Yesterday we got celebrate Father's Day with AJ's whole family, which was really nice! His dad, mom, sister and future brother-in-law, oh and duh, me. :P
It was my idea to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach (I went to prom there in 2001 and hadn't been back since!) and I'm glad we got there when it opened. I didn't enjoy waking up that early originally, but it got crowded pretty fast so it was nice to be leaving when it was getting to its worst.
Mark did a majority of the picture taking so we didn't get any with him! It's funny because while we did love a lot of the animals (penguins!) and saw some of the shows (sea otters, seals and sea lions!) but we all had the best time feeding the lorikeets. I don't even know why that exists at the aquarium but whatever, it all worked out lololol!
Pengs!
This crazy floating seaweed is a seadragon! It's a friggin thing and it was fascinating!
This got me thinking about a mother of seadragons and an aquatic Game of Thrones. So far all I got is that the Mother of Seadragons is Khaleesea and the Stark children have sea lions since those are the dogs of the sea haha.
Anyways after the aquarium we went to brunch in downtown Long Beach which was pretty cool and then we all went home and crashed with naps. I was very perplexed to see this in the aquarium map...
I don't think that I ever really announced this, but part of my work is actually being a part of a Podcast. It's called Meet Us In Paris and it's a podcast all about travel. Anyways, yesterday we were filming and this stuff about my grandma came up so I texted my mom (while recording LOL) and got back this picture of my grandma from 1969 at her work working on the Apollos. Yes, the NASA Apollos.
I didn't know photos like this existed! Especially ones I hadn't seen yet! And I forgot my grandma's hair wasn't always silver. Lulz. For the record, she is currently 101 1/2!
Anyways, if you want to learn about why this photo was sent to me, you can listen to the (second) podcast about Washington DC. We just recorded it yesterday so probably won't come out for another few weeks.
It really flipped to summer this weekend overnight. All the chilly overcast weather just disappeared and it got really warm. AJ and I had to go to Escondido on Saturday which I had kinda been dreading, but to make it worth our while we texted some friends in San Diego to see if they'd be able to meet us for dinner or something in Del Mar. Well all of them were going to the Padres game together so we said well sheeeeeet we'll meet you there then!
So we had a really fun, spontaneous evening down in San Diego and hanging out at the Park at the Park in Petco Park and then getting drinks together afterwards. We were both really tired on the drive home so we revived the Hamilton soundtrack to keep us awake.
On Sunday we had a pool day with our old neighbors that was perfect to start summer (even if it isn't official on the calendar yet).
It was the first time I got to meet their little boy Keegan, who is now two months old today! AJ spent some time with him too.
After that we picked up more supplies for the little home project we're working on that is sure to make Khaleesi very happy!
If anyone remembers Morocco, I met some really fun friends there, and I've been lucky to now see them again already. I got to meet up with Haley at NAFSA in DC last week and crash some receptions with her, and then yesterday I got to head up to LA to visit Melanie who was in town visiting a friend.
Our halfway point was Manhattan Beach, and none of us really knew the area, so we wandered around, but we had such a good time! The highlight was, by far, the aquarium! Did you know there is an aquarium at the end of the Manhattan Beach pier? And even though it is the tiniest little doll house you've ever seen, it really packs a punch! Touch tank, whale skulls, eels, lobsters, jellyfish, seahorses, embalmed squid, education on keeping trash out of the oceans and how to keep your goldfish alive. We loved it!
We each held this sea cucumber. It really felt like nothing at all, just gelatinous like those sticky hand toys from the 50 cent machine. (They told us it was good luck!)
And we were mesmerized by this beautiful sea life in one of the tanks.
It reminded me of the small aquarium in Maryport down the street from Shannon - we had so much fun there!
It was great to see Melanie, even if for a few hours. This lucky girl actually quit her job and is about to go traveling through South America for about six months. She lives in St. Louis (where NAFSA will be next year) so if nothing else, looking forward to running into her there next May!
In unrelated news, Khaleesi has gone on quite the killing spree this week! She's been bringing in grasshoppers and butterflies and this morning brought us another butterfly. I can't scold her for indulging her hunter instincts, but considering she is The Queen of the Bugs, I can call her the Mad Queen for eating her people.
Sort of out of nowhere, I got the uncontrollable desire for homemade bread. "Real" bread is the best thing since sliced bread (get it?) and it actually makes me angry to think of what the US passes off as "bread" in our super processed, un-nutritional society these days. (Why does everywhere else do it right?!).
So I bought a breadmaker and poor AJ asked me if I needed anything from the grocery store on exactly the wrong day and he had to run around getting all the weird ingredients for it (dry milk?) and yesterday I put it to use!
Unfortunately, after running some errands, taking Anana for a walk and working out, I didn't get to start it until about 8p, which meant that it wouldn't be finished until about midnight, so I didn't get to experience the just-made, fresh warm bread, but AJ and I had toast with it this morning and it was amazinggggg! I'm really proud of my first attempt at a "normal" loaf of white bread. I didn't get a picture, but because it's a small compact maker, even though the loaf was big, it was sort of built up, so it came out mostly looking like the bread emoji:
The maker I bought comes with lots of great recipes I can't wait to try, such as French bread, artisan bread, Ciabatta loaves and cinnamon swirl bread (Mmmm...)
Having homemade/fresh bread makes you wonder WTF they're selling to you in the stores. Also, it made the kitchen smell like France... boulangeries and patisseries on every corner give the country a beautiful scent.
The conference to end all conferences in this industry was last week and my god am I beat. (More specifically, I barely have feet anymore - skin and heels worn away!) This year it was in Washington, DC which was lucky for me because I was right in the vicinity of Jayna's dad's place so I got to spend a day with her and Stephen and Annika!
They indulged me and took me to George Washington's Mount Vernon - I've been to DC plenty of times but hadn't been outside of the city, so it was fun to do and sure was beautiful (and hot!)
Welcomed with not only my (favorite!),
but a light version of it that I had no idea
existed!!
Me and my boo
She's stealing my coffee
George and Martha Washington's final
resting place
Mini Washington monuments
Scaffolding on Mt. Vernon. Lame!
Is this why American money is green?
"For the Pattern Blog"
She knows where money is kept
Swimsuit courtesy of fairy
godmother Kiki!
I feel compelled to document the YouTube videos that Jayna played for Annika during some of her fussy moments, cause they were pretty fun and got stuck in my head and I have caught myself singing them to myself...
Of course it went by too fast and then I was back in the city for NAFSA. There are still a lot of museums and things that I want to do/see in DC, but I was too exhausted to really do much and actually enjoyed evenings working out in the hotel gym and watching Shark Tank. This "low key" week also included going to receptions every evening and even reception hopping to 3 one night, but making it back from 11ish. That's a tame NAFSA!
The hotel I stayed in for a conference last July was a part of the room block and walking distance to the convention center, so I stayed there again this year. I really like it, and it's right on the edge of Chinatown.
Yes there were some summer storms!
NAFSA is always a good time since I get to reconnect with people that I met on the road, meet new vendors and potential partners. It's also insanely overwhelming for that reason, but it's really cool to see all of the booths coming up with new swag, alcohol receptions, and other decor to work to stand out from the competition. You're walking through the world a bit.
This looks deserted but it was anything but. This
was just the last entrance into the expo hall and it
was a madhouse inside
I love the Japan area because of all the cherry
blossom trees they put up!
I went to a reception at the new international
spy museum. If you haven't seen the time
Colbert goes to it in DC from the Colbert Report,
it's a real treat!
Evening reception views!
Me and Chrishon know how to have a good
time haha! She was too busy picking out her next
prop that she missed the second picture haha
All the swag she collected from the different tables in one day!
I was cracking up as she was bringing it all out onto the table
over lunch
I went to a Barcelona evening reception and I
had to send AJ a picture of the paella because
we love The Lonely Island song Ibitha
Chrishon's poster at the Friday poster session!
My journey back on Friday should have been simple enough but United sure seems to know how to screw up a good thing. It ended up being pretty hellish. And what is it about traveling... once you're on your way home you just want to BE THERE. So I was getting really antsy. And I swear we were THISCLOSE to missing the SNA curfew and needing to land at LAX. That really would have been the cherry on top! That's one good part that that didn't happen.
On Saturday, poor AJ had to come to a baby shower with me. It was indeed a co-ed baby shower, but it wasn't exactly as co-ed friendly as I had been expecting. He was a trooper though.
Serena has a girl due in July! And then Iris will be next
with her boy in September!
Iris, Jessica and I discovered we all pretty
much had the exact same shade of nails. Why
are my hands and fingers so crooked? I could
never be a hand model...
AJ (and Iris's husband David!) chugging apple juice from
bottles, although neither of them won, womp womp!
Sunday was one of those days where I do nothing at all, and I got to hang out with my little Bug and unpack and do laundry and take care of stuff around the house.
Big things are coming for the little Khaleesi Bug... we have a summer project AJ started on already. Stay tuned!
Ahhh my last international trip of the winter/spring recruitment season and it was likely the most enjoyable... save for the actual travel. The closest trip I've ever taken for work and it took me the longest travel time... and I went to friggin Myanmar!
So, first stop was El Salvador. Yeah, I was a little nervous because it's overall apparently not very safe, a high violent crime rate, and even the US Department of State lists it at a level 3: reconsider travel. But, I loved it! And it was really beautiful and the people I met were absolutely wonderful. Also, apparently California governor Gavin Newsom was at the hotel I was in San Salvador like a few weeks before. Reminds me of staying in the Hanoi hotel right after Kim Jong Un LOL.
Anyway, I love Central America. I should really be learning Spanish. But I love the culture and the colors and the jungles and the flora and fauna and the humidity. So I was happy to be there. Sadly, I was in El Salvador probably a total of 48 hours, and spent most of the time either in my hotel room or at the agency office, but I still had a nice jungle view and a wonderful outdoor lunch overlooking the volcano and the ocean.
I also had some delicious meals at a restaurant next to my hotel on a patio during some evening thunderstorms. It was hard there without Spanish, but I survived.
Ceviche! ...on Ritz crackers LOL
I flew from El Salvador to Panama and the best part was that my friend Jessica was able to visit for two days and help show me Panama. She has been there several times previously and I was extremely grateful for her as I was able to relax and be led rather than forge my own way a little, and she spoke Spanish so thank you Jeebus for that!
Actually, it was a pretty hilarious/embarrassing start to our time together. Checking into the hotel, we were lounging around, catching up, Skyping our friend Iris who just got the sex results of her baby (found out it's a boy!) and then getting ready to go explore for the evening when we spotted the biggest, fugliest, scariest cockroach of our lives on Jessica's suitcase. There was a lottttt of screaming, a lot of barely kicking her suitcase and trying our best to get him out of her suitcase and capture him... somehow, but neither of us were brave enough. We finally decide to call the front desk and I hand the phone to Jessica and say "tell them about la cucaracha". She goes on the phone and I'm laughing because I understand "una cucaracha enorme" lololol. She gets off the phone and tells me she told them there was a huge cockroach in our room and we were a little scared hahahaha I still laugh when I think about it. And then of course we were humiliated when 3 men came up and were laughing at us as they took care of it. Oh well.
Together we visited the Panama Canal, explored the Casco Viejo and my personal favorite, Cerro Ancon, a bit of a jungley hilltop with a huge Panama flag at the top and 360 views of the city.
It's a long story. Svetlana can explain.
My only goal really on our Cerro Ancon hike was to spot a toucan. I've seen a few in Central America on previous trips and they were just so delightful. On my 2014 trip to Nicaragua I met a family who had one as a pet and I came more face to face with one and I just loveeeee them! They are so adorable. Their colors are so beautiful and really don't translate in pictures! And I just think their beaks are so funny! They are huge and just don't seem to fit them at all, it looks like they put a Halloween mask on.
So that whole trip we kept stopping and hoping we would spot a toucan. We saw tons of these huge giant tail-less rat hamster things that were quite cute, lots of beautiful tropical birds and huge butterflies, but sadly no toucan.
Giant hamsters on the walk
At the top of the hill we visited the flag and admired the views and sat down for a bit. We were sweaty and exhausted.
Right before we were ready to head out, I saw a bird in the distance and I went to investigate. It was a toucan! We huddled in the distance trying to make out the details and then we were straight up #BLESSED when this toucan, who we later named Bayana, flew straight up to us in the tree right above our heads and hung around for a solid 10 minutes! The gift of her presence at the summit of the hill made our entire weekend!
Bayana the Toucan eating
That evening, Jessica took me out for "my birthday" to one of the coolest restaurant experiences of anywhere ever! Donde Jose is a strict reservation-only restaurant with a specially curated meal each night that "tells a story" and is all Panamanian food. It was something like 10 amazing courses and each of the servers explained the background, interpretation and ingredients of each dish upon serving us. It was amazing!
After Jessica left I was quite lonely, but I did have work to do. Interestingly, Sunday May 5 was their election (which I had been totally unaware of) and I had travel alerts that Panama was deploying 12,000 extra police troops to help facilitate it and banned the sale of alcohol from late Saturday to early Monday. That part really sucked, and I was really nervous what that would look like, but it was fine. It was quiet in the Casco Viejo, but it was fine. Saw a few campaign cars around, but nothing got out of hand.
Panama City was fine. The Casco Viejo had a real Pirates of the Caribbean feel and it was pretty neat, but otherwise it was just kinda whatever. There's a lot more to see than the city of course and it would have been neat if I was able to explore more, like the islands or jungles or coffee plantations, but that's what happens when I'm on work trips! It was way more productive than I was anticipating though, so that's promising!
Now I just have two conferences in DC to finish out this season and we'll see where fall travel takes me next...!
