Interesting Menu Options

I love it when restaurants are honest about their limited selections....

One of my favorite "International Flavorities" is Filet Migong complete with Fried Friend. I didn't ask if you get to choose which friend gets fried, but I should have.

Forget red, yellow or green curry, when "rad" curry is on the menu. Vegettables and mashrooms are also delightful.

The hilarious thing about this drink menu is that if you lift the sticker that says "ain", it says "ian", which makes it actually printed as Black Russian and then fixed to say Black Russain.

I didn't get a chance to talking with Run, but I'm sure him would have introduce give for me some great food choices.

I LOVE THAILAND!

Beach Wedding

I'm back everyone! Planning some good posts, so here's one of the first of many more!

One of the highlights of my trip back to the Thai homeland was the beautiful beach wedding of my dear friend Julie and her new husband Scott. They decided to get married on Laguna Beach in Phuket, before the job fair craziness all began. I had the distinguished honor of being the best man while Krista was maid of honor. Another family from Casablanca American School - Lara, Paul, Kira and Kesia came too. Kira even stepped up at the last minute to be the flower girl and she was a total pro, even though it was her first time.

We all got picked up in this classy rig from our kickass hotel. I know many brides would go for a limo or pickup truck, but this van is by far the best wedding transportation I've ever seen.

Although Julie and Scott spent some time looking through the 80 or so options for their decorations and picking just the right one, they didn't actually get the one they picked. However, the heart petals and seashell arch was just the right amounts of pretty and cheesy.

The bride walked herself down the aisle to where her groom was waiting for her. She was super happy and had a totally genuine smile on her face the entire time.

"God love a wedding" was the beginning line from the minister who didn't actually speak any English. He had to bring a translator when he met with Julie and Scott ahead of time. He had a script that he read for the ceremony, although he had a hard time pronouncing the names.. There's no way to write the hilarity of the accent. Julia and S-cott Tidy-man had an awesome sense of humor about all of it.

Even when she couldn't get the ring on his finger!

The R. Fatine girls had a blast - together once again to laugh and celebrate!

By far my favorite part of the wedding was the Love Tree Planting. No one is quite sure where the Thai wedding planners got the idea that planting a love tree in the sand needed to be a part of a Western weddin ceremony - but I'm sure glad they did. After using their love shovel and love watering can to plant their love tree, Julie and Scott moved on to their next activity, while the wedding planner's staff uprooted the tree from the sand and threw it back in the truck for the next wedding. Not sure what that symbolizes...

And then there were fire balloons - and Julie was a bit nervous about the giant ball of fire she was supposed to hold. Bride and groom let three balloons of fire float into the air and off towards the sunset.

Here's a wedding tradition I recognized - champagne! The adults each had a glass before taking more pictures and then heading off to dinner on the beach.

Julie and Scott's day was so special, so I highly recommend it to you adventurous folks out there who want something less traditional for a wedding. There were plenty of laughs and tons of good times, as well as a perfectly legal union of these two wonderful people. Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Tidy-man!

Ice Bar

It's getting much chillier here in Morocco, which reminded me about this spectacular experience I got to share with my parents and cousins Jeff & Tina - ABSOLUT ICEBAR!

The Ice Bar is no joke - they import ice from Northern Sweden and carve it into furniture and other decorations. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Get outfitted with your beautiful blue cape. This metallic masterpiece not only comes with a fur-lined hood, but it also has gloves attached.

Step 2: Step into the freezing ice bar, where if you're a real man, you'll kick it in shorts like cousin Jeff. Who needs long pants when you're in freezing temperatures?

Step 3: Head to the bar and order a drink made with Absolut Vodka (you are in the Absolut Ice Bar after all and there are a variety of options to meet your tastes). Doesn't my mom look cute in her fur lined cape? Kind of reminiscent of her wedding dress, eh?
Step 4: Make sure to put on your gloves first, then take your ice cup from the bartender and sip your fruity or spicy vodka cocktail. If you're still thirsty when you're done, just suck on your cup of ice. It will eventually melt in your mouth.
Step 5: Cosy up for warmth in a beautiful ice throne. This picture totally doesn't do the intricate carving justice. It rocks in real life.
Step 6: Leave before your whole body goes numb. When you buy your ticket for the ice bar, you only get to go in for 45 minutes. Sure that doesn't sound like a lot of time - until you're in there. We lasted 30, I think. It's pretty cold, like freezing.

Return Trip: When you return to the ICEBAR, there will be a new setup. They like to change up the decor pretty often so people keep coming back. Maybe next summer, I'll check out the updated look, but for now, I'm fine with freezing in my own home.

Hot Manse Post for Brooke

What girl doesn't want to be a princess living in a fairy tale castle? While is Lisbon, we had the opportunity to travel out to visit the Palacio de Pena, a beautiful castle in Sintra, Portugal. If you're ever in Lisbon, you should definitely check it out.

My dear friend Brooke loves to post about hot mansions all over the world. (Check out her blog by following the link on the side of the page.) This trip to Sintra totally reminded me of her hot manse posts. Who doesn't love a palace on a hill?

Even better - you get to feel like a real princess, climbing towers and peeping over the turrets. Here's Mom and I taking in a gorgeous view. I was looking out for my Prince Charming, but alas, there were no white horses to be seen.

The Palacio de Pena was originally built by Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, husband of Queen Maria II in the 1840s and was the home of the royal family until 1910, when they fleed from Portugal. The palace was left as it was when they lived there, so the inside is lavishly decorated as only historical palaces can be. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside, but we did get plenty of photos of the beautiful outside of the palace.

Check out this kickass archway. The dude on top of it is some kind of sea creature guarding the castle. He doesn't look very comfortable, or happy.

Here's a picture of one of the outdoor courtyards with spectacular views of land and sea. Sintra is a beautifully wooded area with lavish estates, castles, palaces and a view of the ocean. I'd live there, I guess. :)

This little tower totally made me feel like Rapunzel and the view was spectacular. If I lived here, I would totally put a comfy chair right in the middle of the tower and use it as a reading corner/book nook.

The Best Things in Life Are Free

It's true. The best things in life are in fact, free. Like Free Hugs, for example. We found this guy at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, just giving out hugs - for free. No strings attached.

So of course I took him up on his offer.
And he gave me his card so that I could send him the pic for his website. Check it out at: http://www.freelondonevents.co.uk/free_hugs.htm What a fantastic way to spread love throughout a big city!

I really love Stuart's business card - Vat is actually included in the free hug price. No need to fill out forms and spend a bunch of time at the airport trying to get the tax back!

Gotta Love the Brits...

Why do you have to love them? Because they are so polite, of course! Check out this sign outside "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub". It is a POLITE NOTICE. Isn't that sweet?

They are also very funny. This place is called Bung Hole 57. The name just makes you want to go in - who doesn't want to go into the Bung Hole shop or restaurant?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE!

Let me tell you about my awesome friend, Stephanie, who has turned another year older today. In her Upper School Math class, she teaches her students to sing songs like "I'll Simplify" to the tune of "I Will Survive". She also really gets excited about teaching things like Calculus. I think I'd like Calculus in Ms. Lacher's classroom. I am a huge fan of the poster that she put up her on her classroom wall this year - how clever.


Luckily, when Stephanie bought her pretty new Suzuki Swift last week, I was able to score myself a spot in her carpool to school. That's right, folks, no more Blue Bird bus for me! Instead, I get the great company of Stephanie, Amy and Rohan each morning on the way to school. Oh, and I get to be a passenger in this hot ride. It's time to start planning road trips in Morocco!

Road Trippin'

There are so many things that I love about road trips. This summer, I spent quite a bit of time on the road.

By far my favorite road to travel is the I-90 Interstate. I pop on I-90 in Butte or from the cabin and drive all the way over to Seattle, often stopping in Spokane on the way. All through Montana, Idaho, and Western Washington, there are stunning roadside views. Mountains, lakes, rivers and farmland all have a place in the beautiful landscape. They even have wildlife - horses and cows out to pasture.

There are so many amazing places to stop for a break along the way from Montana back to Seattle - here are some of my faves.

• Rock Creek Road is located between Butte and Missoula, Montana and it is known for the "Testicle Festival", which takes place each August. If you're getting a bit tired, the restaurant makes a mean grilled cheese and you can browse through all sorts of Testicle Festival souvenirs. If you are really brave, you might even choose to order a plate of testees. :)

• 33 miles from the Idaho border, there's another souvenir option - the St. Regis Travel Center. They have a 360 degree fish tank for your viewing pleasure and clean restrooms. You can also shop for huckleberry candy, lip gloss and the like.

• Tacky souvenirs are most plentiful at the Silver Express stop at exit 16. You can find everything from kitties in a basket to mood rings to redneck books. Another set of clean restrooms and a casino make this a nice little break from the road.

• Lookout Mountain Pass sits on the Idaho/Montana border and is a beautiful windy road that leads up to this Welcome to Idaho sign. There's only 70 miles of driving through Idaho, where you can stop in places such as Smelterville and Pinehurst and beautiful Cour d'Alene!

• Soon after this Welcome to Washington sign, you start the most boring part of the drive - Eastern Washington. There's really not much to say about that 3.5 hours of driving.

• Luckily, to break up the monotony of Eastern Washington, there is the lovely town of Ritzville. I stop in Ritzville on every road trip through. It's got everything I need - a Chevron station close to the freeway and well...there's a Subway and a McDo as well. I guess there's not a really awesome reason to stop in Ritzville, except I always do.

When others are with me, there's the joy of Mad Libs, the Alphabet Game and the Geography Game. When I'm on my own, I make sure the beauty of the drive and the exciting stops along the way keep me awake. Either way, I have a blast! Since I don't drive in Casa, this summer of road trips was extra special bonding time with Pox! :)

Standing on the Roof of Africa

Well, folks..we did it! My dear father, sister and I climbed up to 5895 meters (19340 feet) and stood up on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. After 6 grueling hours of slowly walking in zigzags uphill, we came upon this gorgeous sight.

The sunrise wasn't the only beautiful sight from the top of the mountain - check out this glacier and the sea of clouds below it.
Katie summitted the mountain by running the last few meters at about 6:45 a.m. Dad and I came "pole pole" (slowly slowly) afterwards. I think I was about 5-10 minutes behind my dear sister and Dad was already up by then. Even though it was absolutely freezing cold, we still took a break to get some photos before heading back down.

Out of 14 people in our group, 14 of us summitted the mountain. Our fabulous guides and sheer willpower and determination were a huge part of our success. Here's a pic of all of us at the top of Uhuru Peak, the tallest point in Africa.

Summitting Kili was a huge accomplishment and a great time. I was so lucky to get to do this with my dad and sister, as well as the many new friends we met on our journey - wouldn't have been the same without you all!

Stay tuned for more Kili pics and stories!

Laxative Advertisement

For Barb's birthday last Friday, we went to Trica, a bar down the road known for its 2 liter mojitos.

Check out this awesome sign - Ramon's Brownie Pills and Ramon's Pink Pills were unfortunately not on the menu, but the giant mojito made up for it.

Close up! Who doesn't love a bar that advertises laxatives on their walls?

Saving Bread

Here's some fascinating information about garbage pickup in Casablanca. Although some garbage is strewn throughout the streets and the unofficial garbage field by my house, some people throw their garbage away in garbage cans.


Garbage trucks, like this one, pick up the garbage from the garbage cans and carry it off to the official garbage dumps. So far, this probably sounds like what happens all over the world in terms of garbage.

The interesting thing about garbage pick up here is that bread is kept separate. Plastic bags full of bread are left next to the garbage cans and the garbage truck drivers place them on top of the gas tank. They are then distributed to people in need, who often sell them to others to feed animals. It is against Islam to waste bread, so it's a pretty important part of life here.