Archive for September, 2008

This morning (09/29/08), Scott was gracious enough to drop us off at the Penn Station in downtown Baltimore before he headed back to study for his big exam. We took the Marc train into DC. From there, we transferred to the metro station and found our way to our hotel. I am quite proud at our traveling success….and our ability to read English. Okay, perhaps I shouldn’t be so proud, but as a person that loses her way quite frequently, the fact that we never once had to pull out the GPS, means I get to feel a certain sense of accomplishment.

After dropping off our bags, we dove right into my itinerary for the day. Those of you that know me well, are sure to expect a detailed schedule from me. I studied all the locations that we wanted to visit, and mapped out a schedule for every day this week, with contingencies based upon weather . I’ve been told to just go with the flow and relax by several different people on several different occasions. However, it’s just not in my nature to meander! My crazy organizational schemes is not something I can control! Though I did try, for Andy’s sake on this vacation. He likes roaming around aimlessly once in awhile. I can’t stand a lot of it, but surely I can give him one day! Therefore, I have made Friday the “unscheduled” day. That ways, anything we hear about or accidentally skipped will still get done! Which…if I plan an unplanned day, is it really still unplanned? How very philosophical?

Today, we started with the Library of Congress. It’s a neat building, but the tour was a bit of a bore. Sure, the docent had some interesting information, but I was hoping for a little more entertainment! The highlight of the museum was definitely getting to see Thomas Jefferson’s original library. How cool! His collection is in a variety of languages and in every subject under the sun! What an interesting hobby!

The front of the Library of Congress

Then we continued to the Supreme Court. Andy was happy that he got to see the actual courtroom (is that what it’s called?). All I can say, is that the decorator really needs to rethink all that red velvet! Geez Louise! Okay, perhaps that comment was a bit shallow. Sorry! Yes, it was very momentous to see the room where some of the most important decisions in the nation were made. When we came back outside, there was a protest for something or other going on. However, the protesters had taped their mouths with red tape. I find this a little useless. How is the general public or the supreme court for that matter going to know what is troubling you if you refuse to say anything! Seems like common sense to me!

Andy in front of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Room with the massive amounts of red velvet...

Afterwards, we visited the Capitol. Sadly, we have to wait until Friday for the tour via our Texas senator. So, we took some pictures and headed for the Washington Monument. This is actually quite a walk! My calves and thighs are getting a decent amount of exercise while we’re here in DC!

It's Me! In front of the Capitol! Don't I look thrilled?

We finally get a photo together in front of the Washington Monument!

Mr. Artistically Patriotic Andy did this one...

Then we headed across the way to the White House. There was some group right in front of the fence with a giant cross praying for someone’s soul. So, we avoided the crowd and roamed around the grounds for a bit. Sadly, there was nothing to see except lots of vines and shrubs.

It's the White House view from the Washington Monument

We took the metro back to the hotel to rest, relax, and freshen up. For dinner, we met up with another high school friend, Shernuk. He took us to the ever popular Georgetown area for some wood fired pizza. Yum! The place is called Pizzeria Paradiso, and I highly recommend it! I am totally exhausted from our day of being completely touristy! Time to retire for the evening, so we can start again tomorrow! Here’s the link for our gallery which houses the photos up to this point…(which by the way, you do realize that there are more photos than the ones I’ve blogged in the gallery, right?)

We are going to be in the Washington DC area for the next week on vacation, for those of you that aren’t in the know. Of course our hotel has high speed internet, an Andy requirement for acommodations. I enjoy the fact that it’s clean, it has a LOT of space, we have a full kitchen (though we haven’t a clue what to do with it), and it’s very conveniently located. It’s called One Washington Circle Hotel, located in Foggy Bottom (I thought for a while that it was Soggy Bottom and was subsequently quite confused). It is just a block away from the metro station, and extremely close to Georgetown (where a lot of tasty looking cafes and restaurants can be found). Anyhow, since I have a little time in the evenings, I figured I may as well update the blog, saving myself the headache of writing a massive post at the end of the week. Though I may not be awake enough to post every night, I’ll try to get to it every couple of days.

Getting on with it already! Saturday (09/27/08) we left our beloved Jabber in DFW and flew out to Baltimore. It is much more cost effective to fly into Baltimore than directly into DC. Plus as a bonus, we have several friends in Baltimore. Of said friends, this includes Scott, his girlfriend Christina, and their puppy dog Bosco. Scott was nice enough to extend his home to us for a couple of days so we could explore Baltimore, something I’ve never really thought of doing. It’s not that I have anything against Baltimore, it just hasn’t really ever crossed my mind! Sadly, Saturday was spent inside enjoying Scott’s neat apartment, for it rained, poured, and gushed. It rained from the time we arrived till the time we went to bed that night.

We did, however, venture out twice, both times for sustenance. We braved the elements for some very tasty food. For lunch, Scott and Christina took us to Mama’s on the Half Shell. Unbeknownst to me, Maryland is THE place to go for crabs, and Mama’s is the best place for crab cakes. My mouth is watering just thinking of those crab cake sandwiches. So tasty, such big chunks of crab, yum! Then for dinner, we met my old high school friend, Audrey, at Ra. It is a super posh sushi restaurant in a hip part of town. It was great getting to catch up with friends, it’s been way way too long!

Audrey and me at Ra eating sushi

All of us at Ra, check out those bamboo lights!

Sunday was much nicer, as far as the weather is concerned. We started the day with a nice stroll around the Baltimore harbor. We got to see several of Baltimore’s museums and landmarks. In the end, we decided to visit the American Visionary Art Museum. It is very interesting, a little disturbing and bizarre, but definitely stimulates the mind. The amount of detail and care a person can pay to a single object/piece of art is crazy! If you have time and are in the area, I highly suggest checking it out.

It's a sparkly bus decorated in bunnies...how visionary!

Scott, Christina, and me in a tree house behind the Visionary Art Museum

Later that evening, we met up with Zach and Mattie for dinner at Brewer’s Art. It’s a neat local place with extremely good food. I don’t know how we’re going to manage to stick to our health routine this week! I guess it means, more walking for us! We went back to Zach’s apartment for coffee, and we met their puppy dog Artie. I love people that save pound puppies! I can’t imagine either Bosco (Scott and Christina’s pooch) or Artie in a better home than they’re in right now. To think that someone didn’t want them, it just breaks my heart. It’s also the reason why I’ve been banned from going to any pet adoptions/pounds/shelters, otherwise I might come home with 10 more dogs! Come to think of it, I don’t think Jabber would approve either.

It's Bosco! The most photogenic dog in the world! He actually poses for photos!

Zach, Mattie, Artie, and me at Zach's nifty apartment

So, in the end, Baltimore was fun! A lot of it had to do with the people we were with, but there was definitely enough to keep us entertained. I do enjoy the neighborhood names though, and the rest of country could do to follow in their naming footsteps (i.e. Ridgley’s Delight, Tuscany, Fell’s Point…etc) Click here for all the photos up to this point…

It’s been a busy September, and it’s going to keep right on rolling into October. This past weekend, we had the pleasure of getting a visit from our friend Kat. She drove up from Austin Friday night, and left this afternoon. Friday night was spent catching up on life, swapping stories, and just enjoying the pleasant company. We went out for a fantastic dinner, as always, at Trulucks. It has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants, the food is always perfect and the selections well varied. No matter what I try, it’s my favorite. That night I had the scallops in the most perfect tangy sauce with a neat pyramid of crab fried rice. Yum! I’ve become a big fan of scallops recently.

Kat and I always manage to match, no matter how unintentional.

We got up relatively early on Saturday (09/20/08) so Kat and I could go get a well deserved pedicure. It was relaxing, and they did a nice job. However, the lady at the nail salon asked me as I was paying if I was asian. This is question that I’ve never had to face. Do I not look asian? I’ve always thought I carried the asian characteristics quite well, in fact. I was so puzzled by her question that I had to ask her to repeat herself. I’m afraid I also gave her a rather sarcastic response. Oh well, perhaps she shouldn’t ask such silly questions!

After a nice lunch at Mellow Mushroom, a quirky little pizza place downtown, we headed for Glen Rose. Now for those of you that frequent this site will know that Glen Rose is the home of the Creation Evidence Museum and the Dinosaur Valley State Park that we visited a couple weekends ago. Don’t worry, we didn’t go again for the same attractions. While researching Glen Rose for the last trip, I came accross the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Though we didn’t have enough time during our previous outing, I made a mental note to go back. Yesterday seemed like the perfect opportunity, the weather was beautiful, and Kat was more than willing to go on a safari with us

It’s not really a zoo, it’s a wildlife preserve. To help pay for their research, they allow visitors to drive through the area. It took about three hours to finish the tour. The animals just wander up to the vehicle, stick their noses in the window, and ask for food pellets as they please.

More food pellets please!

Though the majority of the park was filled with tame deer like animals, there were also some more exotic creatures. We really got a kick out of the zebras. They’re so pretty! I love that their stripes look so fake, like they’re painted on!

Zebra anybody?

For some reason, the animals (zebra included) really loved Kat's arm and steering wheel...

The most awesome part was when the giraffe stuck his head through the sunroof. He ate the food pellets right out of our hands, how slimy!

Attention passengers, do not be alarmed but there is a giraffe in the car!

It was a great experience, and I’m so glad we went. It was a spectacular adventure! Okay, adventure may be being a little too dramatic. However, I choose to treat it that way. I had fun and besides, my imagination can make up the difference between a Glen Rose park and a wild African expedition.

What a lovely view, what a perfect picture of a cute couple...if only I weren't grimacing...sigh

Kat with a cute stubby little goat, petting zoo = really tame old animals

After Glen Rose, we headed to Ethan and Donald’s apartment for a casual barbeque. It was nice, but in the end we finished the evening out on the couch at home nibbling on chips and queso while watching last week’s Project Runway. Sadly, Kat had to leave today…job schmob! I suppose she had to get back to Josh, but we can’t wait to hang out with them again soon! Today was spent just being bums. The week is going to fly by, and before you know it we’ll be in DC for vacation! Like I said, September has been crazy, and I wouldn’t change a second of it! (click here for more grizzly animal pictures)

Last week was pretty uneventful, until I got rear ended that is. No worries, everyone is fine. Even my car has been fixed and is back to being shiny and new. Just a simple case of I stopped, and the guy behind me didn’t. Problem was that he didn’t have a driver’s license or any insurance. So, the police had to be called and a report filed. In the end, my uninsured motorist insurance pays for all my damages. So, things are fine, though I did get to drive the most awesome rental car EVER, a Dodge Caliber (by awesome, I mean totally not).

Beyond that, we had a fantastic weekend. Cathy, Andy, and I went out to dinner Friday night at Kirby’s Steakhouse. What wonderful food! However, the problem with such tasty things is that you tend to eat just a little too much! Sigh…I suppose that’s what gym time is for, making up for the things you’re tempted to consume. Cathy had a 6 oz peppercorn filet, Andy a normal 6 oz filet, and I had some beef tenderloin in a spicy pepper sauce. Yum!

Cathy, me, and Andy at Kirby's for large amounts of meat.

Later that night, we went over to Donald and Ethan’s apartment for some card games, Guitar Hero, and just general awesomeness. Sadly, Cathy had to leave on Saturday. This was inconveniently during the supposed hurricane that was to hit Dallas-Fort Worth. We did get quite a bit of rain in the morning/afternoon, but that’s it. No gale force winds that I can recall. The weather couldn’t prevent us from having plenty of good puppy time before leaving for the airport though! Cathy made it home safely, though we’re very sad to see her go. Jabber lost her daytime buddy!

Cathy loves it when Jabber licks her face, can't you tell?

In the evening, I met up with Kim, Krystina, Andrea, and Francis for dinner at Chili’s to celebrate Kim’s 30th birthday, Francis’s 23rd birthday, and wishing Krystina a fond farewell as she gets ready to move to Florida at the end of the month. (Andy escaped the girls’ night and headed downtown to hang out with Donald and Ethan)

Francis, me, and Andrea at Chili's

After dinner, we headed back to the house to play card games, listen to music, eat cake, and chat. We had a lot of fun, though a lot of the night was pretty bizarre. We had a few drinks and as the night progressed, the topics and activities went a little awry.

Chatting, snacking, and having fun

Us having a good time, Jabber being confused

Some of the stranger things that occured were: 1. What to do when one gets a cramp? Sit still or walk it out? (demonstrations were provided) 2. Chasing Jabber around the living room hollering, “I’m going to get you!” (no, it wasn’t me) 3. Spanish lessons 4. Learning how to pop your hip out. 5. Trying to do a crip walk (by the way, I was the only one that had NO idea what that meant. But wouldn’t you be more surprised if I DID know? Apparently it’s a dance where they spell “CRIP” with their feet. I think it would be much more impressive if they spelled out something more fun, like “CUPCAKE”) 6. Exclaiming multiple times that most of my house plants have died/been murdered/committed suicide…etc. All in all, it was terrific party. It’s nice to spend a night out with the girls, but everyone’s schedules are so hectic that these nights are few and far in between.

But soon, everyone was falling asleep and we decided to call it a night.

Francis and Kim falling asleep on our comfy teddy couch

Krystina trying to wake up Andrea

But first some birthday cake, and really what is a birthday without getting your cake smashed in your face?

Happy Birthday Francis and Kim!!

I went and picked Andy up from the his party location this morning, and we’ve spent the rest of the day just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful post-hurricane weather. September is already half over, a strange concept. Before you know it, the holidays will be here, and another year gone. I’m trying to make the most of it though! (click here for all my photos from last weekend)

So far, I’ve had a fantastic weekend. It is, of course, another 4 days off for me. Thank you new job! Late Friday afternoon, Cathy and I headed to the neighborhood pool for some lounge time, making it the SECOND time I’ve been to the pool this summer. I love that all the kids are back in school. It means we had the pool pretty much to ourselves. Andy joined us after he got off work early, a nice surprise.

Now if you know me, you understand that I’m somewhat of a wimp. Nothing I’m ashamed of, I’m just really really very cautious. This is a stance that I’ve always had, from the time I learned to walk/toddle probably until the day I die. For example, I understand the concept of jumping into the pool, thereby reducing the amount of cold shock one has to endure. However, I simply cannot get it over with. So while Cathy and Andy are merrily hopping around the pool like bunnies, I am still on the steps, carefully and meticulously dipping myself into the cold water. I have a tendency to walk down a step, decide it’s too cold and back up a step. It’s a long process. You can make fun of me all you like, but my method will remain the same. I very much so do not appreciate splashers, just let me do my thing. It’s not like there was a pressing marco polo game waiting on me! For the rest of the afternoon, we alternated lounging by the pool enjoying the sunshine and good weather, and taking a dip in the pool.

Saturday was a true adventure in every sense. We decided to visit Glen Rose, Texas, a trip we’ve been meaning to make for awhile now. So, we got up decently early, and headed down to Fort Worth to pick up Ethan. There was some major construction on I-35, slowing us down enormously. While we were idling, we saw a mini-van drive to the shoulder and two of its occupants got out and frantically started searching the side of the highway. Andy guessed that one of them must have had to urinate (ew!). I thought perhaps they were checking out the workmanship of the side barriers. Cathy thought maybe they had lost something. Wrong! They managed to flush out a frightened little kitten who streaked across the highway toward my car. The couple then immediately ran to our car and told us not to move, which of course being stuck in non-moving traffic, we didn’t really have a choice. When they determined the cat wasn’t by our car, they allowed us to continue along our stopped traffic way.

After turning off the highway, we took a detour through the countryside. Cathy and Andy were enjoying some music, while I was sitting in the back seat. I kept hearing an odd noise with the music, but attributed it to the odd nature of some of Andy’s tunes. But soon I realized that it was meowing! There was rhythmic meowing to 3 songs in a row??? I immediately expressed my concerns, to which everyone else in the car looked at me dubiously. It wasn’t until Andy turned off the music and the meowing continued that faith in my mental capabilities was restored. Andy pulled off into a private driveway off the highway, and we proceeded to look under the car. This is what we saw…

Oh my God, there's a cat in my car!!! Hey kitty kitty! Get OUT OF MY CAR!!!

Cathy, the logical thinker, immediately started hunting for a long stick. I, the not so logical thinker, immediately started looking for food that a cat might eat. The best I could come up with was a stale granola bar. Let’s just say, I made the cat fairly unhappy by shoving said granola bar in his face. Every single time we would poke him with the stick, he would respond with a mighty unhappy meow. Poor baby kitten! Finally,  Cathy got tired of poke-meow-poke-meow, and reached in and dragged the cat out out by the scruff of his neck. After some panic as to what to do with the cat (I, again unlogically, suggested putting him in a shoebox and taking him to the vet), he was let go into the big field AWAY from the road to hunt little critters to his utmost desire.

Though this set us back, we finally picked Ethan up and started down the road. Glen Rose is about 30-45 minutes south of Fort Worth, the weather was beautiful making the trip very pleasant. What exactly does one do in Glen Rose? Well, first on our list was the Creation Evidence Museum. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be a non-denominational Christian. I was raised and baptized as such. However, I find the fact that humans and dinosaurs co-existed therefore proving the existence of an all mighty creator rather mind boggling. Isn’t part of religion just having faith? What is the point of useless (and slightly bizarre) artifacts, and completely confusing theories? Also, why throw around scientific terms (Crystalline lattice! Quantum mechanics! Hydrogen molecules! Hyperbaric Biosphere!..etc), when they are being used incorrectly. It almost feels like they’re simply trying to confuse the general public into thinking “wow, they have science on their side!”

I had very little tolerance or ability to understand the entire theory. Since they have a tendency to throw out their big science words, it makes things rather difficult to understand. Check it out for yourself!

Here’s an excerpt from there website…

“And the earth was without form and void.  When first created, the earth was simply a mass of water.  By calling it earth, the inference is that the Creator had futuristic intentions with design and purpose.  Beginning with water, we have the basic elements of earth’s reactions, and the essential ingredient of life’s processes.  In water you have the integration of hydrogen and oxygen.  The problem of transmutation of elements is solved with water.  Between elements no. 6 and elements no. 7 on the periodic chart there cannot be a transmutation.  By creating elements no. 1 and no. 8 first, there is the futuristic possibility for the energy and elements to be transmutated to whatever the Creator would like to create in His design and purpose.”

Wait, what is being transmutated? Why is God transmutating things in the future? (By the way, transmutating means to change one element into another) If he needed elements #1 (hydrogen) and 8 (oxygen) first, wouldn’t #8 be called #2?

With that said, let me see if I can get this theory straight. Feel free to comment if you have a better grasp of the concept. God made earth perfect. Earth was blanketed on the outside by a layer of protective water. This layer of water was released in the form of Noah’s flood due to man’s sins. When we lost that layer of water, the earth began to lose its ability to shield us from harm. Someday when God returns, the world will once again be restored to its perfect water layer including paradise. Um…yeah, weird! We tried to mock as little as possible until we got back in the safety of my car. For we did see a LOT of people that believe everything in the museum wholeheartedly. For this, I am a little disturbed. Call it blasphemy if you’d like, but perhaps you ought to think about what you’re throwing yourself into. Unquestioned belief leads to cult mass suicides!! Yikes!

Cathy, me, and Ethan in front of the Creation Evidence Museum. Yay God!

After our enlightening (though mostly bewildering) Creationism experience, we headed to downtown Glen Rose in search of a nice cold beverage. We found something infinately better. We found freshly baked PIE! Oh how I do love pie! It’s a cute little home run shop called Pie Peddlers. They are only open on Fridays and Saturdays, and stay open until they sell out (usually around 5 pm). I had key lime, Cathy had blackberry, Andy had cherry, and Ethan had every berry. Oh, so yummy!

Which kind of pie would you choose? Oh the options!

We're happy as pie!

After all the pie tastiness, we headed down the road to Glen Rose’s most famous attraction, the Dinosaur Valley State Park. The park is riddled with prehistoric dinosaur tracks along the riverbeds. We hiked down to see several of the prints. Though it was fun, I have to say it was rather unremarkable. Then again, I’ve never really had a huge interest in dinosaurs. So, I can see how it would be fun for people that love the scaly critters. Though…we did have a lot of fun at the entrance…

Will Ethan eat the T-rex? Or vice versa?

Cathy and I with the dinosaur formerly known as brontesaurus

After the adventure was over, we dropped Ethan back off at his new apartment. We headed home to rescue a puppy. Cathy and Andy lounged a bit, while Jabber and I went for a quick run. The weather was just too nice to not share it with my puppy. We spent a nice night downtown with Ethan and Donald. Though the highpoint of the evening was definately when Donald revealed his t-shirt…

Yes Donald, the world truly is all about you!

Today was spent being pretty lazy. We invited Anni and David over for a nice afternoon barbeque. We had tasty brats, corn on the cob, lots of grilled veggies, and a smattering of ice cream. We played a lot of Mario Kart on the Wii, which is always fun. I’m hoping tomorrow will just be a nice relaxing day of Indian food, shopping, and more pool time. May as well enjoy this perfect weather while it lasts! (Here’s the link to pictures for Cathy’s stay up to this point!)

I can’t believe it’s September already! Thank goodness! I hope autumn can finally begin. I’ve really had enough of this horribly humid and ridiculously hot summer weather. To kick off our three day weekend (hooray!!), Andy and I went downtown to Pete’s Piano Bar with the usual group. We had a wonderful time, even if the music got pretty raunchy and the act was exactly the same as last time. Like I’ve said before, it’s fun just people watching and being with friends. It’s a good stress relief from a week of hard work and getting up WAY too early (yes I will continue to complain about it, even though it’s really the only complaint about my new job).

Donald, Adam, and Andy all enjoying a nice after work/school beer.

For lunch on Saturday, we met up with David and Anni for lunch at Armend’s Restaurante in Southlake. (sorry, they don’t have a website yet, so I’ve set up a link to google maps in case you want to try it) It’s absolutely delicious! The pasta is all homemade, and the garlic bread is fantastic. We’ve all had very busy schedules lately, so it was nice getting see the Cummings, even if only for a brief meal.

David, Anni, me and Andy at Armend's enjoying tasty pasta.

After lunch, it was time to pick Cathy up from the airport! Since Cathy is all graduated and has a little free time on her hands, she’s going to stay with for a couple of weeks. It’s very exciting to get to spend some time with my baby sister. We spent most of the afternoon chatting, and hiding from the abudant sunshine. I’m absolutely not exaggerating when I say it’s terribly hot. It has turned us into bats! We hide indoors during the day, and come out at night to play. Again, I mention how I can’t wait for autumn!

In the evening, we met up with our friends for another night on the town. This time, we quickly vetoed Pete’s and moved on to 8.0. Though the cover band was slightly more enjoyable than the repetitive piano bar, it was surprisingly not up to 8.0′s standards. The band was downright cheesy! Nevertheless, we partied the night away.^-^

Chao Girls take Sundance Square

We ended the night at IHOP for a delicious breakfast, that was oddly reminiscent of college. I think I may have had more fun at the restaurant, probably due to the fact that they have a/c! Either way, it’s a heck of a lot better than sitting at home watching old episodes of TLC shows while falling asleep on the couch. ‘Tis the sad but true alternative.

We ventured out into the bright sunshine on Sunday for a little shopping therapy. Andy, the lucky boy that he is, got a new laptop. If you want to know exactly what it is, you’ll have to ask him. I’m not certain of the specifics. It was not a particularly good shopping day, no fantastic Labor Day deals like I was hoping for. Nevertheless, Cathy and I were both able to acquire a few items that made us happy.

After much convincing, Donald and Ethan came over Sunday night for an evening of video games. We played Mario Kart Wii, Call of Duty 4 (how I got sucked into that one, I’m still not sure, but I sure did shoot that pole good and dead!), and of course Rock Band. Man can Donald wail out a tune or what! I think we’re a pretty successful band, if I do say so myself. So, the weekend is just about over and the work week at its start. I had a fantastic time and hope everyone out there had a great holiday weekend as well! Here’s the link to the pictures from Cathy’s visit, to be updated as interesting things continue to happen.