Appy Alloween!

I loved teaching the Italian kids to say Happy Halloween ~ I like their take on it of ~ Appy Alloween!

Cibo, Cibo e tante Cibo

Richetto prepares the zucchini for market.

Taking hours to eat a meal, preceded by hours to reach said meal......one would think it would be time for a nap.

However, I felt that the best approach would be to power through and keep myself active and awake until Roman bedtime.

We decided to take a post pranza walk ~ the weather was beautiful.....a clear blue sky and seventy degree weather. We began to walk up the road towards the other houses. As we approached Anna Maria's home, we were greeted by an enormous white dog. It was friendly enough, but we kept walking because poor little Anna Maria was under the weather.

Further up the road we came to Richetto's home. As we rounded the house, we could see a group of people working in the shed. 5 family members were tying bunches of zucchini blossoms together, that would be making their way to market later that night. We were warmly greeted by Zio Richetto, Zia Fausca, Giuseppina, Rachele, Emma and Flavio. Mario and Fausta from Venice were also there pitching in with prepping the zucchinni.

Just a little farm background:

All of the property of the 3 houses stands on farm land. The land was owned by my great grandfather's brother. When he died, the land was divided into 3 parcels for 3 of his children. Mario, Anna Maria and Richetto. The other daughter was given the home in Ostra Vetere in the Marches where our family originally came from. The 3 children are all older now. Richetto and his wife still work very hard, but thier land is worked by thier son-in-law Massimo. (possibly the dreamiest and nicest man in all of Italy) Anna Maria's land is worked by her son Paoulo. And Mario's land is also worked by Paoulo.....None of Mario's children chose the farming life.

It is always great fun to see the activity that is going on at Richetto's. Massimo has worked very hard to bring more modern farming techniques to his property. Everyone helps out in preparing the vegetables for market.

Despite the fact that we had just eaten an enormous meal ~ Marisa and I had one thing on our minds.....would we get to eat some of the blossoms too?! They were a family favorite. No doubt fearing that we might want to eat the blossoms before they made it to market, Giussy stepped in and invited us on a walking tour of the new greenhouses and fields. We were walking thru the fields, admiring tomatoes, fennel, broccoli, zucchini....and being followed by a passel of kids and the 2 dogs on Richettos farm. The giant german shepherd Orso and the new puppy Macchia. (Macchia is essentially Spot in english) How cute is that?!

Spending time visiting - Giussy explained that the previous week, all of the olive trees had been harvested and the oil pressed. Almost immediatley there was a buzz in the air about making sure we would have bruschetta that night. People were shouting, talking, giving thier opinion, calling other family members...all in grand discussion of the bruschetta.

There is a passion for food here ~ imagine a heated Meet the Press with the topic of how to achieve the perfect Bruschetta.

After romping thru the fields, playing with the children and the dogs....we headed back to the house for Cena. (Dinner!)

Cena is typically a very simple affair, a plate of sliced meats, some cheese, a bit of bread, wine, fruit....e basta.

We returned to discover that we would be starting the meal with the fresh pressed olive oil on our bruschetta! Alas, all of the conversation had lead Paoulo to go out and get the bread we would need.

The table was filled with bottles of the new oil. Bread was scattered on the table, and Maurizio began to rub the oil onto the toasted bread....

Unlike the over the top versions seen here in the US......this was simply divine. Toasted bread, rubbed with olive oil, drizzled generously with the fresh pressed oil and finally a sprinkling of sea salt.

Heavenly.

Chiarinna did not disappoint with the rest of the meal.....platters of sliced, cured meats were set out, a salad, some of the leftover roasted chicken and salad reappeared. We lingered for a few more hours over wine and sambucca.

I could feel my eyelids growing heavier, and heavier.....but was reluctant to let this first day end.

I finally headed up the 3 flights of stairs and slipped into bed. The darkness was still, the leaves in the olive trees were rustling....you could hear the soft animal sounds coming from outside....and sleep came swiftly..........

Can you imagine a better first day?

Qui in Italia.......(here in Italy)

After landing on terra firma again.....we proceeded to the first and most important stop....
The ladies room. As usual there was a line.
A few interesting notes about public bathrooms in Italy:

• the doors go all the way to the floor, you can't peek for feet underneath.


• the toilets have the flush button in the wall. one side of the panel for big flushes the other for small flushes.


• cleaning men are always in the bathrooms. that's right...men. They just come on in and clean up.


• most bathrooms come equipped with the options of the hand blow dryer or the cloth on a wheel. I am not down with public cloths.

Next stop - customs and baggage claim!

Like a herd of cattle we all made our way thru the tunnels, down the escalator, up the escalator, onto the little tram....out the door and down another escalator. The joy of Fiumincino is that everything is very well marked. The room opened up to several lines. To the right lines for EU citizens to the left everyone else. Oh, how I longed to be an EU citizen. The line was much shorter and everyone was better dressed.

Ahead of us was a japanese tour group following thier guide that was holding a yellow flag aloft. One by one, we waited for our passports to be stamped. Unlike other countries, as you approach the customs agent in Italy - he says Buon Giorno, you say Buon Giorno....he stamps your passport and off you go. Easy Peasy.

Walking thru the glass enclosed agent - you step out to Baggage Claim. Right away you are greeted with 2 places to exchange your money for huge fees and a luggage cart for rent that will cost you 5 euro. A note of advice from me to you......Don't ever exchange money...use the ATM's and you will get a much better rate. Pack light and save yourself 5 euro ($7.50 us).

Marisa and I headed to the appropriate luggage thing....and there was my bag! Yahoo! Then we waited for Marisa's bag.

And we waited.

And we waited.

One by one, all of the passengers collected thier bags....and suddenly we were left staring at a belt turning round and round with one lone suitcase on it....(not Marisa's) We headed to the lost luggage line and were faced with a line reminiscent of bread lines in Moscow. Knowing that we were well over one hour late, and that people were waiting to pick us up....we decided to head outside and let them know we were here....and then return to face the luggage dilemma. (Privately I was convinced that the agent in Washington had probably routed Marisa's bag to Toronto only since she thought she was Canadian and not traveling with me.)

We headed out the doors and began scanning the faces for our pick up people.

We had no idea who would be there to meet us. I had a feeling Paoulo would be there...he had always been the driver of my previous visits......Sure enough, I spotted Paoulo and began waving...we gave each other a big hug and the 2 kisses on each cheek. As I was hugging Paoulo, I could see Maurizio a little further up...he was still scanning the crowd when he looked over at Paoulo and myself. Hugs and cheek kisses all around! Marisa explained that her bag was not there. (Non che`) As is customary with our family there, Maurizio grabbed Marisa and began guiding her to where she should go. Paoulo grabbed me and kept me safely protected to the side as we waited.

Generally speaking, I think of myself as independent. I travel for work all the time, spend a great deal of time alone and taking care of myself. But there is something very comforting about being 'protected'. The family would never dream of letting us be left on our own. They surround you and take charge to ensure that you are ok. I was basking in this. Maurizio returned and told us Marisa was waiting in line. I was thrilled at the reaction both Maurizio and Paoulo had on seeing me again. I had lost a lot of weight since my last visit....and they were oozing compliments to me. Paoulo could not get over it....he said he thought that I was Meredith when I rounded the corner...and had to remind himself that he was picking up Annette and Marisa, not Meredith and Marisa. My ego shot thru the roof. (My cousin Meredith is so beautiful, tall and slender...I kept saying, if only I could look like Meredith)!!!

As we were waiting, Maurizios phone rang (telefonino)....The family was getting anxious as to where we were. There was big discussion about the lost bag and the unknown of when we would be arriving at the house. Uh oh - I knew this was potential drama. Pranza could not be late! (lunch) Pranza is a huge deal. It is the biggest meal of the day....and since we were arriving on Sunday....an even bigger deal. I could just imagine the hustle and bustle going on in Chiarinna's kitchen at that very moment. Suddenly I was hungry again.

As luck would have it, Marisa emerged shortly thereafter.....no bag. They had no idea where the bag was. No idea when it would arrive. They gave her a claim number, she gave them the address of the house we were staying at....and we decided to hope for the best. The biggest disappointment was that the gifts for the ladies were in Marisa's bag....we hated to arrive empty handed. Thank goodness for the Sambuca! and my bags had all of the gifts for the children.

Our little entourage started to make it's way to the parking garage......we loaded in the bags. Marisa rode in the front seat. ( a seat of respect for the older woman) I got into the back with Maurizio. We all began talking and laughing. Maurizio always gives me a bad time about my Italian.....he forces me to speak only Italian, despite the fact that I know he understands more English than he would ever let us know about.

It was a beautiful day, and we headed to the family farm in Practica di Mare. The drive is only about 20 minutes away.

It felt so wonderful to be back. I watched the world go by the car windows. Everything is just a little bit different than what you are used to seeing. The windows were down, the breeze off the ocean was wonderful, the radio was playing Italian songs and we were on our way to Pranza!

Heading up the road to the farm, we noticed an addition since our last visit......there was now a gate (cancello) to the entrance of the house. As the gate slowly opened, Paoulo turned and said he could not wait to see the look on Carla's face when she saw me. There at the end of the driveway was a group of family members waving wildly at the car!

Zio Mario, Zia Chiarinna, Carla, Valentina, Michela, Davide and a surprise too! Zio Mario and Zia Fausta from Venice!!!!!! It was a wonderful reunion! Lots of hugging and cheek kissing.....questions about our flight, exclamations over the lost bag, over my lost weight and of course were we hungry?

Are you kidding I was starving!

As we walked into the house we were greeted with the long table set for Pranza. Each place setting had the antipasto already in place. Down the center of the table were bottles of water and bottles of wine. (Aqua minerale and vino rosso and vino bianco) Our bags were quickly taken from us, and we were told were to sit....they put Marisa and I in the center of the table. Maurizio took a seat to my left, Marisa to my right, across from me was Zio Mario from Venice. Qui in Italia.....they waste no time feeding you. Everyone began pouring glasses of wine - some mix the water and wine.....

Before us was a plate of sliced proscuitto, sliced mortadella, carciofi, melanzane and olives. The meats were Marios own. He make them himself, the proscuitto hangs in the garage. The Carciofi are marinated artichoke hearts and the melazane is a wonderful eggplant side. It can be best described as pickled in olive oil with spices. I have watched her make this and love, love, love it. The last visit, she even made some for me to take home.

Following the antipasto, out came the next course of lasagna. The lasagna in Italy is not made with ricotta cheese. It is made with several layers of thin pasta, a light bechamel sauce and light meat sauce....I could also taste a bit of nutmeg. It was the kind of lasagna that fills your throat and stomach with warmth......so delicious and delicate.

Following the pasta, the platters of mixed roasted meats came out. The platter had both roasted chicken and rabbit. They were roasted with lemon, olive oil and rosemary. Simple and delicious. Roasted potatoes, green beans and then a salad of lettuce, fennel and tomatoes topped with a light vinagrette.

Next, Chiarinna set out platters of cheese. Asiago, parmigianno, a cheese that I should have written the name down because it was so good too.....

Baskets of fruit were set out on the table as well. Apples, pears, oranges, grapes..........

Then my favorite part, cafe! The little shot glasses of espresso were distributed and out came a mixture of dolci. a torta allo yogurt, a bread made with anise, assorted biscotti.....

And finally, lemoncello, grappa and of course sambucca.

Meal time has a religious quality about it........every course is savored, there is reverence as each course is laid out.....there is a great deal of laughter and conversation.....and of course, everyone lingers at the table.....for hours.

In my head, I could feel myself falling into a state of deep relaxation and content. This was the life.

Humor to-go

Thank God For Italian Men
On a recent transatlantic flight, a plane passes through a severe storm..
The turbulence is awful, and things go from bad to worse when one wing is struck by lightning. One woman in particular loses it. Screaming, she stands up in the front of the plane. "I'm too young to die," she wails.
Then she yells, "Well, if I'm going to die, I want my last minutes on earth to be memorable!
Is there ANYONE on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN?"
For a moment there is silence. Everyone has forgotten their own peril. They all stared, riveted, at the desperate woman in the front of the plane. Then an Italian man stands up in the rear of the plane. He is gorgeous: tall, well built, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He starts to walk slowly up the aisle, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time.
No one moves.
He removes his shirt.
Muscles ripple across his chest.
She gasps...
He whispers:"Iron this, and get me something to eat.."

Transatlantic Crossing ~ part due

Knowing that we had ample time to re-group prior to boarding our Air Canada flight to Rome...we decided to take care of some important business.

#1 the ladies room

#2 the duty free shop

One lesson we learned on past trips to Italy, is that Italians know how awesome they are and how awesome their country is. Italy has it all! Great Food, Great Fashion, Great Cars, Great Wine... When trying to buy gifts for Italian family members...we have found that buying them what they know and like and use is the best course of action.

So we loaded up on bottles of Sambuca at the Duty Free Shop.

(i like to shop at the duty free shop, i like to shop at the duty free shop) ((i recall that seinfeld episode everytime i see or say duty free shop.))

Purchasing one for each household on the farm.

There are 3 houses on the property....

• Zio Mario lives with his wife, his eldest son, his daughter, her husband and 3 children.


• Zia Anna Maria lives with her eldest son, his wife, their 2 childern, her other daughter in law and another granddaughter.


• Zio Richetto lives with his wife, his only daughter, her husband and their 3 children.

Before you think we cheaped out and only brought Sambuca, we did have more gifts in our luggage - but we will get to that later.

Now that the duty free shopping was done, we had taken our trip to the ladies...we were called to board the flight!

Finally! I was so excited that I was bouncing up and down in line....perhaps I could have used a bit of Ritalin to take the edge off...but I could not help myself!

As we headed down the jetway, and rounded the corner of the aircraft.........shocking discovery! This plane had to be a good 20 years old. It was not roomy like the commuter jet. It did not have individual entertainment systems. It had a green interior. That's right folks....green.

As I opened my overhead bin ~ I discovered that directly above my seat lived the ancient VCR system for the aircraft. I had no overhead space. So I shoved my bottles of Sambuca above the seats in front of me. Stashed my bags at my feet, and decided that at least my bags could act as my footrest. (trying very hard to see the glass half full)

As we got underway, I took some time to observe those seated around me. The plane had a 2-3-2 configuration.

My lovely aunt was to my left in the window seat. To my right was a nice older lady. She was part of a tour group - but not seated near her companions. Directly behind me was a nice couple that barely spoke 3 words to one another the entire journey. And in front of me was a couple that seemed to enjoy Nascar. The man looked like Sam Elliott. He had a sort of handlebar/motorcycle dude mustache thing happening. I liked Sam until he decided to recline his seat into my lap 2 seconds after take off. Thanks Sam. 7 hours to go!

As we took off, I settled in for my flight. I took off my shoes and put on my cozy black slipper socks, I had my book at the ready in the seat pocket in front of me "Suite Francaise". I did take the headphones offered because despite that fact that the plane was ancient...they were showing a movie....not on tv screens in the seat, not in tv screens that came out of the ceiling, but on the projector screen the flight attendent pulled down at the bulkhead.....Lucky for us we were only 6 rows back...pity the folks further back.

Air Canada - not exactly on point with entertainment choices. We had 2 movies to see. Oceans 13 and Beetlejuice.

Ocean's 13 ~ hey, any day that includes George Clooney and Brad Pitt is a good day to me.

Beetlejuice ~ Hello, wasn't that movie made in the 80's? ok, maybe 90 or 91. I still am laughing about this choice. Apparently it was an October/Halloween theme.

I was looking forward to my meal....any transatlantic crossing must include wine. And I was anxious to officially start my vacation. Lucky for me, the meal service began and I quickly had my wine in hand. We toasted 'cin cin'! (Sam still reclining in my lap)

I chose the chicken. Marisa went for the beef. I was actually pleasantly surprised with my meal...the chicken was in a curry sauce and served with a chutney and rice. The dessert was icky. It was apparently a chocolate mousse...but I am still not convinced with what they were trying to do there. (Sam still in my lap - he had the beef)

After eating my meal, and watching George and Brad seek revenge on Al Pacino - I began my transatlantic crossing evening routine.

I am a creature of habit. It is critical that I get my sleep. In order to do that, I have to go thru my nightly ritual.

Eye makeup off, face cleansed, moisturizer applied, teeth brushed, lip balm applied...ready for bed. I headed to the bathroom with my zip loc baggie of 3.4 oz liquids and began the routine. I emerged fresh faced and ready for sleep. I set my watch ahead 6 hours ~ knowing that when I woke, we would be just about there.

I settled in with my pillow, blanket and eye mask. (Sam was still snuggly in my lap)

After a few hours of sleep, I awoke to see the last few scenes of Beetlejuice playing out on the screen up front. I pulled out my Italian lesson book and started cramming verbs. Fare, Avere, Sapere.........cramming often used words chi, quando, dov'e....cosi, allora, poi....

Marisa woke up and we determined that Chiarinna would be up by now starting to prepare pranza (lunch).....we started bouncing and clapping again. (i may have disturbed Sam for a moment...but he quickly drifted off again)

Now that I was fully awake, I headed back to the bathroom.....3.4oz liquids in hand. Wash the face, moisturize, brush the teeth...returned to my seat and put on my makeup. Viola! I was all jet set again! I slipped on my shoes and was just returning all of my items to my bag when breakfast was served.

The lights came on - passengers began to open thier window shades and we could see that we were over land again! The Alps were below us as we sipped our orange juice, ate our yogurt and croissants. They even had green and white checked gingham placemats (it matched the green interior to perfection) I enjoyed seeing that Sam and his wife did not have that "oh so fresh look about them" the couple behind was ready to roll in Rome, and the nice lady next to me had bed head, but otherwise was in good spirits.

We were now ready to land at Fiumincino ~ bouncing commenced and Sam finally put his seat into the full and upright position. We had a safe and sound landing (the few italians on board began to clap ~ a custom that is very evident on Alitalia flights) - and out the windows I could see those trademark Italian trees.....I almost had to pinch myself that I was back. There is something about this place that is under my skin......

As we headed down the jet way, the most beautiful sight.....6 gorgeous italian men with wheelchairs for the old people on board. Ahhhhh, Italia!

Transatlantic Crossing

How Awesome is my title?!
I always wanted to say that...or do that.
Anyway....this is part one of my Italian Adventure.
Andiamo!

Saturday, October 13th.
I woke up so excited about the journey ahead. I had lots of packing to finish, a bit of laundry to do and a few more things to buy before my trip.
I decided to take my morning walk - who knew if I would get the chance to excercise in Italy...and I wanted to eat carbs guilt free.
I took my 5 mile walk, returned home and headed to the Starbucks, the drug store and finally the local Target.
When I returned home, I hopped in the shower, put the final load of laundry in the machine and began to agonize at great length about my outfit choices for the week.
Random thoughts that were going thru my head:

• we are staying on a farm Annette, it's not like you need to dress up
• we may be going to dinner in Rome one night....you want to look nice....hot italian men will be everywhere. and you don't want everyone to know you are an American.
• is 70 degrees cold or hot?
• what if it rains?
• should I have an outfit suitable for picking produce and feeding chickens?
• how many shoes do I need to bring.
• the more color choices of clothing, the more shoes I need, the bigger the bag...
• I need room for my shopping at the outlet!

You can sense the agony I was going thru. Finally, I decided to opt for a simple color scheme of black, white and grey. I brought along a pair of sneakers, clogs, heels and flats. Of course I wore the flats on the plane.

Then, the final decision - what to wear on the airplane. I knew I wanted to be comfortable, warm and at the same time not look like a slob. I opted for the Michael Kors suggestion that every woman should get on an airplane wearing white jeans, a black cashmere sweater and oversized sunglasses. Perfect! I had white jeans, a black sweater (sorry michael...not cashmere) and my fantastic knock off Prada black sunglasses! I felt very jet set, and very comfortable. *the sunglasses are a great camoflage for tired eyes, and help to block the early morning sun as you fly east towards the sun on your transatlantic flight.

As I crammed in the last of my items, I did the final scan before leaving.....passport? check! credit cards? check! ok, let's go.

I arrived at my Aunt's house and we began our happy dance because we were leaving for Italy! How decadent to fly to Italy for only 6 days....how awesome we were!

We arrived at the airport and headed to the Air Canada counter. We found an amazing fare on Air Canada that had us flying from DC to Toronto.....and then Toronto to Rome. As we checked in, the lady at the counter proved herself to not be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

She was having a difficult time grasping that despite the fact that we checked in together, and had 2 US passports and 2 pieces of luggage both going to Rome that we were traveling together. She handed me my Customs card to fill out, but did not give one to Marisa. When I asked for another ~ she stated that Marisa didn't need one since she was Canadian. Um hello? How is she Canadian with a US passport? Always good to see Homeland Security working well.

As we proceeded thru security, our excitement was growing! And then....we waited. The 2 hours to kill prior to departure tends to take some of the electricity out of the air.

Boarding the plane to Toronto ~ I was very encouraged. This was my first time flying on Air Canada. The plane was brand new and very roomy. We each had our own entertainment systems! I thought to myself...joy of joys, if this is the commuter plane.....wait until we get on the plane to Rome! (I could envision myself legs extended, seat reclined, eyemask in place, peacefully dreaming my way to Rome!)

We landed in Toronto behind schedule, we knew that we were going to have to move fast to make our connecting flight....we had less than one hour. Leaving the plane, we had our eyes ready to ensure we were going the right way.....we began to follow the signs for connections and customs. We knew that our bags had been checked all the way to Rome and that we would not have to pick them up and re-check them....we only had to get ourselves thru customs and onto our next plane.

Easier said, than done.

Now, it is possible that I am stupid. But if you were me, which sign would you have followed? Keeping in mind that we were connecting to a flight to Rome.

• US Connections
• Canadian Connections
• Customs

We followed the signs for Customs. We were not going to the US and we were not going to another Canadian destination.

Huge mistake. We ended up going to Customs and taking us out of the airport. When we got to the customs agent (who was little and very scary and mean) she asked why we had come to her? We should have followed the signs for US connections. Ummm? why?

Anyway, we had to exit the airport, and then go back in. We were now in a bit of trouble. Toronto's airport is huge! We started to run. It is not easy to look like the glamorous-Michael Kors-jet set-woman when you are frantically running thru the airport. We were like the beginning of Home Alone, only with 2 people.

As we made our way to security - we got behind the family with no sense of urgency, and no travel savvy at all. Apparently they have spent the last 6 years under a rock somewhere. Each one had to be told numerous times to take off thier shoes, take off your coat, take off your scarf, empty your pockets, put your purse on the belt...(i am not kidding.....4 adults, each one had to be instructed because apparently they did not think the same rules were going to apply to each of them) another side note - they were in their 30's ...we are not talking about people that should have an excuse to be so clueless. PAINFULL!

Finally, thru security, we began the final sprint to the gate - I figured that if we ran as fast as we could, they would just be closing the door to the plane when we arrived. I knew if I ran faster, perhaps I could beg them to keep the door open for Marisa. I said a little prayer to my Nonnie and went as fast as my feet would take me.

Prayers answered! The moment we arrived at our gate ~ an announcement was made......The flight had been delayed 45 minutes! Time to breathe and regroup....we had made it!

I'm Back!

Wow, what a trip!
I have lots to report - and videos to post too.....(that will be a challenge)
Stay tuned ~ jet lag is beating me up a bit!

Speaking of Coffee

Why can't Starbucks make more choices in their Sugar Free Syrup line?

I am sick of vanilla, hazelnut, caramel and cinnamon dolce sugar free syrups.

I want pumpkin spice and white chocolate mochas to be available sugar free too!

Starting a letter writing campaign immediately.

Double Espresso

I could use one right about now..........

Why is it that the week prior to vacation can tend to be the craziest week?

Did I procrastinate a bit too long on a few projects?....ok, maybe.

Did I decide at the last minute to be a micro-manager so that there would be no gaffes to follow in the week ahead?......ok, maybe.

I just want to look out for my managers - I don't want to leave them hanging.

I just don't want my colleague that is overseeing my area to be overwhelmed by stupid questions.....(and before anyone says that there are no stupid questions, that is an utter and complete falsehood.....I could write a book on the stupid questions I encounter daily)

Nevertheless, it is 12:59am.....and I just finished my work day....which began at 4:45am.

No wonder I am tense.

One Week! One Week!

Chiarrina and Carla will be making me a pizzas just like these! Italy Here I Come!

io vengo!

Jell-o, the disturbing facts....

For the record, I hated Jell-O prior to my fear of Mormons - but the irony of the lime jello phenomena and mormons is almost too much to walk away from.

A few years back, one of my managers (who was a mormon) told me about the Jell-o thing. I thought she was just kidding....she tended to be wacky...so I disregarded her whole stance on Mormons and the love of Jell-O

I thought I would share some Jell-O facts with you.....hopefully now, I can stop obsessing about Mormons and Jell-O. and baptism by proxy, and polygamy, and what really goes on in those temples, and Joseph Smith....aaaaahhhhhhh!!!

JELL-O (JELLO)

• Peter Cooper, inventor and founder of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, obtained the first American patent for the manufacture of gelatin in 1845. In 1895, cough syrup manufacturer Pearl B. Wait purchased the patent and developed a packaged gelatin dessert. Wait's wife, May David Wait named it 'Jell-O.'


• According to Kraft Foods, more than a million packages of Jell-O brand gelatin are purchased each day.


• In 1936 Jell-O came out with a cola flavored Jell-O. It was dropped the following year.


• The residents of Salt Lake City eat more lime flavored gelatin than any other city in the U.S.


• - The state of Utah loves Lime Green Jello so much it is their official state dessert.
  - Citizens of Utah eat more Lime Green Jello than anywhere else in North America


• The Jell-O Belt is a colloquial term in American English that refers to the parts of the western United States with large populations of Latter-day Saints. In academic literature, the area is more commonly called the "Mormon culture region" or the "Mormon Corridor."
  It generally refers to a roughly-defined area of land centered on Utah. The Jell-O Belt extends northward through western Wyoming and eastern Idaho to Yellowstone National Park. The belt reaches south through San Bernardino, California and Mesa, Arizona. In Arizona, the belt extends throughout all of the eastern part of the state, almost to the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of the larger cities with a significant Latter-day Saint population include Las Vegas, Nevada; Henderson, Nevada; Redlands, California; Riverside, California; Anaheim, California; and Temecula, California.
  The name "Jell-O Belt" references the affection that Mormons supposedly have for Jell-O (a gelatin-based food), particularly when served with shredded carrots, or blended with canned fruit and set in molds.[citation needed] Green (lime) Jell-O is the most stereotypically Mormon of Jell-O flavor-colors, probably because lime was once the best-selling flavor of Jell-O in Utah.[citation needed] Jell-O has been designated Utah's official state snack food


• Fruits that sink in Jell-O: seedless grapes and fruits in heavy syrup such as fruit cocktail, peaches, pears, etc.


• Fruits that float in Jell-O: fresh fruit such as bananas, citrus sections, sliced peaches, apples and fruit in light syrup.


• The original Jell-O flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry and raspberry.


• As immigrants passed through Ellis Island, they were often served a bowl of Jell-O as a "Welcome to America" treat.


• When hooked up to an electroencephalograph machine--an instrument that records the electrical activity of the brain--Jell-O demonstrates movement virtually identical to the brain waves of a healthy adult man or woman.


• According to the Gelatin Manufacturers Institute of America (GMIA), pork skin, cattle bones, and cattle hide are the predominant raw materials used to make gelatin.


• Jell-O can also be used to make finger paint, dye your hair, clean the dishwasher, scrub the shower, and deodorize cat litter.

No Child Left Behind

.............because they all died from lack of healthcare.
Nice job George.

idiot.

Love Letters

Love Letters by Jean Honore Fragonard

(ironically, this was the painting that I wrote my first Art History paper on ~ I got an A)

I was feeling sentimental last night - thinking of loves past, present and possibly future. Loves lost and those found again.

I came across the most wonderful site.....perhaps wonderful is not the best word, but I read a letter that was posted there and burst into tears.....

They were happy tears, the tears came from relating to something so very real and personal.....I read a letter that summed up my exact feelings about someone.

Here is the letter ~

ENTWINED, THE ENTIRE NIGHT, MAYBE LONGER

Dear _____

This is my first love letter to you, even though I'm not sure if I love you. Or if you love me. But if I had to guess, I'd say we do.

I want to tell you about our first night together. Yes, of course you were there. I'm sure you remember it. But I want to share with you the part that you weren't privy to. The part I found satisfying and symbolic.For every hour we spent in your bed, you held me. Somehow we were entwined, the entire night. Not for one moment did you let me go, out of your grasp, beyond your touch. It was as though the other side of the bed would have been a world away.I slept with my head resting against your chest. Like I had run a race and stopped to lie on the ground, with my face cradled by the softest, sunwarmed grass. The earth underneath, your heart below, beating with life.Each time I moved away, your hand reached out to bring me back. When a person is asleep can he know his arms are empty? How can a man far in one place summon love from another?I had forgotten how delicious that could be, to be joined not by words or thoughts but by flesh: soft, warm, heavy. When a sigh is a sentence and a caress a paragraph.So in return I offer you what comes out of my fingertips - my words.

They, and I, are yours,

the love letter collection

I love the irony of the human race.

We all try to pursue our lives, reject conformity, strive to express our individuality ~ and at the end of the day, we are all feeling the same feelings....making the same mistakes......celebrating the same triumphs.

If you are in the mood for some love.....check this out. I don't think you will be disappointed.

The Scariest Thing I Saw Today

It was a very long day.
It was a very long weekend.
And when I came home and opened my mailbox, this is the face that greeted me on the cover of Newsweek.....

Mormons terrify me. And this man terrifies me more than the boogie man in the closet or the green eyed hairy monster under my bed.