Circa July 29th Thoughts.

My new thing to do on plane rides (when I am the passenger and not the worker) is to write notes on my phone. I can type much quicker than I write, which appeals to me greatly. This note I wrote on July 29th.

"Soaring above the clouds right now on my flight from JFK to MSP I wonder what I'll be doing in one year. Where I will be living, who will I be friends with, what relationships stay or go, and I wonder who I will be as a person.

I've often had the thought of my San Francisco-yoga loving-tea drinking-self recently. How I desire to have an independent lifestyle centered on health and wellness, balance, and happiness.

I can easily commute with this job once I have a line (definition: a line is when I have a schedule for the whole month of where and when I go, instead of being on call). And that thought is so appealing. Yet, selfish. Could I go without my Minnesota weather, could I go without seeing my friends and family? What would happen and how would life be? These are the things I wonder.

So much of me is ready for a grand adventure, this job provides this is in a heartbeat if I let it. I want my own life, free to do what I want, when I want. Maybe I wanting to grow up too fast, for sometimes I look back and think, "Monica, you should have lived a little more." But so much of me says, "Everything I've done to this point has led me to where I am," and that's why I wouldn't change anything.

I've gotten so close to my family, my brother and dad especially, with them being home more often this summer, and we have a good balance. I have my huge jungle-like garden to which I say next year needs to be twice the size, yet, how do I know I'll be here next year. In Saint Paul Park, in Minnesota?
I love the life I have right now, okay, so I am more confused often than not, but who is to say I can't be happy with confusion. Confusion keeps me on my toes, keeps my thoughts fresh, and mind quick.

All this mumble jumble has been sparked from a possible huge decision. That decision: Emirates. Should I stay or should I go?

I love flying. I love, love, LOVE flying. And I want to see the world. Delta mainline is one option, as is United or any other carrier based domestically. Yet, what about adventure. What about perhaps a little crazy. I'm 23, non-committed anywhere right now, still broke, and wanting adventure and travel. If the two can go hand in hand, why not? Why not take a crazy chance. Why not do a crazy dance. Hilary Duff knew all too well what someones situation could be apparently.

Leave the life in America for the unknown? For the unfamiliar? Heck, I did that for River Falls and that was one of the greatest decisions of my life, so just maybe, maybe, this will be too."

Emirates Airlines. Open House: October 27th. Stay tuned. 01 02 18

Quick Lunch.

I made this salmon lunch quite a few weeks back, but time and time again, I go to blog and can't place what I was going to blog about or don't have time for a complete post. Well. This morning I have time.

This salmon was the first fish I have ever handled and cooked by myself. I love fish, but I don't prepare it that often nor do I care to touch anything raw. So this was a first for me. I used frozen salmon fillets - finding wild salmon versus farmed is key. Wild salmon is much better for you and the fish prior to catching. The herb butter mixture keeps the fishy taste to a minimum (and with good fish, there should be no fishy taste!) and the puff pastry provides a flaky buttery goodness that makes this dish real filling!

The recipe I went by is from Kevin McKidd, who stars in Disney/Pixar's Brave. I found this in the Sunday Parade from June 10, 2012. You never know where you will find good recipes!
Ingredients:

12 oz puff pastry sheets (thawed)
2 (6 -7oz) salmon fillets (thawed and skinless)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh parsley so I used extra fresh basil!)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (salted butter or margarine will also work)
Salt and Pepper to taste (I try to stay away from adding extra salt to recipes)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into four pieces - each large enough to fit around the salmon fillets.
3. Transfer two pieces to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Place salmon fillet in center of each of those pieces.
5. In a small bowl, combine parsley, basil, and butter. Stir until herbs are thoroughly mixed in. Season with salt and pepper. Spread butter mixture on top of salmon. (This is where more is better!)
6. Dip a pastry brush into beaten egg and let excess run off. Brush edges of pastry around salmon with egg. Cover each piece with remaining puff pastry.
7. Pinch pastry together firmly to seal, then lightly press tines of a fork along edges to close. Brush top of pastry with remaining egg.
8. With a sharp knife, cut two small slits into top of each pastry so steam can escape during baking.
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry has risen and is crisp and golden.

01 02 18

Jamaican Me Crazy.

July Escape: Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Water. Sand. Sunshine. Flowers. Tropics. Cool Runnings.

For three days I enjoyed the offerings of an all-inclusive resort my friend Jacqui and I found online, The Riu - Montego Bay. Or as the locals call the area, MoBay. And as my Grandma Saladis always said, "Make sure to use the facilities." We did just that.

With an early morning flight to Atlanta then Montego Bay, we got to Jamaica passports in hand and customs form filled out with anticipation, excitement, yet anxiety for the unknown. Paying for a taxi (which turned out to be our own private bus with a driver singing "Welcome to Jamaica, Jacqui and Monica" - no joke, I really enjoyed the singing to create the atmosphere) at $20 a piece was a bit steep for my liking, but we got to our resort no problem and with a small tour along the way.

Walking into our resort, this was the entrance, I was shocked we were at such a nice place. For $99 per person a night, I wasn't sure what to expect. Neither one of us has been to an All Inclusive (AI) resort before and just two days prior we didn't know which one to go with. Our choice proved successful. A nice bell-hop gentleman took our bags and placed them in the middle of the lobby area with a ton of other people's luggage while we waited for the 3 p.m. check-in time. Later, we learned this 3 p.m. check-in wasn't a done-deal time, nor was getting to our first room and learning people were still in it. As well, next time instead of waiting a half hour for our luggage to magically appear, I'll wheel my bag with me. But, nevertheless, we were in Jamaica. Island time begins.

The resort was painted a somewhat bright lavender color. When we first pulled up we both just turned to each other and made a somewhat surprised look, a purple palace, alrightie then. No idea why they chose purple, but hey, the place was decent so why not purple?

The sand was indeed sandy white, mixed with the occasional rocks and shells, that I collected on day two. The water was refreshing with the sun shining, yet not overly warm, because once the sun went down (at an early 7 p.m.) I sure got chilled quickly. Not a fish in sight (nor shark for that matter), the only activity in the water were the Jamaican guys on their kayaks trying to sell you necklaces and shells inside the beached zone. But when the resort staff began walking their way down the beach, those kayaks were gone pretty quickly.

The room, was just that, a room. Our two double beds were pushed so close together we practically shared a king bed. We both determined that since our job has created semi-high standards for hotels, this room did not meet our expectations, but we enjoyed the outdoors, and even though our room never got that cool, our beds weren't soft, and the pillows were lumpy, we still enjoyed our time. I mean, we were in Jamaica.

I am proud to say I did not get sunburned throughout the entire three days. With the Caribbean Sea in sight at all times on the island, this was definitely an island escape. And that water behind me? That's where I went kayaking on our last day at 9 a.m. The perfect way to wake up, if I could that everyday I would. Nothing but open blue water behind you and bright blue waters beneath you.

There's something about sunsets that get me. Whether it be the time in Puerto Rico with my mom, or now this escape, watching the sunset or rise in an unfamiliar place is just amazing. And with a late night tour around the resort on the first night, there were plenty of stars to watch, all you had to do was look up while making footprints in the sand.

With Jamaica being only 600 miles south of Miami, I was taken to a whole different culture, and obviously, a whole different country. This world seems so huge so many days, but so small at the same time. Only a couple hour plane ride landed us here. To this exotic, yet beautiful country. We only had time to explore the one parish (Jamaica has 14 parishes) and were on the complete opposite side from the capital, Kingston, but I got a little taste of the island life. Where Bob Marley played continuously, and Margaritaville was just a boat ride away.

Day Two brought us our only full day in Jamaica. We filled the day with zip-lining. Jacqui wanted to go zip-lining through a forest for her birthday, so that's exactly what we did. For $90 (worth it, since the adventure lasted over three hours), we got on a bus from our hotel, enjoyed the sights our bus driver/tour guide pointed out and became Jamaicans for the day. No longer could we say 'yes' to anything, only 'yah mon' would be acceptable. After any statement he made, our bus driver would say, "You understand?" to which the entire bus blurted back, "Ya, Mon." If we ever had to say 'no' to anything, only 'ee-ee' would be acceptable. Our bus driver said, 'ee-ee' resembles the noise a dolphin makes, so of course, we all practiced, "ee-ee." The bus ride was truly, a portion of the fun this day and trip held.

We arrived at the mountains. To which, to the right of these in the picture, Johnny Cash owned a home. If you look at the highest peaked mountain in the picture, the small overlapping mountain below it is where our zip-lining adventure would begin.

Aspiring to be a chef, one of our guides (now I can't remember his name unfortunately!), graciously chatted with us after the tour. I asked him how long he has been a tour guide, to which he said a couple years. He recently moved to MoBay and has an apartment. His intentions we finally realized was to meet up with us at Margaritaville to dance that night, however, we of course "didn't know what we were doing yet." Nevertheless, a great group of staff members, full of energy, very polite, and made our experience so much fun. (Highly recommend Chukka adventures to anyone in the future!)

Our bus ride down the mountain drove us through a residential area, one of the richest neighborhoods in the area, we saw many gated, huge, island homes. The road here gave us a great view of the water, and the houses in the mountains were gorgeous. However, I'd want a beachfront property, but maybe that's just me.



Our trip ended with a first class departure back to Atlanta and we got home no problem. From the pina coladas, margaritas, and rum-punch to buffet style meals full of fresh fruit, plenty of vegetarian options (including ratatouille!), friendly people, and great weather (yes, we did sweat practically the whole time), I would go back in a heartbeat. Thanks, Jamaica for a great three days. (Oh, and my job? Why yes, I still love it.)

01 02 18

July Escape.

Jamaica. 8 days. Please come sooner. 01 02 18

Spring Cleaning Extended.

I'm ready to purge more of my 'stuff.' Yes, I have 'stuff.' At age 23, I have way too much. Parts of me were lazy after coming home from college each year with another bin of random stuff I didn't really need, other parts don't want to give up anything containing memories. But thus, I'm doing the purging process once again, and gosh the feeling afterwards of seeing empty bins and clean space is so worth the time and effort.

I confuse having emotions and memories with physical things. Yes, I know this is common, or so I think, but it's obnoxious. I can't possible keep every little thing that has sentimental value. And most memories are tied to the thoughts that go with something, not that actually object. So thus, once again the purging needs to happen.

After I've already taken a handful of trips to Saver's and Goodwill for both my stuff, my brother's, and some family stuff, I'm sure after this clean sweep, I will have yet another trunkful of goodies. One mans junk is another persons treasure - or insert here whatever that saying is.

Also, have I mentioned how much I do really enjoy uniforms? Especially for work. When I'm not in uniform I take great care in what I do wear and usually only wear clothing I really like. And this is where all those crazy outfits depart me, as I no longer need to have endless outfits. Instead, I can finally focus on quality over quantity.

Life is good. Let the cleaning continue.
01 02 18

Apple Pie for Two.

Despite today being June 25th, and summer being in full swing, my thoughts always go to September. I love Autumn SO much. Thus, apple pie needed to happen. Not to mention, the house smelled amazing.

This recipe is SUPER easy. And the best part is you don't need to make a whole pie to get dessert. You can do any number of these personal apple pies. Plus, I feel they are WAY healthier than regular pie because you use so little crust, and next time I think I might not use any crust because the warm, cinnamon apples are what I really want anyway.

The original link I found from Pinterest (how did I live before this again?), yet the recipe/blog links to the original recipe she went off of as well. Funny how we are just a continuous loop of bloggers over the same Pinterest recipes, meh. Still all delicious. (Original link)



2 Medium Apples - I used Granny Smith

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

Lemon Juice (enough to coat apples)

Egg Wash (one egg)

Pie Crust - I used Pillsbury premade because we had it in our fridge already, however, if I had the ingredients I would definitely choose homemade!

Utensils needed that you may or may not have: Melon Baller, Pizza Cuter, Pastry Brush

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set out a bread loaf size pan (or size that will fit all your apples - could also use cupcake pan if making a lot!)
2. Wash apples. Cut off about a 1/4 inch from the top of the apple.

3. Carefully use melon baller to carve out the apple (discard very inner center core), be sure not to puncture the outside apple! Save the edible insides as this is your pie filling!

4. Toss apple pieces with lemon juice in mixing bowl.

5. Add dry ingredients to apples and toss gently.

6. Spoon apple mixture into hollowed-apples.

7. Use pizza cuter to cut pie crust into about 1/4 inch strips on your cutting board.

8. On the cutting board weave a portion of the pie crust into about a 4 x 4 square overlapping every other strip.

9. Take a spatula and lift the pie crust from the cutting board over apples!

10. Fill the bottom of baking pan with a thin layer of water (just enough to cover the bottom)

11. Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes.

12. Take pan out of oven and remove foil. Use a pastry brush to brush on egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to add a bit of extra crunch and spice! Put pan back into oven (leave any extra water in the pan still) and bake for another 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and crunchy.

13. YUM! Your apples are done! Enjoy the ENTIRE apple!



01 02 18

June Escape: San Antonio

Yet another adventure. I must say I'm enjoying life SO much these days. I have never been more relaxed, nor more healthy, and I am so thankful for all that I have going for me. (Side note: I was starting to be pessimistic about working ALL day on Father's Day, that's right 5:15am to 9:30pm after they extended my trip. But, I recovered quickly and told myself you know what be thankful you have a job, be happy you can do the job, and be glad I will be home with a roof over my head and a full fridge later tonight. And that I was able to see my papa on Father's day and give him his awesome cardinal feeder and seeds. And from then on, I've been more of a happy camper than ever.)

This brings me to my June Escape: San Antonio, specifically Sea World.

Now I hadn't even realized there was a Sea World in San Antonio until looking up the locations, and I do want to eventually explore the Orlando and San Diego locations, but for now, San Antonio was in the same time zone, relatively open flights, and just someplace different to go. Who says, "let's go to San Antonio!" I don't always want to go where everyone goes (and those flights tend to fill up anyway) so to go to Southern Texas the beginning of June might seem odd, but it was quite alright by me.

San Antonio



I have never rented a car before. After trying to figure out which company had the lowest young driver fee (25 is the lucky number for no fees - looking forward to that!), Advantage pulled through, only $15 added on! I was not even nervous to drive, maybe because we had this tiny little beast. A Nissan Versa, quite snazzy. And in powder blue, talk about class. The most anxiety I felt: booking this car and the hotel while waiting in the gate area on the plane after we got our seats.



This isn't the greatest picture, unfortunately my phone and nighttime don't get along. BUT the San Antonio River Walk is AH-MAZING. I felt as if it was a hidden place, because from the above streets on a Monday night there was no one around, abandoned buildings down the streets we walked, and relatively few people. Yet, walking down two sets of steps led to this secret, very thriving, full of life place. Next time (and there will be a next time) I plan on catching the boat tour that runs along this river and perusing the shops a bit more.

Our dinner spot! I wasn't that hungry but cheese dip and guacamole sounded yummy. This whopping portion was enough for way more than just me. Unfortunately, cheese dip didn't live up to Mariachi Loco's (I have high standards, peeps) BUT it was still yummy probably most credit given to the atmosphere. Next time, remind me to bring dresses, as the River Walk had a somewhat classy vibe and with 97 degree weather and humidity, jeans and a cardigan, so not coming with.

The Alamo! Sadly, neither me nor Jacqui (who I went with!) know anything about The Alamo. I would definitely want to take a tour of this next time. The only thing I can recall about The Alamo is from the Pee Wee Herman movie, that he thought his bicycle was in the basement of The Alamo. To which, I believe there isn't even a basement? Yep, no idea.

 Our San Antonio night life ended as we walked back to our Travel Lodge room. What appeared to look a lot nicer from the online pictures and not nasty motel-esque. Meh. Lesson learned. All we had to do was sleep there, and that's what we did. Sea World bright and early the next day, only about 15 minutes away!



Walking into Sea World feels much more like a theme park than my vision of a huge aquarium. Gone are most interactive tanks to view the giant mammals. Instead, the day was centered around the 'shows.' However, there are two stops to feed animals: the sea lions (or are they seals? shoot. can't recall) and the dolphins. I didn't feed these guys but this one was a BEAST. Clearly, he was eating all the fish people fed him. Just thinking about his massive size makes me laugh. Not as pretty scenic wise as say Seal Island at the Como Zoo (once again, I had very high expectations and standards for Sea World), but more interactive and memorable since you are able to feed them.



Show #1. What I thought was going to be a kiddie show, I was pleasantly surprised with the appeal to all ages and incorporation of seals, otters, and the walrus. According to the show, animals take around 3-5 years to train for this (if I remember correctly), but they did a darn good job. Despite sitting in the direct sun and sweating it out, the show was well worth it.  




Show #2: SHAMU. The greatest amount of anticipation for this show. Basically the crowds follow one another all day long, hopping from show to show, and it was somewhat of a rush to get over to this arena. The area is at least the size of Valley Fair if not double, a lot bigger than I ever though, complete with a man made lake in the center for their water ski shows. Back to Shamu - There are THREE of them. WHAT! I had NO idea there were three, I mean it makes sense, but in my mind I only thought there would be one getting all the attention. However, I would like to say Shamu was the largest one, as the other two were smaller, dorsal fins still strong and tall. I was very impressed with the orchestration of the show, music and lights, and the amount of time devoted to the orcas. Most shows I feel are dedicated to education rather than 'tricks' but the Shamu show was all about showing off the massive size of these whales. The trainers never got in the water with the whales, something maybe only reserved for the Orlando location, or perhaps not at all anymore after deadly encounters. But all in all, SO fun to watch. I had only wished I could have gotten closer. My biggest disappoint for the day was not being able to really SEE the animals besides in the show. They resorted back to their tanks behind the audience zones and we never saw them again. A huge difference from aquariums and the 'on display' factor versus entertainment perhaps. (Also, note the HUGE whale tale that is over the entrance to their tanks, gah, LOVE LOVE LOVE)

  

One of my favorite pictures from the entire day. The much anticipated picture that all try to capture. This is who I call Shamu. He's (or possibly she I really don't know) the largest of the three and the only one with his dorsal fin curved, which saddened my heart a bit to see, but there is no pain to my understanding to them, simply due to captivity. Orca whales are truly GIANTS. Now I would say gentle giants of the sea like all my other whale species, however, these guys are the killer whales, and eat much more than fish and krill, thus, although graceful, not exactly gentle in the oceans. What you don't see after this picture is how they slither back into the water, their entire body goes limp and at the moment they look like a huge amount of blubber slowly sinking into the water lifeless, not the prettiest image in  your mind, nor to see, but they've got to get back in the water somehow I guess. Nevertheless, the main attraction by far at Sea World and I was impressed. I do wish I could have gotten up to their tank and really take in their massive size and behaviors. But you are not able to get any closer than this, the image of Free Willy and the tapping of the glass, so not happening here.



Show #3. I love belugas. I could watch the behaviors of a swimming beluga literally all day if given the chance. However, this again is where Sea World differs from aquariums. This is as close as you get to the animals. Unless of course you may additional money for an 'encounter.' From what I could tell they only have the one beluga, which somewhat makes me sad, as these animals are always in pods in the wild, and although have human companions in captivity, at the end of the day, he is swimming by himself. Only making about three appearance throughout the entire show, this picture is where I truly got jealous. I would love to 'ride' these gentle giants. The trainer also got to 'ski' with the beluga by resting her foot on the beluga's melon (the alien looking head part). This show combined more synchronized swimming and acrobatics than the focus on the animals, but once again, entertainment factor and attention span seeking, meets the mark.

Dolphin encounter! This is the second animal you can feed: the bottlenose dolphins! You can buy fish and gently toss the fish into their mouths. Despite being above these creatures height wise, I was still a bit nervous as to how to interact with them, those teeth look intimidating. It was after my last fish that the helper said to us to touch the dolphin first on the nose then give it a fish as a reward. I didn't officially touch one but I did feed them. And with this being the closest you can come to any animal at Sea World, I may have enjoyed this exhibit and experience the most. The songs of the Beach Boys may have helped increase the atmosphere points as well.



At the entrance, yet the last picture of my trip! Since I haven't gone to a larger aquarium (my last one was Shedd back in December) or a theme park in a while, so this was great, despite my disappointments here and there. And do I dare say, I like some heat these days, however 97 degrees and humid may not be ideal. The change of pace for this trip, WAY worth it. Sea World San Diego and Orlando will be on my list.



01 02 18