The Wild Animal Sanctuary

While Ben was here we decided to visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary. It is the largest and oldest sanctuary in the US that is dedicated to carnivores. In other words, they rescue carnivores that are being kept illegally (in homes, for backyard circuses, etc.) and bring them here to live out their lives. They told us that there are more tigers in captivity in Texas than there are tigers in the wild.

We saw some big cats in Africa, but these tigers are HUGE!!!

This is a video of the tiger cages. They put them in one of these by themselves when they first arrive. After awhile, if they've learned to play nice, they can move in with another tiger, and when they are ready, they place them in a large environment.

Whoever said cats don't like water didn't know this tiger!

Sleepy Lion

They have lions, tigers, bears, wolves, cougars, leopards, servals, and a camel. As Nic pointed out, camels aren't carnivores, but she was going to be euthanized, so they saved her anyway.

Nic and Ben loved these masks!

This sanctuary is a really cool place and we can't wait to go back again!

Death by Chocolate

Nic's little brother Ben has been in town this weekend, and we were all feeling like dessert. I told Ben to look through my 500 Cookies book (thanks Courtney!) and pick something.

This is what he picked. The recipe calls it "layered birthday cookie", but we call it "death by chocolate." Our goal was to put some pounds on Ben while he was visiting, and I think we succeeded. Here's the recipe:

Layered Birthday Cookie

For the Cookie:

1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter

2 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

6 tbsp. Dutch process cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

For the Topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup (9 oz) cream cheese (we only used 8 oz since that's a package size)

1 cup (8 oz) melted bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup (3 oz) M&Ms

1/2 cup (3 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two 11-in springform pans with parchment (we used two 9 inch cake pans and just used Pam instead of parchment).

Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, Dutch process cocoa powder and baking soda and stir into the batter. Divide the dough in two, and press into the prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then transfer to a wire rack.

To prepare the topping, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together, then beat in the cream cheese and melted chocolate. Spread the topping over the cooled cookies, place one on top of the other, decorate, and top with chocolate chips and M&Ms.

Another option is to omit the cocoa powder, use whipped cream (2 cups heavy cream whipped with 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbs confectioners' sugar) instead of topping, and decorate with fresh fruit.

The Reporter

Last night Nic and I attended a documentary called The Reporter. It was about New York Times op-ed columnist, Nicholas Kristof (winner of two Pulitzer Prizes). He is known for bringing human rights abuses in Asia and Africa, such as human trafficking and the Darfur conflict to light. He writes about all the things the rest of the media should be covering, but doesn't. If you get the chance, I would highly recommend watching the film. In the meantime, check out his blog.

What are YOU saving for?

AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo

A text from my friend Lucy in Kenya:

"starting frm Dec at least i've save 35 thousand (bob) am happy cauze i've bought a cow 4 my Dad..so that we will b selling the milk"

Oh, how different life is over there!

2 Weeks Down, Only 8 to Go!

Well, I made it through the first two weeks of classes. I can't believe how quickly time goes when you're on the quarter system and only have 10 weeks for each class. I ended up with only two classes, but they seem to be keeping me adequately busy, so that's good. I hope to start volunteering at the African Community Center soon to help keep me busy (plus, I want to do an internship with them next year).

After two weeks, I still don't love my Spanish class, but it's pretty much a necessary evil, so I will stick it out. :) I absolutely LOVE my Culture, Gender, and Global Communications class. According to the syllabus, it explores the ways in which culture, gender, and communication intersect and shape a variety of issues from an international and intercultural perspective. We pretty much sit around for four hours and watch videos, listen to guest speakers, and have discussions.

On a completely unrelated note, Nic and I made eggplant parmigiana last night and it was fantastic! We like to try a new recipe every week, so Danette gave me a book called 500 Casseroles, which is where this recipe came from:

Eggplant Parmigiana

2 tbs butter, melted

1/2 cup Parmesan, plus 2 tbs

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2/3 cup evaporated milk (one of the little cans)

2 medium sized eggplants, cut into 1/4 inch slices (we just used one bigger eggplant and got 6 slices out of it)

8 oz plain tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Pour melted butter into an 8-inch square casserole (we used a 9x13 casserole with 3 tbs butter). In a small bowl, combine 2 tbs grated parmesan, flour, salt, and pepper. Pour 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a shallow dish. Dip each eggplant slice in the milk, coating both sides. Then roll each cutlet in the flour mixture. Place the eggplant in a single layer in casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

In another bowl, combine remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk with 1/2 cup parmesan. Remove eggplant from oven. Pour tomato sauce around the eggplant, then spread the milk and parmesan mixture over each slice. Return to oven for another 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

You can also replace the eggplant with 4 chicken breasts if you'd rather do that. It takes awhile because it has to cook for so long, but otherwise, it's really easy and yummy!

So Much For My Last Free Weekend Before School

I ended up getting into an additional class (I think the professor, who also happens to be my advisor, took pity on the lack of open classes and let me into her class):

Culture, Gender, and Global Communications T 4-7:50

I was pretty excited to get into this class, bringing my credit total up to 13 for this quarter, but knew that it would add a lot more work onto my load. I figured I could just take the weekend to relax and gear up for classes Monday morning. That idea was short lived as I received an e-mail from the professor this afternoon with over 50 pages in PDFs to read before class.

Graduate School, my dear friend, I have a feeling we are going to have a very strong love/hate relationship for the next two years. Here's hoping there's far more love than hate!

What the Next 10 Weeks of My Life Will Look Like:

Beginning Spanish M-Th 11-11:50

Human Rights in the Global World M, W 12-1:50

Not quite the heavy load I had planned (9 credits instead of 18), but since I’m a new student, I was the last to register and almost everything else was already full. I’m hoping to use my extra time to study Spanish and skip a few classes for an earlier graduation date.

I have a lot to do before classes start next Monday (insurance, books, student id, etc), but I’m definitely ready to begin this new adventure!

Greetings From My New Home

The somewhat gloomy view from my window today

(if you squint you can see downtown Denver in the fog)

The last week has been a whirlwind of craziness. I spent last Wednesday training my replacement at work, Thursday running errands and packing, Friday loading everything into the U-Haul and spending the evening with my family, Saturday cleaning, Sunday driving 12 hours to Denver, Monday moving in, and yesterday I had some appointments at school. Today I was finally able to relax a little bit (between trips to Walmart and the grocery store).

I'm working on getting settled in my new place, but I love it so far. Where else can you get free hot chocolate, cookies, personal training, yoga classes, car washes, etc? Oh, and to top it off, this was waiting for me when I moved in:

I think I'm definitely spoiled.

I register for classes on Monday, and they start a week after that. I'm getting pretty anxious to begin school as I really have nothing to do until then (except for all of the unpacking of course :)). I won't know which classes I will be taking until I register (and see what's still available), but I'm getting really excited about the possibilities.

I still find it hard to believe I live in Denver and am not just on some sort of vacation! It's just crazy to think that a few months ago, I applied to the IIC program at DU, thinking I didn't have a chance to get in, and now here I am, about to start a program that's more perfect for me than I ever could have imagined. Here's to going after your dreams, no matter how unattainable they may seem!

This...

...is the chaos I currently call my life. I can't wait to move to Denver, unpack, and actually have space again!

Thanks Financial Aid!

I am the proud new owner of a MacBook Pro! I've wanted one for years, but decided that since I'm heading back to grad school, now was the perfect time to get one. Now I have two months to figure out how to use it before school starts!

Reason For My Blogging Absence

Remember this post about giving up a great opportunity for the chance to follow my dreams? Well, it seems that I made the right decision!

I was just accepted into grad school at the University of Denver and will be moving to Denver in March! I will be getting my M.A. in International and Intercultural Communications with an emphasis in human rights. I couldn't have found a more perfect program since it's a hybrid between their communications school and their international school.

I'm slightly overwhelmed with everything I have to do before I go, but I'm very excited to see where 2010 will take me!

Who's on First?

Me: Hi Danette, I have a question. I’m reading this book, and it says it’s a novel, but then it has a preface by the guy it’s about, and he says it’s a true story. Aren’t novels fiction?

Danette: Yes, that’s weird. Let me look it up. What’s the title?

Me: What is the what?

Danette: What is the title?

Me: What is the what?

Danette: The title!

Me: What is the what?

Danette: THE TITLE! What is it?!?!

Me: The title is What is the What?!

I Am Still Here

Sorry for my absence. I have been in LeaderLuncheon Land which means I've been working insane hours for the past couple of months. The luncheon was Friday, and it went pretty well, so I'm just starting to recover. For now, I'll leave you with a few pics...

A few weeks ago, Nic and I hiked to the top of Granduer Peak during the full moon. This was the view of the city (although night pictures never turn out nearly as amazing as the view is).

Last weekend we took the tram to the top of Snowbird....

...the view was beautiful...

...and then we ran/walked down the mountain. I'm going to be sad when winter comes and we can't hike anymore...I guess that's what snowshoes are for!

I just got this new phone, which I am totally and completely in LOVE with! The best part is that I got it for FREE! T-Mobile rocks.

Today...

...I gave up the opportunity for more money, good experience, and a great career...to have a slight chance at following my dreams.

Here's hoping it was the right choice. :)

Sister's Weekend

The Science Museum of Minnesota had a huge Titanic exhibit that I really wanted to see, so over the 24th Nic and I flew out. I've spent quite a bit of time in Minnesota over the years visiting Danette. This time, Robyn and Dejan decided to drive down so we could all spend the weekend together. I hadn't seen either sister in a year, and we hadn't all been together for two, so it was great to spend some quality time together, especially since I spend hours on the phone with both of them each week! Hopefully the boys didn't get too bored. :)

PS the Science Museum of Minnesota ROCKS! I could go again every time I visit and never get bored!

Robyn and Danette

Nic examining my eyes at the science museum

Cute Robyn and Dejan taking a break from bowling

This is what I will look like in nine years :)

Danette showing off her bowling skills

The Illusion of Safety

I flew to Minnesota this weekend to hang out with my sisters (more on that in a future post). On the way back, I was stopped at airport security because I had accidentally left a partially filled water bottle in my backpack. Oops!

I wouldn't have been as annoyed about this if I hadn't gotten through security on the way to Minnesota with mace in my carry on. This means that the last two times I have flown, I have carried mace on the plane (accidentally both times). Within the last few years, Nic has also accidentally carried his leatherman knife on a plane.

I understand the necessity of security at airports. I understand why they want us to go through metal detectors and X-Ray our bags. However, I don't understand why they have all these "security measures" (take off your shoes, no water through security, etc) when they can't even catch mace or a knife.

Maybe TSA should start thinking of security measures that are actually efficient and effective instead of just an illusion of safety.

It's Never a Good Thing...

Might have to get used to this look for a little while.

...when the optometrist looks into your eyes and tells you that your contact looks like a petri dish….a petri dish that’s been growing bacteria for weeks.

It seems I didn’t make it back from Africa completely bacteria-free.

Luckily (and hopefully!) all it will take is a few days in glasses, a new set of contacts, a new contact case, and some allergy drops (because apparently, my eyes don't like whatever bacteria stowed away in my contact case).

This does nothing to help my irrational fear of optometrists.

Utah Couple Survives African Slums, Safari, and Streets Only to be Attacked by the Orange Tabby From Hell in Salt Lake City

Yeah, looks cute, huh? It is cute...and sweet...at first....

After a nice long hike, we arrived at my house. I was inside, and Nic ran out to his car. I heard him saying "Hey! Hey!" sort of angrily. When he came into the house, I asked what was going on. He said that an orange tabby had attacked him. I was skeptical. There are a lot of cats around here, and I have never once been attacked. Once his leg started bleeding, I realized he was telling the truth.

I figured we should find the owner and let them know they had a vengeful kitty. I went outside with bare ankles and feet (obviously not thinking) and saw a really cute, fat, probably pregnant orange cat out by Nic's car. I saw that it had a collar, so I called it over to try to see whose cat it was. It rubbed up against my leg and purred. I started to pet it as I thought Nic was crazy because this was the friendliest cat ever (and I know cats...we had bunches of them growing up).

All of a sudden, everything changed. The kitty came at me with teeth and claws bared, hissing. It got one good swipe at my ankle before retreating a little bit. It started to charge again, but I used my hand to block it's attempt at another attack, pushing it aside. I ran as fast as I could inside the house as it started to follow. We still have no idea whose cat it is, but we both have blood on our ankles from the crazy kitty.

Is the kitty pregnant? Maybe....

Is the spawn of satan inside its womb? Definitely!

Congrats, Nic!

Nic just found out that he passed his PE exam*! He took it four days before we left for Africa, so things were a little hectic, but he pulled it off! I'm so proud of him and knew he could do it.

You can tell how smart he is from looking at the photo above...he can read! :)

*For those of you who don't know, the Professional Engineer exam is 8 hours long, and is necessary to become a certified professional chemical engineer along with 4 years of experience.

Photos

Okay, so I've updated my photos. First are Kruger National Park, then Cape Town, then our safari in Maasai Mara, and then our time in Thika. We have a TON of photos, so I tried to just grab a good sampling.

Disclaimer: There are photos inlcuded which contain babboons mating, a lioness eating a wildabeast, and a lion eating a giraffe. Consider yourself warned. :)

Annalisa, I included multiple warthog pictures for you. I have many more. :)

Thanks to Dejan for letting me borrow his Flickr account since it has unlimited space.