Friday, August 25, 2006

And His Name Is...

Colin Román Pacheco! Our precious baby boy was born today at 10:00 AM. He weighs 7 lbs. 6 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long.
My labor was pretty good. My water broke last night at 10:00 PM. I only had to push for 45 minutes.
All in all I feel great right now. I've just finished taking a shower, and feel so much lighter!
Isn't he beautiful? Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Happy Birthday Sean!

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Sean....Happy birthday to you!

We hope that you have an awesome birthday! Posted by Picasa

Monday, August 21, 2006

Officially on Maternity Leave

Today is my first official day that I am on maternity leave. I know, I know, I was only working 1 day a week before, but now I'm not working any...for a little while anyway. I'm very excited about that. Now that I have started, Baby P needs to make his appearance!

Yesterday was my last day at work, and let me tell you, had it not been...I probably would have left early. For teh past 3 months or so, whoever is charge nurse has been really easy on me (which is why I have been able to work so long). SHe's let me work triage or fast track, where i get to sit down most, if not all, of the day. Well, yesterday, I had to work the main ER, including taking a trauma room. I ran my butt off all day. We were very short-staffed to begin with (down 3 nurses), and we didn't even have enough coverage for lunch...but believe me, I found some time to eat! By the end of the shift, my ankles were so swollen that you couldn't even see my ankle bone, and my back was KILLING me...mid & lower pain. I barely sat down all day. Then, after my back started hurting, I had to drive an hour home...which ended up being more like 1 1/2 hours because of traffic on 35. I feel like I left there with a bang.

I've mostly been resting today, but my back is still hurting. I've cleaned the kitchen, and really want to get the rest of the house clean, but decided that I will work on things slowly.

Again I ask for labor prayers. Both Miguel & I are ready...and I'm just sick of waiting.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

So I Haven't Updated In a Few Days...

Here's why & what's been going on...

First, on Wednesday, I went walking the mall with Casey. I left the house around 10:00, and got home around 2:30 at which point, I realized that I hadn't felt the baby move at all since before i left the house. I was a little nervous, so I tried waking him up, but with no luck. I ended up calling my doctor's office where they told me to eat some candy and call them back in 30 minutes. I did so, in fact, I enjoyed a snickers bar! I waited the 30 minutes, and only felt 1 or 2 little movements. Very unlike the little guy. It just didn't feel right to me. I called the doctor back, and they wanted me to come in to monitor me. I did so, and Miguel met me over there. He was nervous as well. I felt really silly because as soon as they hooked me up to the TOCO monitor (it monitors baby's heart rate & contractions), he started moving. They decided to watch me for a while. Turns out that I was having contractions the entire time, but wasn't feeling any of them! I was excited about that. I had a sono done after the monitoring just for peace of mind for the doctor and us, and everything is great!

Thursday was uneventful, but I think that I lost my mucus plug, or at least part of it, that night. Sorry, TMI for some of you!

Friday night was not very fun for me. I started "cramping" (and I put cramping in "", b/c that's what it felt like to me, though I'm not sure if they were contractions of not). The "cramps" were coming and going for a little over an hour, but they never intensified, so I tried to go to sleep. I finally did, but I don't sleep well anymore. I woke up at around 5:30 with the "cramping" again. It didn't last too long. Pretty sure those were Braxton-Hicks contractions.

Needless to say that now my back is really aching me. I've gotten some more of the "cramps" today, but not as bad as last night. I really just wish that real labor would take over soon!

I'm having a church baby shower this evening, so I must head over to it now. Please pray labor prayers for me!

Monday, August 14, 2006

The Process is Beginning!

I saw my doctor today, and she checked my cervix. I am 1 cm dilated, 75% effaced, but still at -2 station. I am very excited that it's coming to an end and that baby Pacheco will soon be here. My doctor estimated that baby Pacheco weighs between 5 1/2 - 6 pounds as of right now. He is head down which is a good thing! I'll update again next week after my appointment.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Finally starting to contract...

I was reading posts at babycenter , and almost all of the women that are due the same week as me have been having regular Braxton-Hicks contractions. I was nervous because I hadn't had any (that I knew of) yet. But then yesterday afternoon, all of a sudden I realized that I was having one! I was so excited! Then, and hour later, I had another one! Yay for contractions! Now I just wish that the real ones would hurry up and come so I can push this baby out!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Happy Birthday Román!

We hope that you have a very blessed day! Happy birthday! Posted by Picasa

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Two years old already! I can't believe how fast time flies! Happy Birthday! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

New Pictures

Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know that I've posted new pictures of my two baby showers. You can see them at my smugmug site.

My Baby Shower

My mom threw a baby shower for me this past Saturday. There were so many people there, and it was HOT! I had so much fun! I think that I opened gifts for 3 1/2 hours, and we received just about everything that we need for little baby Pacheco to come! Thank you to everyone. This just shows how loved and blessed we are. The cake was amazing! Such a pretty design...and it tasted oh so good! After the "main" part of the shower we moved the party outside to the backyard and many of us went swimming (including me, b/c it was so hot out!). Thank you to everyone who helped my mom plan & organize, set-up, clean-up & help out! Thank you to everyone who came, you helped make my day special! Posted by Picasa

Happy Anniversary Joel & Valerie!

We hope that you enjoy your anniversary together. May God continue to bless your marriage! Posted by Picasa

Saturday, August 05, 2006

My Baby Book Shower

Lisa & Casey planned a baby book shower for me this past Thursday night at Olive Garden. It was a girls night out...probably my last for a little while! I had so much fun! We ate yummy food, and I was showered with books to jump start baby Pacheco's library! Each book that I received was special to the giver. Thanks again to those who attended. You really made the evening special for me! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Pampered Krissy

Today I went and had a pregnancy massage, spa pedicure, had my eyebrows waxed, and got a haircut. I feel like a brand new me! The massage was sooo wonderful! I actually got to lay on my belly...for the first time in 9 months, and it felt great! Baby boy Pacheco was moving around the whole time, but other than that, I didn't even feel pregnant...it was quite odd! The pedicure was great too! They massaged my feet & legs and I got hot towels wrapped around them, not to mention that my toes look fabulous now. After that I endured some pain to get my eyebrows looking good, and on to get my hair cut. My hair finally has some shape again, and doesn't just lay on my face. Later on tonight a couple girlfriends are throwing a book shower at Olive Garden for me...can this day get any better?

Yes it can actually...if my hubby were here enjoying it with me! :) A huge thank you to Miguel for being thoughtful enough to purchase a day at the spa for me. It was a perfect gift, and I truly needed it! Thank you!

I've Got a Case of...

The Can't Sleeps! It's terrible. My eyes flew wide open at around 3:00 this morning and I could not get myself to fall back to sleep. I'm tired, but my eyes won't close! So now I've been awake for almost 2 hours and have been trying to find quiet things to do so I won't wake my soundly sleeping husband!

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

New Pictures

Whitney came over today and took some more pregnancy pictures of me. I've posted some on my smugmug site if you are interested in looking at them! Posted by Picasa

35 Weeks

Today I am officially 35 weeks pregnant! Only 5 more to go...6 at the most, but hopefully baby Pacheco will be a good little boy and decide to come a little earlier than 5 weeks! I should have some more pregnancy pictures for everyone soon, as Whitney & I are taking some today!

Monday, July 31, 2006

So a Little Late, but Worth Posting...

Miguel & I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary on July 22. Miguel took a few days off work, and we just had fun spending time together. We would have like to have gone away somewhere, but I am past the point where I can fly, so we had to find things to do around here. For dinner on our anniversary, Miguel took me to my favorite restaurant, Sambuca, in case you didn't know, where we enjoyed yummy food and good music & great atmosphere. After that, we spent the night at the Dallas Hilton Lincoln Centre. What a beautiful hotel! On Monday we went to see the Yankees kick the Rangers butts! Everyone booed A-Rod when he came out to play, but all is good...b/c who won in the end? That's right, the Yankees! It was very hot, but I still enjoyed the game!

I really enjoyed our time together, and an very happy that I've chosen to spend the rest of my life with you, Miguel. I love you, and I look forward to many more anniversaries with you!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

An Early Anniversary Post

I just wanted to make a small post to my support, lover, best friend, husband. It's early, but it's a short story of us...

See the top of Blog!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Happy Birthday Bianca!

I hope that you have a wonderful 15th birthday! Enjoy your day! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Painted Baby Room

This is what the baby room looks like so far. Felix & Miguel painted, then Frances and I applied the border, and my mom made the outlet covers. We are just awaiting a furniture delivery...tomorrow they say! I am so excited! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Dude, I got a Dell!

My new laptop was delivered yesterday. I am so excited! The only bummer is having to transfer all of my pictures onto my new lappy. There wasn't anything wrong with my old lappy, but I must say that the screen on this new one is just awesome...especially for playing WoW!

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Happy July 4th!

I want to wish everyone a happy Independence Day! Have a safe and hopefully dry holiday!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Happy Anniversary Frances & Felix!

I hope you have a blessed day! Have a wonderful anniversary! It's scary to think that I've known you for as long as you've been married...what is it now, 14, 15 years? Happy anniversary! Posted by Picasa

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Congratulations Román & Karen

We celebrated Román & Karens' wedding at Maggiano's in Plano. It was a beautiful wedding with great food, fun dancing, family, friends, and a beautiful bride. Welcome to the family Karen & Emilie. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, June 22, 2006

More Photos Uploaded

Whitney came over today and took some awesome pregnancy pictures today. Make sure to check them out! More will be added later!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Officially Part-Time

Today was my last day working full-time. I will now be working 1 shift per week (unless I pick up any bonus shifts). I am very excited to slow down a little bit! The day ended (actually started) with a bang. We had a hospital wide, Dallas wide disaster drill. It was fun to participate, but got quite hectic for a while!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Building a Family Tree

Miguel bought me a really neat family tree building program. I'm very excited about using it, but I am a very poor historian, and am begging family for their help in putting it together! I hope that one day I can share our (mine & Miguel's) heritage and lineage with our children!

Monday, June 12, 2006

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Happy Birthday Jenny!

I just want to wish you a very happy birthday! I hope that you enjoy your day and take it easy!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Happy Anniversary Jenny & Emmett!

We hope that you enjoy your anniversary! I will pray for God's continued blessing on your marriage!

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Go MAVS!!!

Now that was an awesome game! Nothing better than taking the Suns out in their home territory! GO MAVS!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Happy Anniversary Chris & Casey!

I just want to wish you guys a very happy anniversary. May God continue to bless your marriage!

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

It's a .....

GIRL! Courtney is having a little girl! Yay!

26 Weeks...and More

Today I am 26 weeks pregnant! Yay! More than half way through! I am very excited! You know that you are nearing the end when you start seeing the doctor every 2 weeks, and I've just started that. I had the 1 hour glucose tolerance test today. The stuff that they make you drink has got to be one of the most disgusting things I've ever had. It made me sick to my stomache after I drank it. I hope that the lab work comes back ok, because I don't want to do it again!

On another note, Courtney will find out if she's having a boy or girl today, though I'm not sure of the time. I'll have to get back to you on that one.

We are having dinner at Chris & Casey's tonight. Fun times.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Hello Jorran

We spent sabbath with our long time friend Jorran. Originally from NY, hee's been in Michigan finishing up his masters degree. Now that that's done, he's moved to TX! Posted by Picasa

Megan's Graduation Party

We had some good 'ol family fun last night at Megan's graduation get together. Cake & ice cream, family & friends...what more could you ask for? It was really nice to see Glady's, who I haven't seen in like 3 years! Posted by Picasa

Congratulations Megan!

Megan, congratulations on graduating high school. We are so very proud to see you accomplish this. We know that whatever school you choose to go to, you will do awesome! You look beautiful! Posted by Picasa

New Photos

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've updated my smugmug photos, but I've finally done it. Check it out if you would like to!

Friday, May 26, 2006

Happy Birthday Madison!

A big happy 1st birthday to Madison!! I can't believe she's a year old already!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

ALIAS Series Finale

So I watched the ALIAS series finale this morning. I'll start out by saying that it has been my absolute favorite shows for the last 5 seasons. I own seasons 1-4 on DVD, and was anticipating a great finale. The finale was 2 hours long. The first hour seemed to drag a little bit, and I wondered how they were going to end it with just 1 hour left. I asked myself the same question when there was only 20 minutes left. I was very bummed out about the ending. It was totally not what I expected, and I was left feeling like they rushed the final episode. Not a good series finale at all. I'm very disappointed. :(

Monday, May 22, 2006

I Finally Fixed It!!!

Yes ladies & gentleman, I fianlly fixed my sidebar! Go ahead, take a look...it's all there. It was there, then it disappeared for a few months, but it's back again!!!

Happy Anniversary Sean & Emily!

We wish you a happy 2nd anniversary! May God continue to bless your marriage! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Congratulations Chris & Casey!

Chris & Casey are expecting their 3rd baby. We are very excited for them, and are pray for a healthy pregnancy! Congratulations!

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Praise God!

God is good! Today was the day that I decided to turn in my notice at work to let them know that I will only be working part-time (1 shift a week) starting in June. I was very nervous and scared about my managers reaction. I've had Miguel praying for me all day long. My manager was finally able to make time to talk to me sometime after lunch, and it went MUCH better than expected. In fact, when I told her she was more than willing to give me what I asked for and even asked if I wanted to start it sooner!!! Praise God for such a wonderful blessing!

Monday, May 08, 2006

National Nurses Week 2006

May 6-12 is National Nurses Week. Happy nurses week to all the nurses I know! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, May 04, 2006

What Color Shall I Choose?

Tomorrow I will be making a trip to Home Depot to grab a bunch of paint sample cards, and then heading over to Baby USA to try and match up some colors with the bedding that Miguel & I have chosen. I am so excited! The baby room is finally cleaned out, and we will begin painting shortly!

Monday, May 01, 2006

TNCC Certification

Today was day 1 of my certification course. TNCC (Trauma Nurse Core Course), is a really good certification to have for working in the ER. I was told that usually they like you to be out of school at least 2 years before you try to certify...I'm just shy of 1 year. I've studied, feel pretty comfortable, and will be testing tomorrow! Please pray for me as I am very nervous!

Friday, April 28, 2006

See You In October

Nanny leaves tomorrow to go back to Connecticut. I'm really sad about that. I get so used to her being around here. By the time that she comes back baby Pacheco will already be born. I guess for now until her return in early October we will have to go back to our Saturday morning phone calls.
Today Nanny, mom, and myself spent the day together. Early in the morning I took Nanny to get her hair done. The 3 of us went to eat lunch, and then we shopped fo a little while. Later on we had yummy dinner at mom's house. It was a nice way to spend nanny's last day!

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Mall w/ Emily

So Emily and I went to the mall. We haven't been out together in quite a while. We had SO much fun! We shopped all over the place, and came out with some terrific deals. Em, we have to go out again soon, ok?

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Happy Birthday Emily!

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Emily, happy birthday to you!!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

I Felt Him Move!!!

Well, yesterday one of the sono techs did a sonogram on me at work. It's amazing being able to see him grow! While I was watching him I saw him punch his arm up, and all of a sudden I felt a little something. Then today while I was shopping, I felt the same thing, but multiplied by 100! it lasted about 20 minutes, stopped, then started again a little later! I can finally feel my baby move!!!

Monday, April 10, 2006

Totally Addicted...

So I have been watching Miguel play World of Warcraft now for sometime. I really enjoy watching him play. He's been trying to talk me into playing for a while, but I kept teling him no. Finally last night I gave in and signed up to play, and am totally addicted. WoW is the new Halo 2 for me!!! I've only played for a little while, and am already a level 7 and have completed a bunch of quests! Goodbye Optikus, hello Flix!

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Saturday, March 25, 2006

16 Weeks...

I am finally 16 weeks pregnant. I have started feeling better, though I still find that I am tired quite a bit of the time. I've started showing a little bit, and am very excited! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

It's a BOY!!!

Miguel & I found out today that our expected baby is going to be a BOY!!! We are so excited, and now the name game has begun! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Goodbye First, Hello Second...

Trimester that is! I am officially in my second trimester now. Yay! 13 weeks, 1 day & counting! I am still feeling sick, but now not all day long, usually just in the morning. Today I am going to try to make it a zofran free day. I've been getting bouts of sickness, but have been telling myself "mind over body." As silly as it sounds, it seems to be working. Well, either that or I just keep myself busy every time I feel sick.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Congratulations Jorran & Kira!

Our good friend Jorran took a huge step in his life last night, and proposed to Kira. Kira happily accepted. Congratulations to an awesome couple! We can't wait to see you guys! Posted by Picasa

Happy Birthday Dalí

Our fat cocker spaniel Dalí is 4 years old today! Happy birthday to the best dog in the world! Posted by Picasa

Friday, February 24, 2006

Congratulations Courtney & Richie!

Courtney called on my birthday to let us know that her and Richie are pregnant! She found out today that her EDD is 10/22/06. Our children are only going to be about 6 weeks apart! Isn't that amazing? Congratulations Corky!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Happy Birthday Valerie, Emma & Kate!

A big happy birthday to 3 women/girls that I know, Valerie-my sister-in-law, Emma-Casey's baby, and Kate-Emily's baby!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Happy Birthday To ME!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me, happy birthday to me!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

OB Appointment Today

I had my second OB appointment today. Everything went well. I am just about 12 weeks pregnant now. Say goodbye to 1st trimester, and almost hello to 2nd!
All of my lab work came back okay. I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat via doppler today, for the first time. It was amazing! The doctor said that the baby kept moving everytime she would hear the heartbeat loud. What a miracle. It's still hard for me to grasp the fact that I'M pregnant. I'm so excited!

Monday, February 20, 2006

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Our First Sonogram!

Today Miguel & I had our first sonogram appointment. We were so excited to see our baby for the first time! We saw it's little heart beating, and it measured 3 centimeters. According to the sonogram we are 9 weeks & 1 day pregnant. Isn't our baby just beautiful? Posted by Picasa

Friday, February 03, 2006

Thank God for New Insurance

Since my OB appointment I have been holding on the the prescriptions for nausea medication. The prescription benefits that I have through my job really weren't that great, and I would have ended up paying quite a bit out of pocket for the medicines, so I decided to hold on to them until I was switched over to Miguel's insurance. I just got the policy number today, so yipee, I'm going to fill them, and hopefully I won't be as sick anymore!!!

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Sick, sick, sick...

Yesterday I worked. Yesterday was also the worst sick day that I have had yet. I threw up 4 times, and was sick to my stomache almost all day long. I looked worse than some of my patients. I am just happy that I have some awesome supportive co-workers, that were willing to help me out when I was at my worst. I pray for a better day today.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Due Date: September 7

So my first OB appoinment was today. All went well. I really like the doctor that I have chosen. Going by my dates, she calculated our due date to be September 7, 2006. Although, she wants me to come in for a sonogram in 2 weeks to determine the exact age of the baby. I'm excited about that. Now if I could only fight off this nausea...

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

My First OB Appointment Tomorrow

So my first OB appointment is tomorrow at 8:30. Yes you all know that I am a morning person. I asked for the earliest appointment. I'm nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. I'll post when I get home about how it went.

Going Back to Work Was Hard

I went back to work for the first day since my almost 3 week vacation on Sunday. It was really hard. I got very used to being home. I actually cooked dinner every night. When was the last time that I cooked? Oh, about a year ago. It was so nice being at home.
Sunday was hard for me. I was feeling sick from the time that I woke up until about 2:00 in the afternoon. That's 9 hours folks. I was constantly eating snacks to keep food in my belly. I was happy that I was sent to Fast Track. I got to sit down a little more than if I had stayed in the Red Zone. It was also nice that I got to work with one of my closest co-workers, Cindy. She was great all day, helping me out when I got to feeling really bad.
Yesterday was a good day at work for me. I only felt sick a few times, and it only lasted a few minutes each time. I was in the Red Zone, and was pretty busy, so I was happy that I felt pretty good.
I pray every day that I will have a good day, because I don't think I can stand being sick all day long. It's just not any fun.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

I Saw My Friends!

Our lives have been so busy for quite a while now, that we haven't had a chance to really get together for some good quality girlfriend time. Today Lisa, Casey, Emily & I met up at the Stonebriar Mall, and just walked around and did some shopping. I had a really good time. After the mall, I went back to Lisa's house and shared in some extra girlfriend time. Friends are important to me, and I feel that I need to adjust my schedule, to make more time for friends & family!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Pregnancy Announcement Dinner

Last night we took our family out to dinner to tell them that we are pregnant. We ate a yummy dinner at Buca di Beppo.
We planned to wear the baby pink & baby blue sweaters and see if anyone would catch on. Whitney did, but didn't say anything at first.
We passed out a little gift to each family member, and had them open them all at the same time. They opened them up, and inside were little yellow baby booties. At that point just about everyone understood why we took them out to dinner.
Everyone congratulated us, and gave us hugs & kisses. We took lots pictures to help us remember the moment we announced our pregnancy! Posted by Picasa

Monday, January 16, 2006

Surprise, surprise...

While we were in Denmark, I wasn't feeling too well. When all was said and done, a pregnancy test was purchased for me, and Miguel & I found out on Friday, January 13 that we are pregnant! At the point this picture was taken, our family & friends still didn't know about our good news! Posted by Picasa

Monday, January 09, 2006

Denmark Adventures: Day 4

Day 4: Monday, January 9, 2006

Now we are in Odense, Denmark. This is the real reason we are in Denmark at all. Miguel has to train some people on his company's product. We woke up early this morning and had breakfast with Chris & Lenny. I think that I'm starting to become fond of the open sandwich. It's more and more appealing everyday.
After breakfast we all walked to the train station and caught a bus to Odense. The ride was about 1 1/4 hours. We were a little nervous, because we were all told that the hotel was out in the middle of nowhere. In all actuality, the hotel was about a 15 minute ride from the train station, and I really wouldn't call it "out in the middle of nowhere." The hotel name is Fangel Kro & Hotel. It's very quaint. I like it a lot. It's more of a bed & breakfast than a hotel. They served true Danish food for lunch. They put out quite a spread. It was really good. After lunch I went up to our room, and read some Harry Potter, then I fell asleep for a while.
We just got back from dinner, and I must say that it was very tasty. All of the food was homemade Danish food (except the french fries), and was much much better than I expected. If only I could learn to cook Danish food.
Miguel and I aren't doing anything special tonight, probably just watch a movie or something. I'm in the process of uploading some pictures now, and I'll e-mail soon. I'm not going to post any on smugmug until we get home, because I want to edit them some, and spend a little time making them look nicer, so the crappy versions will have to do for now.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Denmark Adventures: Day 3

Day 3: Sunday, January 8, 2006

Again last night Miguel and I had a hard time falling alseep. I know that I finally fell asleep sometime after 0200. We were determined to wake up in time for breakfast. So the wake up call came in at 0830 this morning. I was dreading getting up because I was so tired. We got up, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. I was expecting something totally different than what we got. Silly American.
I've noticed that there really aren't any obese people here. Many seem to ride their bikes over driving a car (probably because cars are taxed at 180% when you buy them), and thay they eat pretty healthy. Most of the ingredients are fresh. Take our breakfast for instance. They had fresh meat sliced. You sliced your own cheese off of a block. You cut your own bread from the loaf. There were fresh vegetables, and fruit. You made your own yogurt. They use brown eggs instead of white eggs. You ground your own salt & pepper. They had danishes, which I must say were the best danishes that I have ever eaten! What we call a danish in America tastes nothing like what I ate here. What I must comment on the most, though, is a traditional food of the Danish people. It's a kind of sandwich, called smorrebrod. It's open-faced. Doesn't seem very practical t me. It's just like a sandwich that we would make in the US, but they use 1 piece of bread. On that piece of bread, they put a spread, such as butter. They then put the cheese. On top of that they put the meats, followed by the vegetables. Then they pick it up and eat it. What I want to know is, why can't they just add the other piece of bread on top so everything doesn't fall out?
We met up with Lenny at around 1900 for dinner. We walked in the cold for a while loking for a place to eat. Lenny said he knew of a quaint italian place. When we got there, the place had changed to a Brittish restaurant. We kept on looking. We finally found a place that served Mexican and Italian food. Kind of a weird mix. Anyway, all 4 of us ordered pizza. We eat ordered a different kind. Miguel asked for his with no ham (it was some sort of hawaiian pizza). Lenny asked for his with onions, extra cheese & jalepenos. My pizza came out first. Way before everyone elses. Miguel's came out next, but it had ham all over it. The waiter got kind of pissed off when Miguel told him that he ordered it without the ham. So they took his back, and again I am the only one with food in front of me. I tried being polite and wait for everyone else to get their food, but Lenny insisted that I eat before it got cold. Chris' came out next, and his was fine. Miguel's came back without the ham. Yay! Finally Lenny's came out, and it did not have the extra cheese, the onions, or the jalepenos. Lenny asked them for it, but they only brought out the jalepenos on the side after acting quite pissy. So we eat, and the food was really good. Lenny gets the bill, and noticed that they had charged him for the extra cheese and the onions. You know, the extra cheese and the onions that he didn't get. So he calls the waiter over and tells him. The waiter argued a little bit then brought it over to who appeared to be the manager. They talked in Danish for a few minutes, then the waiter bring the bill back and sets it on the table and walked away. Lenny looked at it again, and it was the same exact bill! They hadn't changed it, and they hadn't even told him. So Lenny called him over again. By this time the waiter was really pissed. Lenny pointed out that the bill was the same. The waiter said "I know, I talked to the manager and he said leave it. You pay for it. I'm just a face, the manager is the brains. You talk to him, but it's only 13 kroner." So, Lenny realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the guy, gave up and paid for the onions and the extra cheese that he didn't get.
After dinner we walked around town a little more. Somehow after dinner it didn't seem as cold outside. After that we stopped in at a pub right next to the hotel and had a round of drinks. The only weird thing that happened there was an old lady left the pub, and as shw was walking by, we got this really sick scent of piss. It was disgusting, and it lingered for a while.
Stay tuned for more tales tomorrow!

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Denmark Adventures: Day 2

Day 2: Saturday, January 7, 2006

So this morning we wanted to wake up nice and early so we could get breakfast in our hotel. Fat chance. We ended up waking up after 1100. Breakfast ended at 1100. Not only were we frustrated that we missed the included breakfast, but there were only a few hours of daylight left. We had planned on going to the palace to see the changing of the guards at 1200, but again, we didn't make it in time.
Did I mention yesterday that it is cold here? If not, it’s REALLY cold. We decided to walk down the street to the main shopping street. It was really neat. Reminded me of a flea market, because the street narrowed, and was for pedestrians only. It definitely didn’t have flea market prices. So it was about a 15 minute walk to the street, and then maybe an hour or so walk through the street if you didn’t stop anywhere. So now imagine me, who is always cold, walking in the cold for a few hours. We stopped in a bunch of stores, had lunch, and took some pictures, so my toes were frozen. I brought a scarf, a hat, and a pair of gloves, but it didn’t keep me nearly warm enough. Think I’m just being a wimp? I will dare any New Yorker to come over here..I know you will be cold.
So back to the shopping. This street reminded Miguel and I of 5th Avenue in new York. A must see for a tourist, but you really don’t want to buy anything, because it is so expensive. For instance, I got so cold that I had to have something to warm my bones. We stopped in a coffee shop. Miguel and I each got a large hot chocolate. I’m thinking $6, maybe $8 at the most. Well, we paid approx. $12. Crazy! Granted, the chocolate was real chocolate that they actually melt in the cup, and the whipped cream was hand whipped, but $12? A bottle of water was approx. $3.50, for a 20 ounce. Wow!
So the all-American that I am, wanted some lunch. What do you think I had? I ate a an awesome “Hamburger Restaurant.” It’s called McDonald’s. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I’m eating McDonald’s while I am in Denmark. Miguel was less than thrilled with that, and I can’t say that I blame him. This is a once in a lifetime experience, and I’m eating McDonalds. They do call McDonald’s a “hamburger restaurant.” I don’t know about all that, folks. It tasted the same, except for the diet coke. In fact, they don’t have diet coke. Here they have coca-cola light. It has the same colors as diet coke, but it tastes much sweeter. It tastes too much like regular coke to me. It’s not great, but it’s doable. Miguel tried something new for lunch. I had a bite, and I must say that it was very different. He had a shawarma and fries. The shawarma reminded me of a gyro. It was the same kind of meat, in a pita pocket, with lettuce, tomato, and some sort of sauce. Not bad. Miguel liked it.
For dinner we met up with Chris Rice, Miguel’s co-worker, and decided to try something new. Obviously the decision was not left to me, or we would have eaten at Burger King or Domino’s Pizza. I’m glad that Miguel picked the location. The restaurant was right down the street from our hotel. It was a Turkish restaurant. The 3 of us go inside, sit down, and start looking at the menus. Again, everything was in Danish. So we called a waitress over who happily translated for us. All of a sudden during dinner, the music got really loud and a belly dancer came out and danced for a couple of songs. I’ve noticed that almost everything is expensive here, including food, but our dinner was reasonably priced. I would definitely eat there again.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Denmark Adventures: Day 1

Day 1: Friday, January 6, 2006

I must say that I was excited about the trip up until we got onto our second flight, and I realized that we were one of the few Americans on board. Then all of a sudden, I became scared. Silly, naive me...totally American, I know.
We arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark at 0700 (that's 7:00 AM for those who don't read military time...12:00 AM Texas time). We exchanged American dollars for Danish Kroner. Looks like play money if you ask me. Then we caught a taxi to our hotel. We were able to check in early (0800ish), thank God, because I don't think I could have made it through the day if we had to wait until 1400 (2:00).
It's cold here. Being from NY you would think that I would be used to the cold weather, but living in TX for the past 4 years has kind of thinned my blood a little. Also, just the other day in TX we had record breaking temperatures of 84...so coming here where it is currently 34, but feels like 24 with the windchill, is a little hard on me.
The first thing that I noticed was that everything is small here. Huge difference from "Everything is bigger in Texas". The cars are small, and kind of funny looking, if you ask me. I didn't even see 1 truck or SUV. Strange. The hotel hallways are very small also. Just about enough room for 1 person to walk through at a time. Even the elevator was tiny. A sign in it said it could hold 13 people, but Miguel and I both doubted that. Maybe 13 Danish people, but definitely not 13 Americans. So, after saying that everything is small, let's move on to the room...
Now for the room...this is a 4 star hotel, so I'm thinking lavish & roomy...I'm thinking American 4 star. Ha! Was I in for a surprise! We opened the door and there is about 5 feet until you hit the bed and that is pretty much the room in a nutshell. Don't believe me? I will post pictures!
We took a "short" nap, which actually ended up being a lot longer that we had planned on...more like 5 hours or so. When we finally woke up, we decided to go and eat somewhere. So we walk to this tiny quaint restaurant that I can't remember the name of. The lighting was dim, and it was cozy. We start looking through the menu, which is written in Danish, and try to pick out the words that we can. So everyone who knows me, knows that I don't like change. I eat the same things over and over, I watch the same shows over and over, I listen to the same music over and over, so needless to say, I immediately wanted to eat the most American thing that I could find...a cheeseburger. Miguel convinced me to try something else since we are in a different country. I decided I was going to have some sort of pasta. I was able to understand a few of the words, and decided on Penne al a Vodka....but it was written in Danish. I asked the the waitress (who spoke english..yay!) if there was meat in the dish....yes, seafood, so I ask about my second choice, seafood, and my third choice, yes, seafood. I'm sure that you are aware that I do NOT eat seafood. So, now I'm feeling frustrated, and didn't want to keep asking the waitress to read the menu to me, so I order the typical American dish...a cheeseburger and fries. How can you mess up a cheeseburger, right? That's what I was thinking. So our food comes out and my cheeseburger doesn't look like a "normal" (and by normal, I mean the American cheeseburger). Anyway, I'll start off by saying that it was good...different, but good. It was not the typical "patty". You know, the perfectly round (or square if you are at Wendy's) beef. This was actually hand formed beef. What a concept! They put the ketchup on for you, and some other sort of "sauce". Either thousand island or french or something like that. It was a bit sweet. Or maybe it was the cheese, b/c come to think of it, I don't remember any solid cheese on my cheeseburger. Hmmm, runny cheese on the burger, how yummy. Then the oddest part was the topping for the burger. There was the typical tomato. Yuck, so off that came, but I ate the rest, and it was pretty good. There was cucumber, red cabbage and a different kind of lettuce. There wasn't a bottle of ketchup on the table, so I ate my fries dry. Not sure if they drench their fries in ketchup here in Denmark, and I didn't want to offend anyone, so dry I ate them. Dry fries. I asked for a diet coke, and ended up with a diet pepsi. Overall it was a pleasant, new experience, once I got past the menu issue.
After dinner we walked around in the cold some more. We found a 7-11 and had to check it out. I got a cup of not so good coffee. The clerk had to help us figure out the coffee machine.
The last thing that I noticed about the Danish people so far, it that most of them speak english, and don't seem to mind speaking it to us. Also, they seem to be very friendly. The clerk at the 7-11 went out of his way to help us, and then joked around with us at the counter when we were paying.
Stay tuned for Denmark Adventures: Day 2 coming up tomorrow.

We're Here!

Hello from Denmark everyone! Miguel and I arrived safely this morning at approx. 7:00 AM local time (about 12:00 AM Texas time). Although the flight wasn't bad, neither one of us got much sleep. We just woke up from a short nap, and plan on walking into town soon.
I was amazed when it was after 8:00 AM and the sun hadn't risen yet! I was reading about that, and I learned that Denmark has really short winter days...sun up after 8:00 AM and sunset shortly after 4:00 PM.
I will keep my blog updated as frequently as I can while we are here, but for now I must go. I am hungry!

Monday, January 02, 2006

3 More Days

This time, 3 days from now, Miguel & I will be on a plane to Denmark. Exciting you ask? Most definitely! Different country, different culture, rest from work (for me, anyway), time away, pictures with my new camera. Those are a few of the exciting things...but, and here's the but...we still aren't ready!!! We still aren't packed, we still haven't cleaned the house, and we still haven't finished the laundry. No biggie, right? We still have 2 more days? Wrong. I work tomorrow and the day after, and so does Miguel. Today is it folks, and here I am blogging about it instead of doing it. So, I guess I'll go now. Wish us luck!

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Happy New Year's

I hope that everyone had a great New Year's Eve! We did! We spent the early portion at Doug & Lisa's house. There was yummy food & good company. We played some games, and looked at camera lenses.
After we left Doug & Lisa's, we went over to Frances' house, where of course the was loud music, food, and family! Miguel and I had fun dancing salsa & merengue, drinking coquito, and watching the ball drop at 11:00. We then celebrated 12:00 with a glass of wine, a kiss, and more music & dancing. Overall, we had an awesome night! Posted by Picasa