back home... so now here I am. I am working on posting the rest of my pictures to the Open Seas Photoblogue, and will announce when they are done, so check back in a little bit! I'm hoping to have them done in a few days.

All in all a good experience. And the blisters will heal. :)

The National Mall

2008-03-11T21:34:00.003-05:00

Been there, done that, seen it, sick of it!! :) I think I walked it twice, at least. Went from the Capitol clear down to the Lincoln Memorial. Saw the National Museum of Air and Space, the National Archives (including the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights...neato), and the National Museum of Natural History, where I got to see dinos again like in New York. I visited the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and took a picture from afar of the Jefferson Memorial (they don't make it all that easy to get to from the other stuff, and at that point you're so sick of walking, you think why bother?? Unless you really have a thing for Jefferson, I suppose). Then I took a picture of the White House. I was done for the day after that, and it was only about 3. I met up with Tanya at 5 after hanging out at the Smithsonian Castle for a bit (yep, I did have my obligatory castle experience on this trip!).

Tomorrow I am doing Arlington Cemetery in the morning and then we'll go from there. I'm pretty achy and sore at this point. I hope I'm well enough in the morning to make it and I hope the blisters on the bottoms of my feet don't hurt as bad. I don't want to miss out.

Ok, more later...

Washington, DC!

2008-03-10T22:38:00.003-05:00

I am in Washington DC this week! Got here today and have only been to my hotel, and out to dinner. Walked around the north part of downtown a bit (Dupont Circle, Thomas Circle), and the streets take some getting used to, with the streets jettisoning off from around the circles... But tomorrow I shouldn't have much of a problem since I'll pretty much be on the National Mall all day. Should be fun! More later! :)

Sweet Brown

2008-03-08T22:22:00.015-06:00

I'll tell you what brown can do for me.

Brownies.

Chocolate.

Cupcakes.

Samoas.

Lately I've been collecting recipes for cupcakes and cookies, because they're just so much fun to bake. And I found (drum roll please):

SAMOA CUPCAKES.

I love that there are people out there that can come up with this stuff. :)

Ok I know it's not much, but I didn't have much else for brown...but I love my sweets. :) Even at the last PartyLite party I went to, all the candles I bought were yummy scents like Coconut Milk Chocolate and Creme Caramel. If I don't have it to eat, at least I can smell it! Can't get enough! :)

Lifting the Black Cloud

2008-02-28T12:46:00.010-06:00

Ok I'm stretching a bit to do this entry... But I had to somehow work in a post about my next travel excursion, which is rapidly approaching.

I get to go to Washington, DC in about a week and a half! YAY! I'm going with my awesome friend Tanya, who is going there to do some graduate school research and is graciously letting me tag along so I can add one more city to my list of places I've been to. While she is deep in the archives, I will be out sight-seeing, museum-hopping, and getting to know our country's capital just a bit better. I want a picture of the White House, I'd like to tour the Capitol, and of course, there's the "you'll never see everything in a day" Smithsonian Museums.

I have to say that in the back of my mind, I have sort of a gloomy perception of DC... with all its war memorials, Arlington Cemetery, Holocaust Museum, etc... I just hope I don't find it totally depressing. And I'm a bit daunted by the Smithsonian Museums. I'm sure Tanya will be able to point me in the right direction to start, but there's so much to see, and I know I get bored quickly in museums. I just don't want to get overwhelmed with it all. I have only about two and a half days to see as much as I can.

I'm looking forward to breaking down these misconceptions and getting to know DC as the fascinating trove of our country's history that it is. I'll be able to say "I've BEEN there!" every time I see the White House or the Capitol on TV. I'll have a better understanding of the city itself and what to see and do there, since I book people on planes there all the time. :)

And hopefully, maybe some cherry blossoms will be starting to peek out. :)

Purple Pics!

2008-02-21T16:40:00.017-06:00

I had no idea what to do for purple. So I collected some cool purple pictures. Can't go wrong with purple pictures.

I will always have a fondness in my memory for purple irises. Their scent takes me straight back to the house I grew up in, because they grew in the backyard and we loved to smell them.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February, so it's only appropriate to mention it in the Purple Post. I have a stone that looks like one of these. :)

Here is a cool painting I found. It's called "Purple Backstreets" by Kazuya Akimoto. Neato.

Here is an awesome sky pic. The caption for this read: "Purple sky over Leland’s Fishtown in Leelanau County." Dunno where that is.

Here is a comic illustrating a joke by Mitch Hedberg, drawn by a brilliant artist and cartoonist named Brianna Garcia, maybe more well-known by the online moniker "bri_chan." You can view more of her art here. She has an interesting sense of humor when it comes to Disney... :) (you may need to click on the strip to read it better)

Grape water! I love this stuff. I gave up diet white soda for Lent (usually my "water" throughout the day at work) and drink this stuff instead. It's yum.

And finally, I couldn't resist, for Tracie's sake:

Go Blue Devils!

2008-02-14T08:37:00.006-06:00

My sister has been a HUGE Duke fan for some years now. And only in the last few years, I've been sharing in her Duke mania, if somewhat to a lesser degree. But the basketball games are just fun to watch. Because Duke almost always wins. Right now they're 21-1 in their season, and undefeated in their division. They work well together on the court. And how can you not respect their coach, Mike Krzyzewski (YES I can spell his name without looking it up!)? He will stand for nothing but class on his team... Duke players are usually clean-cut guys without all the tattoos up and down their arms. They're a well-run, well-playing team that's fun to root for.

Jen says that lots of people say to her that they can't stand Duke, because they're like the Yankees of college basketball. She says it's not like that at all... they didn't get where they're at because of loads and loads of money and being able to recruit the highest-paid players. They got where they are because of Coach K being an excellent coach and recruiting the best playing talent. Makes sense to me.

In other basketball news, Mizzou beat Nebraska yesterday, 86-78 in overtime! That was exciting. :)

Green Bay, WI: Home of...

2008-02-07T18:14:00.002-06:00

You thought I was going to say the Packers, right? NOPE! Unless you're talking about packin' napkins, cause that's what this city can do. They are home to the FASTEST NAPKIN MAKIN' MACHINE IN THE WORLD. That's right, IN THE WORLD. A little company called Fort James could crank those puppies out faster than you could say Brawny, until they got bought out by Georgia-Pacific (which happens to be a major client of my current employer).

You wonder how I know this? I had the pleasure of rewriting the résumé of an ex-napkin-packer for this company today. And I was just ever so slightly amused that he pointed out that he operated the fastest napkin machine in the world. I just wondered how he knew such a fact. Was it tested? Was it put up against other napkin-makers? I just don't know.

And just so that this isn't a totally wasted post, here's some Valentine's Day news for M&M's fans:

Green M&Ms for Valentine's Day?

Yeller

2008-01-31T17:17:00.002-06:00

Was "Old Yeller" named that because of his color, and the hillbillies said it like "yeller"? Or was it because he yelled for help when needed? I have seriously never wondered this before.

Know what else is yeller? My hair. Blonde. :) So you can think of this as my blonde post. Not like I've never had one of those before...

And because I just didn't know what else to do with yellow today...

Oranges vs. Juice

2008-01-24T09:32:00.001-06:00

And now for your health tip of the day!

Lately I have switched from drinking orange juice in the morning to eating an actual orange. There are three good reasons for this:

1) Oranges fill you up better than juice so I'm not wanting Pop Tarts later.
2) They have fewer calories than juice. An average-sized orange is about 35 calories whereas a glass of juice is about 110-120, depending on what brand you drink. So you could eat THREE regular-sized oranges before you match the calories in a glass of juice. Or have a large orange, which has between 85-100 calories, still fewer than a glass of juice.
3) They have nutritious benefits that juice does not, such as getting a nice dose of fiber in the morning.

And, winter is the best season for oranges anyway, so eat 'em up!

I Red...er Read a Book Today

2008-01-17T17:13:00.001-06:00

For today's "color blogging" post, I couldn't think of anything going on in my life having to do with the color red, so instead I'll share with you this true antecdote from my day today...

A package arrived for me yesterday. There was the usual sticky note from UPS on my door that the box would be left at the office. I figured it was my DVDs I ordered from Amazon not long ago. I had errands to run early this morning for my car (oil change, inspection, and getting the tags renewed), so I figured I'd pick it up on my way back.

I got to the office around 9:30 this morning, and found it was just a small box that looked like it contained only one of my DVDs. Oh well, I figured. I know sometimes Amazon ships things one at a time so they'll arrive faster. I didn't think too much about it, and went on home with my package, wondering which of my three DVDs I had ordered it was.

I got home and threw it down in front of my DVD tower, which already has three spaces cleared out where my new movies will go, so I could put my new movie in its proper spot. (Yes. I alphabetize them in the DVD tower. You might speculate I don't have enough to do with my life...and you might be right.) :) After taking off my coat and putting away the license tags renewal stuff (in this case, meaning throwing it on my countertop), I finally sat down and ripped open the box to find out which movie I'd be watching that night. Inside I found... not a DVD, but a book.

Huh? I didn't order a book. Who sent me this book?

It was called A Travel Guide to Heaven, by Anthony DeStefano. There was a note on the receipt from my brother Mike, that said "I just read this and enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with you. The 'travel guide' theme was a neat touch. Enjoy! Love, Mike."

Curious, I started reading the first few pages. I'd heard of this book before and agreed with Mike that the "travel guide to heaven" idea was sorta cute. Especially for me, being a travel agent. :) Well, one page turned into the first chapter, which led to the next chapter...

I read the whole book, cover to cover, sitting there on the floor in front of my DVD tower. I think it took me about two hours, but I lost track of time. The book was imaginative, hopeful, playful, and full of interesting insight on what the Bible teaches us heaven is like. Of course it's all the author's own interpretation, and we can never know for sure what glories await those that make it there, and I still have a lot of questions even after reading it, but it made sense and sounded pretty good for the most part to me. It was so full of joy and anticipation that it was hard not to be in a good mood after reading it.

It was like in the midst of my day-to-day life, busying myself with car issues and new movies and whatever else, God pulled me aside for a minute to share a tiny bit of his world with me. :) Then I got on with the rest of my normal day (I went to the mall later and bought new shoes. Yay!) :)

Thanks, Mike. Love you too! :)

Here We Go... Color Blogging

2008-01-15T20:09:00.001-06:00

Dirty Gypsy came up with an idea to get us all back on a regular blogging routine again: Color Blogging. We drew up a list of colors (actually she came up with the list, and we added a couple random ones to it) and each week we have to do a new post on that week's color. However we can work it in. Since I'm not as good of a photographer as Tracie, I don't know if I could post a new picture every week... so I may have to come up with some topic about or relating to that color. So prepare for me to have to stretch my imagination a bit, as some of the color choices are not too common (I was the genius that added "cornflower" and "goldenrod" to the list...whoohoo).

Anyhoo, here is the list which I am posting mainly for my own reference, so I don't have to keep hopping back to the email that Gypsy sent out...

1. Red
2. Orange
3. Yellow
4. Green
5. Blue
6. Purple
7. Black
8. Brown
9. Silver
10. Gold
11. Magenta
12. Turquoise
13. Gray
14. Maroon
15. White
16. Beige
17. Peach
18. Pink
19. Navy Blue
20. Lavender
21. Forest Green
22. Cornflower
23. Goldenrod
24. Puce

And away we go... tune in later this week for my first attempt at color blogging... :)

Second Thoughts

2007-12-26T20:08:00.000-06:00

I don't know if this cruise thing is actually going to happen... After figuring all the costs that would be associated ON TOP of the price of just the cruise itself, it sure gets close to the $10,000 mark. The cruise is $4200 by itself. Airfare would be around $1100. Add another $1000 for the four shore excursions we would want to do. Transportation to and from the port cities runs $153. Food when not on the ship. Shopping. Drinks on the ship (figure a glass of wine runs about $8, two glasses a night, and you're already looking at $250). Tips. We would have to get visas for Israel and Turkey (you can get visas for Israel at the point of entry, but it sure would save time to have it in advance) and I have no idea how much those cost, but I figure they're more than a passport, and those are pretty pricey nowadays. Plus travel insurance, if we decide to get it. Whew. So thinking realistically... I would be scrimping and saving all year or be in a lot of credit card debt when it was over. Mom said she wouldn't be too crushed if we decide not to go. But I still feel bad. I know she really wants to. I do too. But I don't want to have to save every penny and not be able to do a thing else if we do. I would just have to decide if this experience would be worth that.

My dad retires in a few years and he and my mom could probably plan a huge trip like this then. I'm sure this cruise or one similar to it will be operating still at that time. And I have the rest of my life to plan for another trip like this. So it probably isn't the end of all things if we decide not to go this year. And maybe my sister and I will get back to talking about our trip to France that we want to take together. :) And I can try to take more fam trips through work. Or visit my brother in Phoenix. Not taking this cruise would certainly free me up for lots of other options for travel in the coming year (or years)...which is a nice thought.

A Mom-and-Me Trip?

2007-11-23T20:39:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year. The food seemed better-than-average and we had about 10 different desserts, one of which was the pumpkin cheesecake I baked, which turned out pretty awesome. (It was the Cheesecake Factory's own recipe, so of course it was spectacular.) Had a great time bonding with everyone.

And, my mom told me that the cruise described in my last post isn't very practical for my dad, since October is really a crunch time for him (he works in finance and October is the end of the fiscal year)... so she suggested that she and I go together, just us.

How can I say no?? This may be her only chance to visit the Holy Land, not to mention a great travel experience for me (I still drool at the thought of getting to visit FIVE countries on THREE continents on ONE trip! On a cruise ship!!). I've never spent that much time with just my mom before. But I really should. It'd be a priceless experience for both of us.

Could this really really happen?? Well, I guess we'll know for sure when we put the deposit down on it...

Planning for Next Year's Trip Already?

2007-11-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

My parents are interested in taking this cruise in October next year. They asked me if I'd be interested.

Uh, YEAH.

The only question is, how do I afford it?? It's more than $4,000. Might be worth it to scrimp and save for it... I don't know... I might want to start going back to school soon though... but MAN, it looks like the opportunity of a lifetime. Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, and back to Rome again?? All those countries I could add to my list of places I've been? On a CRUISE SHIP? I've never been on a cruise. Not to mention getting to see the Holy Land for myself??? Drool. I want to go SO bad. We'll see though.

The Issue of School

2007-11-05T18:44:00.000-06:00

I am not yet done with my travel degree. However the closure of Highway 40 is going to make finishing it difficult. Do I just move and live somewhere else for a while and then come back to finish school when it's done, or finish school first (figure out a way to get there without using 40... there has to be a way, right??) and then be all set to venture on? It could take longer though... I might be itching to get out of here soon, while I still have the drive to. But I don't want to leave my degree unfinished, even though it's already done its job, and that was just to get me in the field. I don't know how necessary it still is. But I hate leaving things unfinished. And I could be better off with it done.. who knows what opportunities might crop up that it would give me a head up on. Agh. Decisions...

Yipe!

2007-10-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

After Co-bin's comment on my last post, I was curious and checked out job postings in Indianapolis. First job to come up: "Travel Counselor." With my current company. My job title right NOW is "Travel Counselor," just put some letters before that for the department I'm in.

Yipe! I could've applied right there and then, but I'm just not ready! When will I be ready? Next year? Will the same job still be available? Do I at least wait until after the holidays or until my lease is up? Am I scared or excited? At least I know the position is at least AVAILABLE there... that could help...

Why Stay Here When I Could Go....

2007-10-04T18:07:00.000-05:00

I did some job-hunting at work and found positions in just about any city I'd want to live in. St. Louis doesn't have much unless I want to move up to the lead position, which isn't very tempting. Or, I could move to a new city, and do practically the same thing I'm doing now, except I'd guess it'd be less call-centery. I'd be an actual corporate travel agent rather than someone who just changes online bookings.

Now the main question: Is it worth it to pack up and move to a new city for almost the same job, only for the experience of living in a different city? Would I be stupid giving up my family and my friends and my hometown just for that experience? Would I find it too lonely to bear? And how do I choose which city to live in? Do I throw darts at a map and move wherever the dart lands? Heh... that might be fun to do for a couple years. :) Or... maybe highly impractical...

Of course there's only one way to find this all out and that's to just go. If I don't like it I can come back. I'll tell my company that I want to be able to come back if things don't work out. I just have to figure out how important it is to me and what my goals really are. Right now I just don't know. I just need to experiment with ideas...

October Has Arrived

2007-10-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

I herald the arrival of October at last! Because... it's the best.

Time to turn a fresh new mind to my travel career... instead of planning itineraries and tours and cruises for travelers, I find myself trying to plan an itinerary for my own career. Is that ironic?? Maybe not.

I guess the steps to take would be to find out A) what job opportunities exist within my company, and then B) what jobs exist elsewhere. And if that includes outside of St. Louis, I'll have to consider that too. I should post ideas here as I find them. Hopefully I WILL find some...

Online Photos At Last!

2007-09-20T18:13:00.000-05:00

You may now visit http://openseas.shutterfly.com to view my photo albums from Italy, France, and Oregon (click on the album, and either click "View as Slideshow" or just click the first picture and use the "Next" button at the top to move through at your own pace). My next project will be to add Ireland/Wales pictures. Like how I'm sticking with the blog name? I do. :) I like that I got to create a URL for them. Kinda fun. Anyways. Go check it out and have fun!

Edited to add: I also created a new header in the sidebar to post the link to my "photoblogue." Yay!

Grrrrr....

2007-09-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

Ok so all my photos are moved to Snapfish. I like the site and how you can order prints and pick them up at Walgreens; that's what sort of sold me on the site. However, I feel really stupid now.. I forgot to check one crucial detail... I want to be able to send a link to people to just click on and view the pictures. However, I tested this and sent myself an invite, and it makes you sign up for an account just to see someone else's pictures. I HATE that. They should give you an OPTION to make your photos public or private. Too late to change it now. Grrrrrrr. So. If you want to see my albums, you have to enter an email address and a password. I'm sorry. I know it's annoying, and I should've checked before, but I didn't. Let me know if you still want me to send you a link. Maybe I'll look into signing up at a different site and... (sigh) moving everything over manually...

Standstill

2007-09-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

The company I invisioned myself moving on to, Intrav, is closing its doors and moving all its operations overseas. I hadn't given any serious thought to trying to get hired there any time recently, but with them leaving St. Louis forever, I feel sort of at a crossroads. Where AM I going from here? The company I work for now is probably the biggest player on the field in St. Louis, and seems to be drawing people to it from travel companies everywhere in droves, including people leaving Intrav. One new guy I talked to recently said that about 25% of his old small travel company left to come to my company, mainly because the benefits and employee treatment were so much better. So that makes me hesitant to leave my company. If people are flocking to get hired there, why would I want to leave??

If I stay with my company, how do I want to move up (or move laterally)? I'm not entirely sure what I want to do anymore. I used to want to get into leisure travel and start planning itineraries and tours. Which I'd still love to do, but the thought of leisure travel scares me to death because it's so sales- and commission-oriented. I'm not really sure I want to move up into management ranks at my company. I just don't see myself supervising people. I know I still want to have the opportunity to travel and get to know the world better. I am just more worried now than ever that my career will go stagnant and I won't know where to turn. Will have to do a lot more reflecting on this in the near future.

Anyway... my Yahoo pictures will soon be moved to Snapfish. Will let you know when that is complete.

Online Italy Photos

2007-08-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

My online photo album at Yahoo Photos is complete. The link is in my post below... and since Yahoo Photos will be closing down on September 20, I will have moved all my Yahoo pictures to another location. Will let you know!

Since my last posting months ago, I've been 30'd!! I have entered my third decade of life on this earth. Hoping my 30s are a productive time!

Day 7: Leaving Rome

2007-06-13T20:41:00.001-05:00

Alright, this is the last batch of Italy pictures I'm posting here. If you want to see more, I'm making an online album at Yahoo Photos. Here's the link.

Anyways, on to the last day. This will be short. We just packed up and had to be out of the apartment at 7:20 when Renzo was picking us up to go to the airport. After everything was packed, I took a few more pictures of the apartment for posterity's sake.

My bedroom

Bathroom

Stairwell leaving the apartment

We made a little stop before heading to the airport, at the top of the Gianicolo hill which has a fabulous view of the city.

Ok with the morning mist hanging over the city, it's kinda hard to see. The camera doesn't do it much justice though. It was cool being up there.

Or is it just mist??? Heeheehee.

Unlike the outbound flight, our departure was relatively smooth, besides the fact that our flight out of Rome was a little delayed, so we didn't have as much time to stand in customs line in JFK before making our flight back home to St. Louis. Once again, we had to practically run to the gate. But we made it ok.

On the plane ride home, I saw this cool "bridge" in the clouds. See if you can see it:

Ok that's it!!

Edited to add: Aw phoo. I was testing my links and the link to the Yahoo Photos may bring up a page saying that Yahoo Photos is closing as of September 07 and they are only allowing existing users to continue uploading photos. First I'm hearing of this...well that's still good for me. I'm gonna finish my album before they close it out. So if you get that page, try the link again and you should be able to get to it.

Day 6: Rome

2007-06-08T21:14:00.000-05:00

Our last full day in Rome was spent being driven around by Renzo, our personal driver. :) He picked us up at 11am and first we went to the St. Sebastian catacombe, where we did another underground tour of mausoleums. Not as cool as the Scavi tour, but fascinating nonetheless. It was cool cause we got there right as we were afraid it was about to close for lunch, but they were actually only 5 minutes from starting the next English tour.

Here's the catacombe entrance; I wasn't allowed to take pictures of much else:

Next we headed up to St. John Lateran, the pope's actual parish. Are you surprised to hear it isn't St. Peters?

The Pope's "throne"

Behind the gold bars above the altar are two golden statues representing Sts. Peter and Paul. The statues are said to contain relics of the saints' heads. Wow.

A cool chapel off to the side of the altar.

After St. John Lateran, we were starving and went to another little outdoor restaurant for lunch. This place looked like a pizzeria, but it served gourmet Italian food. Here is my lunch, the fettucine primavera:

Num num num. That wine was pretty fantastic too.

After lunch, we went right up the street to Santa Maria Maggiore, or St. Mary Major. This was the fourth and final of the major patriarchal churches of Rome, which consist of St. Peter, St. Paul's-Outside-the-Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Mary Major.

After our brief visit there, we headed back to St. John Laterans to see the Scala Santa, or Sacred Stairs, which reopened after lunch at 3:30. These are the stairs that descended from Pontius Pilate's temple that Christ himself was said to have walked up and down several times on the day of his Passion. The stairs were disassembled and brought to Rome, and reassembled here. There are reputedly places on the stairs where you can still see drops of blood. The stairs are so holy you can only go up them on your knees.

We were pretty awed at seeing them but we did not go up.

Next we drove over to Piazza Navona, a huge piazza with three fountains, although the biggest one in the center was sadly under construction. Oh well.

From there we drove over a couple of streets to the Pantheon, the most well-preserved ancient building in all of Rome. It is now actually a Catholic church called St. Mary and the Martyrs.

After that it was time to head back to the ol' apartment.

View walking in to the apartment from the foyer.

We fixed another dinner of cheese and crackers and I journaled again for most of the evening. We had an intereseting escapade with an escaped sock off our balcony and had to construct a fishing mechanism to go after it:

And here is the view of the sunset out our kitchen window:

Next: The return home.

Day 5: Assisi

2007-06-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

We were a little late leaving the apartment to catch our shuttle bus that morning, but like everything else in Italy, the bus was late. By like half an hour. So we had plenty of time to catch our breath before it showed up.

Once again, the bus ride was wonderful. I loved sitting and watching the countryside go by. No way would I sleep on a bus during that. I'd be missing everything.

Our first stop was actually a town called Orvieto, in the region of Umbria. We had to take a cable car up to the top of this hill where the town was. (How did people get up there before cable cars??) :) In the piazza where our bus dropped us off was, of course, an enormous church, Catedral y Capilla de San Brizio.

This church is one of 3 important Gothic-style cathedrals in all of Italy, our tour guide explained, because in this church a cloth on which a Eucharistic host was seen by a priest to miraculously bleed on is enshrined. You can read the story here.

We didn't have much time to explore the town. We were dropped off, given an hour to explore the area, and then we were rushed back onto the cable car and back on the bus.

The bus ride through Umbria from Orvieto to Assisi had some of the most sweeping, majestic, stunning views I'd ever seen from the road. Our bus winded around hillsides with valleys that gaped beneath us and hilltops that towered over us, covered with lush trees and some rocky cliffs. We passed a huge dam at the end of a man-made, yet still beautiful lake. I could not even attempt to take photos of most of this, as it would not have been done justice, but I did grab a snapshot or two as we drove past some vineyards on the shores of the lake.

Seriously, given Tuscany or Umbria, I'd take Umbria, from what we saw of both.

Before we arrived in the town of Assisi, we stopped in a ceramics factory (read: tourist trap) because this area is apparently famous for ceramics. I bought myself a goblet to take home and add to my collection.

We finally arrived in Assisi, and I know it's gonna take me forever to decide which pictures I want to show you all here, because the whole town was picturesque, and every time we turned another corner or looked down another street we wanted to take another shot. Beautiful little town. I'm not gonna skimp on pictures here...

A view of Umbria from an Assisi rooftop

One of the many archways

Other views around town:

This is the Basilica of St. Clare. The saint's incorrupt body is exhibitied inside, but they put a plaster mask over her face.

I believe this is Rocca Maggiore, a fortress on the outer wall of Assisi. Yay for castles. :)

Some little decorative birds in front of the Palazzo del Capitano dei Popolo, in the Piazza del Comune, where we stopped for a little shopping/gelato break.

This Pantheon-ish temple is the Tempio di Minerva, which is another pagan temple-turned-Catholic church.

Here is the inside of the Temple. Gorgeous.

More views on the way to the Basilica of St. Francis:

(no we didn't have to climb these stairs... just a sidestreet) :)

And finally, the Basilica of St. Francis:

St. Francis himself is entombed inside the church. Very holy place.

Our tour bus was parked close to St. Francis, so we got back on the bus and headed off shortly after. I grabbed a few pics from the bus:

(can't help taking a shot of a little piece of home in Assisi) :)

(I think this is a view of Assisi as we were leaving it, but I'm not sure)

We finally arrived back in Rome and drove around the city a bit dropping people off at various stops. I grabbed a few city shots:

A Metro stop

The fountain in the Piazza della Repubblica

Haphazard traffic in the Piazza della Repubblica

Our stop at last, in front of the Hotel Columbus.

We walked home from there, through St. Peter's Square again (eh, we had enough nighttime shots of it, now we could just stroll through like old regulars) and back down the Via Porta Cavalleggeri. We stopped to pick up some sandwiches to take home and I took this pic of a cute trashcan in front of a gelateria as we waited:

Once home, we ate our sandwiches and I stayed up to write in my journal. Snapped a few photos around the apartment when I took breaks to rest my hand:

Our living room

Living room/foyer

A view of the kitchen past the roses that we brought home Monday night in a wine bottle vase.

Next: Another day exploring the Eternal City.

Day 4: Rome

2007-06-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

The first item that morning was to make sure we could get in St. Peter's Square for the Papal Audience. We were told by the Swiss Guards that we didn't need tickets, we could just go on in. So we went in and took our seats and began the wait for the Pope to show up. We noticed there were two huge monitors on either side of the Square:

And we could see the Pope walking outside somewhere and greeting people. Then he got in his Popemobile and started riding around... then he was riding around St. Peter's Square, and soon came up the center aisle really close to us:

The Pope then took his seat under the canopy and began speaking...he spoke in six languages: Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, and Polish. Mostly he spoke of his travels in Latin America.

After two hours in the sun, the audience wrapped up with a "Pater Noster" in Latin and we were dismissed. We went back to our apartment and most of us took a long, much-needed nap, while Dad and I put together an itinerary for that evening.

We decided to take the subway: First to St. Paul's-Outside-the-Walls (since it was one of the four cathedrals Mom had to see), next to the Colosseum, and finally to the Spanish Steps. We left around 5:30 to make St. Paul's by 6:00 so we could see the inside before it closed at 6:30, and then hopefully to the Colosseum before 7:00 so we could possibly get inside.

First, here's my subway shot (I've come to collect subway experiences from all cities I go to that have them, so I was glad I got a chance to check out Rome's):

We got to St. Paul's around 6:00. It really is impressive:

Portraits for all the popes line the walls. There is a legend that when all the spaces for papal portraits are used up, the world will come to an end. There aren't many left. Creepy!!

Hopped back on the subway and rode it to the Colosseum (heh, I'm watching "Gladiator" on TNT as I'm uploading these pictures):

Unfortunately it had already closed, so we could only walk around and peek inside.

We then walked down the street to the Roman Forum.

This orange building is called the Mamertine, and it was a prison whose most famous inmates were Sts. Peter and Paul.

We finally left the Roman Forum and got back on the Subway, getting off at the stop for the Spanish Steps. By then it had gotten dark and we were hungry. Craig and Jen and I sought out comfort food at the McDonalds, while our parents had a nice salmon dinner at an outdoor restaurant near the steps.

At the McDonalds they had a cute little gelateria...

...with beautiful swirls of yummy gelato.

Mom and Dad had only begun their first course, so we went to hang out on the Spanish Steps for awhile.

This is the Via Condotti, which begins at the Spanish Steps. It's the most expensive, trendiest shopping district in Rome.

We took a taxi back to our apartment instead of the subway, since we were all very tired and didn't want to take the long trek from our subway station back to our apartment. On the way was this castle, the Castel St. Angelo (sorry for the blurriness):

Next day: Assisi!

Day 3: Florence

2007-05-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Got up bright and early (ok maybe just early) to catch our bus in front of the Hotel Columbus at 6:15. It turned out to be just a shuttle to take us to the actual tour bus. He made another stop at a hotel and told us the Trevi Fountain was just around the corner, so we ran down to take a picture.

I loved the bus rides. On the way there our tour guide pointed out a magnificent valley, almost right as we were passing it. I fumbled with my camera and this is the only shot I got:

I tried to take another picture of it on the way back, but didn't see it. :(

Our first stop in Florence was at the Piazza Michelangelo, which offers a spectacular view of the city (this was one of my must-sees in my own little Florence itinerary I made for myself):

(I was mad the Duomo had scaffolding on it)

(more of the city and Ponte Vecchio, the cool lookin bridge)

Once in Florence, we were led to that tourist-trap leather store first, walking by the Chiesa de Santa Croce (Michelangelo and Galileo are buried here):

We had lunch at a restaurant called Fantasia, which was spaghetti, beef, peas, potatoes, and mocha ice cream for dessert. Then we were handed over to another tour guide for a walk-around the city through various piazzas and by fountains and statues and quaint streets.

Finally we got to the Duomo, but only got chances to take pictures of the exterior; we didn't get time to go in. :( HMPH. It's pretty impressive even from the outside though...

Our tour ended at the Accademie, which of course houses the most famous naked man in the world:

He's not just David, he's THE David. :) All 17 feet.

I took some more Tuscany countryside shots from the bus on the way home:

This is the medieval town of Orte, perched high on a rocky cliff.

Next day: Papal audience, Colosseum, and more!

Day 2: Rome

2007-05-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

The first thing we did Day 2 was run over to the Scavi Office at St. Peters to make sure we were still confirmed to take the Scavi Tour that morning (the underground excavations underneath St. Peters, including the "necropolis" mausoleums and the tomb of St. Peter). Fortunately, we were. So we got to take the tour which lasted maybe 30-45 minutes and was extremely cool. We weren't allowed to take pictures, so I don't have any to show from it...except this one of the entrance to the Scavi Office:

You have to have permission from the Swiss Guards to enter. Aren't we cool? :)

I can't recommend this tour enough. You need to contact the Scavi Office well in advance however. Mom had booked this tour in October last year.

We emerged from underneath the Basilica right at the spot where JPII is buried, so we got to see his tomb. Exited from that back into the Basilica. Decided to go get a drink somewhere and then hit the Vatican Museums.

Got a drink at a little sidewalk café and used the bathroom (always always use restaurant bathrooms rather than the public restrooms provided at attractions) and headed off to the Museums, or rather the LINE for the Museums.

The line moved quickly and we were in in about an hour I think. Here are just a few highlights from the Museums:

Can't remember where this cool staircase went, but it was somewhere near the beginning

The Gallery of Maps

The main event: The Sistene Chapel (illegal photo) :)

Me standing in front of a cool-looking room

The twisty exit from the Museums

On the way home, we made a stop at our neighborhood grocery store, the Di-per-Di:

...bought cheese and crackers and wine, and made ourselves a nice little dinner in the apartment.

The next day we were going to have to catch a shuttle to take us to our tour bus to Florence in front of the Hotel Columbus on the Via della Conciliazione, so Jen and Craig and I set off to find it just so we'd know how much time we'd need to get there by 6:15 in the morning (ugh!!). St. Peters looks quite lovely in the twilight:

We found the hotel easily enough. It wasn't far down the street. Then we glanced down a little sidestreet and caught this view:

Well we HAD to see what was through that awesome archway, and found a quaint little cobblestoned street with a big neon sign saying "BAR," so we figured we HAD to stop for a beer. (Pardon the blurriness on these next couple pictures... my night-exposure pictures always come out that way...)

We were serenaded by a street musician with an accordion:

After our perfect little Roman evening, we walked home through St. Peter's Square at night.

Pictures from Florence are next!

Italy Day 1: Rome

2007-05-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

Our trip began with one slight snag: our flight to New York (JFK), where we were connecting, was cancelled. We had to have American put us on a flight to LaGuardia, where we could pick up car service to JFK in time for our flight. Had some stressful moments, but we ended up making it to JFK in just enough time to catch the flight, thanks to a driver who was willing to smash all five of us in her car, even though she only had space for four. (And I was actually grateful for the experience... now I know what a lot of my travelers go through.)

The flight to Rome was long and I only slept 10 minutes, while they were serving breakfast. Ugh. I don't know if I'll ever master the art of sleeping on airplanes.

After we collected our baggage, we were picked up by Renzo, who drove us to our apartment. The apartment was BEAUTIFUL. Smaller than we expected, but plenty big enough. A nice lady named Carla showed us around (she spoke mostly to me because I knew the most Italian, and her English wasn't great). :)

Here is what the view from our balcony looked like:

We had some time to crash and unpack and relax a little, then we had to head to St. Peter's to attend the 4:00 Mass (actually while THEY were relaxing, my dad and I headed over to see exactly where we'd need to go).

Some views of St. Peter's Square:

Inside St. Peter's:

After exploring St. Peter's, we had dinner at a little pizzeria (at a tavola calda, literally "hot table," a place to sit down and be served). :) Then we went back to the apartment and watched the lights come on in St. Peter's as the sun went down.

More to come soon...

Returned Home

2007-05-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

I am home and will start posting updates soon, complete with pictures, like how I did it for France. Stay tuned! I've been busier than I expected my first few days back: saw the new Pirates movie (awesome!) and spent some time at the Renaissance Faire today, but will get to posting pictures soon!

Hello from Florence

2007-05-22T05:29:00.000-05:00

Made it to Italy and spent two days in Rome; I am now in an internet cafe in Florence doing a real quick post. The bus ride here was awesome except our tour guide CAN'T STOP TALKING. Then the first place she brought us in Florence was a LEATHER STORE. Seriously. We walked right by the Duomo and went into a duty free shop and they started giving us a tour. Ridiculous. So the five of us walked out and came here. We have an hour. Sigh. I want to see the Duomo and the David. What are we doing here????

Anyways.... Rome has been great. We have a gorgeous apartment a 10 minute walk from the Vatican and see St. Peter's Dome from our balcony. We did the Scavi tour. We toured the Vatican Museum and saw the Sistene Chapel. Awesome but crowded.

Anyways I better go... see you all soon! :)

Addio!

2007-05-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

Heading off for Rome! Please check back in the odd chance I am able to post an update of how it's going. Otherwise expect a run-down (with pictures!) when I get back (May 26). Love you all!

More on Rome

2007-05-12T20:31:00.000-05:00

Here's an excellent website I found today while looking up info on Rome: Stuardt Clarke's "All Roads Lead to Roma." I spent hours on this site today pouring over all the great stuff. More info about public transportation, lots about the Vatican area, dining, shopping, and general need-to-knows. I feel a lot more prepared after perusing that site; in fact, I almost feel like I've already been there!

I'm sure his hand-drawn map of the Vatican area will prove to be invaluable (I printed off a copy to take with me). I'm also interested in trying a couple of his dining selections in the area. :)

Also... check out this SUPER COOL site that lets you click on any of several famous locations in Rome to get a panoramic view of the area. I had fun with that one!

Rome Transportation

2007-05-06T23:14:00.000-05:00

I am putting myself in charge of public transportation on the Italy trip. If we're not being driven somewhere by our private driver (Rrrenzo) :) I need to know how we're getting around. This is Rule Number One of international travel: How you are getting from Point A to Point B. (Rule Number Two, of course, is keep a journal of your trip, but I've preached that one enough.) :)

So here's some helpful links just for me to refer to later if needed...

I found this helpful page about Rome city buses.

Here's a subway map, as well as info about tickets. (1 euro per 75 minute ride? Whoo hoo!)

And here's a cool Google Maps map of Rome. I noticed our apartment is right by train tracks. Yiee.

Florence Prep

2007-04-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

If I were to put together our Florence itinerary, this is what I'd do (not having really any clue how long we're going to be there or how long these things actually take to do):

1) The Accademia. Gotta see the David. And anything else that place has lying around, but we won't spend too much time.

2) Il Duomo. The most recognizeable landmark of Florence...well you just gotta see the inside, and the views of the city from the top.

3) Chiesa di Santa Croce. Michelangelo and Galileo are buried here. Cool.

4) Ponte Vecchio. Oldest and most famous bridge in Florence, gotta walk across and look at all the little shops that line it.

5) Piazzale Michelangelo. The view of the city from the top of this hill is reportedly unmissable, especially at sunset.

Hopefully with those must-sees, we'll still have time to taste some Tuscan wine and visit a café or two, and possibly shop for some of those leather goods Italy is supposedly famous for...

Full Italy Mode

2007-03-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

The Italy trip starts two months from today. Time to get serious about learning some rudimentary Italian at least. I can't believe how fast four months turned into two. France was almost a whole month ago.

I've been told that we'll be pretty much on our own in Florence. I'm very excited about Florence for some reason. Just looks like an awesome city. Gotta do some research and figure out what I want to see. They have a Shoe Museum and I bet my sister would like seeing that. We may have to make a trip. :)

Knowledge in Practice

2007-03-13T20:40:00.000-05:00

I got to put my fam trip knowledge into practice today... someone called wanting to book a hotel in the La Défense region of Paris! I looked up both the hotels I stayed in there, wanting to recommend them, but they were too pricey. I ended up going with another hotel from the same group (Accor) but cheaper. And I got to describe the La Défense area to her ("a little quirky, but definitely interesting") and where it was and stuff. Told her I just got back from a trip there in the last two weeks. I felt SO cool. :)

Post Trip Research

2007-03-11T12:28:00.000-05:00

I was curious what those ruins in Lyon were of, so I did a bit of digging: Turns out they are the remains of the city when it was called Lugdunum, and it was the capital of the Gaul Empire 2,000 years ago. That amphitheatre that you see in my pictures is actually the oldest still in use in France. Pretty cool.

I found this recently-published article about Lyon and realized there is much more to experience there. I didn't see a single traboule (a medieval covered walkway designed to keep silk merchants sheltered from the elements) that Lyon is so famous for. I wasn't able to really appreciate the fact that it is regarded as the gastronomic capital of France, being sick. And of course that church on Fourvière hill... sigh. It's a bummer to have been to such a fascinating city and then realize what you missed when you get back. Two days wasn't nearly enough time to discover all that city has to offer. Well, neither was it sufficient time to discover Paris, either. I will just have to make a return visit sometime.

Day 4: Lyon

2007-03-05T21:39:00.000-06:00

We checked out of the Hotel Royal and they told me it would be a quick ride to our next hotel, the Sofitel Lyon. So we loaded all our stuff onto the bus and I thought we were going to head right over. Turned out to not be the case. The driver took us all the way out in the 'burbs for our first hotel inspection of the day. On the way, one girl showed me pictures from their tour of Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon) that they took while I was sick in bed. They got to go in the beautiful church. I cried. No, I really did.

So then I just started snapping pictures of ANYTHING, because I figured the bus rides to and from hotel inspections were the only "tours" I was going to get.

Colorful houses and a church along the Rhône river

A sidestreet with a neat arch-thing over it

A cool clock-tower thing in a roundabout

The Rhône river

McDonalds

A Ford dealership (where French people buy their imports)

A common Lyonnaise 'burbian house

So we finally got to our hotel site, the Lyon Charbonniéres. Had a gorgeous lunch here. Too bad my appetite hadn't fully recovered from being sick yet. I'm just gonna post a picture of dessert. This was the ultimate in creamy delicious caramel custard YUM.

Our next hotel inspection was back in town at the Hotel Carlton, a charming old-style hotel with an antiquated elevator and cool tapestry-like room decor:

Finally, our last hotel inspection of the whole trip was the Grand Hôtel Mercure Château Perrache. I'll just say they sure do know how to make their guests feel welcome.

Yes, please.

So we were finally done. We actually had about two hours to spare with our bus driver, so one half of the group opted to go shopping at Printemps (a chic department store) while the other half (of which I was a part) opted to go see the Roman ruins. They had driven by the ruins as part of the bus tour of Vieux Lyon the day before, but didn't have a chance to get out and walk around. So I went to the ruins to at least see a part of Vieux Lyon. I'm not exactly sure what these are ruins OF... just that they were Roman and were about 2,000 years old.

We didn't get a chance to make it over to Notre Dame de Fourvière from here, so it eluded me once again.

Took this view overlooking Lyon from the ruins:

As we drove away I took this parting shot of Fourvière:

We picked up the rest of the group from Printemps. Here are some additional city views:

The French have a thing for carousels.

We finally checked into the Sofitel Lyon and they told us we were on our own for dinner that night. So some of the other girls and I headed off to a restaurant to order our own meal. I got crab. They serve it cold over there. It was interesting. Had some yummy desserts as well too.

I'm gonna pick on this guy... he was one of our waiters and he wanted to come back to the US with us. I got a pic of him posing with a lobster.

And here is our lovely hotel at the end of the day.

Alright, that's it for pictures! Hope you enjoyed them!

Day 3: Lyon

2007-03-04T21:18:00.000-06:00

Or rather, the day I got sick. So this will be a shorter post.

We started out with a 8am train ride from Paris to Lyon. I got to see some of the French countryside.

Upon arriving in Lyon, I immediately fell in love with this gorgeous palace-like church that sits atop a hill overlooking Lyon. It is called Notre Dame de Fourvière.

That structure to the right of the church is not an Eiffel Tower replica; it's just a communications tower.

I guess we happened to arrive the day the carnival was in town. Either that or they put up the Ferris Wheel every Sunday...

The next day they were taking it down.

We were taken to our hotel for that night, the Hotel Royal. The original plan was to stay at the Sofitel Lyon both nights in Lyon, but they changed plans and checked us into this hotel for the night. And I'm glad we did because it was a very charming hotel. We did a site inspection of this hotel and saw some cool views from the rooms:

Some rooms had quaint balconies like this one:

All the rooms in the hotel were either blue or red, and some had two beds and some had king beds. I remember hoping for a blue king bed. :) After that inspection, we were bussed to the Novotel Lyon Bron further out in the suburbs. We did another inspection and had lunch here. During all this I was becoming increasingly aware that I was not feeling good. My head was cloudy and I felt like I was walking around in a dizzy half-daze. I was coughing painfully as well. One of the other girls noticed I wasn't looking well and asked me if I wanted to go back to the hotel. I nodded yes and she arranged to have the driver take them all to their next hotel inspection and then drop me back off at the Hotel Royal, where I checked in and took refuge in my blue, king-bed room:

I spent most of the rest of the day in this bed. At least it was comfortable!!

Since this room was so important to the rest of my day, here it is from a different view:

I'm not sure what I had... respiratory infection or the start of just a really bad cold. Maybe my body was rebelling against the extremely busy itinerary going on jet lag and not a lot of sleep. I had barely slept at all the previous night at the Sofitel Grande Arche. Whatever. I was drained, weak, and could not stop coughing. One of the group came over later with a bucket of ice and a Diet Coke and some water, and I hardly had any voice to talk to him with. And while they were all at a lovely dinner at the Sofitel Lyon, I ordered room service and got "foie gras du canard," which ended up being some pasty stuff in a tub that smelled like, well, dog poo. No wonder that stuff is banned in Chicago... Anyways then I took a bubble bath and headed to bed, hoping to feel better the next day.