Dear Tomatoes,
I’m sorry I never liked you before. Maybe I just never had a good tomato and I was too stubborn to try a good one when it came along.
I’m sorry for all the BLT sandwiches I had (hold the “T”). I’m sorry that the first phrase I learned in French class was ‘I hate tomatoes’. I have always been a fan of tomato soup and Ketchup, but that was pretty much it.
I first started to like you on margarita pizzas, cooked Roma tomatoes are amazing. Then I had you on Greek salads, also a win. I don’t know exactly when I accepted you on anything you came on, but after that point I would stop picking you off my food.
I have even bought you in a supermarket and voluntarily put you on my food at home.
Oh my tomato, will you forgive me?
Love, Lucy
P.S. canned tuna fish and creamed corn, this letter does not apply to you. Other people can eat you and like you, just not while I’m in the same room. ew.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Would I like some cheese with this whine?
I can't figure out how to un-mute my laptop. And it's not the normal, click here to turn the mute off and on, it's something else and I don't know what it is, or how to google for the answer.
I don't remember the password to Justin's computer, which is basically our home entertainment system.
We don't have cable because we live off base and the English programing we Did get was pretty much the same 3 CSI's on repeat.
The x-box plays DVDs but at this point I've watched the dvds we have so often I can recite them word for word.
I've already re-read two Southern Vampire mysteries (aka Sookie Stackhouse) and Twilight (too many times to count).
I don't want to cook anything, because all I would make are cookies or shortbread and I don't want to get fat. (er)
And I'm pretty sure I was having my first ever allergy episode yesterday at the park, watery eyes, runny nose (but I'm fine today).
Even Gambit is being super good and cute today, but that means he's alseep.
I enjoyed a quiet, relaxing long weekend with Justin home, but with only me and the cat, it gets a little still for my taste.
I don't remember the password to Justin's computer, which is basically our home entertainment system.
We don't have cable because we live off base and the English programing we Did get was pretty much the same 3 CSI's on repeat.
The x-box plays DVDs but at this point I've watched the dvds we have so often I can recite them word for word.
I've already re-read two Southern Vampire mysteries (aka Sookie Stackhouse) and Twilight (too many times to count).
I don't want to cook anything, because all I would make are cookies or shortbread and I don't want to get fat. (er)
And I'm pretty sure I was having my first ever allergy episode yesterday at the park, watery eyes, runny nose (but I'm fine today).
Even Gambit is being super good and cute today, but that means he's alseep.
I enjoyed a quiet, relaxing long weekend with Justin home, but with only me and the cat, it gets a little still for my taste.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
To Sum It Up
In the past Eight weeks alone I have flown SO much, here is the break down:
Korea ----------------> San Fransisco, California
Oakland, California --> San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas ---> Oakland, California
Oakland, California --> San Diego, California
San Diego,California -> Oakland, California
Oakland, California --> Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland --> Oakland, California
Oakland, California --> Oahu, Hawaii
Oahu, Hawaii ---------> Oakland, California
San Fransisco, California --> Korea
If I had been really smart, I would have used the same airline for all of my flight and gotten a ton of frequent flyer miles. I did do that with the flights to and from Korea, but with everything else,I either got the cheapest flight, or my parents bought the tickets.
***
ALSO, EVERYONE IS HAVING BABIES!!!
Okay, not like every single person I know, but a lot of people are. For example;
My cousin Mary is due in February.
My friend from college, Caroline, is due in April.
My cousin Leslie just gave birth in September to her Second baby.
My other cousin Martha has a 2-ish year old...
My friend from high school, Nicole, has an eight month old...
I realize only two of those are people who are going to give birth, but considering my small circle of friends and family, that's a high percentage. ALSO like, a bunch of people on facebook who I went to school with have kids now, or are going to give birth soon. It's just a lot of people, that's all. But I suppose I am at the age where my peer group is the kid having age.
Korea ----------------> San Fransisco, California
Oakland, California --> San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas ---> Oakland, California
Oakland, California --> San Diego, California
San Diego,California -> Oakland, California
Oakland, California --> Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland --> Oakland, California
Oakland, California --> Oahu, Hawaii
Oahu, Hawaii ---------> Oakland, California
San Fransisco, California --> Korea
If I had been really smart, I would have used the same airline for all of my flight and gotten a ton of frequent flyer miles. I did do that with the flights to and from Korea, but with everything else,I either got the cheapest flight, or my parents bought the tickets.
***
ALSO, EVERYONE IS HAVING BABIES!!!
Okay, not like every single person I know, but a lot of people are. For example;
My cousin Mary is due in February.
My friend from college, Caroline, is due in April.
My cousin Leslie just gave birth in September to her Second baby.
My other cousin Martha has a 2-ish year old...
My friend from high school, Nicole, has an eight month old...
I realize only two of those are people who are going to give birth, but considering my small circle of friends and family, that's a high percentage. ALSO like, a bunch of people on facebook who I went to school with have kids now, or are going to give birth soon. It's just a lot of people, that's all. But I suppose I am at the age where my peer group is the kid having age.
Hawaii, Oahu
One of the reasons we picked September to visit the states, was to have a family vacation for my husband and brother to meet in person. Since Nicholas was at his station in Hawaii he didn’t get to meet Justin. And when Nick came to Texas for Christmas Justin was already back at His station in Korea.
So Mom, Dad, me and Justin flew to Hawaii to spend a week on our first family vacation together! We stayed at the Hale Koa, it’s a military recreation hotel and if you’re military I highly recommend it. One, it’s just a really nice hotel, two they have their own beach right out back with everything and anything you want to rent for the beach plus several snack bars and such so you don’t have to shlep a cooler of food to the beach. And they have their own Luau show, it was really good.
Nick was supposed to be on leave the whole time we were there, but someone, somewhere lost his paperwork so he just had to meet up with us after work and on the weekend.
It was so much fun, we went to the Waikiki aquarium, there was a street parade for Aloha week, they had fireworks at the hotel one night, we went to the beach at our hotel, we went to Bellows beach and swam near huge sea turtles, we went to the Luau at our hotel which was really, really good, we walked around Waikiki a lot and went shopping, we got shave ice from matsumotos on the north side, we had dinner with my father’s cousin and her family at their house by Diamond head, we went to Punchbowl memorial and Pearl Harbor, Nick took me and Justin on a “hike” that made me realize, why yes, I am terrified of heights. We went to the look-out point, we went to the Army museum, Justin and I had breakfast everyday by the beach, and we got to spent some good time with my parents and brother.
It was a really great vacation. AND no one got sunburned, not really. Win.
So Mom, Dad, me and Justin flew to Hawaii to spend a week on our first family vacation together! We stayed at the Hale Koa, it’s a military recreation hotel and if you’re military I highly recommend it. One, it’s just a really nice hotel, two they have their own beach right out back with everything and anything you want to rent for the beach plus several snack bars and such so you don’t have to shlep a cooler of food to the beach. And they have their own Luau show, it was really good.
Nick was supposed to be on leave the whole time we were there, but someone, somewhere lost his paperwork so he just had to meet up with us after work and on the weekend.
It was so much fun, we went to the Waikiki aquarium, there was a street parade for Aloha week, they had fireworks at the hotel one night, we went to the beach at our hotel, we went to Bellows beach and swam near huge sea turtles, we went to the Luau at our hotel which was really, really good, we walked around Waikiki a lot and went shopping, we got shave ice from matsumotos on the north side, we had dinner with my father’s cousin and her family at their house by Diamond head, we went to Punchbowl memorial and Pearl Harbor, Nick took me and Justin on a “hike” that made me realize, why yes, I am terrified of heights. We went to the look-out point, we went to the Army museum, Justin and I had breakfast everyday by the beach, and we got to spent some good time with my parents and brother.
It was a really great vacation. AND no one got sunburned, not really. Win.
September
After I went to San Antonio with Justin for his TDY, he had to go back to Korea for work for three more weeks, while I went straight to California to be with my parents.
I mostly just tagged along with whatever my parents were doing- including but not limited to: church, brunches, museums, folk dancing, Rancho Days, running errands, meeting new Canadian distant cousins, washing cars, shopping, flying kites, you name it.
And for my birthday weekend I went to visit Allie in San Diego! We just ran around town looking at everything and having fun. I also got to be a law student for two classes, I had to bite my tongue to keep from talking in a class I wasn’t enrolled in and I had to read to stay awake in the other. I realized I had booked a PM flight instead of AM like I had intended to. But the flight got cancelled anyway, so I got to leave late afternoon. I fully intend to have more visits there, esp if I can find flight deals that cost less than it would take in gas to drive there (not to mention saving me 16 hours of my life driving round trip).
Justin flew into San Francisco, September 5th officially on vacation. We spent the first night he was in town at the Claremont Hotel. It’s this huge, historic, white painted wooden hotel on the next hill over from my parents house. It’s got a tennis club and pool you can belong to, but I had never had a reason to stay in it before, so that was fun. Then that weekend Justin went to San Antonio to visit his friends and family while Mom and I flew to Maryland for my college roommate’s wedding.
Mom and I arrived Thursday late afternoon and I don’t think we stopped driving the whole time. Luckily we had an AWESOME rental car, it was a little red Fiat. And thank god I brought the GPA, it would have been a rough trip without it. Thursday we had a girls night with Sarah (the one getting married), our other college friend Caroline, and some of Sarah’s other friends. Friday was nails, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Saturday was getting ready for the wedding, the wedding, the reception and then a quick trip to Virginia. I know. My uncle and his family live in Virginia and we had already decided it would be too much to drive out and see them (it’s like 100 miles away from Baltimore). BUT my cousin gave birth on that Thursday to her second baby and it was pretty much the only chance we would get to see everyone for a while. So we showered, changed and drove to see them. We got there late that night, slept at a hotel and visited with everyone in the morning for like three hours before we had to turn around and drive back to catch our flight. It was totally worth it to see my aunt and uncle, my cousin Leslie and her new baby (and her family), and my cousin Thomas.
That Sunday happened to be 9/11, and we were a tad worried about flight, not because we thought something would happen, but because of how crazy other people might get. Luckily the only thing that happened was we had a plane delay for about 45 minutes because the President was flying over our airspace. So Mom and I got back to Oakland safe and sound, and Justin arrived at the same time as us and met us at our airport gate! I remember when you would see your family or whoever you were visiting at the gate instead of having to wait for them outside security.
It was a beautiful wedding weekend, it was wonderful to see our family and my college friend Caroline is going to have a baby in April! Kind of an exhausting trip but good.
Justin and I toured Cali, since he’d never been there before, looked at colleges, and spent time with my family. We spent a week in Hawaii visiting my brother (see entry ‘Hawaii’) then we had three days to pack for Korea before we flew back here. And that was September. Wow, right?
I mostly just tagged along with whatever my parents were doing- including but not limited to: church, brunches, museums, folk dancing, Rancho Days, running errands, meeting new Canadian distant cousins, washing cars, shopping, flying kites, you name it.
And for my birthday weekend I went to visit Allie in San Diego! We just ran around town looking at everything and having fun. I also got to be a law student for two classes, I had to bite my tongue to keep from talking in a class I wasn’t enrolled in and I had to read to stay awake in the other. I realized I had booked a PM flight instead of AM like I had intended to. But the flight got cancelled anyway, so I got to leave late afternoon. I fully intend to have more visits there, esp if I can find flight deals that cost less than it would take in gas to drive there (not to mention saving me 16 hours of my life driving round trip).
Justin flew into San Francisco, September 5th officially on vacation. We spent the first night he was in town at the Claremont Hotel. It’s this huge, historic, white painted wooden hotel on the next hill over from my parents house. It’s got a tennis club and pool you can belong to, but I had never had a reason to stay in it before, so that was fun. Then that weekend Justin went to San Antonio to visit his friends and family while Mom and I flew to Maryland for my college roommate’s wedding.
Mom and I arrived Thursday late afternoon and I don’t think we stopped driving the whole time. Luckily we had an AWESOME rental car, it was a little red Fiat. And thank god I brought the GPA, it would have been a rough trip without it. Thursday we had a girls night with Sarah (the one getting married), our other college friend Caroline, and some of Sarah’s other friends. Friday was nails, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Saturday was getting ready for the wedding, the wedding, the reception and then a quick trip to Virginia. I know. My uncle and his family live in Virginia and we had already decided it would be too much to drive out and see them (it’s like 100 miles away from Baltimore). BUT my cousin gave birth on that Thursday to her second baby and it was pretty much the only chance we would get to see everyone for a while. So we showered, changed and drove to see them. We got there late that night, slept at a hotel and visited with everyone in the morning for like three hours before we had to turn around and drive back to catch our flight. It was totally worth it to see my aunt and uncle, my cousin Leslie and her new baby (and her family), and my cousin Thomas.
That Sunday happened to be 9/11, and we were a tad worried about flight, not because we thought something would happen, but because of how crazy other people might get. Luckily the only thing that happened was we had a plane delay for about 45 minutes because the President was flying over our airspace. So Mom and I got back to Oakland safe and sound, and Justin arrived at the same time as us and met us at our airport gate! I remember when you would see your family or whoever you were visiting at the gate instead of having to wait for them outside security.
It was a beautiful wedding weekend, it was wonderful to see our family and my college friend Caroline is going to have a baby in April! Kind of an exhausting trip but good.
Justin and I toured Cali, since he’d never been there before, looked at colleges, and spent time with my family. We spent a week in Hawaii visiting my brother (see entry ‘Hawaii’) then we had three days to pack for Korea before we flew back here. And that was September. Wow, right?
Back in the Saddle Again
It’s now October and we are back in Korea. We being; myself, Justin and Gambit.
The flight was supposed to be semi short because it was direct from the West coast to Inchon (the airport for Seoul). It takes about 12 hours of fly time to get there. But there were delays (after 2 hours on the tarmac, we were about to take off but had to turn around and go back to the gate) they had to fix something on the plane and then it took too long so they had to change the crew out, etc. Twelve (12!) hours later we finally got to start our 12 hour flight. And yes, I had a cat in a carry-on bag the whole time. I defiantly let him out of his carrier on his little harness and leash, surprisingly not too many people noticed a cat on a leash in the airport. I was reprimanded for moving a chair, but the airline employee didn’t blink at my cat out of carrier.
Anyway, we arrived at 3:00 AM in Korea and got a cab from the airport. This cabby decided it would be a good idea to pull over on the side of the highway to try and talk us into paying him more money for taking us home. I don’t think Justin has ever seen me be so stern with someone before. He later said that if I had been a staff sergeant I would have made that private shit himself (the private being the cabby). Poor Justin had to basically shower, shave and go straight to work. I got a few hours of sleep, but for some reason I’ve been waking up super, uber early since we got home. Like 4 and 5 AM.
Justin and I rearranged the furniture in our living/dining/everything room. It’s a great room, just oddly shaped, but I really like what we’ve done with it this time. It’s very quiet and rather empty feeling since we got used to staying with my parents and their slightly cluttered decorating style. Gambit is one of those cats who needs a playmate. I kind of wish we had brought Teddy with us too, but I still think he wouldn’t have been happy to move again. At least I already know Gambit and Teddy will get along when we go back to California again.
I do think time will pass quickly here. It’s October and we have to apply to colleges for Justin (deadline is Nov.15th, but we’re saying end of October just to keep ourselves on track). Then it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and packing up the apartment. Since we have to ship everything at least 30 days before we leave (March 25th) they might take it sooner. Also nearly all our furniture is on loan from the Army and they’ll take it who knows when. At that point Justin thinks I should fly home with the cat and he’ll stay either at the hotel on base or with friends.
I’m going to post this and then back post (posts I haven’t written yet) our adventures from September. That was a busy month that flew by too.
The flight was supposed to be semi short because it was direct from the West coast to Inchon (the airport for Seoul). It takes about 12 hours of fly time to get there. But there were delays (after 2 hours on the tarmac, we were about to take off but had to turn around and go back to the gate) they had to fix something on the plane and then it took too long so they had to change the crew out, etc. Twelve (12!) hours later we finally got to start our 12 hour flight. And yes, I had a cat in a carry-on bag the whole time. I defiantly let him out of his carrier on his little harness and leash, surprisingly not too many people noticed a cat on a leash in the airport. I was reprimanded for moving a chair, but the airline employee didn’t blink at my cat out of carrier.
Anyway, we arrived at 3:00 AM in Korea and got a cab from the airport. This cabby decided it would be a good idea to pull over on the side of the highway to try and talk us into paying him more money for taking us home. I don’t think Justin has ever seen me be so stern with someone before. He later said that if I had been a staff sergeant I would have made that private shit himself (the private being the cabby). Poor Justin had to basically shower, shave and go straight to work. I got a few hours of sleep, but for some reason I’ve been waking up super, uber early since we got home. Like 4 and 5 AM.
Justin and I rearranged the furniture in our living/dining/everything room. It’s a great room, just oddly shaped, but I really like what we’ve done with it this time. It’s very quiet and rather empty feeling since we got used to staying with my parents and their slightly cluttered decorating style. Gambit is one of those cats who needs a playmate. I kind of wish we had brought Teddy with us too, but I still think he wouldn’t have been happy to move again. At least I already know Gambit and Teddy will get along when we go back to California again.
I do think time will pass quickly here. It’s October and we have to apply to colleges for Justin (deadline is Nov.15th, but we’re saying end of October just to keep ourselves on track). Then it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and packing up the apartment. Since we have to ship everything at least 30 days before we leave (March 25th) they might take it sooner. Also nearly all our furniture is on loan from the Army and they’ll take it who knows when. At that point Justin thinks I should fly home with the cat and he’ll stay either at the hotel on base or with friends.
I’m going to post this and then back post (posts I haven’t written yet) our adventures from September. That was a busy month that flew by too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)