In My Belly! Del.icio.us for Queenkv Digg by QueenkvSo, I always wanted to check out Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. I had no idea they had a spa out there. Happy Slip take us behind the scenes of the volcanic pampering experience.
I flew in to Kansas City a few hours ago. On the flight, I watched 2 1/2 episodes from the first season of Grey’s Anatomy. I heart this birthday present. I found catching up on prime time sitcoms is a nice way to get through the trip back to the Midwest.
We packed a lot of great food, friends, dogs and road trips into this Golden State vacation. I think I clocked in more than 500 miles of driving over the last 4 days.
“Your travel life has the aspect of a dream.” - Agatha Christie
Like all good things, I had to return to life in Kansas: the newsroom, co-workers and Daisy! Crazy puppy. I wonder what she would think of my home state. California seems like a dream. Did I really walk through a farmer’s market selling orchids, white apricots and duck balut? Did I savor Serrano ham and sipped lemonchella mixed with grappa at a hip San Francisco bistro? Yes. I have the pictures to prove it. And I can’t wait to do it again.
Mark has one more week in beautiful California. Lucky guy.
We had so much fun at the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchison. Amazing exhibits plus I thought it was wicked cool to be up-close-and-personal with stuff that’s been in space. Mark is the Bay Area and I’m about to follow in his footsteps.
And this is me, standing next to Apollo 13. Cool! According to the museum exhibit, NASA convinced the Smithsonian to ship Apollo 13 over to Paris instead of putting it on display. Apparently the space agency was embarrassed by the whole drama. I’m quite happy the Kansas Comosphere has the chance to honor the amazing adventure of the Apollo 13 crew and the folks in Mission Control.
Right now, I’m taking-off from Kansas City International. My jet plane is pointing west, towards home. Thanks to marvels of scheduled blog publishing…you’re reading this entry around the time my plane should be taxing on the runway.
There’s no place like home.
There’s no place like home.
There’s no place like home.
Another round of hot Kansas weather had me craving ceviche. It’s so easy to make and it tastes refreshing, as a meal or a snack. As long as you have the patience to wait for it “cook” in the fridge, I think it’s worth the wait.
Here are the fixings for ceviche - lemon and lime juice, 1/2 onion (chopped up), canned tomatoes and fresh fish. Mark found 2 pounds of fresh Tilapia at Dillons. Wowa! It didn’t have the fishy smell of old fish and it looked beautifully translucent.
Damn, I look domesticated. Mark went grocery shopping for the ceviche. After work, I prepped the fish for its overnight stay in the fridge. This time around, I stuck to the formula from Simply Recipes.
I was invited over to the bride’s house to help get ready for the wedding in Long Island. After drinking mimosas and zipping into the gowns, the photographers dropped by to capture the bridal party looking beautiful.
Before the Wedding from Kris Vera-Phillips and Vimeo.
This morning, I reported for shrine guardian duty at Most Pure of Heart Mary. The church has a Adoration Shrine to the Eucharist opened 24 hours, seven days a week. Basically, the church needs at least one person to keep watch over the Eucharist and the chapel. Beyond that, is up to the volunteer. I prayed a Rosary and read through the Book of Ruth and Joesph’s adventures in Egypt. I relished the space and it felt soothing because it was free of human voices.
Now let’s head back to New York…
Matt’s family hosted a pre-rehearsal Brunch on the eve of the wedding. I made a bet that Matt would not toss Maria into the pool. I lost.
Matt and Ria has a beautiful wedding. It was like something out of a movie. It was a pleasure to be surrounded by so much joy and best wishes for this gorgeous couple.
Uncle Truck was instructed to ask Ria if she was “sure” on her way to the altar. He followed through and we giggled.
Watching a Travel Channel show on Los Angeles. I’m a sucker for specials that open up a window to open. L.A. Story, Top Chef Season 2, Shop Girl, Monk (for a window to the Bay Area) and pretty much anything for a glimpse of home.
This weekend, I indulged in the feel of home as my family headed to New York for Matt and Maria’s Wedding. I spent four days eating good food, meeting wonderful people and letting what’s left of my hair down.
It was a pleasure to be surrounded by family and celebrating my beautiful cousin and her Long Island family.
Her baby, Mee-Jay, looked adorable in his tux!
We snapped this picture at our engagement party in Vegas, two years ago. I was amazed this was their first time inside the Star Trek bar after all the trips they’ve made to Vegas. Then again, some people at the party said stepping inside Quark’s was one of the nerdiest things they’ve ever done in their lives. In fact, I think that was actually said by a computer programmer. Sheesh.
Today they’re celebrating 32 years of marriage. It’s wonderful to see them together after everything they’ve been through. (…and after everything their children have put them through — sorry!)
Mark and I want to follow in their footsteps.
I was a little late for mass this morning because my baby needed some cuddling. Daisy’s a needy puppy sometimes. But I’m made it in time for the second reading and the Gospel. This morning, Father’s Tom’s talked about being a Good Shepherd. Then he gave a shout out to male students from Hayden High and asked them to consider answering vocations. Some boys in front of me responded with a thumbs up at the podium.
Father Tom also compared God and faith to one of the most dramatic scenes from Titanic…the part when Jack and Rose are sinking with that huge ship and he makes her promise to “never let go.” OK, it’s cheesy but still a sweet thought. I also liked how Father Tom used that scene to illustrate the different types of relationships people have as they grow-up; from children hanging on to their parents for survival to adults holding on to spouse or a friend for the ups and downs of daily life.
I’m a little lonely in Kansas, especially with Mark in the Bay Area for work. But thanks to e-mail, cell phones and my blogs, I still feel like I can lean on my relationships with my family and friends. Yesterday, I was able to chat to my parents. We compared warm weather in Cali and Topeka and dished on how my brother’s family was gearing up for my niece’s singing recital, later that evening. Good times. Then Mark sent me a beautiful picture of the Golden Gate Bridge to my cell phone. They’re about 2000 miles away, but I still feel like I’m included in their lives.
I also have tendency of holding on to good memories, so let’s take a look back at my rockin’ trip to Vegas.
I got my fill of some good home cooking!
