Sunday, December 30, 2007

Late Holidays


Had a nice night tonight. Went to my Aunt's for Xmas with my Dad's side of the family. My Grama was there, my Aunt, Kurt, my Dad, me and my Aunt's friend, Carl. We went to dinner at Max and Erma's then headed back to the house to open gifts.

My Aunt got me these gorgeous Waterford crystal wine glasses in cobalt blue (I collect cobalt blue glass) that I am going to be putting into my china cabinet very shortly.......I love Waterford and the combo of blue and Waterford is so kewl. She also had a calendar custom made for me with each month a picture of the pugs and/or Bugsy. It is really neat. I can't wait to hang it at the office. Also got a lot of other stuff, cobalt blue rolling pin, cobalt blue utensils, cute towels for my bathroom with an "H" on them, a candle, and some other stuff I can't recall right now......I am really tired and don't feel like getting up and looking at what I got......

Everyone liked the gifts I got them too, which I was glad about (although a lot of stuff was stuff they asked for, so I figured it would be liked, LOL).

Bought Kurt two sweaters today marked down at Kohl's from $50 to $8. I heart a great deal. Bought new mascara today and really like it. Also bought a new hair toy, that supposedly can be used on wet or dry hair, and dries hair while giving it body, etc. Tried it on dry hair and don't know if it did much or not, but it takes me a while to get used to new stuff. Bought a new eye makeup remover too since I really need some and have not had time to order on eBay. Hopefully, my eyes are OK with it, since I am kinda picky with this.

Did my hair slightly different tonight, and I think it turned out cute! Took pics at my Aunt's, but have not uploaded yet. Will upload later.......It also shows my shorter hair, which I promised to post before and never did (I am such a liar, hehe).

Tomorrow, we are heading to Pinconning to visit Kurt's Mom for Xmas. I bought her a really pretty quilt and picture frame today from Target, that I am pretty sure she will love.......

Anyway, an exhausted and need to head to bed.......

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Back to the Grind


I went and visited my friend Jill, her husband, Ben, their three kids, Jamin, Leah, and Kort.....Posted about it before on here, it was over Thanksgiving. Anyway, finally got around to uploading the pics from the get together.

Click here to see them. Really adorable kiddos! :)

On another note, back to the grind on the home front. Worked both yesterday and today and were really busy. The phone is a tad bit quieter than usual (since it is still the holidays for most people, kids off of school, etc.), but I had so much paperwork and docs to go through from when we were away. Finally seeing the light though.

Vito's birthday (4th) was the 15th, which is the morning we left really early. So, we celebrated yesterday. Vito had a great night. He is thee cutest dog on his birthday. People love Vito and Vito loves all people. First, we took a car ride, which is in itself super fun for the babe. Started with a trip to Petsmart. We needed dog and cat food, and picked up a new collar for Vito while there, a cute red one. Also bought some dog bones and stuff marked down from Xmas. Vito was called "extremely good looking" by a woman there, hehe, and everyone that passed him stopped to pet and love the boy. Next, we stopped at Burger King for Vito's birthday bacon cheeseburger. He inhaled that (literally) and we next stopped at Kroger's. Kurt and Vito stayed in the car while I ran in for a couple things we needed. Me and Vito played peek a boo when I came out. He had the best night.


Glad to be back to the gym. Did get a lot of exercise (cardio) on vacay, so I dont feel guilty or anything, but I like the routine of the gym at night and watching my Netflix videos.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Panama Trip--Bliss

To begin, I just have to say that Panama was incredible and I really needed the time away from the office. We were in Panama from Dec 15-24, and I loved every minute of it. While there, each day I would type out what I had done, seen, etc., so I would not forget. Below is my diary kept during the trip. I have tried to put in links to different places we went and such.

I highly recommend the trip. Panama really is for everyone. It has nature, beaches, oceans, resorts, city life………….

Here are the links to my pics, both the slideshow and the pics.

Panama Trip Dec 2007

December 15 2007

Flight from Detroit to Miami left at 720 AM. Flight went great, landed in Miami at 1015 AM. Found our way to the next terminal, had a quick bite to eat, and then our flight to Panama City left at 11:20 AM. We are in the airplane right now as I type this. We are sitting next to a doctor from Panama City who is really interesting and giving Kurt advice on places to stay at and such. So far, trip has gone really smoothly. (BTW, by the end of the flight, said doctor was less interesting and we were ready to not talk to him anymore, LOL). Flew American Airlines again, and I am in love with this airline. We have flown them for every Central American trip we have taken, and the flights are always early or on time, very little or no turbulence, and on luggage lost. Not to mention best prices.....

Arrived in Panama City. Customs was very long lines though, ugh. You had to buy this tourist card and then wait in line to get through. Getting through was easy, and our luggage was waiting for us (because of the long wait at customs). Getting the rental car through Dollar was super easy and the car is very kewl--Toyota Land Cruiser. Drove to the hotel we wanted to stay at--Canopy Towers. The place is very different and I love it. We stayed on the top floor of rooms, which meant we were level to the treetops and could hear all the birds and animals. It is a former military base that was converted into a lodge. Dinner was incredible and the observation tower is so awesome. Met a couple who are scientists and here doing research….very interesting people. It was interesting, they had a teenager who was somehow able to travel with them for research and attend high school mostly online, out of Vancouver (where they live).

Had such a great first evening in Panama.

Dec 16 2007

Got up early to do a walk on Pipeline Road with a tour guide from the hotel (included with our room price). The hike was long and lasted from 630 AM until around 1215 PM. We saw a ton of really kewl birds, as well as Capuchin monkeys, sloths, agouti, coati…..Saw my fav bird, the toucan, and also saw a really kewl woodpecker I have never seen before, turkey vultures, motmots, blue cotingas and a yellow headed eagle (as well as a lot of other birds, but I am not good at remembering their names). There were four others on the tour and the one chick was soooo annoying. She had something to say about everything. We were ready to get away from her at the end of the walk. If you saw a sloth, she would have a story about a sloth or some fact to cite…..ha. I saw a snake at one point, and was like “it was probably a lizard that looked like a snake”….so, we just ignored her.

Had lunch at the hotel and then went for the drive across the country to David. The drive took longer than it should have because it was a torrential downpour most of the way, on and off. So, picked a good day to drive because we prob would not have done any more hiking in that weather. I got a semi-migraine on the drive that I got rid of around when we got to David. Then Kurt got a headache and is resting right now while I type. We just picked the first place we could find to stay at in David. David is crazy tonight, there is some kind of Xmas festival and parade downtown, so while Kurt is resting, I watched a parade and fireworks from the window seat in my room, which was pretty kewl. I am starving now, so I am hoping Kurt feels better soon so we can go out. On the drive when I was awake, saw some awesome birds flying and off the side of the road. Parrots were everywhere. It is so kewl to see parrots just flying in the wild.

Kurt woke up, and we went out to dinner next store to our hotel at a place called Café Jenny. The place was VERY Panamanian, I think Kurt and I were the only English speaking people there. We got SOO much food, and two pops. I had rice with shrimp and Kurt had fish and fries, and our bill was less than $10. Craziness. The parade I had been watching just got more insane. It has now been going on for like 4 hours and has not stopped. It’s like a huge party in David. We went outside and watched for a while, then went to the casino in our hotel to play Blackjack. Rules are slightly different here, and I thought the game was actually more fun. Joked around (as much as I can with my limited Spanish) with the dealers, pit bosses and other players and we came out like $27 ahead (most of it me, hehe). Went to this store across the street too--a grocery store like place. We needed contact solution and my face wash. Customs apparently went through my bag (checked) because we had one of those “we searched your bag” tags in the bag. They opened our contact solution and left it open (meaning most of it emptied out) and they TOOK my face wash (OK, updated after I got home, WHOOPSIE, my face wash was on my counter, no stealing by customs, LOL). No clue why, it’s not prescription or anything. So odd. Of course, all my “Americanized” products are more money here, but I was just thankful to find the right stuff, as I am picky about brands and beauty products.

Anyway, back in the room now and looking at where we are heading tomorrow. I am thinking either Volcan Baru or La Amistad, but who knows……..

By the way, the hotel tonight was only 22 dollars, which I thought was hilarious. Prob the cheapest place I have ever stayed in. But, because of the parade and craziness in this town tonight, we could not drive the main drag and look for something else, and I kinda like the place anyway……….Night.

Dec 17 2007

Got up early again and drove to Volcun Baru National Park. Found the hiking trail that we wanted, which is known for quetzals. Just the hike from where we parked to the ranger station was like 2 miles, up hill, on ground that was volcanic rock. About ¾ of the way up a taxi was coming down, and we asked for a ride. Paid the ranger, and headed down the trail. The trail is all downhill to the town of Boquete and about 6.2 miles. Sounds easy, right? Not. LOL. It was downhill, wet, muddy, slippery, and extremely dangerous. We went about two miles and it started to downpour. The next leg of our journey was almost straight downhill, and I really did not want to chance falling off a mountain, so we decided to turn around and head back to the car. We did see some kewl birds though and I love hiking through the cloud forests. By the time we got to the car, we were soaked to the core and freezing (which is funny since we are in Panama and it is hot here). Did get some great pics of the cloud forest though and the views from the high altitudes we were at. It was a gorgeous hike, despite the rain. Drove next to the little town of Bambito and got a room at Hotel Bambito. Our room is gorgeous, with a balcony that overlooks a pond with fish , ducks, birds, and lots of flowers. We are showering because we are freezing from the hike, then heading out again. More later. OK, went and walked around the hotel property. They have a really nice walk area with ponds and fish and ducks and other birds, and flowers galore. Booked two massages, then went to dinner at a place next to the hotel called Parilla Argentine. Our food was incredible. Had seafood soup, followed with tilapia for Kurt and some kind of fish for me too--don’t really know what kind, but it was incredible. The menu was all in Spanish and was argentine, so we were having issues with some of the language. Good whatever it was, LOL. Just had my massage, and it was awesome. I am so sore from the hiking (especially today’s terrain) so the massage about killed me, but I needed it. Kurt is getting his right now. I think we are going to had to La Amistad National Park tomorrow, and then possibly Bocas del Toros the next day, but we will see……

Dec 18 2007

Got up this morning and had breakfast at the hotel (free with our room). Headed to La Amistad Park just to have to turn around because the road was being worked on and nobody could pass. Bummer. Although we can apparently also get there from Bocas del Toro, so maybe we will go then. Stopped in David next and bought plane tickets to Bocas del Toro for tomorrow. Decided to head to Boquete instead. Boquete is supposedly a really “Americanized” area meaning mostly that a lot of Americans are moving there. The area is totally cute. Reminded me a lot of Jaco in Costa Rica. Really laid back environment. Anyway, we had lunch at this awesome place downtown called Delicias del Peru. The food was incredible. I had a seafood soup to start with, followed with a sea bass that was awesome. Kurt had some odd appetizer that was something potatoes with cheese, followed by some kind of spicy fish. After that, we headed to Finca Lerida to hike. It is a coffee plantation, that it surrounded by primary and secondary rain forest. Did two of trails there, both of which were very kewl. The first was on the edge of the mountain with really kewl views of the mountain, forest and coffee fields. The second was though the forest and awesome. I don’t think many people hike there because a lot of it was overgrown and hard to find the trail to walk on. Saw lots of little birds. Sat in an opening in the field after the hike and just listened to the birds and forest and relaxed, then hiked back to the car. Next, we drove back into Boquete and bought strawberry milkshakes to cool down (they grow a lot of strawberries in that region of the country). So yummy. Then, we drove back to David for the night and we are staying at the Gran Hotel Nacional. Our room is really nice. We decided to go and walk around the shopping downtown area, which totally reminded me of San Jose, Costa Rica (but slightly less insane). Went in some stores to check out the prices and they have some amazing deals on tennis shoes here. Pumas are so much cheaper than in the US. Anyway, after that, had dinner in a pizzeria/Italian place at the hotel, which was so good. I had shrimp pizza and Kurt had pizza with olives and onions. Checked out the casino next (at the hotel), but I decided to come back to the room because I am exhausted, and kurt went to go play blackjack for a little while. Night…..

Dec 19 2007

Got up and checked out of our hotel and headed to the airport for our flight to Bocas del Toro. Flight was great even though Kurt was freaked out by the small plane with two propellers on the front. The landing was awesome, better than any big plane I have been on. Got there and hopped in a taxi to the hotel I had picked out, the Bocas Inn, hoping there would be a room. There was. Got the room for two nights, and headed to lunch. We had lunch at the Hotel El Limbo Restaurant on the water. Super good. I had lobster crepes that were to die for. Kurt had tuna and olive crepes and we split an appetizer of bruschetta. Yum. After that, headed back to the hotel to change and talk to the tour lady about doing a jungle tour tomorrow. Set that up, then headed to a water taxi to go to the beach. Red Frog Beach is what we wanted. Got the taxi and took the 10 minute boat ride to Isla Bastimentos which is where the beach is. Hiked a short path to the beach and saw two red frogs on the way. They are totally adorable. Got to the beach and basically lazed around all day. Slept, walked on the beach, etc. it was really, really nice. Hopped on the taxi back to the main island, showered, than walked around the downtown area. Really reminds me of Tamarindo in Costa Rica. Stopped into a couple bars for Happy Hour and had a banana daiquiri and a pineapple daiquiri at two different places. The one place was kewl because the deck was surrounded by water on two sides. After that, had dinner at a place called Lemongrass which had amazing food. I had shrimp stir fry in some kind of spicy sauce and Kurt had some kind of king fish meal with rice. We split spring rolls as an appetizer. Walked around more downtown, then headed to the hotel to sit on the deck overlooking the water. It started to rain, so now we are in our room for the night. Night.

Dec 20 2007

Today we took a tour with Ancon Expeditions. We first went on a boat to Isla Bastimentos to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere Had to put our food order for lunch in the morning so it would be ready. Then we headed to an indigenous village on Isla Bastimentos where a villager took us on a tour of the jungle and the village. In the jungle, we saw a 2 toed sloth, a 3 toed sloth, night monkeys, a basililk (a lizard like creature that can kill a dog in a fight), red poison dart frogs and a caiman. The village was pretty kewl--all the younger kids ran around naked or half clothed saying “Hola”. After that, we headed to a coral reef for snorkeling, which I have never done. It was incredible. I saw so many colors of coral and a ton of fish, my fav was the parrot fish. Then, we went to lunch which was awesome. After that, headed to Red Frog Beach to relax. Swam in the ocean and saw a girl almost drown. One of the ladies on our tour helped save her. Took a long walk on the beach and relaxed. After that, came back to the our hotel and headed to dinner and for drinks. Had dinner at The Reef and had Panamanian food tonight (creole red snapper for me and garlic red snapper for Kurt). Hung out at the hotel with people we had met the rest of the night on the deck over the water. Tomorrow morning we leave for David. Night.

Dec 21 2007

Got up in morning and ate breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the airport to fly back to David. Flight left a little bit late, and we got to David at around 1030 AM. Stopped at an Internet Café to book our room in Panama City, then started the long drive back to Panama City (was a lot quicker this time with no rain storm. Got to panama city and finally found the hotel, which was a crazy thing. Panama city is INSANE. People drive like maniacs, honking, don’t use turn signals, etc. Hotel is super nice. Kurt says he thinks it is the nicest place he has ever stayed in. It’s a Wyndham, called Veneto. I picked it because there is a casino in it and restaurants, but we have not yet used the casino or ate there. Went and walked around to a bunch of stores on a main road and bought Kurt some sunglasses. Then went to dinner at a place called Madame Changs, which was incredible. Yum. We split a Spring Roll (which had the most amazing sweet and sour sauce with it). Had a Szechuan shrimp meal and Kurt had a black bean fish meal. Awesome food and service. Got back to the hotel and went to bed.

Dec 22 2007

Got up today and had breakfast at the hotel (included with room). Great buffet. Headed to the Pacque Metropolitano Nacional to hike. It started pouring on our way there, so we headed instead to the Albrook Mall (an outlet mall near Panama City) to walk around. While walking around, we saw a dentist office offering laser teeth whitening for cheap. Went in to inquire and found out it was much cheaper than the US, so we decided to go for it. The process worked awesome, although it was kinda uncomfortable, sitting there with your mouth held open for an hour and a half. After that, had lunch at the mall and headed back to the park. Hiked one of the longer trails and saw a bunch of agouti, a quetzal, and a lot of other birds. After that, headed back to the hotel for a quick nap, then headed to the spa at the hotel for massages. The spa is super nice. The women’s area has a steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi, showers, etc. The massage was really good, and we then headed to dinner at a place called Café Pomodoro. Cheap and SOOO good. I had capellini with spicy marinara. Back in the room now and going to sleep…….

Dec 23 2007

Got up and had breakfast at the hotel. Then headed on our tour. The tour started out with an aerial tram tour of the rain forest. Very kewl. We saw this awesome toucan on the top of a tree. With the tram tour, you started by taking this tram to a part of the rain forest, it went slowly above the trees. Once you got there, you hiked through some rain forest, and then walked up this 90 foot structure to a viewing platform. That is where we got to watch this toucan. Anyway, the views were incredible, we could see the Panama Canal, Gatun Lake, etc. Took tram back and had lunch at Gamboa Rainforest Resort (where the trip started). Then, we headed on the Monkey Island tour. This was on a boat, and went into the Panama Canal and onto Gatun Lake. We saw a lot of kewl stuff on this tour including a boa constrictor swimming on top of the water, howler monkeys in the trees, including a baby howler monkey that had to be about the cutest thing I have ever seen. He was so brave, at the top of a tree just swinging thru branches and hanging by his tiny little tail. Went Monkey Island where I saw the most capuchins I have ever seen at once. The monkeys come up to the boat and we were able to feed them bananas and grapes. One grabbed a piece of banana from both Kurt and my hands. Also saw some kewl birds. After that, headed back to the hotel and went shopping on the main strip near our hotel. Kurt bought a wood necklace with a toucan carved into it for himself and a little carving of a red poison dart frog for his desk at the office. I bought a wooden bowl that was carved by the Embera Indians in Panama. It is very kewl. I may put it on my desk at the office or in my china cabinet at home. Kinda odd because we rarely buy anything on vacay. Had dinner at the same place as last night, Café Pomodoro. It was pouring rain but we still got to eat outside because part of the outside is covered. It was really nice. After that, went to bed.

Dec 24

Today, we had breakfast and are just relaxing and chilling before packing to leave on our trip home. We are both really worn out and cant wait to see the pugs and Bugsy…….Merry Xmas!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

We Are Here....

Not going to post much, because I want to do it all in all in my trip report at the end.

But.

Both flights went fine. Miami was the first stop, then Panama City. Got to Panama City and got our rental car, which is a really kewl Toyota Land Cruiser. Drove to the first place we wanted to stay at called Canopy Towers. Have been here the rest of the night. Got some awesome pics of the sen setting from the observation deck here and met some really nice scientists that are here researching.

Anyway, have an early morning hike and need to get some rest......

Friday, December 14, 2007

Panama

Leaving in the morning for Panama. Have no idea what my Internet access will be..................will keep notes of my trip and post a long trip report on my return!

Have a really happy holiday season everyone! :)

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Happy Anniversary to Me......

OK, me and Kurt.......I was washing my face this morning and Kurt walked up to me and said "What, I don't get a Happy Anniversary?" I don't do mornings well, and had not even thought about the fact that it was 12-12. So, 6 years married. Pretty crazy. What's crazier is that we have been together for 11! We are such an old married couple. teehee.

Was so excited last night to start wacthing Big Love again. I got the first disc of Season 2 from Netflix (just came out yesterday), and watching one episode and part of the next during my workout. Yay. So good. Also started watching Superbad with Kory, but only saw half because I had to go work out. Freaking hilarious though, I need to watch the other half when we get back from vacay.

So, Happy Anniversary to me! Truly though, the real celebration starts when we leave for Panama in less than three days! Whoot! Just think of the 10 million pics you will get to see when I return......MUHAHAHA.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Hiking Shoes

I have been wanting to buy Kurt and I hiking boots since we first went hiking on vacay, which I think would either be in Vegas in Red Rock, or maybe in Hawaii. Anyway, we spend a lot of our vacays hiking, and I know there are better options out there than flip flops and tennis shoes. Every time we go on vacay, Kurt ruins a pair of shoes hiking in the jungle.

So, tonight, we stopped after work and bought two pairs. Kurt, a pair of Merrells (which made me think of Rebecca since she loves that line) and me a pair of Vasque (which I had never heard of until tonight). Anyway, they are both waterproof, and should make hiking more enjoyable and more safe. No snakes can bite my feet now (not that they did before, but Panama has more snakes than anywhere we have been, and I am expecting some crazy encounter with a fer de lance).

Other than that, not too much else happened today, really. Work was crazy busy and the day just flew by. Am counting down the hours until we leave......

While Not so Asleep.....

I forgot to post that I have now worn both pairs of new shoes for one day each and yay, that are both comfy and not killing my feet by the end of the day. I think we have brands that are winners, my friends.

Also, stopped at Old Navy tonight, randomly, just cuz I was in the mall. Decided to see if they had any cute tanks or t-shirts for my trip. Of course, it's winter and 10 degrees in Newport so, ummm, nothing NEW. But, perfect time to clearance shop! Got about 6 tanks for like $3 each. Bonus. One is so super cute and Lori like, it has little owls all over it. I got the one in green. Also got this one, and some others that I cant find on the site because they are out of stock online, I guess. It's seriously great to walk out of Old Navy with a huge bag of stuff you got for under $20 total.

Stopped in the Cingular store next, all ready to buy a phone until I was encoutered with "rude sales boy (RSB)". Usually, they are awesome in the store. The salespeople are almost TOO into the phones and being helpful. Last night, AARGH. Rude, rude, rude. My phone is not up for upgrade. They never are when I want a new phone, but the salespeople always give me the upgrade price anyway. This guy was giving me such a hard time, finally, I was like, "never mind, I will order it online." I want to give my local store the business, but not if I am treated badly. He was obnoxious. Or maybe I will try and go back when someone else is working. I should write a complaint letter, but I just don't feel like it or have the time right now. I really need to get a phone without a camera, but I guess it can wait until I get back from vacay since I won't be in court the rest of the week anyway. It drives me batty when I can't take my phone to the one courthouse down there.

I have been finding so many kewl places I want to stay at in Panama with my online searches. This is one of my top places, called La Loma. The place only has three huts, and you have to hike 5-7 minutes to get to your room, but it's right in the jungle and looks so neat. They also have a butterfly farm and I am a sucker for those with my photography. It's on an island off of Panama. This place looks kewl too, called Canopy Tower. It's an old military base, converted into a hotel. Your room is at tree level, so you can look outside at all the birds and animals. Anyway, I love unique and I love places in the middle of the jungle (nowhere), so we will see how remote we can get. There is another place that looks awesome where your room is on stilts above the water, but somehow, I don't think Kurt is going for that......:).

Anyway, gotta get back to work. I just wanted to write something more since I was half asleep last night while posting.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Not Enough Time

Gosh. It is 11 at night, I am in dark, in bed, my husband is sleeping and my pug (Oscar) is snoring. I am not quite tired yet, so I am sitting up, typing this, because I have not posted in a while and need to. Don't really have anything important to say, but need to post before I forget.....

Went to dinner on Saturday night with Julia and Tony. It was so nice to see her (and him of course, LOL). Kurt is going to be in the wedding now too, standing up for Tony. So we talked about some wedding stuff, everything else going on in life stuff too. It was a really nice meal and at one of my fav places, Eastside Mario's. I had an awesome baked ziti and salad. Yum. We worked all weekend, so that was the extent of the fun of my weekend. Sad, I know. But the price I must pay for leaving for vacay THIS SATURDAY. Can you believe it? It has snuck up on us all so quickly.......

Went tonight and bought two really kewl backpacks. I can't find the ones I bought on the site, as I think they are now discontinued, but they are similar to these and I got them on clearance, which rocks. I am hoping we can pack just in those and avoid suitcases. I know I can do it, the question is, can Mr. Overpacker Husband of mine? I have faith, I think he can! :). I dont know how to get around taking and checking our make-up bag (the name i call the bag we put shampoo, contact solution, etc. in). Trial size that can go on the plane just are not big enough and I require certain products I am guessing I cannot purchase in Panama. Oh well. Am going to try and go this week and buy Kurt some hiking shoes as well, and a pair for me with no open toes. Panama has a LOT of snakes, and my hiking shoes (the ones Rebecca gave me, thanks again, are open toed). Dick's Sporting Goods supposedly carries them, so I will look there. Our bug sprays all came in the mail today too so I am set with that.

Got some sample mashed potatoes in the mail today for Kurt to try. He liked them, but did not find them spectacular or anything. For those of you that are wondering what the heck I am talking about, I test products every once in a while for companies and fill out surveys about them. I get the oddest things. Right now, I am testing a vibrating hair brush and the potatoes. Hate the brush. It's too out there for me. It does seem to give my hair more body though.

Anyway, this post is way too freaking random because I am half asleep. Will try to post more when I am more coherent.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Lack

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Have been so busy. Trying to catch everything up possible at work before leaving for vacay, and have also been trying to research Panama and places I may want to stay, see, excursions I might want to do. I really want to hike the Darien, so am kinda waiting to hear back from some places on a tour there, so I can plan the rest of the trip around it. Anyway, it's late, and I need some sleep after working both days this weekend........

I promise I will write a more extensive post another night this week and fill you in before we leave on Saturday! :).

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Cuz I Wanna Be Kewl Like Amanda


Your Score: Ginger


You scored 75% intoxication, 75% hotness, 50% complexity, and 25% craziness!



You are Ginger! You're sweet and spicy. You've got an exotic flair, sexy even. People sometimes use you for, um, interesting purposes. Once you let your guard down, you're quite juicy and very good for people. Some claim that you're medicinal. Break me off a piece of that!

Link: The Which Spice Are You Test written by jodiesattva on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Monday, December 03, 2007

Beautiful Video, Song and Voice



**This brought tears to my eyes.....Thanks for sending, Char. :).

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Perfect Mac and Cheese

OMG, I must need rest. Fell asleep on the couch after dinner and did not wake up until 10 PM. Guess I missed working out. Whoopsie.

Went into work this morning and got home around 315 PM or so. Kurt and Kory finally figured out the Porsche issues. The battery died while it was in the driveway, and when the battery is dead on the car, the trunk won't open. Which is where the battery is. Which meant we had a dead car in our driveway and could not move the car. Which is an issue, because we park the car all winter, and could not move it to do so, meaning I could not turn the insurance off. Aargh. Anyway, somehow they figured it out by using some online forum, and took the battery back (which was under warranty, yay). Got the new one for free, pulled it in the garage and plugged it into it's winter charger. Now I just need to put it's cover on tomorrow and call on Monday to turn the insurance off. Which I will be thrilled not to pay until April or so. Whoot. What's awesome too is they figured it out RIGHT in time for the snow storm we are having right now. I would have hated getting snow on the car at all.

I made an awesome dinner tonight, if I do say so myself. At Thanksgiving, my Aunt showed me this recipe she had printed out from Martha Stewart for mac and cheese. I thought it looked time consuming, but yummy, so I looked it up today and went to Kroger's to buy stuff I did not already have. So, I now have Kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Oh, and I had to buy sharp white cheddar cheese (which OMG is incredible tasting and now my new fav cheese), and Romano cheese. Came home and made the recipe and truly, it is to DIE for. It may be the best mac and cheese I have ever had, and I have always sworn my Mom's is the best. I think the secret to this recipe really is that sharp white cheddar cheese. Super duper awesome. I may start buying it on a regular basis for Kurt. He loves block cheese. So, the recipe took some time to make, but I loved it and will make it again in the future. I love how with all these recipes I make, I end up buying new spices and stuff, and it means less to buy for future recipes. Kory helped too by shredding the cheese. Thanks, Kory! :). I hate shredding cheese.

Researched and finally bought and picked out insect repellent for our trip. I have decided there will be NO MORE botfly incidents. Or, at least I will try harder. We always try to wear the repellent, but prob were not as diligent at reapplying and such as we should have been, and may have not bought as high percentage of DEET as we should have been. I really learned a lot at our travel appointment about all of that. So, I ended up buying Repel 40% Deet, as well as this stuff that goes on clothing and not on skin so we can try and repel them before they even get to us. Got it all on eBay from some place in Cali, so fingers crossed they ship quickly.