New 30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 24 Where I Live...in detail what makes it special

Baghdad , Iraq Camp Liberty aka Hell on Earth!

Literally this has to be the hottest place on Earth there is NO humidity, NO rain, LOTS of dust, and wind. I guess that shouldn’t be surprising since it’s a desert but WOW! Other than the obvious facts that make this place an undesirable it is actually pretty cool to say I lived here while history was in the making. If I look at the overall current situation I don’t see the significance but I am sure once I have kids and they are in school learning about wars this one will be a major part of the books. I will then get to tell them how I was there as we TRIED to stabilize a country. As I drive to Subway or around the base to do errands I often wonder what it would have been like while Saddam was here. All his palaces and houses are still here and they are massive. I would have loved to see all of it in the “glory days”. I wasn’t here at the beginning of the war when it really all went down but overall I can say that I played a part in making history and it is cool to see it and stand where someone so significant to the world stood too.

New 30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 23 A Youtube Video

A few months back I was venturing out into the blog world and some how came across a post that said this video was awesome and we had to watch it so I clicked on it.  I can't remember who's blog I was on or anything like that but this video is definitley moving.  I actually started crying when I watched it because it is so touching and just amazing.


Today when I was trying to find the above video on youtube I also came across another video of the precious miss Lucy a year after being with her new family.  It too is really sweet.

New 30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 22 A Website

About a month ago one of my friends sent me an email and said that I had to check out a website called Texts From Last Night.  I went over and checked it out and laughed so hard.  The website it exactly what it says, texts from last night that people post up the next day.  There isn't a name or anything like that only words and some of the things these people are doing are crazy.  I am sure there is a lot of alcohol involved on most of these but either way it's hilarious.  Go check it out if you have never heard of it I am sure that if you have the tiniest trace of a sense of humor you will enjoy it. 

www.textsfromlastnight.com

New 30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 20 & 21

I have to play catch up because I have been visiting Mystic Falls. He He Have you guys ever watched Vampire Diaries? If not then you have to.  I mean I know your thinking ANOTHER VAMPIRE SHOW! And yes there are similarities between all 3...Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries but it is really good.  I am hooked.  A friend put it on my hard drive the day before yesterday and so I started it that day and I watched the rest of the episodes yesterday.  I stayed at work until 9 o'clock, which if you don't know is 3 hours past my get off time, just because I was so into this show. LOL  It is really great and I was so sad to open the last episode because I knew that after that there wouldn't be any more. LOL  I know my life in Iraq is a sorry excuse for a life but there isn't anything better to do. I watched all of season 1 and part of season 2 which is airing now back in the states.  I can't wait to get home and see the rest of it. 

Ok so now that I am over that little obsession on to the task at hand.

Day 20- A Hobby

I guess a hobby that I have besides cooking and things like that that I really love would be blogging.  I started blogging almost 2 years ago and I have really come to like it a lot.  I follow several really interesting people and I love reading and learning about other peoples lives.  Plus it's like an online scrapbook for me to look back on years to come. 

Day 21- A Recipe

I love to cook so I have signed up for different websites newsletters.  They send me daily and weekly emails and after reviewing, the sometimes awesome recipes, emails I will save them in my folder called kitchen goodies.  This folder has a lot of recipes that strike me as good and that I want to make once I get back home.  I have accumulated quite a few so periodically I run through them and discard any that don't really fit my taste any more.  Probably because when I stuck it in the folder I was starving and anything looked good. LOL  This recipe is one I saved a week or two ago and I can't wait to try it.  Being from Texas I LOVE Mexican food and I love using wonton papers to make things.  They work really well in deserts and I can't wait to make little cups out of them but this recipe uses them to make little Mexican pockets.  Check it out and if you like it give it a go and let me know how they turn out.

Mexican Wontons 

Ingredients
1 pound pepper-jack cheese, finely shredded
1 (14 ounce) package won ton wrappers
1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions
1.Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of shredded cheese into the center of each wonton skin. Fold the top and bottom corners in toward each other and roll it up like a little egg roll. You will have to seal the wonton with a little water where the ends meet.

2.Heat oil in a deep pot to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry the wontons two or three at a time. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
This recipe is from All Recipes

Tuesday's Travel To Do- Skiing in Canada

I can’t believe I completely forgot about TTTD. Shame on me! I was so wrapped up in Vampire Diaries all day yesterday I missed my favorite post. I guess it’s better late than never.

Since its December that means snow (for a lot of people) and lots of winter sports.

By the way where did November go? LOL I am not complaining because I am 1 month and 1 day from flying out of this place and never returning but last month just flew by.

Anyways, I have been featuring a lot of places that are pretty far from the US so I figured I would pick something a bit closer to home this week but you will still need your passports and don’t forget a ski jacket. I love skiing and I haven’t been in years from when I went with my youth group to Colorado but that will all be fixed in a month when I’m flying down the slopes in DUBAI .

This week is skiing in Canada . I don’t think I would really like Canada unless I am doing some extreme winter sport just because in the summer I am really use to hot and swimming and actual summer things which I don’t think it gets warm enough in Canada for. Canada ’s climate is perfect for some people but other than winter I don’t have a desire to go soak up all the green. LOL

There’s a lot of different place in Canada to hit the slopes check out these main spots:

• Alberta
• Quebec
• British Columbia

Then narrow your search down to maybe some of these great resorts:

Whistler Blackcomb in BC

Whistler Blackcomb
4545 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, V0N 1B4
Phone: 800-766-0499 Snow Report: 604-932-4211
Whistler Blackcomb Website


By Crai S. Bower


The first question I used to ask myself each morning in Whistler, British Columbia was whether to spend my day on Blackcomb Mountain , sluicing among the glades below the 7th Heaven chair or venture up Whistler Mountain to splash around in Bagel Bowl. I’ve certainly chased the sun or followed a rumor of untracked snow from one hill to the other on a single day, but I couldn’t help but feel I’d let 45-minutes of potential skiing drop into a crevice. Today, to quote an old SNL Jesse Jackson skit, the question’s moot, because the “Peak 2 Peak” Gondola now connects the two mountains in just 11 minutes flat.


4,100 skiers every hour can admire the views as the (mysteriously unsupported) gondola cable bends above Fitzsimmon’s Creek, at 2.7 miles the longest such conveyance in the world. But Peak 2 Peak is really last year’s news. All the talk this year is the 2010 Winter Olympics, though the gondola means Games goers can ski Blackcomb in the morning, then slip over to Whistler for an afternoon on the ropes watching the Downhill or Super G.


As expected at North America ’s perennial #1 ski resort, Whistler’s on-slope offerings are just part of the fun. This is a patio town, the village stroll feels like a red carpet parade between numerous heated porches bustling with après ski energy. Whistler’s dining options change annually but the superior Bearfoot Bistro is not to be missed, the menu’s imaginative, the wine list outstanding. Quattro, Araxi and Trattoria Di Umberto round out the Fab Four dining destinations.


Whistler’s upscale accommodations continue to grow as well, the Whistler Four Season’s townhome rentals are the best of their kind in the entire Pacific Northwest and Fairmont Chateau Whistler caters to myriad families without losing it’s luxurious ambience. Boutique hotels are relatively new to the village, but Nita Lake Lodge, Adara and Aava hotels compare favorably to their downtown Vancouver brethren.


Set among the grand Garibaldi Mountains of the Coastal Range , Whistler takes its environmental stewardship seriously as it works to become the first carbon neutral ski resort on the planet. The city mandates a “Green Checklist” for future development, the entire ski area runs from a Fitzsimmons Creek hydro plant and the new library and Spring Creek Fire Hall are model green structures.


Vibrant living infuses the atmosphere here and visitors can’t help but soak up the vibe, whether descending a mile of powdery vertical, gazing over the valley from a private home rental or sabering a bottle of 1990 Nicolas Feuillatte Palme D’or in the Bearfoot cellar.

Or maybe Mont Tremblant in Quebec

Mont Tremblant
1000 Chemin des Voyageurs, Mont-Tremblant , J8E 1T1
Phone: 888-857-8043
Mont Tremblant Website


By Crai S. Bower


While the eastern United States offers several world-class ski resorts to tempt destination skiers away from Colorado , California and Utah , eastern Canada boasts just one, Mont Tremblant. But what Sugarloaf and Stratton can’t offer the east coast skier is Quebec ’s unique cosmopolitan ambience. Set within the Laurentian Mountains, the 654-acre ski resort carries a European panache unparalleled in North America .


“Mont Tremblant is where the best skiers in eastern Canada go to ski,” says Rob Coté, formerly a public relations representative at Banff ’s Mt. Norquay . “It’s also by far the most luxurious ski experience in eastern North America .”


Coté, who grew up in nearby Montréal, recalls that family trips to Mont Tremblant provided the highlight of every ski season. “The village is really safe to roam as a teenager, so there was a sense of adolescent freedom. We could also walk to the lifts from almost every accommodation, more so than at most resorts.”


Tremblant offers 95 runs, among the most in the east, and a healthy 2871-feet of vertical serviced from 14 lifts, an impressive number that diffuses lift lines on even the busiest days. The terrain is challenging, with just 17% of the runs slated for beginners and 50% designated expert terrain. Still, the 49-miles of total trails, including a 3-mile run, offer full days for mixed ability groups.


True to the nature of most Quebec vacations, the party is just getting started at Mont Tremblant once the lifts have closed. Diners chose from three French restaurants that range from innovative fine dining to bistro fare, Aux Truffes, L’Avalanche and Les Artistes. Créperie Catherine completes the Gallic options, though plenty of other eateries cater to French influences. A lover of Quebec favorites will prefer Le Chalet du Smoked Meat Loup-Garou, purveyors of smoked meats and, of course, poutine, among other regional items. International and continental menus complete the options.


Clothing, gift and accessory shops join galleries to populate the pedestrian village. Visits into Blanc Bleu, Boutique Chamonix and Betty Barclay confirm Quebec ’s status as the best-dressed province or state in North America . And, as few exclusive resorts, people often come to Tremblant in winter just to shop, spa and dine.


When it comes to nightlife, Le P’tit Caribou rules, considered among the best après and nightlife scenes in eastern Canada . Bar Café d’Époque features a roster of nightly DJs for the visitor who’s legs still have something left to burn after descending the “Flying Mile” or especially “Ryan” summit to base.


Mont Tremblant’s posture, nestled beneath the gorgeous and lazy Laurentians, conveys the ambience of the Alps’ resorts more than any other ski resort in North America . The Francophone culture, cosmopolitan élan and advanced ski terrain merge to convey an other worldly experience without ever crossing the Atlantic .

In Alberta there’s a lovely place called Sunshine Village .

Sunshine Village ( Banff )
PO Box 1510, Banff , T1L 1J5
Phone: 403-762-4561 Snow Report: 403-277-7669 (snow report)
Sunshine Village Website


By Crai S. Bower


Sunshine Village , located just 8 km west of Banff , is another enormous ski area with a fun twist, access comes via a leisurely gondola ride that includes a rare, 90-degree turn. The village itself, located on-mountain, hosts the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, a full-service hotel with a location to rival most resorts’ mid-mountain day lodges. Three mountains comprise the 3,500-acre resort with plentiful intermediate and beginning runs, perfect for a family possessing diverse skiing and snowboarding talents.


“Was the Dive open?” is the most common question in the Banff saloons at night. “The ‘Dive’ is ‘Delirium Dive,’ a little bit of back country madness found within Sunshine Village ’s ropes. Well, sort of. Skiers must report in at the lodge if they’re heading there and a beacon and shovel are required. Still, I’m psyched to find some ‘earn-your-turns’ essence without having to ‘skin up.’ We traverse the Dive’s rock face before dropping into a good 20-minute run of deep powder and no tracks. The kid in me found plenty to love about the “gondola-to-somewhere” but my inner adventurer was awfully giddy after I dove into the Dive.


But you don’t have to ski like a double-black diva to enjoy Sunshine Village . 12 lifts spread out among 3,358 skiable acres to tempt skiers with 107 named runs, more than three quarters of them either intermediate (55%) or beginner (25%). The broad Sunshine Meadows here also provide great terrain where beginners or a mixed ability group can pick from a bushel of lines. Aerial artists are also thrilled to find an agreeable environment, at 12 acres, the largest terrain park in the region.


Like the geologically older chain of the same name south of the border, the 30-feet of annual snow lands dryly in the Canadian Rockies and we spend the day sliding through powder off Goat’s Eye, one of three mountains with a series of open bowls that lead to numerous glades and narrow runs. Finishing up that afternoon, our daytime excitement is matched by the knowledge we are spending the night in Sunshine Mountain Lodge one of North America ’s locales located at the offload of the gondola, miles away from any amenity other than skier’s bliss. Talk about fresh tracks access. We’ll hardly need to doff our pajamas.

These are just a few and seeing they get snow in October in some places the skiing season is a long one so there are PLENTY of ski resorts to choose from. If you’re strapped for cash but still want to take a vacation find a ski resort and then stay in a cheaper hotel/motel nearby and skip some of those tourist trap expenses. There are vacations out there for everyone no matter your budget.

Information on resorts from http://skiresorts.com/resorts

Now go and book that winter wonderland get-a-way, just don’t forget your jackets!

New 30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 19 A Chore You Despise

I HATE PEELING POTATOES!

For as long as I can remember my mom has always made me peel the potatoes for dinner or whatever the occasion.  Now that I'm older I think it's because she hates peeling them too.  Even though I don't live with her anymore but just happen to be there I hear "Megan, come peel the potatoes"....with me responding "uuggghhhh, why can't Caleb" and then she says, "Come on you never have to anymore" LOL I guess some things never change.  Either way I don't like even peeling my own potatoes so a lot of the time I just scrub them really well and then cook and use the skins.  Hey it's not out of laziness or hatred of peeling it's because it's healthier. hehehe  That's my story and I'm sticken to it.

Walk Like An Egyptian

Can you? Well I will be in January because I am going to EGYPT for a week before I go back to Dubai and then finally HOME! I can't wait.  I have been working with a British tour company finalizing my itinerary and I got my e-ticket for my air-o-plane ride today so it's official.  I am going to visit Cairo, an overnight trip to a beautiful oasis, and also an overnight trip in Alexandria.  It's going to be so much fun and I am really pumped to be traveling SOLO! I think this is going to be a huge growing experience for me (and mom) and I just really think I am going to have so much fun.  I can't wait to see the pyramids and take a Nile dinner cruise. 

I am sure it's going to be a trip of a lifetime! 

not to mention so many aweomse photos.

After my week in Egypt I head to Dubai for 3 days.  I plan on doing a lot of sightseeing that I haven't really gotten to do because I have always been rushing to and from work. 

 It's going to be a great trip and a GREAT way to END this part of my life in the Middle East.