Jeske Adventures

New Blog

2011-03-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have not posted since we got home from Italy, but the last 6 months have flown by...with our upcoming wedding and the fact that I will be becoming a Worthington I am creating WorthyAdventures for Jacob and my wedding and our life together. Hopefully we will be more faithful about posting even if it is just a few pictures from our phones! www.mjworthy.blogspot.com

2010-09-18T07:06:00.001-07:00

holy crap! We almost missed our London to Seattle flight...we were literally escorted from our first flight to our next flight by two British Air employees. We had to go through a security check just going between flights! We politely slid past about 50 people to get into the fast track line and then followed the BA guys right to our gate. One lady told us we would never make our flight then the next lady said we would be fine...I was a bit nervous!!! The BA guys could have walked a little faster...but they got us here. Jacob is mad because we did not have enough time to get a soda and I really wanted a Starbucks Iced Tea. See you all soon! Michelle

Last Day in Rome

2010-09-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in Rome and we went to the Trevi fountain and ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. We are getting pretty good at the public transporation getting to and from our hotel. Yesterday evening, we had our massages and Jacob's first comment was that I was never allowed to get a massage again...without him. This massage was a little different in the fact that the door was open and the only thing covering me was a medium size towel that was moved to different parts of my body to cover what was not being massaged...I could hear the lady next door beating on Jacob and a few cracks now and then. We have had an amzing time in Italy and are sad to have to come home and get back to work, but we are really excited to see all of you! And share our stories and pictures. Gotta go for now, but talk to you soon

Rome day 2

2010-09-16T02:02:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the Coloseum! Don't we look refreshed? The spa at our hotel was very nice last night and we scheduled our massages for tonight! there is a lot of construction/restoration going on here.

We made it to Rome!

2010-09-15T08:10:00.001-07:00

we made it to Rome and have already been through the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, climbed the cupola and now we are headed into St. Peter's Bascilica. Ciao!!

Heading to Rome

2010-09-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

To answer Aunt Debbie's question, we decided to climb the Campinile (?) rather than the Duomo so we got to look down on the Duomo in Florence. Pisa has been great and we got some rain during our trip to Cinque Terre, but we survived and had a nice long pause at the end for drinks and a view!! We bypassed Siena yesterday and instead went to Bologne to the Ducati Motorcycle factory and museum. The town itself was much busier than the other towns we have visited and it probably did not help that we went there without a map or knowledge of what there was to see there. The factory was pretty cool and the museum had bikes back to the 40's!! And now...we are getting ready to go to ROME!!!

Pisa

2010-09-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing last night in Florence with a trip to Piazza Michaelangelo overlooking Florence at sunset and a very nice dinner...followed by some gelato and a moonlit stroll back to the hotel! We arrived in Pisa this morning and have had a lovely day at the Leaning Tower. Our hotel view is a perfect viewing of the leaning tower and the Duomo. We are going to post more pics once we find an internet cafe...the hotel computer does not give me access to the usb ports...bummer cause we have some cool pictures to share! Siena and Cinque Terre are on the menu for the next few day..tata for now.

Florence - Wine Tour

2010-09-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Venice

2010-09-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sorrento Amalfi Coast

2010-09-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Sorrento PompeiTop of Mt.Vesuvius

Positano

London Pictures

2010-09-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Absolute Ice Bar

Getting on City Cruise with Big Ben in the backgroundTouring the HMS BelfastView from the London Eye

Will the road just straighten out?

2010-09-10T09:19:00.001-07:00

We are on our Tuscan wine tour and have bought a few bottles of wine and some Olive Oil...we visited a different Castle...better wine but not better olive oil. Then we went to Greve and there was a wine festival going on...we found gelato instead! Bummer though that we never get close enough to the grapes to get pictures. I am looking forward to dinner!! I am ready to stop taking big bus tours on small winding roads...car sick at least once a day since we have been in Italy. On a positive note Venice was great and our Gondolier was nice enough to take our picture! It was a lot of fun walking the streets and shopping. We had a lovely time in Murano and saw some Amazing glass sculptures and lunch on the water's edge. We could have spent much more time there.

Sorrento Italy

2010-09-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

We just had a lovely dinner at the hotel overlooking the Bay of Naples in Sorrento. Today we went to pompei and climbed up Mt Vesuvious. Tomorrow we will visit the cities along the Amalfi Coast. We are having problems uploading pictures but we will post some as soon as we can.

2010-09-06T08:31:00.001-07:00

We survived London and miraculously made it to Sorrento. Very Beautiful and we are heading to the city center to find dinner...can't wait for some spaghetti bolognese and gelati...and maybe some limoncello! We took lots of London pics but not much time to upload. Happy Labor Day! Jacob & Michelle

2010-09-04T12:29:00.001-07:00

We made it! We are utilizing London's extensive transportation network to find Hard Rock Cafe. Goodnight!

2010-09-02T20:07:00.001-07:00

Hours to go!! We are all done with work and now just finishing up with all the little details!!! Having a nice Dinner with friends and then a good night's rest...cause tomorrow night is on the airplane.

Bread Pudding

2010-07-30T16:57:00.001-07:00

So, the bread pudding I made was not quite like I remembered the bread pudding in Loiusiana, but better than I remember from the buffets my parents used to take me to. It was super easy to make and I also made a Hard Sauce to go over the top. Instead of being in a big pan, my recipe had me use ramekins for individual serving. Next time I will make it when I have more time and serve it fresh out of the oven! But first I need to clean my kitchen before I start any new projects. MMM! I am going to the Farmer's Market in the Morning so we will see what kind of fresh fruit I can get to make another recipe or two from my book!

A few new desserts

2010-07-30T16:55:00.001-07:00

I heard from a few faithful blog readers that I hadn’t been blogging in a long time so here is a new post for you!

Status Updates:
 Cooking challenge…I am not going to meet my deadline and I can blame it all on meeting Jacob. Hahaha maybe not fair to him, but I wouldn’t trade our time together for anything. I have completed about 33 recipes of the 200+ recipes and I lost 30 of the 50 lbs I was hoping to lose…and I am still working for the other 20!!! I can do it!!! I did make Cherry cobbler this weekend and it was pretty good. The recipe called for unsweetened chocolate and I think it could be left out and the cobbler would still be good. Next on the list is vanilla bread pudding! When I was in Louisiana a month ago, I had some bread pudding that was sooo delicious! A co-worker and I went back later one evening for a second helping and the owner told me one of the secrets to his recipe so we will see how it turns out!!! The Caprial recipe is basically the crème brulee custard recipe except that the mixture is soaked up by bread…and then drizzled with the special sauce! I have never been a fan of bread pudding, but the stuff in the South was just to die for! We shall see!! On a side note, I was looking to get the same cookbook for a friend and I read some of the reviews on the book. Surprisingly, there were more negative reviews than I was anticipating. For the most part, the recipes have turned out really good…and even when they don’t look so great, they still taste great. I think some of the recipes call for a baker’s touch or practice and I have had a few instances where things turned out better the second time because I understood the recipe better! So many good things still to come! Maybe I should get going on the ice cream and gelato and more fruit items since things are coming into season!!!

 30th Birthday…we are planning a birthday bash in Spokane for a whole weekend! We are going to Silverwood and a Spa and to dinner at a nice restaurant. I am excited to have some fun and relax a bit, but even more I am excited for my 30s. Life is pretty darn good and I wake up wondering what the day will hold!.. and then stretch my muscles…which feel much older than 30! I am golfing more these days and loving it…sometimes it is frustrating that I am still not very good, but I enjoy the time I spend golfing with others! One of the most exciting things right now is planning my return to Europe. Jacob and I leave on September 3rd and all the planning is too much and I just want to be there now!!! This isn’t another backpacking adventure, but we are taking our backpacks so we don’t have to roll our bags over the cobble streets between the train stations and our hotels!! We are looking forward to seeing what we can see while still relaxing and taking in the beautiful countryside and cliffside views!

Still a blogger...

2010-04-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! A quick blog update...I cannot believe it has been almost 6 months since the last time I posted anything here...so much has happened in the last 6 months in quite a few areas of my life! I met Jacob in September and we have been dating ever since...such a blessing to have someone like him in my life. If is fun to get out and do things with someone who shares the same interests and is willing to be adventurous. We have been camping three times, ran in the Turkey trot (getting ready for Bloomsday next month), made a trip to Reno, survived four holidays and lots of family gatherings and new introductions. Other things in the last few months include a trip to Las Vegas for National Finals Rodeo, Christmas in Phoenix, Isaac and Sophie, my twins, turned one a few weeks ago!, finished a quilt...working on finishing another one this month, got back to playing competitive volleyball, coached 1st & 2nd grade boys basketball, celebrated Jacob's 30th birhtday (with yummy cupcakes and brown sugar buttercream frosting from the challenge cookbook)and I put the baking challenge on hold...I am still baking, just not as much...with my crazy life, some priorities had to change to squeeze time in for Jacob...hahaha and 5 recipes a week was getting pretty darn expensive!! I will make every recipe in that book!!! Also, I think I did prove that you can lose weight and bake...I lost 23 lbs at the end of last year...I will reach my goal of 50lbs by August!!!

Cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce...yummy!!!

Sometimes going through the garage requires a little more mess before the organization comes...I can park my car in my garage and I continue to get rid of more stuff each week!

Hood River Weekend

2009-10-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

I am spending the weekend with my brother Ken and it was a day of variety! We started by going to a fruit stand where I got over 40 lbs of apples in my three favorite varieties. I made Apple Crisp and dried some apples this afternoon...I ate about half the slices before the apples were done! mmm mmm good! Not a new recipe, but a goodie nonetheless! I ate deer sausage for lunch and elk pepperoni this afternoon...and Chantrell mushrooms (why I was so adventurous I do not know!)

We went horseback riding and I got up to a trot quite a few times...and I am already sore! It was such a nice day for a ride and the fall leaves here are super beautiful!

After dinner and chores, we carved some pumpkins and I think they turned out really well!!! Now I am ready for bed...but did I mention that I got a two hour nap in this afternoon! It was GOOD!

Hopefully I will make lots of new recipes to share this week!

Long Lost Cooking Challenge

2009-10-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking on my posts more thank I have been slacking on my recipes. I have not kept up with the 5 recipes per week, but I will still accomplish my goal of all recipes in 50 weeks. So what have I completed in the last month??? Cream cheese frosting, Chocolate toffee cake with chocolate mouse, toffee, and ganache, Creme caramel, Apple crisp, and quite a few repeats of recipes I have already completed. Once people try something they want me to make it over and over again. While I enjoy making things that people enjoy, I need to get back on track with the challenge. The weight loss is going well. I have lost almost 20 lbs! Christine came to visit from Virginia and she chose two different cakes. I went grocery shopping and came home with fat and sugar!
I thought I would be ambitious and make them both for her, but a fever had other plans and I did not want to cook when I was sick...for obvious reasons. I did manage to make the Chocolate toffee cake and it got rave reviews. It was too sweet for me but a winner in teh cookbook challenge because it took 4 total recipes to make the cake!!!

I made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting...the carrot cake was my usual recipe rather than the one from this cookbook, but I did make the cream cheese (mmm mmm mmm) from the book!

I used Apples in the Fruit Crisp recipe and it was very easy to make and I could see myself making that recipe over and over again!!! I used my apple peeler, slicer, corer on the apples and had enough apples for the recipe in no time!

I made Creme caramel for Friends dinner and Matthias was my photo subject of the evening. The recipe called for whole egge whereas creme brulee is just the egg yolks. I thought the creme caramel tasted too much like eggs and was blan other than that. Some people, who also like flan, really liked the recipe. i might try the caramel at the bottom of the creme brulee and see it that is better!!! The concept of creme caramel is cool though. You put the liquid caramel in the bottom of the ramekins and then pour the custard over the top and baked. The longer you let the custard cool, the more caramel that spills over the custard when you take it from the ramekin!!!

Traffic

2009-09-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am stuck in traffic!!! My drive home thus far has taken almost 3 times as long and I am only halfway home. Traffic is backed up where 3 roads converge ...i can see my apartment and could probably walk there in 15 minutes...and I am wearing shoes that would be fine for a hike...tempting!
Michelle

FAILURE

2009-09-21T10:18:00.001-07:00

My last post was about Berry Cobbler and I worte it and the cobbler was cooking. After it had finished cooking, we let it cool and then cut into it.....it was really juicy....too juicy! The taste was great, but I probably should have cooked it a bit longer. I had not planned to make every recipe successfully it was more that I just wanted to try every recipe...but failure kills me. This past weekend I attempted Berry Cobbler again. this time I washed the berries and then let them dry on paper towels. I also cooked the sauce just a bit longer so it was thicker. I cooked the cobbler longer than the recipe sugggested unitl the top was really brown but not burnt. I let it set up for an hour or so and then cut into it. Again there was still a lot of liquid. AAARRRGGGH! The taste is good and it goes great with Vanilla bean ice cream.

On another side note...what happens when you find a recipe you like and you make it over and over again??? That is what I have found with the Chocolate cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting. While it is definitely a crowd pleaser it does not help me in my quest for five recipes a week!!! Pictures to follow!

Raspberry Cobbler

2009-09-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Reporting again from the Hunacek household, I checked off a Berry Cobbler from the list tonight. I like cooking at someone else's house because I get to go home to a clean kitchen!!! Raspberries were buy one get one free so that was the berry of choice. This recipe is great for a dinner party because it was really quick to prepare and then I popped it in the over for 45 minutes...would be great to cook during dinner and be ready to serve was after dinner! They say to serve this with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, but I went the quick way by picking a carton out of the freezer section at Safeway.
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Italian Plum Tart...aka whisk, whisk, whisk

2009-09-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

I made an Italian Plum Tart this morning at Mike & Melissa's. I taught Isaac the importance of whisking as I was making the pastry cream layer for the tart. I gave him a whisk so we both could whisk and I would say "whisk, whisk, whisk" and he would smile and giggle! It was pretty cute! I used the plums that Melissa had been given "free" rather than Italian plums and I think they were not as sweet. I do not like plums in general but I did try the finished product.

The process to make the plum tart was fun. I rolled out of bed this morning and made the crust and put it in the fridge while I got ready...that is odd to think about..."oh, yeah I made a tart this morning before I took a shower". I had never dealt with plums and I had to cut them in half and put them on a pan layered in butter and sugar. I am good at make pastry cream and this time it was the consistency that I had been expecting...I think it was because I did not have to cool the cream before putting it in the pan. I got to use a mortar and pestle to grind up the almonds to put in the pastry cream.

The juices from the plums began to bubble and the tastes melded together. I served the tart with a little dollop of whip cream which melted over the tart. It was a nice dessert but a little tart (a second use of the word "tart"). Moving forward. I have now made 13 recipes...more fruit dishes this week!!!

Help Wanted: Dishwasher

2009-09-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend my kitchen exploded! At the beginning of this challenge I anticipated the great desserts, the self restraint challenge and even the cost to my budget (which is adding up nicely), but I did not anticipate how hard it would be to keep my kitchen clean. I completed 7 recipes over the weekend and my kitchen is still recovering. It needs a lot of attention this evening and definitely needs to be spic and span clean by this weekend and before I attempt any more desserts. It does not help that my dishwasher takes what seems like 3 hours to complete a cycle and even then it does not always do its job. Whining aside, I made three fabulous desserts this weekend!!

Yellow Butter Cake with Quick Buttercream Frosting

2009-09-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

For my friend Megan's birthday, I made her a Yellow Butter Cake with fresh Strawberries and vanilla buttercream frosting. I cannot believe this cake looked as good as it did when I was finished because the process was fraught with near disasters. This is a dense cake and I could definitely notice this in the batter. I filled the two cake pans a little too full and watched as they rose over the top of the cake pans...this made my baking time a bit longer and I was afraid they would be dry in parts and not done in the middle. The cake finished baking and I let them sit for a few minutes before attempting to remove them from the pans. It was not as clean of a transition as I am used to and the fact that the cake pan gets wider at the top does not help matters. The cake sides were a bit crumbly and I hurriedly cut them, sealed them in syran wrap and put them in the freezer while I cut the berries and made the frosting.

Has anyone heard of Mascerated Strawberries? It does not sound as good as it really is!!! My cookbook suggested pairing this cake with mascerated strawberries and a vanilla buttercream frosting and it had a picture to die for!!! I could not find any mention in the cookbook on what I needed to mix with or do to the strawberries so I looked online and got to work!! I mixed 1/4 c Triple Sec and 1/4 c sugar with a bowl full of cut strawberries and an hour later when I could not wait any longer, I started assembling the cake using these delicious strawberries...they were good!!

The title of the frosting was Quick Buttercream, but I had to make a pastry cream base and put it in the fridge for a half hour...QUICK??? And then I had to cream the butter for 10 minutes. I can definitely drive to the store and get a few tubs of frosting faster than make this frosting, but in the end, I loved this frosting!!! And once I creamed the butter, the rest of the recipe came together fairly Quick. I also use the Italian buttercream recipe from this cookbook and I always stress out because you have to cook it than add the hot syrup to the egg mixture and completely cool it before adding the butter and the hopefully after the mixer runs for ten minutes, frosting forms. This recipe i can see results before I start to panic!! That is a good thing in my world! As I mentioned earlier, I had to make a pastry cream base and let it cool. This was a similar recipe to the pastry cream in the fruit tart, but I whisked away from the beginning and it had a smoother consistency than my last attempt but after it cooled it was a solid consistency rather than my (again)anticipation that it would be more like pudding. Do I just have a false sense of what it should be like or am I cooking it too long???

Fresh Fruit Tart

2009-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

My goal of 5 recipes a week was accomplished almost solely from this recipe. I tallied four recipes in the creation of this fresh fruit tart. The creation consisted of a Berry Sauce, Pastry Cream, fresh fruit, and Pate Sucre.

Berry Sauce-
The recipe called for a berry liquor and I spent another bit of time in the liquor store for baking supplies...I have been to three different places so as to not look like an alcoholic (haha, just kidding it happened to depend on where I was in the Tri-cities). I pureed some fresh raspberries, sugar and berry liquor until it thickened and then I had to strin it into a bowl. At first, just the thin liquid came through the strainer and I thought that the berry sauce had failed, but I slowly used a spoon on the bottom of the strainer and the thick sauce began to emerge. The berry seeds soon clogged the strainer but I got enough sauce for the recipe that I gave up on the strainer and dumped the seeds. I put it in the fridge and moved on to the Pastry Cream.

Pastry cream-
When I think of pastry cream, I think of something with a consistancy of pudding. This was a vanilla bean pastry cream that set up faster than I was anticipating. I was doing other things in the kitchen and realized by cream mixture was already think and I started whisking in an attempt to not burn the bottom. I think I caught it just in time, but the mixtures was probably a bit overdone. I put it in the fridge to cool and started working on my crust pate sucre.

The Crust-
I have had trouble in the past with dough of all kinds. I will be a pro by the time I finish this book!! The Pate Sucre is a sweeter crust and everything went beautifully until I had to roll it out. The book said to make an 11" circle, but as you can see a circle is not what I managed. Luckily this was going in a tart pan and nobody could see where I patched in pieces here and there.

I used red respberries, golden raspberryies, blackberries, and blueberries on top of the pastry cream (under the berry sauce). My initial thought was to drizzle the berry sauce in a fun pattern over the berries, but the first attempt resulted in less than desireable results so I decided to cover the whole tart...which covered my hard work on the berries, but by the time I served the tart the berry sauce settled and revealed the berry pattern. It was delicious even though I typically do not eat any of the berries that were on top of the tart.

I do love my Pampered Chef Tart Pan! Everything I bake seems to slide right out of the pan.

I had some leftover crust so I decided to make a few little tarts as well. My little tart cups worked awesome. I sprayed them and then stuffed in the crust and baked them until they were almost golden. I put the remaining Pastry Cream in the bottom of the cups, drizzled a little berry sauce and topped it with blueberryies and whipcream...a little bit of goodness in one bite!!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Mocha Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2009-09-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

I made a "Heavenly" chocolate cake with a mocha chocolate frosting this past weekend. The same thing happened this time around as the last time with the cake doming in the middleand making it hard to get four good layers. I made it work but think I will make the buttermilk chocolate cake when I am making chocolate cake in the future. I had a point in making the frosting where I thought it was ruined. The recipe called for instant espresso powder and I decided to use a shot of espresso rather than the powder. The second I put the espresso into the smooth melted chocolate it dried up and the texture was no longer smooth and silky. I added the mixture to the butter and eventually the frosting creamed back up and smoothed on the cake beautifully. I attempted white chocolate curls for the first time and they became white chocolate shavings...I read how to do the curls in another cookbook and will have to practice!!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Orange-Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2009-08-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

The next cake in the cookbook was a buttermilk cake. From what I have tasted so far, it is okay, but that is what I thought about the last cake. I like the orange flavor in the chocolate frosting. I think that the combo will be great, but I will wait until tomorrow to taste it. Again the frosting was really easy to make and the texture is so smooth. I made the cakes last night, cut the layers in half (but did not separate them)and then froze them.
Next time I will split them before I freeze them because it was not the easiest task to pry the two layers apart tonight.
I finally got the layers apart and assembled my four layer cake with frosting in between each layer. Four layers of this chocolate cake might require some milk!

Post Taste Test Opinion: I got some great reviews and some people thought that last week's cake was better and some that loved the slight orange flavor. "Wonderful! I found the tangy taste from OJ and Triple Sec make this very unusual. This is even better than the last one which is quite a feat! Absolutely fabulous!"

My Opinion: I like it, but there was not enough Orange flavor for me...it was a delicious dessert but not too orange.

Why am I doing this challenge? I am not doing this challenge for the gratification that people like my baking but more for the challenge of making all the recipes in the book, developing some favorites, and proving you can eat sweets and lose weight. I do like hearing people's opinions when they start talking like a food critic...not just that it is good but more that the cake has a soft texture and the frosting is super smooth or about the sweetness or tartness.

I have decided to skip a few recipes for now to take advantage of the fresh fruit in season so the next few posts will be berries, peaches, and plums. I am having a good time just looking at the recipes in this book and pairing things up to make it easier to get in about 5 recipes per week! Hope you are enjoying the pictures.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake w/ Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2009-08-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

One thing that is nice about a dessert cookbook is that you can knock out a few recipes for one creation. Last night's creation was old-fashioned chocolate cake and chocolate frosting.I made the cake up ahead of time so I could cool it and divide the layers. My cakes mounded in the middle so I was not able to get four flat layers, but I will try again paying more attention to how my batter is in my pans. I cut the topes of the cakes into cubes and built a chocolate cake pyramid with layers of whipped topping in between. This was my first taste of the cake at is was good...but I have had better...even from a box. Not that this was not a good cake because it is but I may add some chocolate chips or maybe infuse the cake with hot fudge or caramel.
This was my first successful attempt at making chocolate frosting (besides the jiffy just add water froting). I think watching as I put in the ingredients was half the fun.
I am using my Grandma's old mixer to do the frosting and it worked beautifully! The frosting was so creamy and spread nicely onto the cakes. I got a little taste of the frosting to see if it met my expectations. It reminds me of a creamy ganache rather than a super sugary frosting. I am excited to see what my co-workers say as they devour it.

Post Taste Test: I tried a sliver of the cake and it was really good. I got great reviews from my co-workers.
Absolutely phenomenal! It was rich but light all at the same time – almost like a mousse. I could eat it every day - thanks so much!

Very Good! Thanks and make more please.
I call this recipe combo a success. I was thinking of what I could do to make it even better!!! I thought about some fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.

Creme Brulee

2009-08-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Let the Challenge begin! I am excited and nervous to get started...I love to cook but this challenge means adding more things to my already packed schedule and still finding time to exercise!! I am nicknaming this my 50/50 challenge...there are 50 Master recipes in the cookbook and I would like to lose 50 lbs. If I stay on track it should take me about 50 weeks to complete this challenge and I have a 50/50 chance of success in making it through the cookbook and a 50/50 chance of losing 50 lbs...enough about 50 how about the first recipe? My first recipe after my challenge began was Creme Brulee. This was not my first time using this recipe and I know it is an amazing dessert. Creme Brulee a.k.a. burnt cream looks like it would be hard to make and only something you get at a fancy restaurant, but I was surprised how easy the recipe is and how great it tastes. This recipe involves a vanilla bean which I have never worked with before and realized that they were pretty expensive. I have a mini flame torch for carmelizing sugar on top of the thick custard, but I have also used the broiler in my over and a "big boy" torch at my cousin Mike's house! I must say that the "big boy" torch was the most fun but the small specialized torch was a good compromise of fun with a flame (I am a bit of a fire bug) and a good carmelized effect. I like the crunch on top of the dessert followed by the thick texture of the custard. mmmm mmmm mmmm...the only downside is that this recipe amounts to about 1000 calories per 1 cup ramekin. It is so easy to make, but I will need to save this recipe for special people or special occasions.

Caprial's Desserts Vs. The Bulge

2009-08-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago, I mentioned to a co-worker that I wanted to cook every recipe in one of my finest cookbooks...and then I didn't do it. And now it looks like I am copying the Julie/Julia project.

The Challenge: I will lose 50 lbs before I can cook my way through my Caprial's Desserts cookbook. I will blog about every recipe. There are 50 master recipes and approximately 254 (I will double check this tonight) total recipes and I will attempt to complete approx 5 recipes per week. I will try all of my creations but hopefully many of you will enjoy this amazing cookbook as well.

Stay tuned!!

Class Reunion

2009-07-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

I survived my class reunion a few weeks ago in Warden. I did fairly well golfing (for me, that is)on Friday afternoon and though Beky and I were hurrying to get everything done and get out to the Potholes in time to greet everyone. Everything turned out fine! We had 34 total people come and we got in some good visiting before dinner was served. People seemed to enjoy the slideshow I made and EJ did his Michael Jackson impersonation. I went to the Saucy Hog with some classmates when we all left the reunion...some drinking, some dancing, listening to music and catching up with more people I hadn't seen in years...including my sister who I did not recognize at first.
We all made it home safely and to the BBQ the next day. I did not get any pictures but I know some people did! I will post some after i get some. The last few weeks have been particularly busy at church and work. I also went down to Maryhill Museum to see an Ansel Adams Exhibit and climbed to the top of Beacon Rock.

Last weekend I went to the Moxee Hopfest...a new adventure that was a fun night but also a bit relaxing! I met some new people and got to know more about other friends.

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2009-07-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

We are out at Coney Island. We got a glimpse of the volleyball tourney and are heading toward the carnival.

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2009-07-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Amateur Night was a little surreal and really amazing! There were some great Michael Jackson dancers and quite a few good singers. We had great seats and were surroinded by friends and family of people up on stage. Capone was the MC and did mini comic routines in between acts. We survived Harlem and we are going to tackle Central Park and Fifth Avenue today.

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2009-07-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

We are in Harlem at the Apollo Theatre at Amateur Night. It is a tribute to Michael Jackson and it is crazy on the streets and the theatre...forgot how many good old song MJ had.

Whataday!

2009-06-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Did you see us on the Today show this morning? Probably not since we were sleeping. We made a last minute choice to not get out of bed at 4am this morning. We had breakfast at an old fashioned diner where the waiters and waitresses sing as they worked. We did the Uptown double decker bus tour and then went down to ride the Staten Island Ferry. We had lunch at Grand Central Station and now we are at Yankee Stadium. We waited out a 1hr rain delay but we have good outfield seats. They have Garlic Fries here...but not as good as Safeco. Good Day and tomorrow will be busy too concluding with Amateur Night at the Apollo !

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2009-06-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

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2009-06-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

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2009-06-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

We went on a harbor lights cruise tonight and watched the sun set over the skyline and the Statue of Liberty. We are exhausted and heading back to the hotel for the evening.

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2009-06-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

We did the NBC Studio tour and it was informative and fun...now I need to watch Saturday Night Live and the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. We also went to the Top of the Rock for great views of Central Park and the Empire State Building.
The morning haze still hadn't burnt off so the pictures are not stellar. Don't exactly know what we are doing tonight.

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2009-06-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Empire State Building

2009-06-28T23:23:00.005-07:00

3/3 I can't wait to see what kind of pictures I can get with Mary's camera...and my own.

2009-06-28T23:23:00.003-07:00

2/3 ecause we realized we have already spent $2000. Hahaha just kidding...about the crying. Tomorrow we are going to the Empire State Building.

2009-06-28T23:23:00.001-07:00

1/3 Day 2: If we were college students we would be calling our parents to send more money...but since we are adults, we are crying in our room b

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2009-06-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Chinatown is consuming Little Italy...we couldn't seem to get out of Chinatown, but now we are in Little Italy eating dinner. Oh how I wish it were really Venice or Florence. Having a little Limoncello to celebrate!

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2009-06-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Bridge is awesome!! We are now headed to China town. If you don't hear from us by the time you go to bed my phone went dead or something happened to us...hahaha just kidding. We are being cautious.

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2009-06-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love the Subway...but hand sanitzer will be used! We are doing the Financial District Tour today and some shopping in China Town and dinner in Little Italy!

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2009-06-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

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2009-06-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

We made it to NYC...standing in line for half price Phantom Tickets.

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2009-06-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Mary and me!
Michelle

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2009-06-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

We have begun our journey to New York City!!
Michelle

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2009-06-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

We have begun our journey to New York City!!
Michelle

Life as I know it...

2009-04-14T16:41:00.001-07:00

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have posted anything on
here. I had to look back at pictures just so I could remember what I have done in the last 3 months! You get some random events from the last three months in a random order when I thought about things. I promise to post on the blog next week!

Mike and Melissa had baby Isaac on my mom's birthday March 22nd. There were some complications after birth that caused them to stay at the hospital for a week, but they are home now and little Isaac is growing like a weed. If you want to see some pictures, check out their blog which is attached to my blog.

My friends Matt and Jenn had their little girl Sophie a few days earlier on March 19th and she is so precious. I got to see her in the hospital and at the house...Jenn and I trade coffee for baby sometimes...I bring coffee and play with Sophie and Wyatt for a while...everyone wins!

I had a great Easter weekend with my family. It started with dinner at my house on Friday night with the Jeske family...and a whole lot of house cleaning before everyone showed up. I even got my dad up to his elbows in dishes! I made Chicken Marsala for dinner and it was mmm mmm good! We went to the Tenebrae service at church and watched the guys on stage eat their "Last Supper". After church I frantically began making 240 Southwest won ton wraps for wedding open house. Thanks to the help of Aunt Debbie with the wrappers and my dad and Uncle Joe keeping up with dishes, I finished them before the birhtday party. Amelia's 1st birthday party was on Saturday morning and the cake turned out super cute! I was happy with my first appearance of fondant cakes. We went to the Moeller Easte Egg hunt and had fun watching the kids go after the 600 eggs that Matt & Catherine had hidden. After leaving there, I delivered the wrappers to the church and did some shopping before heading back to the Open House. I rested on Saturday night because I had been baking and cooking a lot the last two weeks and running all over the place! Easter morning service at church was interesting...mixing old hymns and contemporary rockish songs in the Sanctuary was an experience.

Zander and I had a good time dyeing Easter Eggs and the mess was actually not too bad. Most of the eggs got cracked as Zander tried to get the eggs from teh coloring cups to the egg carton, but it made no difference. Lunch with the Hunacek and Shultz families was really good and we even got out the footbath. After everyone saw me survive without getting electricuted, Vanessa, Lisa, and Chris detoxified as well. It was nasty and awesome all at once.

I won the March Madness pool at work...ok Lyndsey did the picking so she got the money, but I get the trophy for a year and everyone will wonder how I could win one year and flop the next year!! The best part of March Madness this year was getting to go down and watch 2 Sweet 16 games!
We had seats 6 rows up from the court and could almost see the guys sweat!!

I had a good time in Denver toward the end of April this year. I went to see the Shultz family and to celebrate Amelia's 1st birthday! I made a carrot cake, we went to the zoo and got pedicures!

I did Bloomsday this year and came in 15 minutes earlier
than 2007!! Karlene and Eric could have run it twice and finished about the same time, but I finished and next year I will try to improve my time again. I got to see my friends Mark and Karen's new baby Noah James that weekend!!! And I had dinner at Tomato Street...could the weekend get any better?

I finished my second quilt and started my third quilt. We are trying to sew once a week and I had a sewing weekend in Lynnwood with my aunt and cousin! The weekend went quickly and we will have to do it again.

I am participated in Relay for Life this June and we had three baked goods auction. I made
truffles, lemon tart, chocolate raspberry torte and carrot cake for the different events. My goal was to raise over $500 for the American Cancer Society. I raised $525!!! Yeah. My family has been hit pretty hard with cancer and it is an amazing experience to watch the Survivor lap during Relay for Life and also to see the luminaries lining the track. All of us have been affected by cancer and we should never give up Hope that someday there will be a Cure!! I walked a total of 13.18 miles that night!!! I was sore for a few days after that!

I am on Facebook and thus the reason I have not posted as much on here. I will be posting to both places in the future!!

I have been printing Europe pictures on canvas and am loving this format. I can only rationalize about one per month but Snapfish and costco know my name because I am printing so many pictures. I really miss Europe and everyboday that I met there...It is a way of life that I could get used to and miss terribly!! But not to darken my life here! Life is going great right now.

I had my niece Melissa with me last week and we had a good time...well she spent all my money and sent over a thousand text messages in two days. She comes back after I get back from vacation and then Kristi come for a week! I miss having them close by and they are growing up too fast!!!

I went on a phogotgraphy hike with my friend Peter to Palouse Falls. I was seriously scared of the snakes but we made it aroung to the top of the Falls and got some great shots! I learned quite a bit about photogrpahy and how quicky I can high step it out of a snakes area!!!

Next week is my trip to New York City. I am super excited to be going on this trip with my friend Mary!! Hopefully we will have quite an adventure and come home with hundreds of pictures!!!

Two Weeks

2009-03-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

I am reminded again the Power of God in our lives. The last two weeks have been a serious rollercoaster for me. I have been to a bunch of Americans' Hockey games in the last few weeks and got all dressed up for the Oscars.

A month or so ago I made the decision to give up alcohol for lent because I felt that it had become a part of my life and I did not like that. I had been going out on the weekends and would drink and have fun with my friends, but I know I do not need alcohol to have fun and I do not need to prove that I drink to anyone.
I made pancakes and homemade applesauce for dinner on Shrove Tuesday and had a fun evening getting to know some new people from church.

Lent this year came right before our wild girls weekend in Spokane. God's timing is amazing. I made it through the weekend without feeling much temptation and had an absolutely amazing time in Spokane. We went to the Dierks Bentley/Brad Paisley concert at the Arena last Thursday and then did a half day at the Spa on Friday. The concert was pretty high on my list of concerts...maybe because we stood at the stage and got to interact with the singers. The music was awesome and the experience to be filed away in the surreal category! The Brickhouse Massage and Coffee Bar was just as good as I remember from a few years ago. We got a massage, facial, mani and pedis and hot parafin wax dips. Sooo relaxing!! We had dinner at Stuart Anderson's and the salmon was excellent and the service was great. Our wild night was stomped a bit when we found out our choice club had closed down...I guess it was not meant to be that I rode the bull!! We did find a cute place just down the rode and hung out for a while and did a little dancing.
I spilled my water(a full glass) down the front of my jeans and we all laughed as I clung to sitting at the table the rest of the night. Our hotel was great and I was able to sleep in on Saturday morning. I got to go to my other fave restaurant Tomato Street for lunch with Karen and Elijah and then went shopping at New York & Co. The drive home was a lot of fun and Saturday night was quiet and nice. Sundays are always chaos and the boys were playing basketball after church and I joined in...wearing a sweater and boots with a small heal. I have a few bruises to show for it and lots of laughs. I made a delicious lunch and actually got in a nap so Sunday was a definite good day! But sometimes it is when things get going too well that you don't see the bump in the road coming or more importantly you think your vehicle can race over it. (Maybe I should get rid of my little car and get an SUV) Sometimes God has plans that we did not expect and we are left at a loss even though we know it is the right thing for our lives. This Lent season will be one of building my relationship with Christ...and remembering my time and the things I learned in Poland.

The next few weeks are going to rock! I am meeting with some classmates to start planning our high school reunion and March Madness is just around the corner!! It should be some exciting times! Stay tuned!

One Year Ago...

2009-02-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, it was one year ago, Valentine's Day 2008 that I arrived in Zurich Switzerland. I did not know that day that the next four months of my life would be so amazing and that 2008 would bring so many new experiences and joys. I do not have a Valentine this year but that is okay!! Maybe next year. Life continues to change and things are going well for me right now.

I was so interested in getting the reflection of the lights at night that I got lost trying to get back to my hostel...on my first night in Europe! What a way to start four months traveling alone. We all know how it turned out and I am so thankful for arriving home safely but also thankful for the thorns in my life.

You may be wondering why I am thankful for the thorns...sometimes we grow the most in the situations that take us out of our element, that challenge us, that show us how strong we are and how we can persevere and become stronger. We get through the pain and reflect on what it important to us. This Valentine's Day, I hope you ae also thankful for the Thorns in your life and how they have shaped who you are today!!! Lots of love!!!

2009, so far...

2009-01-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hey all! January is speeding by and so much has been happening...actually, a bunch of litle things. I went back to the gym where I continue to pay a monthly membership fee. I am trying to get myself to attend classes there--the classes are great once I am there, but it seems so hard to get in the front door. I have been swimming two days a week for the last three weeks. For the most part I swim in the outside pool that has a bubble cover. It reminds me of how much I loved the pool growing up. I remember going to Aunt Merc and Uncle Leonard's house and going in the bubble when it was cold outside...not to mention Uncle Leonard "teaching me how to swim". I also remember spending hours in the above ground pool, ice skating on it in the winter (one year), and watching my dad's friend fall into it as we tried to fill it with water!!

I am reading more and cooking more since I have been in my apartment. It is amazing what you can do when you do not have cable...and when you ignore daily chores until they pile up and you have company coming! I have started a push up program--after my six year refusal to do push ups...I can still see that push up board contraption in the EWU weightroom and hear the "click..click" that it made as I pounded out my 30pushups to get my volleyball uniform. Obviously, it is still a traumatic memory, hahaha!

In general, things are going well. It is still weird being home--life is different than it was before I left and different than when I was in Europe. I am reminded of the question, "When does perspective change your actions?" it is a teeter totter with the fact that old habits die hard! I have not taken many pictures but will post a few in the next few days that I have edited.
Take Care!MJ

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!! I am loving the snow! It keeps snowing a little each day and I only get nervous driving to and from work when cars race by going faster than I think they should go!! I am looking forward to Christmas and a long weekend! I am also looking forward to 2009...what can be better than this year....we will see!!

I survived

2008-12-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cannot believe that this week is over. I had about 70 guests at my house this week over 4 days and 5 different events. It was hard work preparing and keeping my house picked up and dishes done every night. I felt myself getting more tired each day and am going to sleep tomorrow until I wake up on my own!!! I can relax a bit next week and then it is Christmas week. I wish you all a Blessed and Merry CHRISTmas.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

I had a great Thanksgiving weekend this year.

It started with a 5K Turkey Trot with Kim and then a drive to Hood River for Dinner with my mom, brothers and Dawnell. We had a very nice meal and some fun conversation...and some of us snuck a Turkeyday nap!

Friday morning we got up at 4:15 and headed to The Dalles' Fred Meyer for 1/2 price socks!!! I missed it last year but made up for it this year! I had spent $200 by 7:00am and was home by 9:30 and did not leave my apartment complex the whole rest of the day.

Saturday was the big Jeske Family Christmas exchange (hoping for family to send me pictures)and my BBCC Alumni Basketball game. Dinner was great and I came home with a pretty white serving set. I loved seeing my family. A few were not able to make it, but we thought about them!! I left early to head to my basketball game in Moses Lake. I was really worried since I had not shot a ball since the previous year's game and had not been running much. It went well and we almost won. It was the best Alumni game I have played in so far!

Sunday marked the first Aldersgate (alternative service) Church service at the church. I think it went well but hope we can get additional help in the coffee house so I can see everything as a spectator. Sunday evening I decided to put up my Christmas tree. It was not the same doing it by myself but I got it all done, vacuumed all the fake pine needles that fell off, and sat back and enjoyed the view!! Christmas Season is in full swing and I hope we all remember the Reason for the Season!! Merry Christmas!

House guests and house pics

2008-11-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

I had family over for dinner on Sunday and we tested out my table and chairs. Good food and good times. After 7 weeks I finally got my table and chairs and had to put all 8 chairs together. I am so happy that it is done!

Money saving tips learned after the trip...

2008-11-18T23:55:00.000-08:00

I could not sleep tonight and decided to check email and one thing led to another and somehow I made it to the currency exchange site at Yahoo!. While I am happy the $$ is doing so well, I cringe at the amount of money I could have saved just on currency exchange. The Euro was around $1.60 when I was there and it is now about $1.26...the Pound was about $2-$2.20 when I was in England and now it is about $1.49. The Polish Zloty was 2.20 for every dollar and now it is 3.03. Some quick calcs tell me I could have saved over $5,000. It is really hard to swallow that every Euro I spent over there was $.40 more than it is now. The price of ice cream in Poland would be worthwhile now...but prices are going up in the States. I shopped around for shoes last week and could not find the ones I was looking to purchase for under $20...what is the world coming to when you cannot even find payless shoes for under $20??? haha laughing as I am typing. Anyway, Good night!

November already??

2008-11-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

A few living room pics to tide you all over until I get my dining table and finish setting everything up. How about that Zebra chair?? I like it more and more each day.

How time flies when we are having fun! The last few weeks have been really busy and I cannot believe Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. Until today, I had not cleared a tote in two weeks. I obviously have enough stuff already unpacked to live. I was unpacking a few totes today and realized that I have way more lotions, body washes, soaps and candles than I can handle in a lifetime. I have a dufflebag full of towels that cannot fit into my cupboards and more craft supplies than a kindergarten teacher! My closet is half the size of the one in my house so I am trying to downsize my wardrobe. My kitchen is overflowing with baking supplies that I am finally getting to use...made creme brulee last weekend, yummy!!! I love my new apartment, but my couch is so comfy that I just want to sit/lay down in the evenings. Thinking about Christmas coming up and having been asked what I want...I realized that I do not Need anything (what a great feeling) and my wants are few. I am trying to downsize all the little knick knacks and use all my scrapbooking supplies. My hobbies right now are photography and running. I am really looking forward to the Jeske family Christmas gathering this year.

Update

2008-10-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

Multnomah Falls
Tea Party for TruelineLife is busy but I am enjoying my new apartment and it is beginning to look like a home now. I am still waiting for my dining table and chairs but I have a loaner from the furniture store for now. My couch is so comfy that when I fall into the corner seat it takes a lot to get me back out. hehehe The zebra chair is becomming more comfortable and I find myself in it while I am on my computer. It is a big weekend at the church and I am working on a 30' scrapbooking project...I hope it meets their expectations! I have not really taken any pictures lately but I will this weekend. I played in a volleyball tournament this past weekend and had a lot of fun...something along the lines "..if I only knew in high school what I know now" I think you can get better with age in volleyball. I am sore every Wednesday but it is fun.

Road Trip!!

2008-10-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

The last few weeks I have been moving into my new apartment and trying to keep up with the social calendar...not easy tasks. I got some help this weekend and moved a bunch of things into the apartment but you can see that it will be a chore to put it all away. The rest of my furniture is supposed to arrive this week so one more big push and I can start relaxing once I get home from work.
Melissa and I took a road trip to Portland and did some shopping, ate at Sweet Tomatoes, and visited with both of our families. We are relaxing now on preparation for a busy week, or a few busy weeks.

Balloon Rally

2008-10-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

I went with my Aunt Mickey to the Prosser Balloon Rally a few weeks ago. We left town a few hours before I usually wake up and it was still rather dark when we arrived.

I was getting pretty cold and wondering why I got up so early when the trailers started opening and people got to work setting things up. I learned quite a bit about hot air balloons and know that I want to ride in one some day!!!

It was so spectacular watching them fill with air and then lift off the ground!
We both were just snapping away with our cameras and running around to different balloons! They slowly began to take off and they left a stream of balloons as more and more would prepare to leave the ground. !

We were having so much fun watching them, but we had to leave. We followed the path the balloons were taking and got some more pictures along the way. We finally made it back to Tri-cities and I had to change for work since the clothes I was wearing got wet and muddy from the field where the balloons departed. Great morning aided by the prospect of great photos, time with family, and a little Starbucks for the road...and when I got back

Coming Home

2008-09-15T04:10:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last few days wandering about in England. I made a trip to Birmingham to visit a friend that I met in Berlin and yesterday I went out to Wimbeldon. I was a half hour late for the tour of the grounds but was still able to tour the museum which was pretty cool! I did not have enough time today to make it back out there and still make my flight home so the few glimpses of the magical green grass will have to hold me over. I went to Hard Rock Cafe last night...the Original Hard Rock and had an evening of entertainment watching the waitstaff from the bar. My waiter told me all about the history of the first opening and some other London history. I then was instructed that I had to see "The Vault"...I was the only person for that time slot so I got the personal tour from 20 year old Harry that is in a band and knows that this band is going to be Big!!! He knew a lot about Rock & Roll history and it was an amusing 30 minutes. If anyone ever hears of a rock band with the name Sugar for the Band, let me know!! haha I had to deal with Tube(subway)line closures and find an alternate way home. In doing so, I saw a few sights in London and had a scary walk home on Holland Park walk--a dmly lit path that goes on for about a mile with limited access. I probably walked faster than my PTC pace. I was plotting how I would defend myself but never had to make a decision. I am hanging out now until my flight home!!! See you all soon!

Just Pics

2008-09-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Where are we now?

2008-09-10T03:39:00.000-07:00

At this minute, I am in Poznan, Poland and the other two girls should be sleeping soundly in their beds in Tri-cities. Our time together has ended but he had one last fun morning together along with the Tellini women. Cate drove us out to a lake an hour outside of Rome and we basked in the sun and swam in the water. It was a great end to a fun and tiring trip. The water was refreshing and I wore my two piece again which caused some very interesting burn lines. By the time I realized I needed to get out of the sun, our shade had moved and the damage had been done. I burned pretty good on places that never see the sun. We had some great laughs and a few firsts and icecream for the ride home! We dropped Rachel and Janelle at the airport and I went back to pack my stuff and head for the train station for a long journey to Poznan. It ended up taking me 24 hours from the time I got on the first train until I got off my last train. By the time I walked from the train station with my luggage, I was beat, but I stayed up long enough to get some dinner and get my laundry ready to go in the wash. I have so much to post, but need to work on a few things take care all!

Day 2 in Rome

2008-09-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

We kept busy today in Rome. It was our last full day in Rome and we covered the ancient part of Rome, the very modern couture shopping district around the Spanish steps, went to a church service completely in Italian, and then got a personal tour of Rome in a tiny car. There were five of us and four of us would pile in/out of the car at the monuments to take night pictures and then move on to the next one. We saw more in the 3 hours touring with Cate than the last two times I was in Rome...a car and someone that has lived here for 10 years really helps! It is 2:20 AM so I am headed to bed, talk to you all soon.

MJ

Rome rhymes with Home

2008-09-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Rome this morning after a rough night on the train. We are styaing with family friends of Rachel and are saving $$. After dropping our bags and making introductions, we made our way to teh Vatican, climbed the Cupola (dome), saw the 's inside of St. Peter's Basilica,< ate at a cute ristorante, saw the Trevi Fountain (reminds me of King Triton on Little Mermaid), Hard Rock Cafe, made our way back to the house, and had a traditional Italian dinner on the balcony. We have another day and a half in Itlay and we plan on walking the soles off our shoes! Ciao!

From the beginning...

2008-09-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

Janelle and I headed over to Seattle on Monday night because Janelle’s flight was about noon and neither of us wanted to risk missing her flight. We had a late, quick dinner at Jalisco’s and then caught a cute movie. We wanted to stay up late so we would be tired and sleep on the plane. We took a cab to the airport the next morning and I saw Janelle off through Security. I had another four hours in the airport before I could even check in and go through security. I got lunch in the airport and had a cappuccino then read my book and wandered around aimlessly through the part of the airport that is before the security gate. I got through security without a hitch and waited at my gate until my plane was ready to board. One on the plane I got settled and took my Nyquil. I was knocked out and struggled to stay awake through dinner service. The seats were tight but luckily I had an aisle seat and could stretch a little. A little tossing and turning and then I woke up with an hour and a half left in the flight. I got some breakfast and something to drink and then it was time to land…nice flight, lots of turbulence that did not bother me because the Nyquil did its job. Janelle and Rachel did not have such luck on their flights and were awake the whole time Rachel called me as I was getting off the plane and we met up in the Heathrow Terminal 5 Starbucks counter…amazing how easy we found each other. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and wandered about a bit before we boarded our flight for Paris. Quick flight and we were on the ground. We were supposed to meet Janelle at the hostel, but I had a message on my phone that said she was still at the airport near the place where we get on the train into Paris. As we headed down the escalator Janelle was one of the first people we saw. We were all together and soo excited to be in Paris.

We made our way into the city and found our hostel. We were on the fifth floor which means 6th floor in the US—the stairs were spiral and a tad scary but we made it through without falling down them. Our first Paris attraction was the Eifel Tower. This time it was lit up blue and one side had yellow stars. We stood in amazement and took quite a few pictures!! Stopping for more pics the closer we got. We climbed up to the first level that you can view the city from all angles. It seemed like about twenty flights of stairs!! The view was great and we could see the lights on the monuments and cathedrals. As we were up there, the tower started to sparkle. We decided we had to find a viewpoint to the 11pm sparkle show so we went across the Seine and up the hill, got so crepes and waited for the next show. After the show ended we headed back to the hostel for some internet time, showers, and going to bed…we did not get a lot of sleep that night, especially me.

Our first thing on the list for next day was the Louvre. The lines were amazingly short and we got in right away. We spent a total of 3 hours at the Louvre…which is 2 hours less than I spent on my own…I thought Janelle would want at least 8 hours at the Louvre. We went over to view Notre Dame, got a quick snack and headed to the “Free” (give me good tips at the end of the tour) Walking tour of Paris.

We had a break about half way through the tour and we decided we had had enough. We tipped the guy and went out on our own. We walked around the streets, shopping at little stores here and there and miraculously we came upon the Chanel store…Janelle wanted a bag but the place was closed. We decided to come back the next day before leaving for Italy. We had dinner at a nice place and had flirty waiters that were fun to watch and chatter with…Rachel had them all at our table when Janelle and I were in the restroom. The food was decent and Janelle was kind enough to de-bone my chicken LOL. The chicken was good and she helped herself to a few pieces while she was helping me. We were beat by the time we left dinner but we had a plane for the next day and we headed back to the hostel.

Our last day in Paris we spent time at Musee d’Orsay, Orangerina where we saw Monet’s water lilies, and then the Chanel store. When we got to the store, we realized that it was a jewelry store only, no bags. We looked around at the exquisite jewelry and the guys in the store were really nice. They told up where the Chanel bag store was and we scuttled off. Janelle did not find the bag she was looking for and we left. Rachel got a free pen that she found on the floor. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back to the hostel to get our bags. We made it on time to the bus that would take us to the airport and got checked in okay with a few minutes to spare for a cappuccino. We had amazing seats on our flight and the flight went well. We about lost Janelle in the Pisa airport and she was gone for a few minutes…we thought she got stopped at customs but that was not the case. We made it to our “lavish” hotel, Grand Hotel Duomo at 9pm, checked in, got some good spaghetti and Italian wine, and then got our first taste of Gelato. I think everyone enjoyed their selections.

We called it a night and crawled into our luxury room with a view of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The next morning we got up early, had a tasty breakfast and headed to Cinque Terre. It was not too crowded and the sun was shining bright! We soaked up the rays.

We explored Riomaggiore a lot more than I did when I was there last time. The water looked so enticing and refreshing. Janelle wanted to buy a swim suit so we could go in the water. We went to a few local store and we found a cute store with a good selection in Janelle’s size. Janelle would talk Spanish and the shop keeper would talk Italian and they were “communicating” enough. The suits were a little different than those in the states…less butt coverage hahaha! There was an extra large and for fun I tried it on thinking I could wear the bottoms and my bra and tank top. To all of our surprise, the suit actually fit. It did not look good by my standards, but the girls assured me that they had seen worse so I bought the suit which was marked down to 15 Euro. You will not see pictures of us in our bathing suits this trip, but we did put them on at lunch. We hiked to the second town and enjoyed some time in Manarola.

We had lunch under a canopy and had a glass of wine…this time white wine. We kept moving and hiked to Corniglia and took the bus to the top of the hill. We looked around a bit at the view, got some popsicles and gelato and headed back to the train. We decided to skip to town 5 and catch town four on the way back to Pisa. We found the beach at Monterrossa and sat out on the rocks…the public sand beach was crowded and we were not allowed to stay on the private sand beaches. Janelle and Rachel made it to the water first and I built up the courage to take off my tank top. I finally made it into the water and it was sooooo refreshing. I stayed in the water while the other girls did some sun bathing. When we had had enough sun we decided to go back to town 4 via the boat, but when we got to the boat ticket window we realized the last boat ad already depart so we went to the train station to get to Vernazza. The next train did not stop at Vernazza and we did not wait around for another 45 minutes. We headed back to La Spezia and then to Pisa. We found a place open for dinner as we were walking back to the hotel and got some gelato too! Janelle and Rachel took some internet time and I relaxed and finished my book…the sun really took it out of me.

This morning we slept in and went down for breakfast and then packed up. Janelle and Rachel head for Marina di Pisa (the beach for more sunbathing) and I hung around the hotel, checked my email, went to the market for picnic supplies and then had a picnic in the shade of the Leaning Tower. I got a few pictures and even did the touristic pose of me trying to hold up the tower. I had resisted the whole time I was there last time but thought why not?? I went back to the hotel and waited for the girls to get back. I enjoyed a gelato and did some writing. We got on the bus and headed to the train station, got some tickets and snack and made our train to Siena. We traveled first class for 5.40 euro and actually got to plug in my laptop and write this blog!! Siena was absolutely beautiful!!! The old center was jam packed with stores and little places to eat. Il Campo was amazing!

Sone of the pictures above are from Florence and we leave for Venice in an hour! More ater.

Florence

2008-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry have not been able to get online with my laptop in Italy yet. We are in Florence tonight and tomorrow. We loved Siena and have had lots of tasty Gelato. We did our wine tour tonight and it was a lot of fun. We met some fun and interesting people..and a great beginning to a love story! More maybe tomorrow!! Stay tuned for pics, Venice, and Rome.

Delayed posting...

2008-08-31T03:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay and today's post will be short and lacking description because I only have 8 minutes on my internet and somebody is waiting to use the machine. We are now in Pisa and heading to Siena tonight. We have not had internet access the last few days. A lot has happened this last week and we have taken thousands of pictures that we will soon post. We are having a great time in Europe though some sadness has changed my trip a bit...my Grandma (last living grandparent) died this week and it has been a struggle to be away from my family. I have talked to them, but it is not the same as being there. I did get to talk to my grandma the day before I left and I know she always loved my blog so I will have to shape up in the next few days and get it updated to her standards...hahaha It goes to show that you should never leave things unsaid because we do not know when our time will end. My grandma lived a long full life and she loved to travel so I will keep traveling because she would want that--I know she would because she verbally told me not to come home if anything happened. gotta go!!!

Arrived in Paris

2008-08-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a whirlwind few days...actually the last week has been super crazy. After Portland to Coast...which I still need to post pics...I started getting ready for Europe and had Monday off work to finish up. Janelle and I piled our bags into her car and drove to Seattle ....ok, I am really starting to get tired so you will have to wait until tomorrow for the rest of the story...we made it safely to Paris!!

It's Fair Time!!

2008-08-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

A group of us went to the Benton Franklin fair---in my opinion the Grant County fair is way better but maybe because I grew up going to that fair. We got some greasy expensive fair food, went to the animal barns, played some games, ate some more greasy fair food, visited and rode the bus back to our cars. Fun times with friends.

Birthday Weekend

2008-08-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

My birthday weekend started early Friday and went until late Sunday. It was a great birthday--I got to talk to/visit with most of my family and a bunch of old friends and a few new friends. I will be able to go to starbucks for quite a few vanilla lattes thanks to all the gift cards--thanks everyone. My Aunt Debbie made an excellent chocolate cake for me and my grandpa's famous molasses cookies (with Uncle Joe's help). I will soon be making creme brulee with my fantastic new torch!! I got to go camping, ate at one of my fave restaurants and had dulce de leche ice cream---can life get any better? I submit that it cannot! (--to the friends)

A little catching up...crazy times!

2008-08-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, the last few weeks have been a little bit of a blur. I had a great time at Michelle Syth's (now Leib) bachelorette party a few Saturdays ago. I had to get up early on Sunday to help with Higher Grounds and then Sunday night I did my presentation to the church for my trip to Poland and the rest of Europe. I was really nervous to get up in front of everyone but it went ok.

We had a BBQ with the Ensign family and had a nice time laughing and catching up. Wednesday was Lauren's birthday party at Anthony's--our server was unique (is that the best word to describe him) and then we went for cake and icecream....Ryan made the cake and used a few secret ingredients, but we all survived!! Thursday was dress rehearsal for the Friday wedding and then the guys went one way and the girls went another way.
The late night Thunderstorms were absolutely amazing around 11pm. I actually stopped and got out of the car to watch until the rain came. The wedding on Friday started as a panic but ended beautifully! Once the tables (and wedding party) dried out from the 6pm shower and wind storm, we buckled down and got everything set up for the ceremony. There was good food fun dancing and laughing with the friends.

We got up early Saturday and piled into four cars to drive over to another wedding in Seattle. The Wetterling wedding also had its share of rain and actually moved their wedding into shelter. It was really beautiful!

After the ceremony and reception, a group of us headed for our hotel to relax for a bit... ...and then we headed into Seattle for dinner and comedy. We were shut down on the comedy so we went back to the hotel and spent the evening just hanging out. Sunday turned out different than we thought and we found ourselves in decent seats at a Mariners game. They lost horribly but it was fun nonetheless!

After a trip to IKEA, Fry's and dinner at The Tav we finally made it home late Sunday...just in time to start another busy week!

Kim & Lisa are in town so I had dinner with them and was a baby hog with Amelia. I got some Zander time in as well, both are soooo cute and growing like crazy! We went to the movies to see The Dark Night---not a favorite but I liked some of the special effects. Tonight is dinner and a movie with a friend--girls night without kids! the rest of the week in planned and then camping on Friday and Saturday--my first trip up to Hell's Half Acre this year and probably the only one this year...bummer! One more week until Portland to COast and then three weeks in Europe! I am tired just typing so I need to rest up for all these activities!! I hope you all are well!!

Michelle's Party--not mine

2008-08-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

We started the party at Bonefish and Matt stuck with us girls. We went to Joker's to listen to a comedian. He was fairly funny and the drinks were big.

We moved to the Grizzly bar and lost Lauren on the way--another one down. We met up with all of our guy friends there and did a little dancing and visiting. We called it a night and had our DD's drive us home. Crazy times but everyone had fun!

Getting ready for the other Michelle Bach. Party

2008-08-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

MJ at work

2008-08-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hood River--Volleyball Weekend

2008-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

My mom and I drove down to Ken's house to go to the Hood River County Fair--Eric Church concert and to play in a volleyball tournament on Sunday. The concert was rockin' and the evening was beautiful. I even got the chance to go to the pig barn which is always a fair favorite! The really are cute and get such a bad rep for wallowing in the mud (to keep cool). Dawnell checked out the horses and we got elephant ears and kettle corn--a good evening!!

I woke up early to see the sun rise over Mt Hood. The view with my eyes was spectacular and I got a few good pictures as well. I actually went back to bed when we got back to the house while the other fed horses.

We headed to Klickitat to play in a volleyball tournament--we thought we were going to be late but the tournament started an hour later than we were thinking!! It took me a long time to warm up and I did not have any great amazing clean hits but either did people on the other teams. After a long day of playing...we WON the tournament. We lost in the second round and worked our way through the loser's bracket and beat the team twice!! It was really cool and I was really tired on the way home--and sore today! Looking forward to a productive week and fun times!!

Friday night at the Ballpark!

2008-07-18T23:44:00.001-07:00

I went to the Tri-city Dust Devil with my friend Krista and her family. The weather was beautiful and we rooted for the home team, but they fell in the 9th inning with 2 outs :( I got dressed up for the event and am finally wearing all the cool clothes I actually got before I left for Europe.
Sometimes your friends try to embarrass you and Krista is pretty good at that when she tries. Cracker Jacks anyone??

11.25

2008-07-16T16:22:00.001-07:00

I have been home for one month today...wow how things have changed--not so much in others around me but in my daily activities! I actually have to be at work on time and I have not been on a train or bus in a month and I have not had sauerkraut since I have been home...I definitely miss the lifestyle I was enjoying in Europe but ya gotta pay the bills at some point! I am super excited about getting a paycheck again...and earning paid vacation! I have been back at work for three weeks and I already have accrued 11.25 hours of vacation...too bad I cannot earn the 160 hours that I will be taking off at the end of summer to go back to Europe. I am still enjoying my job and the sun of the Tri-cities. We are getting into Wedding season and two sets of friends are getting married on the same weekend on opposite sides of the state--hopefully my friends can all carpool!!

Fourth of July

2008-07-09T18:51:00.001-07:00

I had a great Fourth of July this year. We actually cooked hotdogs and roasted marshmallows on Mike's new fire ring. It was about 100 degrees and the fire put off more heat. We celebrated a friend's birthday and then went to another friend's house to watch fireworks. A great 3-day weekend and then back to work. I cannot believe that it is already Wednesday night!!!

First week of work and another vacation

2008-06-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

I survived my first week of work and resisted taking work home with me this weekend...old habits die hard. This time though I wanted to see the verdict of my analysis not that I was behind in my work. I was actaully working so hard that I forgot about the birthday celebration/staff meeting. I had to set an alarm for 5pm so I would go home at that time. I think I found something that interests me. Granted it has only been one week, but I am enjoying being back at Dade Moeller & Associates. I am down in Hood River, Portland, Vancouver area visiting with my brother, grandma and aunt. Mt Hood is beautiful this time of year and the view from my brother's house is awesome. The drive was nice and I am looking forward to getting some picture frames at IKEA. Back to visiting with family and watching ESPN at my Grandma's house ;)

Did that really happen?

2008-06-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I made it home safely and have had a few helpings of Mexican food which I totally missed. When I walked in to Mike & Melissa's house it was as if I never left...and my bed was awaiting me. After a good night's sleep I woke up and began thinking about the wedding cake I would be making. I had to go to Dade Moeller to borrow my Aunt's vehicle and said hi to people there. Again, another place that looked as though I never left. After almost 2 hours I finally left there and started to get things ready for baking.

I baked like crazy for the next two days and had an interview. I got an offer letter on Friday to be the Assistant to the CFO at Dade Moeller & Associates. (BTW, the cake turned out ok on the outside and fabulous on the inside---so many compliments)

Not that my decision needs justification, but I thought I would let you all in on why I accepted...Five and a half months ago I gave notice at Dade Moeller & Associates for my trip to Europe. I was definitely unhappy in my job because it was not the kind of work that I enjoy and I never felt that I had completed enough. Over the last four years I have continually worked hard to conquer tasks and obstacles, to achieve more, to learn more, to improve until I felt satisfied. It was not enough though...I never felt satisfied. I left town and went to Europe and found my smile (and the since of peace I used to know) in Switzerland. I can remember the train ride when I first saw the Alps and how excited I was to be getting closer to them. I did not think about things here...I was lost in the snow covered mountains and beautiful reflective lakes. ------>I enjoyed my time and eventually made it to Poland. Somewhere in the next two months I realized how much I missed my family and friends back at home. I had such an amazing time exploring Europe and plan to go back in August, but this is my Home right now. I could have come back and settled in New York, Denver, or Spokane --probably finding a decent job without too much stress, but then I would miss out on the lives of people who are important to me. Not that I am trying to put others' happiness above mine to my detriment, but I am happy when I am around those I care about.

This job opportunity is one that I think will help me grow and will at times challenge me to use my accounting knowledge and verbalization to teach others. This is what I am passionate about---boring to some of you, I know, but anaylzing things and making sure things are accurate and getting to the root of why things are happening and how to improve things. While there is not much room for advancement...where do I need to go? I assist the big cheese when it coumes to the financial aspects of the company. So far I am not bogged down with excess baggage (it has only been one day). The company is a good company though I cannot compare it to when I first began five years ago, Today! I have built a network of work friends and people who are more than acquaintances. It is like home. I do not feel like I am settling into a place because it is safe and comfortable. This opportunity is something I have prayed about for some time and decided was the path I wanted to take. While this can be seen as the path of least resistance, I think it can be the opportunity to use the knowledge I have acquired in a place where I can be of service...a place where the learning curve is not as steep and the efficiency if greater. This is not a perfect place or the perfect job...but Bloom where you are Planted!!

Flowers in Bloom

2008-06-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

When I arrived in Poznan, there was a message on the whiteboard as you walk in the door that read "Bloom Where You Are Planted"...with a cute little blooming flower. I erased my name this morning, but I left the message because I think we all need that kind of reminder. In our chaotic lives are we a wilting flower or one that cannot even break through the soil? Things do not have to be perfect for us to Bloom. We do not have to go halfway around the world to see the beauty of life. We can have a servant's heart and a good attitude in every situation. We all take things for granted --and things could be so much worse. We can bloom and choose to be happy wherever we are. We can influence others by our body language (or be misinterpreted) and maybe a smile will make someone's day or a dirty look crushes their enthusiasm. Step outside the box and think about the good you can do in your community or your home. I admit that my sarcasm is still alive in me, but try to only let it come out around people that understand it is sarcasm rather than being rude or derogatory.

I will have you also know that I kept plants alive while I was in Poland. Maybe I will try to have an aloe vera plant when I get home. LOL, the nice garden man in Kennewick told me you just have to show them love and feed and water them...hopefully a slow goodbye to my black thumb.

The countdown has commenced:

31 hours until I depart Poznan, Poland
12 more train rides
11 people that will be hard to say goodbye to
10 new friends on facebook--and thousands of pictures
9 am--one more day of being able to wake up at 9am
8 hr workday--something I am not looking forward to
7 hours until I have to say goodbye to my friend Emma
6 days until I reach American Soil
5 currencies left in my wallet
4 days travelling with a friend
3 castles to see
2 plane rides left
1 excited girl to see her friends and family

Coming Home

2008-06-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

I come home next week and am really looking forward to seeing eveyone! I have missed my family and friends and some of the things you find predominantly in America or in Tri-cities. I realize I will be going through another culture shock coming home. I was talking to the missionaries here and a couple of things they mentioned is that when you go home street signs and billboards seem like they are yelling at you and you hear conversation you do not need to know about. In Poland, we live a life of little communication outside of our English bubble. When we walk down the street and see signs we cannot read them...except for a word here and there...and when we go out to eat there are conversations all around us but we do not understand what they are saying. I am not used to being silent so much..haha I know. I am enthusiastic about what I have been doing these past four months and have to bottle that enthusiasm for the sake of those listening. I have taken thousands of pictures to remember the places I have been and to share them with others but more importantly, I feel that I lived the moments and saw the immense beauty of parts of Europe. I have been excited, scared, full of energy, dead tired, saddened, disappointed, anxious, fulfilled, I have met new people, said goodbye to friends, found my smile and ate lots of strange food. I have adapted to this way of life and I think it will be really hard coming home and getting back on a schedule and seeing the same things each day. There are so many things to do and people to see, but I need to remember not to get back into the same pattern as before of overextending myself and trying to please others all the time and still have a place for me. These next seven days are filled with two emotions: excitement to be coming home and sadness of leaving this life I feel I was just beginning. I started packing up yesterday and it is really hard to do! I will not miss the city trams running all night long outside my window or going to the grocery store lost because I cannot even read the food labels. I have learned so much since I have been here and I will look back years from now and hopefuly say, "That experience was a turning point in my life."

Lots of new posts

2008-06-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

For you avid followers I posted lots of pictures today...they are in more of a chronological order by city so look at Berlin, Krakow, and Prague. I got my photobook and got confirmation that my Europe book is getting shipped today. I am sacrificing the last two weeks in my book to hopefully have it in hand before I leave Europe. I can do the last few places on my own and put them in the back of the book. Hope everyone has a great weekend planned! I am spending my last weekend in Poland (I have another weekend in Europe but I will be heading to Rome for the last few days). That is all for today as I am going to get on the tram and head for the grocery store. Tacos for dinner...the best I could find in Poland were the ones coming from my own kitchen. I cannot wait to go to Fiesta, La Fama and Avocados when I get home!! Seriously been missing those places among others.

Travel Tuesday

2008-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

I made it back to Poznan, Poland in one piece even though I was almost in tears a few times yesterday. I had a beautiful morning looking out my hotel window at a cloud covered Mt Blanc...still a gorgeous view. I made my way to the train station with my handy dandy researched timetable. After a few bad looks from the girl looking at her screen she tells me that I will have to wait until Switzerland to buy my overnight train to Poznan. I was not too worried at this point because I had a stopover in Bern and I knew there were lots of info points there. I got on a train and then three more before I finally arrived in familiar Bern. I went to the ticket office that I had been to many times before and the guy looked up my itinerary, got a weird look on his face and said he could not help me and that I should go upstairs to the international travel desk...after waiting a few minutes upstairs I get to the counter and the girl was optimisitic but later ran into a problem with me using my rail pass and having to buy the Switzerland and Poland pieces separately...gets help and then finds she cannot make the reservation at her terminal and tells me I can try again the next day...she then tells me I can get on the train and see if a conductor will sell me a reservation if there is room...I travel to another town an hour away and go to the ticket window there, having to wait a half hour just to talk to someone...that guy speeds through and clicks on get a reservation and the same screen pops up that was in Bern and he tries something else and then tells me that reservations are closed but the train would be arriving in 5-10 minutes--find a conductor and see about getting a ticket then...As I am waiting for the train I look at the schedule and notice that the train I would be getting on scatters in the middle of the night and only one car would be going to Poznan so I find that specific car and get on. I see three people in uniform and ask each f them if they speak Englilsh and none do..I hand them my timetable and german rail pass and they say buy from conductor...I thought I had done a lot of searching for a conductor so I sat down in the dark sleeping couchette...after about an hour the conductor finds me and I get a reservation but was told that I would have to buy the Poland portion from a Polish conductor in the morning. I would have to wake up between 5 and 6 am and find the conductor. I had dinner on the train and it was actually good! When I came back, there were other people in my couchette. By the time it was time to go to bed there were three other older men that did not smell so lovely...and none of them knew English and one kept trying to talk to me in Polish. At 10pm I gave up and climbed to the top bunk and went to sleep the best I could. I set my alarm and in the morning I could hear someone saying passport control but nobody ever looked at my passport. I got up after a while and searched for a conductor...never finding one. I made it to Poznan 35 minutes late and was extremely happy there was someone waiting on the track for me!! Long travel day lasting a total of almost 21 hours and now it is morning and I will camp outside the building door until UPS brings me my package!!! This is the second time they have tried to deliver this package...meaning they tried three times last month and then sent it back to Spain...it got lost on the way back and the publisher made me a new one and I am really anxious to see what it looks like!! So I am going to relax today and enjoy the beautiful sunshine here...maybe go to the market and get some food to eat after my book is delivered.

Chur--->Zermatt Glacier Express

2008-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today I took a train through some of the most beautiful mountain countryside in the world. We traveled through the bottom of a gorge and looked down into ravines. The train used a cog wheel to go up and down the steep clifsides. The flowers were in bloom and the water was rushing as the snow melts off the mountains. I saw glaciers in vibrant blue and animals grazing in the green pastures. I traveled in a panoramic train car so I could see all around and experience everything. The portion I chose to experience was a five hour train ride ending in Zermatt.

I am staying at the Youth Hostel with an amazing view of the Mattehorn Mountain...reminds me of Disneyland. There are mountains all around me...some still covered in snow and some displaying rocky cliffsides and others covered in green grass and yellow flowers...some places have fields of dandilions. There are no cars in Zermatt...there are electric taxis and a village bus that haul people around. I hear that everything in the town is expensive so I am glad dinner and breakfast are included in the price of the hostel. Have a Blessed Lord's Day!!

Hallstatt, Austria

2008-05-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

I have so much to post that I do not know where to start...so I will start with the present and work backward. After my brother left for the states, I stayed in Vienna for another night. I tried to catch up on emails and decide what I was going to do for the next few days before heading back to Poland. I actually did not decide until I was sitting in the train station. I had eaten breakfast at the hotel and checked out, caught the metro to the train station and was looking at the reader board when I decided to go to Hallstatt. It was one of the towns in my guidebook so I got the fahrplan from the infodesk and boarded the next train. A few hours later I got off the train and waited for a boat to take me across the lake. The town was so small and cute. I did not have a hotel reservation and the three places I called were booked. I headed for the information desk to see if they could help me and was told all rooms were full for the night. I figured I would just go to another town closer to Switzerland but a gal stopped me outside the info center saying that they just cancelled their room and told me where to go. I got a room to myself at the youth hostel!! ...with the waterfall right outside my single pane window. I dropped my things and headed out on the town...okay there is a main street and offshoots that lead to houses or hotels and restaurants.
I walked and took pictures. I found the internet cafe that was mentioned in my book--actually it was under a huge umbrella and you sit by the water as you surf the internet. I ended up at Strand Cafe for dinner. I had a pretty good Weinersnitzle and boiled potatoes. When I was done, a lady started talking to me and invited me to join the "locals" at the big table. We talked for quite some times and I also got to see some swans and babies--the dog tried to jump in the water and one of the swans started hissing and got really big, very protective of her little ducklings. We had spurts of rain and sun, but I stuck it out. I toured around the town a bit after dinner and listened to the booming thunder. I watched the sun kiss the mountains goodnight and then headed for the hotel.
This morning I packed up my things and went down for breakfast. I ate with a guy from Minnesota who had been studying in Germany. After breakfast I walked by the water trying to get that perfect reflection picture off the lake. Not quite crystal clear water, but pretty nonetheless. I checked out and headed for the boat dock to get to where the train stopped. I saw the guy I ate breakfast with at the boat dock. We talked and traveled to Salzburg together. I got on another train headed toward Innsbruck with a final destination of Chur. My first train left 5 minutes late--af first I was happy because I was able to get some lunch but then we had a 25 minute delay at one of the country borders. Miraculously enough my next two connection trains waited for us!! I arrived in Chur about an hour later than anticipated and headed to my hotel. The town looks cute and I will explore it in the morning. My goal for tomorrow is to get on the Glacier Express Train and ride through the Alps. I missed out on this when I was here in February and I do not have a ticket yet so we will see how it goes in the morning. A long travel day, but beautiful scenery and now I am back in Switzerland!!! I remember now why I loved it so much the first time!! Lots more posts to come!

Vienna in Bloom

2008-05-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

I had already been to Vienna, but I went back with my brother. As we were coming out to the metro and before we checked into our hotel we were greeted by people trying to sell concert tickets. We left Everett to take care of the tickets and Chris and I went to check into the hotel. We dropped our things and headed for our concert. The map they gave up had three things circled and the tickets had another address where the doors were locked. We decided to cut our losses and head for dinner...the next day we saw the same people, told them what happened and actually got our money back. We stayed at a nicer place (not up to the standards of the other hotels of the trip)than the youth hostel and ate at restaurants that had cloth table cloths--a different experience than the last time.

We went out to Shonbrunn Palace and the flowers were in bloom and the apple strudel demonstration was in full swing.

We spent most of the day there and even got to see the city from the top of Gloriette. It was a beauitifully sunshiny day and the flowers were so pretty. They were preparing for some kind of concert so our pictures have disruptions, but the view was still amazing. We toured the palace, walked to the Gloriette, watched the strudel demonstration, had lunch at the cafe and looked at the gardens. It was a great afternoon and then we headed back to the downtown area to see the Hofburg area and have dinner before the guys had to catch their flight to Berlin. A quick trip, but fun nonetheless.

Budapest-how much is 10,000?

2008-05-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Budapest for a few days and I took 10,000 out of a cash machine. The ATM gave me one 10,000 note. It actually only calulated to $65. We got a taxi to our apartment and unloaded our stuff. Our night train from Prague to Budapest was the nicest that I had been on--there was a shower in the bathroom and towels in our compartment! I booked us a city tour to start our time in Budapest. We learned about Buda, Pest, and Budapest. We spent some time and almost left Ev at Hero's Square. We went up to Matthias Church and got a comanding view of both sides of the Danube.

After our tour ended, we had lunch and did some shopping. Later that evening Ev and I enjoyed a dinner cruise along the Danube and Chris opted for Fusion, a nice Asian restaurant.
The next morning we had our planned Parliament Tour. The exterior was seriously amazing and the interior was pretty cool as well.

Besides us there were two other American couples on our tour that we chatted with. We meet interesting people wherever we go! After the tour, we took a taxi back to our apartment, checked out and went to lunch at the Asian restaurant Chris had tried the night before.
We also went the Shephan's Cathedral which we had passed on our tour.
We rushed back to get our bags and caught a taxi to the train station...only to find that our train was almost a half hour late. We also found out that there was no First Class wagons...it was seriously hot and we all took naps. Luckily the train was not too busy and we had a two couchettes to ourselves.

Beautiful Prague

2008-05-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Prague was an amazing city. We left our bags at the hotel and then headed for breakfast. With found a little cafe with croissants and drinks. I was astonished at the cost...for three people breakfast and water--something like 600Kc. It was expensive even in American dollars but not anywhere near $600. we headed for Prague castle and toured around there for quite some time and then headed back toward the hotel to see if our room was ready. We had lunch outside in the middle our our little square by our hotel. We explored more of the city and found paddle boats...the line was long so we decided to come back the next day. We stopped for a break and a cafe/bar and it was a nice rest to rehydrate.

For dinner we went to a fancy restaurant situated on the water. I got some sunset pictures of the castle but none that were that good. We went to a club next door and there were four totally different floors...the first three were completely dead but there were people on the top floor. A few bachelorette parties and old music...music I cannot dance to...my btother was really fun though. He danced with each of the bachelorettes and made their friends laugh!! I called it an early 1 am evening and headed back to the hotel...getting lost for about an hour...kinda scary but I finally made it back. Chris did the same thing an hour later and who knows when Ev rolled in.

The next day we went out on the water in the paddle boat first thing to avoid the crowds. It was lovely!! We toured around Prague the rest of the day and then headed back to the train station for our last night train. Our compartment was really nice and there was actually a shower in the WC. We all took showers and got a good night's rest...I did anyway. Budapest was an complete unknown or me so I was excited and nervous for the next few days!

Krakow--round 2

2008-05-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Krakow because my brother & Ev had not been there. We arrived safely from our night train and I was ready to leave my bags at the train station for the day and head to Krakow, but the guys wanted a shower. We did not have a hotel because we were taking the night train out that night. We tried to rent a room somewhere that would let us check in then but were unsuccessful. Ev did find a hotel that would keep our bags for us though. After we unloaded our bags we went in search of transportation out to Auschwitz. We ended up taking a big bus tour that was a reasonable price. We had soem time to get breakfast before boarding our bus. We watched a video on the way out to Auschwitz that kinda puts you into that mindframe. Our guide at Auschwitz was way different thatn the one I had last time. She was very serious and educational.

I tried to get some good pictures this time around. We made our way to Auchsitz II and were informed that we had 45 minutes there...doing the math I realized this was nowhere near enough time. After our guided tour ended I told the guys to follow me to the gas chamber remains---surprised that the tour did not cover these. We got a quick glimpse and then literally Chris and I ran back to the bus. Ev decided the bus would wait for him and walked...made me mad actually. We made it back to Krakow and headed for some lunch and shopping. The guys each got something from a store, but things are too expensive for my tastes. We got to see a speed walking race...I thought the women looked funny but then later we saw the men and it was absolutely hysterical. Where we ate dinner there was a view down to the course.

After dinner, we headed back to the place where are bags were stored. The guys sweet talked (and tipped) the gal at the desk and they let us go downstairs to their fitness center to relax and take showers. They actually broght us robes, soap, slippers, and big towels. I was slightly embarassed but have to admit that I enjoyed my shower! We left there and went to the mall next to the train station to wait for a while. Chris and I ordered these huge fruit deserts served in Margarita glasses. We boarded our train and this time we all were in the same compartment. When we woke up, we were in Prague!

Berlin--walls coming down

2008-05-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

I went to Berlin a few days before I was supposed to meet my brother. I hopped on an early train from Frankfurt so I could get to Berlin in time for the 12:30 pick up for the free (but give me good tips) walking tour of Berlin. Our guide John reminded me so much of John Thomas...I kept staring because the resemblance was uncanning. Anyway, he led us to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, by what is left of the Berlin Wall, by Checkpoint Charlie
, the big Cathedral and up the steps of one of the museums.
It was a four hour tour and I do not remember anything that he told us!!! I did get lots of good pictures and reflected on german history and the history of Berlin. I met Anupa first thing and we began talking. We decided to do the pub crawl that night offered by the same company as the walking tour. After the walking tour, I got my bags and raced to the hostel which was 30 minutes outside of Berlin and then rushed back into town for a quick bite to eat before the pub crawl. It was a really cool setup for the pub crawl. Because it was a Tuesday none of the bars had patrons other than us pubcrawlers...good thing because we took up a lot of space. They had us ride the trams to two different places which was pretty crazy. We ended at a club and before I knew it I looked at my watch and it was 3am. I could not get a train back to my hostel until 4am and finally crawled into bed at 5:15---I have not pulled an all nighter in quite some time and I thought about just staying up because I could get some great pictues of places without all the tourists at 5am.

The next day Anupa and I did the Concentration camp outside of Berlin. Our guide Matt was pretty cool and really into history. He gave us a lot of information and let us look around a bit ourselves. This was a concentration camp rather than an extermination camp, but people were still murdered here. We learned about how excrutiating roll call could be and that if people died during the night their bodies would need to be hauled out to roll call. Again, very depressing to think of times like that.

I pray that I am never in a situation such as that. After our tour we made our way back to Berlin and found Checkpoint Charlie--I did not have my passport with me but Anupa did so we went to the booth just before they closed it up.

The young guy working the station was hilarious and gave us some extra freebees and we got some pictures with him. We then went back to the Brandenburg Gate to watch the sun go down behind it and watch the lights come on.
It was pretty cool and we had some time to have a kaffee and desert. Anupa and I said our goodbyes and headed for our respective hostels. I went straight to bed knowing it would be a long day with Chris and Ev.

The next morning I woke up and checked out of the hostel and header to the train that would take me to the bus that led to the airport so I could meet Chris & Ev. I did not know which airline or the exact tiem of their arrival but I thought it was 9:30 am. On the bus to the airport i learned that there was an accident on the autobahn...I was a little frantic because I could not communicate via cell phone with the guys. It was a very slow ride but I finally made it to the airport. There were hundreds of people waiting for busses and I looked for the guys there and then went inside and asked where bagage claim was located. The lady informed me it was at each gate. Great, how on earth was I going to find them. I walked around a bit and then headed back outside once more but no luck. I decided to make one full loop around the airport ring. I am walking and look up and see the two guy s walking out from their gate. Holy cow, what timing!! We decided to take a taxi to our hotel rather than maneuvering busses and trains. We get there and they do not have a reservation for us and are booked up. The guy was very nice and helped up find a hotel nearby which was excellent! For my in was a luxury room--the two prior nights i had been in a hostel with lots of other people and a shared bathroom. I had a big cushy bed, a nice bathroom, and tv with German dubbed American shows. Once we got settled, we headed out on the town for lunch and sightseeing. We made it to a church that was hit in WWII and the rebuilt section.
We made it to Sony Center and and rode the double decker bus around. We went back to Checkpoint Charlie and I got my passport stamped...the new guy wan't as jovial as the guy the night before. We toured a few museums and then made our way back to the hotel. We got some dinner and then I went to bed.

My last morning in Berlin was slow and then a rush to the train station so we did not miss our train to Poznan. The ride was peaceful in First Class and we arrived in Poznan in time to get our tickets for that night, check out my flat and walk downtown to dinner. We had an enjoyable dinner with Emma, Ev & Rhonda and then we walked around the square a bit. Emma showed the guys the award winning mall in Poznan and gave them history--I learned right along with them! We got soem snacks for the train and then made our way to the station.

When in Rome...or Baden Baden

2008-05-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

I did it. I survived the Friedrichsbad Mineral Bath today. I spent all morning on the train and finally got to the Spa at 3pm. The closer I got, the more my heart pumped. Was I excited or nervous or thinking why the heck did I watch that Rick Steve's section on Germany?

Here is something I read online about the spa...

FAQ What do I have to bring along?
You don’t need a big bag for a visit in the Friedrichsbad. It’s a nudist bath. Therefore you don’t need to bring any bathing clothes. We provide you with towels and bathing shoes. Furthermore our showers are equipped with soap dispensers and at stage 15 you can chose between different moisturising creams. Hairdryers are also there for you to use.

So, if I would have gone on Saturday, it was co-ed from stages 7-11, if I would have gone on Sunday, it was co-ed for stages 1-17. I went on Monday, not co-ed, but still a little wierd. It was amazing though---no wonder why the Romans loved it so much. I figured I did not know a single person there, would never see anyone from there, did not make small talk like I have been doing so much these last few months.

No pictures of the inside of the spa, but it was such a beautiful place. At the end, they wrapped me in a warm towel and blanket and let me sleep for a while. So relaxing...and then I had to load up my bags and get on the train for a quick overnight in Frankfurt. Berlin tomorrow!

Good night!