Help, I'm alive

I was at Walmart (for reasons unimportant) and I went to the bakery section. They had french bread and ciabatta bread so, silly me, I think 'they've gotta have brioche or challah bread.' Instead I get "....I've never heard of either of those before." YOU WORK IN THE BAKERY SECTION!! ..but what I said back was "REALLY?!"
Then I just couldn't decide which bacon to get. "...I'm making French Toast Bread Pudding with Spiced Pears. Maple might be too much sweet. ..not everyone is like me."
.....and then it was Anjou..."well they don't have Comice". Until just beyond the bagged pears - wedged in between bags of mixed fruit - was hunks of meat with nothing but a thin layer of plastic wrap in between the bloody juices and the not-in-season fruit.
It was time to go.

Run after the ice cream man and opportunities will knock

Earlier this week (Wednesday) my Mom asked me if I wanted to run the Doylestown 5K with her. I am NOT someone who exercises regularly but I tell myself I want to...So, I told her I'd think about it.
This year, my resolution is to do things that make me happy (I may keep that resolution until I die...it's working out pretty well) so I decided to really do it - get in shape! I found a great guide to training for a 5K and I'm pairing it with a shortened version of the guide to running a mile. Dustin (my Husband) said that he'd do it with me if we did it in the morning - 5am in the morning. That's really early for both of us but I actually got excited about it...until the dream (oh, there's always a dream).
Dustin and I were running in a place that resembled both Doylestown, PA and Pittsburgh, PA (lot's of hills) and we made it back to our place (which of course looked nothing like our house). But for some reason we were planning to run again, as if we hadn't just went for a run. I went into the laundry room and looked at a clock in there. It was 9:45am! My class started at 8:30!(for some reason, in my dreams I'm usually still in high school or college...but I never remember my schedule...I'm pretty sure I'm failing my first dream class) ! I told Dustin I needed to hurry! He decided that the solution was to invite his friends over and make breakfast..that looked disgusting. No one seemed to understand my urgency - not even when an alarm went off.
When I realized it was my real alarm I woke up with anxiety running through me. I told Dustin it was time to run! He didn't want to, naturally. I laid there for a few minutes but I knew that I couldn't go back to sleep. It was time to run! So, I hit him in the face....lightly...and I told him that he said we would do it at 5am! Run 1/4 of a mile and walk the rest! I had planned our route! I had made a spreadsheet (something I'm notorious for)! "I'm not going to let you ruin this for me!" I said with irritation and I got up to pee.
Dustin slowly got up and after dressing while stretching we headed out! Into the void!

Yea...So?

I usually assume people are crazy.
The other day I was standing on a porch in a bad neighborhood (one of the hazards of being married to a real estate agent) and I saw this older lady carrying a big paper grocery bag full of stuff. She would stop every few feet and put it down and then pick it back up and keep walking. I found this very odd and possibly hostile.
...Then Dustin told me that she's putting the bag down because it's probably heavy and she's probably getting tired of carrying it...hmmmm...
Maybe if it was a nicer neighborhood I would've tried to help her. Isn't that sad? Oh well.

Aurora Borealis

I keep having dreams where I have to run from/escape something. Last night was no exception. In fact it was several waves of intense. My dream started off at a concert with Dustin and a family member. The concert was at a college and when we went back to our car there was a letter on the windshield that the family member wrote to keep us from getting a parking ticket; explaining that Donald Sutherland had taken our parking pass. Perfectly understandable.
Since there wasn't a parking ticket on my windshield we decided to go back to our room (not sure whose room it was).
We were hanging out for a short time when the door and windows burst open. I managed to quickly stuff a wad of cash in a small pouch and throw into the closet. These drug dealers wanted their money but they were not going to get it. These were bad men who worked for a very powerful, bald, possibly one-eyed drug lord of the James Bond arch nemesis variety. They didn't see the money so they left. But they'd be back!
So, we decided to go out shopping...I was trying to find an outfit to match the big hair of Blake from Workaholics when something distracted me; people looked really frightened. I went outside of the store into the parking lot and saw that there was an enormous Bison! Those things have heads like bulldozers! And they travel all winter to reach grass that has enough arsenic in it to slowly kill them. He was pissed.
Dustin and a few others joined me outside and saw immediately that this huge creature was going to charge and the APR ...was our lives! We hurried back into the store, me screaming "hide in the bathrooms or something! Hide in the bathrooms or something!"
I love that I kept repeating "..or something" like that really stressed the immediacy with which to flee.
Anyways, we ran into the bathroom which resembled the locker room from middle school and hid in stalls and behind rows of lockers. I was sitting on the floor of a stall and as the glass of the front windows shattered I grabbed onto a small, blonde boy whose mother was unable to protect him. It was very heroic of me.
All was quiet and it was decided that the bison had left. It was safe to go outside. As we got to the parking lot it became clear that the bison was the least of our worries. There were zombies everywhere! Luckily they weren't paying attention to us so we decided to make a run for it, getting on an old bus. Conveniently, there was a driver on the bus waiting for us and we took off right away; driving down a road alongside a beautiful field of sun colored wheat. After a minute I realized that we were in Africa and this was no peaceful countryside. There was barbed wire on either side of the road with wild, blood thirsty lions, hyenas and cheetahs, in unbelievable numbers. They were reaching through the fence, snarling and fighting to get to us. The wire was breaking! They would surely eat us!
And then my cat jumped on me and all was well.

Snowed in

Dustin and I are getting married this weekend! The favors are done, the final confirmation documents are initialed and faxed and I've been packed for about a month.
I'm a little worried about getting down there with the snow and everything, but I guess as long as we're there in time it doesn't really matter how we get there...Even if I do get stuck in the middle seat of a pick up truck for the the one thousand, seven hundred and some miles. I'm making myself feel better by going over the itinerary, looking up the different ports and what we'll do there ...alright readers, time to make you jealous :P ..and aware of where I am incase of some kind of incident...

2/13/10-

We'll be boarding the Crown Princess in Port Everglades between 1:00pm-4:00pm and meeting with the wedding coordinator to go over the details again.

I'm thinking that night there's going to be some kind of on deck party..

2/14/10 -

We'll be at Sea this day. Our wedding day! We're getting married at 3:30 in the afternoon by the ship's captain.

Our reception is going to be at Sabitini's which looks gorgeous from the pictures and the menu looks amazing!

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SABATINI’S SET MENU

Antipasti

Prosciutto e Melone
Imported from Italy
with Sweet Melon

Perle del Mar Caspio
Sevruga Caviar with Poached Quail Eggs
on Potato Latkes and Chive Cream
Insalata di Gamberi e Carciofi
Tender Shrimp and Marinated Artichoke with White Truffle Oil

Polpettine al Granchio
Deviled Crab Cakes
with a Salmon Roe Rouille
Porcini all’ Olio Vergine
Porcini Mushrooms, Extra Virgin
Olive Oil and Fresh Tarragon

Bresaola della Valtellina
Air Cured Beef Fillet, Grilled Vegetables and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Cozze allo Zafferano
Steamed Black Mussels with Garlic, Fennel and Saffron
Ostriche Impanate e Fritte
Batter Fried Oysters
on a Mediterranean Tapenade

Pasta

Cannelloni Tricolore
Baked Green, Red and White Cannelloni
Filled with Ground Sirloin, Eggplant and Ricotta Cheese

Secondi Piatti

Grigliata di Mare
Lobster, Langoustines, Prawns, Scallops and Sea Bass
With Risotto al Nero di Seppia and Lemon Pinot Grigio Sauce
or
Vitello allo Scalogno
Roasted Chop of Veal with Caramelized Shallots,
Sautéed Sweetbreads and Marsala Jus

Dolce

Tiramisu
Espresso, Kahlúa and Mascarpone Cream

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2/15/10- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Dustin and I reserved an excursion that goes to a Turtle Farm, Hell (which is a part of the island with lime stone formations) and then Sting Ray City which is what I'm really excited about. Dustin really doesn't like going in the ocean so he's going to take pictures from the boat while I stand in three feet of water off of a sand bar and feed/swim with wild sting rays!

Then we'll see some things on our own. A tourist site posted "...don't leave without ordering a mudslide at beachside Rum Point."

2/16/10- Roatan, Honduras

It's supposed to be a really pretty island, but due to past government warnings, we're not sure if we're even getting off the boat.

2/17/10-Cozumel, Mexico

I went to this island two summers ago and mostly saw museums and things on the west side of the island. We don't have any excursions planned with a professional group, but we're planning on renting a motorized scooter...like a moped..and exploring on our own. I really want to visit Faro Celarain Eco Park. According to a tourist site,http://www.cozumelparks.com, the "Ecological park and nature reserve is a breathtaking environment of mangrove jungles, white sand beaches and reef formations at the south end of the island. The park extends over more than 247 acres of land harboring a varied wildlife, including crocodiles, which visitors can watch from a safe distance in a look-out tower, 220 species of birds, iguanas, and giant turtles, which come to shore between June and August to lay their eggs. Among the park's most interesting structures is an old lighthouse and navigation museum displaying the evolution of seamanship and navigation from the time of the Maya to modern times. Here, visitors can also learn about life in Cozumel during the first part of the 20th century through photos and other articles belonging to several generations of lighthouse keepers and their families. Near the lighthouse, El Caracol is a well-preserved ancient structure, used by the Mayas to signal the approach of a hurricane." Yay!

2/18/10- At Sea

I ordered a four course, champagne breakfast for Dustin and I on our balcony!

This will probably be the second Formal night and I'm hoping that we get an invitation, either this night or another night, to dine with the captain.

2/19/10- Princess Cays, Bahamas

This is the island owned by Princess Cruise lines so there's really not much on the island. Beach Day! I reserved what's called a clam shell...basically just one of those big wooden things to sit lounge chairs under...the last thing I need is to fight with some crazy old lady for some shade.

2/20/10-

Flying home!