"Til divorce do us part"

As much of a romantic as I am when it comes to weddings, I'm also a little afraid of them. Why? Uh...I'd have to say that the 50% divorce rate isn't very encouraging. Seriously. I mean MY parents are still married. I think they've been together for about 30 years or so, but I'm not entirely sure. And they still love each other very much. I can't imagine what I would do (even at this age) if they were to split up. They both came from families of divorce, so I think that strengthened their resolve to stay together forever, as their vows specified. They are old fashioned SDA (Seventh Day Adventist...my religion...yes, it's christian) Ghanaians. They were born and raised in Ghana. I know they probably want me to marry a Ghanaian, so we can pass down the language, traditions, etc. But they also told me they'll be happy with whomever I chose as long as I love the person. How do I feel? I wouldn't mind marrying a Ghanaian...but honestly, the Americanized ones that I've been exposed to out here often leave a bad taste in my mouth. The sad thing is, they're becoming that way back in Ghana too. My dad used to joke around saying he would arrange a marriage for me. If he were to try that now, I doubt he would find anyone to his liking. Divorce was never such a common thing for us (Ghanaians). It was about choosing the right person beforehand, or if your marriage was arranged, just deal with it. Now...I don't know...it's just depressing even thinking about it. What do people really think love means nowadays? "I love you, and I always will, but I just don't feel it anymore". Don't feel WHAT?? Marriage is a SERIOUS commitment. Not like a pair of shoes you can wear for a week and return because you're not "feeling" them. People commonly say during a proposal that they "want to spend the rest of our lives together" or "grow old together". I think when times get hard, they forget that romantic sentiment and most importantly, the portion of the vows that states "for better or worse". Maybe most of the people that get married are so nervous or overwhelmed that they don't realize what they're really saying. If marriage vows were made on pain of death, a lot less people would rush to get married, and a lot less people would get divorced.

In fact, the Bible says the only reason a person can get divorced, (now this is God's word here. Serious) is if one spouse commits adultery. I understand that concept, because if you think about it, that spouse it literally breaking the bonds of marriage. So if, for example a husband cheats on his wife and then leaves her to marry that woman, it's like double adultery, and it is not allowed. Whoever commits adultery is not allowed to re-marry. They are obligated to their spouse and it is up to them to work it out or suffer the consequences. The victim of this adultery is, however, allowed to re-marry, although, working through the marriage is encouraged. I've been cheated on before. It was awful...and I'm not sure how easy it would be to forgive something like that. But I suppose it qualifies as one of the "bad times"...That's why I want to be absolutely 100% sure before I agree to marry anyone.

I hope people will consider the seriousness of marriage before they decide to enter into it. Marriage is a covenant...and I think too many people either forget or don't realize it. If less people rush into marriage without approaching it as an informed decision, the divorce rate, I believe, would be much lower.

A few of my favorite things...in no particular order because I'm indecisive

• Comfort food (yum)

There are few things more comforting to me than breakfast. All manner of carbs and fat are welcome. One can overindulge without judgement...best meal of the day!

• Abstract art

I really enjoy art that makes me think, whether or not it's similar to my own style as an artist. (this one is a little similar)

• Piano; the sound, the music, the actual instrument

• Feel good music, full of tritones

• No reservations AND Anthony Bordain (technically he's not a thing, but...yea)

This looks like a screen shot from the episode in Paris

• Weddings (as much as it shames me to admit...I suppose I'm a romantic at heart *gag*)

• Blogs (duh)

hehehe this is my blog

• Barefoot Contessa AND Ina Garten (I love watching her cook...it relaxes me. and she's adorable)

• S H O E S

I'd probably never wear any of these...but for the longest time I was a compulsive shoe shopper. It's insane. I'm more into flats now because everyone says I'm too tall for heels. They're just mad cuz I'm fierce! 

• Peas; I put them on just about anything

You don't have to love them, but if you don't at least LIKE them, we can't be friends. Sorry. Dealbreaker.

• Europe, and all the countries thereof. What's not to like?

• Fancy clothes....I like dressing up occaisionally

I actually own the gown on the right, in emerald green :-)

...and I don't wear jewelry, but that clutch purse is working for me.

***Please don't try and make this list into the song like the one from "The Sound of Music". I realize I stole the title...kinda, but still.***

F O O D (N O M S)

So, I know I said I wouldn't post for a while but....I lied. I was mad yesterday...because of a lot of things. But I'm a little better today. There's something on my mind. Wanna guess what? FOOD! Glorious glorious food. I'm so hungry right now :-s

***5 minutes later***

I just had some oatmeal so I'm a little better :-) Ok, I was browsing google for some savory tart recipes when I ran across this blog. Completely by accident! But it had the very same recipe I was dreaming about; Caremelized Onion Tart! Does that not look/sound amazing! I want to go to there right now *om nom nom*

 Credits go to Alice, the creator of the blog I linked

I'm thinking of using my Greek yogurt instead of the ricotta cheese though. It's been sitting in my fridge for about two weeks now and I want to use it for something. I also have some pie crust that's been in my freezer since Thanksgiving 2010...I wonder if it's still good (and if so, could I use it instead of puff pastry for this tart? hmmm...). It seems the more I try to plan to cook, the more food I find that I've already purchased, or that my mother has cooked. So I never end up cooking. I have a lot of ideas in my head and I'd like to try them out, but I don't want so much food to pile up. I bought some drumsticks the other day so I could try an oven fried chicken recipe, but yesterday, a friend made some BBQ chicken legs and of course I had to take that home. I took 4 legs home. The pack that I bought had 5. So I'm having chicken all this week and next week. I also have some crispy hot wings in the freezer and tortilla crusted tilapia. I'm thinking I'm set for the next month or so. I think I might be a compulsive grocery shopper or something. I bought whole grain pasta as well. I don't completely get the concept of pairing meals. Like would I pair a meat entree with pasta? Is that too high in calories? Would I add a salad to that? I'm Ghanaian so basically, I eat rice and stew (a fried tomato sauce, usually spicy...not like deep fried, but it starts by sauteing onions until caramelized and you build with the tomatoes and basically any protein or whatever you want after that. Traditional Ghanaian dish) almost everyday. Sometimes with peas (which I love) and sometimes without. So I'm trying "white people food" to see if I can cultivate a more structured diet.

*sigh*

Speak no evil

I'm angry today. No, I'm livid! About what? About things that it wouldn't be in my best interest to post. I'm constantly being forced to do things I don't want, be around people I don't like, go to places I don't want to be. The funny thing about me is, people think I'm soft-spoken, and therefore a dormat of some kind. If I were to always be the way I REALLY am, with no filter, a lot of people would get hurt. Some physically. So I bite my tounge. I smile when I really want to slit throats. I do this AT LEAST 40 hours a week. I have no outlet for my anger. So it piles up...continually. I wish it was money. I'd be a trillionaire! I'm on the edge right now. No seriously. Right now at this very moment, I'm in one of those places I loathe doing one of those things I despise with very little incentive. If a cute woodland creature were to wander into this area...and I had a sharp object handy.... And this one particular voice I keep hearing...for F***S SAKE!

Ok I really can't take it anymore. I'm done. I want to be left alone. I want to do nothing, and be nowhere for a period of time that I deem suitable. I probably won't post for a while. So...

White Noise

I've been watching A LOT of "Say yes to the Dress" lately. I think I might have wedding fever. I'm kind of a tomboy though....not at all the type to be obsessed with people's happily-ever-afters. There's something so intriguing about the show though. I love love LOVE the dresses. Maybe that's the appeal for me...from a fashion standpoint. Some of the styles are crazy to me. I would never think them possible or maybe even appropriate for a wedding. There's this one style where the corseted torso of the dress is very sheer...almost see-thru. I noticed a lot of brides through the seasons have been drawn to this particular style. And I'm sitting here wondering to myself, is this the next big thing?? Take these gowns by Pnina Tornai (who I actually love).

I'm not sure if it's the photography or what, but i get it. This looks classy...in a way. But you can see what I mean about the sheerness of the corset. Ultimately it works in this shot.

It even looks decent in this picture as well. This is a bit more couture of a gown and, well, fashion can be very forgiving sometimes. So I think Pnina kinda nailed this one...but...

...This is a bit much. Seriously. Who would get married in a CHURCH with this on?? ...Then again, maybe that's the point. I like the silhouette and the skirt though.

Pnina Tournai is only one of the many designers offered at Kleinfeld Bridal. While watching "Say yes to the Dress" I find myself wondering what kind of dress I would wear...or rather what would look good on me. I would love to just go try on wedding dresses one day...but there's a lot that goes into it. The consultants at the stores work on commission (at least partially) and are evaluated on the number of sales they make. They actually get really annoyed when people come to try on dresses with no intention of purchasing a dress, because that takes time away from a client that might possible purchase one, and thus takes away a possibly commission. But through everything, even dealing with a client that won't buy, the consultants have to keep a smile on their faces and a cheery attitude. I would not be a good consultant. I already don't like people. I wouldn't enjoy kissing butt for a sale or having to kiss butt whether or not I was going to make that sale. It would drive me insane. I would go off on a customer like "are you going to buy or not, because I have clients waiting" and then I'd get fired. At the same time I understand the appeal of the job. Seeing all these wonderful dresses transform otherwise plain people into something spectacular, knowing you're impacting a person's most special day, not to mention the epic discount AND array to choose from for your own special day. Plus, they probably make a decent amount of money. Kleinfeld is kinda posh.

I have said before that I probably won't end up getting married because I felt a lot of pressure from the Ghanaian community...well actually I decided I would go a long with whatever God has planned for me. But I honestly can't help planning out (secretly) my perfect wedding when I watch shows like this. I decided that I would love to honeymoon in Europe. That's about as far as I've gotten with my planning. But I'm not worried. Ha...it's only a distant thought...but every so often, the rustle of taffeta or the shine of ivory satin brings my mind back to it.

Epic Fail...but not really

Ok, I admit, I failed again. You know how I was so gung-ho about this new diet I was going to be on? Well, Sunday was day one for me. Halfway into my first bowl of cabbage soup, I decided this diet wasn't for me. It's not that the soup was bad. My mom made it. She is an amazing cook, as I mentioned before. It's just that I couldn't picture myself eating cabbage soup and fruits all week. And bananas? I detest them. Day three (or four) is bananas and skim milk. That's what prompted Veronica to make the bet with me. So me, being full of integrity as I am, I told Veronica I had decided to change my diet plans. It's not about the next new fad, I need a lifestyle change. I owe her breakfast for the rest of this week -_- my wallet is crying right now.


***I had this post finished...and stupid blogger didn't save it!!! I'm pissed!***


Muahahaha! She hasn't mentioned coffee this morning! (I started this post yesterday...) But...she gets email notifications when I post anything...but that doesn't mean she reads them all the time. *fingerscrossed* Anywho, losing the bet has taught me a lesson in sticktoitiveness...which is totally a word.


This recipe was done by Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa. It's oven fried chicken! So...guilt-free? Yes please!

So the most intruiging one I saw on that episode was skinless fried chicken. The guy describing it was that one really mean yet handsome guy from the show "Chopped" and he was saying how amazing it was because it was moist, the crunch from the coating was amazing, and you didn't even miss the skin. If you've seen that show (not chopped, the other one) you know other people (other chefs, well known foodies, people from food network) comment on what whoever is describing. There were these two other chefs and they were talking about how skinless fried chicken can't even be considered real fried chicken. It was pretty funny. Their minds were blown. So they show the chef that makes this chicken and the chicken, looks fantastic! BUT they won't show how the chicken is made! Maybe, just maybe, it's oven fried? I would totally hunt that restaurant down.

So I've been coming up with recipes in my head. I've recently rediscovered this amazing stuff

Greek yogurt! It's creamy and delicious and um...FAT FREE! Dear greek yogurt, I have so many plans for you. Me and you are going to be best friends. Love always, D.

So, picture this. Oven fried chicken with creamy pesto smashed potatoes and spicy succatash. I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it. And you won't have to picture it for long, because I'll have a picture for you soon. How about creamy pesto pasta with turkey bacon, peas and sundried tomato? "why's your pasta so creamy and yet so low in fat? what's your secret?" "I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya".

I guess I forgot to mention my deep love of pesto

Mmmm....Pesto. I admit, when I heard about it first, I was hesitant to try it. Herbs, oil, nuts, and cheese? On pasta? But when I tried it, I was hooked! (PS, you may have noticed a trend by now. I steal pictures from google images. I don't have some amazing camera to showcase ingredients, people, places and things. And I don't mean to infringe upon anyone's rights. I am a visual person. When I read stuff, I like to envision it. And blogs are just funner with pictures. So if I've stolen your picture in the past, it's a compliment. I'm not passing it off as my own, just showcasing how amazing you are at capturing things I write about.)


Basically, I love food. How can I not, It's delicious...unless it's not. So, I guess cooking will somehow broaden my horizons? Even though it's easier having someone else cook for me (restaurants) it's getting a little expensive....and we're in a recession. Time to get acquainted with my kitchen...well technically re-acquainted.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

***RANDOM: Let me just start by saying...I had some of that vietnamese chicken fried rice again and I think I might pass out.***

Sorry, mom. I know that was completely unrelated. My mother. She has been amazing my entire life. Well, it didn't always seem that way, but you know how parent's always say like "one day you'll appreciate me" or "you'll understand when you're older"? Well, I think I'm at that age now. It's funny how we always think we know what's best for ourselves especially when it contradicts our parents' wishes. What's even more uncanny is the way parents know the things we never want them to know. I wonder how that happens. Is it just instinct? Do all parents have it? Or is it kind of like when you're watching a little kid do something you clearly told them not to and they think they're slick trying to hide it, but to you it's the most obvious thing in the world? I won't know until I'm a parent. My parents can read me like one of those easy readers from grade school. And for the longest time that used to upset me. I don't like being read. So I withdrew. It was really bad after my best friend Abdul died. Somehow we got through it though. My mom...is a ninja. Haha literally. Especially at night. She has almost given me a heart attack on several occasions...usually when I'm brushing my teeth or dancing or a combo of the two (I either dance or pace while brushing my teeth...silly habbit). And then she'll say something like "why are you so scared in your own home?" like she'll get annoyed at ME for being so creeped out. And then when she TRIES to scare me it doesn't work as often. She's funny, playful, an amazing cook, just so many adjectives and yet using all of them won't even begin to do her justice. She is a dynamic and beautiful

(*cough* people say I look like her *cough*)

person. She's really wise too. I mean I just recently started listening to her advice and I gotta say, she's probably the best non certified shrink I've ever encountered. Here's a section from my comment on one of my facebook notes (about marriage):

"I also thank God for giving me such wise and understanding parents. I actually talked about this with my mom yesterday. She gave me the most simple yet mind blowing metaphor, involving the coffee table in the living room. She said, suppose when we bought the table, I took it out of the box and threw the box and instructions aside, trying to put the table together on my own. With literally no former knowledge of putting tables together. the table would continue to fall apart again and again no matter how many times I tried, unless I went to the manual and followed the direction. That's what we do as humans. We ignore the word of God (our instructions on how to survive in such a sinful world) and we try to do everything on our own. Then we're surprised when it doesn't work out."

 Profound, isn't it? Why didn't I think of that. The insight this woman has is amazing. I really hope I can be like her when I grow up. Mom, I love you, even though most of the time I only show it by being a pain in the butt. There is no one out there like you, and I'm blessed that God chose me to be your child.

***Ok I fail. I didn't post this on my mother's birthday. The reason is, I started this post in the morning, and I went home to try and find this one picture of my mom when she was young. She looks absolutely amazing and I wanted everyone to see. When I went home I searched all over for this picture. I even asked HER where she stashed the old pics (even though it was supposed to be a surprise...shows my desperation, but she didn't suspect a thing). I found the stash, but THAT picture was not among them...I was MAD!!! I think my dad took it and misplaced it. Grrr...but I'm posting it now. And I got her a card on the right day, so I only half fail.***

Commercials that make me lol!

This one has been one of my favorites for a loooooong time

These are just a few of the ones I could think of today. I'll add more as I remember them.

Check out what I did on Google today!

Something about something...

So apparently there's wild fire in the woods north of AZ? At first I heard it in passing, and I was sure that it was going to stop soon...but I'm still hearing about it now. A little bit more every morning. I heard something about there not being a way to stop it until monsoon season. I don't even know when monsoon season is....I've lived here for five years now -_- but in my defense...who cares? My auntie called me all the way from Canada yesterday (I love her) to make sure the family was ok. I'm in phoenix though; the valley. if a wildfire DID ever start here....we might be in big trouble. My sympathy and prayers go out to the people who had to evacuate their homes and such. Must be a terrible ordeal.



On to less depressing matters. On sunday I will embark on a journey of much difficulty. A DIET! *sigh* And I have to stick to it because I made a bet with Veronica that if I succeed...well actually I didn't decided on MY terms yet, but she says if I fail, I have to buy her Dunkin Donuts coffee for a week! I don't wanna do that! So...I'm going to have to learn self discipline next week. What am I doing to prepare? Eating all the junk food I can THIS week. Terrible, right? I know. I think I'm a food addict. I love food. Can't help it. It's not even like I eat all the time, I just have terrible eating habits. I may eat only one meal in a day, but it'll will be something terribly fatty like com chien ga (my vietnamese chicken fried rice from a previous post). Not only do I eat foods that are terrible for me, I hate some foods that are good for me; like fruits. I am not a fan of fruits. There are very few fruits I enjoy eating raw. They are grapes. That's about it. I like peaches, but they're furry, so I only eat them canned. The reason I agreed to this diet is because it is a week long. After that week, I can't go back on it for two weeks. Hopefully during this week, I will learn better eating habits.

If you switch the top two rows with the bottom two, that's my diet. Well...Idk, I eat a lot of carbs too, I guess. It's not my fault. I didn't ask carbs and fat and meat to taste better than veggies. I should've just stayed vegan.



At any rate, should I succeed in this endeavor, I will have lost ten pounds in one week, which I consider to be quite a feat. No doubt it will be hard...but not impossible. I have to go shopping. I've made a list of the things I actually can tolerate consuming from the stuff I'm being forced to consume. I'm not looking forward to this. I want it to be over and see the results already. I'm really going to miss my beloved carbs.

What you see here is breakfast. Multigrain bagel (what's left of it) with reduced fat strawberry cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts, and an all natural fruit smoothie (no sugar added). I'm trying to pick up on some healthy habits already. But my lunch plans are a little different...

Chili cheese firedog from the hotdog stand. I start the day right, but somewhere along the line I go....here. Maybe it's the stress from work. I'm at work in both pictures (you can see my blog being created in the background of the top one hehehe).

I hope I learn self control before I start my fall semester at ASU. It's so easy to get caught up in a busy day and eat horribly due to bad planning. I think what I need to do is get more organized...and less lazy. Because if I cooked more, I would probably eat much healthier. So I'm going to figure out how to be more organized, buy some cookware, plan menus, shop for ingredients and cook for he week. There are a couple cooking shows that help with that, and I have both food network and cooking chanel, so I think I'm all set. Of course, I will be blogging about my struggles through this diet :-( maybe I need a better attitude about it....and lots of prayer.

Ode to Chemistry

Why won't you just go away? You're so annoying. I hate you...like a lot. Partially because I don't understand you and partially because you're dumb. I mean, I have no desire to be one of these

...or one of these.

I used to want to be one of these...

...but thanks to you I changed my major. Now I'm working towards becoming one of these...

...or I might switch again and try for this (my secret passion)

...In which case I wouldn't need you! That would make me sooooo happy. But for now, I'm stuck with you. Can you try your best to be a little less smug and obnoxious? One day I WILL defeat you. 

***This entire post was made to procrastinate further from working on my practice test***

"I want to go to there..."

I've always loved traveling. The excitement of packing and the anticipation of exploring a new destination were always the best parts for me. What I hated the most was always the actual trip. I hate long road trips and I LOATHE flying, even though it gets you there much faster. I think my love of travel came from a love of languages. Although I haven't been to too many places outside of the US (especially those that speak a foreign language, except for my own country, Ghana), I have always dreamt of taking a trip around the world. I know it's cliche. My desire to do so was significantly quieted by the development of AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness. Just a fancy way of saying really really bad altitude sickness. The pain is unlike anything I've ever felt before, but I will attempt to explain.

Around 2000 ft, I start to get a dull, but really annoying pain in my temples. As the plane gains altitude, that pain moves to my frontal sinus and becomes significantly stronger. By the time the airplane reaches cruising altitude, the vomiting and chills have commenced and it feels like the only thing that can relieve the pressure on my brain is drilling a hole in my skull. My most memorable bout of AMS would be the suffering I endured on the way to Trinidad. It's making me shudder just thinking about it. We flew from Pittsburgh (where we were living at the time) to South Carolina or Atlanta (I don't really remember). And then from there, we flew to Florida. From Florida to Trinidad was the longest flight of my life. I honestly thought I was going to die. We were somewhere over the ocean and the plane was not going to descend for at least another hour. The pain was too great for me to sleep, so I cried on my mother's lap the entire way there. I recently discovered, with the help of my father (who is a physician) a medicine called acetazolamide which counteracts the symptoms of AMS. I tried it on my recent trip to Maryland. It works WONDERS! Now my dreams of traveling the world can come true!

For my perfect world tour I think I would begin at Melbourne, Australia. I recently watched an episode of "No Reservations" where Anthony Bordain spends time there. He says it's his favorite place to go in Australia. There's just something so intriguing about Australia. Honestly, what do most people know about it other than it's both a country and a continent, and it's the home of kangaroos and wallabies? Not a whole lot. But after watching that episode, I wanted to live there! It has a european feel to it, people are really laid back, but not so much that they don't care. It has a good city vibe to it too, but not like a polluted city (*ahem* LA...).
And the food...almost everything he ate made my mouth water. Maybe my world tour should be a food tour. Maybe I should have Anthony Bordain's job but instead of having a camera crew follow me just pig out, take pics, and write about it later. Any takers? No? It was worth a shot.

Melbourne doesn't have a specific kind of cuisine, they have multiple kinds. They're a lot like our east coast cities the way every kind of immigrant influenced the food scene. Melbourne (and I guess Australians in general) call gyros kebabs. I happen to LOVE gyros. Take a gander

Ok so I stole this picture from this blog. I found the image on google and I saw her blog behind it. It looked interesting, so I read a little bit. I think she's worth following. She had a section on people stealing her images which I found hilarious. So, Ms. Tea Noir, consider your credit given. :-)

From Melbourne, I think I would go to Tokyo. They're both on the same side of the world, right? If you've read any of my posts, you already know I'm obsessed with Japan. Tokyo is the heart of Japan, isn't it? I'm so sad about those earthquakes. I really wanted to just go there and soak everything in, but I'm not sure how it'll be now...this, however is what I always imagine when I think of Japan.

Bright lights, lively nightlife, fast cars, busy busy busy. Just like New York...where I used to live. I miss it sometimes. New York with an Asian flair. I would love to be around such high energy, but I wouldn't want to live in the city if I had a house in Japan. Maybe somewhere around here

...a more traditional area. That's what I love about countries like Japan. The culture is so rich. You can find westernized influences in the city but other parts of the country seem untouched by the passing of time.

Lets see...where would I go next? Hmmmm somewhere in Europe for sure.

Yep, Paris. Why? Well, I took French for five years. I've always been curious about the French. They get a bad rap. People always assume they're snobby and superior, but from what I've learned France (like most european countries) is full of laid back citizens who like to enjoy life. So what if they have a great appreciation of food and like to make that known? They deserve to be recognized! Chef is a French word. It means chief. And it's now the common name for professional cooks. Connoisseur, also a French word, used to describe a person with a specialized knowledge of any particular thing. So yea, the French know what they're doing. Don't hate, appreciate. And it certainly doesn't hurt that both the country and the language are BEAUTIFUL.

Ah Italia. The heart of Europe, home of romance and la dolce vita. If anyone knows how to live, it's Italians. Now I've never been to Italy myself, but from what I know of the locals, they really take time to enjoy their days. They eat tremendously well, they drink good coffee, they talk, laugh, walk together, they have beautiful scenery to enjoy everwhere they turn. I can't think of a single unappealing province in Italy. And of course, the all too famous vacay spot for the rich and famous, the Almafi Coast. Basically Italy has the whole package. Good job Italy.

You can't have a world tour without stopping somewhere tropical...can you? Well, I don't want to. I know the whole point of the world tour is to explore places outside of the US but...my tropical destination is...

Hawaii. And can you blame me? Look at that view! I considered the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, but my desire to visit any of those places has never been as strong as for Hawaii. The people just seem so chill. I've heard about it and seen enough commercials to know how beautiful it is. PLUS I don't need a visa to travel there (not that that's an issue...I'm legal, it's just too much of a hassle. I'd rather just plan, pack and fly, you know?). It's perfect! And where else would I be able to try cool things like

This and...

This! It's called a Puka Dog and you can only get them in Hawaii. It's a holed out hot dog bun with a regular hot dog you just slide inside. You have your choice of tropical flavored condiments like papaya relish and such. Of course, I saw this on "No Reservations" and it sealed in Hawaii as a bucket list destination. Above this picture is Blue Pepsi. WHAAAAAAT???! Pineapple and Lemon flavored, but bright blue like the ocean? Tell me you don't want to try that! Liar!

I would end my world tour in nostalgic territory. My country of birth, Scotland. Now, I'm not going to lie. Although I was born there, I know very little about the people or even the culture. I have a few memories still. I remember the nursery school I attended; Sunnybank. I remember having really good hot chocolate...I can almost still taste it when I think about it. And I remember it being very cold. I don't recall much else. I can do a pretty good Scottish accent though....

Isn't it beautiful? I honestly want to have a second house there. Somewhere secluded I could just get away to after a stressful time...something like

This...minus the creeper taking pictures of my house from the bushes. Scotland is very very beautiful. I wonder about the altitude though...with the aforementioned illness, it might not be too comfortable living there. I'm hoping I grow out of it.

I am accepting any donations for this world tour. I would love you forever and ever, even if you're a stranger. Am I a creeper? No. Did that sound creepy? Yes, but check out those locations. If I can find a way to make this happen, I don't mind being perceived as strange. ...But if anyone were to help me in this endeavor, I would hope it was someone I knew. *Hint Hint*