Who Do You Think You Are?

Have you seen NBC's new show Who Do You Think You Are? I stumbled onto it last night and thought it was the coolest show ever. I am fascinated with ancestry and it's one thing my parents - especially my dad -infused in our family when we were little kids. On Memorial Day each year, we'd all pile into the car and drive from cemetery to cemetery, laying flowers on headstones of family members we knew and those who died years before we were born. Taking this family road trip wasn't always on the top of my list but now looking back, I appreciate my dad telling the stories of where our history.

My parents are both of German descent and my dad's tracked his geneology all the way back to Mathias Mentgen - the man that came to the United States from Germany. Here's a piece of his story:

Mathias Mentgen lived at Trier, Germany which was separated from France by the Mosel River. His father operated a ferry boat to take passengers across the river to France. Mathias used to go with his father and knew how to operate the boat. One hot night in the summer he and his brother Jake were sleeping outdoors when two men came and asked if they would take them across the river and not make them sign the register. They were political escapees and said they would pay them well. So the boys took them across the river. The men said they were escaping to America and were going to Buffalo, New York. Mathias and his brother said they wanted to come to America to escape army services, so the men told them to land in Buffalo, NY and they would help them. The men gave the boys money and gave Mathias a cutting diamond imbedded in a handle. The boys never said a word to their father about taking the men across.

In 1852 Mathias, Jake and another boy came to America, one being smuggled on board due to lack of passage, and landed at Buffalo, New York. The men they’d met before had gone down to meet all ships coming in and found Mathias. They gave all three of the boys jobs in New York and Mathias lived in New York for awhile learning painting. It is not known when Mathias left New York and came to Chicago, Illinois where many of the Mentgen descendants live today.

I like to read this story and remember all the sacrifices and spunk my ancestors had before I came along. We've visited Mathias' burial site on our Memorial Day family drives and it's amazing to me this history isn't too far away from where I am today. Mathias died in 1909. That's only a hundred years ago -- the lifetime of essentially one person. Isn't that fascinating?

Things

I've been feeling out of sorts lately and I just can't put my finger on it.

1. I woke up two nights ago with a scratchy throat. Not the kind where you're sick; just the kind where feel like you miiight feel a cold coming on. Yesterday there were 7 people sick in my office. One guy was so sick he literally laid his head on the conference table at one point. GO HOME I said. I don't want to get sick too. I'm going on vacation to sunny, beautiful Hawaii in 3 days and I don't want to be sick. This morning I woke up with a scratchy throat and a slight tickle. I poured myself a nice tall glass of Emergen-C and popped a Zicam. I.WILL.NOT.BE.SICK.ON.VACATION.

2. I was watching the t.v. show Cougar Town last night and one of the characters made a comment about marriage and the security that goes along with it. You never have to feel like that person will leave you or turn away from you because you're hitched. Really? For some reason I don't feel like that. Don't you still have to work at your relationship and keep it fun and exciting and make your spouse interested in YOU? I guess lately I've had this weird paranoia feeling and I just can't shake it. It's like I read into every single phrase my Husband says and analyze it over and over in my head. What's up with that?

3. I'm sure you're all super tired of hearing about it, and believe me, I'm tired of THINKING about it ... but the thought of a child is just plain wearing me down. I feel like it's consuming me. I'm like depressed about it. And I keep telling myself to shake it off. Stop worrying about it. It's not our time right now. And yet - I just can't stop thinking about it. I need serious intervention. I asked on Facebook a few days ago what books I should bring to Hawaii and my sister jokingly wrote 10,000 Baby Names. I actually started to cry. God help me, I'm pathetic.

4. Which cascades into this place, this blog, and my paranoia lately about talking about my thoughts and feelings here. I feel like the outside world is judging me for having those feelings (a la, #3) and then I get all twitchy about talking about my feelings. Then I realize that it's just me - I need to talk about stuff, that's how I roll. It's my blog and if I can't write my thoughts here, then where? So then I do. And then the twitchiness comes back ... and well, you see the demon circle.

5. I saw Alicia Silverstone on Oprah yesterday and she was talking about her book The Kind Diet and how she eats a Vegan diet. Alicia was saying that after she started cutting out meat, dairy and processed foods her skin was clearer, she has more regular bowel movements and she's got more energy. This makes me want to cut out meat (which I've essentially already done) and processed foods too. Not sure I could cut out dairy YIKES! For all the great reasons she illustrated above. I really want to eat better and be healthier. I just don't know if I can really do it.

6. I'm excited for our trip next week - I really am. My brain has already slipped into vacation mode which may be the reason I feel super super lazy lately. Too lazy to clean up after dinner. Too lazy to shower in the morning. I think a little beach r & r will do the trick.

What a depressing post. Urgh. Thank goodness it's Friday.

Memories are made through the stomach

Andi and I have traveled to a lot of places together and one thing always holds true. No matter where we go, there's always one memorable food that sums up the entire trip. Who knew food held so many memories?

Nassau, Bahamas - Vinaigrette Salad
Our first trip together was a four-day cruise. I remember walking along the beach to find a restaurant for lunch and Andi and I stopping at the Ocean Club Resort - one of the nicest hotels in the area. We strolled into the beachside restaurant which was absolutely stunning. It felt like a movie - a cool breeze was sweeping through the white shear curtains, dark wood floor boards and a beautiful view of the ocean. I remember being so overwhelmed - it was one of the most beautiful moments I've ever experienced traveling. I think mostly because I'd never really seen anything like it before.

We ordered cocktails and I remember being stunned by the prices. This was the first time I'd been somewhere like this! We ordered a vinaigrette salad to share :) I'm sure the waiter thought we were cheap asses.

Mazatlan, Mexico - White Cheese Nachos

Mazatlan was the first and last time we stayed at an all-enclusive resort. It's just not our kind of travel. While we had an absolutely lovely time at the El Cid Marina, we consumed about seventy-six plates too many of the white cheese nachos. It's not that they were bad, just too much of a good thing. I shudder at the thought.

                                           

Kauai, Hawaii - Kabobs

In 2007, Andi and I spent a week in Kauai, Hawaii. We stayed in our timeshare Coast Resort at the Beachboy which is fabulous because it has a full kitchen with plates, utensils, etc. So on the first day there, we hit up the island Wal-Mart and stocked up on groceries for the week. The resort has a few grills and patios outside for guests to enjoy which we thought was way better than going out for every meal. For some reason, we thought kabobs would be the easiest thing to make ... and make them we did. For every meal it seemed. I guess it's because we bought groceries and we wanted to make sure we used them all up before our week vacation was up. Sadly, now three years later, Andi and I still can't stomach the thought of eating kabobs. Yuck.

                                          

Caribbean Cruise - Champagne and Strawberries (the expensive kind)

An up-side of cruising is the abundance of food at your fingertips. Truly, it's pretty difficult to tire of one kind of food because there's seriously so many options. Ice cream after every meal? Yes please. One memory that does come to mind is the $14 glass of champagne I just had to have at the Chocolate Lover's Buffet one evening on the boat. It just sounded so romantic to drink champagne and devour all that chocolate around us! $28 and two glasses of champagne later ... we conquered that dream. Yikes!

                                           

Panama - Seafood Suprise

One of the most memorable moments of our Panama trip was the 'seafood suprise' dinner we ate one night in Bocas del Toro. The first night at our resort was absolutely magical. Earlier that afternoon, our resort host saw a red snapper fish swimming near the dock. He jumped into the water with his spear gun and killed the very fish we ate for dinner that night. Not only was it a cool experience, but it was seriously the best fish I ever ate (and I don't even care for fish!). The next day, our resort host asked us what we wanted for dinner that night. "Dinner was so amazing last night! Whatever you want to make is perfectly fine with us," we said. Later that night, we sat down to dinner and were served this:

...a dish we happily coined Seafood Suprise. OH.MY.GAWD. I still gag at the thought. I barely made it through dinner that night. All the slimey, slippery pieces of seafood were way too much for my poor little stomach to handle. Later when Andi and I were back in our room, I asked him what was in the seafood suprise. Octopus, squid, shrimp, and a few other fish varieties. Which might be a dream for others, but not me. Yuck!

Bangkok, Thailand - Pad Thai

I'd have to say overall, the food in Thailand wasn't bad at all. We ate some really great Pad Thai and other local specialties. There was also lots of Americanized food like eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast, European cheeses and breads, and pizza of course. However when in doubt, we always ordered Pad Thai and ate tons during our two-week trip. And eight months later? I have absolutely no desire to eat it again. No thank you, sir.

I wonder what kind of food memories our Maui trip will bring?

Maui Bucket List

With only six days until our trip to Maui, my mind is quickly slipping into vacation mode. My work productivity has all but gone out the window and I've started dreaming of mid-day naps and fruity cocktails.

I did a little Googling this afternoon to see what type of activities we should put on our Maui bucket list for next week. Here's what I've come up with so far:

• Lay in the sun and read a good book. Come on y'all, give me some recommendations! 
• Get a nice dark tan
• Pack a picnic lunch and drive the road to Hana. We've heard mixed reviews about this one. It's a all-day trip along a mountainside with lots of waterfalls and cute little towns along the way. The reviews are mixed - some people say it's not to be missed and others say it's not worth the time. We shall see, we shall see.
• See whales swimming off the coast
• Rent snorkel gear and swim around looking at the ocean life. Hopefully there's no jellyfish like in Thailand!
• Go star seeing at the Four Seasons. Hillary Duff just got engaged there
• Drink Kona coffee on the patio of a local cafe
• Scope out some hidden beaches
• Take in the sunset with my honey
• Hike through Haleakala National Park
• Check out a farmer's market
• See a black sand and red sand beaches

Anyone ever been to Maui and have some MUST DO's for us?

Any good book suggestions???

We leave for Hawaii a week from tomorrow - which is unbelievable considering I haven't put one thought into what I'm wearing, what I'm bringing or what we'll do when we get there. I suppose we'll figure it out as we go ... which is usually what we do. Andi did purchase a book called Maui Revealed a few months ago - which we've barely flipped through - but recommends 'real gems' on the island. I'm laughing to myself because a few years ago Andi's parents went to Kauai and referenced all the 'real gems' they found along the way. We thought they were co coo until we flipped though this book ... and the actual 'real gem' references. Guess the book doesn't lie. :)

But I do need some help from all of you ...
Anyone have any good books you'd recommend for the trip? Think beach side reading and books that both Andi and I would enjoy reading. No baby books, or books that talk about babies, or books that have pictures of babies- I'm practically having a full-on breakdown at the very thought of that topic as of late.

Leave your suggestions in the comments. I need to order quick so they'll arrive this week. Thanks Friends!

Lazy Saturday

It's been incredibly warm here the last 10 or so days. If, you know, you call 43 degrees and sun warm. But by Minnesota standards I do. We've been taking Chloe for walks every evening after work and she's absolutely loving being outside. I cringe every time she tramples through a puddle because I know it'll be more work later to give her a bath, blow-dry and brush her ... but it's all worth it. She's so happy outside and we are too.

Yesterday Andi snapped a few photos of our journey with his new Canon camera.

 

 

 

 

The Law of 3's

I'm feeling lazy today so I'm stealing this idea from my SIL Lindsay and rolling with this post today ...

Three Names I go by:
1. Heather
2. Chrissy
3. Wife

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. Marketing Manager
2. Red Bull girl
3. Household manager

Three Places I have lived:
1. St. Paul, Minnesota
2. Kearney, Nebraska
3. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Three TV Shows that I watch:
1. Celebrity Rehab w/ Dr. Drew
2. How I Met Your Mother
3. Mad Men

Three places I have been:
1. Thailand
2. Panama
3. Mexico

People that e-mail me regularly:
1. My mom
2. My coworkers
3. Mother-in-law

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Chips (any flavor, I don't discriminate)
2. Runza
3. Amigos Fast Food

Three things I would like to do:
1. Be a mom
2. Live on a lake
3. Travel the world

Things I am looking forward to:
1. Having a cabin this summer in Northern Minnesota
2. My parents visiting Minnesota in August
3. Hawaii in 9 days!

Foods I won't eat:
1. Fish (except sushi)
2. Meat ... unless it's sustainably grown and humanely processed
3. Thai food (way burnt out after our honeymoon trip)

Things I notice first about people:
1. Clothes
2. The way they carry themselves
3. Smile

Things I love to do in the summer:
1. Take Chloe for walks
2. Grill out in the backyard
3. Spend time at the lake

Things I hate to do in the summer:
1. Drag the lawn mower up the stairs every week to mow
2. Work indoors
3. Listen to the window a/c on all night in our bedroom

Things I wish I did better:
1. Ability to see the big picture
2. Send hand-written cards to friends
3. Not pass judgement