tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84891529123165005512024-02-19T12:45:49.696+10:00The BeanTerrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-70776423248508273182011-08-21T00:30:00.000+10:002011-08-21T00:30:54.083+10:00A Pregnant Pause...Wow, there are some serious cobwebs on this blog. Sorry about that! I know it's been a looonnngg time since I last posted. There's probably not anyone out there even reading this anymore, oh well, I've dusted off the keyboard and am writing once again.<br />
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The whole time we were in Japan, I felt a little off. I attributed it at first to being in anew country and then experiencing a major natural disaster. But neither of those things should have contributed to my clothes feeling just a teensy bit tighter than normal or feeling a little out of breath holding Price. So, the first thing I did on our very first morning back home was take a pregnancy test, and lo and behold- two pink lines appeared- immediately!<br />
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I immediately told Don and we were both a little bit shocked (we had been trying for a while) and a little scared due to some previous experiences. And then because I know how the Air Force works, went to get blood work done so they could confirm that I was in fact preggo. Once they confirmed it, we had a little secret that we only shared with our parents because it was so early.<br />
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At first I didn't really feel pregnant, just kind of bloated, but at about week 7 or 8, I was more exhausted than I ever remember feeling and randomly sick- especially when I got hot. Of course, it was about this time that we kept having random hours long power outages. Those days went kind of like this: eat, power out, pass out in heat induced coma, wake up, puke, listen to Price sing a song a about Mommy puking, evacuate to nearest beach with bag of pretzels and large bottle of water. We had still only told a handful of people, those here in Guam who would need to know why I was such a zombie puke head and no longer drinking.<br />
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During my 12 week appointment (when I thought I was 12 weeks and 6 days, and thinking how close I was to hitting the end of the first trimester), the doctor told me, either I wasn't as far as long as I thought or there was something seriously wrong with the baby. He said I was probably only 8 weeks, and I cried, because I was thinking if had to do another 4-6 weeks of the no energy, random puking thing I wasn't gonna make it! Luckily, I had an ultrasound and I was more like 10 weeks and everything looked good.<br />
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But I was too tired to cook dinner, much less blog about any of this. I'm entering my 28th week and feel really good. I'm being monitored because just like with Price, my blood pressure spikes when I go to the doctor. Being pregnant here in Guam is different than in the States. Since we have no seasons, I'm not having to adjust to the heat, my body has just accepted the fact that it's hot ALL.THE.TIME!!<br />
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So, here I am. 27 weeks pregnant, feeling the baby (it's a boy, which excites me to no end) move more and more every day. Price is fascinated with the baby, who he calls Peaches or Boonie Baby, and talks to it and tries to hear if it's crying in my belly. And he told me that he'd kick the baby back the next time it kicked me. My boobs are more out of control than I ever thought possible, but luckily my hormones don't seem to be as kooky this time around- far less irrational crying fits.<br />
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But as the time to meet the new man in our life draws closer, and I think about how hard the first few months of Price's life were for me, I get a little worried. Luckily, Don will be here this time around and I have a great support system full of awesome women who will help me not beat up on myself too much.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-22634961985129128472011-03-25T00:14:00.000+10:002011-03-25T00:14:52.061+10:00Post Traumatic Stress??I've been intending to write posts from the three days preceding the earthquake and back date them so they'd show up for the date we explored that part of Tokyo. So, my post about Tokyo Disney would be dated Wednesday, March 9, the date we were actually there. I've tried to get these posts written, but it's been hard to write about what happened before the earthquake after the fact. Things have changed so much in Japan since we were there, it seems almost pointless to share my tips/insights about the places we visited. Some of the places, like Tokyo Disney were damaged fairly badly and aren't even open. And while Price doesn't remember (or talk about) the eq, but he does remember and talk frequently about Disney. I shouldn't ignore our fun time there, and should document our good times. <br />
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I can't stop thinking about Japan. Not even subconsciously. I've had at least one dream about Japan and/or the eq every night for the past week. They aren't nightmares or even scary, the last one I had I was admiring the beauty of the country.<br />
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A social worker friend of mine asked me shortly after I got home if I was having any post traumatic stress issues. I told her that I definitely was while we still in Japan thanks mostly to the aftershocks and the nuclear problems, but that every day I was back in Guam and in my routine and with no shaking of the ground I was doing better. And I feel fine, it's just the dreams. Even though they're not scary, they are like a constant reminder of what we went through, and what we went through wasn't really all that bad. It was big and it was scary and it caused a little discomfort, but we got out of it with an exciting travel adventure.<br />
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So, I am committing to write about the fun we had the few days before and even most of the day of the earthquake. Check back for "earlier" posts, just know they are being written now, in a post eq state of mind.<br />
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PS- I don't think this charity has been screened by <a href="http://www.charitynavigator.org/">Charity Navigator</a> (where you can find a list of other great charities that are helping with relief efforts in Japan), but tomorrow P and I are heading to the BX to send <a href="http://jasonkelly.com/helpjapan/">socks to Japan</a>. We could just write a check to the Red Cross, but I like how they are asking donors to include letters with the socks, and I want to tell the people who receive socks from us how much we enjoyed visiting their country even in the midst of such a tragic event.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-38120378454114307412011-03-15T23:46:00.003+10:002011-03-16T01:52:48.425+10:00Decompression<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We have been home for a little more than 24 hours now. My body and brain are finally adapting to being still, although every once in a while, I experience a phantom aftershock. It's like after being on a boat for a while and when you are finally back on land, you still feel the sway. Only in my case, I feel a shake or a roll. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We began making arrangements to leave Japan on Saturday with hopes of leaving on Sunday. And while there was room on the planes that were leaving, there was no way for us to get the 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the hotel to the airport. Trains were maybe running, but with 6 pieces of luggage, a two year old and a newly harbored fear of riding trains in an aftershock prone region, I wasn't up for attempting an hour long train ride. The Airport Limousine buses were not running at all. And a taxi was a last resort because the fare was going to be ridiculously expensive. Luckily, Don's brother has many work contacts in Tokyo and he got us in touch with someone who tried to help us by investigating other shuttles and even volunteering to drive us to the airport.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">With our flight changed (by the time we felt like we had a way to get to the airport, there were no more seats on Sunday's flights) to Monday, I felt better. But Saturday night and again on Sunday morning we had two pretty strong aftershocks. On Saturday, Don did a good thing and made me get out of the hotel and walk around and see that life was going on. It was better for my psyche to be outside as I felt like if another big one hit, we wouldn't be trapped anywhere. I don't know what it was, but I was just so afraid of being trapped. Although I stayed calm the whole time, Don stayed logical. And we enjoyed some great walks around the hotel's neighborhood. Price loved it because we always ended up at one of the playgrounds that seems to anchor every neighborhood in Tokyo. He loved playing with all the other children and I loved how unaware they were. By watching them, I was able to let go of so much of my fear.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I didn't sleep well Sunday night. I was woken up by a large aftershock around 2:00 in the morning. I couldn't fall back asleep because my brain turned on. But I knew that we had a shuttle to catch in the morning, I just prayed we would get to the airport. We confirmed our shuttle around 7 and knew we needed to be downstairs by 10:20 to catch it. When the bellman came to get our bags, he told us that he didn't think the shuttles were running anymore. As I walked up to the concierge I had a bad feeling, and it came to fruition when she told me that she was glad I was there because she needed to tell me they had just canceled all of the shuttles to the airport and also that there were no trains running due to the impending rolling blackouts that would start that day to help conserve energy. At this point, we had five hours to get to the airport and catch our flight. But then we were told it could take 3 hours to get to the airport and 3 hours to get checked in. Don was not with me when I found all of this out, and it was at this point I felt like I had finally hit my wall. I felt a complete loss, and like I had been punched in the stomach. I started second guessing everything. Should we check out of the hotel? should we try to get to the airport? Should we get a cab to take us to a bus station where we'd have to wait for a seat on a bus that could take 3 hours to get us where we needed to be? I just didn't know what to do. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Don joined me at the desk and I delivered the bad news, and we started trying to decide what to do. I had to step away for a moment and go have my first cry of the whole ordeal. And then I felt bad for feeling bad for myself since we were safe and comfortable and only being inconvenienced trying to leave. As Don and I were standing and discussing our options, God intervened and the desk phone rang. It was someone scheduled on our shuttle, who also HAD to get to the airport. He was interested in possibly taking a taxi, and the concierge asked if he would share with our family. And he did! We had heard several stories about why the shuttles stopped running, but the main theme was the horrendous traffic, so we were still a little concerned that we were going to cut it close. But there was hardly any traffic at all, we made it to the airport in about an hour. The man we shared the cab with wouldn't let us pay our half, he took care of the whole thing, and it was an expensive ride- almost $300.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">After getting to the airport with plenty of time, we were finally able to do some souvenir shopping (our intended shopping days were interrupted). And grab something to eat. Once again at McDonalds. But the menu was very limited- Teriyaki Burger or Shrimp patties (SPAM made out of shrimp). The lines everywhere were crazy long. We queued up to check in at 12:30, we did not finish with check in, security and immigration until 2:30. There were so many people wanting to leave. And several people we spoke with had only been in the city a day or two before the earthquake and were cutting their trips short to get home. We even ran into one of the Americans who we met at the museum. It had taken them two and a half hours to walk to their hotel, but she said they were treated graciously along the way.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Once we were checked in, we boarded our flight and made it home. So, now we're home. Back in the comfort of our house. Enjoying the stability. Not worrying about nuclear meltdowns. Thinking about all of those in Japan who are still dealing with all that is going on there. When I compare my problems to theirs, I almost feel guilty for feeling scared and anxious. As I retell the story to friends, I am constantly reminded about how blessed we were throughout the whole experience. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-50483884734179829382011-03-12T12:38:00.000+10:002011-03-12T12:38:08.938+10:00A Night at the MuseumSorry for the length and the un-polishedness of this post. I'm just spilling out everything we experienced in the past 24 hours or so....<br />
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We spent yesterday visiting Uneo, I'll post more about Uneo later. We were having a nice day exploring the parks, and letting Price ride Thomas rides.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyn4GdRJF5xL9TuqkPuL_c7OvmigPj8rWKur83oExU-GNlWu7BKKEHwzVYJxMbuGY5KtOyjINwdpp14n-qtQH0q-HkN4m5RE5Q6wsRzaGjVP2WHqtUxHIo_HRJ4K0LCZdnWj_Sr9rGYQ/s1600/photo+%252818%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyn4GdRJF5xL9TuqkPuL_c7OvmigPj8rWKur83oExU-GNlWu7BKKEHwzVYJxMbuGY5KtOyjINwdpp14n-qtQH0q-HkN4m5RE5Q6wsRzaGjVP2WHqtUxHIo_HRJ4K0LCZdnWj_Sr9rGYQ/s320/photo+%252818%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
After the Thomas pit stop, we headed over to the Tokyo National Museum. It's a massive campus, with several large, imposing buildings.<br />
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We headed immediately down to the basement so we could use the restroom and change P's diaper. I wonder if I knew what would happen within the next 5 minutes if I would have taken these pictures-<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGRo7D63XzFKTtKwV0McqntUKMQHKwmE387N0Fj5VRXE4R7zCFKtlVfZyMC1sk8_ion0hGLEkfVsRGQmICXps5Gfhr_pkBVxUtTr7ak_qXCXV_JCIK6NyZ2ctdbVjhkJpbwPj5Jd2tA/s1600/photo+%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGRo7D63XzFKTtKwV0McqntUKMQHKwmE387N0Fj5VRXE4R7zCFKtlVfZyMC1sk8_ion0hGLEkfVsRGQmICXps5Gfhr_pkBVxUtTr7ak_qXCXV_JCIK6NyZ2ctdbVjhkJpbwPj5Jd2tA/s320/photo+%252816%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The awesome potty chair, to keep the little ones secure so mommies can go in (practical) peace. And then the control, not to launch a space ship, just to flush the potty.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSH6ZePHiq5TBi6WjMpM9HXClposLqAxY8_R5tohXoPtxglnBka3BDOR-pBNAvvBwpf1pkXh1Atz45ZfMN0uMqc5DqimsPs01omsNDDL_tL3XQrMEymhuDouxXcjnBkRe977LjIQuoA/s1600/photo+%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSH6ZePHiq5TBi6WjMpM9HXClposLqAxY8_R5tohXoPtxglnBka3BDOR-pBNAvvBwpf1pkXh1Atz45ZfMN0uMqc5DqimsPs01omsNDDL_tL3XQrMEymhuDouxXcjnBkRe977LjIQuoA/s320/photo+%252817%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
And then, because God is good, there was no changing table, so we had to leave the bathroom before I could change P's diaper. As I walked out of the bathroom, Don said, "I think there's an earthquake." And I said, "Really, I think it's just the elevator." Then it started rolling, big waves and shaking. We started to move to an out of the way place and then saw several employees ushering everyone up a short flight of stairs and outside. So we quickly followed. Looking up, the chandeliers were swaying like crazy. By the time we got up and out, several minutes had passed and the earth was still moving. It was huge. And Guammies- to give you a sense of how different this one was to the small ones we've felt- the ones we've felt in Guam are like a large truck driving fast up a street and shaking the house. The one we experienced yesterday felt like a truck being dropped on a trampoline and being rolled around from the ripples. <br />
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Everyone was so calm though. They didn't seem as rattled (pardon the pun) as I felt. You could tell it was bigger and stronger than what they were used to. Everyone just kind of stood around, and it was a good thing because then the after shocks started. The pond in front of the museum had waves. One of the aftershocks (we just heard it was a 7.1) was so big it was hard to stand up and the trees were swaying. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZjvkjFOhg7Om7OYjOrL8BHuUtYok1mPgFWTU_ru8QP0sFySEzqksceT6uxE1mc9SMuWkZSpyZU7Kp6Qt3siHIiW9iePkXvwNj5XT0H2DmNcg4KISbs6KJCaLrdMeE4AZnpxBrRmh3Q/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZjvkjFOhg7Om7OYjOrL8BHuUtYok1mPgFWTU_ru8QP0sFySEzqksceT6uxE1mc9SMuWkZSpyZU7Kp6Qt3siHIiW9iePkXvwNj5XT0H2DmNcg4KISbs6KJCaLrdMeE4AZnpxBrRmh3Q/s320/DSC_0348.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I was consistently amazed with how orderly everyone was. As non-Japanese speaking Americans, information was initially hard to come by. we picked up pieces here and there. It was cold, and there was aftershock followed by aftershock. To me, that was the worst part. When something so big has happened, you just want it to be over, but the aftershocks coming so frequently and randomly was very unnerving (still is, as we just had one. we are now all dressed and our bag is packed if we have to evacuate quickly from the hotel. how i wish we were on a lower floor). The museum staff allowed us to stay inside the grounds as more information came about. They just asked us to move away from the buildings (which had no noticeable damage to the facades) and the trees. So, we all moved in an orderly fashion and all of us non-Japanese speakers kind of flocked together. Announcements continued to play over the loud speaker, in Japanese, but no one seemed overly concerned, so we remained calm and I prayed for serenity and safety. And I also thanked God for letting us be in the safest place of every where we had visited when this happened.<br />
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After about 30 minutes or so, several English speaking museum staff members sought us out to tell us what had happened, where and that the museum was closing for the day. But the encouraged us to stay on the grounds where we were safe, had access to restrooms (Of course it was a squatty potty, and I used it and had the reverse experience with the one I had when we were in Asakusa) and limited access to information. By this time, most of the Japanese were watching the news on their phones. Our phones don't work here and outside of the hotel we can only access the internet via wi-fi, so we had no way to contact anyone or find out what was going on.<br />
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As the afternoon wore on, it began to colder and dark. We learned that the trains and metro had stopped running and best case wouldn't be back up until much later in the evening. Luckily, the vending machines here carry hot drinks, so we were able to get a coffee, hot apple cider and once very nice lady bought Price a can of corn soup (tasted like a watery creamed corn). The museum staff realized how many of us were stranded and decided that the strongest aftershocks had probably occurred and invited everyone into one of the newer buildings, which had a very large, comfortable lounge area.<br />
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It was nice to get out of the cold and spread out. Price made friends with everyone in the room, his favorite was the baby girl sitting across from us.<br />
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Once inside, the staff turned on a TV and we were able to see the extent of the damage and were as shocked and saddened as all of those around us. By this time we were 3 of about 7 non-Japanese. There were about 60 people total. At 6:00, the staff came and told us that the trains would not be running at all and invited everyone to stay and spend the night. They told us we had one hour to go to a local shop and buy provisions (which remarkably, there were still plenty of- it didn't seem like hoarding or panic was going on, several restaurants were even open) for the night. At this point, Don wanted to leave, hoping we could walk back to our hotel and catch a cab somewhere along the way. But it was going to be a 3-4 hour walk at night, in the cold, through very unfamiliar territory. And the museum staff didn't recommend us trying it, especially with Price. So, after much discussion and Don realizing it wouldn't be good for <s>our marriage</s><br />
my mental health, we decided to just stock for the night and spend the night at the museum.<br />
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The museum staff was FABULOUS!! They checked on us throughout the evening, they provided futon type cots for me and Price and the other mother and baby. They also gave everyone blankets since the heat would not be on throughout the night. There were aftershocks off and on all night. Nothing to large and we could usually tell they were coming because an alert would go off on the tv and several cell phones. Also the large windows, that had been secured by metal gates, would rattle as one would come through.<br />
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Price slept the best of the three of us. Don and I grabbed winks whenever we could. This morning, they provided a simple breakfast of bread and butter, instant coffee and hot tea. And as usual, the staff checking on us and inviting us to stay as long as we needed. We decided to try to get back to the hotel so we could have better communication (although, I truly appreciate the fact that Japan makes pay phones free, even for international calls during an event such as this). I, however, had serious reservations about being on a subway for 40 minutes. So, we decided to take a cab (if one could be found). We are so fortunate that one of the museum staff volunteered to walk us to the train station, helped us locate a taxi and arranged for us to share a cab to get back. And then because our cup overflows with generosity from the kindness of Japanese strangers, the man we shared our cab with refused to let us pay our share of the fare.<br />
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We are doing ok. We are tired. I will admit to being (again pardon the pun) shaken up. I just want it to be over and for us to be out. I am afraid of trains, I am afraid of elevators. Tokyo seems to be ok, from what we've seen. The trains are running, there is street traffic, we have electricity, cable and internet. I am sad for how much devastation has occurred. I am overwhelmed by the generosity that we have been shown here and also by the concern from our family and friends who we have heard from. And know that we are blessed beyond words to be here.<br />
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Please continue to pray for us and for the people of Japan. We will<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-60996148860113090652011-03-09T22:52:00.015+10:002011-03-25T01:50:04.622+10:00It's a Small WorldWe took our boy to meet The Mouse! For months, Price had been asking to fly to Japan and go to Tokyo Disney. Don and I were both surprised with how patiently he waited once we arrived in Japan (4 whole days) before we actually made it there. Although, he asked daily if we were going. I think riding the subway every day helped divert his attention a little.<span id="goog_1892633504"></span><span id="goog_1892633505"></span><br />
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</div><div>Once he realized we were there, his face lit up with such a huge smile! He ran ahead of us, not knowing we'd have to stand in line for almost an hour to buy our tickets.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5OZw4IH_2alv796nA0eTipd24NHmw3pwtn3PGPJH-7n8cp6R_GDjUtp6-ETEzUavi48Tk_53EDWGUOnl4xMiw32D7Cc8SFcPE6dMfobg4Pd_UB0ofALkeZCT93YBcj5zvXkrqLsz0w/s1600/gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5OZw4IH_2alv796nA0eTipd24NHmw3pwtn3PGPJH-7n8cp6R_GDjUtp6-ETEzUavi48Tk_53EDWGUOnl4xMiw32D7Cc8SFcPE6dMfobg4Pd_UB0ofALkeZCT93YBcj5zvXkrqLsz0w/s320/gate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't Wait to Get In!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The thing about Tokyo Disney, it's almost exactly like the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. The same lands, the same rides, the same crowds, pretty close to the same expenses. The same Magic, just most of it is in Japanese, and some of the food is a little strange. Like the pizza with corn and onions or the meat steak which was really a thick slice of grilled bologna.<div><br />
</div><div>Price enjoyed the chicken nuggets, and since he's a ketchup fanatic, he was intrigued with the ketchup packet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_OqvCV2vkD2zqZRHd6D-i2gAu2NfdJCV6W6GH068pgPvqJkM25fTHmXdzYnWaC8nXUSjOfM1OS4aUDjGEMFc5ilWHvK-MmUWedi3Ys-cmUm1fJx3BPkf7cVyHDtnoKdXMrWrRiDikA/s1600/photo+%252818%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_OqvCV2vkD2zqZRHd6D-i2gAu2NfdJCV6W6GH068pgPvqJkM25fTHmXdzYnWaC8nXUSjOfM1OS4aUDjGEMFc5ilWHvK-MmUWedi3Ys-cmUm1fJx3BPkf7cVyHDtnoKdXMrWrRiDikA/s320/photo+%252818%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br />
<div>Both boys were super happy about the popcorn obsession at the park. In fact, Don remarked after seeing all of the people wearing buckets of popcorn around their necks like feed bags, "I think I was born in the wrong country, I really feel like I am supposed to be Japanese."</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio27J4c-EDG_g4jdaFhK6_v6hVP2GQEO09cx2BmTwwjdOt2STQirBH0hJqV6MTCUbfXi8S68pccy8ceUIvoepLairspVtK6UaSd8PH0xJP9ji6Whory5n2qYd605ndy7VkG0wFxZRqCQ/s1600/photo+%252819%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio27J4c-EDG_g4jdaFhK6_v6hVP2GQEO09cx2BmTwwjdOt2STQirBH0hJqV6MTCUbfXi8S68pccy8ceUIvoepLairspVtK6UaSd8PH0xJP9ji6Whory5n2qYd605ndy7VkG0wFxZRqCQ/s320/photo+%252819%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br />
Because two of the three of us totally dig popcorn, we got ourselves a bucket of caramel corn. Our other choices were chocolate, curry or buttered soy sauce.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg21BcVQo1Pgc-Bey7hUezDztti-O_ALcbRd4YSbTLsBmfOZWVTljicbekXktVHc_L1MXMP4GxJtmIiBxG-Wm2_fq7lEqOIHIAAWAczFLbC2HhrjsMajftQWEk7uv8nWvO5dB_OqMWQ/s1600/DSC_0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg21BcVQo1Pgc-Bey7hUezDztti-O_ALcbRd4YSbTLsBmfOZWVTljicbekXktVHc_L1MXMP4GxJtmIiBxG-Wm2_fq7lEqOIHIAAWAczFLbC2HhrjsMajftQWEk7uv8nWvO5dB_OqMWQ/s320/DSC_0167.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first line of the day</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>The park was very crowded and all the fast pass tickets were distributed before 1:00, so we were only able to use the fast pass once. But it was worth it and many of the lines for the more juvenile rides in Fantasyland were fairly short only 30 minutes or so. </div><div><br />
</div><div>We were at the park for almost 11 hours and got to ride: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipr5rXS-DkpnakrWo8LW25L2v2Byov7fIytrtBkju-AhnRQ281iPc6f_IBkfB2xsXOXWSwApIbjLHf8O9TqXCnWrcg4Wi6Bw97FmtYGv7pJFwEGrFnv8YBsv2u0bREa-FYUTItoxrUUg/s1600/DSC_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipr5rXS-DkpnakrWo8LW25L2v2Byov7fIytrtBkju-AhnRQ281iPc6f_IBkfB2xsXOXWSwApIbjLHf8O9TqXCnWrcg4Wi6Bw97FmtYGv7pJFwEGrFnv8YBsv2u0bREa-FYUTItoxrUUg/s320/DSC_0171.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div> Dumbo!,</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq4gP4gK7NVFRvVvcyUi9iiCC1AGe-9c__BAsfqCrH-aWF9nE0rlkPmvQzZiJH2GGwzWIXvoVWOGl96IzpvnoNQid5tdwezmXOIDr5HQHI4Y3qM3byBXkPhoOvoUp4ROcRqW7EFHbMw/s1600/teacups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq4gP4gK7NVFRvVvcyUi9iiCC1AGe-9c__BAsfqCrH-aWF9nE0rlkPmvQzZiJH2GGwzWIXvoVWOGl96IzpvnoNQid5tdwezmXOIDr5HQHI4Y3qM3byBXkPhoOvoUp4ROcRqW7EFHbMw/s320/teacups.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>The Tea Cups,</div><div><br />
</div><div>Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World (twice, it was Price's favorite and both of my parents said it was retribution for it being my favorite when I was his age and insisting on riding it 20 times in a row), the Race Cars, Jungle Cruise, and the Train (of course, we can't go anywhere and not ride a train). Our boy is fearless, he liked every ride he rode. His least favorite was probably Haunted Mansion, which was narrated entirely in Japanese, so Don and I just made up non-scary stuff to tell him.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We also got to watch both parades. This face,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRzuyfqs83NqDEHeqfUMg6XMhzRhGoeHrz1QK0OETI9KMQBPnHIiM8KG2Vd7qVMMXkAZde0Rp2aOzUxXNB4j1WxuMF-h-ipHk71SBci6bG2v91trQVh7DTCVLJ3osGYjhMBh02illOA/s1600/DSC_0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRzuyfqs83NqDEHeqfUMg6XMhzRhGoeHrz1QK0OETI9KMQBPnHIiM8KG2Vd7qVMMXkAZde0Rp2aOzUxXNB4j1WxuMF-h-ipHk71SBci6bG2v91trQVh7DTCVLJ3osGYjhMBh02illOA/s320/DSC_0304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Was a result of this float,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf12DJMDOcTSoxJcu8KA4xatchhk2KfNGWtMGJrO2KROj8lctJCE30kahsAKrjGfs_ruCnHBThCXT8-FWyt3m6mJbmzBmavxTIvIjfZSeqyZubFEQSJewyLpCMSCcxDMq908pHVtk6JQ/s1600/DSC_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf12DJMDOcTSoxJcu8KA4xatchhk2KfNGWtMGJrO2KROj8lctJCE30kahsAKrjGfs_ruCnHBThCXT8-FWyt3m6mJbmzBmavxTIvIjfZSeqyZubFEQSJewyLpCMSCcxDMq908pHVtk6JQ/s320/DSC_0243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Although he didn't get up close and personal with too many of the characters (we couldn't find them, but we weren't looking too hard) he did get to hug Goofy and Pinocchio tried to take him with him to be in the parade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAaQWHSjmSlBLam2AcZ-MArreoVIMjnPakO2S7azMfMUQjm3mABle1Zm3cQGR-v3gUcqVi-Mv0xkofThv8Nugh00WbL1fB3kQXM7v3AiTX0bV9nvIZsHpThFaAbOmJ_aWPQBWDYbK9A/s1600/DSC_0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAaQWHSjmSlBLam2AcZ-MArreoVIMjnPakO2S7azMfMUQjm3mABle1Zm3cQGR-v3gUcqVi-Mv0xkofThv8Nugh00WbL1fB3kQXM7v3AiTX0bV9nvIZsHpThFaAbOmJ_aWPQBWDYbK9A/s320/DSC_0207.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRipEy7bbEMJbinfRILFxPeEh6OchPibDaEVxFpX_e56qq02Sd_f7EmogtLSfYxhyKsRGlapgICgszIJ5ZFQ_pYCGU8fow6UAkb1jPQF6knwy42z_gAunnxl0V-iSmKRrx8C-yr60obg/s1600/DSC_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRipEy7bbEMJbinfRILFxPeEh6OchPibDaEVxFpX_e56qq02Sd_f7EmogtLSfYxhyKsRGlapgICgszIJ5ZFQ_pYCGU8fow6UAkb1jPQF6knwy42z_gAunnxl0V-iSmKRrx8C-yr60obg/s320/DSC_0237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>And because he saw Mickey and Minnie and Donald and all the others during the parade he felt like he saw them.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We had a good day! And we left with one tired little boy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfO1fn_CCS5_v9D392EOOipLco55hWQ-_3JlxHMqjNjCvL-jm5aX3VTs6j-gjsDZtYmKbFVa3_2uT-ER3Xy63nSHRUmFNmX5U4-g9GC6l1dm2wPm68Nq-pKwcMl4RPJ-0PvrbS2rrDfA/s1600/TokyoDisney_SleepyPrice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfO1fn_CCS5_v9D392EOOipLco55hWQ-_3JlxHMqjNjCvL-jm5aX3VTs6j-gjsDZtYmKbFVa3_2uT-ER3Xy63nSHRUmFNmX5U4-g9GC6l1dm2wPm68Nq-pKwcMl4RPJ-0PvrbS2rrDfA/s320/TokyoDisney_SleepyPrice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div>If you get the chance to go, prices are similar to the US. It seemed more crowded to me than the Magic Kingdom even though we were there on a weekday. There is another park, Disney Sea, that we did not visit. I was pleasantly surprised that Price would have been able to ride on almost every ride, there were only a few rides with an age limit or height limit. If you want to ride the super popular rides, go early and get fast passes. We missed out on riding Buzz Light Year, although Price thought these guys were cool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GUSgu1yKtB22AwxKK3kAwjmrpgAIJK3upS6q3X3_uwDtdeg7xhMILc3T9opu4F-fH905mIilrwAYFIPBo1paQ9glEaWUaIsBMCzl3on1WBNCA95cR5A85iCIGZ7orKtiSaX2CwBKYw/s1600/aliens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GUSgu1yKtB22AwxKK3kAwjmrpgAIJK3upS6q3X3_uwDtdeg7xhMILc3T9opu4F-fH905mIilrwAYFIPBo1paQ9glEaWUaIsBMCzl3on1WBNCA95cR5A85iCIGZ7orKtiSaX2CwBKYw/s320/aliens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the pic on the far right, Price posed as if he were an alien for a group of girls.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>All of the rides we went on were narrated in Japanese (except It's a Small World), but it didn't affect our enjoyment of the rides- fun is universal. we didn't watch any shows because people line up for them far in advance and we didn't want to spend our time in line for a show we wouldn't understand. Both of the parades were excellent! We left before the fireworks started, but got to see part of the show from the train station.<br />
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</div><div>Post EQ Info-<div>The area around Tokyo Disney was significantly damaged (apparently the parks were built on a landfill so a lot of water came up as did some liquid earth). However, the structures inside the parks were reportedly ok. The parks have not reopened yet and no opening date has been released. This is probably more about the services that are required to run the parks and transportation than anything else. Also, I have seen several YouTube videos of the eq at Tokyo Disney and although most of the rides and shows are in Japanese, the emergency alert system is in English. That wasn't something I even thought about while we were there...<br />
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</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-18348318982898053292011-03-08T23:29:00.141+10:002011-03-10T02:38:56.703+10:00On the Loosa in Asakusa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Today was much different than yesterday. Mainly in the fact that we were greeted by sunshine and not snow. And also because we knew how to get on and off the metro without making <s>too many</s> people mad.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_dJlkRhniSgWd8r2SOzLDcWVg7WMl2zb8rjiRc7b8PVlATs1_rmW1fwnmSzO1gVD5P99NySWfxQUni4MSAmsRLPTaGEFhl9aTAlSCnOYs8ENiHniUmQE9D4KnG4dc4KDpwielBdwrw/s1600/photo+%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_dJlkRhniSgWd8r2SOzLDcWVg7WMl2zb8rjiRc7b8PVlATs1_rmW1fwnmSzO1gVD5P99NySWfxQUni4MSAmsRLPTaGEFhl9aTAlSCnOYs8ENiHniUmQE9D4KnG4dc4KDpwielBdwrw/s320/photo+%252812%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>It was somewhat a typical day as I made a major airhead move and left the SD card for the camera in my computer. Which was back at the hotel. An hour train ride away. But we figured in one of the most technologically savvy cities in the world, it would be no problem finding a store that sold memory cards. Of course, we forgot that we were in one of the oldest parts of the city, dedicated to the ancient times. But after walking around looking lost and doing our best (via sign language and the always effective point and look method) to ask people where to find camera memory, we finally were able to get busy documenting our day. I would also like to go on the record and state that my husband didn't even lose his cool with me when he realized what I had done... </div><div><br />
</div><div>I was really excited about today's destination: Asakusa. All the guide books I read somehow made me think we'd be visiting a quiet, small, off the beaten path type of place. With narrow streets lined with ancient shops. Well, there were narrow streets.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Although I knew there was a major temple, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sens%C5%8D-ji">Senso-ji</a>, somehow it didn't click in my head that thinking this place was off the beaten path would be like thinking people would only know about the Vatican if they read it in a guide book. The whole area was quite charming and felt more like what I thought Tokyo would feel like- crowded, bustling, old, imperfect- than what we experienced yesterday. It was very interesting, a little touristy, but enjoyable. </div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymXvWVmzM5CcKD1YC40anbxA-gcvkwIa88UMkISCk4IzY-vJ85Cj5gysUHO_4uT46wPAK-mnaGYqo3Dyq77iCWnz-IVhubnin4qveV54hq3RuDOib8a6iD7EAFjJF53QnBzPvO1lAvw/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymXvWVmzM5CcKD1YC40anbxA-gcvkwIa88UMkISCk4IzY-vJ85Cj5gysUHO_4uT46wPAK-mnaGYqo3Dyq77iCWnz-IVhubnin4qveV54hq3RuDOib8a6iD7EAFjJF53QnBzPvO1lAvw/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kaminarimon. Large gate that is the entrance to the temple.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AK-opR0hoRrQJdBt6Mr5zCXwt18AUX32-Rhg9u7z3PlsStLYT8ktG2i7MFpdxuzO0racyhrbQB-RytVesmjidGlLBurYnVMRhaxBetcwdYQWZXW4dJHl9ArXowBlCoCNPjY7-K61PA/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AK-opR0hoRrQJdBt6Mr5zCXwt18AUX32-Rhg9u7z3PlsStLYT8ktG2i7MFpdxuzO0racyhrbQB-RytVesmjidGlLBurYnVMRhaxBetcwdYQWZXW4dJHl9ArXowBlCoCNPjY7-K61PA/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Nakamise-dori, the shopping lane leading up to the temple (think Chamorro Village or French Market type wares)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSw8KlPmSiSqtAtcQrtOm_S96EEEAaq9T1P3FrPAoFofdS1zwaARcJhyS_udmJxcROBcv0sSg0S3BJnEMLWR4mAz-NCC47NTbsSjsY5IiKAX-IvAZ7ovbUGngyNvK7br0FuL21b8MoGw/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSw8KlPmSiSqtAtcQrtOm_S96EEEAaq9T1P3FrPAoFofdS1zwaARcJhyS_udmJxcROBcv0sSg0S3BJnEMLWR4mAz-NCC47NTbsSjsY5IiKAX-IvAZ7ovbUGngyNvK7br0FuL21b8MoGw/s320/DSC_0039.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before entering the temple, many worshipers drink water from the fountain pictured above and also inhale the smoke and rub it over their bodies from the fire pictured below. They believe this will heal what ails them and make them wiser.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_1IbdFNmSfro4mCb8ekotmQvMqBiJe0lXa1it9Y1yggU_lwcB8aXIGDfSWlY6ffviQxfWttA115OdkKUnX6EpGNvatTQ4bqzAqQKGtvstN8yTGnCFpE2nia2dUQ0f85Zl-PyAFeJKw/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_1IbdFNmSfro4mCb8ekotmQvMqBiJe0lXa1it9Y1yggU_lwcB8aXIGDfSWlY6ffviQxfWttA115OdkKUnX6EpGNvatTQ4bqzAqQKGtvstN8yTGnCFpE2nia2dUQ0f85Zl-PyAFeJKw/s320/DSC_0043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the temple</td></tr>
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</div><div>The temple grounds were quite lovely. Price enjoyed chasing the pigeons. Everyone enjoyed watching him. In fact, he is on several videos, camera phones, etc. Don and I are pretty sure we're going to see him on a commercial here pretty soon.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1oSjUf7XI674qEY9Lak6GubZ6evZ5lZXlTQiie0Cs6jtvvdMGdx_ytzy6KKLCnmbLJkqzirlRCwsma3UYO0u2-SiWSqxLLdFgubd04CidiDmzHklpAC-TkuEIAA3AS_X_gY4sXASmg/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1oSjUf7XI674qEY9Lak6GubZ6evZ5lZXlTQiie0Cs6jtvvdMGdx_ytzy6KKLCnmbLJkqzirlRCwsma3UYO0u2-SiWSqxLLdFgubd04CidiDmzHklpAC-TkuEIAA3AS_X_gY4sXASmg/s320/DSC_0036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>He even tried to make a new friend, but she and her family were in a hurry to be somewhere.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhik16HUMMoq-4TYohqI7Imc2PWSKAFtRnVQdPvzFWPFoO3SJCjpTz7Qo7NK2-253jP94mPNIFEXAIrFcZB_VxvM2rULppXrLPcZMHu-UHUG5u0dw2pb2xWfsN6FM29fmfxr4KURkCRdQ/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhik16HUMMoq-4TYohqI7Imc2PWSKAFtRnVQdPvzFWPFoO3SJCjpTz7Qo7NK2-253jP94mPNIFEXAIrFcZB_VxvM2rULppXrLPcZMHu-UHUG5u0dw2pb2xWfsN6FM29fmfxr4KURkCRdQ/s320/DSC_0066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSB68p0U4X3fSRtffvq38_gID1Hxmc5CRLR4tPS_yezeXsV-kcp9szcp6wAYNrGoFM6xumWOSdp4ZHOBdF00q9OWL4EJuW2H8bTRIGBKV6ZZxG8-Q_rYYLUuNznqxqsznO6UW7A6yFA/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSB68p0U4X3fSRtffvq38_gID1Hxmc5CRLR4tPS_yezeXsV-kcp9szcp6wAYNrGoFM6xumWOSdp4ZHOBdF00q9OWL4EJuW2H8bTRIGBKV6ZZxG8-Q_rYYLUuNznqxqsznO6UW7A6yFA/s320/DSC_0067.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sure this will be my favorite picture from the trip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There are some neat things to see around the Nakamise-dori. We enjoyed wandering up the narrow streets, getting away from the tourists. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfkayAFhk2pqHJVQE6NDqHMVzESgW-kLQilUf7AQ8gZCs7M5ArkzSGer4Dcz59A6di7edNiUpeyEYOycLOuLu23nlhdSrabkItwznIgZ4PGKeHHTKhWb5CBTya9aYPERaDcHlEFHJIg/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfkayAFhk2pqHJVQE6NDqHMVzESgW-kLQilUf7AQ8gZCs7M5ArkzSGer4Dcz59A6di7edNiUpeyEYOycLOuLu23nlhdSrabkItwznIgZ4PGKeHHTKhWb5CBTya9aYPERaDcHlEFHJIg/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw noodles being made here. I wish I could tell you we ate here, but to avoid a colossal meltdown a few hours after this picture was taken, we ate at Mc Donalds. Foodies, I will accept your shuns.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_54iX27W5z0DHe3-B0oBFCsl8TgMi2kdCBwi-XOQPtw9vfeA3tV64UeVfEhVC_aHTAu-m2GyWmUew5mGzuak854fJ73BEqcoqzbjIMQUo0xEmdD3WtQSL3dnHs_i0MFumDInLKSVvxQ/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_54iX27W5z0DHe3-B0oBFCsl8TgMi2kdCBwi-XOQPtw9vfeA3tV64UeVfEhVC_aHTAu-m2GyWmUew5mGzuak854fJ73BEqcoqzbjIMQUo0xEmdD3WtQSL3dnHs_i0MFumDInLKSVvxQ/s320/DSC_0073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bicycles in front of a grocery store.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqktqHHNCTrlOKdVwmhQATTXhdvlwbFm8iDYGqZR8xG0QLxlpSg2-FA6JsJ88d0V8pic_FaIP8JngeMH3nJFnDw0u14_Tjvo1yPcYYt8AknesFext73MY9EarHS6aGJt2bm__HgBYYwg/s1600/DSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqktqHHNCTrlOKdVwmhQATTXhdvlwbFm8iDYGqZR8xG0QLxlpSg2-FA6JsJ88d0V8pic_FaIP8JngeMH3nJFnDw0u14_Tjvo1yPcYYt8AknesFext73MY9EarHS6aGJt2bm__HgBYYwg/s320/DSC_0075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Z-UZzgLMq382SX0v9sZX2U-2mpZDTqjs3Y-V0KSTg6wEXnLIf-7KDfkrdAQZZt65v8p9XZ2GsXthAEM7aZ8HMTXsXy0dsppvWgivogmVq6Qi7q0lEk6El9JlxfkpPOrxlZL186xc5w/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Z-UZzgLMq382SX0v9sZX2U-2mpZDTqjs3Y-V0KSTg6wEXnLIf-7KDfkrdAQZZt65v8p9XZ2GsXthAEM7aZ8HMTXsXy0dsppvWgivogmVq6Qi7q0lEk6El9JlxfkpPOrxlZL186xc5w/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A button store.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>After spending a good portion of the day in Asakusa, we decided to head back to the hotel via a water bus. It was a really relaxing, 35 minute ride through the city by ferry. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcFoN0ZoOJpK9-5PzLS-9ry4zRpa5y3iR_ZkvokHq1sqq1yvrWDqkFyIcFara-jROMgrzw2jfk2AjxO2koU6sAS39frpegWaCFa2aiYPyEZ1pScdLZ7A2wcd9raQcdGQGGCLQ7C6Ujw/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcFoN0ZoOJpK9-5PzLS-9ry4zRpa5y3iR_ZkvokHq1sqq1yvrWDqkFyIcFara-jROMgrzw2jfk2AjxO2koU6sAS39frpegWaCFa2aiYPyEZ1pScdLZ7A2wcd9raQcdGQGGCLQ7C6Ujw/s320/DSC_0083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWwNY7SO5nvkdMSACU20Xn1ExRmOl5003QnHApoedn77Oe7x7YO5nP5A1kD0fJBbk11LRhkiFpFJhEb8R9hB87z6FaRHQYB-JKmcrT23leR3B2_2xN3W4EEsrqMm3jx812kygEgQeYA/s1600/DSC_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWwNY7SO5nvkdMSACU20Xn1ExRmOl5003QnHApoedn77Oe7x7YO5nP5A1kD0fJBbk11LRhkiFpFJhEb8R9hB87z6FaRHQYB-JKmcrT23leR3B2_2xN3W4EEsrqMm3jx812kygEgQeYA/s320/DSC_0089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><div>The ferry deposited us at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamarikyu_Gardens">Hamarikyu</a> Gardens, which was once property owned by a Shogun family. Several of the teahouses in the gardens date back to the family. It was a nice walk and gave Price a chance to run off some energy before we got back on a train. This field helps you imagine how beautiful the rest of the gardens must be in the spring when things are in bloom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3mLpTsDoC7GVW44jBV2MfR5Z-waPVA4ujxmO28HVw5TKHjrKHf6z3q8ayoDjMqmohNicErOlz-Bcvnakp6Z4y0OsuPCSdEsxALHKtgj-QJ_boyro1ia53Cw_n5AJ2cd54HDcTjZzVA/s1600/DSC_0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3mLpTsDoC7GVW44jBV2MfR5Z-waPVA4ujxmO28HVw5TKHjrKHf6z3q8ayoDjMqmohNicErOlz-Bcvnakp6Z4y0OsuPCSdEsxALHKtgj-QJ_boyro1ia53Cw_n5AJ2cd54HDcTjZzVA/s320/DSC_0103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mFOY1v16ifUN48Lljx-KerzUUFJI40P2dTr8vJvITdUODvKY5H9skXLXGu5MgUyhTWLxQjLMt3Fn10hhCMjhuBwDt3g4cIxgpdsNPVMJqq0kVenmnamvDSWDhl0_GOluX0vysmapzQ/s1600/DSC_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mFOY1v16ifUN48Lljx-KerzUUFJI40P2dTr8vJvITdUODvKY5H9skXLXGu5MgUyhTWLxQjLMt3Fn10hhCMjhuBwDt3g4cIxgpdsNPVMJqq0kVenmnamvDSWDhl0_GOluX0vysmapzQ/s320/DSC_0094.JPG" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bride & Groom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcle_sgEEGgTP4avEsGfvCqqy5Vf9XXgowAdMALKGSWtUOE5324Vomnzj8r03M3oYJpG2HmrGEOgVyMj14Tj7pig-TGDr_fXe7X-2Ealf4nG_GJdlr1oACia7g6_QMKlR5dyFTtEPVw/s1600/DSC_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcle_sgEEGgTP4avEsGfvCqqy5Vf9XXgowAdMALKGSWtUOE5324Vomnzj8r03M3oYJpG2HmrGEOgVyMj14Tj7pig-TGDr_fXe7X-2Ealf4nG_GJdlr1oACia7g6_QMKlR5dyFTtEPVw/s320/DSC_0114.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient Tea House with modern Tokyo in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>We probably walked 400 miles today, our legs are T-I-R-E-D!! But we enjoyed just about every step. And are off to bed because tomorrow we take the little man to the land of the mouse. Yes, we're going to Tokyo Disney!</div><div><br />
</div><div>ps- don't have any good pottys today, but I can tell you I had my first experience with a psuedo open air squatty potty. If you are wondering what that is, well it's a public toilet that is open (literally) to the public. Like when I saw WAAAYYY more of an elderly woman than I EVER would want to, my initial reaction was, "poor thing, the door must have opened on her." Until I tried to go into the "regular" stall (I originally was going to use the handicap one b/c I was going to try and change Price) and walked in on someone else. Then I realized they were squatting. And I was outta there. Thankful that we stuck with super absorbent diapers for Price. (And both of these "rooms" were on a main walkway by the temple, and you didn't have to go into a main room and then pick a squatty potty. It was like two outside gas station restrooms without doors, just a little half wall).</div><div><br />
</div><div>pps- sorry about the title of this post, it's late, I'm tired.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-83990062836986124062011-03-07T23:03:00.001+10:002011-03-08T02:17:58.513+10:00Yeah, So I Probably Wouldn't Survive the Amazing RaceToday was a good day. And even though I'm about 100% sure I wouldn't make it on the Amazing Race (I DEFINITELY wouldn't win it). It started a little crazy as Mother Nature seems to have forgotten that we are visiting from Guam. Where we wear flip-flops and shorts. Everyday. Coming up with clothes that would keep us warm in 50 degree weather was a bit of a challenge, it's not like you can buy a ton of winter outfits on a tropical island. But thanks to my mom and some amazing sales at the BX, we made it here with several long shirts, pants, socks, a jacket or two. And now, thanks to the snow that we got to experience today, we also now own gloves, hats and scarves. That we probably won't need again for at least 2 years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dUP_pf6l6MneBj561OB34AC4XDeZ6jiOKgGhDLQTaI0QoLSIGnAURZsRnhDA3D5xvF6z8_hzhQ1VKsw5GrdzqN4yEfM40Xil-cSDa6xtII0z7LsN6rkyV2VYKqdSqQpu8Nggn58_PQ/s1600/DSC_0130+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dUP_pf6l6MneBj561OB34AC4XDeZ6jiOKgGhDLQTaI0QoLSIGnAURZsRnhDA3D5xvF6z8_hzhQ1VKsw5GrdzqN4yEfM40Xil-cSDa6xtII0z7LsN6rkyV2VYKqdSqQpu8Nggn58_PQ/s320/DSC_0130+2.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes Mother, he had gloves. At first he wore sock mittens until we found a pair of gloves for him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We were prepared to brave the snow and were positive that ALL the museums we wanted to go to were closed, because that's what they do. They close on Monday. Which was PERFECT since we wanted to be outside as much as possible. And brave the snow we did because we had to find a 7-11 to get money. (Note to anyone with a MasterCard issued debit card, 7-11 is one of the only places that will accept MC in the ATM.) And then continued our trek to the Metro station. <br />
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This is where going to a foreign country with someone who has been there before you would be helpful. We knew what train to take and which stop to get off on, but knew nothing about buying tickets, or the amount of stairs required (with no elevator available) or how rushed people are to get into and out of the 4 turnstiles and how mad they get when you block two of them trying to get the kid out of the stroller and the stroller folded. It was intimidating! But we did it (although while trying to get on the subway and get out of the station, I knew I could never be successful at the Amazing Race), and we didn't even get cross with each other!! We successfully found our way to Don's mecca- the Sony Store which just happens to be located in the heart of Tokyo's shopping district- Ginza. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down the main thoroughfare in Ginza. Shops include: Burberry, Van Cleef & Arpel, Ferragamo, Tiffany, Yamaha, Gucci, Prada. All my usuals.</td></tr>
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I happily put up with an hour plus of browsing 6 (yes, that is a SIX) floors of Sony technology. Since there would be a trade off of window shopping and going into at least one of Tokyo's famous department stores. But, after visiting the Sony Store, I would have happily gone there without the lure of all the other stores nearby. It was free, it was full of hands-on computers, cameras, TVs and video games to try out. Price was even entertained most of the time. He especially loved the high-def touch screen computer. He also loved flirting with all the showroom hostesses. He is becoming quite fluent in saying ,"konichiwa" (hello), "sayanora" (good-bye), and "arrigato" (thank you). He also tells everyone, "My name Pricey. I am 2."<br />
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After the Sony Store, we were hungry. So we headed over to the Mitsukoshi Department Store (yes, for all you Disney fans, this is the same store that is in Japan at Epcot). Oh my goodness!!! This store was incredible. Beautiful, luxurious and EXPENSIVE! Had it just been me, I would have spent hours wandering on each of the twelve, yes twelve, floors. I had read that most department stores have to-go food in the basement and sit down restaurants on the upper floors. We asked at our hotel and it was recommended we eat at one of the upstairs restaurants. Of course, we ignored that and headed downstairs to see what was available. And I'm so glad we didn't take the advice. The selection was amazing, picture a football field worth of Central Market Cafes on the Run. From very traditional Japanese food (picture the eight legs of an octopus with a hard boiled egg on top) to French pastry. Price fell asleep as Don and I walked and gawked at all the choices (and again, I didn't take pictures), so we were able to look for over an hour before finally settling on some type of noodle, gyoza dumplings (potstickers) and the most amazing chocolate croissant I've ever eaten. All the food was presented beautifully. It was a feast for the eyes and a literal feast for the palate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zHDqBec47uC5PcOWNQwlzS14wCwIoXzdH9mIzu-yYv8lWPP_eVT-4hbBwyDWVLe05nO6fP3dL8gB-IUi1kx3yBs83mn6sEkwj5kK9BdYgS6kpYCJ2YHJ3Vjlk8BDokbJZSevIy_phw/s1600/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zHDqBec47uC5PcOWNQwlzS14wCwIoXzdH9mIzu-yYv8lWPP_eVT-4hbBwyDWVLe05nO6fP3dL8gB-IUi1kx3yBs83mn6sEkwj5kK9BdYgS6kpYCJ2YHJ3Vjlk8BDokbJZSevIy_phw/s320/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P enjoying our cold noodles. I have no idea what kind they were.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After lunch, we went to the Apple Store and then took Price to Hakuhinkan Toy Park. It's a neat toy store spread out over four floors. It's very interesting to see how children every where like the same types of toys (and also that world wide marketing is effective). He was instantly drawn to this toy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdkBAE7nuNd50sA6S9C0gJ-_RYJ8kgWtd7t4U4Ts-lCkrc2Vq4lW1_EbLXHNoQp9L5H8Xycu8eifsF_1MP0l8O0mh3M8m2q-wgnClxcvmfz5VdvM3I_KsuvbFGS130IBu6PHDrzD_Ww/s1600/photo+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdkBAE7nuNd50sA6S9C0gJ-_RYJ8kgWtd7t4U4Ts-lCkrc2Vq4lW1_EbLXHNoQp9L5H8Xycu8eifsF_1MP0l8O0mh3M8m2q-wgnClxcvmfz5VdvM3I_KsuvbFGS130IBu6PHDrzD_Ww/s320/photo+%25288%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>It's a pig/dog looking creature that kind of rolls around on what we have termed "bumpy wheels." They "like" to go around objects. He was fascinated and watched this thing for many, many minutes. So, that was his Japanese toy souvenir. We are now the proud owners of "Pal, the Special Thing" (my kid has some creative naming skills doesn't he?) The only way we were able to get him to quit playing with Pal was to have Price put Pal to bed. He also got to play with trains, and race cars.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He started out racing a Mustang, but once he saw a Mario Kart, that was his car of choice. There were two <s>much</s> older gentleman racing as well and they had fun slowing their cars to let "Mario" pass them and then speeding up to pass "Mario." I couldn't tell who was having more fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the toy store we headed back to the Metro station and navigated ourselves (and the stroller) much better! My highlight of the day- the department store and looking at all the food. I think Price's favorite thing was the subway and pretty sure Don's was Sony, but he really liked looking at all the food too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bathroom of the day- there's a tie! Both at Mitsukoshi. </div><blockquote>1. They have infant changing rooms (no, we are not agressively working on potty training while here in Japan. I don't want to traumatize Price into NEVER going to the bathroom). It's an entire room, with 6 full size tables, each one with paper to put down, an adjoining table to place your bag AND diaper disposal systems that make Diaper Genies seem antiquated. Oh, and they are clean.</blockquote><blockquote>2. The ladies' room. It was spacious, easy to get into and out of. The toilet was self-flushing. But my favorite thing.... The baby seat. It was a booster seat attached to the wall. I was able to plop Price in it and use the restroom without worrying about him pressing buttons and spraying me with warm bidet water.</blockquote>Well, I'm off to bed! Not sure what we're doing tomorrow, but I'm sure it will be an adventure.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-70521713101525581522011-03-06T20:56:00.082+10:002011-03-08T00:12:07.740+10:00Going to JapanDear Tokyo,<br />
<br />
I may be falling a little in love with you. I wasn't sure that I was even going to like you when we stepped of the plane and were greeted by a swarm of mask wearing, hazmat suit clad, body scanning people. Next, when I got chastised by an unhappy immigration person because I couldn't seem to get fingerprinted correctly (You know it's bad when they actually have to STAND up and touch you to make it work. Odds that my passport have been flagged- 100%), I wasn't feeling the love. And then after that, I got trapped in the first bathroom that I attempted to use. Don't get me wrong, I've been doing my research, I knew I was going to get to experience some funky pottys, but I wasn't ready to do it so soon. First, I had to push a button just to open the vacuum sealed room, and then push another button to reseal the room. When I walked in there were three toilets(?). Well, there was a toilet, a bidet and something that looked like a dog washing station, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't what it was for. Of course, I used the western-style toilet and all was well and good, until I couldn't find where to flush. I thought it was maybe an automatic thing- nope. All I could think about was everything I'd read about cleanliness, especially in the bathroom is so important to the Japanese culture. And then I felt like I was going to be stuck in my space capsule of a bathroom forever out of shear embarrassment of being "that American" who couldn't even flush the toilet. So, before I got kicked out of the country by the etiquette police, I decided to go for broke and push the buttons on the wall until I got a flush. Luckily, the big silver button, which was nowhere near the toilet, was the magic button! And I was able to escape the bathroom with my dignity (but not my humility) intact. So, my dear Tokyo, I was concerned that if the toilets were any indication of future flummoxing, we were not going to get along.<br />
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Once got on our shuttle to a hotel. And as we drove into and through Tokyo, I began to feel intrigued. Everything is so different here, especially compared to Guam. It's clean, but it's not beautiful, but you can tell how important beauty is. Because no, you may not look out of your window and think this is beautiful, as you walk around you see beauty every where.<br />
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We FINALLY got to our hotel and were very fortunate to attend brunch, even though we didn't have reservations. It was nice not to go hunt down food in a foreign land so soon after arriving. After brunch we attempted to take naps, and although all three of us were exhausted, only one of us (guess who? and it wasn't the 2 year old) was able to sleep. So we decided to take a short walk around the hotel. But we were so absorbed by what we saw, we walked for more than two hours.<br />
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It was on this walk that I saw the attention to beauty. There isn't a lot of room to spread out here, but the space seems to be used efficiently. In the neighborhood we're staying in there are small restaurants, patisseries and florists every few feet. They are small, but beautiful in how a little can go a long way (I can't describe it, but I'll try to get brave and take pictures, it's just very clean in form and simple in presentation yet warm). We haven't seen a restaurant yet that I would be scared to eat in, ok, I would but because I wouldn't know what I was eating, but not because they look dirty or scream out food poisoning. And then in the midst of all these tiny modern, urban jewels there are ancient shrines, in the shadows of skyscrapers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're pretty sure this isn't actually a shrine, but someone's home and it may not be old. But it is surrounded by skyscrapers.</td></tr>
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And thank God for the parks. We fell in love (other than with the construction, it appears that the waterways are being drained and cleaned) with this one at the Tokyo Library. I loved it for it's charm, but mostly because it gave the little man a chance to run and climb and be a boy and burn off all the energy he had stored up after being confined all day in various modes of transport.<br />
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Tokyo, I'm pretty impressed with you so far. You're making me want to live in a city again. I'm excited to get to know you better over the next few days.<br />
<br />
p.s. I couldn't think of a good title for this post, but Price has been saying we're "going to Japan" for several months. I'm not sure what he'll say when we're back home...<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-70930435546240326172011-03-03T01:00:00.000+10:002011-03-03T01:00:06.526+10:00All Aboard the Potty Train<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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Shortly after finishing breakfast this morning, Price walked over to me, took off his diaper and said, "No diaper, I want underwear." After picking my jaw up off the floor (because just yesterday I was telling a friend that Price was no where near ready to potty train), and being impressed with my son's ability to express his desires both verbally and through action, it hit me that I really might have to potty train my kid. Before he goes to college.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the diaper. I don't like how much they cost, I am bothered by all the space they take up in landfills (I swear if we have more children, I'm doing cloth diapers), and the little absorption gel thingys creep me out. Because I <s style="font-size: small;">want to see exactly how much the gel thingys can actually absorb </s>am cheap and eco-conscious, I tend to be a little lax in my diaper changing frequency. Not poopy diapers mind you, those come off as soon as the smell arrives, but the wet diapers- well, he's not a girl, they don't bother him and they hold a lot. So, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><s>most days</s> </span>he often goes several (and by several there have been days when several could mean as many as four) hours without a new diaper.<br />
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Until today. Today when he decides, that since he is now sleeping in a big boy bed, he must also wear big boy underwear. Today, when I had a meeting and several errands to run. Today,when we are just a few days away from leaving for a long awaited vacation to a foreign country where I may have some difficulty asking where a restroom is since I don't speak the language. <br />
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Thankfully (I think this is a good thing, except when she tells me stuff I know, but don't want to do), my mom is a potty training master. She could (and should) write a book on the subject. And thankfully she was home every time I called her today to ask if it was normal for my child to pee everywhere, except in the potty, every 20 minutes or so. And she assured me that it was and I just need to, for the next few (overly scheduled) hundred million days or so, take him to the bathroom often and reward him whenever he tinkles on the potty. Hence, the jar of M&M's on the back of the toilet. Yes, candy in our bathroom- I find it oddly disturbing and cheerful at the same time.<br />
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Once we finally got home after he made a giant puddle in the middle of the BX food court at lunch and I had changed him into his fifth pair of (hastily purchased because the three existing pair we already owned obviously weren't going to cut it) new underpants and fourth outfit and second pair of shoes and cleaned up tinkle in my kitchen, living room (yes, Don if you're reading this he pee'd on the couch-but not on the cushions because he took those off so he could jump on the springs down on to the cushions), laundry room and all around his potty chair for all the poor aiming- we actually made it 3 whole hours without an accident! Thanks in large part to the kitchen timer going off every 15 minutes to remind me it was time to go tinkle. <br />
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I never thought I'd miss changing a diaper, and we haven't even started working on pooping yet!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-81903444626419934552011-01-10T00:30:00.000+10:002011-01-10T00:30:09.165+10:00A Mother's DayFriday I had a list a mile long of things I needed to get done. I needed to run several errands, do some stuff around the house. I had an agenda, I was going cross these items off my list and head into the weekend with a clean house, a stocked pantry and diaper drawer and no need to do anything I didn't want to do. Then I woke up.<br />
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And, the day got away from me. But not in it's usual way- there was nothing on the dvr containing a certain high school glee club doing a mash up that had to be watched, there was no endless hitting of refresh to see the latest Facebook updates, no friends who had dropped in. Nope, Friday it was all about this...<br />
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Life has been busy lately. I know, I live on a little island where there isn't much to do and I only have one kid and I don't work outside of the home, but it just seems like we are always doing something (which is fine and a big preference to being at home all day, never leaving and doing nothing). But even when we're home <s>thanks to my dynamic time management skills</s> it doesn't always seem like I spend good, quality time with Price. I encourage him to play in his room while I clean the kitchen, or I let him watch 30 more minutes of TV so I can empty the fridge of the leftovers from <s>Thanksgiving</s> Christmas. But we don't always do stuff together, and I sometimes (a lot) feel guilty that playing trains for hours on end isn't my favorite thing in the world and he ends up getting my very divided attention (perhaps this is good life training for him?).<br />
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Friday, when I was roused from bed before Reveille by my chirpy alarm clock saying repeatedly, "Hi Mommy! Mommy hi! Hello! Mommy pick you up." I dragged myself out of bed and thought, "Well, at least we'll be able to get everything done today." Then 7:00 rolled around and I had already put my two year old in time out once, and I thought, "This is going to be a very long day." And I hadn't even figured out what to have for breakfast, but knew it couldn't be cereal, because that's what the kid got for dinner the night before.<br />
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So, being of sound mind and I body, I thought biscuits would be good and P wanted to help me make them and I thought that would be fun. Suddenly, it was after 9:00 and the biscuits were just coming out of the oven. Where had the previous two hours gone??<br />
<br />
We sat down for biscuits and I had some legitimate stuff to do on the computer and Price wanted to color. Great, I can do my work while he makes art work. When I looked up from what I was doing, I realized he wasn't coloring, he was peeling all of the paper off his Crayons.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice that getting dressed was not something that occurred in the mysterious two hour period</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When I saw that mess, it reminded me of a craft we used to do all the time when I was young and had recently seen on a blog where they bumped it up a notch- melting broken Crayons together to form large multi-colored colors. And I thought (once again, my AMAZING sense of timing rears its ugly head), that won't take long.<br />
<br />
So we commenced to de-paper some crappy Crayons and break them into small pieces. Of course, once the objective was to actually remove the paper, it was no longer fun and became my job. But it was fun for both of us to break the Crayons and place them in the molds (thank you $1 aisle at Target, and thanks to my mother-in-law for spotting them and sending them to us Target deprived folks). It was a good counting and color identifying activity for Price.<br />
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Once all the molds were filled,<br />
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We placed them on a cookie sheet and put them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. We (I) talked about how heat can changes things from hard to soft, and I let him peek in the oven about half way through so he could see the changes.<br />
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When all of the Crayons were melted,<br />
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We put them into the fridge for about an hour, and I explained how sometimes cold can change liquids to solids, but the whole concept was a little advanced.<br />
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And finally, we got this-<br />
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Multi-colored heart shaped colors, that work. I forgot to take a picture of the art that ensued from drawing with a heart. But somehow another hour and a half disappeared. And then it was lunch time and then it was nap time and I just gave up on getting anything that I needed to get done done.<br />
<br />
And then it hit me, that I actually did accomplish what I needed to. I spent most of the day with Price, listening to him, talking with him, playing with him. We hadn't had a day like that in so long and it was needed, but it's hard when to the rest of the world those accomplishments aren't tangible. It wasn't on my to do list to spend quality time with my kiddo and maybe it should have been, so I could have checked it off and not felt like I was being unproductive.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-36773672906541939382011-01-06T23:24:00.000+10:002011-01-06T23:24:12.327+10:00And Then It Was 2011....It's amazing how a stomach bug sweeping through the house, followed by a birthday, then Christmas, then recovering from all three followed by one of the best New Year's Eves (is that grammatically correct?) our little family has celebrated in a long time (actually the first one our family has actually celebrated since becoming a family of three) can get a girl off track and keep her away from blogging. Well, there's all of that coupled with the fact that since I spent so many years in college, that my brain automatically goes on semester break this time of year. I promise to be better- I really do.<br />
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Notice I didn't say resolve. I don't actually believe in New Year's resolutions. The year is new for only so long, (and if the past week is any indication, the rest of it is going to speed by) so I don't quite get the whole I'm going to do this while the year is new and then more than likely let it just fall by the wayside. That's why I save up all my self-bettering for Lent. But that's another topic for another day.<br />
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2010 was a pretty good year. I was almost sad to see it go, but I'm excited about what 2011 holds (Do you say twenty-eleven or do you say two thousand-eleven? I don't know which is right, which do you prefer?). <br />
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Hope your New Year is off to a wonderful start!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-5247201930734231002010-12-08T01:48:00.000+10:002010-12-08T01:48:40.416+10:00Some Things You Need To Know About Why I'll Never Be Mistaken for Mrs. FieldsIf you were driving by my house last night, <s>you totally suck because you didn't stop by and say hi </s> you may have seen me cleaning out a can of condensed milk. Perhaps I should be embarrassed by the fact that I was standing in front of my kitchen window licking the sweet nectar of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk directly out of the can (ok, I was actually licking it off a spatula, under the guise of cleaning it out to put in the recycling bin). But I am not. I may be embarrassed when none of my clothes fit in a few days from extra poundage, but not of those few minutes of my public display of affection for my culinary crack...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Lover</td></tr>
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This is my new Wilton Cookie Imprint Cookie Sheet.<br />
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I am underwhelmed by it. It doesn't produce cookies as much as it does muffins. If needed cute muffins, I'd be really happy with this cookie sheet. But, alas, I need cute cookies. Lots and lots of them. This pan was a total fail in that area.<br />
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Sometimes, when recipes call for dough to be chilled for two hours, what it really means put it in a freezer for 18 days. Apparently, chilling dough in the fridge for 48 hours isn't enough. And then you end up with a crazy mess like this...<br />
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OK, I admit, this carnage probably would have happened to some extent even without dough that pretended to be super glue, adhering itself to the counter, my hands, my clothes. Initially, I was going to make 20 dozen cookies. All for a good cause (every year all the young, unaccompanied airmen on base get a dozen cookies. It's to help them have a happier holiday- can you imagine being as young as 18 and being so far from home during the holidays??). Then <s>the non-stop cheesefest, AKA Hallmark Channel Christmas movies</s> life got in the way and I got realistic and cut that number in half. The cookies started coming out of the oven looking like this...<br />
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There must be some law of physics explaining why the sprinkles don't disperse evenly when baking although the dough was rolled and covered in its entirety prior to baking.<br />
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These cookies are sugar cookies, yet they are the color of gingersnaps.<br />
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Can you guess what those shapes are? Who knew that the Hunchback of Notre Dame and a fat Snork were somehow Christmas related?<br />
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All I know is, I muddled through it...<br />
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After producing racks and racks of cookies, I hope that this is one of those times where it's the thought that counts more than looks. And as a reward to myself, I finished up the evening with my favorite Christmas time snack, a Hello Dolly and a glass of milk.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7anNT-Ro6sz563DcEvbtKmWSZehY0lxs02E0VdA7jSiuxIyfDmsoC6djh8B-WaibWIMWr4sLZHZSogRgweEtULkuTT0GV7rFtZx9BLdwzEjkN220AYvLEOJkjTrMZn5F_FcVA9o_Pg/s1600/DSC_0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7anNT-Ro6sz563DcEvbtKmWSZehY0lxs02E0VdA7jSiuxIyfDmsoC6djh8B-WaibWIMWr4sLZHZSogRgweEtULkuTT0GV7rFtZx9BLdwzEjkN220AYvLEOJkjTrMZn5F_FcVA9o_Pg/s320/DSC_0197.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-43462081945957976452010-12-03T01:18:00.000+10:002010-12-03T01:18:11.350+10:00Christmas, It's In the CardsHow is it already December? It seems like only yesterday there were 35 people at our house feasting on turkey and dressing and celebrating Thanksgiving.<br />
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Of course since we are in day 336 of summer here, there is absolutely nothing climatic to indicate that Christmas will be here in just a little over three weeks. Good thing there is the un-decorated tree in the corner, the ever-growing list of presents to purchase and ship, the 20 dozen cookies that must be baked before Tuesday to remind me that December 25 will be here before I know it. But this year, unlike <a href="http://themichaelbean.blogspot.com/2009/12/tis-few-weeks-before-christmas-with-my.html">last year</a>, I'm already feeling Christmas-y. It could be because our calendar is filling up with all kinds of Christmas activities, or maybe because even though our house isn't decorated yet, everyone else's is. But probably, the reason I am more into Christmas this year is because of the little guy. Any time he sees anything Christmas related he says, "Merry Christmas." In the candy aisle, it's "Merry Christmas candy," it's not just a Christmas tree, but a "Merry Christmas tree." He walks around singing <i>Jingle Bell Rock. </i>And to prove that he really does listen to me, he also talks about Jesus. In his mind and vocabulary (as I hope it always stays) Jesus is synonymous with Christmas, the latter is rarely mentioned without the former.<br />
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I really hope that I am able to capture P's excitement of the season. He doesn't need the weather to be colder to be excited. He can tell that it is a magical season. I want to share this first year of understanding Christmas with our family and friends. One of the ways I know I can do this is by sending out Christmas cards (ok, who am I kidding, we all know that IF they even get sent they will probably be more like New Years or Mardi Gras cards). But thanks to <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/">Shutterfly</a>, no matter when I get a picture or get ready to send out my cards, I will have so many great options to choose from. They're actually being awesome and giving me 50 free cards for this post, but I'd give them props without the freebies!<br />
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Last year, I made <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars">calendars</a> for several family members. I know it was my mom's favorite gift and she has hinted no less than 1 million times that she wants one this year. What I love about Shutterfly is how easy it is to use! I made at least 5 calendars last year and each one was tailored to the person receiving it. I was able to finish all 5 in one night and they were all delivered in time for Christmas. I also sent some things to Don when he was deployed and one of the items didn't arrive, I contacted Shutterfly and they sent a replacement immediately, at no cost. They also usually have great <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/special-offers">specials</a>. Right now, you can get free shipping on certain orders.<br />
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The only thing I don't like- there are <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards?">too many great cards to select from</a>!!!<br />
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I can't decide if I want to do a card that features the three of us.<br />
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Or if I prefer to just put Price by himself, after all we all know he's what everyone wants to see.<br />
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Do we <s>rub it in</s> acknowledge that we live on a tropical island and will probably hit the beach several times this month?<br />
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But no matter which one we go with, it may actually get sent before Mardi Gras. Because Shutterfly will even stamp and mail the <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery">cards</a> for me. With that kind of service, I may not even ask for a Christmas present.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Full Disclosure Time: I am being compensated by Shutterfly for writing this post. I get 50 free cards for sharing my opinion about Shutterfly. I have not been asked to write anything positive, but to share my opinion of Shutterfly and any past experiences that I've had. If you're a blogger and want to get 50 free cards from Shutterfly, follow this link <a href="http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/">http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/</a>.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-48258650920469146502010-11-18T00:15:00.003+10:002010-11-19T01:14:53.040+10:00Totally Random1. Today, it rained. Really, really hard. But, I was on a quest for pumpkin and I would not let thunder, lightning or torrents of water from above or rushing through a parking lot deter me. And I am now the proud new owner of 6 large cans of pumpkin. And a new pair of jeans. Because the ones I had on when I went to get the pumpkin got so wet, I couldn't walk around the store without sloshing water everywhere.<br />
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2. I have never lived in a place where people loved to stand on the street and yell about things as much as they do here. During campaign season, huge gaggles of supporters of various campaigns would line the main roads waving and shouting their support to passersby. Last week, folks were out in force thanking veterans. Today was my favorite. Today, I got to drive through the "Save the Shark" roadside rally. Hundreds (or maybe tens) of people were lining the road drawing awareness to the plight of the shark and their allegedly tasteful fins. If I were the type of blogger to use this forum as a soap box, this is when I would tell you that <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/16/tech/main6304282.shtml">CBS says 73 MILLION</a> sharks are killed each year to meet the demand for shark fin soup and that is leading several species of sharks towards extinction. But since I'm not that type of blogger, I will just move on and tell you that it's when I'm driving down the main drag and see people standing shoulder to shoulder with someone dressed up like a shark and holding up signs that say, "cut class, not fins" are the times I really love this place.<br />
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3. Other times I love this place are the times when I go to The Kmart and on my way out witness a fight breaking out. Adults getting into a screaming match, while even more adults surround them to witness the action. I'm just not used to seeing fights break out anywhere other than hockey arenas or other sporting venues.<br />
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4. I have FINALLY (at least for the past week) gotten to a good place with <s>keeping peace</s> housekeeping. About 6 months ago, I tried to get on track by following the <a href="http://flylady.net/pages/begin_babysteps.asp">Fly Lady</a>. All I got out of that was a really clean sink. But something seems to have clicked with me, and hopefully will stick with me. I realized that if I stay on top of things, I don't get overwhelmed and it's much easier to spend about an hour everyday doing dishes, tidying up rooms, doing a load or two of laundry and concentrating on cleaning one room than it is to spend multiple hours during the weekend trying to make up for everything I let slip during the week. I know this is probably pretty elementary to many of you and possibly hive inducing for several of you. But what a difference a straight house can have on a marriage... if nothing else it (hopefully) eliminates any visions of me sitting at home eating bon-bons from Don's brain.<br />
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5. Isn't he cute? <br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">He's cute about 99% of the time, whether he's using his own vocabulary (Bear Poo= Pooh (as in Winnie the) Bear, Mr. Wheats Cereal= Frosted Mini Wheats, bacoose= caboose, coyboy boots= cowboy boots), crying for five seconds and then stopping to tell me what he's crying about, "cry go playground (even if it's nine o'clock at night and monsooning this kid wants to go to the playground), just playing in his room or saying his nightly prayers, even when God blessing all of his trains takes precedence over blessing any living, breathing member of his family- he's a cute kid. Except for when he turns into the Poo Poo Picasso (PPP), like he has TWICE this week!! We've overcome this problem at night by duct taping him into his pajamas, so PPP usually strikes at naptime when we forget to dress him in five layers of clothes. I am soooo over this stage. And sick of cleaning up his crap. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-1238311862565076312010-11-13T16:27:00.000+10:002010-11-13T16:27:56.726+10:00Happy HomecomingI am happy to be back in Guam. No, really, I am. I am just not happy about the fact that it seems like all the boonie bees on the island have taken up residence around my house, which causes me to go on mad bee (don't worry they're really just very aggressive wasps) killing rampages. For which I am then required to shoot large streams of toxic poison into the environment. Only after my displays of violence do I get the pleasure of watching them drop dead from the hive, one by one.<br />
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I'm also happy to be back because the beach is at my beck and call. And while I love to be surrounded by water when swimming in the ocean, I don't love it so much when it is dripping out of my cabinets. I guess I should be (and when I think about it and don't need it as fodder for my blog, I truly am) happy that our typhoon water supply didn't start leaking until some recent day since we returned home. But it sure was a delight this morning (in the midst of throwing away a freezer full of spoiled food, thanks to the compressor going out of the fridge) to walk into a raining laundry room.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK4u82JUNaeLDQyUoW9NqWwh12-VqTX6WTC__aFqjD56pmWckalXuSNKXvfAIDHavxHcEjV1YIrF7zyXouLsYJHRm2YADfEOYqkHnOBJ1l-FrnnXy1d5z8flUtbkAnuM9Egz6rl9haQ/s1600/DSC_1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK4u82JUNaeLDQyUoW9NqWwh12-VqTX6WTC__aFqjD56pmWckalXuSNKXvfAIDHavxHcEjV1YIrF7zyXouLsYJHRm2YADfEOYqkHnOBJ1l-FrnnXy1d5z8flUtbkAnuM9Egz6rl9haQ/s320/DSC_1511.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Culprits</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since this has happened on more than one occasion, I have decided to change our typhoon supply over to the more hardy bottles pictured below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIW4aIa7nZcBi4m7cwbwspP0vOzFoc06sfADTiH7tphyVEMg_AL92zUyUpHBAaih-P_Dne_t8RL2Hk1sasKRvyTgWBpjtolTwqKLR2_DD09-lqLNplnwLp8-9Hr7XXm862xta2iLTjA/s1600/DSC_1510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIW4aIa7nZcBi4m7cwbwspP0vOzFoc06sfADTiH7tphyVEMg_AL92zUyUpHBAaih-P_Dne_t8RL2Hk1sasKRvyTgWBpjtolTwqKLR2_DD09-lqLNplnwLp8-9Hr7XXm862xta2iLTjA/s320/DSC_1510.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder if three cases of beer is enough to last the recommended 7 days?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And as happy as I am to have funny stories to tell of all the creepy creatures that inhabit this island, I didn't miss how they just kind of jump out at you from no where. They really do a good job of scaring the crud out of me. Today alone, I have startled myself and a little gecko who had taken up residence in my umbrella. And then there's this little guy,<br />
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And finally, while I was completely overwhelmed by all of the grocery selections that I had back in the states, I didn't miss having to go all Laura Ingalls Wilder living in a <i>Little House on the Prairie </i>(or in my case a little cinder block box on an island) and feeling the need to buy a 25 pound sack of flour (even though I have no where to store it). I have lots of baking to do over the next month and a half and the commissary ran out of flour last year. That may also explain the 6 boxes of butter in my refrigerator (according to Don, safe from having to be thrown out with the spoiled milk and eggs) and my never-ending quest to find some pumpkin.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy flour and her baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> But really, I am happy to be home. We've returned in time to be greeted by pleasant trade winds, beautiful rainbows and a full calendar. I've actually made some MAJOR progress on one of my goals, I'll share that with you soon. But now, because all unexpected messes come in threes I have to go clean up after the <a href="http://themichaelbean.blogspot.com/2010/07/craptastic.html" style="font-style: italic;">Poo Poo Picasso</a> (something else that I didn't miss while I was away, I guess it's back to duct taping).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-90035929637434721402010-11-08T01:06:00.000+10:002010-11-08T01:06:12.867+10:00More To ComeHi! We're back in Guam. We've been back for a week now. I finally made it to the beach today. Jet lag seems to be gone, procrastination has taken its place. I've promised myself that with the new month (that is now on it's 8th day) I will be: better about blogging, better about staying healthy, better at keeping the house clean and straight. So far, I am 0 for 3.<br />
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Anyway, just wanted to say hi, let you know I'm still here.. If nothing else, Price has started saying all kinds of funny things, and don't think I'm above being one of those moms that doesn't feel the need to share.<br />
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Later!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-51893279236885026412010-09-24T03:18:00.000+10:002010-09-24T03:18:57.934+10:00There's a Recipe In Here SomewhereI should totally be packing right now, taking advantage of a sleeping child so I can throw some stuff in a suitcase before we head out for a weekend excursion. Of course, I hate packing and will do pretty much anything to avoid it, so instead I'm blogging. Hoping that all of our stuff will Mary Poppins itself right into the appropriate bag at the appropriate time... a girl can dream can't she?<div><br />
</div><div>We have really been having a good time here. It's funny how being in Guam for only a year (it seems like such a short time right now, but when I'm "in it" seems like forever), has already changed me. I unknowingly have really adapted to the slow, less is mostly enough <s>except when I want something and can't find it immediately</s> lifestyle we are experiencing over there. I am constantly amazed at how much stuff there is here. And I wonder, after living in Guam, is it really ALL necessary? Don't get me wrong, I won't ever NOT love Target, but it's interesting how much you take for granted when you are surrounded by everything you could possibly need and want 24/7 and not have to go too much out of your way to get it. I'm sure when I get back to Guam, I'll be longing for these days, pinching myself for not buying something so trivial I couldn't imagine flying it back, only to "desperately" need it and not able to find it on the island.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In our almost two weeks of being here, Price has learned to say, "Target. Yay!," "cowboy boots," "doggie door," and a whole bunch of other terms. He is having the best time being spoiled by grandparents, escaping from the house through the doggie door, going to the Children's Museum, playing on the farm, eating more hot dogs than a person could ever want, just being an active two year old.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Mom wanted to show him off to all of her neighbors who have to hear about us all of the time, so she came to me last Friday and said, "Terrell, I would like to throw an impromptu brunch TOMORROW for a few friends." I kindly replied, "Ok Mom, whatever you'd like to do is fine. Let me know what you need me to do."</div><div><br />
</div><div>It was then that I realized a few friends was about 50 <s>people she's ever spoken to about Price</s> of her closest neighbors, and by "throw a brunch" she meant, "I'm going to do all the inviting and you're going to do all the cooking." Ahhh, mothers, you gotta love them. Anyway, I really didn't mind cooking, especially since I made my favorite breakfast casserole and I've been wanting to share the recipe with you.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I have been making this super simple, make ahead casserole for about 10 years. It is one of my favorites, every time I make it, people ask for the recipe. It's perfect for Christmas morning, or any other occasion when you want something hearty and filling that doesn't require any effort on the day of serving. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, <i><b>The Southern Living Breakfast Casserole.</b></i></div><div><i><b><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v8ouTRLgBXXE3zlRMuhDTAWYapcYdJrmXN3yy3FqeP736_KGjT1Od9q-XlCZupz0zWqdmOUWJCS9N_M92L4R8A26c-BEpBazelaBvT0fgbJqvMQY411neTdvTY6gojl5k3KS-leEqA/s1600/P9170122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v8ouTRLgBXXE3zlRMuhDTAWYapcYdJrmXN3yy3FqeP736_KGjT1Od9q-XlCZupz0zWqdmOUWJCS9N_M92L4R8A26c-BEpBazelaBvT0fgbJqvMQY411neTdvTY6gojl5k3KS-leEqA/s320/P9170122.JPG" /></a></div><div>1 lb ground pork sausage, browned and drained (I always use a combo of half regular, half spicy sausage.)</div><div><br />
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</div><div>10 slices of the least expensive white bread you can buy</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Plus salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. dry ground mustard.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Brown and drain sausage. While cooking sausage, lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Cube (by cube, I mean tear into quarters, it doesn't need to be pretty) 10 pieces of bread and line bottom of pan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHStrw5z4SZdZ6Pcb_4MWLfKFSbAtPh6IgfeR8TilTlhJHzid-EmR3iz81zN9MKz12H54rxwKJlM07oGhnk5GJ5m6OhWwxs-HXTD8tUFHHhVhsAQeEEY-HOQnuMXrfXc4mkiWkFOLzIg/s1600/P9170160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHStrw5z4SZdZ6Pcb_4MWLfKFSbAtPh6IgfeR8TilTlhJHzid-EmR3iz81zN9MKz12H54rxwKJlM07oGhnk5GJ5m6OhWwxs-HXTD8tUFHHhVhsAQeEEY-HOQnuMXrfXc4mkiWkFOLzIg/s320/P9170160.JPG" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Layer with cheese, then cooked sausage. Be sure to cover bread evenly.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs, add milk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, stir until combined. Pour over sausage. Be sure to coat evenly. Cover and store in refrigerator overnight.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Take out of refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until eggs are set.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>The bread soaks up all the milk and eggs to form a custard, it's like a savory bread pudding. You can thank me now, your taste buds will thank you later!</div><div><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-25244508248639803082010-09-23T15:26:00.000+10:002010-09-23T15:26:42.309+10:00Blame It All On the BootsIt took almost a week, but we finally overcame our jet lag! I have decided it's my personal mission to eat my way across the Lonestar State and to turn Price into a bonafide Texan. I am succeeding in both areas...<br />
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Well, maybe if you put him in a field of cows,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeLfvL9Z1tzboozkBFd7bEa4mv3efNRUlkUW087IZg-CgdJ1BEuzkUn9lD8-43p7rfe07Cijl9s23UNqgLry7dru1cxqqSMofxwTBDifZ9nyp7qn_Z2Y1SAEcW_Z1zj2JaRPzLl0iUw/s1600/tractor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeLfvL9Z1tzboozkBFd7bEa4mv3efNRUlkUW087IZg-CgdJ1BEuzkUn9lD8-43p7rfe07Cijl9s23UNqgLry7dru1cxqqSMofxwTBDifZ9nyp7qn_Z2Y1SAEcW_Z1zj2JaRPzLl0iUw/s320/tractor.jpg" /></a></div>So that is what I did, and that is how I ended up with the happiest, hungriest, dirtiest little Texan in the making.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-61593080936455985192010-09-15T20:18:00.000+10:002010-09-15T20:18:46.288+10:00Howdy!I am not sure that I'm cut out for world traveling. I think that as long as I have a two year old, I will stick to visiting locations that do not require me to be on a plane for 16 hours or cross 22 million time zones or the international date line. I am exhausted, but unable to sleep. I'm happy to be back in the land of plenty, but overwhelmed by how much of everything there is. I haven't even ventured into Target yet, for fear of not enjoying it. We haven't been able to get back onto any kind of routine or schedule, unless you consider waking up daily at 4 am a routine and passing out before 9 at night a schedule. Or maybe Price's new fondness for a 45 minute screamfest each night in bed, one that can only be ended by me sitting in his room and singing any song I can think of over and over again, until <s>I</s> he passes out is our new routine. I miss my happy to go to bed baby, and hope we get it together soon!!! I'm still completely discombobulated and couldn't tell you what time or day it is, just that I'm in Texas, and that the math to figure out what time it is in Guam seems harder in this direction.<br />
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Other than feeling upside down and somewhat untethered, things are good. It's great sharing Price with his grandparents and other family members. And he really is, despite feeling as upside down, untethered and exhausted as I am, really well behaved and having a good time (until bed time rolls around). And I LOVE that his granpeeeps like taking him places without me so I can stay home and actually take a bath instead of a five minute shower and even use the bathroom all by myself.<br />
<br />
Each day gets a little bit easier, I am not as cranky as I was the first couple of days and haven't fallen into a midday coma on the couch since, well I can't remember what today is, but it's been a few days... We are staying busy and having a good time.<br />
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Well, it's 5 a,m,, I;ve been up for an hour. Guess it's time for me to stay on routine and try to go back to sleep for a bit.<br />
<br />
Incoherently yours,<br />
T<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-89600994160893720462010-09-01T14:21:00.000+10:002010-09-01T14:21:52.160+10:00"Guamania... Sounds Like a Mental Condition"Sorry I haven't been around in a while. I've been enjoying the last few weeks of summer- participating in rainy 5ks, making marshmallows (yes, actual marshmallows, not s'mores, although I did use the marshmallows to make s'mores and well, who knew that snack could actually be improved upon?), taking advantage of having babysitters at my disposal, dealing with the ongoing saga of the Poo Poo Picasso, dodging lots of raindrops and puddles (the rainy season is definitely, for sure, back in full swing), and celebrating surviving one whole year in Guam! Even though it always feels like summer here and I don't have a kid who goes to school, I had to soak up every ounce of summer vacation that was left, and I just didn't feel like spending that time on the computer.<br />
<br />
I should be back to posting on a more regular schedule now <s>that my mom and a few other folks have complained enough to shame me</s> I've gotten the summer lazies pretty much out of my system. <br />
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The big news on Guam right now, other than there are only two working ambulances on the entire island (ok, this is not completely true, the military ambulances aren't included in this count), is that there is a BIG election coming up in November and the primaries are this weekend. Signs are up everywhere for the candidates, and pretty much any time I go off base, I'm sure to pass a huge group of people standing on the side of the road waving a chanting for their candidate. One of the people who is up for re-election is our Congressional Rep. I don't know if anyone is even running against her, I do know that she wears suits all the time. Even to the <a href="http://themichaelbean.blogspot.com/2010/07/biba-guam.html">Liberation Day Parade</a>, where it was approximately 400 million degrees and she had a suit and SCARF on and looked impeccable. I on the other hand, had on as few clothes as possible, could have used a scarf to mop the buckets of sweat escaping from my body and any trace of makeup, deodorant, or impeccability I may <s>or may not</s> have had, vanished within five seconds of stepping outside. Anyway, Stephen Colbert recently interviewed our Rep, Madeleine Bordallo. And just like at the Liberation Day Parade, you never see her sweat!<br />
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<tr style="background-color: #e5e5e5;" valign="middle"><td style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Colbert Report</a></td><td style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align: right;">Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 14px;" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/167396/april-30-2008/madeleine-bordallo" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Madeleine Bordallo</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8489152912316500551"></a></td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: #353535; height: 14px;" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align: right; width: 360px;"><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/" style="color: #96deff; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.colbertnation.com</a></td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 0px;"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashvars="autoPlay=false" height="301" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:167396" style="display: block;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="360" wmode="window"></embed></td></tr>
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<tr valign="middle"><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/" style="color: #333333; font: 10px arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Colbert Report Full Episodes</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/" style="color: #333333; font: 10px arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">2010 Election</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/video/tag/Fox+News" style="color: #333333; font: 10px arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Fox News</a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-70001628345198883222010-08-14T01:48:00.000+10:002010-08-14T01:48:48.599+10:00Rainy SeasonIt's time for me to be honest. I haven't seen the inside of the gym in more than a month: the in-laws came for a visit, then I had to go to the <a href="http://themichaelbean.blogspot.com/2010/07/biba-guam.html">Liberation Day Parade</a>, and as the days rolled by I had missed so many classes, that I forgot what day they were on (on a morning when there was class, we'd just be sitting around in our pjs and at 9:15, I'd be like, "damn, Mommy & Me started 15 minutes ago"). Then when I made a mental note of when class was and a conscious decision to start going again, Price got sick and we couldn't go. And then it was like when you start skipping a class in college (or so I've been told) and you miss so many you're afraid to go back, so you drop it ... That's kind of where I am now. And it doesn't help that legitimate things really keep popping up on class days, so I keep NOT going. I'm pretty sure that my face is up on a missing person poster at the gym. I really miss going. I miss how I was feeling, how my arms were starting to get some definition and how the abs that have been hiding were slowly starting to emerge from a case into a 12 pack. And I miss the structure that getting out of the house at a regularly scheduled time brought to my day.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I'm trying to get back into the routine I had in June, the one where I went to the gym no less than twice a week and walking on days I wasn't at the gym. Of course, I still haven't crossed the threshold of the gym, but I figure it's time for me to stop doing arm curls with chocolate chip cookies, <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/breads/muffins-that-taste-like-donuts/">donut muffins</a> and tortillas filled with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter. And maybe soon, I'll start back with the weights and the sit ups and the lunges- oh Lord, the lunges!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">But I have started walking with Price almost daily. The problem with walking is that the rainy season is upon us. I know I have mentioned this about a million times, but unlike much of the rest of the world, Guam does not have four seasons. We have two- rainy and dry. The difference between the two seasons- in the rainy season we have what feels like 6-8 hours of (thankfully, non-consecutive) rain a day. Luckily, the rain usually blows in (you can often see it coming), does its thing and moves on. Most showers last no more than 15 minutes, often with the sun shining and sometimes literally pouring so hard you can't see two feet in front of you, yet across the street it's barely sprinkling. However, even though you can often see the rain coming, it comes up fast.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Like today, when I was out for a walk with Price. We were about a mile into our walk and had about a half mile left, when the sun disappeared and the wind started blowing, and I knew it was coming. But we were at a point in our walk where we really couldn't stop and take shelter, so I picked up my pace and hoped that I could get to a shelter before the bottom dropped out. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. And even more unfortunate, I left the house in a shirt that I often wear a cami under because it's borderline see through when dry, but of course was sans cami today. So I was pretty sure that I might be thrown into the brig for conduct unbecoming an officer's wife for gallivanting all over the neighborhood in a now completely see through shirt that was stuck to every curve my upper body had to offer- a true sight to behold. The construction workers in the neighborhood got an eyeful for sure! </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I came to a realization though as I walked home, looking like I went swimming with my clothes on (not that I would have really bragged about how I looked before I left the house, but post-rain it was so bad I took a picture, which I ended up not being able to post here because, I looked so awful and let's face it, I may be a tad bit vain). I realized how far I have come in the almost year that we have lived here. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We arrived here in the midst of the rainy season. And it seemed like every time I would make any attempt to go somewhere or made an effort to get dressed and put on make up or do my hair, I would get caught in a down pour and end up looking like a drowned rat. I felt like I could never get ahead and always felt demoralized by this and would more often than not, end up sitting in my car drenched, with stringy hair, and crying. And now I just roll with it. Getting caught in the rain no longer sends me into a fit of tears, but usually into a fit of laughter. It's just part of life on our little island. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-12789526252794258552010-08-11T08:56:00.000+10:002010-08-11T08:56:50.634+10:00Second Time Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I'm a BIG fan of leftovers. I love that I don't waste uneaten food, but what I love even more is that cooking leftovers usually means there's less mess in my kitchen. Less mess means less cleaning, which means more time to spend with <s>any show on Bravo</s> Don and Price.<br />
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I also love when I get to re-purpose leftovers (do you like how I'm using trendy HGTV terms on a more Food Network type post?) and turn them into an entirely different meal than what they originally started out as. This is actually pretty easy to do when you make something like pulled pork or a brisket (not as easy when you are working with leftover lasagna). And in my house, being able to disguise leftovers is a GREAT thing because I may be married to someone who likes and appreciates my cooking, but who can only handle the same meal for so long (maybe twice if I'm lucky and he LOVED it the first time).<br />
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I was very happy last week when the planets aligned and I was able to turn a crock pot meal (hardly any clean up on the original meal) into a Mexican delight (with very little prep/clean up) the second night! As Price would say, "Awesome Pants!"<br />
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I think I'll call this dinner, <i> Play It Again Pile Up</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIr1AI57k-YPF2qfD_JRsKD6EIJfMP7pxA2cdCVVTOgIDO0_ruAsT357JgdDNodP_w5Kb7UIfKcmIbENyV6_EhR9zsKbcFakIBFNRF3reHNdSe53jGCOpnItKSXUjlk_l-meVzWDy4Q/s1600/DSC_1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIr1AI57k-YPF2qfD_JRsKD6EIJfMP7pxA2cdCVVTOgIDO0_ruAsT357JgdDNodP_w5Kb7UIfKcmIbENyV6_EhR9zsKbcFakIBFNRF3reHNdSe53jGCOpnItKSXUjlk_l-meVzWDy4Q/s320/DSC_1430.JPG" /></a></div><i><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Up til now, every paragraph I have written begins with I. I am feeling very self-centered I suppose, maybe all <a href="http://jamiekaler.com/site/jamiekaler/how-bored-are-people-on-guam-well-they-blogged-about-us-enough-said-uso/">the fame</a> has gone to my head. Sorry, I will get back on track now....</div><br />
On Wednesday, we had <a href="http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/06/crockpot-bacon-and-cheese-chicken.html">Bacon Chesseburger Chicken</a> for dinner. It was pretty good (as soon as I put everything in the crockpot, I was like, "you TOTALLY should have made it this way", but it was too late, so I'm planning on making it MY way very soon. If it turns out like I think it may, I'll share the recipe). There was a lot left over, even after Price and I had it for lunch on Thursday. Friday night, I didn't feel like cooking, but we didn't really want to go out, so I busted out the leftover chicken and stared at it for a while. And then I opened the fridge and stared at its contents for a while. And then I went to the pantry and stared at it for a while. And then as if someone waved a magic wand, items began floating into focus...<br />
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Leftover shredded chicken<br />
Whole wheat tortillas<br />
Spinach<br />
Cheese<br />
Avocado<br />
Black beans<br />
Rice<br />
Salsa<br />
Sour Cream<br />
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Almost all of my favorite foods stacked on one plate. So easy! Here's all you have to do<br />
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Start a pot of <a href="http://themichaelbean.blogspot.com/2010/08/facts-of-rice.html">rice</a> (or use leftover rice, or omit it altogether). Place leftover meat (this recipe works great with ANY meat- chicken, pork, beef or leave meatless if you prefer) in a skillet or small sauce pan to reheat. Heat 1 tortilla per person in the oven until warmed (or if you're like me forget they're in the oven and don't remove until puffed up like a balloon...). Heat one can of black beans.<br />
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Once everything is heated and rice is cooked, start piling everything on a tortilla...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWB76oNwVeeGoagJJh5PyTn7scOpLJ-1dPAAxqpUXs_nXbO3J42lTm0BVqswjxHNKN1NLs253WN-eDv7puUL9GGfCEdVM8CipC_JIlPBePNO2cBf9tkA9SW6DjxR3smA_43QIzzgAAw/s1600/DSC_1423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWB76oNwVeeGoagJJh5PyTn7scOpLJ-1dPAAxqpUXs_nXbO3J42lTm0BVqswjxHNKN1NLs253WN-eDv7puUL9GGfCEdVM8CipC_JIlPBePNO2cBf9tkA9SW6DjxR3smA_43QIzzgAAw/s320/DSC_1423.JPG" /></a></div> I placed spinach on the bottom to sneak in a vegetable that Don doesn't care for.<br />
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Next, rice and beans.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRIzmf_Se0dKKQB052-bN49lKwNVCyUWCXelDgdYIBwoMI19w_MJ5ht9v8WM_4Gr2wv0K_5jfW-f9H9sKnec1ivVXt-cYP3I1ZSGKZ92_n4zr60KFKt7eNf6xsT5Z9De7AAQ7vWF0QQ/s1600/DSC_1426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRIzmf_Se0dKKQB052-bN49lKwNVCyUWCXelDgdYIBwoMI19w_MJ5ht9v8WM_4Gr2wv0K_5jfW-f9H9sKnec1ivVXt-cYP3I1ZSGKZ92_n4zr60KFKt7eNf6xsT5Z9De7AAQ7vWF0QQ/s320/DSC_1426.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Then chicken and cheese.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemebqfwSFCNaW0UzWKDAC_fajeHH9ymaM427byahL0al4G-tEX9HGoyeOQTQZqO7qPG63PCRCihFGJOUnoBN5PYLUivh5jsrRLVDx9DejGrYJUB5m9YD4elF3D-l54bOb9RJvlP5WdQ/s1600/DSC_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemebqfwSFCNaW0UzWKDAC_fajeHH9ymaM427byahL0al4G-tEX9HGoyeOQTQZqO7qPG63PCRCihFGJOUnoBN5PYLUivh5jsrRLVDx9DejGrYJUB5m9YD4elF3D-l54bOb9RJvlP5WdQ/s320/DSC_1427.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Finally top off with any condiments, you could even use plain yogurt instead of sour cream to cut out some fat.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gBU-CsecXJhYRApzIwIk-mLVcB5c2i0_DWWKM5TQX6ZtyK34g2aQOfe0vCkoyIDyH5_CvnjS1C4HQAZ3yVjVnSwNrsV6VMOtgG8D3f_LXX9RlZj5MeOqvGFBTu3Q1BB5nO6s6gLO_g/s1600/DSC_1429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gBU-CsecXJhYRApzIwIk-mLVcB5c2i0_DWWKM5TQX6ZtyK34g2aQOfe0vCkoyIDyH5_CvnjS1C4HQAZ3yVjVnSwNrsV6VMOtgG8D3f_LXX9RlZj5MeOqvGFBTu3Q1BB5nO6s6gLO_g/s320/DSC_1429.JPG" /></a></div><br />
If you ignore how the chicken was made, you could lead yourself to believe this is a low cal, low fat meal. This meal that came together at the last minute was the perfect Friday night dinner- quick, easy, not much to clean up- and nothing was leftover!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-41545690628525095722010-08-08T23:46:00.001+10:002010-08-09T01:23:54.993+10:00My BoysThe other day, as I was walking into the Commissary, eyes starting to glaze over as they typically do right before I cross the threshold into the world of "who knows what waits for me on the shelves today," a poster grabbed my attention. <i>The Men of <u>My Boys</u> Comedy Tour </i>was headed here, to Guam, to our very own Air Force Base. I was so excited by this news that I almost didn't even care that I ended up standing on line for almost an hour waiting to check out... I digress...<br />
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Don and I have watched <i><a href="http://www.tbs.com/shows/myboys/">My Boys</a> </i>since it debuted in 2006. It is one of a handful of shows that we actually agree on. The writing is good, the humor is smart, the cast has good chemistry. So, when I told him that two of the guys from the show were coming here, to Guam, he was as excited as I was and we made plans to go.<br />
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The show was last night and it was great!! Michael Bunin, who plays Kenny, and Jamie Kaler, who plays Mike, each did a set. Each of their routines touched on aging, being single and drinking. And since I'm not a comedic writer, I won't try to retell any of their jokes- plus they weren't really of the knock-knock, who's there variety, but let me tell you- there were tears, lots of tears from laughing so hard.<br />
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After last night, we are going to be even bigger fans of <i>My Boys</i>. You know, now that we're friends with two of the stars. Friends? Oh yeah, did I not mention that after the show, we got to meet the guys? They were so nice to stick around and visit with everyone. We got autographs (ok, I got the autographs, I forgot to tell them Don's name, so they only signed for me. They had fun trying to figure out how to spell my name and gave me a hard time about it)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVZIWfx5Epm1oo13isJUj5394HKM2vC9S1wnLKEtSanaXSNo7RbW2fpbnVktYESkU2I83vN4OPKXyBy4KqW318s8RRU1AlpSODUt8XYrG_ZIGhGaD-RoE4oOYUb2Wi5dDxtu-zFBxjQ/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVZIWfx5Epm1oo13isJUj5394HKM2vC9S1wnLKEtSanaXSNo7RbW2fpbnVktYESkU2I83vN4OPKXyBy4KqW318s8RRU1AlpSODUt8XYrG_ZIGhGaD-RoE4oOYUb2Wi5dDxtu-zFBxjQ/s320/001.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Then, they were kind enough to take a picture with us (from left to right- Michael Bunin, Don, me and my extra chin, and Jamie Kaler).<br />
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Ok, so I have known this about myself FOREVER , I am REALLY, REALLY bad at making small talk, (in fact, when I am asked, "If you could have any super power, what would it be? I always reply, "small talk"). Apparently, I become even more tongue tied and less amusing when I am around someone who is slightly famous and stars on a tv show. Even with a a few drinks in my system, I can't make witty repartee (although of course the minute I walk away, I am cracking myself up with all the witty dialogue I could have just exchanged). I don't think I completely made an ass out of myself (too much, except for when I went into tooo much detail about my name- I just have DORK stamped on my forehead), but boy am I envious of people who have the ability to talk to anyone about anything at anytime and make it look so effortless!<br />
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Thanks to the guys for coming to Guam and thanks to the USO for bringing them here!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-11947362048700260012010-08-04T00:00:00.001+10:002010-08-04T00:00:32.956+10:00The Facts of Rice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mom- this post is for you!!<br />
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Growing up in Louisiana, we had rice at almost every meal, be it our family standard of red beans & rice or a special treat of crawfish etouffee. And now that we live in Guam, there is rice at EVERY meal (even breakfast- and if you haven't had an egg over rice, you really, really must try it).<br />
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Although rice is a common and basic grain, many people are intimidated by cooking it. They don't know how to cook it without contraptions like steamers or rice makers. The thing is, you can make it quickly and easily (and nope, I'm not talking about insta-rice from a box) on your very own stove top as long as you have a saucepan with lid.<br />
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<b><i>22 Minute Rice</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> (makes about six 1/2 cup servings, if you need more just remember that for every amount of uncooked rice you use, you need to add twice as much liquid)</span></b><br />
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2 C hot water (you can also use stock or broth or a combination)<br />
1/8 tsp salt (add more salt if using unsalted butter)<br />
1 C Long Grain Rice (not parboiled)<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
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Step 1: Set kitchen timer to 22 minutes.<br />
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Step 2: Pour hot water into sauce pan, make sure burner is set to highest heat setting. Add salt.<br />
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Step 3: Add rice<br />
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Step 4: Add butter. <br />
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Step 5: Bring to a boil. The water should be boiling when the timer has 16 minutes left.<br />
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Step 6: Once water is boiling, give a quick stir, making sure there is no rice sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to lowest setting and cover pan.<br />
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Step 7: When timer goes off, voila! Perfect rice (it may be a little moist on the bottom, just fluff with a fork). If you don't like sticky rice, cover and let sit on stove until ready to serve.<br />
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Tonight, to spice it up, I put a small dab of butter, a little bit of garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Sometimes I add peas and cheese, a lot of times I just serve it straight out of the pot. And tonight, I set some aside to serve with milk and sugar tomorrow morning.<br />
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While we're on the subject of rice and so many of us are fortunate to have all the rice we want, many people around the world do not. There's a website,<a href="http://www.freerice.com/index.php"> www.freerice.com</a> where you can play an entertaining vocabulary game and for every answer you get correct, rice is donated to a country in need. Snopes has <a href="http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/freerice.asp">verified</a> that this site is true to its word. I am NOT being compensated in any way for mentioning this site, I just found it when I googled something about rice.<br />
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Oh and Mom, since you inspired this post, by teaching me how to cook rice this way and then telling me you forgot how to do it since you only use Minute Rice these days, I thought you'd like to see the little monkey who was helping me cook the rice... And by helping, I mean climbing up my legs and onto the counter and savaging cookie crumbs from every surface he could find!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxGG6wYzQxca-QI4cp9QPZm82wIxp5GhyphenhyphenPDRm7NKSadVLdMSIfvtHDhzr2lKo9PZTCJEPUIZ74t8N1CeXx3JuT6kR-jsf_tO52gXvhDU0G8StPWodBHLOl4XFioO2G2MV0R4xsEfhfQ/s1600/DSC_1400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxGG6wYzQxca-QI4cp9QPZm82wIxp5GhyphenhyphenPDRm7NKSadVLdMSIfvtHDhzr2lKo9PZTCJEPUIZ74t8N1CeXx3JuT6kR-jsf_tO52gXvhDU0G8StPWodBHLOl4XFioO2G2MV0R4xsEfhfQ/s320/DSC_1400.JPG" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8489152912316500551.post-35751065435837217212010-08-02T23:02:00.001+10:002010-08-03T02:22:48.577+10:00Comfort FoodI am a bit of an emotional eater. I think celebrations are made better (and sometimes even more memorable) by good food. I think pity parties can be turned around by no less than a pint of decadent ice cream or a pan of <a href="http://themichaelbean.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-pc-problem.html">homemade brownies</a>. Basically, I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I'm lonely or bored (are you sensing a pattern here?). The only time I don't eat is when I am nervous about something (like right before I fly, or about to go into a social situation where I don't know many people). So it should come as no surprise that I really dig comfort food.<br />
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This weekend, I was struck with a major desire for one of my favorite comfort meals, grilled cheese and tomato soup. I'm not sure if it was the grey weather we were having or my premonition that Price's teething illness would be striking shortly (and yes, I am quite the toothsayer- hahaha- we are currently in the midst of upper molaritis) or just the fact that my body was longing for soup since it's summer ALL.THE.TIME and I just needed to feel a season change, even if it was only temporary.<br />
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Of course, once my taste buds were sending signals to my brain that I had to have grilled cheese and tomato soup and I looked outside and saw mybasil plant begging me to pull some leaves, I also knew I wasn't gonna be ok with a can of Campbell's or a slice of American cheese slapped between a couple slices of bread. Nope, I knew it was time to pull out two of my quickest, easiest and most impressive and wholly crave satisfying recipes in my arsenal. I'll share them with you, but while your lips will thank you, your hips may not! This is not a low-cal, low-fat meal (although it could be slightly better with <s>one</s> some modifications that I'll share with you)- don't say I didn't warn you!!<br />
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<b><i>Chunky Tomato Basil Soup </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">(think La Madeleine) </span><i> & The MOST AMAZING GRILLED CHEESE.EVER</i></b><br />
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For the Tomato Basil Soup you will need: salt, black pepper, red pepper, cream (or for a lighter version half and half or for a seriously lighter version, low-fat milk- but really how comforting is low-fat milk?), and<br />
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1/2 stick of butter<br />
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1 small onion chopped<br />
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3 cloves of garlic, chopped<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 large can of tomatoes (diced are ok, these are what I had on hand)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">about 1/3 cup of fresh basil, chopped (for all of you herb enthusiasts out there, this is Thai basil because that is what I have growing in abundance right now. I prefer a sweet basil for this recipe, but the Thai basil wasn't bad)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">To make the soup, sauté butter, onion and garlic until onions are soft and translucent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQ_TjLLIkkkJ4bMrVmewON4Ys8YHV6G29gbk-M6RJnSOxPwkvMBbpi5bcCIrAOhYHJoAFTguM-yl6TtyIKKbeGwqeU_SYzhx7IL6A1WLQ9IdAT5roSSjqj4bW-pU9oGQJgRkENeHXTg/s1600/DSC_1344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQ_TjLLIkkkJ4bMrVmewON4Ys8YHV6G29gbk-M6RJnSOxPwkvMBbpi5bcCIrAOhYHJoAFTguM-yl6TtyIKKbeGwqeU_SYzhx7IL6A1WLQ9IdAT5roSSjqj4bW-pU9oGQJgRkENeHXTg/s320/DSC_1344.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to taste (more pepper than salt and less than a tsp of each to start with, you can add more at the end if needed) and about 3 shakes of crushed red pepper flakes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggeBxoZ9JA5YHUZzthX_0-vQyayqEJZ_rO8e0byTEYfG6_Q40mLDoUuwDnuEnbHUgMh1HlAWrZ5wKhg5SUWSFNRptj2EeBDBUEBddDtMwac7-08UcfEULQkMkl5J_YYY6eVH3F0xL2HQ/s1600/DSC_1348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggeBxoZ9JA5YHUZzthX_0-vQyayqEJZ_rO8e0byTEYfG6_Q40mLDoUuwDnuEnbHUgMh1HlAWrZ5wKhg5SUWSFNRptj2EeBDBUEBddDtMwac7-08UcfEULQkMkl5J_YYY6eVH3F0xL2HQ/s320/DSC_1348.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Cook on medium-low heat until gently boiling. (This is a great time to start the grilled cheese sandwiches). Stir often (if using whole tomatoes, when stirring, smoosh the tomatoes a little to get the juices out). Once the soup is boiling, transfer to a blender or food processor (my blender broke before we left Ohio, on account of crushing ice one too many times for <s>margaritas </s> smoothies so I had to use my food processor, the blender worked better!!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Puree soup so that all tomatoes are broken down. Then add about 1/3 cup of cream (if you're not into dairy, you probably quit reading a long time ago since this recipe called for cream, but you could use a veggie stock, but the cream- ohhh the cream- it's what makes this so much better than canned soup) And puree to your desired consistency. (I leave mine a little chunky, slightly less chunky than salsa)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Return to pot and simmer on low heat until you are finished making your <b><i>AMAZING Grilled Cheese Sandwiches </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">(adapted from <i>Taste of Home's Ultimate Grilled Cheese)</i>- Thank you Kalina for describing these sandwiches so well several years ago that I was able to find the recipe on-line and have been making them ever since! These sandwiches are actually a great make ahead food. You can make the cheese spread and refrigerate until you are ready to grill the sandwiches.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">For the sandwiches you will need:</div><div style="text-align: left;">About 10 pieces of bread (a thick bread like Italian or French is better than regular sandwich bread, trust me, I know from recent experience), 1/4 tsp season salt (I used Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb spice blend), 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and because I wanted a teeny, tiny little zip- 1/8 Tony's Creole Seasoning. You'll also need</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">the other half of the butter left over from the soup, softened</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/3 cup of mayo (if you don't like mayo- Shauna- use 1/4 cup. You probably won't taste it even using 1/3 of a cup, but you need it to bind everything together. Don't let the mayo stop you from making this sandwich!!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 cups of grated cheese- it doesn't matter what kind or how many types you use. I did a sharp cheddar and monterey jack. It's also great with a pepper jack or swiss, what ever you like!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine all of the above ingredients (except bread and butter) in large bowl. (If you are not going to make sandwiches immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Definitely keeps well over night).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8z9VGt5qLn8m9vsqb3_oEzoV4gieRQsyofo70ryYo8vUqmp6UCieccfFj0S0rOyWN5RzjXrxvgyl1I-Hn3NegK88K-vzDvS9YN_OY2Td_5cbi_rG5KZADE2FcZMnQMXIAnkUoCdOpg/s1600/DSC_1359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8z9VGt5qLn8m9vsqb3_oEzoV4gieRQsyofo70ryYo8vUqmp6UCieccfFj0S0rOyWN5RzjXrxvgyl1I-Hn3NegK88K-vzDvS9YN_OY2Td_5cbi_rG5KZADE2FcZMnQMXIAnkUoCdOpg/s320/DSC_1359.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once everything is combined, spread on 5 pieces of bread and top with remaining pieces of bread (there will be some cheese spread left over, stick it in the fridge and use it as a cheese dip with crackers the next day). Butter the outside of the bread and cook on griddle or in frying pan or however you usually cook grilled cheese...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4YY09bUONaoN93MbhTuvDrjnFIsD6qaqh9ilMWxuIeHNWgiydMwSSMpVgP_QyOIG-gXcddu5eV3ODKI8W7lrQkJfIxNa4-uSPOtQS91q4Ua8sSppmNw6mCQy51zJqLRCyWZO9V4-TQ/s1600/DSC_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4YY09bUONaoN93MbhTuvDrjnFIsD6qaqh9ilMWxuIeHNWgiydMwSSMpVgP_QyOIG-gXcddu5eV3ODKI8W7lrQkJfIxNa4-uSPOtQS91q4Ua8sSppmNw6mCQy51zJqLRCyWZO9V4-TQ/s320/DSC_1362.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I did not have good bread!!! I made them again the next day using my leftover spread and put them on hamburger buns, open-faced under the broiler and the bread really does make a difference. They are too rich without a thick bread or soup to dip them in.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yLxw5qsMNJVgPObD9sWanNVVUamUgY7OE0B3aKzKJQuajFOPNSCqobXCXtPpZ4nWg2T0L9gvLBo-eEn6VTPowcse-olp6UC3rXltnAG6hyL6KHGm1cim57TllK354-618o9OZwGC_Q/s1600/DSC_1368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yLxw5qsMNJVgPObD9sWanNVVUamUgY7OE0B3aKzKJQuajFOPNSCqobXCXtPpZ4nWg2T0L9gvLBo-eEn6VTPowcse-olp6UC3rXltnAG6hyL6KHGm1cim57TllK354-618o9OZwGC_Q/s320/DSC_1368.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ooey, gooey! Yum, yum. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mPpPnLuRehKawme2V_spJF69iqawp5oscT7lK6mdt8ss5aUNjlw3fzu4VyAlZ4pkAWD99YdvLPQNTGNi17DkXBFR9T8J7PoM0De34xe1hZAK2PUyla7SEmGzX2sZxLhQ4wz7gzOQAw/s1600/DSC_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mPpPnLuRehKawme2V_spJF69iqawp5oscT7lK6mdt8ss5aUNjlw3fzu4VyAlZ4pkAWD99YdvLPQNTGNi17DkXBFR9T8J7PoM0De34xe1hZAK2PUyla7SEmGzX2sZxLhQ4wz7gzOQAw/s320/DSC_1374.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nothing like dunking grilled cheese in tomato soup. I felt like I had just put on my favorite sweater (which I haven't worn in almost a year since living in the tropics really doesn't allow for much sweater wearing). It soothed my soul until I thought about the fat content, which is probably why I volunteered to mow our lawn today.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">What's your favorite comfort food?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This content was originally published at http://www.themichaelbean.blogspot.com and is the property of the author.</div>Terrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161176234434139295noreply@blogger.com1