The Vacation Rundown.

We love Canada.  We love it.  I would live there.  That, essentially, sums up the awesome that was our vacation.  We spent almost as much time in transit as we did vacationing, but I supposed that’s okay.  We got to see a lot.

Our first stop was Montreal, where we did a significant amount of shopping.  THERE WAS A TRI-LEVEL GAP STORE.  THAT WAS SELLING BRAS FOR $8 EACH.  That alone was worth the whole vacation.  I was in heaven.  We went into three different Roots stores about five times over the course of the vacation just because I knew I needed some Roots-y goodness, I just couldn’t throw down $70 on a hoodie.  I relented when the price fell to $45.  Still a little guilty about it, though.  Anyway, this is us on Mont Royal:

After a few days in Montreal, we headed to Quebec City.  Quebec City was beautiful.  It was a big city that has small town charm.  There is a large section of QC “inside the wall,” a former military fort.  Everything in that area has a lovely old European feel to it.  The food was pretty good and Matt got his second taste of his new favorite desert, sugar pie.  On our walk around town, I took this picture especially for Annie:

Because you should not use Comic Sans if you expect anyone to take you seriously.

We had planned on two full days in QC before heading to Boston to see Evan, but the nor’easter had other plans.  So, we left Quebec City after a day around 1630 (when it was pitch black) and got to Evan’s place about 0100.  And then Evan passed out the Zimas we really started having fun.  Oh, Evan.

If you don’t remember Evan, he was practically Matt’s live-in boyfriend during the World Cup last summer.  He’s also pretty lucky because there are two, maybe three of Matt’s friends that I like enough that I would interrupt our vacation to spend a few days with.

Since most of Boston was snowed in that first day, we pretty much had the city to ourselves.  We tromped around in the snow, learning Boston facts and trying not to lose feeling in our extremities.  After a lovely progressive dinner of clam chowder (omg, the waiter said “chow-dah”) and oysters (and a shrimp burger for me), we tra-la-la’d off to TD Garden to watch the Celtics beat the Kings.  I think it was the Kings.  Is there a Kings in the NBA?

Our second day in Boston was awesome because Evan gave us a sweet tour of his alma mater, Harvard University.  He even kindly endured my questions, such as “So, did they sort you into houses (dorms) by random, or did they have a sorting hat?” and “Would Professor Snape put a spell on you if you didn’t finish your homework?”  But seriously, look at these pictures – Harvard is the closest thing the U.S. has to Hogwarts.

Finally, we returned to Montreal for some hardcore shopping and the Biodome.  All in all, a spectacular vacation.  Matt says his favorite thus far, although my vote still falls with Buenos Aires.

Montreal.

Tomorrow, we head out for Montreal.  I've got my Kindle, my iPod, my passport, my insulin and I think I am ready to go.


We will also spend some time in Boston with Matt's BF, Evan, taking in a Celtics game and doing very Boston-y things.

Did I mention we will be freezing our tushies off?

Pictures may or may not come in the future.  They will probably be posted once I quit my job and return to the leisurely life of  an unemployed woman.  Sometime before the Oscars (so I can get my party on).

Anyway, I'm rambling.

Matt + Andrea + Kindle = Flying to Canada tomorrow.

Pre-Birthday Ball Pictures.

The shoes add quite a bit of glamour, right?

Just another day.

Buenos Aires.

And now the post you've all been waiting for - Mid-Deployment Leave! WHAT UP! (Yeah, I've been watching too much How I Met Your Mother. I love you, Barney Stinson).

Well, this vacation started out in the worst possible way: with an e-mail from Orbitz telling me that the longest flight of my incredibly long trip was canceled. After over an hour on the phone and many tearful explanations, I was rerouted and an extra connecting flight was thrown in there. I ended up getting there closer to when Matt got there than had been planned. Be still and know.

We spent our first week in the Recoleta area of BsAs at the Park Plaza Unique Hotel. We ate steak. Lots of steak. On one of our first days we took a short bus tour that gave us ideas for the sight seeing we did. We went to the Museo de Belles Artes, featuring both international artists and Argentine artists. We spent some time at the Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Peron is buried. We spent a heck of a lot of time talking about food and looking for places to eat and eating. On Saturday we went to the art fair and bought our first piece of artwork from Don Roberto Solima.


[Click here for more pictures that I am too lazy to re-upload]

Our second week we stayed at a fantastic Bed & Breakfast in another part of Buenos Aires (I don't remember which part because I have been home for so long - I know I should have made this post right she I got home). We spent a lot of time watching movies (Sherlock Holmes, Valentines Day and Avatar) and a lot of time window shopping and probably should have spent more time sight seeing. We're such home bodies, even on vacation we just want to chillax and not do anything.

We had an amazing time; it was so great to be together again. Knowing he'll be home soon was a good feeling too. Keep his group in your prayers big time and I'll let you know when he's home safely.

So, listen up, all right?

Here's whats going down:

I love my job. More accurately: I love the people I work with now. Wow. My co-clerk says at least once a week how happy she is that I'm there. She tells me she can't understand why anyone (old bosses!) would dislike me or be mean to me. On Thursday she said "You're so weird!" And I love it. Like the Backstreet Boys, I'm back. Back again. Or wait... maybe that was Eminem? Whatevs.

It is currently Friday night. On Sunday morning, I am making that drive (actually, co-clerk is doing the driving!) down to the airport in Naha. The plane is flying to Tokyo then to D.C. and then to the final destination of... BUENOS AIRES! EEEEEEE!!!! I bought a iPod plug in thingie and a new iPod cover for the Baronness. She is pleased. I am pleased. We are all pleased.

Oh right, and I am going to see my husband after X months apart, we will finally be together again. And we will be buying lots and lots of leather and beef. Woot!

Also, please watch Inglourious Basterds, because it rocks. And the Olympics - starting February 12th in Vancouver. That is all. Will post pictures in three weeks.

What Do I Have To Say?

I've been mulling over that question for a while now, trying to figure out what you, my dear audience, might be interested to hear. Do I bring up the work situation? Probably not. More on what I've been reading? Perhaps. Molly did the cutest thing...? Maybe not.

Truthfully, there's just not a lot to say. Matt is where he is. I chat with him and see him somewhat regularly. I'm somewhat unsuccessfully keeping busy. This includes watching more Nickelodeon than I would like to admit, doing less reading than I would like to admit, and eating meals that I don't even want to think about, much less admit.

I am heading Stateside soon, for a few brief weeks, including my 26th birthday (and my Grandma and Grandpa's 70ths, my dad's 49th and my parent's 28th [right?] anniversary). I am eager to see my family and spend time not thinking about things and certainly not going to work.

I will keep you all updated as life progresses, trying to update more frequently and certainly more interestingly.

Matt's Address

If you would like Matt's address, please e-mail me at: never.dexter@gmail.com and I will get it to you. I'm sure he'd appreciate any mail you want to send him.

Vacation!

Wow. Vacation is awesome. Matt and I just got back got back a week or so ago from a lovely week in Phuket, Thailand.

We left super early Saturday morning and arrive at the Okinawa Airport before it even opened. That's so Okinawa. Seriously, what other international airport doesn't open its doors until 6 am? We flew from our home-island to mainland ("Fantatic Fukuoka") to Bangkok to Phuket. Tiny layovers, just enough time to grab our bags and find our seats (when we knew we needed to grab our bags - they almost stayed in Fukuoka... oops!).

When we got to Phuket, we hired a cab to take us to our hotel... Oh.my.goodness. Driving in Phuket is NOT like driving in Okinawa. Drivers go twice as fast. Every other vehicle was a motorcycle. And pick up trucks! I hadn't realized that there really aren't any in Oki until I saw so many of them in Phuket. We also saw a bevy of 7-11's and quite a few Family Marts. I love you, Family Mart!

We stayed at Amari Coral Beach Resort, just south of the Patong Beach city limits. The view from our room was spectacular and the resort was just a short walk to the shopping and eating available in Patong. The room was small, but had a nice little balcony that we spent a lot of time on. Here is our breath-taking view:


We used a lot of our time to just relax and enjoy our time together. We did a ton of shopping (although a minimal amount of buying). We ate such amazing food I can hardly believe it. One night we took cooking lessons at the hotel - invite me over and I'll make you some Pad Thai or Red Chicken Curry. We even ate at Molly Malone's Irish Pub TWICE. After my amazing pastie the first time, Matt had to go again to have his own pastie. He gets food envy pretty easily.

Thai people are very good at sales. Or at least wearing you down so you eventually buy something. As we walked through Patong, we were be inundated with calls for "Taxi? Taxi?" "Tuk-Tuk?" "DVDs?" Several reached out to shake Matt's hand which is just shady. There were tons and tons of illegal/bootleg/knock-off products. Shoes, clothes, CDs, and a shocking amount of faux-Tiffany's jewelry. I'll admit, I was tempted. But my annoyance at the Thai sales tactics overshadowed my need for some Tiffany's Wannabes. Most places I didn't even want to look.

We visited a store that called itself "The World's Biggest Jewelry Store." The Thai selling technique was in full effect here and I just felt uncomfortable the whole time. I knew we wouldn't be buying anything too expensive and I didn't want to waste the lady's time. I got a small sapphire ring after being forced to try on most of the jewelry in the sterling silver collection. It is quite lovely and I am sure I will get a lot of use out of it.

I did a lot of poolside reading while Matt spent hours swimming to his hearts content. I read Freakonomics and got a start on The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Matt read one of Gladwell's other book, Outliers, between the hotel and Japan Immigration. He really enjoyed it. We actually bought a lot of books and I snagged a copy of The Prisoner of Azkaban - WITH THE BRITISH COVER! Yeah, I rock.

We also spent a lot of time in the hotel lobby, looking out over the ocean drinking fruity drinks. Every morning we ate the continental breakfast that was AMAZING. Great foods from all over the world... We gorged ourselves there daily.

What else, what else? I can't think of anything... I'll answer and questions I can... Maybe I'll post more later... I have been a terrible blogger lately. Anyway, I will leave you with this:

M is for Matt.

(... or Missing Marvelous Marine Matt)

I met Matt my first night away at college. This is my journal entry the night I met him after InterVarsity:

afterwards, the girls i had been hanging out with were going to someones room to watch a movie, but i didnt want to, so i found another girl who was going back to Reilly Hall. Her name is Kelly and shes in room 737. all the way at the top! Well, she was having some guys from intervarsity help her with her computer, but one of them Matthew wanted to go back to his room to put his big impressive bible away. so we went to the "smart people's dorm" (honors - cowden) and walked around there for a while. and do you know what i noticed?!?! Matthew looks strikingly similar to elijah wood. it was crazy. he even sounded like him a little too. crazy!!

And a week later when I saw him again:

ok there were like a ton of people in the elevator and one guy was asking some scientific question
"how do you tell how old a black bear is?"
and i said:
"by how many candles there are on his birthday cake!"
and matt said "hey thats a really good one!"
(matt is the guy that looks like elijah wood for those of you who dont remember)

(It's obvious I won him over with my stellar sense of humor)

I got butterflies every time I'd see him around campus and every time - oh my goodness - he recognized me. He remembered my name... He asked me to get lunch with him, to sit by him, to meet his friends. I was nonplussed when he told me he wasn't looking for a girlfriend his freshman year of college. But I was thrilled when he asked me to "make it official," and be his GF. October 6, 2002. At 10:38 pm. (Don't tell my mom he was in my dorm room that late...)

I've been so blessed to find someone to complements who I am so completely. He is the extrovert to my introvert, the socks I have to pick up, the one who adds adventure to my life. I love him so so much and I hate being without him right now.

L is for Loneliness.

Very early Monday morning, Matty left for training. This leaves me on my own for the next month, punctuated by a brief reunion and then nine long months of "strength training." I suppose this month is like a preview, allowing me to see what it will all be like, finding out who I will be leaning on, boosting my self-confidence in alone time. Letting me know, nine months is no problem. And it's not just nine months. It's a few months and then a trip home and then a few more months and a trip to - be still my beating heart! - Paris (or Spain, but since I'm the one doing the planning and making the reservations, I think we all know it will be a trip to Paris).

At this point, I'm not anxious. It's still pretty much life as usual. I'm still processing that this isn't just a week in the field, or two or three. This is it. This is deployment.

Children's Day (Flying Fish!).

On Sunday, Matt, Molly and I took a walk to an area in town designated to celebrating Children's Day. We both got sunburned and Molly found a chicken to befriend.
Check out some pictures here.

Matt's Response to: I Want a Kindle.

"No, you can get real books like a normal person."



But I am undeterred. I'm going to keep working on it. I will have a Kindle by the time I turn 26. Bwah-ha-ha-ha.

C is for Corps Devotion.

Never in a million years did I think I’d end up married to a man in the military. And never ever in a million more years did I think I’d end up married to a Marine. Never ever, ever.

So, with His great sense of humor, that is exactly what God allowed to happen. Of course, I always let it be known that I did not marry a Marine. I married the man of my dreams, my college sweetheart, who then became a Marine. After we were married. Only seven months after we were married, but afterwards nonetheless.

With all that said, I am extremely proud of my husband. Of how hard he has worked and how much he loves his job. I am proud to be the one who stands beside him and the one who takes care of him. To be the one he took with him to Japan. To be the one who will soon start receiving letters from far away. Even though this is not exactly the life I had planned, I’m honored and gladdened that it’s the life I have. I wouldn’t trade this devotion to “The Corps” for anything the civilian life has to offer.