Lessons for Miami Me

I figured I'd follow up my Lessons for Little Me post with a Lessons for Miami Me post.  Enjoy!

Try New Food

This picky eater is trying to be more adventurous.  Eat the duck tongue.  Eat the oysters and clams.  Try dim sum.  Try Peruvian food.  Dining with friends is fun.  Dining with J is a great experience to talk.   I have found a lot of new cuisines that I like and restaurants that I will miss.  I'm looking forward to exploring the dining scene in Seattle now.

Tapas.  Yum.

Travel

It's a cliche, but it's true: it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.  Some of my best memories are about what happened on the way to a end-point and who I was with (reading silly billboards in GA with Miss E comes to mind immediately).  San Fransisco was a cool place, but going there with our friend and meeting up with J's brother enhanced the trip for me.  France is beautiful but my friends also made it fun.  Eat the local food, sleep on the floor if you have to, but just GO.

France is Fun-iculaire with friends.  Inside joke.

Learn Constantly

I've taken a writing class and numerous crafting classes.   I've also learned from people around me: how to crochet, how to work smarter and not harder, how to live and work in Miami...  I'm really passionate about being a life-long learner. 

I've learned how to do things that I never thought I could do...

Read, Always

I've had my nose in a book since I was a wee little thing, but my reading went to the next level while living in Miami.  I joined a book club and read books that I normally would not have picked up and in the process my world expanded even more.

Reading with wine is even better!

Be Brave

Yes, I am afraid of murky water.  Yes, I think about crocodiles grabbing me, but if I have to swim through murky water to pet a baby manatee and if I get to see that manatee roll over on it's belly because it likes being pet then I will just have to be brave.  When we went on that trip I was literally saying "Be Brave, Becca" over and over in my mind while snorkeling.  I'd never gone snorkeling before and that in and of itself was a challenge that I overcame.  I've had to be brave while driving and while working with some difficult individuals.  Be brave and you'll be fine most of the time.

This is not the murky water!  This was from the same trip, though.

Be Assertive, Ask Questions

I've had to stand up for myself, my husband, and my pets in situations that I might have usually shirked away from.  It can be difficult doing that in a city with a different culture than the one I grew up in.  I've been confused in some situations and I've had to ask questions.  I'm actually a fairly shy person (unless I'm one-on-one) but in the last three years I've had to learn how to navigate some challenging situations and keep some conversations afloat (to avoid that potentially awkward silence).

Becca and Grumpy Cat both hate awkward silences.

I'm sure there is more, like: How to do Your Laundry and Dodge Little Lizards and That was a Miami-Left Turn... but that's it for now.

Summer Bucket List

21 days left.  3 weeks!

We've been so busy with packing, working, and fitting in last minute fun.  In the last month or so we've been to the Miami Symphony Orchestra (Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 and Piano Concert No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 with Eduardo Marturet as the conductor and Philippe Entremont on the piano), A La Folie, Fox's Sherron Inn, the arcade, an Italian Greyhound meet-up in Broward County, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden with Emmy, Lan Pan Asian Cafe, dim sum at South Garden (twice), Bahama Breeze dinner with my office mates, lunch with some professors at Peru Criollo, and some drinks with my friends on Miracle Mile -first at John Martin's for Happy Hour and finishing the night at 100 Montaditos to soak up some of that liquor, but they had good sangria too! ;)  J and I have also managed to sneak in a last meal at Ms. Cheezious a couple of weeks ago. 

Farewell to my favorite Miami Food Truck!

Close-up of a Rainbow Eucalyptus from FTBG

The Cannonball Tree at FTGB is in bloom this month!

You can see where it gets it's name from...

Ending our evening out at 100 Montaditos

During that time I've still be volunteering, reading towards my goal of 85 books in 2013, and making a lot of crafts.  I made a project for J's friends that I cannot wait to show you, but for now it needs to stay a secret!  I also made little glass ornaments that were almost like cards for my office-mates.  On the front it showed their initial and on the back was a small saying of appreciation.  I embellished with dangling beads and keys that said Memory, Love, and Heart.  I didn't get a picture of them, but I plan on making one for my Craft Night friend.  I also finished my secret project for my future sister-in-law.  I've been busy! :)

We have some plans for what we want to fit in while we are still here.  We're hoping to get some good pictures of the graffiti at Wynnwood, some of the trees in Coral Gables, FIU campus, pictures off of the Rickenbocker, maybe of the Venetian Pool from the inside, the Country Club Prado promenade, us by my favorite pink snail sculpture, and picture/video of our Coral Way drive home.  I want to take a picture walk and get some of the smaller details too: the awesome tile at the library, a close-up of Miami oolite rock, the lions at the nearby bank, and more.  Right now J takes almost all of the pictures for this blog and has to e-mail them to me.  I wish I had an iPhone to take pictures of those small moments from my daily life that make me smile... maybe this summer.

Which brings me to the main point of this post: Our Summer Bucket List.  We will have less than 30 days in Wisconsin to see all the special folks, visit the places we love, and eat the food we've missed.  While talking to J, I ticked off on my fingers all of the people we're making plans with, events to attend, things to do, and mini-excursions to plan and it was more than one thing a day.  We'll be busy.  Here is -some- of our Summer Bucket List:

1. Join this century and get an iPhone
2. Visit Greenfield News and Hobby with Dad
3. Madison (definitely going out, definitely eating some yummy food, definitely seeing friends, definitely visiting the arboretum, probably hitting up State Street, the Chazen, and MoMA)
4. Make a trek up to MN to see a very special friend and her very adorable baby
5. Check out the Rusty Quarters arcade (J and I love arcades!) while in MN
6. Visit with J's high school buddy and his lovely girlfriend in MN
7. Go to my family's cabin
8. Tailgate at a Brewer's Game (for J)
9. Go back to my old sanctuary: The Milwaukee Art Museum
10. Comet Cafe for Old Fashioneds and oh-so-bad-for-you-but-oh-so-good food
11. Brewery Tour
12. Red Raspberry Frozen Custard at Kopp's
13. American Science and Surplus to see if we can get some funny stuff for our new apartment
14. Date at Alterra and Discovery World
15. The Dentist! (I love my dentist.)
16. Girl Day with my future sister-in-law
17. Treat our newlywed friends to dinner (we are leaving Miami the day they get married!)
18. Meet up with an old friend from middle school
19. Bake a Rhubarb and Raspberry pie with my grandma
20. Special Dinner with the 'rents
21. Enjoy time with my new puppy-sister
22. Barbeque with the Z's
23. Makin' stuff with Mom
24. Visitors! Emmy and her boyfriend might come to WI to see where we're from
25. Dream Items: karaoke, paintball, and/or laser tag!

Of course, there are more items that are more personal and specific to special peeps in our lives, but you get the general idea.

I have missed some Wisconsin things and Wisconsin people, but I have realized there are people and things that I will miss down here in Miami (despite still not being too too fond of the place).  I found a little family here that I will miss terribly.  Everyone in my office is on to bigger and better things, but we've all expressed the sentiment that we're going to miss our team and the well-oiled machine that we've become.  These people made me feel loved and cared for here.  I didn't make a lot of friends, but I think the friends I've made are quality friends and I hope they come to visit me and my new life in Seattle.

Now I'm off to clean the bathroom and maybe try my hand at a new recipe.  Catch you later.

Things I'll Miss and Things I Won't...

We have been in Miami now since August 2010.  We're leaving at the end of June 2013.  We're just two months shy of three years.  Don't worry, I'm not wishing to spend any additional time here!  The impending departure has both J and I waxing poetic on some things... and saying, "Oh my God, I won't miss this!" on other things.  So, I thought I'd do a quick catalog of what I will miss and what I won't miss.

I'll Will Miss You...

• No snow.  I hated getting up early to brush my car off.  I hated driving in snow.  I had a couple of close calls thanks to a car that lacks ABS breaks.  I didn't like driving in fog, either.  
• MY CAR! We're not taking it with us to Seattle.  I'm really mourning this loss.  To me a car represents freedom.  And I own it fair and square.  It is mine, and soon it won't be.  I have to learn stick-shift in order to be able to drive in Seattle because J's car is manual.  I hate riding the bus (I get terrible car sickness and the smell of buses makes me woozy) but I'm going to have to take it in to campus for work three days a week, so I'll have to get used to it.
•  Free time.  I won't have time to tinker or read when I'm struggling to keep up in school work.  I did a good job of making the most of my free time in Miami.  I read oodles and oodles.  I also volunteered almost three hours every week.  I'll be happy to get some time to watch my favorite shows when I'm not doing school work, work work, or sight seeing!
• Craft Night.  I enjoyed having people to craft with.  We didn't do it every week, but we did it fairly regularly and I liked feeling like a part of a family, even if it was for two hours on a Tuesday.  Crafting, for me, is enhanced by chatting while my hands are working.
• Living 7 blocks from the library.  In Miami I learned how to request books and I utilized the service to the fullest.  It saved me a lot of money to borrow books.  Reading copious amounts helped ease my loneliness here.  In the last year and a half, I've kept myself so busy with reading and volunteering that I don't feel lonely anymore.
• Living in Coral Gables.  It really is "City Beautiful."  The trees are gorgeous and I felt at ease living under their green canopy.  I don't know that I'll ever get to live in such a tree-filled neighborhood again.  The buildings are gorgeous and I'll miss gawking at them too.
• Bougainvilleas.  Always colorful, no matter the time of the year.  Seeing as I don't plan on living in such a hot, humid place again, I will really miss them.
• My 2 bedroom apartment.  We're downsizing and yet our fur-family grew.  While we strove to be minimalists, we still acquired stuff.  We're selling as much as possible, but sometimes I feel bogged down.  Where will this junk go in our new place?  This was also our first place as a married couple.  We made it home and all of the furniture matched and was new (thanks to wedding money and the reasonably priced IKEA). 
• Croquetas.  It took me awhile to fall in love with them, but now I look forward to mornings when I have time to stop by Bustelo or even Publix for the $0.69 breakfast treats.  
• LAN Pan Asian Cafe.  J and I go here on the regular and we've taken several people to it.  Yummy Asian Nachos.  Yummier sushi platters.  Great service.  Reasonable portions for a reasonable price.  It started to feel like "our place."
• FIU Friends/Family.  The ladies in my office feel like my family away from MKE.  I've celebrated holidays and birthdays with them.  They've been there for me and laughed with me.  We've disagreed and we've made up.  They made me feel welcome in this hard city.  I'll miss some of the students I work with, too.  They were the closest to me, age-wise, so I always enjoyed chatting with a few of them.  I'll also miss some of the teachers.  Many of them did things to make us feel appreciated.  Many of them made me laugh.  I learned a lot during my two years in the real-world working.

Goodbye and Good Riddance to...

• Rude Peeps.  This city is known for being really rude.  I'm not going to miss all of those people that acted like butt-munches.
• Healthcare.  J and I received some really horrible service regarding healthcare down here (both of us, multiple times each).  My dogs get better care from our vet than we got from some doctors.  I do have two good specialists I see, but it took me a long while to find one of them.
• Identity Theft.  South Florida is notorious for it and between J and I we've had our Credit Card/Debit Card information stolen/compromised five times.  So frustrating.  I hate the bozos who do that kind of stuff.
• Dumb Drivers.  Okay, we don't have the worst traffic in the country, but I think we have some of the cruddiest drivers.  They pull fast and dangerous moves.  They are always on their phones or having animated discussions with others in the car.  I see a fender bender (or more than one) almost every day!  ..and I only drive to work and back and while keeping errands to a minimum.  The month I worked that terrible job in Fort Lauderdale frayed my nerves with the commute alone.
• The Heat (temperature, not the basketball team... but I could care less about them too.) Oh. My. Word.  I am a sweaty individual.  My dad and brothers have the gene too.  But I'm a girl.  I'm not supposed to be this disheveled looking!  I avoided the outdoors so much that I'm really pale now.  The lightest colored Too Faced BB Cream is called Snow Glow and it is too dark for my pasty skin.  But I don't worry too much because it doesn't stay on me long since I'M SO DAMN SWEATY ALL THE TIME.  Ugh.  
• Mold/Mildew.  It's humid and we live in an old apartment with cruddy A/Cs and no fan in our bathroom.  A neat-freak like me finds this to be a nightmare.  I know Seattle will have it's fair share of mold/mildew (everything is covered in moss there), but we're moving into a newer place that will have fans and less build up gunk.
• DUST.  A/Cs seem to kick up a lot of dust.  My work desk is dusty and my house is dustier.  I now know that I cannot own dark furniture without going crazy.  It shows every speck of dust and cat hair.  We eventually shaved Tashi to cut down on her tufts of hair flying around and because she is hot too- she's sitting in front of the A/C as it is on full-blast as I type this.  In our next place I am planning on lighter furniture.  Hopefully there will be less dust.
• Lizards.  They're fast and they make me nervous.  But their not fast enough that I don't see their little corpses once in awhile.  It totally skeeves me out when they get in the apartment.  Give me spiders and snakes any day.  Yuck.  Enough said.
• Six months of summer.  I could file this away with The Heat, but I miss the change of the seasons.  Right, I know I said I don't miss snow.  But I miss colorful Fall and pretty Spring.  
• Lack of Comfort Food Restaurants.  There will be too many of these in Seattle.  I'm going to have to practice self-discipline.
• Lack of Quality Craft Supply Stores.  But, I won't have time for this stuff in Seattle, so, oh well.
• Crummy Target Stores.  I don't know how corporate Target doesn't shut these locations down and start again from scratch, but I certainly hope Target is better in Seattle.  
• Crummy Shopping, in general.  I have the damnedest time finding clothing that I like down here.  Here's to hoping I won't struggle as much in Seattle.  Also, shopping is the Miami past time, so no matter when you go you can count on the malls/stores being frustratingly full and you might have to pay for parking just to buy your junk.

So, there you go.  Things I'll Miss and Things I Won't... I'm sure I'll have more to add as the next month and couple of days progress, but that's how I feel for now.  :)

Garlands Galore!

Despite the craziness that is moving cross-country (while still working full-time), I've still been trying to make things.  I've been getting lessons from my Craft Night friend on how to use and maintain my sewing machine.  I made my own dust cover and I've started making garlands.  Garlands are very easy to make and they help me practice a basic stitch.  I don't have to worry about them being perfect and they are very fast. 

Pardon the terrible pictures, but that's what happens when you work on projects late at night and have cruddy lighting.

These are called yo-yos.  I did not make them.  My friend's sister made them out of vintage fabric before she passed away.  My friend generously gave them to me so that I could make things with them.  I think they are so cool and the fabric is really inspiring.

A picture of the whole garland.  It is very cute.  I can see why people like to make garlands for parties, showers, and kid's rooms.

This was the first garland I made.  It is just purple fabrics and felts cut into 2" x 2" squares.  It doesn't go with the colors in my apartment, but who cares, I'm moving.  Please pardon my dusty blinds.  I hate those blinds.  They are such a pain to clean.

Another garland that uses yo-yos, felt, and fabric.  This one has more of a mixed media feel.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the color scheme is cute: purples and pinks.  I have mostly purple fabric on hand right now from my first garland, but I'm looking forward to making more with brighter colors.

Here is my dust cover!  My friend helped me sew it.  It is my first completed project that I didn't have to revert to stitching by hand.  And it helped me learn how to take the pieces of my machine apart so when I had a jam making the first garland above I was able to fix it myself at home.  

I'll blog about something more substantial later, but I'm proud of my little sewing projects, so I figured I'd share.  J will share a post about his unique perspective on Coral Gables through his long runs.  In the meantime, look at this crazy figure:

3600 views in the lifetime of this blog!  I started it in September 2010.  Who is looking at this website other than my friends and family?  I have no clue.  Feel free to leave a comment and say "hi" if you'd like.  I'm sure most of those clicks are people losing their way on the internet, but still, 3600 views!  Crazy.  Actually, most of those might be my mom. ;)

Slow Down, Rocket

Boy oh boy.  Work was sure crazy since I got back from Texas.  This last week it finally felt manageable.  In the meantime, my inner organizational fairy has turned into a nasty sort of sprite and has decided that it is better to kick it into high gear for the move.  I'm freaking myself out with the amount of time I have left.  "Why, Becca," a rational person may begin, "don't you have almost two months left?" To which I reply, "NAY!"  When I calculated it, I took out work hours, and then completely cut out the days where I do Craft Night, Volunteer, or have other obligations or errands in the evenings (because, hey, you know I still LIVE here).  Which sometimes leaves me with two work nights a week, plus the weekends.  Now, that would be fine, minus the fact that I'll be on puppy-duty next weekend and not in the least bit able to pack, organize, or clean as hard-core as I have been going.

I should let up.  I've done something to my back.  I didn't tweak it.  It's just this general achey sort of all over pain.  Perhaps it is the pain one experiences from working out?  I wouldn't know.  It's a deep pain where even sitting on the couch up-right typing this hurts.  I was working hard yesterday sweeping, dusting, organizing, packing, unpacking, repacking, evaluating, pulling things to be sold on Craigslist or Etsy or Amazon, stacking, piling, re-cleaning because I inevitably made a mess... and that was all after a full morning of running errands with J to get supplies for a garland I want to make and beads for a top-secret project I've been gladly assigned to and grocery shopping.  Last night I was so wired (AND sick with food poisoning - I curse you forever Chipotle) that I couldn't go to sleep until 2:00 AM so I just stayed up working on my secret project.

This morning I woke up and could barely get out of bed.  Of course my inner-jerk insisted that 7:30 AM was the last I'd see sleep.  I immediately got pissed off at how dusty my room was so I hobbled around sweeping, spraying, and dusting.  I wasn't kidding when I said my nice inner fairy turned into something more sinister.  Back off, lady!  I'm in pain!  But she's not satisfied, no.  After a trip to the dog park (to wear them out so we could get even more stuff done!) I set on listing more books on Amazon and revamping my Etsy page.  I've learned the hard way: take photos with natural light.  Your products look so much better.  That took me a few hours.  Feel free to check out my new stuff:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhysicksAlchemy

I added some of my story on my new About page:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhysicksAlchemy/about/

Do you like the picture of Lily on my About page?  I haven't shared it on my blog yet.  Here is a better version of that picture.  She sometimes doesn't realize her tongue is sticking out.  It is so funny.  Silly Lily.  It is a very accurate portrayal of her personality.  She is so bubbly and loving.  Everything is automatically the best thing ever.

She reminds me of Einstein.

 

 

 

See?

Here is another one of my favorite pictures of her.  I was working diligently on my computer a couple of months ago and she was not satisfied unless she was on my lap.  I really love the Photobooth option on my laptop because I can get a lot of candid pictures of the animals when I am cuddling with them.  This picture was an example of perfect timing. 

I am giving her a hug and hiding my face at the same time because I didn't look so hot.  God, she is the cutest.

Lily doesn't usually sit still long enough for cuddles, but today is an exception.  Sundays are dog park days (though we -and they- miss our friends that we used to meet up with regularly) and it wears them out.  It makes for a slightly calmer household.  Whenever I sit down, Ruby is right by my side.  It's like she and I have magnets in our bodies or something.  We're copacetic creatures.  She finds a spot that maximized body contact.  J knows that she sees herself as my BABY.

Ruby making herself as tiny as possible and sitting right next to me.  I had to hold my laptop above her to get this photo, but you get the idea.

My other cuddle monsters.  Oops, aim was off, got too much floor.

That's a better picture.  Lily had her front leg around Tashi at one point.  Tashi surprises me.  Now she gives Lily kisses.  There have been some changes in her demeanor since she lost her companion.

I think I am going to take a cue from my pets and take the rest of the day easy.  I hate feeling like I have no weekend when I get back to work on a Monday morning.  And I have obligations on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening this week.  Sigh.  Plus, it is getting hard to type.  I went to lay down and animals shifted around me...

Big Update: Past, Present, and Future

I would first like to start the post by saying that on April 8th we went to the vet with Trini and unfortunately we came home without her.  Even typing this is very hard for me.  She would have been 19 in July/August.  She's been with me longer than my youngest brother.  Life has seen us through many changes, many different locations, many different relationships, and our personalities have grown and shifted.  She wasn't the easiest cat to love, but I loved her with my whole heart and it broke my heart and I sobbed whenever I had to clean her in her last few days.  All I ever want is to be the best guardian and life-steward I could possibly be to the creatures in my care.  I am a profoundly in love with my pets, even when they make little messes or misbehave.  I know, with confidence, they love me right back.  I've tried my very best to move on and pretend as if everything has been fine, but it has been on my mind constantly.  I consider myself a very lucky person that I've only encountered death a few brief times in my life and it naturally brings up questions and concerns.  J has been a huge support for me in those moments of weakness when I felt I was failing or when I was frustrated with the situation.  I called my parents frequently to give them updates because even though they don't particularly like cats, Trini was a big part of their lives too.  All that mattered to me in those last few days was that I was doing everything I could.  I won't lie, it was very exhausting.  When we took her in, someone in the waiting room said something about how she looked "icky" and any other day I might have walked up to that privileged woman to give her a piece of my mind regarding my life companion but in that moment I could have cared less about others.  It was about me and Trini.  It was hard.  I cried a lot and in front of everyone.  Thinking about it right now makes me teary, so I will wrap this bit up.  All I know is that when I came home, J and I sat on the couch for a long time with the rest of our girls.  Tashi, our 10 year old cat, gave me a lot of attention and I gave her a lot of care, too.  She seemed to understand.  In a very un-Tashi like event, she sat on my chest, maintained eye contact for a long time and then just licked my face a couple of times.  She's mourning in her own way.  Every day is a little better for her.  Every day is a little better for me.  As long as I have my loves, I'll be okay.  Thanks to everyone for thinking about us.  We appreciate it.

Love you, Trini.

~~~

In what was probably good timing, I left to visit my friend E in Galveston, Texas two days after we said goodbye to Trini.  E helped us move down to Miami and set up our apartment back in August 2010.  She really eased my transition from having my wedding to moving two days later.  J had to start school the day after we arrived in Miami and I was unemployed in a jumbled apartment in a brand new city.  She had moved to Galveston with her boyfriend from Madison and I was excited to be her first visitor.  I flew in on a Wednesday and had until Sunday to hang out and explore some of Houston and Galveston.  Here is my trip in some pictures. 

On Wednesday we took it easy.  Houston to Galveston is a bit of a hike and traffic is -dare I say it- worse than Miami.  The drivers aren't as bad as Miami drivers, but there are just more people on the road, so there are bound to be loads of accidents.  We went grocery shopping and made tacos for dinner and planned two crafts we wanted to tackle.  On Thursday we headed back into Houston.  First we stopped at a mall because I had my Sephora VIB coupon for me and a friend (15% off -what a deal!) and then we went to the National Museum of Funeral History and the Cullen Sculpture Garden.  I thought the museum would be a fun, unique Houston attraction and I wasn't disappointed.  It was in a residential area and it was virtually empty, but for $10 it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.  It was also massive at 30,500 square feed.  That is a lot of history. 

E and I decided to do a quiz.  If you got 90% right you got 20% off an item at the gift shop.  I thought I could bring something funny home for J.  Well, let me tell you- that answer sheet was locked up so tight!  E and I diligently answered the quiz and the cashier pulled the money out of the till, set it right in front of me so that she could "grade" us, and then she proceeded to take HALF points off for things like, "Name an animal represented as a fantasy casket"  I wrote, "Chicken/Rooster."  The answer was "MOTHER HEN."  She offered to call management to see if I could get a full point but we politely told her that it wasn't necessary and laughed our butts off all the way to the car.  It was especially funny because there was a book on Abraham Lincoln's assassination as a part of an exhibit that was labeled as "top secret" but we felt that the answer key to the silly quiz was more guarded.  Still, we learned some really interesting things.  I'll enlighten you with just a smattering of what I learned!

This is a glass casket.  They stopped making these because when they were lowered into the ground the lids would often crack.  It was one of my favorite caskets there because it was so unique and oddly pretty.  Glad it's not see-through, though.

This is a casket for three.  It was a sad story of a couple who lost their young child to an illness.  They commissioned this casket because they were planning a murder-suicide and they wanted to be buried with their child.  They had a change of heart and they moved cities, but they were still charged for this expensive piece.  I've never seen anything like it.

The museum had an exhibit on celebrities and I wasn't that interested in it, but I was really intrigued to learn about Mr. Meinhardt Frank Raabe.  He was a little person and a Wisconsin native.  He was cast as the Coroner in the movie The Wizard of Oz.  E and I couldn't remember a Coroner, but sure enough, he's in it, he sings a couple of lines about how the first witch is really, truly dead.  He graduated from UW-Madison (Go Badgers!) with an M.B.A. and he came up with the idea for the Weinermobile, something near and dear to any Wisconsin-ites heart.

Unlike the first glass casket, this glass casket really creeped met out.

The museum had a couple of international exhibits.  They had a full-sized replica of King Tut's sarcophagus.  This mummy cracked me up, though.  Mostly because, wouldn't it look like a person while it was being embalmed, not like a movie mummy?  I had E take my picture by it, but I looked no better than the mummy, so I deleted it.

They had a lot of stuff on the first embalming techniques.  The "Father of American Embalming" is Dr. Thomas Holmes.  Interestingly enough, I saw a table just like this on Oddities, a show I watch that is on the Science Channel.

I call this picture, "Look out, Abuelita!"  Death is knocking on Abuela's door.  What a creepy exhibit.  This is part of their Dia de los Muertos Exhibit.  It had a little girl in it too, but honestly, she gave me more heebie jeebies than Skeletor over there.

E and I took a ton more photos, but these are just a few.  They had a lot, a lot of hearses and carriages and caskets.  They had an exhibit on presidential funerals, military funerals, Victorian funerals, and oddly enough, an exhibit on "Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes."  That last one was a huge exhibit.  As neither E nor I were raised as Catholics we didn't understand a lot of the customs or the pomp and circumstance but it was interesting to walk through, nonetheless.  And I got to see the actual Popemobile used by Pope John Paul the II.  It was a 1982 Range Rover, in case you were wondering. 

After that we headed to the Houston Museum District to stop and enjoy the Cullen Sculpture Garden.  It was free.  A lot of the sculptures of people were nekky.  A lot of the sculptures were really modern.  I mistook a jaintor's cart for a sculpture at one point.  I can't take me anywhere.  Then we went to lunch at a really cute place called Barnaby's Cafe.  It is a dog-themed restaurant with ethical food (I think if we had ate more in Houston, there would have been more restaurants like this to choose from).  And then we headed back to Galveston to try to beat traffic and we stayed up past our bed-times chatting and crafting.

One of the many sculptures.  I liked this one because it had a lot of optical illusions (water, reflections, glass).

See? Nekky.  I liked this one, too.  He's missing his ten gallon hat, though.

The rest of the trip was pretty relaxed.  We stayed close to Galveston.  E showed me the numerous antique and thrift shops and The Strand (it was odd, a bit like a shopping street in Universal Studios).  Galveston has an interesting composition.  It reminds me a little of the Keys.  We did a little shopping at Hobby Lobby and Goodwill and the mall.  It is nice to go shopping with a fellow female once in awhile.  J and I are very purposeful shoppers and we have a nice shopping groove, but it is fun to take your time once in awhile and window-shop for the hell of it.  E drove me, yes, drove me to the beach.  It was so weird to see cars and trucks driving along the water.  We went to a couple of neat restaurants (The Spot, Jimmy's on the Pier, Farley Girls). 

It was interesting to note how different the ocean is on the east coast, the west coast, and the Gulf coast.  I found black sea shells for J.  I guess the water is brackish.  I like the color of the Miami ocean but the look and feel of the Oregon coast.  In some places you can see the oil rigs.

An entire serving of raw oysters all for me because no one else likes them?  Oh what a shame.  Who am I kidding, I wasn't going to share with anyone anyhow! :)  How I eat these disgusting things, I will never know, but I love them.  From The Spot.

Okay, so my excuses for this meal at Farley Girls was 1) it's Texas and food there is ostentatious and 2) it was technically National Grilled Cheese Day.  I'll have you know I ate with a knife and fork, barely touched the fries, didn't finish the burger, and the grilled cheese was my favorite bit.  I felt actually pretty bad after eating this meal.  (My tummy wasn't exactly thrilled with my either, J and I eat relatively clean back in Miami.)  But, you go to Texas and eat no meat.  You can't.  Even their salads are chicken salad, tuna salad, bacon and blue cheese salad.  No wonder people are unhealthy there.  I'm no skinny minny, but it was really eye opening to see all of the food, the size of the portions, and the types of food.  Off the bucket list...

Shrimp po'boy from Jimmy's on the Pier.  I liked the tots.  I couldn't finish everything you see here because we also had an appetizer of tots.  J informs me that this is not a real po'boy.  I'll have to try a NOLA one.

It was really nice to see E and visit with a friend.  If you'd like to read her account of events, please check out her blog at:

http://theodoregriffithandco.wordpress.com/

~~~

Now, to address the future.  As you all know, J and I have been taking steps toward moving out of Miami and continuing the adventure of our lives.  I've worked hard at my position as a secretary, but I've always wanted something more for myself.  I really have a passion for learning and I've wanted to go back to school for quite sometime.  (In the future I hope to have Ph.D. after my name!)  I have been attending information sessions and writing away for informational packets for the last two and a half years.  (I've even started a career binder that was thoroughly labeled and color coded.)  There are many things I think that I could be successful at and many things I like to do, but I spent a long time considering what would bring my passion and talent together.  I applied to two schools and J applied to three schools for Ph.D. programs in his field.  We got into all of the schools we applied to and it came down to a long discussion about where to live and how to pay for it.  That discussion was answered when I was offered a position as a Graduate Assistant that would cover a large portion of my tuition in addition to providing me with a stipend.  So... here is the big news... (it's already dropped via Facebook and family, so it's probably not news to most of you, but I haven't said anything yet on the blog...)

J and I will be moving to Seattle, Washington.  As I mentioned, he'll be continuing his studies in Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies and working towards his Ph.D.  I'll be working towards my Master's Degree in Library and Information Sciences.  I'm combining my love of reading, organization (see example of career binder above), information, and learning into a career that is expanding beyond the traditional stereotype of a librarian.  I'll be working with technology, assisting professors with their websites and I'll be taking most of my classes online, but I'll be taking some on campus and I'll be working on campus.  While I am in school, I hope to get some writing done, unlike now, when I come home exhausted from my 9-5 and volunteering.  There are opportunities for me to work with world-class faculty and to study abroad.  UW-Seattle is the ranked the third highest in Library and Information Sciences in the country and I couldn't be more thrilled.  I was very, very bummed to turn down and opportunity to return to UW-Madison, but we feel like this is the best move for the both of us.  We'll be leaving Miami at the end of June (spending a month in Wisconsin before we head out west in August), there is an end in sight for this Midwesterner!  Now we'll just become Pacific-Northwesterners.  Very busy, very tired, very hard working Pacific-Northwesterners. 

The Emerald City

About two weeks ago J and I went to Seattle for a long weekend.  Instead of writing a long missive (like I have for San Fran) I decided to let the pictures do most of the talking.  It was a whirlwind visit.  Flying from the East Coast to the West Coast twice now in four months has given me a new appreciation for folks who do the LA to NYC commute on the regular.  It is rough.  We couldn't have done the trip without J's dad.  He flew down to Miami to take care of all of our fur babies while we were crossing the country. 

For dinner our first night in town we went to The Brave Horse Tavern.  I'd seen it on Unique Eats.  They have communal seating, which is something a misanthrope like me would usually detest, but their Wisconsin-style cheese curds and dill-pickle dipping sauce helped me get over that quickly.  J liked the artisinal beer selection.  Look at my dopey face.  Can you tell how much I liked this dish?

Another picture of the glorious cheese curds and an excellent pretzel.  I didn't care much for the pimento cheese spread, but J loved it.  They have plenty of other spreads to try.  We happened to get another soft pretzel at Schultzy's Sausage the next day.  I can never get enough soft pretzels. 

J and I in front of Pike's Place Market.  I could have spent hours there.  Just down the hill I ran into one of the adjunct instructors from my department back in Miami.  Go figure!  We also saw a couple with an Italian Greyhound and a French Bulldog.  I usually don't approach pet owners but I had to ask this couple and they were kind enough to answer our questions about how the Frenchie and Iggy got along (we've always wanted a Frenchie!).  Their dogs (both boys) were so loving and gave me lots of kisses.  It helped with the hole in my heart I had from being away from my girls.

The famous fish throwers.

Gorgeous flowers for a really reasonable price.

Amazing selection of produce.  I loved getting all of the samples.  We only saw a small portion of the Public Market and I could have spent hours there.  Maybe someday!

My first chowder.  Probably my last.  I'm sure it was excellent.  The place was packed despite the drizzly weather.  This is actually a scallop chowder.  I just don't like creamy based seafood dishes.  

 

 

 

View from the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower.  It is cheaper than the Space Needle and higher up.  It is a little odd to be walking through a business skyscraper on a weekend.  Everything was eerily quiet and we weren't quiet sure we were headed in the right direction (we had to take two sets of elevators up). 

My only complaint with the Columbia Tower is that you cannot get a 360 degree view.  But it is still spectacular.  I never realized how big Seattle is.  This pictures don't really do it justice.  The mountains are incredible.

Me looking over Puget Sound.

The Famous Fremont Troll (seen in movies like 10 Things I Hate About You).  I had to see this guy before we left.  It was sort of in an odd location (in the midst of a neighborhood).  He wasn't as big as I was expecting him to be, but he isn't as cute as I expected him to be either.  Right before we found him we stopped at a place called Pie.  I had an amazing Rhubarb Raspberry hand pie.  Across the street I popped into a used book store called Ophelia's books.  (This particular trip was a reading success for me because I finished two books!)

From Fremont we walked all the way to Gasworks Park.  It's a pretty neat park that has some old industrial complex/buildings around it.  That's me way off in the distance.  I added this picture because it epitomizes why Seattle is called the Emerald City.  Living in Miami, I had forgotten what spring looked like.  But I realized that after 21 years of living in Wisconsin, I had never seen a prettier, more story-book spring than a Seattle spring.  It looked like a fairy tale come to life.  Fall might have a run for it's money for my favorite season...

Another view of downtown Seattle.  This is from Gasworks Park.  The Space Needle is on the right side.

Gasworks Park and some of the structures there.  It was pretty nippy noodles outside, but there were still plenty of folks playing.  The sky was over-cast, but all in all, we had excellent weather for our trip.

I need to finish Part 2 of my San Fran post and post about my experience swimming with manatees!  I have been busy volunteering at a local branch of my library in addition to taking steps and making decisions about our future (with J, of course).  I've also been dealing with a very sick cat.  Trini has lost all control of her bowel movements.  We clean up after her and not five minutes later there is another puddle on the floor.  This involves baths and drying her with a blow dryer.  It is particularly messy because she has also stopped using her back legs entirely and she chooses to drag herself everywhere.  Often times this leads to a puddle and then an extensive trail of urine through the apartment.  After she is cleaned up then the floor needs to be mopped.  I've made an appointment for her for a day that I had my own doctor's appointment.  I am dealing with a lot of emotions on the matter of my life-long companion (19 and a half years old!).  One emotion I feel in particular is frustration.  For the last five months I have been in and out of the vet explaining how she has been rapidly and steadily declining (losing weight [6 lbs or less], urinating out of the litter box, hiding) and they insisted on tests, ultrasounds, and medications.  They are excellent vets and I have been very pleased with every other situation we've been in, but I feel that the story of Trini has been unnecessarily prolonged in an undignified way.  I feel terrible for her but on the other hand J and I are exhausted.  After working full time, volunteering, and caring for my husband and fur-family I don't really want to blog.  I'm taking the time to do this on a Sunday because it is the best time for me to do it. 

(Please note, I almost never get comments on my blog, but I did turn off my comments on this post because I've talked about Trini ad nauseum to the people in my life who know about how much I care for her [J, my parents, my Gma F, a handful of friends, my coworkers] and that last paragraph was all I am going to say on the matter until we have a discussion with the vet.  Thank you for respecting my wishes.)