Bread Crazies

Yeah, so the first time I really tried to make real bread (as opposed to bannana cakey bread or something like that) was with one of my best friends when we were about 16 years old. What resulted was a hard rock of wheat with a doughy center. So it was with anticipation for the worst that I set out to make rolls for this year's Thanksgiving party.

At times, I was calm and composed, or at least looked fairly so.

At other times, I was intensely agitated with the bread making process.

The above picture is of me with the first batch of a doubled recipe, and I had a whole other batch to go! Though the rolls didn't turn out as ideal as I had hoped, they weren't a flop either. That's an encouragement! Maybe I'll be a little more relaxed the next time I have to make real bread.

Cairo Copy Cat

So, yes, I admit, I am definitely copy catting a friend's blog about our trip to Cairo. When you see my post, friend, you'll know just how impressed I was with your's. :)

Why was I in Cairo?! For an educational convention. Most of our time was spent attending seminars, but there was a little free time for leisurely breakfasts, sight seeing, and such.

Hotel breakfast. Time to relax, great laughter, and refills on coffee. Sweet! My friend (and traveling buddy) and I with our Egyptian headdresses purchased from the Khan El Khalili market place. I know this is a rather lame picture, but it's the only one I have of the pyramids. :( Still, you can see the pyramids' shapes, and that has got to count for something. For those of you planning on visiting the pyramids some day, I recommend that you go to see them in the day. Us again....only this time on the Nile River! The Gala Dinner, hosted on a Nile riverboat, was the last part of the convention. The food was delicious, but what sticks out even more so in my mind was the incredible live jazz band.

Overall, I'm glad I went, and...I'm glad to be home again. :)

Exciting Airplane Ride

When it came time for me to get ready for a teaching convention in Cairo, I wasn't pumped. I'd just traveled the previous weekend and wasn't looking forward to packing again.


Once I'd arrived at the airport, however, the excitement began. First of all, the plane was on it's way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and this fact alone excited me. My two traveling companions and I made a game out of trying to figure out who was Egyptian, who was Saudi, and who was from some other country (the origin of which we would try to guess as well). What fun!


Here I am sitting next to two Saudies. Much of their time was spent reading a Zahara magazine. Way on the other side of the aisle sat my two traveling companions. :)



















The excitement continued when we realized that one of the flight attendents is a mother to some of our students. She invited us up to the front of the airplane, where she offered us sodas, fruit, cheese, and more. Then she invited us to go into the cockpit. That was cool! The lights were bright in the dark compartment, and the pilots seemed to be effortlessly controlling the plane. I sat behind them and was amazed with how they could simultaneously fly a plane and engage me in conversation about music, flying planes, and more.

Breakfast with Friends