100th Post

Thanks to ll who replied to my last post. I had really good suggestions from my last post and it was hard to pick just one, but it gave me ideas for future posts.
My 50th post was dedicated to things that I was grateful for, so go ahead and check it out.
I was afraid if I blogged on 100 people I could kill. I wouldn't want someone googling their own name and coming upon my blog.
I like my sister's idea, but I stopped around 28 of awkward moments. Maybe some future posts.
A major shout-out goes out to Heather and I dedicate this post to her. May you bask in the warm fuzzies from afar, Heather.

And for Rachel, here is the list of my favorite numbers from 1-100.

100 Reasons to Visit Me.

24. It's me!! Is there any better reason?

8. I MISS YOU!!!

80. Carlsbad Caverns is less than a few hours away. Camping! And bats (best seen during summer)!

99. Franklin Mountains State Park (America's largest urban state park). Good place to have a picnic at some overlooks with really good views. When I first saw it, I joked it was the "make-out point" of El Paso on the weekends.

15. Only 11-12 hours from California!! I'm not that far away. It's like driving to Utah, but you save more on gas.

12. We will laugh. Oh, yes. We will laugh.


18. You miss me.

21. You need to try something new.

16. One year until I'm deployed. The clock is ticking.

36. Lincoln National Forest (NM). Get my "tree" fix.

92. You can get lots of ideas for "desert landscaping"

34. Less than 6 hours away from the closest In n' Out (Arizona)

1. Old Mesilla Village

77. I have an extra bedroom and bathroom. Better than the Hilton, no? Well, maybe not.


33. Petroglyphs!!

43. I think El Paso still gets more water than Southern California. It may not be as "desert-ish" as you think.

49. Blue sky! I don't see very much smog.

27. Photo scavenger hunt (I love Heather's 100 photos of Texas idea, need to break out the camera!)

66. The weather has been in the 70'! And 40's, than 60's. Maybe 70's tomorrow. This was all this past week.

20. Albuquerque is less than 4 hours away, would make a good day/weekend trip.

28. Gas is cheaper here than in California.

3. Hueco Tanks State Park

54. You only have to drive on one freeway to get here (if coming from California). Yay for I-10!!

22. Home of the Sun Bowl!

37. The Aerial Tramway. I haven't even done the one in Palm Springs yet, this might be a good ride.

75. El Paso Museum of Art

2. Ysleta Mission - first established in 1682.

88. Minor League Baseball team : the Diablos.

100. An outlet mall that's pretty close. Plus there's at least 3 other malls in El Paso.

14. Lots of Latin music at YSA dances.

81. You can watch the sunset over two states and two countries

10. Avila's Mexican Restaurant

4. Good mountain biking (I have heard).

25. Good salsa.

50. You can walk some of the same roads Billy the Kid walked in Las Cruces, NM.

97. Albuquerque temple

23. Many of these places I haven't been to yet, we can explore together!

76. White Sands National Monument

31. It is possible to snow in El Paso (but not enough that you have to worry about shoveling the sidewalk).

64. I'll make you cookies. Maybe even a pie.

5. Good stopover to visiting other cities in Texas. Dallas and San Antonio are about 8-9 hours away. There's not much in between them and El Paso, believe me.

65. Lots of hiking opportunities.

69. Have you ever been this close to Mexico?? Sorry I can't cross the border with you.

44. Ciudad Juarez temple (sorry, can't go with you there either).

17. The night janitor is concerned for my social life. Having an out-of-town visitor may motivate me to procrastinate finishing my notes a little.

61. BlueBelle Ice Cream

77. Some bands/singers do actually come to perform in El Paso. So far since I've been here, there's been Brittany Spears, Parachute, and Kelly Clarkson, David Cook, Manheim Steamroller, and Third Eye Blind are coming in the next few weeks.

55. Hobby Lobby (crafts/home accents store - usually has good sales).

26. Just 40 minutes from the Land of Enchantment -- New Mexico!!

90. You can stop in Phoenix on the way here from California. It's a good half-way point.

3. Taco Cabana: 24 Hour Tacos and good rotisserie chicken.

60. Will you ever see a Wal Mart parking lot with more cars from Mexico than from Texas?

13. Home of the National Border Patrol Museum

86. It's Sun City, USA. Famous for an average of 302 days of sunshine throughout the yar.

9. A huge Cinco De Mayo festival

39. El Paso is the 21st largest metropolitan area in the United States.

6. How many people can really say that they've been to El Paso?

19. It's on the way to Houston, New Orleans, Florida, and a bunch of other places.

58. I have a nice view of cactus from my balcony. Lots of it.

96. UTEP (University of Texas El Paso) makes it a college town, I guess. Go Miners!

78. Lots of men and women in uniform.

7. Awesome lightning storms.

47. Tax free shopping at the Post Exchange (like a Target/WalMart) and Commissary (grocery store on post)!

59. I may actually be motivated to cook some real food.

41. Excuse to visit the largest state in the continental United States

89. There's a cool star that lights up on the mountain. It just happens to be the world's largest illuminated star.

67. Ruby's BBQ. Has some really good BBQ sauce. There's also a Famous Dave's that I still need to check out.

86. When I'm standing in line at the grocery store, people seem to be very chatty here.

11. Annual Amigo Airshow held at Fort Bliss.

73. Have you ever seen a volcanic crater? Well, now you can.

51. Since it's in the Mountain Standard Time Zone, television shows come on one hour earlier = a. better chance of catching your favorite show, and b. Getting to bed earlier.

79. Delta offers some of the cheapest, non-stop flights from Salt Lake City.

84. I recently discovered a place that sells frozen custard. I haven't seen one of those places since college.

83. Annual Wine and Jazz festival in Las Cruces.

43. Stephen's Hot Cocoa and a lot of imported German treats are available at the commissary.

30. You might be inspired if you watch "Glory Road"

45. There's a couple of scenic drives around El Paso, including a road known as "Scenic Drive."

32. Transmountain road is kind of fun to drive.

70. I live in a safe neighborhood.

29. 6th largest city in Texas!

35. You know you want to.

40. I have MREs available to use for any spontaneous camping trips.

52. Time to catch-up on your life.

63. I won't be making it to California for November.

72. You're missing out on all of my craziness.

82. You need a vacation.

95. I need to see some familiar faces.

38. Good, clean fun! But I don't mind get a little dirt on my clothes either.

42. I haven't had much bad traffic experience here in El Paso (then again, I leave for work at 5:10 in the morning).

56. Free hugs!

62. You can mark "Texas" off of your list of life-long goal of states to vist.

85. There's a Spanish radio station that plays a variety of English rock and alternative songs that you don't hear as often.

98. Carpe diem!!

68. I'm running out of reasons, but there really are more...

78. Complimentary sopapillas at Mexican restaurants. I have never seen that before.

46. Guadalupe Mountains National Park

74. "El Paso is like a big ugly wart, but it grows on you." -- Brother Jessop

87. I have hope for some wildflowers in the spring.

93. You can get your "Jennette-ic" fix.

48. Big Bend National Park

87. Time spent with those you love is the best investment.

94. El Paso is not really a tourist trap.

91. There's actually a Vietnamese restaurant in El Paso. How's that for culinary variety?

53. You can put your sunblock to good use.

71. Adventure awaits you!

57. Did I mention that I miss you?

Roadtrip Recap

These are just some random thoughts/experiences from last week.

* I went to my mission reunion since I had not been to one in about four years. Usually when one goes to a reunion, they "reunite" with someone. I actually didn't know anyone else there. My mission president had to go out of town and here only a handful of people who served around the same time I did. I still had a really good time.

* On Sunday I met up with some friends who came up from California to go to general conference (a large meeting where leaders of the LDS church speak to people around the world twice a year). It was great and the messages were very uplifting. Between sessions we had a little "tailgate" party. I suggested doing some face paint with the mustard or mayo, but that idea didn't quite catch on.

* I love how the food is cheaper in Utah, I miss that!

*It's a good thing to occasionally listen to the radio in a different state. There were quite a few songs that I have not heard yet, and some that I have not heard in years.

* I was at a gas station and I noticed the car behind me had some dogs who were happy to stretch their legs. "Are those Norwegian Elkhounds?" I asked. "Yes, they are!" She replied. I told her they were beautiful. She said, "I'm surprised you even knew what kind they were!" I am a nerd.

* At my usual Fillmore, UT rest stop I took a moment to help the worker find a few more edge pieces of the puzzle she was working on. My efforts proved futile.

*I had a lovely lunch with one of my mission companions at Hires in Salt Lake, I had not seen her for years and it was great to see her. Hires has delicious hamburgers and fry sauce (it's a Utah thing) too.

*Speaking of food, I went up to Logan to stop by Gossner's Cheese factory to pick up some squeaky cheese (regular and fresh smoked cheddar cheese curds) and some ice cream - even though it was cold and rainy out. Slightly disappointed that the Huckleberry cheesecake was too frozen too serve up (I don't come across huckleberry anything much in Cali) but the Oatmeal cookie was still delicious. I also stocked up on a few canisters of flavored hot chocolate mix.

* I had a wonderful time in Idaho at a friend's wedding. It was almost like a family reunion because I grew close to her and her family while we were roommates. The weather was beautiful! I had a moment to enjoy the sunshine and take a little walk near the falls.
*I did get to spend a little time with my brother. I don't really see him that often since we've lived in different states for quite a number of years. I was amazed that he woke up before 7 A.M on his day off to treat me to breakfast before I headed back to California.
*My camping and hiking plans were rained/snowed out. My original plan was to spend a couple days in Yellowstone while I was up in Idaho, but they were expecting snow storms (and only one road open) for the rest of the week. Plan B was to go to Zion's National Park on the way home, but there were some expected thunderstorms that night and rain the next day - which would make for some very slippery sandstone at Angel's Landing and possible flash floods in the Narrows. Plus it was a holiday weekend. Dang. Plan C was to go on a short 2 mile hike around Cedar Break National Monument. After I traveled the 20 minutes through the canyons I got to the road about 7 miles from the trailhead and it was closed due to about 4 feet of snow. I wish I had some snowshoes... Oh well... I did get to see this lovely view and you may be able to see Zion's National Park in the distance on the left.
*On my way up to Utah I was disappointed to see that the world's tallest thermometer in Baker, CA was not turned on. Was this the end of a landmark that I always looked forward to since my childhood? I was relieved to see it turned back on and boasting a nice 71 degrees on my way home. I figured maybe they forgot to turn it back on after Earth Hour.
*One confession: I smuggled 3 Sunkist tangelos into California. I really did forget about them. It's not very often that I'm stopped at the checkpoint. The officer asked me if I had any fresh fruit. I said no. He looked at me, and said, "Where's that beautiful smile?" I gave him a cheesy grin and he let me through. Phew...
* I drove through/enjoyed a thunder and lightning storm from Baker to Barstow. There's something really beautiful and captivating about a desert storm.

That concludes my latest adventure. I got home safe and sound with no speeding tickets. I love cruise control. I'm definitly sure this won't be last road trip this year.

Road Trip Snacks

Last week I drove from California to Utah in 11 hours. This was pretty good, since I had some crazy rain, drove an acceptable "legal" speed (those cops in Nevada and Southern UT are always on the prowl), and hit some traffic in Vegas. Plus I had an unhappy cat in my backseat to motivate me to get to my destination as soon as I can. This did not leave much time to stop for food and I had resorted to my granola bars that I brought along with me and some brief browsing of the shelves at gas stations. This brings me to my first snack and a mini-review:

Welch's Strawberry Fruit n' Yogurt Snacks: Initial impression: yogurt covered fruit snacks. I had been on a yogurt raisin kick the week before, so it beckoned to me, and I thought, why not?
Pros:It was actually healthier than what I expected. Low fat, 100% Vitamin C and 25% Vit. A and D with a small amount of calcium, iron, and protein too. The taste was okay (brother commented that "it's alright"). It was actually made from fruit puree (first ingredient) rather than the artificial gumminess that I was expecting. The grape was a little overpowering to the strawberry flavor. Bag fits conveniently in arm rest/cup holder for mindless snacking. When combined with a granola bar and a Vitamin Water, held me over quite well for a few hours.
Cons: Some people may not like the grittiness from the fruit puree. The white appearance of the yogurt on the front is deceptive, it's actually a light brown. I wouldn't recommend eating the whole bag in one sitting (I did not attempt this). This could lead to some digestive issues.

A couple other foods that I discovered that were actually quite good: Sobe's Orange Creme drink and Chex Mix Turtle bar. Good, good stuff. Maybe I'll discover something new when I drive back to Cali later this week.

So, what's your favorite road trip snack?

THIS is what I want to do...

This is something I want to add to my bucket list. I thought it was worth sharing...

I'm back!!

I'm back in the U.S. of A. now. Reflecting on my trip is going to take a lot time, so bear with me and the multiple posts. I'll probably just post some random thoughts and most of this will not be very organized, so hang on for the ride.
* Some people would think I'm a bit crazy for going to some foreign country by myself that I've never been to nor speak the language. Fortunately, the majority of the people could speak English. I could say some basics like "do you speak English?","Excuse me," "thank you," "restroom" and "one hot dog, please." One of my few times that I ran into somone who couldn't was at a convenience store. My pocket phrase book didn't tell me how to say, "I would like to redeem this empty plastic bottle and get my 1 or 2 kroner, please," but fortunately, I could just pull out my bottle, point and smile, and they got the point. I wasn't also too concerned about the safety issue. I told my parents, "Come on, it's Norway..." I 've been in scarier parts in San Francisco. Another plus to traveling alone is that I don't have to worry about someone else's comfort and I don't feel as bad when I make a wrong turn or some schedule mistake. Being a little low on money and with the high cost of Europe, I did have to rough it a little and really stretch my budget. And it was nice to spend as much time looking at a painting, resting (or not resting), nursing some ugly blisters, taking as many pictures as I wanted of the same object, and so on. Of course there are some downsides to traveling alone, the major one of just not having someone to share a beautiful scene with, share your thoughts, emotions, and perspectives on your experiences, or dance to the music that lingers through the a harbor's summer air. I guess those times will come and I will look forward to them even more, especially when I have my eternal travel companion that accompanies me on the rest of my life's journeys.

* I think I've experienced the majority of possible modes of public transportation. Lots of flying time, but that's to be expected, as well as the number of stopovers. On my way over, I left Ontario at 6:25 in the morning, had stops in Phoenix, Denver, Philadelphia, and Munich before arriving in Stockholm around 3:30 pm the next day. Munich was my first view of Europe and I was amazed with how green it was and all of the little, red-roofed villages scattered about the countryside, awwwww... While I was in the Munich airport I had the song, now I'm not sure if it's the right title so please forgive me, "Ninety-nine red balloons" (that 80's song where half of the lyrics are in German) stuck in my head. I was trying refrain from whistling it, afraid that some may find it offensive and think that I'm mocking Germany. I later found out from a friend who just came back from Germany that Germans love that song and would not have been offended. Next time, next time...
I admit I wasn't the most social seat mate (spent more time dozing), but I did sit and chat with this amazing women who had been vacationing in Atlantic City and was going back to Germany where she works for the Army. We somehow got onto the topic of goals and she mentioned that she was training for her first half-marathon. Wow!! I thought. I asked if she had been in any before and she said no, that this was her first. She said that she has multiple sclerosis and so is not very sure how much time she has left to engage in such physical activities. She said 2 weeks ago she couldn't even walk, so she just takes things a day at a time and tries to live the most out of them. Amazing!
Jumping forward... I almost didn't get home Tuesday night because the airline had overbooked the flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix. After spending more than 2 hours going through customs, and the nightmare of the security check (worst check line ever!) I found out that I was on the waiting list to get a seat on the plane. I was starting to get just a little stressed out at this point. Just a little. I was starting my new job at 8am the next morning and couldn't wait for the next earliest flight that didn't leave until the next morning. Fortunately, some kind soul, whose name will be written by angels in the eternal book of good deeds, took the later flight and I was able to get one of the last seats on the plane. I sat with a lovely couple from Sweden on their way to Phoenix. We chatted for a good time until we both felt the effects of Stockholm time and slept until the end of the flight. After the plane landed, they offered me a piece of candy that looked more like a large, oval, greyish-brown vitamin. I graciously accepted. Now, just a side note, I have learned that in many countries, children and adults acquire a taste for things that others may find disgusting. Australians have Vegimite (a spread for bread made from yeast extract, very salty), Argentines have mate (a drink that looks, and many say tastes, like grass), and Swedes have their salted black licorice. This salt doesn't just seem like regular table salt, it seems a bit stronger, like it's burning your mouth and up to your nose. This particular hard candy had a salty-black licorice and menthol taste to it. Yes, a bit strong. I tried my best to keep a straight face. It was too big to swallow, so I had to suck on it until I could bite into it and taste its full fury. Still trying to maintain a straight face. Ah, yes the joys of airplane travel...

I'm going to keep this short for now, but I will blog more later. Stay tuned for more Scandinavian adventures.