Hummina-Hummina...

I dare you to tell me this sight does not make your mouth instantly water:

I have been in-depth checking out this website during the past few days, putting the yummiest recipes into my computer so that in the event that we lose internet, I can still have access to recipes on my computer.

This picture shows an amazing combination of my two favorite sweet items: chocolate and peanut butter. I don't crave sweet things too often, but usually when I do, it involves these two trouble-makers.

Also, I try to stay away from nuts, now that I'm married to a nut-allergic. How did that happen? I love nuts! And because I love them so, I have found that I can have them, but just have to be careful that we don't make out right afterwards and I brush my teeth.

Oh, too much information? Sorry about that.

If the above picture piques your interest, click here for the recipe. And let me know how they are. I won't be making them anytime soon, mainly due to my lack of access to baking materials.

Huh?

Stephen and I have noticed some interesting marketing techniques here. One of them being silly sort of mottos to promote their companies. We're not sure if it's just a matter of things getting lost in translation, or if they really think it sounds good.

Here is one, just across the street from our apartment right now.
If you're thinking, "Huh?" you'd be right with us. But don't you just love Stephen posing, with the peace sign? It makes me laugh.

Alaskan Cruise: June 08

Yes, I am still blogging about June...it was a busy month! After our time in Colorado, we headed to Seattle, where we met up with Stephen's parents and his brother, Erik, and his wife, Julie. Remember them from Seattle in March? Well, we all met up there to go on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate Mom and Dad Bruce's 35th wedding anniversary and Mom's birthday -- a monumental one. :)

Here is my really cute husband and I on the boat, watching Seattle go by.

Here is the rest of the crew: Paula, Scott, Julie, Erik

We left on Saturday afternoon and sailed through the night and all of the next day and night. We first arrived in Juneau.

Here is the beautiful town of Juneau. It sits nestled between the gorgeous mountains and the peaceful water.

Stephen and I had signed up to go ziplining in Juneau. So, we headed to the excursion bus. The bus took us to a boat, which took us across the waterway and to this cabin, where we got all our gear on.

Stephen is excited!!!

I am also excited. I get a little giddy when I get to wear repelling gear and ropes. It is so much fun!

Here is a video of Stephen zipping one of the longest zips on the tour. This one was over 500 feet long! There were a total of 9 zips and two skywalks. This was our favorite excursion we went on. And it was treasured time, since we had planned on ziplining in Costa Rica on our honeymoon, but couldn't go, due to all the rain.

This is Stephen, repelling down from the final platform.

We went to one of the specialty restaurants one night to celebrate Mom's birthday. It was an Italian restaurant and the waitstaff sang with Italian accents and a lovely mustache. Erik and Julie, singing Happy Birthday
Our second stop on the cruise was Skagway. The whole family went on a train ride up into the mountains. We saw amazing scenery and marveled at His creation.

Erik and Julie on the train

Check this out!

You can see the back of the train - we were in the first car

I loved this beautiful valley

Another day, we stayed on the cruise boat, but it took us into Tracy Arm Fjord, where we saw this huge glacier! Look how blue it is! The cliffs and water and fog reminded us of Lord of the Rings.

We saw many of these waterfalls, dropping into the water. See all of the ice chunks? There were some bigger chunks (icebergs) that had a beautiful blue hue to them.

We also had a couple of other excursions. We also stopped in Ketchikan, where us and Erik and Julie went canoeing and 4-wheeling in Jeeps. That was a blast! We all had a chance to drive and the trails were more bumpy than we had expected!

Our final stop was in Victoria. We were there, just long enough to go on a Pub Tour of 3 different pubs. That was just a fun and relaxing excursion. We arrived back on the boat late at night and the next morning, arrived back in Seattle.

We had so much fun with our family! We are so glad we were able to go on this trip before we left.

A Tribute to My Mom

Today is my mama's birthday. Everyone wish her a wonderful day! I am not going to tell you how old she is. However, she has no reason to be embarrassed by it because she is only twenty years older than me. If you are so inclined, you can do the math.

You would think that the feelings I have for my mom are feelings that everyone has. But, they aren't. Because moms like mine are one in a million-infinity.

My beautiful mom is pretty much the most generous person I know. She has always been ready and willing to drop anything and everything for us kids. She is proving this above and beyond by picking up and moving to Maryland to care for my niece while her mommy and daddy are at work. I joked with her about this recently, asking if when we have a baby one day, if she will move to wherever we are living. She promptly replied, "Yes." So, just watch and see: maybe she'll have to move to the big K in a couple of years! Haha -- just kidding, Mom.

I have great memories with my mom. I remember the first time I baked. I was about 8 years old. I wanted to make brownies. So, my mom gave me the recipe and told me to ask her for help if I needed it. No, she didn't stand there and just have me pour the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Knowing me, I told her it would be a piece of cake and I didn't need her help! Well, this is a predictable story. My brownies didn't turn out at all. I think they were amazingly hard, to the point we couldn't cut them. I cried and got all upset. But my mom patiently consoled me and we made another batch together. Of course, they turned out because my mom was in charge and is quite a little baker.

Mom recounts a time when I was younger and I told her that I was going to work when I grow up because I wanted to do something with my life, unlike her. I know -- I apparently was a very mean child! However, irony never fails, as all I really want to do is have some Bruce babies and stay home with them, raising them. My mom is the reason for that.

My mom became my best friend in high school, I think. I remember getting my homework done late at night and tip-toeing upstairs to my parents' bedroom. They would be watching Letterman and I'd sprawl across the foot of the bed and recount my day. Knowing me, I ran my mouth like crazy and didn't do much listening. My mom always listened.

When I looked at going to college on the East Coast, I couldn't bear the thought of being that far away from my mom, so I went 2 1/2 hours away so I could come home a couple of times a month. Sometimes, I just needed a hug from mom. And each time I headed back to school, I always cried! It could be considered silly, but it wasn't. I am a mama's girl. I think I always will be.

Even though I am so close to my mom, she has never tried to hold me back, just to be near her. When I decided to move to DC, it was hard on her, but she was always supportive. She was so excited when Stephen became a serious part of my life! And then, our move to the big K, I think has and will continue to be the hardest on my mom. We are used to talking to each other every day. That won't really be a reality still. But, because we have such a communicative, strong relationship, I know she misses me and loves me no matter what.

When we said good-bye in New York just a few weeks ago, my mom whispered in my ear that she is proud of me. ME! I have been reminding myself of that repeatedly during these changes we've been experiencing.

Mom, I love you so much. And I hope you have an unforgettable 39th year! Hehe.

I look forward to so many more years of memories with you, Mama. I am blessed to have you in my life.

June #3

I know it's not June anymore. In fact, it is almost August. And yes, I am going backwards in time to tell you a little bit about June. This is what happens when in transition for a couple of months.

We were able to go back home to Colorado for about 5 days, before leaving the US. It was not the most relaxing time, but we were very glad to be able to see some of our friends and family before taking off on our adventure.

One night, we drove up to Denver and met up with a bunch of Stephen's (and now mine!) friends at Maggiano's for some family style Italian. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the bunch, although I don't have any pictures of that. Man, I am really bad about whipping the camera out! My husband doesn't help, either.

We spent a lot of time in Colorado, trying to track down our belongings that were being shipped from NY and needed to be put into a storage unit in the Springs. This was all the stuff that didn't come to the big K with us. Thankfully, it all fit into a 10 x 10 unit!

I also had the treasured time with my dog, Riley. I miss her so much, it hurts. She hasn't been able to live with me since November 2006, but I still feel like she is mine. I can guarantee that one of the first things I will be doing when we are done here in K, will be going and getting my dog to live with us. I don't care where we'll be living - if it's in the States, she's all mine! How I wish she was here with us now. She is such good, comfy company. Well, Riley was in need of a new bed again...she needs a new one about every 1 1/2-2 years. We picked up one of those beds that sits up off the ground so air can circulate underneath, which is great because Riley gets hot in her bed at night! Here she is, trying it out. She doesn't look happy because I told her to stay and she wasn't sure about the bed, itself.

Then, one night, my parents hosted a small gathering of our closest Springs friends. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer and delicious desserts.
Ali, me, and Margarita ~ Such good friends from my teaching days at Grace Best.
Angie and Me ~ Angie is one of those people who you become instant friends with. I have only known her for about two years, but she knows me. She gets me. And we have great talks! And she is the inspiring mommy of two adorable twins, Caleb & Carissa.
And here is me and Kari ~ my treasured friend and mentor. Kari is another one who gets me. She did our premarital counseling with us. Kari is mommy to Sarah Grace, Hannah, and Samuel. I have cared for the girls since the day they were born and I treasure them in my life so much!
Here is me and Eli, Ali & Tom's little guy. Well, he's not so much little as he is stinkin' adorable.

It was great to see you all, even if for a few hours. You all are such treasured friends of ours and we look forward to seeing you at Christmas, when we come home to visit.