Another Day, Another Doughnut

365 days-Day 21 Island Chicken and Rice

2011-11-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

Yummy, yummy, yummy. A definite do over. This one will be in rotation to try another time once this challenge is over.

http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=2018&mealGroupId=1004

Husband tried this awhile ago at Publix and asked me to make it. Unfortunately I waited until it was no longer the featured recipe and it took awhile to find all the items but it was worth the wait. Not sure what else to say. I served it with a salad and some fruit.

As a side note I just noticed that there are no more leaves on our trees outside our front door. Guess that means fall is over. I know it is technically Dec 21 but this is a depressing day for me. Good thing the high was like 72 to help ease the pain.

365 days-Day 20 REM listening Party

2011-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

I went with Jennifer to Athens tonight for a REM listening party for their last album release. It was pretty cool. Had Chick-fil-A on the way, not so cool. At the party Mike Mills and Bill Berry showed up. Mike Mills even signed my new REM t-shirt. Guess that shirt will never be worn.

365 days-Day 19 Parmesean Crusted Chicken with Pasta Alfredo

2011-11-15T20:11:00.001-08:00

This was pretty good. Would be something to try again with maybe a little harder recipe. I had limited supplies so this worked out really well. Here is the recipe I used.

http://www.hellmanns.us/promotions/ChickenChallenge/recipe-parmesan-crusted-chicken.aspx

I served it with orecchiette pasta with alfredo sauce on top and brocolli florets.

365 Days-Day 18 Republican debate

2011-11-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Today Chad went to the first network televised Republican Presidential Debate. We always travel together to keep one another entertained so we ate out. I failed my other challenge (no beef) and ate a nasty greasy cheeseburger and decided that it wasn't really that great so maybe I can stop craving them.

365 Days-Day 17 Marsha's spaghetti bake

2011-11-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

My neighbor Marsha who I have been giving some of my dinners away to made dinner for us tonight. Actually it was for yesterday but since I had the tooth pulled we ate it tonight. Very good. Gonna have to ask her how to make that sauce.

365 Days-Day 16 tooth pulled :(

2011-11-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Insert big frowny face here. I thought I would be fine after surgery but I was soooo wrong. I did pull it together enough to go to work for an hour or so but after that I was wasted. I got yummy Chicken Soup from Monterrey's Mexican. I am off solid food for 24 hours per surgeon. Another big frowny face goes here :(

365 days-Day 15 Fresh Bread and Chicken Salad.

2011-11-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

This was always a staple in our house growing up but with Tuna instead of chicken salad. I am not big on tuna unless it is with fresh bread so I made chicken salad which I am a big fan of. I used my bread machine instead of my mixer since it is a little easier that way. This is the recipe I used:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/best-bread-machine-bread/detail.aspx

It is as good as the Krusteaz Country White mix that costs over $2-3 just for the mix. It was so yummy.

The chicken salad is a simple recipe I learned from my Memphis mama-Deborah. The amounts needed are guesses because she never measures and I never measure but I tried to take note of what I put in tonight. For a small batch I used about 1/2 -1 cooked chicken breast, 1 celery stalk (large chop), 1/2 small to medium onion (large chop), and approximately 1/4 cup Hellman's regular mayo. You can also add some salt and pepper. Dump into food processor and process till you get your desired consistency. I like it all mixed up really good and no large bits. I have a mini food processor so I make the small batches and then dump into a larger bowl and mix that up if I need more. Taste as you process so you can decide if you want to add more of something.

365 days-Day 15 Eating out

2011-11-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to see Hairspray at Brenau. It was awesome. I was worried that it being a smallish college it might not be very good. I was pleasantly suprised but it being at least cruise ship quality and maybe not quite as good as something at the Fox in Atlanta but very nice. Singing was awesome. Dancing was so so. You could tell these are vocal actors and dancing is down low on their skills but if you aren't looking for the mistakes you might not hardly notice. If you get a chance please go see this and support them so they can get even better next time.

365 days-Day 14 Fajita Quesadillas

2011-11-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

I love, love, love fajita quesadillas. They are delicious and really easy. I have always made them with chicken, but in the spirit of the challenge to myself I made them with shrimp for the first time. All you have to do is cut up about 1/2-1 bell pepper and onion and them make the marinade. I like the Walmart/Great Value Fajita mix the best and never make it ahead like it says. I throw everything in the pan together and cook. If you use chicken let that cook longer and add the veggies after the chicken has cooked 3-5 minutes. Then spread some butter or something on one side of a tortilla, place in fry pan and let it cook. While the tortilla is doing its thing sprinkle cheese all over the tortilla and then put your meat and veggies on one side of the tortilla and fold over. Done. Yummy. I forgot to take a picture but they looked like the above pic.

365 days-Day 13 Sweet & Sour Chicken

2011-11-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

Yummm. This one was good. Not sure if it ranks at the top. I think I would try a different recipe next time, but very good and very easy for novice cooks. I found the recipe here:

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/10/sweet-and-sour-chicken-stir-fry/

Not much else to say. I followed this recipe spot on except I forgot to get fresh ginger so I threw in some cinnamon and allspice with the salt and pepper. I would use the red bell pepper for presentation's sake. I used green and it didn't look as pretty as the stock photos. :)

365 days-Day 12 Baked Spaghetti with side salad

2011-11-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

So baked spaghetti. . . I give it a 2.5 out of five. I did not get sick and I didn't want to spit it out but it lacked a lot of flavor. I used really good sauce and did everything right except I used ground turkey because of the no beef thing. I wouldn't recomment but I bet this would be a whole lot better with real beef. Also I realized I didn't have regular spaghetti noodle only angel hair so I made it with some penne pasta. Here is the recipe if you want to try:
http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=60&mealGroupId=1001

365 days-Day 11 Coconut Shrimp with Orange Marmalade Dipping sauce

2011-11-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight was soooooo good. I think it was my favorite so far. This is one of my most favorite things to eat anyway. Lisa A gave me a recipe for this and I also had one from Publix and they varied a decent amount so I decided to see if there was a recipe online for Outback Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp because I mostly wanted the dipping sauce. Yipee Skipy they have it here:

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/524/Outback_Steakhouse_Gold_Coast_Coconut_Shrimp38359.shtml

Yummmmmm. You will love this recipe. It is not hard at all. I mean look at the list of ingredients. A well trained monkey could handle this. It would be easier if you could find already peeled shrimp. I fried mine in my tiny fry daddy and I wouldn't recommend this. I could only do like 3 at a time and even then I had grease boiling over. Most recipes I saw called for pulling oil in large saute pan enough to cover the bottom and cooking there. I also used fresh cold beer (thanks Marsha), not flat; and cooked immediately due to the comments people left on the website.

365 days- Day 10 Logan's

2011-11-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Ugh another night out! Tonight we stayed in Douglasville until the rain had passed through Atlanta so we could drive home in no rain or traffic. Coconut shrimp will have to wait one more night.

365 days- Day 9 Chick-fil-A

2011-11-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

Don't ya just love it? Tonight was church and we got out late from work, so it turned into a Chick-fil-A night. Bleh.

365 Days-Day 8 King Ranch Chicken

2011-11-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had king ranch chicken, broccoli slaw, salad, and fresh fruit. I forgot to take my pictures but I have the stock photo for the recipe above. Here is a link to the recipe I used.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/king-ranch-chicken-casserole-i/detail.aspx

The broccoli slaw is a fresh veggie mix from publix and you add the mayo and whatnot to turn it into slaw. The salad was a fresh express pear Gorgonzola mix and then we had strawberries and bananas. Overall the dinner was very good. This was the easiest King Ranch chicken recipe I have found anywhere and I think it could have been a lot better if there was more effort on my part. Don't get me wrong I thought it was good and will be happy to eat the leftovers for lunch but next time I might try a little more difficult recipe because I think it will be worth it.

365 days-Day 7 Leftovers

2011-11-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Failure on day 7 you ask? Well not sure because husband said he wanted to eat leftover chili and quiche for dinner. I think he was just trying to go easy on me so we could get the dogs in costume and get ready for trick or treaters. Whatever it worked for me.

365 days-Day 6 Dinner at Parentals

2011-10-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yea I did not have to cook tonight. It was birthday dinner for my awesome sister Jen who I love. Mom cooked basically thanksgiving dinner. Jen loves turkey so we had turkey and mashed taters, green beans, jello, and homemade rolls. Mmmmmmmm. I needed a break already from all the cooking. Now its time to look up some new yummy recipes.

365 days-Day 5 Smoked Beef Brisket Chili

2011-10-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today was super fun. I got a text at about 8:05 from my neighbor telling me she was leaving at 8:25 for a 5k that I recall saying I would run as long as I wasn't pregnant. My tummy was not excited about that but Chad convinced me it would be a good idea. I did a lot better than my only other 5k and was under 40 minutes. Then the doggies played with their best friend for awhile and then I went to work which wasn't so fun. After that though I made this Chili and then got to hang with Chad while it simmered.

So tonight I made Chili from the leftover smoked beef brisket that Chad smoked last Sunday. I am no longer eating beef but Chad says it was awesome. It won an award at the chili competition at Church tonight. I didn't get best overall :( If you are interested in the recipe I mostly followed this one from youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7abwxuzieyg&noredirect=1

After the Chili had simmered for about 2 hours we headed over to Church for trunk or treat. It was pretty fun cause we brought the dogs since it really normally is not that exciting since we don't have kids. The dogs were a hit. Max was a turtle and Shelby was a bumblebee. So stinking cute. I've had lots of fun. This can officially be labeled a good day.

365 days-Day 4 Bacon & Cheese Quiche and Kickin Collards

2011-10-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner was the above Quiche and Kickin' Collard Greens. Here are the recipes:

http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/easy-dinner-recipes-week-one.html

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/kickin-collard-greens/detail.aspx

I did it wrong and started the greens first thinking they would take longer and then started the quiche. If you cook these together start the quiche and work on the greens once it is in the oven.

It was also a little more work than I thought it would be. Nothing difficult but it took awhile to get it all together for the quiche.

Chad says this one is a keeper. I really don't like veggies much but the collards suprised me by not sucking and being edible. Would have been even better probably if they hadn't sat in my fridge for over a week before I cooked them. The quiche was delish. If there was anything wrong it was TOO rich and had too much bacon I think. Will definatly try a quiche again since this was my first.

365 days-Day 3 Basalmic Chicken with Baby Greens and Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocci

2011-10-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to tonight's recipe. I have fallen in love with the idea of Publix's Apron meals. For those who don't know about Publix it is a very nice grocery chain in the southeast. They have cooking demonstrations and then all the ingredients you need to make the meal right next to the demo area.

http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=74&mealGroupId=1004

They also have a list of all their recipes on their website:

http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/RecipeList.do

They are very easy to make and usually under 30 min total prep and cooking. Awesome. Not all are good or healthy but I really liked tonight's dinner. Chad agreed it was a winner. I would say out of 5 stars: hummmm 4. It might make it into the rotation after this is all said and done. Here are what my finished product looked like.

365 days-Day 2 Enchiladas?

2011-10-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Okay so today I kind of cheated. This sweet little old Mexican lady who likes to rub my tummy to try to make me be able to have babies came and brought Dr. Poole what she said were enchiladas. These were more like small quesadillas with a corn tortilla. I just had to cook them in the pan to crisp up the outside and melt the cheese inside. Got home too late to make the original dinner plan which was gonna take over and hour. Too long when you get home at 7:30. These turned out to be yummy but a little/lot bit unhealthy.

This is dessert. The Mexican lady's daughter brought this to Dr. Poole last week and we can't bring ourselves to eat this pretty jello art. I want to save it forever. How long does jello last?

365 days-Day 1 BBQ stuffed potatoes

2011-10-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

I hate cooking dinner for the record. Reasons why: I work full time and I don't feel like I have the time, I never recall volunteering to cook every night, and three I feel very unappreciated when I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and no one can even bother to help me clean up. That said I am challenging myself to change it up. I have problem: I only like to make things I know how to make and new recipes exhaust me before I even get started. Enter new Julie. I am going to cook something new every night for the next 365 days. Granted we go out to eat and eat with friends but every meal in my house will be different. After this is done I will have 365ish new dinner ideas and lots of new things I know how to make. I am counting tonight because we have never ate this but tonight was BBQ chicken stuffed potatoes. So they were not a hit but oh well. You win some you lose some. Accompanying the potatoes we has fresh steamed broccoli and broiled asparagus. Yeah I know sounds boring and yucky. I had a LONG crappy day.

10/21/10 Don't talk to strangers

2011-01-09T21:23:00.001-08:00

So I don't like to talk to strangers. Not sure if it is part of being shy, or still listening to childhood advise, or that I jsut find most people annoying but I just really don't hardly ever talk to strangers. Luckily Chad is not too interested in strangers either so I loved out little nook that we found to lay out in the sun in. It was a little hidden spot on the back of the boat. It is a tiny platform that only has room for 6 loungers. It overlooks a small pool beside us and down one level, and faces the sea through some rails. There is a little overhang above us for partial shade too. Nice breeze and we get to stare out at the wake and the churned up foam and the endless beautiful sea. Perfect. Every once in a while a bar service person will come by and ask if we want drinks. Yes please cause I got the unlimted plan!

I love Movies Under the Stars (MUTS). So far my favorite part of this cruise so far. Every night they put a cover over the lounge chairs that has a pillow and there is a huge screen over on the the pools and they have an awesome sound system. There are blankets, popcorn, and someone brings out warm cookies during the movie. Yummmm. First night was The Ocean, last night Iron Man II, and tonight The Bounty Hunter. The musicals are pretty good too but haven't been able to get Chad to go to one with me. Had to go without him. Last night it was packed an I got there late so I sat on the stairs (it was raining so I couldn't finish Ironman at MUTS). They replayed Ironman and I fell asleep at the climax of the action. That happens to me a lot during action movies. I think it is because the coversation lapses or something but give me an action movie and I am VERY likely to fall asleep during a very intense scene.

Dinner has been a fairly big disappointment. The first night was just okay. Tasted like leftovers or something. Barely better than airline food. Decent dessert though. They celebrated our anniversary and gave us a cake. We wanted to take the leftover cake with us so they wrapped it in aluminum foil and added a handle. Our funny little waited kept saying "ohhh Louis Vuitton, Louis Vuitton." It was funnier in person I'm sure. Last night Chad had escargot, crabmeat quiche, cream of asparagus soup which was supposed to have salmon dumplings, filet mignon medallions with grilled vegetables adn croquettes. Dessert was bananas foster flambe. Nothing I had was worth mention. Bummer cause this is normally my favorite part of the cruise.

10/20/2010 Today I am bliss

2011-01-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Today is good. Woke up looking for the sunrise but couldn't find it on deck 18. Must have been towards the front of the boat. Being a geographer and all you'd think I could figure out the whole east/west thing. Too much thinking involved and I am on vacation here. Anyway, went to run/walk on deck 19 and that was awesome but got a little boring cause I forgot my iPod. Retrieved my husband and we went to stake out our good lounge chairs for the day.

Lounging and reading is how I want to spend the rest of my life. Bring on the daquiris cause they are nonstop with my drink plan.

At a flat stomach seminar I attended (which I think is just to sell you on their detox plan) they said you can store up to 80 pounds of food in your colon. First thing I think is ewwwwwww nasty. Second I look down at my belly and think how dare you, and it says stop feeding me doughnuits, and I said tell that to my brain and tastebuds. If only my brocolli could be as yummy as doughnuts. Still I'm pretty grossed out and wanting some serious doses of exlax or something.

Okay they also just told me deodorant is a dangerous toxin for your body because of the aluminum. Hummmm. I think I am sticking with that one. I like having friends. Not worth giving that one up. Recommended all natural/organic options. Don't think I am hippy enough to even know where to find such an item. I love my secret deo anywway.

The Emerald Princess is nice. This is our first princess cruise. Previously we have only done Royal Caribbean (RCL). The staterooms are slightly larger than RCL and with a little better layout. The closet is awesome sortof a walk-in closet. The dining rooms are on RCL are nicer though, with muliple tiers kindof like a ballroom with huge chandeliers and stuff. RCL also has some things that Princess does not, like ice staking rink with ice dancing shows and free skating time, flowrider surf machines, rock climbing walls, and a "royal promenade" whick is like a three story mall kind of thing with balconies over looking the promenade. RCL has a younger crowd too, lots of old fats on here shuffling around with canes, looking around for friends to talk to. This boat is truely all about what the stigma is "newly wed and nearly dead."

October 19

2010-11-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Did I forget the Passports?

I think not. Chad told me he reserved the right to ask me if I had them at least 3 times in addition to the first time he questioned me about them. His dad even asked halfway to the airport if we had the passports. My response, "Unless those little buggers sprounted arms and legs and unzipeed themselves out of the front of my rollaboard and hopped out, then I am SURE I have them." Did I forget anything else? Probably, but I just haven't been out of the house enough hous to find out what I left. Bon voyage and all that stuff.

Oh and side note: skymall has the most amazing crap. If anyone ever needs an idea for a present for me just get me something from skymall. Kindof like Bed, Bath, and Beyond but more gadgets.

Chad is on the wifi on airtran and that is pretty awesome. It would be more awesome if it was free and if they would bring me a drink. Oh wait, here's the drink cart. I thought you didn't even get free drinks anymore. Mmmmmm coke. Happy Julie.

But Today was supposed to be a good day.

2009-09-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today I was going to get things done. I was gonna kick butt. I was gonna conquer the world (or at least my to do list). Instead....I found out one of our patients is going to go blind in one eye, glasses orders have been lost, and I had to refund a pair of glasses. Ugh. I need a good cry. Screw the old to do list.

No stress, no stress, no stress

2009-05-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted in a while because life is a whirlwind that I let myself get caught up in way too much. I am finally sitting down and realized I actually have time to post because the house is mostly picked up (thanks to those who cancelled our camping trip). I also thought that I was content with the way the rest of the house looks but then I discovered that I am not ok with it but I am just too damn lazy to do anything about it. Looks like I'll be getting up early to clean up.

I also figured out today as I was walking Shelby that I have GOT TO GET A GRIP. I cannot stress out and freak out so much. I just end up making everyone else crazy. Nor can I just ignore everything. I need to do as much as I can do and learn to be happy with that. Now, how can I fit my diet and exercise into my new stress free exsistance? Hummmm. Shall I ponder that over some chocolate? Crap. Where did that idea sneak up from? Ummmm, no chocolate. Maybe some fruit or something.

I am a M-O-R-O-N!!!

2009-01-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

One of the most stupid things I've done occurred today. Most people know that we have been in Orlando on vacation and visiting with Mickey. Tomorrow we leave for a little 3 night cruise and I was paying some bills today before we leave and getting a couple things ready when I realized.....WE DON'T HAVE OUR PASSPORTS! Aaaahhhhhhhh. Crap, Crap, double crap. So after some tears I tried to figure out what to do. Option one-forget the whole thing and hang out with Mickey more and lose the $400 we spent. Option two-drive all night to GA to get the passports and sleep a couple hours and drive back to FL. Option three-have my dear sweet mother find a way to break into my house and then Fed Ex/UPS the darn things to me. I finally decided I had to try option 3 although I really didn't want to make my mom do it. After 3 hours of intense freaking out the passport are safely on their way to me thanks to my Awesome mom. I owe her big time. Unfortunately, this is not something too out of the ordinary for me, so thus, I am a MORON.

Back Home

2008-11-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

So yes we are back home now. I am really sad but kindof happy to be home. Once I came back to it I realized how much I missed my own bed and having my own car. I missed my gadgets I had to leave home since Argentina is a bit dangerous. On the way home one night our driver kept running red lights if he had to stop long. I just figured he was in a bit of a hurry but when we were back at our apartment Chad told me he said that he ran the lights because if you stop very long at the lights down in the provinces then you will get robbed/carjacked. Now I am VERY glad he was running the red lights. We had to jump right back into work. It is not extremely fun. No time for unpacking/laundry/cleaning house. It's like we never left almost. Okay I am going to stop going on and on and on.

Day 12

2008-11-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

Last Day. Too sad for words.

Chad asked if I could do anything, what would I want to do, so I said I would enjoy just walking around the city again. I loved doing this. I kept saying it was like I was in a museum but it was an architecture museum. Wanted to see somemore famous sights. We ate at our favorite place for breakfast. Then we went somewhere (i forgot) before heading to Recoleta to the Hyatt where we were meeting one of Chad's friends to drop off the last of the presents we brought and a CD he made for the son. That Hyatt was incredible. It was in an old palace and I felt like dirt going in there. I felt like serious white trash. People were watching us like hawks. There was a Salvatore Fergammo? store in there. I wanted to go but we ended up meeting Chad's friends outside at the side of the building. The Hyatt was near some of the embassys and the Libertador plaza. All so beautiful. Oh yeah I decided I am joinging whatever awards program gives you points for Hyatt because I am going to stay in that palace one day.

We got lunch next. Chad was dying for a Chicken Milanesa Sandwich so we found a little cafe that looked popular and they made some for us. Pretty good I must say. We ate it in the Libertador plaza.

Day 11

2008-11-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Only 1 more day here. I don't think I am ready to go!

Another run all over town and come home exhausted day. We started the day with a visit to Puerto Madero. This is a major hotel/shopping/parks/historical port area. I thought maybe we´d see a cruise ship in port but we were on a small waterway so I didn´t see any. The Rio de la Plata is like the Mississippi in that it carries so much silt that it is forever changing/extending the coast line further out. So some of the Hotels and port buildings used to be right on the water 50-100 years ago, but are now up to a mile away or so. We met up with a young couple named Paola and Danny who had a little boy about 2. Chad knew Paola when he used to live here and then she served a mission and got married. They were a cute couple. We walked around that area for awhile and took in the sites and then caught a taxi to Plaza Italia where Chad had to meet up with someone to drop off some contacts.

We were going to go back to Recoleta to go to McDonald´s because that is what the other couple wanted but while we were sitting in the park we saw a McDonald´s down the street. I told them we could go there as long as it had air conditioning. It did so we ate. Nothing too special about it. It was a regular McDonald's experience. Woowee. We parted ways and then me and Chad headed back to the apartment to get gifts and regroup so we could head down to southern BA.

The first person we visited was named Fabiana. She is married and has one kid. We only saw the husband briefly. Chad baptised her but she went inactive shortly after that. Chad probably enjoyed talking to her but I was sleeply and missed most of it. Then she drove us down to Manolo's house. They were a cute family. When Chad was here before they had some cute little girls but now they are all teenagers. Kindof crazy. They also have a little toddler. She was adorable. I would've taken her home if I coulda. We were supposed to have an afternoon snack with them but they misunderstood or something and thought we were eating dinner with us and had planned a big BBQ. Unfortunatly we had other dinner plans and couldn't stay. We were already running behind. Luckily they had a car too and then drove us to the Mendoza's house for dinner. We had....empanadas!

Day 10

2008-11-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

Sabbath
We went to church-The End.
Just kidding I can´t make a post that short. We went to 2 churches this week instead of 3. Was much less hectic in that sense. We got a late start though and had to take a taxi to the first building instead of the train. Much more costly. The first ward we went to was Banfield 4. It was so cute, they were having their primary program. The kids were really cute and they sang the same songs as we did for our program, just in spanish. Next we went to the Pasco area. Scary neighborHOOD. Close to lots of ghetto areas. Of course super nice people. Our lunch plans we had made yesterday fell through so someone there ended up feeding us.
Next, we had a little bit of time before we were supposed to meet our next appointment so we went to San Telmo for their famous Ferria de Matadero. Much different than those we had already been to. It was in an area with lots of antique stores so you could go antiquing if you wanted. Then it was very tourist based and so very expensive (most Argentines prefer other ferrias). Then there were freaks galore. Lots of street preformers. It seemed at times some people were just doing anything they thought would be abnormal so the stupid Americans would laugh and give them a paso.

Okay more to come but soo sleepy. Plus I am way behind on pics. Not sure when I´ll get to catch up. Tomorrow is BUSY again

Day 9

2008-11-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

Today we arrived back from Iguazu at around 9:00 am and went to the apartment to clean up and unpack a bit. Then Chad was so enjoying not being on a bus that we stayed in the apartment for awhile. Then we decided to go see another ferria in Palermo. It ended up being quite small but I got Harry Potter in Spanish to read. We were supposed to be having dinner with a friend of Chad´s but they cancelled so we were trying to decide what to do. We originally intended to go to a town called Tigre on the Rio de la Plata delta but were going to have to get back for the dinner, but no dinner plans and not much else to do we caught a train and headed north.
Tigre is so cute and was so fun. First we went to an amusement park. I thought it was going to be really cheesy because it was a small town but it was so fun. Cheap too. Like 12 bucks per person. They had roller coasters and are apparently the only place in Argentina to have them. There were only 2, but we rode them and the Ferris Wheel. Because we went up so late in the day we knew we would be pressed for time so we headed out to town to find a boat to ride along the Rio de la Plata. It was very touristy but was fun and so interesting to see the little cottages along the river. We rode in the boat for an hour and then we went to the other side of town where the other train was because we were going to ride the other train back. We were very hungry by then so we searched for food. There was a really cute McDonalds with bistro tables outside along a park the followed the water but further on we saw a nicer restaurant and wen there. Once there we were originally greeted by 2 waitresses who told us to sit wherever. Once seated we could not get service. When we finally did, they were quite surly waitresses who after being seated for about 15-20 minutes, still had not brought us our drinks. Needless to say that wasn´t working so we left and just hopped on the train. It was about 10pm when we finally got back to our apartment. We had been wanting to try a restaurant that was right across the street and so we finally went in to try it. (It was good timing since people here eat dinner at about 10pm) The dinner was incredible. I couldn´t get over how good everthing was. Yummy! It just topped off another really fun day.

Day 8

2008-11-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

Another amazing day that I will remember forever. We got up early today because our bus left at 4:00 and we had to be out of the hotel by 2:00 and we still had lots of stuff we wanted to do at the falls. We started the day by walking down to the Macuco Trail that is separated from most of the other trails and is said to have lots of wildlife. Do Not Go Here! The ONLY wildlife we saw were mosquitoes and lots of them. They have freaking killer mosquitoes here that leave open wounds. My legs are chewed up from yesterday and today. We walked about a mile or so in and couldn´t even hear any falls in the distance so he decided to turn and haul our buts back to civilization. We saw nothing but mosquitoes and one huge rodent. No people. No birds. No monkeys. Nada.
Next we had planned to go on the Gran Adventura tour. A little wierd because Chad and I hate organized tours where you are hearded around but this one looked too cool. We had to wait about 45 minutes for one to start but we just chilled and enjoyed and I got oreos in the snack shop. We then boarded some 4x4 trucks that hold about 30 people. We drove along some trails in the rain forest but they said that since the trucks go by every 15-30 minutes that all the animals stay hidden. We saw some butterflys and racoons. Then we got to the end of the train and walked down 200 meters of stairs to a dock. Once there we put on life jackets and packed out stuff in waterproof bags and headed up Iguazu River (full of Paranas by the way) to go see the falls and be ¨baptised¨ as the broucher said. The boat was supposed to dip under one of the falls but the water has been too high and rough to do that but were were close enough in the speedboat to get completely drenched. I felt like it was raining. At some points the spray was so much that you couldn´t even see the falls because the water was going straight into your eyes. We went up to the falls on the Argentina side and they took us up the river to the Brazil side too. Again pictures wont do it justice, especially because we had to put the cameras up because the would have been ruined.
Afterwards we rode the trucks back to the front of the park and then to the point they picked us up at. We sat down at a restaurant there for lunch. It was already 12:30 and we had to check out by 2:00 but Chad really wanted to sit and eat. The we scurried back to the hotel and jumped in the pool to cool off on the way up to our room. Then we had about an hour to chill in the hotel until it was time to get a taxi to the bus station. It was sad to leave but I felt like we did everthing the park had to offer so it was great.
As a side note I read that the Parana/Iguazu forest is only 6% of what it once was. I was glad that both Brazil and Argentina had made what was left into National Parks. They were different from the parks in the US where in Yellowstone or places like that it is rare to see a store or restaurant or hotel inside the actual park. There were stores at all the major destinations, which was nice, but I wondered what was lost to put them there and if all that stuff kept more of the wildlife away. Just a tiny little enviromentalist in me raising a tiny little objection in my mind. I quickly squashed her in favor of having warm empanadas fresh off the trail.

Day 7

2008-11-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Iguazu Falls
Today was so amazing I can't even really describe it in words and the pictures don't even do it justice. The best describtion I can think of is to say that Iguazu Falls is the most amazing thing I probably have seen in my entire life.
We had another overnight bus ride to get here to the falls. Then we arrived at approx 1:00p.m. and checked into our room at the Sheraton Iguazu Resort and Spa. Everyone said this is the place to stay as it is the only hotel inside the national park. Rooms range from $340-$599 for 1 night. Luckily we found a half price deal with Starwood points from my sister. Thanks Jen for being awesome! We stuck out at about 2:00 to explore the wonderful world of nature.

After not being sure what we wanted to do first we decided to go the the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat) trail which we heard was the most amazing thing to see. This is where a large part of the falls start their descent. It was incredible. I just wish I could explain it, show it. Chad tood some video but I don't think even that will show just how magistic it was. Then we went on the Upper and Lower Circuit trails to view even more of the falls. Even more amazing views and got to see the beginning of even more of the falls. While walking along the upper circuit we saw monkeys! Then on the lower circuit we saw a Toucan. These are supposed to be some of the harder animals to see during the day so we were psyched. It was a little after 6 by the time we were done which is when the park closes so we headed back to the hotel.

After we got back we reserved a couples massage at the spa and then headed out for dinner. We ate at the Colors Pizzaria and Parrilla (grill) in Puerto Iguazu. It was pretty yummy. Fresh made dough and ingredients. The food is just some awesomely fresh here. There is a bread shop on every block in Argentina. I LOVE it. Then it was time for our massage. Not the best massage ever, because my sister in law gives those,but really nice to be in the same room with Chad. Then we got our own private whirlpool for 40 minutes and then access to the sauna and showers. It was late and they were closing so I passed on those. An awesome ending to a most amazing day.

Day 6

2008-11-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

Back in B.A., Capital as they call it here. We arrived at 7:20 this morning and I was so tried but was looking forward to a whole day here in the city without running around trying to find people and not being able to participate in conversations. I´ll stop complaining about that, maybe. We spent most of the morning unpacking, showering, laundry, etc. Then we went and had kindof a brunch since it was past breakfast time but most places weren´t serving Lunch. Then we packed our drinks for the day and headed out for China Town and Palermo.
Once in China Town I forgot why we really came. They don't have the good knock-off handbags like in NYC. Then Chad set out to find me a new Chinese dress as my awesome exsiting one has a few holes. We finally found a long one with sort sleaves in my size. Kind of depressing because the sizes run about 2-3 sizes smaller than the U.S. My dress is like 3 sizes larger than I would normally wear. Yikes! Not good for the ol' self esteem.
Then we wanted to go to Palermo but it was so hot that we didn't care to go to any of the parks that Palermo is famous for so we went shopping in the Alto Palermo mall. Palermo is also known for its shopping and Alto Palermo was no exception. I don't think I could have afforded much in there. Even though there was some air conditioning it was just so hot today that we decided to come back to the apartment and chill while packing for our trip to Iguazu falls.

Day 5

2008-11-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

I do know how to count at least to five in espanol but I don´t feel like spanish today. So day 5 was very awesome for us but not as exciting as some of our days. The ride on the omnibus (overnight double decker bus) was way better than the airplane but not as good as I had read about on the travel blogs. The seats were pretty comfortable, especially for riding around. The food was okay but one one blog they acted like it was 5 stars. It is much, much better than airplane food but not even as good as takeout of anything. I had trouble sleeping. It seemed to me that on our bus (Urquiza line) it seats went a little beyond 180 degrees and felt odd to me. Plus I woke up almost every time we turned which was alot during the first night (not sure why we weren´t on a freeway-I think maybe the freeway ran out).
La Falda-As all the Argentines would say when we told them we were going here, ¨La Falda is muy, muy linda¨. Or La Falda is very, very pretty. It is similar to some of the towns outside the smokies (except Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge) as it is at the base of some fairly small mountains. It is a small town that is probably driven quite a bit by tourism. There are some small waterfalls called the 7 Cascades. Cascades are small waterfalls while Iquazu are cataracts. The falls were very pretty. It was right next to a dam they built in La Falda. Every time we would go outside though it would rain. It started to sprinke when we got out at the falls so we snapped a couple quick pics and went for cover. Then it stopped so we went to some of the vendor stalls at the market there and it started to really rain so we tried to stay covered and went back to where we were before. Then it stopped so we got some ice cream and walked a hiking trail around some of the park. We made it back to the falls and were starting to take pictures when it started raining again. This time we wised up and stayed under cover until it was time for our taxi to pick us up. On the way home we stopped to see the LDS church in La Falda so we stopped and took pics and walked around to the back side of they building. Guess what? I think you can figure it out. It started to sprinkle. Oh yeah and somehow black goo got all over Chad´s shorts. Stupid crappy Remis. Then we went to see the house our friend is trying to sell. Yep, as we took photos it started to sprinkle again. It was only doing this when the camera was out now that I think about it. Stupid camera´s fault.

Day 4

2008-11-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

Coins, Trains, and Lanes

Some of the interesting things that I’ve learned in my 3-4 days here in Argentina are as follows:

1.It is almost impossible to get coin change (monedas) here, yet you have to have coins to ride public transport. For instance the national bank says all banks have to give you change if you ask for it so today we waited in line 30-40 minutes and they would only give us 2 pesos in change. The law is supposed to be 20 pesos minimum if you ask for it. 2 pesos is not even a dollar. ($0.66 USD) It is enough for 1 bus ride only.

2.I was having trouble picking my favorite kind of transportation around the city, but today I chose Trains. Taxis are very expensive, like 15x what subways/buses are (plus people here drive like maniacs and I cringe inside the taxi afraid for my life). A remis, “ray-meese” translates to mean a limo, but is really just a private car. Remises are less expensive than taxis, like 5-10x public transport and are very often old cars that could break down any minute. I really liked the buses until today. Most buses you can find one to take you to your destination, while subways you have to change lines or change to a train blah blah. The buses are slow though. You have to go to all the stops plus you can wave them down like a taxi pretty much and they stop so that makes it extremely slow. We also had to wait in line for it through 3 buses. I don’t know why I don’t like the subway. Mostly because it doesn’t go as far as I would like. The trains are best for going to the suburbs as they are the fastest way. Everyone says it is not very safe but I haven’t been too concerned except until this evening when we saw a fight at the train station, but fortunately we found a train car half full of police/security. When we sat down there, we knew we could relax even though we were riding the train at night time (supposed to be a little dangerous according to our Argentine friends).

3. No one pays attention to traffic lanes. That includes cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and scooters. I am going to have some seriously high blood pressure if we take very many more taxis. If the road is meant to be 1 lane then you can definitely do 2 lanes. If 2 lanes than go 3. 3 lanes can be 4 or 5. Avenida 9 de Julio is like 8 or more on each side but usually is about 10 cars weaving around like freaking Nascar.

Today was a run errand day and sleep in day. I needed more bottled water. We thought we needed another phone card and we seriously needed change for the buses. We scurried around all morning getting stuff and planning our trip some more. Finally we printed some photos of our wedding, family, and home to show and give to Chad’s friends and set out for southern Buenos Aires and the horrible bus ride. We took the subway most of the way to the bus because we wanted and walked though downtown the rest. We stopped to have a good look at the spectacular and beautiful National Cathedral downtown beside the Pink House. Then we got to wait like 30 minutes to get a seat on our bus. Then commenced 90 minutes of misery. I am pretty sure it is close to Hades because it was HOT and crowded. Then, the stupid bus wasn’t even the right one, and it took us through some pretty scary slums. We decided to get off and take a Remis to finally get to the Flores family’s house. Chad teased me and asked me if I wanted to get out to look for a car when we were stopped beside a villa of homes made from scraps of wood and metal. The bus still went close to our destination and the remis took us the last couple miles. The visit with the Flores family was good. Nothing too exciting but Hermana Flores was very sweet and made us sandwiches and gave us ice cream from a private creamery. Then we had to hurry back to the city to make it in time for our over night bus to La Falda. It is in central Argentina in the mountains, very close to where Chad’s brother Brian served his mission. I am writing from the bus and it is pretty nice so far. Our wide leather first class seats lay all the way down 180 degrees with a divider between our seat and the next. It comes with a blanket, pillow, two meals, beverage service, and movies. We will be almost to La Falda when we wake up. The post will go up later when I have internet again.

Dia Tres

2008-11-03T04:05:00.000-08:00

Note about this post: Some of this might seem boring to you folks but I am not bothering to write in a journal like I normally would during a vacation so this is also for me to go back to.

So this is our fourth day but I was too tired to post yesterday. Our day started out by getting up at 6:30 (after falling asleep at about 3:30) and getting ready for church. Chad wanted to go to 3 different ones in the space of three hours so he could try to find people he knew before. The subway was not running until 8 so we caught a taxi to the train station and took the light rail first to an area called Zeballos. It took us till after 9 to get there and church had already started. We saw the bishop first and Chad talked to him and apparently all the members that Chad knew are not attending any longer. I thought it was wierd but it has been 10-11 years. Next we took a Remis (private taxi where the owner uses their own car) to Gutierrez and made it for most of their testimony meeting. Lots of people there recognized Chad and he had fun talking to them after the meeting. We made plans to meet with one of his favorite families-the Flores family the next day which is today. Next we went to Quilmes which is famous for its beer factory. The Quilmes beer brand also sponsors Boca futbol team. We caught the tail end of church there so we saw some people as they were leaving. Only a couple of people knew Chad but we talked to some of the missionaries there and it was great for me to speak in English for a couple of minutes because I have been a virtual mute for most of this trip. The neighborhood the church was in was very nice which was pretty abnormal from most of what I´ve seen since being down here. Afterwards we met with one family that was at Church that we some how missed seeing. There were very nice.

They lived next door the a shrine for a crazy saint called Gaucho Gil. It is pretty funny. We forgot to take a picture but Chad has one from before. We drove around trying to see other people for awhile and then visited with the Napolitano family. Again we forgot to take a picture. They lived off a dirt road in what I thought was a very shady neighborhood and I was worried about having to use the bathroon there but I REALLY had to go. When we went inside the house was beautiful. Very cute. No problemo in the bathroom except there was no handle for the tiolet. I didn´t want to not flush but I couldn´t figure out what to do. Finally I just thought about normal toilet plumbing and found the little wire (in a hole in the wall just sticking out) that would be where a handle would attach in a normal toilet and just pulled on that. What´s the worst that could happen? Just flooding their bathroom and being totally mortified. No worries it worked! I am a plumbing genius! I totally fell asleep sitting up in my chair at the kitchen table I was so tired. Then Chad asked me a question and since I don´t hear well anyway I just made him repeat it and played it off. Later I told Chad I was asleep. We saved our final visit of the night for Chad´s friend Mariana because we knew that could take awhile. It was a great visit. We talked for such a long time and she even tried to talk in English for me if she knew the words. It was so sweet because I longed to be able to talk to someone besides Chad. We also had some of the best empanadas delivered to us hot and fresh. Then they walked us to our bus stop and we caught my favorite bus home.

Dia Dos

2008-11-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ahhh. What an awesome day. Chad got up and got ready before me and while I was getting ready went and got breakfast at the panadaria. He brought home some fresh bread and really yummy pasteries. Today we spent most of the day in the neighborhood (barrio) of Recoleta. Recoleta is most famous for it´s cemetary so that was our first stop (really we first had to stop at an air conditioned movie theater so we could cool down ´cause it was hot!). The cemetary is very similar to ones in New Orleans I believe with all intricate masoleums.

The other reason it is so famous is because Evita is buried here. There were tons of people in front of her grave but none of the other ones were very popular. We thought it was very interesting to look through the windows into the masoleums and see what all was there, however as we were walking we saw someone open the door to his family masolum to go in and pay is respects. Chad noted how wierd it must be because it is such a tourist destination that it is really not such a somber place and I think some of the respect is gone perhaps, but it was beautiful and fascinating all the same.

Next we went to a ferria (flea market) just down the street from the cemetary. That was a lot of fun. We picked up some things we needed and some that we probably didn´t need. Lunched on empanadas again at the ferria because I love them so. After that we went to the Hard Rock Cafe to look around.

Afterwards we got some delicious ice cream right outside the Hard Rock and sat at the tables overlooking one of the streets in Recoleta. Chad then figured out what bus (collectivo) we needed to catch to get to the bus station that sells the tickets for long distance bus rides. We bought our tickets to go visit his friend in La Falda and our tickets for Iguazu.

Next we took the subte and train down to one of the areas that Chad served in during his mission and looked for people he knew. We found 2 out of the 4 we were looking for. Then it was starting to get dark so we went to see the Chapel down there before heading back home. Our taxi driver was so awesome. She told us it wasn´t safe to ride the train at night so she chased down the bus that would take us all the way back to the city center.

Once back in the city center we shut down the subways and caught some of the last trains back to our apartment. Then we got a late dinner at Burger King. We just couldn´t go too long without our American food (plus I thought they would have coke from a fountain but no luck).

Me and the Daddy Yankee sign. Very sad that we missed the concert.

Dia Uno

2008-10-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here we are safe and sound in beautiful Buenos Aires Argentina. The Paris of South America (if Paris has crumbing buildings and grafitti everywhere) or so they say. We got here after an approx. 10 hour flight that was in some ways better than I thought it would be and in some ways was much worse. The first 4 hours or so were great. It turns out if you travel in the awesome Boeing 777 you have your very own TV screen and remote and can chose between like 10 movies to watch and about 10-15 TV shows. I watched Mama Mia (saw it on Broadway but couldn´t resist listening to all those great ABBA songs) and then after dinner (YES! They actually fed us a real meal on a plane) Chad and I both watched Wall-E on our TVs. After that I decided to try to catch some shut eye. That did not go well, and after about 4 hours trying to sleep and getting about 45 mins worth I decided it wasn´t worth it and just listened to music. The ride was smooth and comfortable otherwise.

Instead of being smart and taking it easy the first day we wanted to go, go, go. As soon as we checked into the apartment and signed the contacts we got ready real quick and went in search of pre-paid cell phone cards and Empanadas. We were supposed to have lunch with Chad´s friend Mariana but we needed a snack. While we got the empandas she called and told us where she wanted to meet so we headed on over. We toured the Burger King on Florida Ave that is in an old palatial homestead. It was so gorgeous except for the orange and blue tables everywhere. While we were there Mariana called to say she couldn´t make it because her boss had to meet with her so we struck out on our own for La Cabrera which we heard were the best steaks in BA. Here is our food.

It turns out that if these are the best steaks in Argentina I am done with Argentine steaks (supposedly world renowned). It was good once you got around all the fat but there wasn´t much besides the fat and it was never exceptional. Anyway, on the way in to the restaurant I broke my sandal and needed to head home after that. We finally wised up and took a nap after being grumpy and grumbly all day up till then.

After our naps we freshened up again and went out to find groceries and more Empanadas for dinner. Chad wanted to take me to the Pink House (where Evita Peron lived and the Argentine presidents live) and the Plaza de Mayo in downtown BA. I also wanted a closer view of Ave 9 de Julio (widest road in the world) and the Obelisk in the center of 9 de Julio.

I was really upset to see the national catedral in the main plaza had grafitti on it. You could tell it happened before and was painted over but the paint didn´t match. There was no sign I could see that said it was the National Cathedral or that above was the pink house. It is like they don´t have pride in their National Heritage or something, which I know is not the case but I was kindof disappointed none the less.

After the Plaza and Obelisk we took the Subte (subway) to the Constitution station (like grand central in NYC to catch a light rail train to a barrio close to downtown to go to Wal-Mart (because sometimes you need to feel like a redneck even when you are in a foreign country).

Wal-Mart, even in Argentina, just reinforced that it is not my friend, but we got some good crap. So now I just posted this blog that took forever and probably took you forever to read, if you even made it to the end at all. No worries as this is for my own purposes as well.

Aeropuerto

2008-10-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

So here we sit in the Miami Airport. Our flight is scheduled to leave in a few hours for the grand journey to Argentina. This is going to be the furthest I've ever been from home and the longest vacation. I am so freaking excited. The journey down was pretty uneventful except our flight our of Atlanta was an hour and a half late. Luckily we had a long layover so we didn't have to run to our next flight. When we arrive in Argentina it will be Friday! I can't wait to post and show you how awesome it is.

Wicked

2008-10-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Wicked! As in wicked awesome if I was from Boston. We went and saw Wicked on Friday 10/24 and it was so fun. I loved the story so much. I would highly recommend getting on the Wicked Is Cool bandwagon. It is a fun ride.

1 week left

2008-10-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

One more week of work left till the great escape. SO the reason we are going to Argentina is that Chad served his LDS mission there, and like all missionaries, wants to go back to visit. We are staying in the barrio norte section of Buenos Aires which is technically out of Chad's area that he served but most of his area was rural. I am so excited to go to the Southern Hemisphere so like Homer Simpson I can watch the toilets flush in the opposite direction. I promise to post lots of pictures. Like this one. This is the apartment we have rented.

Ok so I am having technical difficulties but here is a link to it.
http://www.bytargentina.com/re/propview.php?&ano_ing=&dia_ing=&mes_ing=&ano_sal=&dia_sal=&mes_sal=&apartmentclose=&view=2297

8 days

2008-10-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

The final countdown is on. Only 8 days for the big tip to Argentina! I am so excited except for the fact that I know practically no espanol. No worries b/c I have my own personal interpreter. We will try to post every day while we're down there so people know how things are going and to make you all j.

Update for my long lost friends

2008-10-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Since this blog is to help me and Chad keep with with some of our old friends I shall give an update. Chad graduated from Optometry School 2 and 1/2 years ago and we set up our office almost 2 years ago. The baby making business is not going good so that is on the back burner for awhile since it is quite expensive when you are self-insured. That will be the last we talk of that on the blog. Our life is made up of both of us working 6 days a week and coming home and chillin. We still have the sweetest dog in the world, Shelby. I am in a quest to become a proper redneck since I live in and was raised in Georgia. Much to my sisters' chagrin I Love Nascar (also love the song by Cletus T. Judd). I work on the accent some but it is not coming along. We bought our house almost 2 years ago and love it. Hummm, not sure what else but I will come up with more updates on our lives if I can think of anything interesting/funny.

At our wedding

Our House

Shelby

The office

Beelzebub's Printer

2008-10-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Okay so we decided to buy a new all in one printer so Chad could scan photos of his mission and make a photobook of them. Guess what? I think this printer is satanic. It is evil. It HATES me. I hate technology that is so "advanced" that it takes weeks to learn how to use it efficiently. Luckily I am going home early so I can play housewife and figure out the satanic printer/scanner. Yeah me!

Biggest Loser

2008-08-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

So today is the start of round 2 of the Flowery Branch Biggest Loser competition. (Also the internet is working again after 2 days of being out at the house.) I was not really good with food but I have not had any Coke! Watch out world here I come. This is so totally lame. I am going to quit before this post deteriorates completely.

Red

2008-08-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

So today I got my hair dyed red. Most people did not like it. I got a lot of "look at you", "look at your hair" instead of "that's cute" or "I like your hair." Thats fine for me though because I like it. My employee was very concerned that Chad would not like it. More annoying though is my wretched cold that make me sound like a goofy frog. Oh well. We played ourdoor olympics and some people got good pictures. I only had the iphone with me but I am going to try to add those to the post later. Bill was like the Michael Phelps of our olympics. He took the most gold, although it was not a clean sweep I don't think. Frick. I have snot that just starts running out of my nose. No advance warning. Ugh. Gross. Got to go blow my nose. Oh yeah and I think my iphone might have broken. What an odd day. Doesn't even nearly rank as a bad day because I've have so many worse.