Annie and Flan Goodness

This is my dear friend Annie. She is such a beautiful, wise, creative-cooking creation! Annie and I spent Friday morning in the kitchen together. She taught me how to make flan.
This is my very first flan... notice the glistening juiciness oozing from the perfectly baked custard. This dessert is my absolute favorite- a melt-in-your mouth divinity.
The only problem here... I have no one to enjoy this flan with! I am the only one eating off of it..... and as you can see I have already made quite a dent in the flan. Alas...

Youth Leadership Forum

Here is Brian, my personal escort the entire week! : )
Last week I devoted myself to an exhausting, eye-opening experience as I worked as the "head volunteer" for the youth leadership forum. YLF is a camp-leadership forum in which adolescents with disabilities learn to become self-advocates and gain a voice in the political arena. We spent the week at St. Edwards campus in Austin. We took a day-trip to the capitol where the students had the opportunity to engage in a mock hearing where representatives of various house and senate leaders responded with relevant direction/information for these students testimonies. This experience was one that I chose in an effort to fulfill the 135 hours (outside of my normal teaching environment) from one of my graduate coarses.
You can check out YLF@ http://txylf.tamu.edu/about.htm
A few highlights include: the many laughs, talent show night, the dance, group #4, blind baseball, visiting the capitol

Highlights

Thanks to family and friends for a most splendid, much needed vacation. Thanks to Erich's parents for taking such wonderful care of our replacement-child, Osa. Thanks Kelley for not being one of the horror house-sitting stories from the New York Times. Thank you Lord for beautiful places and people that make them come alive. Here are a few highlights...
1. Family time in Puerto
2. Hollywood's Farmers market
3. Pinkberry (I wish I had one now!!!)
4. Mojitos and Oyster Rockefeller to Steve White's blues at Papagayo
5. Local Brewery in San Diego with Kym and Kirk
6. San Diego zoo with the orangatangs
7. Kayaking at La Jolla beach

Beached Whale

Whale Adventure!
Who: Perhaps a grey whale?
What: During our kite flying adventures, we accidentally stumbled upon a beached whale. Pieces of vertebrae and broken off bones were scattered around the area. A huge spinal chord with vertebrae, skin blubber, massive bones, and spilling out guts were all that remained. It was a both fascinating, yet somber find. We pondered the shark activity in the water with a dead whale floating around all during the day….
Where: on the shore of the Puerto Panasco beach off the Sea of Cortes
When: 4th of July, 2007- God Bless America!
Why: Grey whales migrate through the Sea of Cortes en route to… I don’t know (wish I did, but I don’t)

FYI the rotting whale did not stink when you were up close, upwind of the whale was a bit smelly however, and the vertebrae etc smelled like poo.
I found some teeth from the Whale that I will be taking home as a souvenir. To our knowledge no one cleaned up the beached whale and it must have been washed back into the ocean because we found no remains the following day other than one very large bone. Vaya con Dios ballena gris…

Mexico!

Blissful beauty here in Puerto Penasco…. Erich and I had the privilege of joining with part of the Cleveland clan (Uncle Tom, Aunt Chong Ling, Eric, and Sierra)- not to mention Timothy. We enjoyed our days together swimming in the ocean and pools, flying kites, exploring a beached whale, hunting for shells, eating delicious food, and relaxing!!! Sierra was a good sport as Erich taught her some billiards strategies and as I led us through a few rounds of Phase 10. We all had a wonderful time feasting on the Mexican food buffet at the resort. Thanks so much to Uncle Tom and Aunt Chong Ling!!!!! We look forward to being together next year on the East Coast for some family reunion fun. We cherish the time we had together here in Puerto. Thanks again for the wonderful, much needed vacation.
(Erich in the lounge)