2007: the good, the bad, and the ugly

stealing the idea from a fellow blogger, I wanted to round out the year with a recap:

the good

1. we got married! it was such a beautiful day and we were very fortunate to be surrounded by so many friends and loved ones.
2. I got laid off! to a normal person, this may not sound like good news. to me, it's fantastic.
3. we are actually biting the bullet and going on our trip! we've been talking about it for a year and a half, I'm glad it's turning into reality and isn't just a dream. we've also been fortunate to have friends who have given us great travel advice.
4. we found a renter for our house! the guy came by today and signed the papers so it's pretty much a done deal. now let's hope we can sell S's car without any major hassles.
5. we've been able to spend more time with our families. my middle sister has been around quite a bit lately and, mainly due to the wedding, we've been able to see S's family more often as well.
6. because of the move, we've started to purge some of our belongings. it feels good to get rid of stuff.
7. I lost about 15 lbs!

the bad

1. I gained about 5 lbs due to the holidays. back to the gym and lean cuisines I go.
2. the trip is going to cost us a little more than anticipated. I will be surprised if we have any savings left after europe.
3. we have no idea what we're going to do for work in austin when we return. it should be interesting.

the ugly

1. we've had friends and family pass away - most notably, S's grandmother and a family friend of mine.

here's to hoping 2008 has more of the good than the bad and the ugly!

tickets are booked!

tickets are booked! there's no turning back now...

for some dumb reason, I couldn't paste the picture - to see our trip, open the link and zoom out. sorry for not being so user-friendly. google maps is not my friend.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117286722217308978640.0004425ca7498156d5927&z=2&om=1

shoes!

check out my ugly shoes I bought for the trip:

shut up, at least my feet won't be in pain (let's hope). if you would have only seen my other choices, you'd agree these are the least hideous.

I mean, really? REALLY??

crusing in new zealand

yesterday was a productive travel-planning day! I booked our cruise to new zealand, check out the pretty boat!














this is our itinerary:

day/port

1 - auckland, nz
2 - tauranga, nz
3 - at sea
4 - christchurch, nz
5 - dunedin, nz
6 - fjordland, nz
7 - at sea
8 - at sea
9 - hobart, tasmania
10 - at sea
11 - melbourne, aus
12 - at sea
13 - sydney, aus

a little map of the journey:














I looked at the shore excursions, I really want to do the auckland wine tour since NZ is well-known for their wines.


WHAT YOU VISIT
Kumeu River Winery - Established in 1944 by the Brajkovich family, the winery is located in the small country settlement of Kumeu, northwest of Auckland. Here you will be greeted by a member of the Brajkovich family and given a brief history of the vineyard, followed by an extensive tour of the winery and shown how the wine is produced. At the conclusion of the tour, you will then be allowed to sample a selection of the wonderful vintages produced at the vineyard. Coopers Creek Vineyard - Best known for its reserve chardonnay, Coopers Creek wines are embodied with vibrancy, flavour and purity and are renowned for their full-bodied taste. During your visit to this mid-sized winery, you will sample a number of varieties, which has built its reputation on chardonnay, and also makes a very respectable Riesling, pinot noir and dessert wine. Prenzel ? An opportunity to taste some of their many wonderful dry fruit brandies, marc (grappa), and a range of schnapps and liqueurs. You will also be invited to try their many infused olive oils and cooking flavours ideal for the home chef. Indulge in their famous butterscotch liqueur cream poured over a scoop of ice cream.

SHOPPING
Take the opportunity to purchase local wines, olive oil and wine-style collectables.

WHAT YOU SEE ALONG THE WAY
Embarking at the pier, you cross Auckland's city centre on your drive to some of the North Island's famed wine country.

we also tentatively mapped out our plan of attack for the rest of australia, which would take us through the middle of march. this is way too overwhelming, but we'll figure it out...hopefully soon.

cheese!

we made cheese fondue last night - so good! and it really is one of the easiest meals to prepare. I promise. the most difficult part is grating the cheese and cutting up the different things to dip. we always make the classic cheese fondue, I don't have the heart to make the funky ones, it just doesn't seem right to stray.

• grate cheese, I used comté and gruyère last night. you can also use emmenthaler as well. all of the "fancy" cheeses are available at trader joe's. generally, it's 1/2 lb of cheese per person...definitely not diet-friendly
  
• sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch over cheese. this prevents the cheese from separating once melted
  
• rub the inside of the fondue pot with garlic and discard
  
• bring 1 cup of white wine to boil
  
• add cheese to wine, stir, and voila!

I bought some good artisan bread to dip, as well as some tomatoes, prosciutto, granny smith apples, and broccoli. you can basically dip whatever you want.

once again, the ghetto bowls/plates