Posts from January 2009

Back in Do-hell. This trip was hard to come back from. I think it was the freedom to hold Rory's hand in public, share a kiss if we felt like it, have a beer with dinner if we wanted to, and the blissful driving. I know some of you complain about it, but living here would drastically change your view. Also, finding shoes in MY size was nice.

I have a new nephew, Fox. My brother has already begun telling him that he must learn quickly if he's going to best his Auntie Mika in video games. Cute.



I got to meet some of Rory's closest friends and of course his family, except his dad. No one could say my name right twice :) It was a real whirlwind but we'll be back in February for much longer. Then I'll have a go at driving on the other side of the road. Once I do that I think I will have conquered global driving.

Rory asked my dad for his blessing/permission to marry me, while not necessary, was very sweet. Of course he said yes, although he seemed to be shocked and said something about how he never thought I'd get married because of all my traveling and that I'd never 'settle down'. Thanks dad ;)

I have to get back to work, loads to catch up on. Stay safe peeps, miss you already!

We're heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeee!

See you tonight peeps!

On the eve of each New Year we often reflect on our lives. As I do this dear e-strippers, I wish you joy that never ends and happiness with all your family and friends.

Where were you when 2008 began?
At PMT's

Who were you with?
everyone

Where will you be when 2008 ends?
At PMT's

Whom will you be with when 2008 ends?
everyone!

Was 2008 a good year for you?
Really, very good! I met the love of my life.

What was your favorite moment of the year?
Exploring one of the Tomb Raider temples in Cambodia!

What was your least favorite moment of the year?
The night before I met Rory, I was really down on myself.

Did you reach your New Year 2008 goals?

• Visit family and friends around Europe - did it
• Paint my apartment - did it
• Get much better at guitar - oops
• Go camping in the desert - did it
• Go duning - did it
• Get SCUBA open water certified - did it
• Travel to Singapore, Cambodia, and China - one out of the three ain't bad

Did you fall in love in 2008?
Absolutely! Madly and deeply.

Did you breakup with anyone in 2008?
No.

Did you make any new friends in 2008?
Yes.

What was your favorite month of 2008?
April, Rory :)

Did you travel outside of the US in 2008?
Qatar, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, France, Vietnam, Cambodia, Seychelles, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.

How many different states did you travel to in 2008?
D.C., Florida

Did you lose anybody close to you in 2008?
No.

What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2008?
Dark Knight

What was your favorite song in 2008?
Inni mer syngur vitleysingur by Sigur Ros

What was your favorite album in 2008?
Made of Bricks by Kate Nash

What was your proudest moment of 2008?
The day one of my staffers made the connection between her work and the real world. I felt very fulfilled in my work knowing at last my teaching is helping others blossom.

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2008?
Breakfast the next morning with the roommates.

If you could go back in time to any moment of 2008 and change something, what would it be?
I would have cleaned up better.

What are your goals for 2009?

• Meet Rory's family and friends
• Finish my sailing course with minimal bruising
• Travel to Jordan, Singapore, Antarctica
• Present at the NASPA conference
• Increase my fitness level considerably
• Be the best supervisor I can be
• Marry the love of my life

OMG I ate so many cookies this Christmas I have an eternal sugar crash hangover!

Presents for home got wrapped last night, just have to figure out how to pack everything so it's not smashed to smitherines by the time we arrive statside.

I'm just so happy to be coming, and Rory is really looking forward to meeting you guys!

Ciao.

rory and I made loads of sweats for all our friends here. Many hours of messy fun later, I give you....coooooooooooookies. Rainbow chip, Ladycroft's cloud cookies, Mississippi mud cookies, Grandma's orange crispies, peanut butter snowballs, caramel fudge brownie cupcakes, and gingerbread cake. Oh, and home made hot spiced cider too!




It's already 6pm here so all of Santa's presents have been ripped open. I have a collection of odd things from the crew including a penguin in an egg, which I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to do with it. But, from my wonderful love I got many super cool toys!

A GPS so I can stop getting so lost in Doha! Awesome! It's actually waterproof and shock proof so you can take it sailing (has nautical measures), bike riding etc. I'm super stoked. It will come in handy to take to UK in February too when we have to go driving around to visit his dad and friends. Yah...it's going to be a real adventure driving roundabouts the other direction.

Anyhoo....my other big giftie that made me so happy is a Wii Fit!!! I got myself all measured up and it's not good. Got some weight to lose (not that I didn't know this). This will definitely be a little support buddy to keep me on my toes in a fun way. It's just the type of reinforcement I respond to as a gamer - you have to accumulate so much time in your piggy bank in order to unlock new activities etc. Plus you can set goals for weight loss over various periods of time. It has strength exercises, balance/posture, cardio, and yoga!

Here are some pics of Wii Fit


rory about to get measured


ski jump


weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (or should I say wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii)


soccer goalie (harder than it looks!)


my dinky doha tree

HAPPY CHRISTMAS E:PEEPS!

I held a little holiday dinner program (Eid, Christmas, New year all in one) for the few kids that are still on campus. Some of them made dishes to share, then we made gingerbread houses! Well, actually we used graham crackers because I didn't have time to make gingerbread.

Anyhoo...they kids had SO much fun making them. None of them had even heard of gingerbread houses. I love it when I get to share something creative, and tasty, with people and witness their first time experience with it. It made me really happy :)

What the heck did my ears just hear but that Secret Santa is canceled this year!???? Only four people signed up? FOUR? I was soooooooooooo looking forward to this. I'm traveling half way around the world to be there....and NO SECRET SANTA!???

Well, I still think the four of us should do something, even if we just draw each other's names and know who it is! I can deduce that Jenks is one of them, so who are the other two?

Just a few more days til Christmas! Woo! The cookie baking begins tonight. Making an appearance in LC's kitchen this year will be her famous strawberry cloud cookies, Mississippi mud cookies, pecan caramel brownie cakes, peanut butter snowballs, rainbow chip bars, gingerbread bars, orange cranberry crispies, and pumpkin bread. YUM! To wash it all down, some homemade spiced cider drink. It will be pure sugar rush central.

Of course the sad part is that I'm making all these delicious cookies for friends who will all be gathering together as 'family' to enjoy Christmas while I'm stuck here working. Granted Rory of course will eventually come over, but it's going to be rather lonely. I would simply make phone calls to fill my time with cheer, but the 8 hour difference kind of screws that plan.

So, if you haven't seen it yet, enjoy the Elf dancing clips in my post below, they are good for a giggle. Make your own too!

Ciao!

I wiped out incredibly hard this weekend during my sailing lesson. The wind was crizazy and next thing I know I'm booking' it with my sail about 1 foot above the water and me leaning off the other side of the boat to keep it from tipping over. While I managed to stay the course, I was not so successful in my attempts at gybing.

Holy crap that wind slapped my boom across so hard I got my main sheet (rope) tangled around my neck, the boat flipped and away I went...smacked my head into the boom as I went under with the rope still strangling me.

I finally surfaced after breathing in huge amounts of salt water. You know that lovely endless salt snot that just pours out of your head after an incident like that? Yeah. So I was able to right my boat while hacking up a lung and pull my broken ass back in the boat.

I jacked my left leg real good. Pulled my quad, swollen knee and leg covered in bruises. It kind of reminds me of the good old days in Tae Kwon Do when bruised legs was the norm. Anyway...I really enjoy sailing, despite it trying to kill me. That is all.

Eid Ahda Mubarak!

Here are some random thoughts from this week:

Why do I see so many muslims hording the Christmas isle in Carrefour? I wonder if they are just fake celebrating Christmas because they like buying and getting gifts? But why a tree and stockings and lights? I'm so curious to know.....

I'm enjoying a few early gifts I got myself, new games for my Wii, yay! (Yes, I have the new Tomb Raider- and I got it for my Wii because there are supposed to be special secrets only the Wii console has.....let me hear you say 'ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!'

I'm getting very, very excited about coming home for a visit. It's going to be a short one, so I hope to see everyone on NYE!

Imk2 - when will we find out our Secret Santas!? I'm on duty Christmas week so I can't travel far from campus, so I want to make sure I've got time to hunt something down that's special for my secret peep :)

lilho - are you interested in doing my hair/make-up for NYE?! My hair misses you, and you always make me looks so pretty.

Ciao.