So Thankful!

Early this morning the tsunami warning woke many up on the Islands of Hawaii with a siren. I was glued to TV trying to learn something, anything as to what is going on there. I don't think I have watched that much TV or news and never that intensely.

Many friends I have on the islands I am sure were more nervous than I was - well, maybe not. Many of them are perhaps more prepared than I am. Anyways, I was ready to start chewing on my nails. Although, I am not there, I still love that place where I spent many years learning and loving life.

My heart does go out to those in Chile and those who have families and friends in Chile and have not learned of their safety yet. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

I am very grateful that the tsunami wasn't strong to do any serious damage and the people of Hawaii have been spared what could have been a tragic day.

Snow and rain

I was sooo happy to see it snowing again this morning. Clear sky of the morning turned to snow - almost inch thick on the cars - I was looking forward to shoveling some snow - no kidding. Then, before the day was over, it warmed up and snow turned to rain. By the time, I left the office, my car was clear of snow and washed very nicely.

So, at least I have cleaner car and hoping that the rain will stop soon so there won't be an ice on the road tomorrow morning.

Weekend reunion

This past weekend has been full of adventure, friends and catching up with them and of course, ton of Mongolian food.

Friday night Baysa and Gana drove over 11 hour trip to visit those in Utah including myself. By the time I met up with them and got home, it was well after midnight. Still we were in cheery enough spirit to chat and cook up some buuz and stay up till after 2:00 a.m. I haven's seen Baysa for about 2 years, and Gana, oh my goodness, about 11 years or so. The insane part is, they haven't changed much and didn't age at all.

The next morning we decided to go visit the Temple Square. But, the ladies needed there morning pickup and I had neglected to get it to them early. Until they were fueled, they were in somber mood.
But, here in this picture they are all smiles. Energized and ready for a new day!!

No Mongolian missionaries were at the Temple Square but we gave ourselves and mini tour and took some pictures.

They look so skinny! Man, is there a food shortage on the west coast?

Conference center tour.

Our tourguide was Sister Dodgson - she went to Mongolia shortly after the fall of communism.

BYU-H mini reunion at Burenee's home: Burenee with her daughter, Solongo with her daughter, Baysa with her baby (Simba the dog), Gana with Tsendee's daughter, Tsendee and myself

On Sunday, at Tsendee's house, we are out going for a walk, after hearty meal.

Zaya showing off her skills

and brother Tengis right behind. . . and of course, Ms. Baysa joined them to show off some tricks - too bad I didn't take a picture.

So happy that Baysa and Gana made the trip for visit.

Thank you Tsendee, Burenee and Solongo for wonderful feasts! Come visit soon everyone.

Food

I am not sure why I have been thinking of food a lot - lately. But, I have. Maybe because I have a fridge full of food. My husband made ton of food before he left - he sure didn't want me to go hungry or even have to cook besides pushing buttons on the microwave. Then, I went crazy and made some buuz - Mongolian food. To add to that, my friend Tutu was here for couple of days and she cooked for me both nights - it was nice to have a house smelling of food and her waiting for me with warm meal when I got home from work. Makes me miss my husband even more.

Well, before she left she made some chicken curry for me - extra - I probably will eat that for a week.

So, needless to say I will have food still left in the fridge when Keith comes home in two weeks. Till then, I have to watch my waistline. :-)

I do know how to cook - I just don't prefer it - I see it as a very demanding chore and don't feel inspired to cook. Growing up, we took turns as kids cooking and many Mongolian food choices were very time consuming - perhaps that is my reasoning behind not liking to cook. Either way, I am sure I have an excuse not to cook and my husband indulges me in that. So, I am happy and I am lucky.

Hey, but I do love to eat. I enjoy wonderfully made meal with friends and family. I do not like eating by myself either - when I am alone, I usually end up sitting in front of TV and eating or reading while I eat - and pay little attention to what I am eating and how it tastes.

So, I am grateful for many friends who cook delicious meals and friends who share their time with me as we sit around the kitchen table and enjoy a meal together.

My Valentine's Trip

Keith has been absolutely wonderful in supporting my decision to join the Air Force and has followed me to Utah as I got stationed here. He packed and moved the household while I was away and then got everything settled and unpacked while I was at work. That shows just how suppoertive he is, right?

Of course, with the move, he needed to find a different reserve unit and thus, change his career path from Infantry officer to something else. It turned out to be a Civil Affairs.

So, he is in school for that now at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He has been there since beginning of February and will be there till March.

He is "enjoying" the school environment again. :-) I am sure he is looking forward to getting out of there to do a real life work in the real world - Afghanistan.
Of course, we didn't want to spend the Valentine's Day apart - and since he had a four day weekend - I decided to take a few days off and fly over to the south - for the warmth!

My wish wasn't granted - well, at least when it came to the warm southern weather. We drove from North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia. Two thirds of the way through the sky turned gray and the rain came down.
Soon, it turned to ice and sleet and then slush.

This is Georgia - can you believe this?Here is our rental getting buried in the soft white stuff - the southerners are not too familiar with. Thank you Avis - for giving me a four wheel drive.

We still enjoyed our visit with friends and our time together.

Us at Lake Sydney Lanier. The lake was formed due to the Buford Dam on Chattahoochee River. It was chilly but beautiful.

Of course, had to find me a real southern mansion - with the wrap around "porch" with tall columns all around. Gorgeous.

We ate badly - needless to say - still got breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day even though we weren't at home. :-) Lucky me.

Of course, the Krispy Kreme was making heart shaped donuts. They would be glazed with chocolate and spinkled with red.

After all, with all the time I got to spend with my husband all the crazy flights and connections were worth it. Just a note to all the travelers out there, please make sure you have plenty time for connection if you fly through Charlotte.

The Concourses are set in strange way. I am sure there was a method to this. But, there is no shuttle / train. I had a connection to make after landing at E concourse and had to make it to A concourse in 7 minutes. If it was just me I would have run it easily - but navigating through sea of human and luggage traffic is a skill I haven't quite mastered well.

I am not complaining - but I saw a lady with a 2 year-old kid trying to do the same thing. Since I had 5 minutes or so to spare - I helped them - glad the little girl wasn't shy. I carried her and ran - the mom right next to me with two backpacks and a bag of food. They made it to their gate and I made it to mine with a few minutes to spare.

I am grateful for the chance I had to spend some time with my husband and be able to fly there in a few hours not overnight like it would have been if I flew from Hawaii. Had a wonderful Valentine's Day and now two more weeks till I have my wonderful husband home.

What Happened to the Global Warming?

Snowing in the North is typical. The Department of Transportation got the plows ready and ice-melts handy to move the snow and clear the roads. Even the residents have the snow shovels, de-icers to clear out their driveways.

Then, when the weather turns unpredictable and dumps inches of snow in the south, nobody can drive and not a single snow-plow in sight to clear the roads.

We drove from Ft. Bragg, NC to Atlanta, GA yesterday - on the way to Atlanta, we saw the rain coming down, turning into slush and eventually full blown snow. By the time, we got in, there was good 2 inch snow on the ground and plenty of breaklights, panicked and skidding drivers.

When, the temperature is hovering around freezing, the slush becomes an ice and a whole road system is a giant skate park and the skaters got four wheels but no experience. :-)

Morning news revealed many drivers who ended up in a ditch or hours-long-traffic because of the cars in accidents.

Snow in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia is a rare event and especially snow actually staying on the ground and causing wrecks was unheard of till this week.
Then, the north didn't just face the usual cold winter. The snow was measured not in inches but in foots and digging themselves out of the snow became their full time jobs. Crazy.

Even, where I grew up, people are hardened by the snow storms and windchills - below freezing temperatures during the day and even lower at nights (below -40F). But, even the cattle are struggling to survive in the harsh winters of Mongolia and many losing battles of non-stop wind and snow. I wonder what happened to the term and hype of the "Global Warming" - is this anomaly part of the global warming or should there be a discussion about something else?

Please drive safe everyone and stay warm. Please keep them in your prayers as you sit in a comfy chair, keep warm indoors and read this post.

I am grateful for the warm clothes and heated home and afour-wheel drive we have. Well, we got lucky and Avis had given us a four-wheel drive - didn't think we would use it, but we did - just last night. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was a bit down when I learned my husband will be going to school from February 4th to March 4th. Well, it is not that I am not supportive of him doing what he loves to do, it was that I didn't want to spend Valentine's Day without him - and it is on Sunday too - so it meant I would sit at home the whole weekend and twiddle my thumb. :-)

Fortunately, he had a four day weekend. Yeah - no field training. So, I was able to get off two days off work to go see him.

My suitcase is packed - well almost and my tickets are purchased, car is rented and I have the directions to get to Ft. Bragg. So, I am just anxiously waiting for tomorrow morning; just got to remember where I leave my car at the airport. Evidently the long term parking lot is big and all aisles look identical.

(The rose picture was taken by: Ferenc Ecseki)
So, happy Valentine's Day everyone and have a wonderful weekend with those you love and appreciate.

I am grateful to have husband who loves me, supports me, encourages me to do what I set my mind to and is always there for me when I am in need and even when I don't even feel I need any help.

Cooking up the storm

Well, I am not a chef by any means. Anyone who knows me, also knows that I don't usually like to cook. But, since the Tsagaan Sar is coming and it is nice to have some handy when I want it, I decided to make some buuz - steamed dumplings. First batch came to 45 and the second batch 54 - so total of 99 of these I made today.
Here are the ones that I froze and will be saving them to share with my husband - who happen to like Mongolian food.

It is crazy considering he has cooked extra meals daily before he left so I wouldn't have to worry about coming home and having to cook after long day of work. Still, I will enjoy the meals he prepared for me. I got all kinds of food choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Definitely, I wouldn't be going hungry.

I am grateful to have a house, food to eat, clothes to wear and of course, very wonderful husband to share all I have with and who shares everything with me and takes care of my every need.

New Background

Well, I wanted to change the snowflake - it is still not done snowing I am sure. But, I wanted something for the Valentine's Day! So, here it is - red!!! Not sure how I like it - but I am sure I will get used to it and I am sure I will change it in couple of weeks - for something else. Till then, enjoy.

Evidently I am by myself and got too much time on my hands. Still I am not that great at making it look cute and just eye-catching. Oh well, this will have to do.

This background just reminded me of the letters we used to write each other - daily - while he was in Iraq and Afghanistan. I still have his letters and read them often. Just today, he was walking to the PX so he could buy some paper and envelopes so he could write his wife.

I am grateful for such a sweet husband who is thoughtful and caring and always thinking of his wife and putting me first.

I miss my husband

Since we moved from Hawaii, Keith has been trying to find a reserve unit that would work for him. Since he is an Infantry Officer, it was out of question for him to stay in that field. So, he joined a Civil Affairs Unit and been looking forward to go to school to get all the qualifcations.

Finally after hundreds of emails going back and forth trying to cancel or not to cancel this training - it is on. And, he left oh-dark-thirty this morning to Ft. Bragg for his month long training.Here he is all packed up with his uniforms and equipment ready to fly away to North Carolina. After saying our byes, I made it to work at 0545 - I am tired and sleepy as I sit here - but sleep escapes me. The bed is too big, the room is too cold - my loving hubby is not here to deliver me snacks before bedtime. I miss him.

I am grateful there is a holiday coming up right after the Valentine's and with that I will be flying after him to spend the Valentine's weekend together. My ticket is bought, the leave is requested and I just need to get packing! I miss you and I will be there soon.

It has been a long time!

Thanks to Facebook, I have been able to find some long lost friends. Two of them were two wonderful ladies I knew in Mongolia: Natalie and Marcie.

I haven't seen Marcie since 1996 and had a short visit with Natalie in 2004. So, it was wonderful to get together at Olive Garden and eat, talk and laugh and remember the times and re-step the past so we can catch up.

Here is Natalie and I at the end of the evening. She doesn't look any older at all - feels like I just got shorter. :-) We definitely will need to get together again and do some more catching up once Marcie is feeling better. I am so excited I can't wait.

I am grateful for good friends who inspire you and help you aspire to be better person.