Quinoa Salad

I made another delicious meal for my thirty by 30 goal.... On Tuesdays, after yoga, we have family dinner.  For dinner I made a few different dishes but this was the favourite I think...  And I didn't get a photo BUT mine really looked exactly like the posted one.  It was Quinoa salad with black beans, avocado, and cumin-lime dressing. So enjoy the photos and incorporate more quinoa into your diet.

How come I'm not cooking???

I'm still traveling and haven't been in MY kitchen for 9 weeks.  Tomorrow will be flying home (back to the middle east) and will be back in MY space and able to focus on the Thirty by 30 that I've promised you.  So have no fear, once I've sorted out jetlag and my routine... I'll be baking!!!

Summer Bucket List

This summer I wanted to detox, practice yoga, travel, run, and see my family.  

I'd say it's been a successful summer.

Detoxed - (accidentally lost 10+ pounds)
Yoga - practiced many different styles in many different studios (over 45 classes and workshops)
Travel - managed to visit 8 states and one province, including Orange County, California; Vancouver, British Columbia, and Long Island, New York.
Running - Ran in two 5km races (Brooklyn Bridge and the Mount Airy Rocks and Runs - the article even mentions a runner from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates!)
Family - Spent quality time with all of my immediate family members and saw many of my relatives up in Canada!

Successful Summer!

Sunday Lunch

Dad grows a lot of squash every year and usually he and I are the only two who really eat it.  Since I've been detoxing, I haven't been eating or even preparing my share of the squash, so today I tried a new recipe and it turned out delicious!!!  I also made some chicken enchiladas for lunch, threw together some ingredients and the family seemed to enjoy them.  I did have some 'tense' moments in the kitchen when I realized that I'm not amazing at making more than one dish at a time (especially when it's my first time making either of them and one doesn't have a recipe).  I also cannot cook/bake in a messy kitchen... eeeek!

Butternut Squash with sea salt and cracked pepper

Twice Baked Squash - filling has sour cream, paprika, sea salt and cracked pepper... toasted breadcrumbs on top!

Chicken enchiladas in Corn Tortillas (glutton free)...
Filling: Grilled peppers, onions, paprika, sea salt, cracked pepper, chicken
Filling Sauce: Sour Cream, medium Salsa
Topping: Cheddar Cheese, Mozzarella, Salsa

Easy Chicken Fajitas!

These are SOO yummy and easy to make!  I found the recipe on Handle the Heat and figured I'd make good use of my dad's organic peppers and cherry tomatoes.  The other ingredients were mostly lying around and it took barely 30 minutes to complete this dinner from start to finish! I used corn tortillas because they're glutton free and found some other toppings in the fridge.  Enjoy this quick and easy dinner!

chicken sizzling in the cast iron pan with the peppers and onions

delicious toppings

Mateo loved his!!

Josh's Fajita!

Thirty by 30

I've set a deadline of December 23, 2011.  By December 23rd, I want to have perfected... no, mastered thirty recipes.  I want to have a selection of desserts, veggie dishes, appetizers and entrées to serve at a dinner party.  I want to have the perfect combinations of sweet and salty, light dishes and heavier ones.  So I've decided to try a new recipe every week day.  I'll take weekends off (because I'll be doing a lot more 5km and 10km races this year and they are usually Friday mornings!!).  My first recipe attempt is the Oreo Cookie Cheesecake Cupcakes.  They are currently cooling in the fridge - the taste test will be tonight.  So I'm going to try to upload a lot of the recipes on here, along with some oh so artistic photos of my creations!!! ... get excited!!!

one oreo cookie at the bottom of each cupcake

mixing up the cream cheese filling

voila! final product!

YUMMY

Acro Yoga - Banyan Bliss

This past weekend I shot up to the Banyan Tree Resort in RAK for a a weekend of bliss, relaxation, beach, spa, friends, and yoga.  

No Strings Attached

Flying

Mateo Ezra Barkey

You might argue that I'm biased because we have similar DNA.... but I doubt you will argue that Mateo isn't the cutest 3 year old that you've ever seen (I won't judge if you 'have' to say your own kids are cuter... but I'll know you're wrong)

Life isn't fair...

I’ve often written on this blog about my detox/cleanse/weight loss about the friends I've made online and the support system.  I used to know NOTHING about nutrition and have slowly been learning to love healthy, organic food instead of sugars and carbs.  My body craves musli, almonds, raspberries, and greek yoghurt instead of cheerios.  I’ve swapped out rice and breads for tuna, tahini, sesame oil, tomatoes, cucumbers, and tabullah.  Snacks are nuts, fruits, veggies and cheeses rather than chocolate and chips.

I would NEVER have gotten here without the support system that I found through Ketomist.  Suzanne Jackson, one of the administrators on the website, took a personal interest in my shedding – to the point where I would call her a true friend.  She and my mom even met up last month in Southern California for a coffee!! BUT Suzanne has been treated so unfairly by the Ketomist site and is no longer a part of it. The way she and others have been treated makes me question whether I want to be a part of the Ketomist community either. 

Suzanne never seemed to log off from the website, going above and beyond as an administrator. Suzanne was hired as an independent consultant (as per the owner of Ketomist request).  No taxes were taken out, no benefits were given.  She was NOT an employee and there was NEVER any signed agreement between them at any time.

Suzanne decided to copyright her materials – not as a ploy to steal from the company, but because she believed it would act as a safeguard for her hard work.   In researching copyright laws, she learned that in order for Ketomist to ‘own’ the content of her work, Suzanne would have to be paid by the article with a signed agreement for EACH submission. Most publishing contracts give the writer the capability to publish the same content themselves, with options such as a time restriction, being able to publish ‘in part’, or to give full links and notification that the original content was published in such-and such manner and by such-and-such magazine, etc.

Once Suzanne decided to copyright her materials, the “dark side” of Ketomist showed up.   Her account was suspended and ultimately she was terminated.  Ketomist released the following memo, “Suzanne Jackson is no longer with Ketomist.  She has made the decision to move on.  Even though we don’t think anyone can actually replace her, we will have someone doing their best to try and fill her shoes shortly.”  The memo claims she left Ketomist voluntarily - but she did NOT!

Interestingly, within days of Suzanne’s termination, her copyrighted materials were re-written, slightly re-worded and placed in a new area on the site - in the new Knowledge Base on the Ketomist site (dated back in January – hmmm, had this been in the works for a few months). Apparently, Ketomist was taking her materials and making them their own, without giving her the credit.   I’m not stupid.  I was 17 once and in university.  I “re-wrote” papers and quotes and credited them as my own.  I know what plagiarism is. I was a pro.  Ketomist can’t trick me.  And why would they want to? And why have they treated Suzanne so unfairly?  Why couldn't they have worked WITH Suzanne instead of against her? And what will they do to others if they can do this to Suzanne?

Ketomist took the insult one step further by censoring the members.  After they accused Suzanne of abandoning the people she so faithfully mentors, they started censoring and deleting members.  SERIOUSLY???  I thought that the point of the website was to support people on their journey towards weight loss, not protect Rob's side of events or censor members who dared to acknowledge that Rob's version was not the entire story.  One member had the audacity to state that there were two sides to every story and that we wouldn’t really ever know what happened – trusting that both parties had done what they thought was best.  A few hours later she was ejected from the site, comments deleted, and the comment section closed.

Thankfully there is a happy ending to this story.  Because of her termination, Suzanne has been forced to branch out on her own.  She was not planning this move, was not planning to become a small business owner.  But – she is embracing the change and opportunity to help others in their journey towards health.  She has been gifted with the desire as well as the knowledge to help others.  Suzanne is very patient, kind, sympathetic and understanding. She was the support that made the product so wonderful.  She related to her clients in a very personal way.  Suzanne has missed everyone on the Ketomist site and has a lot of concern for them.  The ONLY thing that made Ketomist different than other HCG protocols was that Suzanne’s entire heart was poured into the project.  She was the difference – her sincerity, knowledge, and LOVE for each member of Ketomist.  She did not leave by choice, abandoning the protocol.

Suzanne is available for consult through her website, protocol2health.  What Ketomist does not seem to understand is that the support Suzanne provided cannot be summed up in a static FAQ page, or rewritten into some kind of 'Knowledge Base'.  Suzanne answered everyone, she made herself available at all hours, and she had good information  - all of which combined to make her support invaluable.  (When you are struggling, and you ask a question and you get an answer - a real, solid and personal answer - your chances of success are incalculably improved.  I know, because it happened to me.)

I hope that you will support Suzanne in her new endeavor. It’s easy to just let it slide, it wasn’t my job lost – BUT I love Suzanne, I trust her – and I know that my successful weight loss was due to her love and compassion for me – first for my emotional, psychological, spiritual and THEN for physical healing.

protocol2health

breathe.

Yoga has taught me to my breathe.  Sometimes I forget to breathe.  I get tense and my shoulders scrunch up to my ears and my head starts pulsing.  My limbs tense up and I can feel anxiety rushing over me.  And then I breathe.  The slow rhythmic breathing helps to calm my nerves.  I need to focus my energy on each breath allowing my anxiety to float away.  Focus on prayers and healing.  

This week should have been a yoga week.  A week devoted to breathing.  Slowing down.  I'm tired.  

How do people get the strength to cope through immense pain?  Where do they get their hope? 

My best friend's divorce was finalized this past summer... and her new engagement announced on facebook just two days ago.  I should congratulate her and be happy for her, right?? She became my best friend 8 years ago when we met and embraced... calling each other sisters for life... but how do I congratulate my best friend when her ex-husband is my brother?  My brother who is struggling to remind himself moment by moment of Jesus' love and beg, again, for love?  

How do I console my grade 9 student who just found out that her dad suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep last night?   As I watched Miriam in fourth period, my heart broke.  She laughed, tucked her hair under her shayla, and joked with her friends.  Innocent.  I knew her father was dead but was waiting for her family to come collect her and her three siblings from school and tell her the news... and then as tears threatened to spill over, I had to look away - to focus on anything but her smile and carefree spirit.  All I could think was that her world is going to crash to pieces and never be the same.  An hour later she was told that she would never hug her dad again, never hear him yell her name or or hear his laugh....

So I pause. And breathe.  Close my eyes.  Pray.  

What not to eat!

--- "Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
--- "Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce."
---- "Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot...There are exceptions --- honey --- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food."
--- "Always leave the table a little hungry.'"
--- "Eat meals together, at regular meal times."
--- "Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car."
--- "Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk." 


Michael Pollan

Why Not???

WHY NOT? Shop

I'm always up for an adventure and knew that I needed to take advantage of a long weekend (the prophet Mohammad had a birthday). So we went online, booked a ticket, and jetted off to Jordan.  Now unless you don't have a passport (shameful), there is NO reason why YOU can't book yourself a trip to somewhere phenomenal so don't start whinging about your boring life...

Everyday was a highlight of the trip - though dipping my head into the Jordan might have been one of the most entertaining for the others... or jumping in the back of the Jordanian's truck for a photo shoot... or perhaps it was the mud wrestling at the dead sea?

The first stop was Madaba - in one small church we saw a "carpet" mosaic.  This "carpet" mosaic showed the fish swimming as fast as possible AWAY from the dead sea saltiness!!

See the fish in the top right? ? ? In the river? It's swimming AWAY from the Dead Sea.

Next we headed to Mount Nebo where we looked across the valley, remembering Moses and God's people.

just catching a ride to the next spot... :)

After hanging out with Moses, we headed to the baptism site.  This is when things got wet after I dipped my head in the Jordan river...
self baptisms are allowed in most churches, right?


Obviously we stopped at the dead sea for a swim float!  I took full advantage of the "free mud", probably making me look 25 again! No wrinkles ANYWHERE on my body!






We finished the day by driving down to Petra where we met some local boys, ate delicious falafel's and hung out at the ghetto cafeteria until way too late.  Early the next morning we headed into Petra.  The entire experience was phenomenal, the treasury is the most photographed part of Petra, however the highlight was hiking up to the monastery!!   I learned that I'm unbelievably scared of riding donkeys up stairs carved into the side of a mountain.  I'll skydive, ride alone on an elephants neck, heck - travel alone in the middle east... but ride a crazy ass up a mountain? NOPE!

My wedding came next in the Wadi Rum, following a beautiful sunset over the desert... What's most interesting is that many people believed (from my facebook updates) that I ACTUALLY married a guy I just met!!! Don't worry, I'm only married according to some Bedouin traditions - and some wonderful Bedouin lady even stood in as my mother... or perhaps crazy aunt!

Jerash was the last 'tour' part of the trip - I hadn't realized the Romans had built so many cities around the middle east... part of their world domination tour I guess.

Amman sightseeing was cut a bit short by torrential rains (whoever says it doesn't rain in the middle east is a liar) but we still were able to see more Roman ruins and explore the downtown markets.  I'm not convinced that I want to move to Jordan anytime soon, however it was great to see the different cultures and religions all wildly accepted - we even came across a yoga store off Rainbow Street - many people would never believe a New Age store would exist next to a Christian bookstore in Jordan!!

Moral of the Story:  When in Jordan be sure to hit up Books at Cafe on Rainbow Street for a coffee and dessert in a chill environment!!

inappropriate attire

if I can do this, so can you!!

Last week we had sports day and I was responsible for two sports "stations"... BUT, I woke up late and wasn't really thinking when I threw an abaya over my pj's and scrambled to get ready.  I definitely was a favourite though when I led the kids in push ups, sit ups, and the wheelbarrow race... all dressed in abaya!!  I think that the students and teachers have some new respect for me... either that or they think I'm crazy.

 

sixteen, seventeen, eighteen....

lice or rabies?

My grade 2-C class is full to the max.  With only 21 working computers and 26 students - the class turns into chaos as they fight for computers and argue over who gets to wear the headsets.  Most of the class is spent listening to kids yell, "miss misS miSS mISS MISS" until I rush over next to them.  Usually the problem is something simple... a pop-up on their screen or the volume on their headphones is turned down.  I prefer these problems to the constant tattle-telling that goes on.  I even had one kid proudly tell me that yes, he did hit her, but he said he was sorry right afterward (in a tone implying that he could do whatever he wished, so long as he said he was sorry).

Lice or rabies? Which would you prefer?  20 minutes into class, the students brought me their mousepad.  I couldn't figure out the problem, I mean - who cares that there is a black speck on the mousepad?  I reckoned one kid had drawn on it with a pen and really didn't care... and then it moved.  The black speck was MOVING across the mousepad and the kids told me it "fell from her head". . . What the heck???

Two hours later I was doing my mandatory break supervision.  The sandstorm was gone and I had no excuse to play sick.  As I was patrolling the litter ridden playground, looking for misbehaving kids to punish with cleaning duty, I heard "miss misS miSS mISS MISS" and five kids ran over, grabbed ahold of me, and dragged me over to Ali.  This little 6 year old had another child in a death grip and was going all turrets on him.  I pried them apart and Ali turned on me.  Kicking and flailing, I tried to calm him.  All attempts to reason with him were suspended when he turned and BIT me. SERIOUSLY? 

so now I'm left with an itchy scalp and vampire venom coursing through my veins...

will a doppio espresso kill the poison??

white lies

The sandstorm started about 10 minutes before the kids were meant to go on break.  But did that cancel break?  Unfortunately the kids didn't seem bothered by the sand (apparently kids like getting dirty) and it was just me out there wincing with the piercing grains of sand pummeling against my body.  Now I'm dirty and covered in sand.  I think I actually look like I'm in my 30's...  I'm pretty sure that recess is canceled during blizzards, rain, and hailstorms... why not during sandstorms???  Would it be horrible if I told them I'm allergic to sand so that I don't have to go out there again tomorrow? 

Caution: whipped cream whippin...

You're probably wondering who won the battle of the Whipped Cream vs. Hanners...

I'll let the photos speak for themselves!

farewell to the latte...

I don't contribute much to the blogging world and think perhaps I probably should have just gotten a twitter account.  Have I written anything that has impacted anyone?  Changed the world?  Spread some love?  Or have I just contributed to all the NOISE out there with my verbal diarrhea?

I guess today I'm hoping I can share some information that might be of value to you.  I've finished my massive detox and managed to shed 25+ pounds AND have kept it off!  I even convinced a few of you to join me in this journey towards health and hopefully have been an encouragement to those of you who had 10, 20, 50+ pounds to shed. 

My initial goal was to lose weight and through the homeopathic 'cure' and then re-set my metabolism so that I could eat a pie or brick of ice-cream and still stay thin.  Life doesn't work like this.  What happened instead is that I became a quasi health fanatic who realized that I know nothing.  It's hard to re-train your brain once you've accepted the cultural norms and thought it was actually good to be normal.  When it comes to your health and diet (diet referring to the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group, not weight loss diet), eating what is considered normal is NOT healthy and will adversely affect your quality of life today and in the future.  


My friend Autumn, a brilliant artist and nutrition guru, has given me a LOT of information.  Today's lesson is all about Milk.  Since I've stolen her words and spiced them up with some of my ramblings, I give Autumn credit for anything that makes sense below - and anything wacky?  I probably added that in...

So what does this have to do with lattes?  And why do I have to give them up???  Say farewell???  I keep being told that it's not fat that makes us fat, it's sugars and carbs. RIGHT!!?!  Milk has carbs.  Carbs from sugar.  The lower fat percentage, the higher the sugar/carb content.  So I thought that if I made it a breve latte (whole milk and half and half) I would be doing myself a favor.  Less sugar, right? Wrong.  With over 400 calories a pop, who can have these everyday along with the 2000+ calories we typically consume?  Not me!  

When we substitute our fat free milk for full fat, we can't do it on a 1 to 1 ratio.  Milk is full of simple carbs which are the enemy (complex carbs are from whole grains and veggies, NOT the enemy.  A gallon of whole milk is labeled 12g of carbs, 11g of which are from sugar.  Same goes for the 2% and skim milk.  All milk has a LOT of carbs. 12g carbs is as much as a lollypop.  So, you may drink milk, but you may also be setting yourself up for a weight gain.


However - half and half has only 1g carbs and heavy cream has 0g carbs. Half and half and heavy cream are our friends.  But yes, those are high in calories.  If you count calories, or even if you don't -  let's say you enjoy lattes.  Don't make a latte with heavy cream.  Instead, make whipped cream with stevia and vanilla and pour your 2 shots of espresso through it.  Toss in about 3enormous spoonfuls of whipped cream  - nearly filling the glass, and then the hot espresso melts it a bit and - it is delish!

Or, stir a lot of half and half into your coffee - or stir in heavy cream, using as much as needed (2 or 3 Tbsp) to get the color - the light brown milky creaminess that you want, but you don't swap out milk for cream in equal amounts.

You could froth milk and only use the froth to top it off - but if you make whipped cream, you can make it in advance and keep it in the fridge to top off your coffee drinks...sprinkle on a bit of cinnamon and unsweetened cocoa and you're off to the races!

It's not going to happen overnight, but I'm on a journey to give up the latte's... Maybe' I'll have to change the name of the blog to hanners?  whipped cream and espressos? 

late again...

I figured out what went wrong with my mobile phone.  I stopped by an iphone store earlier in the evening and the man must have plugged my iphone into his computer - and then informed me that his itunes had a virus and to please come back tomorrow.  I never saw him connect the phone to his computer, but it was a dodgy back street - and as the only girl in site, I used my slanty roaming eyes to stay alert (though my trusted body guard Robby was by my side at all times).  I guess when the dodgy computer guy stole my phone he must have reset the time.  And this morning I was late AGAIN.  Yesterday I woke up at 7:00am and was at work by 7:50am.  This morning I woke up at 6:32am and was at work at 7:45am. SERIOUSLY?  I got up 28 minutes earlier and only made it to work 5 minutes earlier than yesterday??? Now that my watch isn't 15 minutes fast I don't know what time to leave for work.  I can't remember what time I used to leave for work - and I can't even remember how long it takes to drive to work!!!  I think it takes about 12-15 minutes, but who knows.  Is this old age?  Is Alzheimers taking it's toll at 29?  What's going to happen when I'm 30 years old??

Moral of the story:  Am going for a latte after work, hoping to discourage a "late" in the am...

format

am trying out a new format, hoping have a less aggressive layout, easier for people to read and enjoy..

thoughts?

Blaming Etisalat

I've been late for work four times this entire school year. Which isn't bad, until you consider that all four "lates" were in the past month.  And until today, I was literally ONE MINUTE late for work each time.  But one minute means that I still have to sign the Late Sheet. 

Today we have our monthly meeting and I know punctuality will be a hot topic.  So of course, I woke up early, brushed my teeth, washed my face, rubbed out the sleepy lines and heated up the espresso machine.  Five minutes later I was jumping in the car, a full FIFTEEN minutes earlier than normal.  Then disaster struck.  I glanced at my car clock, then my mobile phone/alarm clock, looked back at my car clock, back at the mobile... (I'm on a horse). UGH, EEEEK!  I keep my mobile 15 minutes fast to help me stay "on time". 

Last night, at some random point in the night, my mobile went in sync with Etisalat, the mobile provider I use here.  My stupid friggin annoying mobile was no longer fifteen minutes fast.  And I'm still in the dark as to how this happened.  I didn't tell it to change times - last night while running errands the clock was normal... fast...  This morning I wasn't leaving for work early, I was leaving later than normal.  Actually, it was a record late time.

Shoot me now...

moral of the story:  "lates" are not nearly as cool as "lattes"

highs and lows

I don't want to be a rollercoaster person - you know the type, the ones who are giddy happy one minute and then crash and turn into a miserable person the next!  I've had a great first week of 2011 and then today was miserable.  The students made me wanna shoot myself in the face, there isn't enough time to get things done, my car needs ANOTHER repair (what the heck is an engine cushion and why is my car so friggin loud when I reverse??? oh yeah, it needs a dang friggity lickin new engine cushion...). SO my fear is that this crappy day is going to stick around and I won't be able to shake it. 

And if things turn around, am I going to be on top of the world again? I don't want to become bi-polar.  BUT I do want to be filled with God's Joy and stay on top.

breathe. breathe.

It's ok to have bad days.  It's what I do with the bad day that matters.  The kids leave in 10 minutes, I leave in 30.  Am headed to Starbucks to meet Elaina Renee for a latte.  Then steak for dinner.  It's gonna be ok.

(ps, I know my blog is boring. but I like writing anyways! :)

smile or puke?

I'm having a good week.  Once I recovered from my distressing 8 hour encounter with the JFK airport, I couldn't stop smiling.  I'm home and the jetlag is almost a memory.  I did sneak into Elaina's room this morning so that I could use her internet when I woke up at 5:15am... I didn't stop smiling yesterday when one grade 5 student told me that there are only two teachers in our school who don't yell at students.  ME and her mother.  I couldn't stop smiling because I don't know her mum's name.  I just call her "teacher who yells" when speaking about her.  Sometimes I have to clarify if "teacher who yells" is arabic, head teacher, ms. happy, or american... But usually my collegue Robby knows exactly who I'm speaking about.

Then today I nearly vomitted in my mouth.  Dillemma.  Do I laugh it off, confront her, or vomit?

The only thing I could think to do was blast a bit of Chris Martin Christmas songs and hope that it would drown her out.  I'm still smiling, she can't ruin the Christmas glow around me.  Now I'm headed home for a humongous steak and a restful evening...

... and maybe even a latte!

JFK excitement

JFK airport just really isn't amazing. True, it has 8 terminals, but terminal 4 is NOT amazing.  FOUR may be my favourite number but this airport is BORING.  My flight was supposed to leave at 11pm.  it's now 12:05am and I'm still here.  There was some sort of mechanical problem and the plane was replaced on the Dubai end... and was delayed there for 12 hours.  When it's a 15 hour flight, that is a huge deal.  Apparently it's supposed to land here at 2:30am, get cleaned, and then take off again at 4:30am.  DOUBTFUL that will happen as the Emirates Airbus 330 is the largest plane in the world and takes HOURS to empty, clean, and refill.

Airports are boring, but there's plenty going on here to watch.  For instance, crazy lady next to me has a cat on a leash... and she's gently coaxing the cat to drink her "mochi mocha" out of the take-away cup provided by Peet's Coffee and Tea. That's weird, eh? isn't it?  I did also think it was odd she was trying to get people to take her free hotel voucher, there is some reason why she can't use it but I tried to not listen to her while she explained the reasons again and again...

I thought about getting a pedicure while I waited but it seemed a better idea to (stop the press, crazy lady just tried to get cat to eat her panini, asking her again and again, are you sure you don't want it? sure you don't want it???) pay the 8 bucks for boingo internet than the 50 for pretty toes.  and I loved visiting Jenny in New York for New Years, but seriously, what airport doesn't have free wireless these days???  And airports without comfy seating or beds seriously suck. SUCK SUCK SUCK.

I am already missing my pro-d day at work, looks like I might miss the first day of school of 2011..... whoops!

moral of the story:  always good to have internet and latte's!