Car Show baby!

So last week it was my turn to plan Date Night. And I chose.... the Salt Lake International Car Expo.

Kurt was basically in heaven.

And since I'm forgetful, I didn't take that many pictures.

And since on Friday night we were EXHAUSTED and Kurt's back was killing him, we decided to wait until Saturday for our Date Night. So on Friday night we saw Cloverfield. If you want to see a really good action/monster horror movie, see that. If you have motion sickness problems, take Dramamine before-hand. Trust me.
Oh, and there's no place in Central Park called Cloverfield. Just to let you know. It's apparently a street in LA.

Kurt was in heaven when he saw the Audi R8. It was Car of the Year from some magazine last year. It's a sweet ride.


No, Kurt, you can't touch. That's why they have a rope there.


This is NOT a minivan, despite all appearances to the contrary. I'm gonna drive a Volvo SUV one day, thank you very much.


Kurt lookin' (and feelin') cool in a cool car. I think it was an Infiniti convertible of some sort. There were so many people there it was hard to get a good shot of any car.


Look at me! I like Scions now!

And of course, there's never an end to the weird and ugly concept cars...




We had an AWESOME surprise... the new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was at the car show! They are marketing this car as "the grown up Enzo." I never knew I'd see a car more sexy than the Enzo.

We stood there, admiring it for about 10 minutes. I'm not even joking.


Ah, il famoso cavallo rampante. Che bella. Spero che avesse una delle meravigliose macchine.

St. Kitts part deux!

Finally, St. Kitts: the sequel!

Where we last left Kristina and Kurt, after a day of scuba diving for Kurt and sun bathing for Kristina, they had mistakenly ordered Kittitian pizza.
Ew.

The next day--Thanksgiving--we hopped on the ferry and sailed over to Nevis, St. Kitts' sister island to the south.


They're only separated by one mile from the tips, but the ferry takes off from the capital of St. Kitts, about 10 miles or so up the coast. While we were waiting for the ferry this crazy guy kept trying to shake my hand. Here's the thing, after a summer of living in the Big Apple, homeless people don't really bother me. But I still washed my hands as soon as I could.


Nevis has only one calm beach, as far as we could tell.


We went snorkeling, even though the visibility wasn't good. We saw a sea snake and a sting ray, so it wasn't a total waste. Nevis is not very much into the tourism business, but their few hotels are VERY nice. As in, Four Seasons Resort Nevis. The beaches, while too rough to snorkel or even swim, really, were gorgeous. We rented a little car and drove around, mostly just enjoying the scenery.



I was really excited when we went back to the ferry because it took off from Nevis' capital, Charleston. I was in Charleston for Thanksgiving! Not quite the same, but oh well. Once back in St. Kitts we had Thanksgiving dinner island-style, with conch fritters and steamed pumpkin instead of sweet potato, and listened to live steel drum music.

Friday morning we woke up bright and early (7 am... not easy to do on those hard beds) for a hike through the rainforest to the mouth of a volcano! Oooo, ahhhh.


Action shot!


I'm an explorer! Just call me Magellan!


Rainforests are hard to take pictures in:

either it's way dark...


or there's too much light behind you.


Finally we made it to the top. Kurt was sad to hear that there was no safe way down into the volcano bowl, so we just had to settle for the rim. Drat.



From this outcropping we could see...


this view. Beautiful, huh?

On the way down, we decided to climb into a tree's abdomen. Good idea.


Saturday morning Kurt woke me up with a surprise!


Horseback riding for my birthday (which was also our last day in St. Kitts, tear)!!!


Happy Birthday to me!

Horseback riding came complete with fresh coconut (literally, off the tree) and Coke. Everyone drinks Coke for everything on St. Kitts, because they bottle it there. I wasn't complaining.


This is how Kittitians cut their coconut. I tell you what, fresh coconut is amazing.

I found something very exciting...


the cacao bean! Or coco bean.. or whatever it is chocolate comes from!

Here I am, loving my birthday spent horseback riding through the rainforest...


And Kurt did his famous George Washington impression.


Back at home, we found an AMAZING Italian restaurant called Ciao. I had gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce... out of this world good.


Since we're such hard-core fans, Kurt and I spent our last night in paradise listening to the BYU-UofU game on-line (the Cougs won it!!)...


and watching the sun set over the Caribbean sea.


The end.

Here We Go

So, my friend Sarah "tagged" me and now I must share 6 things about me that you may not know. At first I was like, "I'm a talker--I tell everyone everything about me!" But then I dug down real deep inside myself and realized that I don't tell everyone everything about me. If I did, I wouldn't have any friends because they'd all be scared off. So here goes. I hope we're still friends after this. ;)

1. I'd much rather clean the bathroom than the kitchen. I hate cleaning the kitchen. And I hate folding clothes even more. In fact, sometimes I don't fold them. I just wear them wrinkled.

2. I cried in Harry Potter 7--stop reading if you haven't read it and don't want it spoiled. I cried when he went to meet Voldemort and saw his parents and Sirius and Lupin, and I cried when he saw Dumbledore.

3. I love cereal. Not in the way that I love pizza--as in, I love the taste so much. But as in, cereal is just so satisfying and easy to eat that I could--and have--eat just it for every meal. I also really love toast, usually with just butter.

4. If it were up to me, I'd have 3 dogs at any given time--one of each size. I love big dogs, medium dogs, and little dogs. Unfortunately, Kurt doesn't want any small dogs or any dogs what-so-ever in the house. It is my life-long goal to bring him over to the dark side.

5. One of my goals--for real, Kurt included it in his family financial plan--is to own a HUGE bathtub. Jets not necessary. I just want a bath that's 6 feet long, 4 feet deep, and with a comfortable recline. I love taking baths. Our bathtub right now sucks and so I want to be spoiled when I'm older.

6. I analyze advertising like CRAZY. Every time I see an ad I think: Why did they choose that picture? That's an interesting audience they're aiming for. That word isn't quite right--it has a different connotation than what they're using it for. I've never taken an advertising class. BUT, I do love words and I think about the different words people use and so it must have grown from there.

So, I now tag Alisse and Mandi. That's right Mandi, now you must write in your blog that you created. Mwahaha.

Some of my favorite things

In my years at BYU/in Provo I've learned that there are good things that only Provo has. This year in particular, I have 4 new favorites. And since Kurt and I are such fatties (or would be if we weren't gym nuts! Oh wait, we still are. Dang it!), they're all food. And they're usually the wager for our many bets.

Favorite #1 -- Oatmeal Cookie Batter Ice cream @ Coldstone
Kurt first introduced me to this ice cream of the gods last year. It's amazing. We get a Gotta Have It size (oh yes, you know it) and put graham cracker crust in it. The result? Pure heaven. I think we'll eat this stuff in the Celestial Kingdom.

Favorite #2 -- the Cafe Rio salad @ Cafe Rio
For years, my favorite at Cafe Rio was the chicken burrito cooked enchilada style with mild sauce, pinto beans, and hold the salsa. That's all I EVER got. For 4 years. I'd always heard the salads were good, but here's the thing... I'm a lard and don't generally like salads. One day, feeling particularly fat and sassy--right after we got back from NY and really were fat and sassy--I finally decided to try the Cafe Rio salad. I will never go back to the burrito! The Cafe Rio salad is pure perfection. Here's how I like it: chicken, pinto beans, lettuce, cilantro, freshly squeezes lime, guacamole, crispy strips and NO salsa. OH! And I could NEVER forget the house dressing--creamy tomatillo sauce. When Kurt and I aren't feeling very hungry, we split it. Combined with the yummy cheesy tortilla they put under the salad, it's the perfect amount of food. Oisii!! (that's Japanese for delicious)

Favorite #3 -- White Hot Chocolate @ Juice 'n Java
Kurt and I think that Juice 'n Java is where every non-member in Provo hang out (especially the emo children) but more members need to know about their AMAZING White Hot Chocolate. I'm not even a big fan of white chocolate, but this! This is pure creamy goodness! It's wonderful. I've heard their Mexican hot chocolate is pretty dang good too, but I'm too stuck on the wonder that is White Hot Chocolate. Warning: it's comes destroy-your-mouth hot.

Favorite #4 -- Tiger's Blood Snow Cone @ Ella Good
Unfortunately, due to Utah's climate, we haven't had this since Ella Good closed for the winter in September. Ella Good is a student-run snow cone shack that makes real Hawaiian-style shaved ice. It's amazing. It's like eating flavored snow (that is, not yellow flavored snow...). ANYHOW. Kurt and I are big fans of the Tiger's Blood flavor--coconut, watermelon, and strawberry. We get the large (each, of course!) and put a shot of half 'n half on there (I usually got a double shot...). So good! Especially when Utah was blistering hot when we first got back. The sad part is, they might not open Ella Good next summer which would be a TRAGEDY.

Oh, Mexico...

Last semester Kurt was enrolled in a real estate class. This class was taught by a businessman in the real estate industry who is VERY successful. Ever heard of Trophy Homes? Yeah, he owns it. He and his wife flew to Italy to learn how to make pizza in the new coal oven they installed in their house. The guy is experienced, knowledgeable, and loaded.

Anyhow, at the beginning of the semester the teacher announced that the group with the best presentation that semester (every group had to do 3) would get to stay at the Villa Pelicano in Cabo San Lucas for free.

Well, Kurt's first group tanked -- the other guys in his group were kind of flaky. The second group did well, got a good grade. But his third group did an elaborate presentation. They even knew what kind of plants they would put in their development (an outdoor shopping mall). They had drawings and dimensions and details. Kurt's teacher said that after all his years of teaching, their presentation was in the top three. Top three! The guy's been teaching for a while.

So..... probably in the first week of June, Kurt, me, and his group (which is 6 other guys, 4 of which are married) are going to fly down to Cabo San Lucas and enjoy a week of sun, beach, and free accommodations. :D

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt!

And that's true! Friday night Kurt and I went sledding with his former mission companion, Adam, and his wife Melissa. We were really excited to go sledding because Kurt and I had gone Wednesday night and had a blast. I took my camera, but decided I would take pictures at the end of night. For reasons you will learn shortly, there were no pictures taken that night.

We headed over to Provo's Rock Canyon park, a well known sledding spot. When Kurt and I were there on Wednesday night, the snow had just fallen and was still mostly powdery. Friday night was different, though--it hadn't snowed a significant amount since Wednesday and a significant amount of sledding had taken place in the last 2 days. The snow was packed down, hard, and icy.

Rocky Canyon park has a bowl-like shape. From the middle of the park steep hills rise on all sides. This is why it's such a sledding hot spot. It's lit at night, though not terribly well. Not well enough.

After a few runs each in one spot, we migrated across the hill to another. Kurt was the first to go down in this new spot. He sat on the toboggan, pushed himself off with his hands, and went flying down the hill. A little over halfway down he suddenly hit an unforeseen jump someone had created and went flying 5 or 6 feet in the air. He came crashing down on his butt/lower back and laid still for a few minutes. At first when we called down to see if he was ok, he said he was. After a few minutes, he didn't get up though and I ran down the hill as fast as I could.

To make a long story short, Kurt could walk but he was in an incredible amount of pain. I took him to the ER and our friends went home. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in the hospital, wondering if he had broken his back or done worse injury. I called my parents, his mom, and his best friend James (whom I asked to come give Kurt a blessing as soon as he could). Kurt was in a lot of pain and the morphine they gave him in the iv didn't help much. But after a cat scan and a lot more waiting, we were told there was no bone damage. He had not broken his back. I was able to take him home, where James and a friend of his met us to give Kurt a blessing. After they left I went to the pharmacy for the prescribed pain pills and muscle relaxer. Kurt slept pretty well and the loratab is working, though he's still in an pretty good deal of pain.

So there was only soft tissue damage, but they couldn't ascertain how much at the hospital. They referred Kurt off-site to a specialist in Orem, who will be able to tell Kurt how much damage there was and whether it was only muscles or if it included ligaments and cartilage too. I'm just thankful he didn't break his back or damage his spinal cord.

Anyways. Just thought I'd let everyone know. Oh, and never go sledding at Rock Canyon Park (when we left the hospital there was one guy there with a concussion and another with a broken arm--both from sledding at Rock Canyon Park).

Finally.... St. Kitts! part one

So I'm finally posting about our second honeymoon to St. Kitts! Yay! Since it's been a month and a half since we got back, I don't remember minute details, like the exact day we went to Nevis (island right next to St. Kitts) but I remember enough. :D

Well, Kurt and I flew out of Salt Lake at midnight on Friday morning. I had been up since about 6 am Thursday taking midterms all day (and Kurt had had a similar day). We traveled all day, flying to La Guardia airport in our beloved NYC, then to Puerto Rico, and then to St. Kitts. We were not able to get much sleep on our flights, so by the time we got there at 5, we were bushed.


But! We had enough energy to walk to the restaurant next to our hotel and have dinner on the beach. We watched the sun set and ate island food (well, I had a veggie burger, but it came with island-style salad and veggies. That was the night Kurt discovered Kittitian jerk chicken, which was by far his meal of choice for the next 8 days). By the way, Kittitian is pronounced ki-tee-shen. We went to bed at 8.

The next day we slept in till 11 (yep, we were that tired). We woke up and walked out on our balcony to this sight:



It was a beautiful Caribbean day! We decided to make the most of it: we headed to the beach (which was right down the sidewalk from our door.... love it!)


Check out that water!!


Kurt was lovin' it as well. (See how the vegetation grew straight up to the water? It was so beautiful).

After an afternoon spent soaking in the sun, we took a walk around the little lake in front of our hotel.


People here have HUGE houses! Well, the rich people do. We learned that if you buy enough land, the government grants you automatic citizenship. There must be tons of new citizens in St. Kitts, with the amount of large and extremely beautiful houses around our part of the island.


There's our hotel, the Timothy Beach Resort, from across the lake. I loved how green it was! Reminded me of Charleston, but greener! And did I mention humid? I didn't blow dry my hair once--I knew my hair would frizz out as soon as I walked out of the door. My skin was loving it.

At night, the only thing to do in St. Kitts is go to bars and drink. A few nights we went to the bars to drink virgin margaritas and listen to the live reggae bands, but we could just as easily hear the music from our balcony, so usually we'd sit on our balcony and listen to the music while Kurt read and I did sudoku. It was so warm at night that we didn't need pants or long sleeves on. And it was so dark. It was really relaxing, especially after going through weeks of midterms.

One night though, Kurt got bored and decided he wanted to knock down and eat a coconut from one of the many coconut trees on our hotel grounds. It was pretty fun to watch:



But finally Kurt got one.

Like a little boy with a new toy. Awwww.

One day we rented a car. In the morning we went sightseeing all around the island, and in the afternoon we went to the southern end of the island which is a narrow peninsula and snorkeled all day. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of us with our snorkeling gear because we were always by ourselves, but we had a blast. We saw a sea turtle, a couple of octopi, a squid, lots of colorful fish, and even a shark (at which sight we quickly headed for shore--Kurt's terrified of sharks. I told him what I saw and he took of immediately. It was pretty funny).

Sightseeing was fun though. We went to this old plantation where Thomas Jefferson's family hails from. It was in the middle of the jungle.


We even met some English guy to take our picture. Look, there's his thumb!

People in St. Kitts just let things go to waste sometimes. So there's lots of old sugar refinery ruins in the middle of the jungle. That was definitely a Kodak moment... or several.




Oooo, look, I've got a smoke stack growing out of my head!

Next we went to an old fort on top of a massive hill. The view was pretty incredible.





From both sides.

The next day Kurt found some friends to take him scuba diving with him (alas, because of my beautiful asthma and sinuses, I can't scuba dive).


He ran to catch the boat....

... while I stayed behind ....


to sunbathe on yet another amazing day on the beach...


get some quality reading...


and to enjoy a tasty Coke. Mmmm. :)


Oh, and as a tip, don't order pizza in St. Kitts. Especially the Mexican pizza.


... To be continued!