Jenna's Visit!

Having Jenna here was so much fun. Unfortunately, it was not long enough, so we tried our best to fill up our sister tanks so we can last until July. Like I mentioned in the previous post about Easter, we got home around 9PM, after some scary weather on the way home from Spokane. We goofed around for a bit until we needed to go to bed. Zak had a 6:50 AM flight out the next day for his second round of training in Portland. I figured that we would go and take him, and then have breakfast at the European restaurant we love over in Pullman.

We dropped Zak off, and had just pulled up to the restaurant when he called. I said, "He's calling to say he didn't get on the plane." Jinx. He hadn't got on the plane, so we raced back to pick him up. It turns out, although we had dropped him off with plenty of time (it IS a small, municipal airport...when he flew out of it in March, we waited 40 minutes, then 10 minutes before the flight was to take off, security was started up. We figured it would be no problem at a 6:50AM flight on a Tuesday, so he was dropped off about 35-45 minutes early.), the airport people/morons told him the flight was full and/or TSA were just being lazy jerks. It was mostly the latter. But Zak had no bags to check, and it's frustrating that the stupid TSA couldn't have briefly scanned the bag, but apparently it was the day to be jerks.

goofing around at Walmart or somewhere

But it's ok, because Zak and Jenna got to spend more time together and he got to have a delicious breakfast with us. The next flight out was at 11AM, so we had to kill some time. Well, breakfast was scrumptious. I love having Jenna around, because our tastes are so similar, that we often split dishes. She had the omelet I got once (spinach, bacon, swiss cheese, avocado, tomato-it's like it was made for us!), and I had the breakfast cake platter we love (Swedish crepe with cream filling & strawberries, aebleskivers with huckleberry filling, buttermilk pancakes (just like Grandma's!), and German potato pancakes). Zak had the Hungarian goulash (tomato, cheese, potatoes, eggs, peppers, onions). Everything was perfect, and thoroughly enjoyed. Afterwards we poked around in the Super Walmart. Zak had the brilliant idea to get my dad an airsoft gun for his birthday, so we got one....and so did Jenna! She and Zak goofed around in the aisles, making me relieved that I wasn't the one being teased and tortured for a bit, hahaha. Eventually, we killed enough time and dropped Zak on. He got on the plane and through to Seattle just fine. He had a layover there, and got into Portland around 4PM. Luckily, he didn't miss a whole lot of training (plus, he's pretty smart, so he got caught up quickly), and everything was fine on his end.

sissas

Meanwhile, Jenna and I came back and I found our airsoft guns in the closet. We bought my dad a fully automatic one, but Jenna (and me, Zak, Kenny) just got the pistol. I made a shooting target for us and we got to work. It was pretty fun, even though the bb/pellets were going everywhere. We made sure to cover the hamsters, and take caution with the electronics. We did that for a bit, and then watched the goofiest movie, Mega Pirahna. It was almost not even 'so bad it's good'; it was simply ridiculous. We also decided to make bread, because, why not?, so we made some white bread. It was fun to make Jenna get her hands 'flour-y', but she loved it. The bread was delicious and I converted another follower to the wonders of homemade bread. I think she'll be an advocate for it more at home now. Afterwards, we played Lego Harry Potter, shot some more, made dinner, watched Dancing with the Stars and the A's game. The weather was yucky, so we just stayed inside, all bundled up.

yummy bread!

On Wednesday we got up, had homemade bread with eggs and fruit, and watched Shark Week stuff on Netflix. I used to watch Shark Week stuff all the time, but have since forgotten about it. A sad thing indeed, because Shark Week rules! We watched a segment about sharks in aquariums, and it was actually really fascinating. Now we know all about sharks, aquariums, and the like. And we will tell you about them if need be. We went to the bagel place because it is the best place for lunch around here. So yummy...We also watched the A's game and did some silly $1 dinosaur puzzles Jenna had brought. It's funny how easy working on puzzles can go from enjoyment to utter despair and frustration. One day we also watched that Tangled movie, from Disney. Jenna had brought us the blu-ray copy, since my family doesn't have anything to play it on. It was actually really cute!

shooting nervously

we are children, ha

Jenna also had brought us tons of goodies, including several different types of Easter candies. Mostly chocolate, like Lindt mini bunnies and Dove eggs, mmm. AND THREE plates of cookies (Nutella, oatmeal raisin, cocomacs). We have been slowly eating them, and savoring the delicious treats. It had turned cold and rainy again, and Jenna wasn't feel her best, so we went to Safeway for soups! I have never had their soups before, but they weren't bad. We watched tv some more and made shooting targets while waiting to get Zak. The poor guy had a four hour layover in Seattle, but it was either four hours there on four hours in the hotel, after he had to check out. He was a good sport about it, though. We picked him up around 11PM, and also picked up his HUGE METAL BOX with the laptop, extra computer screen and other misc. gadgets, wires and whatnot that it came with. It was seriously, a huge, huge box. We couldn't fit it in the trunk, so Jenna had to sit with it in the backseat. He was so cute and excited to show us the custom design program. We made hims design a pretty ring for Jenna and an ugly one, just for fun.

he was so excited, haha

The next day we went to the mall to attend to some jewelry business. My parents had sent with Jenna some pieces that needed to be worked on. And why not pay way less, with a family member in the business? My dad's wedding ring needed to be sized up a lot, because he had smashed his knuckle months ago, while playing basketball. I had been after them to get his finger sized for weeks, and they finally did, so we knew what we were doing. We also needed to fix a pretty diamond necklace of my mom's. And plus, Zak wanted to bring in the huge metal box and show everything to Mat. Jenna and I looked at rings and jewelry, and tried a bunch of stuff on. That's always fun. By the time we had gotten everything figured out, we were all starving, so we went to our new favorite restaurant: Tokyo Seoul.

It is utterly delicious. Their teriyaki, beef or chicken, is so amazing. And their sushi is good too. I have progressed a lot in the last few years, in the world of sushi. I haven't gotten to nigiri or sashimi yet, but I plan to, soon. Their rolls are so good, and we made Jenna try them. She's not big on them, but 'choked' down a piece of the roll we got (eel, spicy tuna, cream cheese, crab, some other yummy things), and a few pieces of the California roll that came with her bento lunch. We stuffed ourselves and relished the delicious food we had. After that, it was back home to quickly pack and leave for Spokane. Jenna wanted to get some ice cream I had told her about, so we made a quick stop to get some, and then it was off to Spokane. We got there without any major hiccups. The weather did go crazy for awhile, but we survived. We got her safely there and checked in and through security. It was sad to say good-bye, but it was easier knowing we'd be together in July, which is very soon!

The rest of the pictures can be found on my Picasa album. Click here! Or cut & paste this into your web address bar: https://picasaweb.google.com/rozeharten/JennaSVisit?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuW6IGzzJOMew&feat=directlink