*first* panic attack of the trip? Deserves to be blogged, I suppose.

This may be stupid, but....I think I am having a *minor* panic attack! I am about to attempt to ride the subway...solo...in another country. What if I get lost? Mugged? Lost? Lost? LOST???

I've never used public transportation by myself. At home, I take a car everywhere. And on the few occasions that I've used public transport, I've always had people with me. Feels safer that way! You know, if you get lost or anything happens, it's not as bad when you have others to help each other out and figure it out. And I've also always been in an area that I know....and that people speak English. Totally NOT my situation now!

Ahhhhh! Breathe, breathe, breathe. I guess this is what everybody meant when they told me that this trip would show me I am stronger than I ever knew I could be. Sounds silly to compare that to riding on a subway alone, but this is something I have NEVER done and honestly, given the choice, would probably rather not do at all. S-C-A-R-E-D. But I'm going to try. We shall see. After all, it is going to be a LOOOOOOOONG 2.5 more months if I don't actually get used to public transportation.

Alright, wish me luck people! Hopefully I survive to write a blog about how I survived! To be continued, dun dun duuuuuuuuuun....

 

Catch up blog for the Mama!

I have SO MUCH catching up to do on this blog!! I've been so busy that it's actually been hard to find the time to keep up. Hopefully this evening I can write a few different ones from the past couple of weeks in Bahrain.

Before I get started on that....let me update you on my whereabouts for now. I just arrived back to Stockholm last night. We left Amanda's place to head for the airport at about 2:30am. Knowing it was our last night, we decided not to sleep and to just hang out instead. It was so nice to see everybody before I headed off to the airport. I met some really amazing people in Bahrain that made me feel so welcome and at home. Was very hard to say goodbye!

My first flight to Instanbul was okay. Was served something questionable for breakfast so skipped out on it. Had a bumpy flight so got only a bit of a nap in here and there. Then I was back at the Instanbul airport. Yuck. I hadn't had enough time between trips here yet to forget how much I disliked it. Once again it was super overcrowded. I thought I had only a 2 hour layover...but that turned into 5 hours. I bought a small bag of chips and a juice.....8, yes 8, US dollars! Ugh! Then I found a lovely spot on the dirty floor and took a quick nap. Like a champ. Finally, by 2pm it was time to go and I was off to Sweden.

The flight to Sweden was horribly horrible. I am convinced every person on that flight except me had a baby with them. I sat next to a lady with a toddler who she passed off an ipad to watch Telly Tubbies....SAME EPISODE....ON REPEAT....NO HEADPHONES. Oh, I was so overtired and annoyed at this point. Ya know, there's many reasons why I have chosen to wait to produce minions so far in life and having peace & quiet when I want it is at the top of that list. Just because you're used to being a mom and listening to torture on repeat doesn't mean you have to share that gift with others. Parents: INVEST IN HEADPHONES. (please). Okay, rant over.

After about a 17 hour journey, lack of sleep or a meal...Ola & Jonas picked me up at the airport. I finally made it to the couch and crashed out for the night. Sleep was SO GOOD.

Ola is out of town for work so today was my first day solo. Went out, no car and no tour guide, and explored. I didn't even get lost, woo hoo! Went shopping for a bit, wandered around, sat outside and did nothing but think, and grabbed a bite to eat. Was very relaxing.

Being alone has never been something I am good at. I've always been surrounded by people. Even trips to the grocery, grabbing food, walking the dog....always had somebody by my side. I have to say, I am getting good at being alone and doing things alone. Quite impressed with myself, actually! Who knew??? Hopefully it stays this entertaining because I've got quite a bit of time left to hang out with the coolest person I'll ever know :)

Quick shout out to my big bro: Happy birthday to my favorite partner in crime since my first day on this planet! He's my Stannaise, my Stana Claus, my cocker Stanniel, my hand stan...a big brother that's had my back from the start. LOVE YOU!!

Be on the lookout for some blogs to come from Bahrain over the next couple days. I've been getting grief from the fam for not writing enough! :)
 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY birthday to my best friend and the best sister I could ever dream of. I wish I was there to celebrate with you, Jennifer. I love you and miss you SOOOOOOOO much!!!! Go to Gloria's to celebrate ;) I hope Randy and the girls spoil you. Thank you for being the best role model, friend, confidante (except that you tell Mom everything!), hilarious, sweet, loving, and motivating person. You mean the world to me and I LOVE YOU!!!

LIVE IT UP, SISTER! LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!!!!!

Love,

Little Sis

 

Hey Mommy, look what I did!

Okay, I have to start with my fav chicken fried song to get this party started. And yes, AMY, this song IS country. (She's been a little confused...the girl thought Steven Tyler was a country artist). Click the link below to enjoy while I tell you about my proud moment last night when Amanda and I successfully pulled off a delish Texan dinner as a thank you!

http://youtu.be/b26wu3Ms34M

 

As anybody that knows me knows.....I HATE to cook! Every time my mom and sister are in the kitchen you can find me hiding somewhere. Thanksgiving and Christmas...I'm watching football with the boys. Any other day, I'm doing anything BUT helping in the kitchen. I just hate everything about it....except eating the finished product. That part I certainly love and am willing to suddenly pop into the kitchen for :) I mean, my older sister is basically Betty Crocker, and I live in a city where I can get anything I dream of made for me quickly. Even the grocery stores are full of deliciously fresh, precooked meals....thank you Market Street!

 

No joke, when my family dropped me off at college they had to give me a How to Microwave 101 lesson. Apparently you can't put a can of Spaghettios straight in the mic. Who knew?!

 

That said, I DO secretly have the capability of cooking. Only for very special or desperate occasions do I let this secret be known. I thought a month of taking me in and taking care of me in Bahrain was such an occasion. So, I told Amanda we were cooking a southern meal and she was to be my sou chef. (I think I get bossy when I make up my mind about something. Wonder where I get that....JENNIFER?!?)

 

We decided on a menu of chicken fried steak, white gravy, green bean bundles, cornbread casserole, peach cobbler, & vanilla ice cream. Due to the lack of finding the same ingredients here in Bahrain, we had no choice but to make everything from scratch. And when I say scratch, I mean we had to get creative.

 

My heart sank when I realized everywhere in the world does not sell the reliable old Jiffy box. I found a copycat recipe online to make my own Jiffy, but it called for cornmeal and they didn't even have THAT here. So, I found a cornmeal substitute and they didn't even have THOSE options at the grocery here. We ended up mixing flour with couscous to substitute for cornmeal, thank you Internet for that save!

 

It took about 2.5 hours, and a little bit of me turning into Hell's Kitchen on Amanda, but we got it all done. And I was proud that I got to teach Amanda how to make gravy from scratch using the fat drippings...oh yes...that's the good stuff!

 

After everyone ate, we had a good time explaining that all in all 4 sticks of butter and a bag of sugar were used. Not to mention frying, fats, and all the other good stuff that those of us that love some country cooking know makes it TO DIE FOR! This just brings back memories of my 5ft tall grandmother making yams and adding stick after stick of butter and a scary amount of brown sugar. It's just how you make stuff good. Little southern cooking secret.

 

No one had tried any of these dishes before and the verdict was......they LOVED it! It made me so happy since I was a bit nervous with all the substitutions that it may not work out. I knew it was a success when everyone sat down on the couch and was so stuffed they couldn't move. Voila!

 

So, yes, I cooked. No, I will not cook when I get home. And though I know my mom and my sister are probably jumping up and down at the thought of me helping in the kitchen for Thanksgiving this year....it ain't happenin sistah!

 

I did learn one thing though: It is fun to show people where you come from. Things you enjoy from home. Share things they have never experienced. However, after dinner we couldn't convince them to complete our Texas evening with the 3:30am opening game of the NFL Season.....COWBOYS vs Giants! Amanda and I went to watch anyway. We may have gotten home at 7am, but it was well worth staying up all night long to watch the Boys start the season with a win! And a win over the Giants nonetheless. WOO HOO!

And just so all you that doubt that I didn't just go buy this stuff and serve it, here's a few pics for evidence. Yeeeeeeeeeah!

Cornbread casserole, chicken fried steak cooking, & starting the gravy from scratch

Green bean bundles ready for sauce & peaches ready to boil with sugar for cobbler

Making Paula Dean proud with a *little* bit of butter to get the cobbler party started!

Cobbler ready to pop into the oven with all it's buttery, sugary, peachy goodness!

 

And I can't post a picture of the final table setting because my sou chef AMANDA didn't set the table correctly and I know my mother and sister would call me out on that! (See why I had to yell at the sou so much?!) :) Just Kidding, Amanda: We made a great team!

 

Okay, enough chicken fried talk. Tomorrow I take you to...the mosque! LOVE XOXO! 



 

 



There's No Place Like Home!

Top 10 Things I'm Missing After 1 Month and 4 Days Away From Home:

10. Dad's BBQ. Ribs and steaks and all the good stuff that nobody makes quite as well as my D-A-D. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Oh, and Dad cooking out at the land...even BETTER. And shooting guns. Actually, I'd love to just spend a day at the land real quick & then come back here!

9. Texas Country and all things associated with it! One of the very best things to do on a summer night is sit outside and listen to live music, have a cold drink, and dance with friends! Ahh, I miss it!

8. My friends.....of course! What I wouldn't give to have some of these experiences with my friends from home. And this summer was full of such good times with my best friends, Kappa sisters, and old friends from school. Amazing people I have back home and I miss them dearly!

 7. Dr. Pepper! And Blue Bell! Better yet, make it a Dr Pepper float. I miss some sweet soda and quality ice cream. Darn. In fact, my niece and I were eating these and swimming in the pool the last night she slept over before I left. Man, I miss the POOL. And my NIECE. Okay, I'm getting off topic...

6. My Ipod and Pandora. I miss, miss, miss good and current music! Somebody email me some music files, por favor!

5. Football. It's that perfect time of year full of tailgating, good food, sweatshirts, and an entire Sunday devoted to the most Texan game you can find. I'm even missing out on Friday Night Lights in Allen's fabulous new stadium :( All these Facebook updates and pictures of football season starting just make me jealous.

4. Tex Mex.....Oh, what I wouldn't give for a ginormous bowl of queso and some spicy tex mex right now! And even though it doesn't *quite* count as "tex mex", I will throw in Taco Bueno on my most missed list. A nice plate full of Mexi Dips & Chips....yes please!!

3. Baseball. I MISS watching the Rangers and being at the games. I miss getting to watch games with my daddy at night! And I just KNOW this will be the year that they go all the way. Dad better Skype me in so I can at least get to see it from afar!

2. MOOSE! My adorably adorable-ultra snugly-follow me everywhere-little puppy!!! Oh, I miss him so, so much. I wish I could get him shipped out to me to keep me company.

1. Last, but nowhere near least, MY FAMILY!!! Ohmyword I can't even put into words how much I miss them. Never in my 27 years have I gone this long without seeing them. We are incredibly close and making it away until Thanksgiving will be a challenge! I tear up when I talk to my sweet nieces and nephew on Skype. I just hate missing out on spending time with them. If only I could freeze their growing up until I get back; going from seeing them ALL THE TIME to never sure hurts my heart! I hate not being able to call my sister 10 times a day just to talk. I hate not getting hugs from Mom and Dad. I even hate not getting to sit on my brother's 4 ton vinyl ball at work and bug him. The day I get off of the airplane back at DFW Airport will surely be like a movie scene full of overwhelmingly happy tears when I get to throw my arms around them. There's nothing in this world like the love of your family.

             

 Well, I am starting to see that I could go way past just 10 things I miss. Even with all of these amazing adventures and things I'm seeing, the same quote always rings true....there's just no place like home.

 

"The cool thing about being famous is traveling. I have always wanted to travel across seas, like to Canada and stuff.” – Britney Spears

Brunch. Where to start with brunch. Well, going to "brunch" here is not like brunch at home. At home we have a delicious selection of breakfast foods...everything from omelets to biscuits & gravy to french toast.....mmmm, I'm missing it just thinking about it! Brunch is usually after church-you know, when you just get out of church and you're ready to eat with your family and catch up. Well....brunch here was full of lunch foods and....oh yes....all the (cheap) champagne and vodka you can drink. It's more of a social drinking event than a Sunday after church family time. What?! Of course....you know I was still excited about this!

There is no shortage of drinks at brunch. You can get as many of whatever you'd like. Yummy!

Hazel requested a tray from the bartender so she wouldn't have to get up as much. Genius! ;)

Basically when you go to brunch here, you pay a flat rate, ours was 21bd or about $50 US dollars. Then, you drink the whole 4 hours of brunch and head straight to the bars to make an entire day/night of it. Brunch started at noon and Amanda and I went home "early" at about 1am. (I know Mom & Dad are proud right now.)

The food at brunch was ehhh. Mostly fish and random dishes that I don't really eat. But the Absolut Vodka bar was my friend....later my enemy. I first ordered a Bloody Mary....a breakfast drink, of course. Everyone at the table was completely grossed out by it. I tried to explain it and make them taste it, but they were not havin it. It was pretty delish though.

After brunch we headed over to a pub called JJ's. (I'm sure my mom & sister can guess my name for this place. We are so funny, aren't we? ;) ) JJ's was really fun. We danced and met some new people and had a great time. After awhile it was time to move on so we headed next to Dublins Irish Pub. At Dublins, the ladies get to drink for free. Which is good if you like absolutely disgusting drinks. We relived some college days here with a little game of Flip Cup. It was good times.

 

And then, after about 13 hours of having a grand old time, we decided it was *maybe* time to go to home. So of course Amanda and I went to our favorite shawarma boy for a bite....or a buffet....of 1am sharawmas. Which was a disgusting scene on the kitchen table the next day.

All in all the brunch was a fabulously fabulous time. I definitely had fun with lots of new people that I met. It also made me miss all of my friends back home. Something like this would REALLY be amazing fun with my closest friends in Tejas. *sigh* I'm not homesick yet, but I do have quite the list starting of things I miss the most. It's been 1 month and 3 days since I last saw Texas, my family, & my Moose!! I can't believe it! Time is flying on this trip and I am not looking forward to leaving Amanda in just one week.

Time to motivate myself to get out of bed and enjoy the day now....hoot!

 

Why don't you go where fashion sits, Puttin' on the Ritz...Bahrain style!

So our new friends told me they were inviting me, Amanda, and Naomi out for a night of fun. They already had the place in mind and we were super excited to head to.....the good old Ritz Carlton of Bahrain; JOY!

We went to a little bar/restaurant there called Trader Vics. I have never been to a Trader Vics before, though they have locations around the world. It was amazing & I definitely recommend a stop in if you travel somewhere that has one!

The restaurant has a tropical atmosphere and there was a fun little salsa style band playing. They are known there for their delicious, and strong, drinks! We were checking out the menu, but my friend told me he already knew what he wanted to order me, so I went for it. He ordered me a drink that is not on the menu...it is called Hamoudi, (I think?!). If I am right, then that is another way of saying Mohammed...which I felt like was another way of saying "See you tomorrow"!  

My first sip made me cough...what in the world is this?? But, it was cold and yummy! Two in and I was golden. When he ordered me the third one, Naomi took it away and said "Nope! We have brunch in the morning!" So I passed it off to one of his buddies. While the drinks were delicious, they were also super strong, so unless you plan for a long night out and a lazy day the next, a couple drinks at Trader Vics will do you just fine!

We ended up having a great time and enjoyed the friendly company. Amanda and I were busy trying to teach them about American football and he got down the one college team he needed to know....Hook Em! And of course we had to teach him to throw his talons up too to rep the ole UNT!

We had lots of fun together that night. We ended up catching a late night snack of hummus, pita bread, mutabal, grilled halloumi cheese, and lamb biryani at Al Abraaj restaurant. Yes-I ate LAMB and yes, it was delicious! The food at Al Abraaj was amazing and I will definitely have to be looking for some hole in the wall spots that serve this food in Texas!

The next morning was brunch....that will have to be it's own little update. But, moral of the story is.....head to Trader Vics for a fun, more posh atmosphere and delicious cocktails!