How The Other Half Lives

And by Other Half, I mean those who live North of us. Specifically Canada. More specifically, Vancouver, BC.

Dustin has been doing some simulation training up there and I went up to visit last weekend. I pulled out my long sleeved shirts again and made sure I had a light jacket and flew up on Friday afternoon. Apparently meal service on airlines has gone the way of the Dodo bird. At least on Delta you can buy a "gourmet" sandwich for $8 cash, exact change only please.

But I digress. The flight was fine except for some weird chugging noises that sounded like a car engine that has a bad starter (Dustin assured me it was normal for the kind of plane I was on) and the very talkative woman next to me. Customs was a breeze and the walk out of the airport was very nice. I wish I had a picture of the homemade sign that said "Vancouver ----->". I'd hate to turn the other way and hit Quebec instead!

Dustin was waiting for me and as we waited for the shuttle, he asked what I thought of Vancouver. Always a smart aleck I said the airport was very nice. We got a laugh and by the time we made it to his hotel, we were ready for some dinner. The hotel was in Chinatown so we walked a block and found a few chinese restaurants that only took cash. A few minutes of looking for an ATM, admiring how pretty the money is up there and walking back to a restaurant that looked good and we were set. We opened the door and noticed we were the only non-Asians there. The menu was in Chinese with English translations on about half of the menu items. It was going to be delicious!

We weren't disappointed. The sweet and sour chicken was perfect and the chicken fried rice was better than any I've ever had. Dustin ordered curry chicken that wasn't quite what he expected and spicier than he liked but it was ok. Even the plain white rice was good! If you're in Vancouver/Richmond, I highly recommend Top Shanghai Restaurant on Ackroyd(I think) in Chinatown. I think even Kylene would be impressed and she's very picky about her chinese food after serving her mission in Hong Kong (right?).

Saturday we walked to the mall and bought Dustin some new work pants and a nice shirt. We ate at place that specilized in french fries and thought briefly about trying the gravy on top before opting for cheese dip. Then we found Maxims bakery. Oh the delicious smells wafting from that delightful store! We were completely full and still tried to determine if we had room for a weiner bun or cake. And the prices were soooo cheap! $0.80 for a weiner bun (hot dog in a roll) or a chicken and ham pie. Everything there was also in Chinese but with English subtitles.

Dustin had a training on Saturday early evening so I spent some time reading before we had dinner at a White Spot restaurant. Very tasty and decently priced.

Sunday was spent trying to get home and when that failed, we ordered some room service. Chicken quesadilla and some chicken fingers and fries. With plum sauce. Surprisingly good with the french fries.

Monday we were able to try the bakery finally and it was worth the wait. The bread was sweet and soft and left you full but wanting more.

It sounds like we did nothing but eat but we spent some time walking around Chinatown and enjoying the weather and lovely flowers. My last meal was at a local pub called The Foggy Dew and Dustin's bangers and mash was wonderful and my steak nice and tender.

The flight home was very quiet and went pretty fast. Dustin is expected home on Saturday and I've hinted that I'd like some rolls from Maxims if he's able to bring some home. I can't wait!

Must See TV

Ok, I've neglected this blog for over a week as I've tried to decide what to write about. I could be a good aunt and talk about my cute neices' or my adorable nephew's blessings. I could be a good mom and talk about Alex's 6th birthday. I could share the progress we are making towards the move to Denver.

But I'm not.

No, I thought I'd write about how excited I am about some of my favorite shows to come back! LOST, Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty! Yes, because I'm shallow like that.

TV has always been the way I unwind. Its easier for my brain to relax against the issues of the day if I can ignore them for a 22-48 minutes and concentrate on people who have problems far bigger than mine. I'll admit to watching Dancing With The Stars and even The Hills if I'm really bored. The writers' strike hit me where it hurt; my evening relaxation.

But, its been "worked out" and now I get to see what happens with Bailey, Betty and the Others! Will they get off the island? Will Meredith and McDreamy get back together and will anyone ever agree with me that Daniel is nursing a secret crush on Betty? So secret he doesn't even know its there!

Go ahead and mock me. Thursday nights are an internal struggle. Do I watch The Office and be thankful I don't work for Michael Scott or do I go for the science and gore of CSI: Las Vegas? The addition of the returning shows means I'll have to decide which one is more important to watch live. Its like Sophie's Choice! Two or three will be relegated to be watched online Friday. The horror of having to pick my favorite!

At least there aren't any commercials.

Denver calls!

We found out on Friday that Dustin will be based in Denver. After almost three weeks in Vancouver with the flight simulator, he'll move to Denver until Alex and I can join him. I've been looking for places to live and possible jobs and we're very excited at the adventure in front of us!

We might change our tune when its December and 15 degrees but for now it sounds mighty nice as Las Vegas starts to heat up in preparation for the summer.

But moving means cleaning out all the boxes that have been lugged around without being opened. Do we really want to take all those old college textbooks 700 miles away? The torn bedspread? A box of girls camp crafts from 1993? I'm thinking no. Those are all my stuff though so I don't feel bad for getting rid of it. I'll let Dustin go through his own belongings.

Thats the fun and exhausting part of moving. I love finding things I'd thought were long gone. But what am I going to do with old fabric from a quilt I never finished? Its a nice thought that I'll finish it but that would require lots of painstaking tasks like removing stitches and re-cutting fabric. I'm not the most patient of crafters.

I also love decorating the new place. Deciding where the pictures will go and arranging the furniture. I usually redo the kitchen at least twice until I figure out where I naturally want to put the silverware right from the dishwasher and what is convienent to the stove. Its a puzzle that I can't ever seem to get right on the first try. The junk drawer should have been a little bit bigger or the pans fit better in the other cabinet.

Woohoo! We're moving!

What's in a name?

Dustin and I did sealings at the Las Vegas Temple on Saturday. We only had about an hour so we checked in with the sealing office and were directed to a room. We handed our piece of paper with our name written on it to the sealer and waited for our turn. Only a few minutes and we were called to position. The sealer asked how we pronounce our name and we sound it out for him. He starts calling us the Wohlgemoose's. Ok, no big deal. Still pretty close. He makes it through the list and calls another couple up.

When our turn came again, he again asks us how to pronounce our name. We sound it out again and he gets some help from a one of the other men in the room. Still doesn't quite get it and calls us the Ohlgemuths. Closer but no cigar. That deteriorates to the Olgemonts. Then to the Olmonts and finally to the Lamonts. I can't look at Dustin because he's trying to make me laugh and I can't look at the sealer because I'll crack up so I just look down and pretend I'm listening very closely to the words. And miss my cue.

So, we are now the Lamonts and it is certainly easier to learn to spell.

Still Flying Somewhat High

I looked at the last few entries and noticed my name wasn't on any of these latest posts, and then I realized I'm not around anymore. It seems as life has gone on without me at home. Here is what I have been up to. Forgive the difference in writing styles, as my sweet wife is an author and I am just a pilot.

I am currently in ground school for an airline. Yes, I already know how to fly, but they need to indoctrinate me with the new systems on their aircraft. I have heard that this airplane is one of the hardest around to learn. Learning the 747 would be an easy transition (they say). The systems are backups upon backups and we have to learn everything about them so we can troubleshoot in the air. You wouldn't want us to not know how to fix a trouble in the sky would you? We can't pull off the side of the road if it dies.

I live on an old military base in Phoenix that is converted into an Arizona State University campus and will be here for 1 or 2 more weeks. Vancouver will be my next destination for 2 weeks and then thrown into the wolves in either Denver or Phoenix. I did well the first week of tests, but it has been clear as mud (nearly concrete) ever since. We will see how it all turns out. I look forward to seeing all of you who fly on United Airlines or U.S. Airways (America West) in the future.

Cinnamon rolls

When I was younger, I’d sit at my grandma’s kitchen counter and watch as she made cinnamon rolls. The dough was always the perfect shade of beige and never stuck to her fingers as she manipulated it to the proper shape, ready for the rolling pin. A handful of flour from a bottom drawer (I’ve always wanted a flour drawer in my kitchen. It seems so much easier than a canister or bag) and a few flicks of her wrist and it would be a rectangle ready for butter and a brown sugar/cinnamon mix. She made it look so easy and they were always perfection. Like a taste of love and her no-nonsense way of taking care of us each summer.

I haven’t made them in years. I can’t remember the last time I dug out the recipe that was the closest she could come to exact measurements. Everything was by sight, feel or smell with her. I needed numbers. It was on a stained and slightly faded index card with a piece of dried dough from another attempt on one corner and my teenage handwriting. Circles over the i’s and everything.

The signup for the ward girls camp fundraiser made the rounds in Relief Society so I impulsively signed up for cinnamon rolls. Dustin had never tried mine and I knew I could foist the rest off on my dad if we couldn’t eat them. They also freeze really well and that’s actually how dad prefers them as it brings back memories of sneaking one from the deep freeze before grandma could catch him. These take about 3-4 hours to make though and were needed for the fundraiser on Wednesday which meant I couldn’t make them over the weekend or they’d be slightly stale. Tuesday became the day of the project.

Alex helped with the ingredients and I explained how to break an egg as he made a face at the yolk that ended up on his fingers. He asked to taste the dough and seemed amazed that it tasted like bread. I broke a bowl that wasn’t up to the task of me lifting it with one hand after the dough had doubled.

I don’t form the rolls like she did. I make mine into a snake and then slice it like they do at Cinnabon but I kept losing all my filling when I folded it in half and made slices before twisting the dough and making the round roll shape. I think she’d be okay with me not wasting the yummy filling.

The apartment smells like a bakery. It smells like summer at grandma’s. She died a few years ago but I can see her in her kitchen at the farm as she tried to measure the ingredients for me and letting me feel how warm the water for the yeast and the smoothness of the dough.

I miss you Grandma. My cinnamon rolls aren’t as good as yours. Maybe its all that extra love you put into them.

SEAWORLD!

Alex and I went to Seaworld on Monday. We were visiting my sister and her family so I offered to take their baby girl with us. It was pretty uneventful even though Alex wanted to sit in the "soak zone" for Shamu and the dolphins and I wouldn't let him. I didn't get very many pictures because, well, after a few times of trying to keep a six month old baby away from the camera and not being able to take the stroller into ANYTHING, it just got to be too much. I swear we did see the flamingos and the dolphins and the sharks. Alex had a rough time getting his souveniers home though. He wanted to get a gift for his other aunt and had picked out a sword for himself. We forgot the sword at my sister's house and he accidentally dropped the snowglobe for his aunt and it broke. It took some convincing that it was now a statue and she'd still love it.

I've decided its easier to keep pace with an almost 6 year old if I outnumber him with another adult. Preferrably one who likes to get drenched in whale water and doesn't mind the smell of penguin feces. Cause once is about all I can do.

We'll be going back. We got season passes so we'll head back either in the summer or fall and go on some rides and make sure that second adult comes with us. They come in handy.