I flew to Portland out of Fairbanks which has a very small, almost outpost airport. While there, I went to the little restaurant and ordered a soda for my wait. It was a self-serve unit, but there weren't any cups left, so I had to flag down the person who worked there and asked for some more. It was about this time that I noticed a young couple to my left that were speaking Japanese and obviously trying to figure out what was on the menu but were having trouble with the English. I thought back to asking the man for cups and realized that while I didn't say any exceptionally big words, I didn't use elementary English either. It was all so easy. I asked in a fairly sophisticated way for what I needed, he responded, I gave him money and I was done. Almost no mental strain had to go into the situation.

All of a sudden I missed my husband and wished we were in a foreign airport where we couldn't understand the menu and had to pick words out that we recognized - which would inevitably be few. I love the excitement of it all and the humility that comes from not knowing how to do everything or communicate my needs effectively. While standing there I took a second to appreciate the global world we live in and the fact that I was standing next to people I probably couldn't hold a conversation with but I felt a kinship towards. We were the same.

Wiener Casserole

When I got married my aunt gave me a book of recipes she received from my other aunt when she got married. It is full of wildly exciting and exotic recipes like spam casserole. My favorite, though, has always been wiener casserole but I have never had the nerve to make it. However, this New Year's Eve my parents were visiting and I decided that it was time to go back in history. So I did. The results were that Greg refused to eat it, my step-father liked it a lot, and my mother was a good sport.

In case you want to try it yourself, here is the recipe:

1 pound diced wieners
2 cups chopped cheddar cheese
1 can of corn
1 can of olives
1 can of beans
1 small onion
2 cups of ketchup (!)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsn sugar

Mix together and bake for 1 hour at 350

Looking Good

Barista: How are you?

Mary: I am doing just fine. How are you?

Barista: Fantastic. When you look this good at my age you cease having bad days.