Jessie Travels!

Sand Dunes of Peru

2012-01-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Paracas/Ica area of Peru several times (it’s an easy four hour trip with something for everyone, so I find myself finding excuses to go there plenty), and thought I’d share my best travel practices for the area. Believe it or not, in my (so far) four trips there, I still haven’t seen everything!

First off- getting there:

Those with their own vehicles can drive down the Panamerican Highway right to Paracas or Ica, which is around 4 hours each way. I prefer to take the amazingly dependable Cruz Del Sur bus instead. Their seats are comfy, the movies are passable, and there’s a lot less stress involved when I don’t have to see that much of the road.

Second- where to stay?

Here you can surround yourself with luxury, or embrace the backpacker life, and everything in between.

High end hotels- Hilton, DoubleTree, Hotel Paracas, and Las Dunas are among the favorites if you’re looking to stay in a resort with pool services and activities for adults and children.
Mid range- El Huacachinero. This hotel is literally feet from the sand dunes, and it’s my favorite stay, since it’s economical while still offering excellent service, a delicious restaurant, a pool, and convenient location to the sites.
Just looking for a cheap bed- there is an array of backpacker hostels throughout Ica and Huacachina perfect for those who just want a place to crash, but will be touring around outside the majority of their trip.

Now, on to the fun stuff: What to do while you’re there?

1. My personal favorite past time is to ride around on the sand dunes. It’s difficult for me to accurately explain the dune buggy rides- they take a standard Ford engine bloc and put them in these crazy buggies that hold from 5-10 people. The drivers mostly grow up in the area, and have to be thirsty for adventure. They’ll make sure you’re strapped in to your seat (hold on to the handrail if you’re scared), and take you all over the dunes, zipping uphill fast, and hovering for a second just before big drops, so that you see just what you’re getting into…. It’s a great way to get your adrenaline pumping while looking out to the sand as far as you can see all around you. Along the tour you will occasionally stop for some excellent views of the sand dunes, and to sled or board. The drivers bring along sand boards, and prep them with candle wax first for more speed. If you’re not a proficient snow boarder (like me), it’s best to lay on the board head first and sled down the dune on your stomach. Braver souls with more balance can stand on the board and fly down the dunes that way, too. My favorite time to go is around 4:30 pm, since the tour ends with a nice stop on top of the dunes to watch the sun set over the sand.

2. Wine tours!

What better way to relax in the desert climate than visit some gorgeous and historical wineries? The wines in this area are mostly sweet wines, so if you’re looking for vino tinto, you’re better off heading to Chile or Argentina to sample the Malbecs there. Still, the experience in Ica is worth it, and they do get quite creative with their wines there. The artisanal wineries offer great little tours to learn about the process, followed by tastings of their wines and piscos. Pisco is a clear alcohol made from grapes, and it’s usually between 40 and 45 % alcohol. It’s delicious mixed with ginger ale and fresh limes! Also, bottles of even the smoothest pisco are only about 35 soles (around 15 US dollars), so you can’t beat this for the price! After all the wine tastings, it’s a great idea to enjoy a nice meal at one of the restaurants along the Huacachina oasis. Also, it’s best to plan so you can see take the wine tours on days that aren’t Peruvian national holidays, as many of the wineries are closed for tours.

3. Islas Ballestas

If you’re staying in Paracas, you’re already set to go right out to the boat tours to visit the islands. If you’re staying in Ica, you can arrange transportation through your hotel or tour company to get you the hour to the coast. Taking a boat tour around the islands will bring you in sight of sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and several species of birds. You’ll also see the curious trident shape in the sand, which has been around for hundreds of years (admittedly, my memory about this sand thing is a little foggy).

4. Nasca Lines

Confession: I haven’t actually seen these yet, but I’ll include it on the list still, because you’ll hear about them in any guide book on Peru. I recommend not taking a plane from Nasca to fly over the lines, as these planes are reputedly unsafe, and have resulted in deaths. If you wish to fly over and see these interesting crop circle-like shapes, I suggest flying from Lima, where the planes actually have to go through safety checks! As for me, I’ll take the pictures, thanks.

A Wrap-up:

I hope you’ve enjoyed my only slightly expert guide to the area. Ica and Paracas are relatively small towns, so they offer a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Lima. Still, it’s worth throwing out a few words of caution. Huacachina, because of the bars and large amounts of backpackers, can be extremely noisy around the holidays, and few of the hotels have air conditioning. This won’t be the best place to stay if you’re looking for a completely restful respite. Also, Ica is still suffering damage from a large earthquake several years ago, so you will see some run-down buildings, stray dogs, and mototaxis galore. As a safety measure, it is always prudent to ask your hotel front desk to call you a cab, rather than catching one off the street. Most cab rides within the city will be from 5 to 10 soles.

With that said, Ica and Paracas are great places to visit with family and friends. I’ve found the best time of year to go is August, as it is sunny all-year round and offers a great break from the dreariness of the Lima winter.

Florida Vacation

2011-01-30T17:25:00.003-07:00

This past Friday, I departed Lima to fly to Miami. After a four plus hour car ride which blurred the time-space continuum for me, I arrived in Orlando and checked in to our hotel Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club. This place seemed pretty new, and is probably great if you want to come to Florida all the time for golf and touring around. I was quite relieved to get out of the car and relax in the hotel room for awhile. Later, I picked up my sister at the airport. It was great, because I haven't seen her since I left for Lima in October! On Saturday, we went to Discovery Cove for our "Dolphin Experience" and some quality sister chatting time.

Basically, Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive beech, snorkel, and swimming with dolphin resort. The staff was great, and we just walked around, basking in the sunlight for the first few hours. We then got into our wet suits, and got in the water with the trainers to see the dolphins in action. We learned about their anatomy and behavior, we got to kiss the dolphins, and then we even got to hold on while our dolphin (Aries) pulled us through the water! It quite frankly, was awesome. After that, we spent the afternoon snorkeling around in the reef and the lazy river. Luckily, Dad lent us his under water camera and we snapped some great photos! You can view the photos in my Web Album here:

Discovery Cove

If you're interested, take a look at the Discovery Cove website. The whole day was quite relaxing. Going in the off-season was great, because the resort wasn't very busy. There were photographers to take pictures of us with the dolphins, but the photo packages were pretty expensive, so we only bought a couple. The food was great, though, so we had a nice relaxing lunch. After we were done swimming, we relaxed in the sand with some piña coladas. The package included admission to Sea World, but I think I am going to use the pass in a few days. Today we were so tired that we went shopping instead!

All in all, we had a great day!

Thanksgiving Day Baking Fiesta

2010-11-24T18:35:00.002-07:00

So, some holidays are quite hard to get in the mood for here. Like Thanksgiving. We get the day off from work, but there are no decorations or mentions of it like other holidays (Christmas). This is why it's great I brought one dry baking mix with me, and received more in the mail from mom. The Chacarilla-ites are having Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at Steph's house, and I volunteered to prepare the dessert and sweet potato dish. The plan was to bake pumpkin pie bars, leaf shaped cookies and pumpkin cake. I made modifications to the last two instead of following the directions of the boxes. This is how three hours of my day went today....

All three things baked at 350 degrees, so that was nice. I started with the cookies. I had bought butter in the store, but it didn't have the tblsp markers like the packs in the States. This meant I had to sort of eye ball the amount of butter I added. It worked pretty well. My welcome kit actually included a rolling pin, so I used wax paper and flour to roll out the dough and cut the leaf shapes. It made 14 sugar cookies. I popped those in the oven, and then started on the cake mix.

So, this recipe was actually for cupcakes, but those aren't very easy to share and it only made 6. Well, I have a bunt pan in my welcome kit (why they have that in there and not a normal baking sheet is beyond me), so I decided I would just make a cake. Well, it worked (sort of) and I am sure it tastes good. It's just a rather short bunt cake. More like a bunt wreath, really. The pack also came with a mix for cream cheese frosting. I tried mixing it, and it tasted awful. All I added was milk and sugar, so whatever they put in the mix, someone was doing wrong. So, I set that aside and figured I could buy some frosting tomorrow.

Next I made the pumpkin pie bars. They had a grahamcracker crust I baked first with the cake for a few minutes, then I added the filling. They turned out yummy.

Next to cookies part two- they came with meltable things of chocolate and orange colored vanilla. The idea was to melt some of each to dip the cookies, and then melt the rest and put in piping bags (plastic bags) to decorate the cookies with. Well, um.... I don't have serious enough skills for that. I tried melting the chocolate, and of course that just takes forever and some practice. It worked reasonably well, so I dipped the cookies half in chocolate, then I put the rest of the chocolate in the piping bag. Basically my leaves just have chocolate dots and what not all over them instead of cute lines to make them look like leaves. At this point I did not have any patience left to melt the vanilla ones and pipe them onto the cookies too. Instead, I melted them enough to be spreadable, and used them for frosting on the pumpkin cake, and topped it with orange sprinkles. Voila!

So, now I have 3 tasty, if not quite what the inventors intended, types of dessert to share tomorrow.

Also, I have to make the sweet potatoes, but that shouldn't be difficult- they will go in the oven, then I am mashing them with cumin, chili powder, ginger and maple syrup for a sweet/spicy sort of thing. Yum!

Return of Jessie the Archaeologist

2010-11-21T18:27:00.002-07:00

So, anyone who knew me in elementary school knows about my obsession with anything Anasazi, Mesa Verde, etc, etc.... Well, this weekend I got to indulge that part of myself with a trip to Caral, Peru. This is a relatively new archaeological site (started excavation 12 years ago), but it is actually the oldest city in the Americas. The civilization that lived in the area of the Supe valley were there for 800 years. Caral is the capital city, although there are a few other sites nearby.

The city was 20 km inland from the sea, and produced crops like cotton that it would trade with the people living on the coast. For this reason, their diet consisted mainly of fish. They were a complex society with very simple technology. They had no pottery, so would carry their water in gourds or baskets. They had no complex tools, fashioning pyramids from polished rocks they used as hammers. They had no tall trees, so the rooms of their houses were small so they could use short trees for roofs. They were always developing new architectural techniques for their pyramids. Whenever they wanted to expand one, they simply build another pyramid on top of the older one. This means some have 20 layers of pyramids in one.

These pyramids were used for religious purposes, and often oriented towards the valley, or according to constellations. At one point, a central figure, who probably united the city into one religion, had all the pyramids re-oriented so that they all faced a large flat area in the middle. This also coincided with the building of the one pyramid used for human sacrifices.

They also had a concert area where they played flutes and horns. Eventually the climate got the better of the civilization though. A change in temperature caused a big rain storm, which led to mud slides. As the temperature reverted to normal, this mud turned into sand, creating large sand storms that destroyed the crops. It is thought that the remaining people of Caral integrated into a society in the north, which had developed art, weapons and city defenses.

You can see the whole album of pictures from my trip in my Picasa web album:

Caral11.20.2010

Starting Monday...

2010-10-29T20:07:00.000-06:00

... I will start getting a little crazy. I have decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month again this year. I did it last year and had an awesome time meeting new people, and of course, trying something completely new. For those who don't know, the idea is to write, during just the month of November, a 50,000 (fifty thousand) word novel. Crazy eh? The key is to tell everyone you know about it so that they can nag you constantly on your current word count. I believe as long as you writ 1667 words or so daily, you will finish. Last year I wrote a little sporadically, sitting down and committing a few straight hours some days and skipping others. Whatever works. The thing to remember is that by the end of the month I will have a novel. Will this year's product go the same place as last year's? Well, last year's novel is sitting in my gmail account and staying there forever because it was pretty much not worth reading. I am trying to set myself up for a slightly higher standard this year however.

As far as standards go, I already have a plot and the contest doesn't start for a few days. That's pretty good, right? Also, in Peru, November 1 is All Soul's Day, and thus a national holiday. I can spend the whole day inside writing and get a great head start! I will be posting updates periodically throughout the month. Wish me luck!

First two weeks in Perú

2010-10-22T22:40:00.001-06:00

Hello all! I know I have been silent on here for a while- yesterday I was able to get my internet set up in my apartment, and I should be able to post more things from here on out! Firstly, I am doing well so far and enjoying meeting everyone at work. There are quite a few folks who live in my neighborhood, so I've been using their wisdom to go around my area here. Lima is a huge city compared to what I'm used to, so I'm adjusting to what everything looks like and the traffic. Oh the traffic! I think in the long run it will be worth it though.

I arrived at my apartment on the 6th and really like it so far. The rest of the building is pretty quiet. The hardwood floors are also really nice- I enjoy sliding around on them (maybe too much).

Here is my living room. I have some planters on the window sill, and then to the right of this is my dining room, and my balcony going off that. The furniture is a little out dated, but it is pretty comfy. I'm thinking of getting some covers for it though.

As far as goings on, there is a lot of advertising going on for Halloween. I am not sure how much people actually celebrate it, but there are things for sale in the store. I bought some pumpkins for 2.19 Nuevos Soles/ kg. I don't know how much that came out to. I carved one of them tonight, and I might leave the other one for now. It's sitting on the table in my entry way and I like that. It adds a little bit of seasonal decor. It is actually spring time here, and all the tropical trees and what not are blooming, so it is not the normal October weather I am used to!

This is the pumpkin I carved tonight. He's a little ghost guy! In past years I've tried doing faces and they don't come out like much, so I tried something new this year. For a first attempt I think it went pretty well. I found a stencil on the internet, but I just drew it freehand on my pumpkin. It occurred to me that I don't have any candles, so I will have to buy some. Tomorrow I am going to Jockey Plaza with a few neighbors. It is a big shopping mall with all sorts of stores here in Lima. The Marine Ball is coming up, and even though I already have my shoes, not everyone is in the same boat!

In addition to just learning my surroundings, I have also been adjusting to all the food preparation and groceries, etc. It is not suggested that I drink the tap water here, so I have water delivered (it's the local equivalent of deep rock, etc) and have a dispenser for it. It works well but cleaning dishes is always a "process". I have been experimenting with cooking, but one thing that is hard is starting a pantry all from scratch. There were a few things waiting for me when I got here, but I just bought salt and pepper last weekend. I hit the Savory Spice shop in Boulder right before coming here, and I'm glad I did! The spicy adobe and italian cheese mixes have been getting me through quite a lot! Here is an example of my inventiveness:

I made breaded chicken using corn flakes. The mashed potatoes turned out really well because I added some of the italian cheese mix. The salads here you have to be careful with. I bought the packaged lettuce from a trusted grocer with high quality produce, and then I used cucumber and carrots because I could peel them. Of course, I realized I had no salad dressing. I actually made some. It might sound a little weird, but tasted very good. I mixed some mayonnaise with some juice from a can of green olives. I then added some maple sugar, some more of the italian cheese mix, some mustard powder, and some black sesame seeds. It turned out a little liquidy (I started out with too much mayo and had to add more olive juice than I planned), but other than that it was pretty tasty! For those who care, the wine is a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. Also very yummy.

Well, it has been a long week, so later I will continue to post some updates on what I've been up to. I can't believe it's only been two weeks!

Ciao!

The Rental Car

2010-09-07T19:26:00.000-06:00

It went like this...

Jessie decided she wanted to rent a car because she was going to drive all over the place to all sorts of festivals this weekend. United sent her an email with a Hertz discount code that would also give her frequent flyer miles. Score! She rented a Corolla, and opted for the "Never Lost GPS". This is Jessie we're talking about after all, and she needs the GPS!

Fast forward to Saturday morning where she and Ester go to the airport to pick up the car.

20 minutes of boring waiting in the line.

Yay, rental contract received. Time to head to the garage to pick up the (red) Corolla.

E: Why is the hood of the car up?
J: Maybe we're supposed to inspect it before we drive off.
Mechanic: Um, I have to jump this car. They weren't supposed to rent it out.
Us: Um.
Mech: Just go to that booth down there and ask them for another car.

We go to the booth, hoping we get another car and we get to head off to the festival soon.

Customer: Blah blah blah I'm complaining rarg (I am paraphrasing here)
Customer Service Rep: Well, the only thing comparable is the Yukon, which doesn't get as good of mileage.
Customer: Grumble grumble I'll keep the one I have bleh bye.
Us: Um... hi.... I just got assigned a car upstairs but the mechanic says he's not renting it out. (I hand her the contract)
Service Rep: Yea... I just told them not to rent that. (She is of course suffering from Saturday morning working on a holiday weekend annoyance because customers are annoying like that).
Me: I guess they're not reading the memos up stairs. (Did you get that memo?)
Ester: Well, since we can't have the Corolla... can we get something bigger? Like a Camry?
Service rep: Well, we have a Sienna minivan.
Us: Ew.
Rep: You don't need the room?
Us: Um, no, we definitely don't need the room :)
Rep: Let's see.... do you want something fun?
Us: Sure. Whatever you have.
Rep: Well... it doesn't have the GPS....
Us: Well, how fun are we talking?
Rep: Brand new Camaro.
Us: We don't need the GPS.

This meant we got the new (8k miles) cherry red Camaro for the price of the Corolla, minus the $40 the GPS would have cost. Ca-ching.

After that, we were rollin' in style to the Scottish Festival, B-More and the Ren Fest. W00t!

Lesson to all: When things unexpectedly happen, be nice to the customer service people. They may just bend/break the rules for you and you get to vroom around in a brand new car of awesomeness for the weekend just because you were flexible.

Aside from the fact that mine had a sunroof, the car looked like this:

Pictures!

2010-09-02T18:52:00.002-06:00

This is a quick, non-post to say that I have been busy uploading photos to Picasa to be viewable on the web. I've only been including a couple photos on my blog, so if you want more, read the rest of this post to get the links to my online photo albums!

I am hoping to have the albums up from my other trips soon, but right now I have albums for DC:

Photos from my first trip to DC in 2009

Photos from DC this summer

Labor Day Weekend Scottish Festival, B-More and Ren Fest

I have a great collection from my time in Barcelona, with lots of Gaudi architecture and fun things:

Barcelona 2009

More Touristy Stuff in DC!

2010-08-31T19:04:00.000-06:00

So, I have had a few friends visit me in the last couple weeks, so I have been able to do even more touristy type things! It´s quite funny how things work out some times...

My friend Mollie, who I´ve known since we were locker partners freshman year of High School, is studying in Baltimor and spent the day with me. We went to the National Zoo, then toured around the National Portrait Gallery, Woodley Park and Chinatown.

Here is an adorable little (ok, not so little) panda having his breakfast at the zoo. We saw lots of animals, including some lions that acted just like large house cats taking naps! I was super glad it was slightly overcast that day, which made walking around a little more bearable. At the Portrait Gallery, there was a temporary exhibit made entirely of Norman Rockwell pieces. It was really interesting to see prints that had appeared in the newspaper contrasted with later paintings of the same scene. We should have spent less time viewing some guy´s aluminum foil 14 year in his basement masterpiece, because we didn´t get to see all of the Rockwell exhibit before the gallery closed for the evening. Still, it was all quite interesting.

This past weekend, Katiuska and Noel came to visit me, which was a surprise and a real treat! Because of all the goings on in DC this past weekend, they were unable to get a hotel for Friday through Sunday nights. Luckily, I have been ordering all sorts of sheets, pillows, towels and the like, so I had plenty of things to furnish them with when they stayed in my apartment instead!

They visited most things downtown while I was in Spanish class, but we were also able to go drive by the monuments at night for a change of view. On the weekend, we walked all around Georgetown and Old Alexandria. The boat tour from Alexandria to Georgetown was very refreshing because the breeze provided us with some lovely relief and rest while we floated by DC landmarks.

Since I will be leaving the beginning of October, I'm glad I have been taking advantage of staying here in DC longer. The only Smithsonian I have yet to go to is the Air and Space Museum. I might just go on a Wednesday afternoon in the next couple weeks in an attempt to avoid massive amounts of people. We shall see....

Until next time, I will continue to study away. I even created a blog so that I can keep up with my daily Spanish writing: Jessie's Daily Spanish Musings . Take a look if you have time, and want to read some Spanish!

In D.C. for a little longer...

2010-08-08T17:36:00.000-06:00

Hello all! So, my departure date has been pushed back to October 6. In the meantime, I will be taking Spanish language classes in Virginia. Classes are going well so far, and I can really see the progress when I am in classes every day.

To pass the time, I am going to more D.C. landmarks. Today, I walked down to Ray's Hell Burgers, right down Wilson Boulevard from where I live. It's an awesome place (even President Obama eats there), and I can totally see why! I went pretty much as soon as it opened so I didn't have to stand in line. They've got a map with pins showing the different places customers have been from. The burgers were *awesome* as well. I got the "soul" burger with sauteed onions and mushrooms, bacon, swiss cheese, and it was probably the best burger I've ever eaten. Also, if anyone wants to go there, it's cash only, totally worth the wait if you have to, and be sure to go on a pretty empty stomach because the burgers are huge.

I brought along my camera and did the incredibly silly tourist thing of taking photos of the food. But, look at the picture. Was it worth it? Oh yea!

Despite the fame, the place hasn't suffered from the increase in customers and demand. The burger patties were freshly made and cooked to perfection (mine was a perfect medium). So, if anyone gets a chance to walk around in Arlington (it's right in the middle between Rosslyn and Courthouse metro stations), I highly recommend it. Yum!

Adventures in Cooking

2010-07-31T19:16:00.000-06:00

I've spent the last month living by myself, but it's a pretty temporary situation and given my training schedule, I haven't been home much to cook anyways. However, since I will be moving over seas and totally responsible for all my own food (eek), I figured it was time to start practicing. Although I have had some cooking successes, I have also had a lot of failures (ie, burning things, leaving out half the ingredients, etc). Well, today was full of successes, and I even have photographic evidence!

Firstly, it's Saturday, and weekends basically call for brunches. Here is my gorgeous omelet (onions, pepper jack cheese, parsley, tabasco), cinnamon toast and fruit.

Next up, was me cooking something from a recipe. I have never had this dish before, but apparently, it is very popular in Peru, which is why I chose it. I am really excited to see what the dish tastes like when I get there, but I think my attempt went quite well. Here is a basic run down:

Lomo soltado is a common dish, and I took several recipes and adapted them based on what ingredients I had available. It's basically a mix of beef (I marinated it with vinegar, soy sauce and garlic beforehand), tomatoes, orange bell peppers, red jalapeno peppers, a little more soy sauce, and some cayenne pepper. There are freshly made french fries on the side (I seasoned them with some salt and cayenne) and rice.

I used two sautee pans, one pot for the rice and four cutting boards, but this dish turned out really well. In fact, I invited some friends to try it, and they liked it. Yay! Cooking experiment number 1: Success.

Peruvian Independence Day

2010-07-28T15:46:00.000-06:00

Happy 189th Independence Day Peru!

Today I had the unique opportunity to attend a reception in honor of this holiday, and it just got me more excited about my living in Lima starting this August! I of course had the chance to drink a pisco sour, which was a very welcome respite to this awful weather in D.C. I didn't make it to the food at the buffet table because I was too busy chatting, but it looked very yummy from afar! I am very much looking forward to sampling all the lovely food Peru has to offer.

There was also some live entertainment with a choir and dancers. Although I couldn't hear the singing very well over the noise of conversation, I did like the costumes. Maybe when I get there I will track down some dance classes. :)

This reception also provided a nice break from training. Although I have been learning a lot of new things over the past few weeks, it is really nice to just get out and do something outside of the classroom. I got some hands on experience with chatting in Spanish and going through the receiving line, etc at parties, which is something I will definitely have to get used to once I'm abroad.

As far as training goes, my formal class ends this week, and after that I have some other courses (some in class, many online) to complete, and also more time for errands. Tomorrow we are giving presentations on our countries of assignment. Although I created a PowerPoint presentation to go along with mine, I will be very careful to stick within the 10 minute time limit, and for those of me who know my hate for all things powerpoint slide mental torture, be comforted by the fact that it's mostly just pictures. I have a very good presentation worked out completely independently of the slides. I am however, excited to use the Smart Board. :P

Well, until you hear from me again, I will continue buying things I will need over seas (like, an entire household minus the furniture) and finishing up my immunizations!

For all U.S. citizens who travel abroad

2010-07-01T19:43:00.001-06:00

Please visit International Travel Alerts (part of Department of State Consular Affairs) before your next trip! In my orientation course today, this is one thing we talked about. If you are traveling out of the country anywhere, this will give you specific information you need to know about traveling in whatever country, and any special issues you need to know about (ie, hurricane season, common security concerns, etc). Also, you never know when something bad will happen, so you can also look up how to register at the U.S. embassy in a foreign country so that, if needed, they can get in contact with you and get you safe. I know this isn't something we all want to think about, but I'd rather have everything in place (such as emergency contact info) beforehand.

Anyways, that's my little advice token for the day. I hope all my friends who are going to travel internationally any time soon (or you are abroad right now) take a look at the site and register yourself at your local embassy asap. :)

In other news, we get our assignments next Tuesday, where we will be given a flag of the country we will be posted at. Also, we will be officially swearing in to the service on Friday the 9th, and my family is flying out to see me! So basically, I am really excited next week and can't wait to find out where I will be going!

Surprise!

2010-06-05T08:54:00.000-06:00

So, there hasn't been an update on here for awhile, and that's because I haven't been traveling. I've been staying put and enjoying life here in beautiful Colorado. I went downhill skiing for the first time ever this winter, and managed pretty well after a couple lessons! I also went hiking a couple weeks ago, and will be heading to the Colorado Renaissance Festival next weekend. Maybe I can squeeze a day in of white water rafting up the Poudre River too. In the last few weeks I also started dancing again, and was part of the entertainment for the Bolder Boulder. I will also be gypsy dancing at the Boulder International Festival next weekend. So- why am I trying to fit all of this stuff in right at the beginning of summer?Well....

That Foreign Service job I applied to last year (16 months ago) panned out! I have orientation starting on June 21. It's coming up fast and I can't believe it. I am super excited, but also sad to leave my job here. I've really enjoyed my new job since February. Well, this just comes to show you can never plan too much, because life might throw you a curve ball!

I am flying out to D.C. right after (literally) my friend Carrie's wedding. I have three weeks of orientation, at the end of which I will be given my assignment. After that I will have one more month of training, which could be more depending on where I am sent. After that, I will most likely start a two year assignment over seas.

Thanks to everyone who has made my life here in Colorado so far such a blast, and I will miss you all. Of course, I will be updating this blog as much as I can (depending on what my internet connection is like where I'm stationed) to keep in touch with everyone.

Jessie- reporting for duty!

Washington, D.C. December 2009

2009-12-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, I spent a week in our nation's capital. It was an interesting place in early December. If you are planning a trip there, I would say it's definitely I nice time to go! Since it's the off-season as far as tourism, I got to see a lot of things and barely waited in line anywhere. It snowed one day when I was there, but it wasn't like Colorado snow. The rest of the time was pretty good weather, although it is a lot more humid than I am used to, so it felt a lot colder than it was. Other than that, though, all the seasonal decorations were up, and the town looked beautiful.

I toured the White House, and had an amazing time. There is so much history in every room (or at least the rooms we were allowed in)! There were displays of old Christmas cards from different presidents and other mini-exhibits, but just walking the halls was neat by itself. After that, I ventured to the Capital for another tour. I also got to sit in on the senate. If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest it. All I had to do was walk across the street to my senator's office and get a pass from the receptionist there, and I could sit in the Senate Gallery and watch the proceedings. It was truly amazing to be so close with our nation's governance.

In addition to touring around town, I also went to Arlington Cemetery, Old Alexandria and Georgetown. The last was really an amazing neighborhood to walk around. There was tons of shopping, but still felt very homey. I had the chance to eat at Martin's Tavern, a favorite of a few of our presidents. Old Alexandria was also charming, and went to the water front. It was great to walk around, and had a nice variety of things to do. We missed the parade of lights, but considering how cold it was during the day, I'm not sure I could just sit at night and watch the boats without freezing!

I have uploaded some photos, so take a look at my Facebook album for the best pictures of my trip so far!

I also got to wander around the Library of Congress, which was quite awesome. I have an online account and will be reviewing all the historic pieces of art I saw there (including the Guttenberg Bible). I also was able to meet up with some of the local NaNo WriMo folks for the Thank Goodness It's Over party, and talk novel writing shop with lots of nice people. We had a blast, and it was nice to visit with people from a different area about their experiences writing a novel in November.

As far as the city itself, I really enjoyed walking around D.C. There was too much to see in one week, but I did get a feel for the town. It's impossible not to be involved in politics, but it's also a great place for young professionals. I got around the metros OK, but I think Barcelona's Metro system was a little easier to navigate and had better signage. Other than that, though, I found it fairly easy to get around. We stayed at The Quincy, which was downtown and close to a lot of what I wanted to see. Although it didn't have a lot of standard amenities such as a pool or breakfast, the rooms were awesome and great to go home to after long days of touring around on my feet! I would very much like to go back to D.C., and for a longer period of time.

NaNo WriMo

2009-11-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

This post isn't necessarily travel-related, but I'd like to post it anyways!
I worked pretty hard for four weeks, teaching, going to class, planning lessons... when I got back I ended up being bored!

However, another activity came in to play, with prefect timing: I am participating in National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel by November 30. I am doing pretty well, and have about 19,000 words written so far. I am very excited, and have been having a lot of fun with it!

Best of Barca: Pics are up!

2009-10-29T21:20:00.001-06:00

Hello all. I've been back in town for a few days now, and have gotten my pics uploaded to share with the world! I had intended to post them a few days ago, but was distracted by all the *snow* all over the place the last couple days!

Here's the Placa del Sol in Gracia, a great place to sit, relax and chat with friends. It would also not happen here in Colorado because the idea of sitting outside on the cement in October is nothing I would wish on anyone in Boulder right now. However, in Barcelona, this pastime is quite nice!

You can view the album of my photos so far here Facebook Album: Best of Barca! You do not need a Facebook account to view them.

I also have some photos up at My Photobucket Barca Album, however, I haven't added pictures or titles yet, so it's a little rough still.

Here's a picture of my TESOL class celebrating our last day of classes at The Wembley. Some of our tutors and students showed up, and we all had a great time!

I am hoping to have some more time next week to really organize things, but if you are desperate for some pictures of beautiful Barcelona, those should do for now!

Last week in Barca!

2009-10-19T12:03:00.000-06:00

Well, the time has absolutely flown by! I leave on Saturday, but I could probably spend a whole nother month here to see everything! The course has been keeping me pretty busy- I taught four lessons last week, and have three this week.We also have all sorts of projects due and tests this week, so the time will go by pretty quickly since we´re all busy. The hardest part for me is the phonemic script based on British pronunciation. It´s quite funny in class, Lizzy the Australian will say "oh right, but Jessica would say it this way- with the ´r´". I love my r´s! :) On Friday I had my advanced students write cover letters, and today we went over word stress in 4 and 5 syllable words, and I had them practice "interviewing" each other, which was pretty fun. I also made a board game with the worst pun in the world-- "the word stress-ful job hunt". Ha ha.

It´s just now getting a bit cold here, although it´s been great weather mostly. I found a great park yesterday afternoon, which had a cafe playing music. There´s also a park right by my apartment building with some wonderful landscaping (palm trees!!) and lots of picnic areas. Last week a lot of us went to the Parc de la Ciutadella and also a fountain for a light´s show, all which was really fantastic.

There´s all sorts of plazas here. For the most part, the streets are fairly bleak as far as plants go, so it seems they try to fit in little parks wherever they can, and plazas for the open spaces. You can tell it´s a warm climate here, because even in October a common weekend evening activity is just sitting on the ground in the plaza, drinking Estrellas and chatting with friends. I can´t even imagine sitting on the cold Colorado cement in a street in October!

Well, we have a test tomorrow, but I am not too worried. Most will be multiple choice with some short answer. I suppose that means I should get to studying.....

ttfn!

-Jessie

Barcelona Update!

2009-10-05T02:29:00.000-06:00

Hello all,

Last week ended up being super busy! I've already planned and taught two lessons, and will teach two more this week. Our Language Journals on Macedonian are due today, but mine is in good shape and looks great! Since everyone in the class has been working really hard, a few of us decided to relax this weekend! I came into school at 10 on Saturday and worked until they closed the school (around 2 pm). After that, we headed to the beach! There was an international Fly Race going on (sponsored by Red Bull), so the beach was crowded, but we still got a great place. The planes were really neat to watch- I can't imagine doing something like that! After the rounds were over for the day, we all hopped in the water for some amazing salt water swimming. It was a beautiful, warm summer day and perfect after a week of hard work!

Well, I just wanted to give a quick update, now break time is over and it's back to lesson planning!

:)

First few days in Spain

2009-09-29T04:06:00.000-06:00

Hola!

I had my first day of class yesterday, and it went pretty well. This week we will be learning some Macedonian to better understand what it´s like to learn a foreign language (like I didn´t know what that was like already...). I also picked up the alphabet fairly quickly, and we made name tags for ourselves in Macedonian. There´s a pretty diverse group of people in my class (including another ling major yay!), so it should be a pretty interesting four weeks.

My teaching practice for the first two weeks is at night after class, which means I have mornings free for for a while to do some touring around and study. Technically, since I don´t have to be at my TESOL class until almost 2 pm, I can sleep in and relax in the mornings. Tomorrow I will probably be palnning in the morning, as I will be teaching in the evening. My first clas is a Beginner English class. The people we teach sign up for a month´s worth of classes here at the school, it`s only like 60 Euro something, and they know we are teachers in training, but they still get lots of English education in the mean-time.

This morning I went to La Pedrera, which was amazing. They have all sorts of models set up to show the design, as well as an apartment that was pretty neat to walk through. I got some great pictures of the terrace, and some amazing views of the city from there. Tomorrow, I am thinking about going to a cafe near Sagrada Familia just for a snack afte I finish up teaching. I hear it´s great lit up at night, and I don´t think I really need to go inside, since it`s pretty touristy. There is also a Chocolate Museum which I`ll visit Thursday morning as I tour around more of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.

So far, I have managed to avoid getting lost anywhere. My tactic is to plan out my trips and check the maps before I leave my flat, and that has been working pretty well. The area around the school is very easy to navigate. The only thing about the streets in Spain, is that the street names aren´t on sign posts, but on buildings on the corner, so they´re a little hard to see at first. The schools is only 3 metro stops from my flat, and a few blocks from Passieg de Gracia (so if I feel like buying some Armani or Chanel right before class, I can....). There´s also some really good little cafes nearby. Yesterday I picked up lunch in one, and ate a "bocate con bacon", which is just some really nice fresh bread, what I think is crushed up tomato that gets spread on every sandwhich every where in Spain, and some ham and bacon. Needless to say, it was incredibly yummy. I also indulged in my default drink here which is cafe con leche. Served with sugar, it´s just simple coffee and milk, but perfect.

I´m glad I get to finally use my Spanish, although, if I didn´t know any I probably wouldn´t need it since Barcelona is such an international city. Still, it´s nice to improve at least my Spanish listening skills, and I´ve been able to use my Spanish in all restaurants, etc so far. I am staying with two other people in a flat. One of them used to work at the school I am taking my course through and usually has someone from the course stay with her each month, and the other person is an Irish guy who works at HP. They both keep everything super tidy, so that´s a nice change, and also necessary given the space we have. My room is fairly small, but it´s not like I have that much stuff, so it works. I have my own desk in there to study, and the living room is pretty nice to lounge around in.

Well, I think that´s a pretty good update for now. I`ll keep you posted on how teaching goes tomorrow!

Arriving in Barcelona!

2009-09-27T06:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I am quite tired of travelling for an entire day, but am in my flat in Barcelona, and already have my suitcases unpacked and feel at home! My two room-mates are very nice, and the pace is only a couple metro stops away from the school I will be taking courses at, so that will be really nice.

As far as how the actual travelling bit went, I will leave you with the following observations:

Apparently, arrows on signs have a different convention here in Spain. What I would interpret as a "down" arrow is what they use to convey "continue forward", which of course greatly confused me as I was trying to find the check-in kiosk for my flight. They apparently have multiple check in terminals, and no train, so my 90 minute layover in Madrid turned out to be me searching for where to get my boarding pass for an hour, then literally running through security all to Gate E *81*, but I made it just in time to hop on the plane for Barcelona.

Now I'm here, and we're going out for some entirely far too needed coffee.. Yum yum.

Tomorrow is the first day of class, so I'll try to update you on that.

Nos vemos!

Time's A-ticking!

2009-09-21T19:34:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I will be leaving in less than a week! I have pretty much everything ready to go, it's just a matter of completing my packing. I still have to finish some of my homework for my TESOL class. We have a text book How to Teach English (really creative, I know) that we must read the first 6 chapters of, and then answer questions on for completion credit. Some things were a breeze with my linguistics background- parts of speech, phonetics charts, etc. The one thing I am not a huge fan of so far, is the author will say "This might make you seem too ____, but too much of this will also make you seem ___" and doesn't really offer too many ideas for a middle ground. I guess the book is much more about learning your own personal style, and just being aware of how your students might view things, but sometimes it can be a little wishy-washy.

I would really like to take The Grammar Book that I used in my TESOL class at CU, but it's one of those huge, heavy, hard-bound books and I don't think I can justify taking it with me to Europe. It's so weird to have "homework" again. I am so glad I still don't have any on a regular basis. I always did my homework in school but it has certainly been nice not having any the last few months. Definitely something to think about when I decide to go to Grad School. Hopefully, by then I will have had enough of a break that I'll be excited to write essays again! :)

As for preparations, I picked up my Euros today at the bank, and have everything purchased that I need. Now it's a matter of packing my clothes. I pretty much have all of my school supplies ready to go, though, as well as first aid kits, laundry, etc. I didn't realize how much of this stuff I had just lying around until I started looking for it! I will definitely have to clean up my room before I leave, as it's been getting a little messy what with me moving everything around and searching through everywhere.

In other news, I very much enjoyed Talk Like a Pirate Day this Saturday. It was kind of a weird day, because I had to work in the morning, and the servers were down. After that I got home and dressed as a pirate, and enjoyed dinner at Carrie's. I have been joking because my trip to Barcelona fits right in between two of my favorite holidays: Talk Like A Pirate Day and Halloween! Luckily, I will not miss out celebrating either of them! I will leave Saturday, so if you have any specific advice for over-seas vacations, feel free to leave it in the comments!

Prepping for Barcelona, Spain

2009-09-10T14:38:00.011-06:00

September 26 draws near, and I have begun preparing for my departure. I have most of my work taken care of, and have instructions written for co-workers to make sure things get done in my absence. I also have a great packing list prepared, thanks to Catherine who found some cute packing list stationary when she was cleaning out her desk.

As far as preparing for Barcelona itself, I spent a good few hours perusing Tourist Guide: Barcelona, which has everything from restaurant recommendations to safety guides. Barcelona is a big city, which is not something I am totally used to. Although I've been to Europe before, and am at least a little more travel weary than others, I wanted to make sure there weren't special things to watch out for. After reading their safety precautions, I am not too worried. I plan to avoid most of the "touristy" places anyways, and on my spare time I intend to be traveling with fellow classmates instead of by myself. As long as I dress appropriately and am aware of the people around me, I should avoid most of the pitfalls most tourists find themselves in.

My primary purpose in going to Barcelona is to receive my Trinity TESOL certification, but obviously, to also experience Spanish culture. This includes eating some yummy stuff! Thanks to the website mentioned above, I have the names and addresses of some really good tapas places. I can even mark them out on a map and plan out my metro trips before hand, which is a plus. Anyone who knows me knows I can get lost, but if I pay attention and do my research I do pretty well on my own. The site includes some great tips on what to do at a traditional tapas restaurant, as well as what not to do.

As far as packing goes, it looks like the average temperature for September and October is between 65 and 72 degrees (F). It sounds like I will be going at the end of the warm humid season (which is good- I am not used to humidity), and before it starts getting too cool. I'll be sure to pack my umbrella as it can get rainy in October as well. I suppose I should also get used to Celcius and Metric, which is good because I've always preferred Metric anyways. It is so much simpler, it's just a matter of being able to visualize the units in my head!

Along with my preparations, I'm also trying to practice my Spanish as much as I can, since I've been out of school and haven't been hearing it daily like I was last fall. These "Review" efforts include changing my facebook to Spanish and reading some Spanish news online every day. I would love to stay in Spain, I think, and this month will be great for me to see how well I can really adjust to living there. My main concern as far as after I get my certification is whether I'll actually be able to get a legal job in Spain, since I will run into some issues not being an EU citizen. I will do my best, though, and let the opportunities fall where they may. I am glad the company helps me with career advice, however, and I am sure they have contacts around the globe to help me find somewhere. I will keep you updated on how the packing goes.

Let me know if there are some travel "must-haves" you've learned about from any of your travels. Muchas gracias!

Seattle and Chicago: Food Post

2009-09-03T12:08:00.007-06:00

I didn't have room in my last post to go over all the amazing foods and such I experienced on my last vacation, which is what this post is for!

First up, is Seattle. If you're like me and from a land-locked state, fresh sea food is always a novelty. We ate at the Crab Pot and ordered one of the "Feasts". Yes, the food was just like it sounds. They basically bring out a bowl of fresh sea food boil with Cajun spices. Our bowl included two types of crab, shrimp, clams, potatoes and mussels. It was delish! We were each given the following items to prepare for our meal: 1 Bib; 1 wooden block and gavel to crush our crab; lots of butter. It was a blast. I have a new-found appreciation for everyone who has to prepare shrimp from scratch. Mine was already cooked, so it wasn't that hard to take the head and legs and such off, but it was a lot closer to the "animal" than I usually get in cooking. Smashing the crab legs up was certainly a lot of fun though. I, of course, sent little pieces of crab flying everywhere because I'm clumsy like that.

We also had some amazing food at Pike's market. They have a cheese shop and we could see them making it right there. Their macaroni and cheese, of course, was superbly awesome!

The last day we were there we went to Ivar's, which is where everyone my family goes to every time they're in Seattle. Instead of eating in the restaurant, we just got ours "to-go" and ate outside. We basically stood in line for a few minutes and then got to shout our order to the cooks. We got some yummy fish and chips, and of course, the classic Ivar's clam chowder. So YUMMY! Seriously, their chowder is the best I've ever had and if I lived in Seattle it would be bad for me because I'd go there for lunch all the time! In case you couldn't tell, I am recommending this place for anyone who plans to visit Seattle. :)

Moving on to Chicago, I think as far as food went it wasn't as exciting. We of course went to Berghoff's for dinner and I scarfed down some yummy German food. My aunt Laure made lots of really killer quesadillas for the party at her house, and I ate a whole bunch of them. Usually I am not a big fan of chorizo, but it was pretty tasty in these.

What was interesting about the Chicago part of the trip was I had bought a book in the airport, and it was set in Chicago. See, I didn't bring anything to read, so I found an Anthony Bordain travel book and figured that would be good vacation reading. The store clerk also suggested The Time Traveler's Wife (which is being made into a movie FYI), and I figured I might as well pick it up. As I was reading through it, I discovered the author is from Chicago, and recognized all sorts of things I have seen there. The main character even goes to my favorite German restaurant (the Berghoff's) to get wasted in the novel. Entertaining. I also couldn't put the book down, which hasn't happened for a while. So, for anyone looking for a good read, I suggest it. Frankly, I don't see how they could make a movie that would even be close to comparing to the book (the guy inadvertently time travels, and the book spans like 60 years), but it might be worth seeing just to catch Nekkid Eric Bana.

In an effort to *not* end this post talking about naked actors, I will say that I enjoyed my vacation overall, and it was great to have a "girls" trip with my sister, and also to catch up with all my extended family. If I ever end up in the Chicago region, I know I'll have lots of people to visit with.

Seattle/ Chicago: Jessie is a Nerd

2009-08-08T20:38:00.009-06:00

So, recently I took a week off work to go to Seattle for fun with my sis and her friend, and also to Chicago for a family reunion. While on these trips, I got the chance to thoroughly indulge my nerdy side. Not only was there a Pirate's Plunder shop in Seattle, but the first location of the world-wide Harry Potter Exhibition is in Chicago at the Science and Industry Museum. Also in Chicago, the Field Museum's special exhibit is Real Pirates. It was like travel paradise for me.

First up, my review of the Harry Potter Expo:

Apparently, they've had a quarter of a million people go through since it's been open in April. That's crazy, and also easy to imagine since they're pushing around 40 people through every 8 minutes. There was an optional "audio" tour, but I thought "Um, why would someone like me need that?" Before our group was sent in, the leader did some trivia. The first question I heard was "When is Fred and George Weasley's birthday?" I, of course, in true Hermione fashion, shot my hand up as fast as a I could, and proudly answered "April 1st". Of course, after that, I let the little kids have all the glory. I have some dignity left, you know.

Once inside the exhibit, a few people got to be "sorted". One of the chicks said her favorite house is Slytherin, because "Draco is pretty". The guide was glad it wasn't because of any moral reasons. Seriously, I couldn't make this up. After that we got to watch a video montage that almost brought tears to my eyes, because I am that pathetic of a nerd. We then entered through the Fat Lady portrait of the Gryffindor common room and continued on from there.

I loved the Gilderoy Lockhart set up- it was perfect to see all the costumes and the props you barely get to see in the movies. I also got to pull up my own mandrake (or, mandragora) roots, which made a large shrieking sound. I also got to practice with a quaffle and sit in Hagrid's chair. Awesome, right? Overall, I think it was worth it to a dedicated fan like me just for all the props you remember from the books that were only backgrounds in the movies. The actual costumes were also fascinating as well.

Next up: Real Pirates

Now, this exhibit wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was extremely interesting. They chose to showcase the journey of one ship- the Whydaa (Ok I'm spelling that wrong). It actually started off as a slave ship, but was taken over by Sam Bellamy and became part of his pirate fleet. The exhibit aimed to quench a few common pirate rumors, and try as best as possible to capture what true pirate life was like in the Golden Age. It was fascinating to see that about half of the average pirate crew was of African or part-African descent. Consider this- piracy was illegal, and you faced hagning and public torture if you were caught. However, the honest sailor barely made any money, if at all, with all proceeds of merchant vessels going to the captain. And for escaped slaves, or Africans trying to evade slavery altogether, a society that allowed them an equal vote and equal share of wealth with all other men was highly appealing, and the only alternative to a life of suffering.

This particular fleet was hit by a hurricane, and the ship went down. The few survivors were all tried and hanged for piracy (except for the Carpenter, who claimed he had been forced into service), and the loot the ship was carrying at the time wasn't recovered. People at the time tried to find the wreck, but were unable to access it. In 1984, someone managed to piece it all together through some extraordinary research and use of technology, recover the treasure, and all sorts of artifacts from the pirate ship itself. The whole exhibit was fun and educational at the same time, and I loved it.

Also, because of this exhibit, there was Pirate stuff going on all over Chicago. When we took a trip to Navy Pier, the mall had a skit going on "Battle for the Booty". This consisted of four actors decked out in rather shnazzy pirate garb stage fighting, and then the song would change and they'd have these choreographed dance routines. Also at one point, they came out into the crowd and I got to dance with one of the dashing pirate men. Hellz yea!

Souvenirs:

Oh yes, there was some shopping

In Seattle, I got some really awesome shot glasses from the Pirate Plunder shop. I also got a cute pirate halter top. I, of course, wanted to buy everything, but that's beside the point.

At Harry Potter, I acquired a mug from the shop that changes ala Marauder's Map style when filled with hot liquid (how cool is that?!), some fudge flies, a T-shirt, and my mom picked up a bunch of postcards and such. I also got a Hogwarts School Crest wall scroll that is already hanging up.

Other pirate plunder includes a very neat pirate bracelet and lots of temporary tattoos. You never know when you might need them...

Well, that's about all for the nerdiness. Tune in next time for the complete culinary chronicles from the trip!

Portland, OR and Stevenson, WA

2009-07-27T21:07:00.004-06:00

Recently I went out to the beautiful west coast for a wedding. It was a sort of crazy trip from the last minute travel arranging on my end, to me being sort of crazy stressed for a little bit when I first got there. Once I took a breather, however, it ended up being a nice mini vacation! It was the first time I've rented a car myself, so that was a new experience in and of itself. First, I want to thank Alan and Megan for choosing such an amazing spot for their wedding!

The Skamania Lodge is a beautiful destination resort hotel. Even cast members of the Shining stayed there while they were filming. It was an awesome place and I had a wonderful time, however, with better planning on my part, it would have been *superb*. See- I didn't do too much research on the area when I booked my tickets, or I might have spent a whole week there! I did book a horseback riding tour. However, when I got to the hotel it turns out the horseback ride was a 45 minute drive from the hotel. I enjoyed my cute little black Toyota Corolla, but after an hour in the car already, I wanted some rest, but decided to try and make the horseback riding anyways. After checking in, I ordered a picnic lunch from their golf course cafe that I was planning on taking with me for the 45 minute drive. After wandering around not sure I was in the right place, I walked into the golf store. My conversation with the staff in the shop went something like this, including them trying to be helpful and me standing there freaking out for no reason:

"Um where do I pick up my picnic lunch?"

"Picnic lunch? I'm not sure what you mean."

"ACK I ordered one from somewhere from my hotel room I'm running late OMG"

"Um..."

"Isn't there a cafe here somewhere? I'm so confused!! gahhhh"

"Oh, yes the Green Peace cafe is right through that door. I'm sorry- I've never heard people ordering picnic lunches there before. How nice."

At this point I'm running around almost hyperventilating, wanting to make the horse back riding in time. I get in the car after getting my lunch, and drive for five minutes through the little town of Stevenson. At that point I'm trying to eat my chicken wrap and not get it all over the clean rental car. Still stressed. Still kinda crazy. I decide what I really need, is some good ol' R & R. What am I doing driving away from a resort? Hello, Jessie......

I head back into town, parallel park very nicely on the street and eat my yummy picnic lunch outside in the sun. Then I get some ice cream from "Granny's Gedunk". I had no idea what a "gedunk" was until I read the shop's bio on the wall. Cute. Nice ice cream too.

After that I headed back to the hotel to shower and get some rest and TV watching in before the wedding at 4. In the end it all worked out and I even had friends right across the hall to pre-party with!

The ceremony was absolutely lovely. I am not sure if it was the very heartfelt vows, the sun and wind assaulting my eyes because I had forgotten my sunglasses, or a combination of all of it, but my eyes were tearing up for most of it. Pathetic emotional girl moment. I suppose sometimes those are OK, however. Especially at a wedding of two people so perfectly matched for each other like Alan and Megan.

After the ceremony, we all chowed down on some awesome appetizers, including the best bruscetta I have ever had and lots of kinds of meats. The carnivore in me was very happy and excited.

After this, everyone headed inside for the awesome sit down dinner, with wonderful, heart felt toasts and more yummy, rockin' food. I enjoyed chatting with everyone at my table very much, and even had some fun dancing before being so tired I had to go to my room and sleep. Before leaving, however, I made sure to complete my square of the well-wishes wedding quilt that was one of the sweetest ideas ever.

The next day I woke early and came back to Colorado, rested, rejuvenated, and ready to get back to work. At least until my next vacation.....

Chicago- Part I

2009-05-12T21:56:00.008-06:00

I labeled this post "Part I" but it is actually the fourth time I've been to Chicago- I was there as a kid and went to an Oscar party for my cousin, I went there with my parents another time to visit family, and I went there for a wedding once too. Why isn't it part IV, then? Because it is the first one I'm blogging about, but there will be more, have no fear! I'm also not posting this in May, either, but that is because I'd like to keep things chronological, even if that means fabricating some posting facts.

Now, this time was to celebrate my Great Aunt Rose's 90th birthday. Never have I met another woman loved by so many because she gives so much love to everyone in her life. She's truly amazing. The party was cruise themed, and they went all out! I brought back a great little sailor hat and all sorts of decorations. All the food was amazing, even the buffet. They seared scallops right in front of me, and mixed pasta with whatever toppings and sauce I wanted. Everyone had a great time, and Aunt Rose partied till the end of it. They compiled a twenty minute video montage of her life, and it was so sweet (it also brought tears to my mother's eyes, but that was to be expected)! I was truly glad to go, and had a great time chatting with her and her daughter at the house the next day.

This was also my first trip to Chicago in a while, so we toured around quite a bit. Cousin Laure guided us through downtown and we had loads of fun in Millennium Park. We also took a trip to the aquarium because I honestly had never been to one before. It was pretty neat, but their ocean exhibit was being renovated so I missed out on the whales :( I did see some sea turtles, though... aye, sea turtles.

We also went to Berghoff's like, five times. No joke. It's a classic German restaurant that my Uncle Bob loves, so we were there for drinks, dinner, happy hour, lunch, it was super fun. I also got to experiment with all sorts of public transport- took taxis, trains, buses. I also have to admit to having to hail a cab once because I turned the wrong way down a street and by the time I realized I was lost and then figured out where I was supposed to go, I was running late. Haha, I'm surprised I only got lost once :)

All in all, it was a great trip and I got to catch up with lots of relatives, have yummy deep dish Chicago pizza (and it was not like anything I've ever had at Old Chicago's), relax, and tour around the city.