Back in Oz

"Just click your heels together three times and say there's no place like home..."

Deliriously home sick, I started a countdown a month out from our trip back to Kansas.  The night before our flight almost felt like Christmas eve...I was so excited for the next day I could hardly fall asleep.  We had a wonderful trip and crammed in visits to as many family members and friends that we could.

Our very first stop after the airport was Jazz "A Louisiana Kitchen".  We have yet to find any superb Cajun food here and couldn't wait to indulged in crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, fried oysters and sweet tea.  After a quick run through of some of our favorite outlet stores at the Legends outdoor mall, we raced on to our next stops. 

We visited with some of Josh's KC coworkers and met a few of my old coworkers at RA Sushi in Leawood for happy hour.  We also stopped to visit a friend who recently had a baby.  And even though I have pretty severe "babyphobia," I held the little guy!

At RA Sushi with Gen & Jen

After our whirl-wind tour of Kansas City, we headed on to Josh's parents house in Wamego to prepare for the main event...his sister's wedding!  For those of you that may not know...Wamego is an unofficial "Wizard of Oz" town.

 

Oz Winery

Toto's Tacoz!

Street banners that say "Welcome to Oz"

We love going in to the Oz Winery and reading the wine bottle labels.  With names like "Ding Dong the Wine is Red," "Angry Trees" and "Witch in a Ditch" it's hard to resist snatching up a couple of bottles to take home.   

Becca, Halli and I with our peacock earrings.

Early Saturday morning, the girls met at Head First Salon to primp for the wedding.  Two of Josh's aunts brought in an amazing breakfast for us to munch on while we waited to get our hair done.  

Susan and Becca at Head First Salon

While we were at the salon, Josh and his brother were given the task of steaming Becca's wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses.  They were good sports and did a great job.

Becca waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin.  We managed to slide a chair under the train of her dress so that it wouldn't wrinkle!  :)

Dancing the night away

I love this picture...notice Roy in the background

Brad and Becca

Sunday morning Josh and I drove to Peabody to visit my family.  We had lunch with my dad's side of the family and supper with my mom's side.  They surprised us with make many of our favorites - brisket, cheesy potatoes, rolls, and grandpa's homemade ice cream. We loved having the chance to catch up with everyone, even if it was for such a short time.  

Josh and I with my niece and nephews

Light the Night

Josh and I will be participating in the Northern Virginia Light the Night Walk on October 1st in memory of my cousin Kristen Graham, who lost her battle with leukemia one year ago on September 11, 2010.  Please help us in raising funds for the LLS that support cancer research and assistance for cancer patients.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/nca/Reston11/TeamHatfield

We walked in the Kansas City LTNW last year and it was absolutely amazing.  It was an overwhelming sight seeing so many thousands of people walking quietly in the dark with their illuminated balloons.  I remember holding my hand against the photo of Kristen on my t-shirt as the walk kicked off, and trying to fight off the tears that were streaming down my cheeks.  

I honestly cannot believe that it has been one year since our family lost Kristen.  I still struggle with accepting that she will never again bless us with her bright smile at family gatherings.   She had the most infectious laugh and wonderful sense of humor.  It is comforting to know that Kristen's spirit lives on through the many, many people who knew and loved her. 

  Miss you.  Love you. 

Shake, Rattle and...Run

Today's 5.8 magnitude earthquake here in Virginia was quite an experience!  I was at work sitting at my desk around 1:50pm when I felt the building starting to shake.  The initial tremor was mild to moderate and the second wave of shaking was much stronger and lasted approximately 45 seconds.  As the tremor got stronger the drop ceiling in the office I share with 3 others fell down on the north side of the room.  Luckily it fell on the opposite side of the room from our desks and we were able to run out of the room before it fell further.  The building management had us stand outside the building for an hour and a half before allowing us to run back inside to grab purses and keys so that we could head home.  We were told there was a possible gas leak in the building that was caused by the quake.  I later found out that instead of running outside away from the building, we should have just stayed inside and crawled under our desks.  Oops...  In Kansas we practice tornado drills, not earthquake drills!

The news is saturated with earthquake coverage and interviews - MSNBC, Washington Post, CNN.  The local news station is covering damage reports -  In Vienna, a brick wall collapsed on a car, in D.C. the national cathedral suffered some damage.  The majority of office buildings and all government buildings have been evacuated and there is widespread gridlock throughout the area as everyone tries to get home.

When I got home, Alex poked his head out from under the sofa.  The poor little guy was probably scared out of his mind.  A decorative plate in our kitchen had fallen and shattered on counter, a couple of wine glasses had fallen and broken, pictures on the walls were askew, and small items had fallen off of shelves.  No cracks in the walls or anything severe.  Josh and I are both fine.  Since we've been here, we've had blizzards, excessive heat warnings, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and next up, hurricane Irene! 

Okra's tries to pull a fast one

I tend to write about food on here a lot.  I love food.  I love trying new food, visiting hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and stealing bites of food from Josh's plate if what he's eating looks better than what I've ordered.  (Which happens frequently.)  I was overjoyed this weekend to finally find a nearby Cajun restaurant.  In Kansas City, we frequently ate at Jazz.  I've been aching for some good Cajun food and found a restaurant called Okra's Louisiana Bistro in Manassas, VA.  Manassas is located about 20 minutes southwest of us and is where The Battle of Bull Run took place in 1861.  The restaurant is brightly painted outdoors and indoors in traditional New Orleans colors - bright purple, yellow and green.  Our silverware bundles were even wrapped in Mardi Gras beads.  We tried the alligator bites with spicy remoulade sauce for our appetizer and they were delicious.  Josh tried a cup of their traditional gumbo and it too was very yummy.  For our entrees, Josh ordered shrimp jambalaya and I ordered the crawfish etouffee.  The plate that showed up in front of me was not crawfish etouffee.  I know what a crawfish looks, tastes, and smells like.  I have fished for crawfish in Kansas ponds and have eaten crawfish at other Cajun restaurants.  The waiter sat down our plates and quickly walked away.  I poked suspiciously at the food until he returned and then asked, "These are crawfish?"  He chuckled nervously and gave me a sheepish grin and quickly walked away a 2nd time.  I laid one of my "crawfish" next to one of the shrimp on Josh's plate.  Those two little boogers could have been brothers.  Josh said, "Maybe they're just really big crawfish."  But after trying one he agreed...these were shrimp.  Does anyone else at this restaurant fall for this?  Maybe they ran out and were just hoping no one would notice the substitute.  Shame on them.  I would definately eat here again...I just wouldn't order "crawfish."  (Here ends my soapbox rant.)

D.C. is for History Lovers

This weekend was my last "free weekend" for awhile - tomorrow it's back to spending every free minute cramming for one more FINRA license I have to obtain by mid-September.  We trekked into D.C. to the National Mall to check out a number of places that were on our list of must-sees.  Our first stop was the National Archives.  If you've seen the movie National Treasure, staring Nicholas Cage, I'm sure you remember the scene when Riley uses the camera laser to raise the temperature of the display case so that the Declaration of Independence has to be moved to the underground vault so that Benjamin Gates can steal it.  Movies have a way of romanticizing things and then when you get to experience them in real life, you're met with a huge let down.  We waited an hour in line to get in to the exhibit...anticipation mounting...excited to see the most important documents of our Nation's history...pushing and squirming our way through smelly tourists...to get a 3 minute glance at the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Don't get me wrong, it was amazing to see these historic documents, but it was not the glamorous scene depicted in the movie. 

Next, we walked over to the Museum of Natural History.  The main artifact we were on a mission to find was the Hope Diamond.  This breathtaking 45.52 carat diamond supposedly carries a curse. (Click link for a list of those affected by the supposed curse.)  For a limited time, it is on display in a special diamond setting designed by Mr. Harry Winston.  After Mr. Winston purchased the diamond he donated it to the Smithsonian because he believed it would keep him from be afflicted by the curse.

For lunch we walked over to the American Indian Museum.  It was our first time visiting this museum and it was amazing.  The building was constructed so that there are no right angles.  Really, NONE!  Native Americans believe that evil spirits can hide in corners.  The architecture of this building flows beautifully.  A tip from us to you, if you're visiting the National Mall, skip eating at all of the other museum food courts, don't buy an overpriced hotdog or soft pretzel from a food cart vender...walk yourself over to this museum for a one of a kind meal at the Mitsitam Cafe.   

The cafe features different food stations serving food from different Native American regions.  I tried the conch ceviche from the South American section and Josh tried the chipotle chicken flat bread taco from the Central American section.  I hadn't eaten conch since 2009 when we were in the Turks & Caicos Islands.   Mmmm Mmmm have I missed it. 

Across the street from the American Indian Museum is the United States Botanical Gardens.  I'd love to come back here when the weather is nicer.  Amid the hustle and bustle of D.C. the gardens offer a quiet, serene oasis.  When my parents come back to visit, we'll definitely have to take my mom here.  Although her love for photographing foliage could make it hard for us to ever get her out of the gardens. 

Suffering from achy feet and mild heat exhaustion we found our way back to the metro station.  Plans for our next excursion to this area include the International Spy Museum and Ford's Theatre!

Road Tripp'n to Richmond

This past weekend we were in Richmond, VA to see our friends Adam & Stacie.  The drive down to Richmond is one of the most stressful stretches of highway I've ever driven.  Traffic will be flowing smoothly at 80 mph and then all of the sudden come to a screeching halt for no apparent reason.  This slowdown/speed up routine continues the entire way.  But it's totally worth making the nightmarish drive to see our friends.

We ate a delicious lunch at Cafe Ole in the Carytown area of Richmond and then headed over to Belle Isle Park.  Suspended beneath HWY 301, over the James River, is an amazing pedestrian foot bridge that leads to Belle Isle.  In this area the James River is dotted with large boulders and the river is relatively shallow and calm.  Richmonders bring beach towels, coolers and snacks and lounge on the rocks between dips in the river.

Stacie and Adam are very modest celebrities.  If you're a fan of the Rachael Ray Show, you might have seen them on TV in 2008.  Stacie sent in a nomination for a room makeover in their home.  Adam is an extreme fan of the band KISS and she decided that his large collection of KISS memorabilia needed to be tamed and displayed in a more organized way.  http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/kiss-room-makeover/.  The room is absolutely amazing.  Adam loves it, Stacie loves it, everyone's happy.

       Josh in front of the fiery KISS closet.  His face in this photo scares me. 

One of my coworkers had mentioned to me that every time she goes home to Richmond she eats at Comfort.  When I told Adam and Stacie this they both looked at me with glazed over expressions and I thought they were going to start drooling.  Evidently Comfort is THE spot to go to in Richmond for comfort food.  Our meal was absolutely delectable.  I had catfish, fried okra, and mac 'n cheese. While Josh tried the pork tenderloin, cheese grits and pickled beets.  It was one of those meals where everyone sits and eats in silence for brief periods of time because each person is too busy enjoying their meal to participate in conversation.  The restaurant has a beverage on their drink menu called "Virginia Lightening" but we heard that it does not have the signature burn of real Virginia white-lightening.  Yet again, Richmond proves to be a good time and we look forward to many more trips!

Hiking Old Rag Mountain

This weekend I conquered Old Rag Mountain. Old Rag Mountain is in the Shenandoah National Park and is part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range.  Old Rag is one of the most challenging and most frequently hiked mountains in the range. The hike, a circuit loop, from start to finish is nearly 9 miles and reaches a height of 3,291 feet above sea level. The total elevation change from the base to the summit is about 2,200 feet.

One of my co-workers organized this hike in an effort to introduce others to the wonders of the Blue Ridge Mountains (and I think to find others willing to trudge through the wilderness).

The hike is comprised of trails blazed through forest and rock formations and concludes with a 1.2 mile rock scramble to the summit.  I can only describe the “rock scramble” as crawling, pulling, and overcoming large boulders and impossibly tight passes between slabs of granite. I’m glad that other hikers were too busy trying to figure out how to navigate the trail to notice my (surely) awkward contorting, flexing and bending to get through some of the obstacles.

Typical trail heading up to the summit

Part of the Rock Scramble (the blue paint indicates you’re on the "right" trail)

These 'stairs' were cut out of lava rock which had flowed up between 

two slabs of granite during the formation of the range

Nearing the summit – almost there…

 The summit is almost within reach…

The views from the top were spectacular! We ate lunch at the top and enjoyed a 360-degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Blue Ridge Mountains got their name from the ‘blue’ haze above the range

Proof I made it the top!

After our lunch on the summit, we headed down Old Rag. The trail down the mountain was certainly less exciting and much easier (gravity is an ally in this direction). We finished the hike in 5 hours and packed up to head back to the city. I’m glad I took the opportunity to try something new. I’m already looking forward to the next hike.

Petite Sweets

My latest obsession is Silva's Patisserie - a darling sweets shop in Vienna, VA.  Silva opened the patisserie with her son Harry in 2008.  Harry was a former pastry chef for the Kennedy Arts Center in D.C.  Their shop features European-style miniature desserts, as well as wedding cakes and middle eastern specialty foods.  When I googled "patisserie" I found that it is defined as, "a type of French or Belgian bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In both countries it is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier (master pastry chef)."  The first time Josh and I walked into the store we stood in front of the display case drooling over which perfectly crafted sweets to choose.  This is what we left with.

Not included in this photo is one very scrumptious chocolate chip cookie and a free baguette.  From left to right - creme brulee, strawberry bavarian cream puff, key lime pie, lemon pie, a rum ball and red velvet cake.  Tiny bites of heaven.

Girls Weekend

While Josh was in Japan, my Grandma and Aunt Jill journeyed out to visit me.  They decided to be adventurous and take the Amtrak train from Newton, KS to Chicago to Washington D.C.  Their total time on the train was around 28 hours!  I drove in to pick them up from Union Station and they got to experience D.C. traffic...and my "dukes of hazard driving skills."  The next morning we took the metro back to the National Mall area and went on a tour of the Engraving and Printing Museum.  During the tour you get to see the different stages of production used to create our currency. 

1 million dollars in $10 dollar notes

After our tour we walked over to the National Museum of American History.  I think our favorite exhibit was one that featured the first ladies and their inaugural ballgowns.  

One of the more bizarre items we saw was a display case containing hair samples from the first fourteen presidents.  The plaque reads, "Today the idea of collecting hair may seem morbid, or at least bizarre.  But in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was an acceptable way to mourn and to remember.  This display came to the Smithsonian from the U.S. Patent Office in 1883.  It contains hair from Presidents Washington to Pierce.  It was assembled to honor the presidents and to keep them visible for future generations."  

The most moving display was a burned and twisted steel column assembled from the 17th floor or the World Trade Center.  The Smithsonian Museums are a perfect hiding spot on these extremely hot days!  Later that afternoon we also toured Arlington National Cemetery and watched the changing of the guards.

On Saturday we drove to Occoquan, VA, a charming town with several blocks of boutiques and restaurants to explore.  We stopped for lunch at Madigan's Waterfront...and ate crab cake sandwiches, of course.  That evening we went on a twilight trolley tour of D.C.  Our evening tour almost didn't happen after the original company I booked our tour with called to cancel our reservation.  I enjoyed having a fun girls weekend with Grandma and Jill while Josh was out of town.  I'm not sure if either of them would travel Amtrak again or not.  They talked about how hard it was to sleep on the train at night, but they did enjoy some of the interesting characters sitting around them on the trip.

Freedom

...from spending every evening, weekend and spare hour studying for one big 'ol nasty test.  I am free.  And I PASSED!  Yours truly is now FINRA Series 7 licensed.  My freedom will most likely be short lived however.  I still have to knockout the Series 66 before the end of the year.  I'm going to savor this sweet, joyous freedom while I have it.  While I've mostly been a hermit the last two months, we have had a few fun outings.  I will do my best to catch up on blog posts in the next few days.  Stay tuned!

Konnichiwa! (a Josh blog post)

I recently traveled to Okinawa, Japan for business.  Let me just say that flying halfway around the world is not without minor unpleasantries. Perhaps the worst part of flying to Okinawa was being stuck inside a metal tube for over 19 hours.  My flight to Okinawa consisted of a direct flight from DC to Tokyo, Japan – over 14 hrs of continuous flying and then a “short” 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo to Naha, Okinawa.  That was a long time to be stuck in a plane, but it was well worth it.

My team and I arrived in Okinawa late Saturday night, and first thing Sunday we were out exploring. Since this trip was for business we wanted to take advantage of all of our “down time" as much as possible. Sunday afternoon was spent exploring part of Okinawa off the Marine Corps base where I was staying and working. We explored an area called American Village which is an Americanized shopping and beach area where many ex-pats like to gather. Sunday night our team went to a sushi restaurant not far from base.  I ordered a sushi plate but it wasn’t anything too exotic (other than varieties of fish we don’t have here in the states). The restaurant had sashimi horse on the menu, but I couldn’t bring myself to order raw horse meat.

The work week went by fairly quickly and Friday was soon upon us.  Our exit brief with the base CO (commanding officer) was complete we were done with our business and free to be tourists.  The POC (point of contact) at the Marine base went above and beyond his duties and assigned someone from the motor pool to drive us to two tourist spots Friday afternoon. We went to Shurijo Castle (pronounced Shur’ee) and Okinawa World.  The Castle was amazing – granted that original wooden castle was mostly destroyed during WWII but rebuilt to its original state.  The original castle was built around the 14^th century and served as the center of politics and diplomacy for the Ryukyu Kingdom until Okinawa became under control of Japan.

Okinawa World was more of a tourist trap, but it did provide for some interesting experiences.  The park was set up to showcase the “wonders” of Okinawa.  It had gardens, underground caves, glass blowing, a brewery, and Habu exhibit.  The Habu exhibit is dedicated to one of the islands predators, a tree snake.  In this exhibit I had the opportunity to hold (what seemed like) a large python. I have a new respect for the power of these snakes…just feeling the snake flex was enough to make me wonder if I was going to become an over sized snack.

Saturday was spent on the northern part of the island.  We were able to book a tour trip up to the Okinawa Aquarium and Expo Park.  The aquarium has the world's second largest tank; which held manta rays, hundreds of other fish, and three whale sharks.  Of all the fish and marine life I saw that day, I enjoyed the sea turtles the most. The beach at the aquarium was pretty awesome. On Sunday, I spent most of the day at the beach near the Marine base where we were staying.

My time in Okinawa was unbelievable and it was hard to leave what the Japanese call the “Hawaii of Japan.” I’m going to miss the good food and the laid back feel that emanates from the people who live there.  But at the same time it is good to be back home. I just wish that the jet lag would go away.  Several people have mentioned to me that for every hour of time difference, it takes 1 day to recover.  I'm hoping it doesn’t take 13 days to get back to my normal sleep pattern. 

Kansas Wheat Harvest

Well, I am husband-less for the next week.  Josh is in a far, far away country for work.  He has promised me that he will write a very exciting blog about his travels for you once he returns.  I told him to take lots of photos...the food, the landscapes, the people...everything.  For now, you're still stuck with me.  We've been pretty low-key since my parents visited and without any adventures to write about I've been sitting here, pondering what to write.  Luckily, I came up with an idea.

Every year, at some point between the 2nd and 3rd week of June, wheat harvest in central Kansas kicks off.  You know it's about time to start cutting once the "custom cutting crews" start making their way north from finishing harvests in Texas and Oklahoma.  I love wheat.  Even though its dust tends to make my eyes itch to the point of swelling shut and causing sudden and uncontrollable coughing and sneezing fits.  I love the rustling sound it makes in the breeze and I love the exciting highs and lows of helping with harvest.  Some of my official harvest duties have included:
                                           professional window washing

                                          and expertly driving grain trucks.

Some years harvest goes smoothly and others...it doesn't.  Grain trucks suddenly lose brake power and you fly speeding down a narrow dirt road, across a highway, with a full 18 ton load of grain and come to a stop a quarter mile down the road.  I bawled hysterically after that incident.  My biggest embarrassing harvest oops was during a trip to town to unload a grain truck and on the uphill drive into the west grain elevator, I accidentally killed the engine and rolled backwards down the hill and crashed the back end of the truck into a metal support beam.  Live and learn.  But it's not just the help that gets into sticky situations.  The boss man himself sometimes goofs up.  On rare occasion he may accidentally drive the combine over a ravine and into a giant mud sink hole.  

I hate not being able to be home to help with harvest, but at the same time it's kinda nice to not be a part of the chaos.  Farmers work incredibly hard during harvest, from dawn till dusk.  Please be mindful if you see combines, machinery or grain semis on the road.  And give them a nice wave when you pass them.  Country folk love waving.