Thought for 9/11

Sitting in my living room in Aberdeen, watching a recorded version of the Texas v. BYU game, I can't help but remember what today is.  Today is the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in NYC.  I was a freshman at UT when the attacks happened and I can remember it like it was yesterday.

My roommate, Linda, and I were sleeping in our dorm room at Jester West, when we were woken up by our dorm mates screaming, "the plane hit the building, turn on the TV."  I thought it was a dream, so I woke up and turned on the TV.  And what do you know, the twin tower was up in smokes.  We opened our door, and everyone was in the halls with a blank look on their face. I remember them saying, a second plan is going to hit, but don't remember if I registered it when I saw it on TV.  At this point, I was a bit confused, I never really knew of terror attacks or what it might be. I was just a college student, living away from home for the first time, and trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. Classes were cancelled and from this day forward, our life and country changed, and I'd have to say, a part of me changed as well. 

Today, I will be thinking of the families of 9/11 and hope that they have found the strength to move on and forward with their lives. I will also be thinking about the soldiers who are out there fighting this war, especially my cousin, Steven, who is in Afghanistan.  It really just goes to show that you really can't take any one day for granted because you never know what that day might bring.

God Bless America!

Texas, Texas...yeehaw

After a weekend in NYC, we headed to Houston for some more friends and family time. The big event of the trip as Gi & Ray Mark's wedding, which was an absolute blast. Gosh, it felt so long ago, but it's only been 2 weeks! Leading up to the big day, we spent time with friends, eating and drinking, of course. I'm surprised though, because after all the eating and drinking I did, I managed to maintain my weight =) I think it has to do with the Texas heat, and of course, not sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day!

We started with a homemade meal at Casa de Lao, talk about seafood galore! My mom and brother made a fantastic meal of lobsters, crabs, shrimps, fried rice and soup. It was definitely a great first meal to come home to. I sometimes forget how loud being around the family can be; my dad talks non-stop and for some reason there's always music playing in the background. Some things never change but it was great to have the rowdiness after all the quiet time Gerald and I have in Aberdeen.

Round 2 was spent with friends at Christian's tailgate, our favorite spot for bar food! We caught up with the majority of our friends, had a few Shiner Bocks, and ate some yummy food. I pretty much sampled everyone's food - homemade steak fingers withgravy, chicken strips, fried catfish, onion rings and Texas toast! We also snuck in a Tex-Mex lunch at Pappasito's with Rob!

After filling our bellies with fried goodness, our friend, Mike, had a little surprise for Gerald and we ended up at a Drag Queen show with bottle service. End of Story.

In between our little get together, Gerald and I spent some time at the doctor's office and at the shopping malls. I forget how much I love Target, Nordstrom, and Central Market. Too bad there were so many things I wanted, but knew I didn't need so I came back without. That's one thing I've learned, don't buy things you don't need! There's no space to store them.

Wednesday night we had a Pena family meal at Carraba's, before the busy wedding weekend.

The out of town family arrived Thursday and it was pretty much family time from here on. Can we say babies galore? Every where I turned, there was a baby or toddler in front of me. You bet that we got asked "When is your turn?" a million times. 2013 is my answer =P I loved being around the kids and know that it will be very rewarding to be a mother, however, I also know that it takes A LOT of work and the lifestyle we are living now will change dramatically. I'm pretty much waiting for all of my friends to get knocked up so we can have the same lifestyle...haha. Just joking. These kids are awesome and I wish I could see more of them.

We sent Gi & RMC off with a pre-wedding party at Fox Hollow Thursday night.

Friday was Mani/Pedi day with the girls and bride followed by Rehearsal Dinner. 10 course Kim Son meal - Score!

Saturday was a beautiful day! We all go our hair and make up done, had some time to sit back and relax before rushing to get the bride dressed and ready to go for her special day. Both the Bride and Groom looked stunning and the wedding was beautiful. The reception was fabulous, I must say, with the bride and bridesmaid sporting their Royal Hats! It was so much fun and everyone loved it!

Saturday night ended in a blur at the Tycoon Magnificent Seven Suite.

We attended the family brunch Sunday morning and then Gerald was off to the airport back to Aberdeen. His trip was short, but mine would continue a few extra days. The few extra days were definitely needed after the week we just had. I finally got some sleep and more good eats in my belly!! My brother and I tackled a few food trucks, the new thing in Houston. We went to Houston StrEats and Oh My Gogi!. It's fun to try new food and I love supporting the locals.

Mom also took a few days off work so we did a bit of shopping. Mostly summer sales out, so I held back a bit, because we all know I don't need that in Aberdeen. I'll continue my shopping in October.

I really didn't want to come back, but knew the fun couldn't last forever. We'll be back in less than 2 months so that's okay. On the way back, it would have been my first time flying overseas all by myself, but I ended up running into a fellow AWA member, so that was nice. We even flew back with 6 Arabian horses! There was a couple on the flight that raise, and sell horses all over the world. They travel to deliver them to the buyers; this trip, they were going to Amsterdam and Saudi Arabia. Very interesting. Thanks everyone for a great time and we'll see you all soon! Love and miss you always!

Gi and the City

It's been a good two weeks of being in the States, and now it's time to recap all the festivities!

I started off my trip in NYC to celebrate my sister in law, Geraldine's, last single days. A lot of planning and organization went in to making this trip a special one for Gi and all the girls that attended. Rachelli, Gi's maid of honor, did a great job at making sure we would get the best of NYC, and we totally did. It was 4 nights of non-stop, eating, drinking, dancing, talking, etc. One thing we did lack was sleep! Coming offa 12 hour flight with zero sleep, I don't know how I managed but I did. At the end of the weekend, I was left without a voice, that would last me a good 5 days! It wasn't the best experience, considering I was trying to catch up with everyone, but somehow, someway, I got through that as well! See what the States can do to you when you only visit twice a year.

Anyhow, here's the sweet rundown of our weekend in NYC.

Rock of Ages before the weekend started

What was suppose to be a quiet night turned into a 4 am morning @ Ganesevoort Rooftop Hotel Bar

Gi and the City begins

Attempting to see Chris Brown at the Today's Show Summer Concert Event = Failed (mind you, we had maybe 1 hour of sleep from the night before)

Some girls were crazy and decided they wanted to doa FlyBarre workout class

Lunch at 5 Napkin Burger

Went on a 3 hour Sex and the City Tour of NYC

My favorite was Buddakan - where Big and Carrie had their engagement party

Pretty in purple and pink for a Night out at Marquee

Gossip Gi begins

Alice's Tea House for a Royal Brunch

(i was dazed in between brunch and our night out)

Beauty Bridal Shower

Dinner at Stanton Social - Maker's Mark shake shot

Final night out at Highline Ballroom

Farewell Brunch at David Burke Kitchen

Recovery time...or not!

We hope you had an awesome time Gi and thanks for having us share your last single days with you!

Off to Houston...

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul was all about sightseeing! We spent 2 full days touring the city with a tour guide and 1 day exploring on our own. It was my first time visiting an Islamic city so hearing the calls for prayers was something to remember, along with seeing men wash their hands, arms, and feetin public areas before prayer. We visited 3 beautiful mosques, my favourite being the Blue Mosque. I can’t really explain to you in words what it was like, but definitely check out the pictures. The details in the dome and walls were beautiful. We also visited the Haghia Sophia, which use to be a Christin Church, and is now a museum.

Me in front of my favortie, the Blue Mosque

Haghia Sophia - Church - Mosque - Museum

Apart from visiting mosques, we did a little bit of shopping. We visited the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar, aka Spice Market, and even did rug shopping! If you enjoy haggling and negotiating prices, this is the place for you. Anything you can think of, you can probably buy at one of these markets. It was good fun, but I’m pretty sure us, tourists, get ripped off!! No way people will pay $40 bucks for two small ½ bag of spices! And I bought a fake watch for the looks, of course, thinking it would probably fade or break, but never thought that it wouldn’t tell the correct time!! Haha…Serves me right for paying $15 for a Chanel Watch! Walking up and down the shops was a bit dizzing. I even had to use one of these toilets there! Go Nary!

Yah...good thing I had a dress on! You gotta go, when you gotta go!

Spice overload - but the cook in me loves them! Wish I had easy access to one over here.

Last think to talk about in Istanbul was my Turkish Bath. I really didn’t know what to expect with a Turkish bath and boy was I in for a treat. I arrived at the Hamam, paid and was pointed to the locker room. When I got into the locker room, a lady pointed me upstairs, another gave me some bottoms and a towel, and after I changed, another lady took my arm and started calling me a baby! Haha. Upon entering the hamam, I was greeted by boobs of all shapes and sizes and was told to lay on the stone circle. The dome of the hamam had holes in it to let the sunlight in, so I just stared at that for a while as I was trying to figure out what was going to happen next. After about 20 minutes, I was startled by a tub of water being thrown on me and a topless Turkish woman scrubbing away. We tried to communicate with each other, but it just wasn’t working. All I know is that while she was scrubbing me, she was probably imagining me to be her daughter or something because I kept hearing, “baby, baby," and seeing smiles. Haha. Anyhow, it wasn't the cleanest bath, as you're sharing the stone with 20 other women, who have been walking the streets of Istanbul. I'm sure some of their dead skin got in my bathing area, but whatever; my skin was smoother afterwards...hehe. Don’t think I’d ever do it again unless it was free but it was definitely an experience. I'd recommend it for anyone traveling to Turkey.

We ate very well in Istanbul and drank with caution, as drinking there was expensive. They sure do know hot to get the tourist. We had a great tour guide, who invited us back to stay with him next time so that was nice. I’d do it for the food for sure!

Us with Salem, who was getting married the day we left! Congrats!

Well, that concludes our travels for a few months. The next couple of months will be spent in Aberdeen, or exploring Scotland. It will be nice to actually “live” in Aberdeen for a bit…hehe.

Cheers!

Croatia

Now on to what’s been happening with us this past month. We took two 5 day weekend trips this month to countries I never imagined travelling. But of course, now that we’re here, why not?

We celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with a trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia. While in Croatia, we also did a day trip to the small country of Montenegro. We spent ½ aday with a local tour guide in Dubrovnik and another ½ day on Lokrum island, sunbathing! Then 2 days with a driver/tour guide to the island of Korcula and to Montenegro.

In Dubrovnik, we had a little history tour of what the city was like before the earthquake and war. We walked around the city walls and found a really cool bar. The food was delish, especially the oysters and fish. I’m such a seafood girl, and this was the place to be for it. The sun was warm and the water cold but beautiful as ever! The colors of the sea were a nice teal –so pretty.

Cliffside Buza Bar

We drove along the coast to catch a ferry to the Island of Korcula, where Marco Polo was born! There really wasn’t much to see or do in Korcula but I guess it was worth having a drive down. We stopped by a local winery and salt mine on the way and lunched at another great seafood restaurant. Black risotto, anybody?

The drive to Montenegro was beautiful. Again, not much to see or do in Montenegro but the scenery was worth it. We hoped to get in some beach time at Budva but it ended up raining on us. Budva reminded me of a mini- Miami, where most young people go to hang out and party. There were outdoor bars along side the beaches with music playing as we walked by. Wish we got to stay longer but I guess there’s always a next time. I loved that Croatia was quieter than most tourist places we’ve been. We had a lot of time to just hang out and relax instead of sightseeing, which was perfect for this occasion.

Hello July!

Hello July!

I’ve been looking forward to this month since January and really can’t believe it’s already here! I’ve always loved the month of July, not just because it was the month I was born, but there’s just something about it being right in the middle of summer, where everyone seems the happiest, full of energy and ready to have a good time! That’s just about how I’m feeling at the moment. We have lots to look forward to in the coming month and one that we’re super excited about is Gi & Ray Mark’s wedding =) Of course, with a wedding comes a bachelorette party and for Gi, it will be in New York City! I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it =) It will be so wonderful to see friends and family and enjoy some TEXAS time. YEE HAW! See you in 2 weeks!

Happy 4^th of July Weekend!

Catch Up...

We just got back from Croatia today and besides traveling for 7 hours, I consider this a "rest" day. I have no plans to cook dinner, do laundry, grocery shopping, or anything that requires me leaving the couch that I am sitting on right now. Yay!

Anyhow, I really wanted to update the blog and share the past month with all of you. My last blog was about running the Balmoral Race, which seems ages ago! I don't think I've ran outside since then...eeks. I have a 5K the first weekend of July and that will probably be the next time I run, just joking. I have this idea in my head that I will be going on a diet soon and working out to lose a few pounds before our trip home in July, because we all know, all the weight I will try to lose will be gained back in the two weeks that I am there...haha

First of all, I just wanted to tell you about our Safari in South Africa and trip to Cape Town. With the Royal Wedding Holiday in the UK, along with Gerald's Friday off and a Public Holiday on the following Monday, Gerald was able to take 3 days off work and get a 10 day Holiday out of it! Maximizing vacation days is what he does best! So, anyhow, because of this we were able to squeeze in a Safari Trip, which has probably been one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I have a new found interest in wildlife and appreciation for mother nature. God has made some wonderful creatures and they truly are amazing! I'm not going to go into super details of our trip but just wanted to give you some highlights. With something like this, it's best to experience it for yourself without any expectation so you can be surprised and appreciate everything! Overall, we spent 4 nights in Cape Town and another 4 nights in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve at Exeter River Lodge, an &Beyond property.

Cape Town:
- Peninsula Tour to the Cape of Good Hope with a trip to Seal Island and Simon Town to see the Penguins
- Tour of the Wine Lands - amazing scenery and good cheap wine
- Great food! Sushi was amazing and the Brai as well. We ate ostrich, kudu, warthog, & alligator.

Safari:
-Saw the Big Five in 1 Day (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard)
-Other sightings included a leopard killing an impala, elephant grazing on our lodge property, wild dog puppies, lion roaring, lion cubs playing, & rhinos going horn to horn!
-Superb service and accommodation from Exeter Staff - we definitely recommend this
company!
-Saw the sun rise and the sun sets every day we were there! Probably the best sunrises and sunsets I've seen =P

We thought going on a Safari will be a one time thing, but now that we've been, we want to go on more! Some people say once you've experience this, you get hooked and they're not lying. It's definitely a sight to see and thankful that we got do it. We met some people that have been over 15 times, and they say each time is different.

The week we got back from South Africa, my friend, Tim, came to Aberdeen for a weekend. Tim use to work with me at Ryan & Company and now currently lives in Amsterdam. We did the typical Scottish tour of Castles, Distilleries, and highland cattle =) The trip was short but we really enjoyed his company. Now that he's only an hour flight away, we'll probably see each other more often, I hope..hehe.

The following week, after Tim's visit, Mom and Dad Pena received a taste of Scottish life. We showed them a bit of Aberdeen and surrounding areas the first weekend and then sent them off to Copenhagen while we worked for a few days. I took a Thursday off to accompany them to Edinburgh, and then we went off on a 3 day road trip to the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. We stopped by Inverness to see Nessie and then went up towards Plockton and Ula Pool. The weather wasn't so nice during our road trip but that's Scotland for you. It wouldn't have been a true Scottish experience if you had beautiful weather...haha. Anyhow, it was their first time staying at B&B's and they thoroughly enjoyed it!

During this trip is when I decided that one day, I want to run my own B&B. It's just a thought for now, but hopefully I can make it a reality. One thing the west coast has that Aberdeen doesn't is fresh shellfish! Mainly langoustines, oysters and mussles. On the way back to Aberdeen, we stopped by Glenfiddich for some whiskey tasting and they were leaving early the next morning! It was really nice to have the comfort of family around for the couple of weeks and definitely went by way too fast, as with everything else.

Let's not forget that work and Aberdeen life fits somewhere in between all of this =) We've actually built a little community of friends here and I've really enjoyed their company. I really wish I can hang out with them more. We try and squeeze dinners and get togethers in whenever we're in town so that keeps me going as well.

So..that's us in the past month! I'll leave Croatia for another day, soon, I promise.