My body doesn't like me...

When my wonderful husband Kevin proposed to me three and a half years ago, he chose a beautiful platinum 1 carat diamond engagement ring from Bailey, Banks, & Biddle in Virginia. Kevin had picked this ring all by himself and I have to say, when I first saw it, I LOVED IT!

For our wedding, I chose a platinum wedding band with 1/3 carat diamonds in a channel setting. I have worn both of these rings for over 2 years now and suddenly (as if overnight) my body is responding with an adverse reaction to my rings.

For the last several months now, I have developed a very itchy, red, scaly, bumpy rash on my "ring" finger that just doesn't seem to heal. I've tried topical creams including hydrocortisone, Neosporin, you name it---but the rash just keeps coming back. As the rash gets better, it dries, and then peels. Lovely, I know. :)

The rash has gotten better recently, but that's because I started using my own hand soap (Avalon Organics, Rosemary Glycerin Hand Soap) in my office. The office bathroom soap must be made from "lye," because it just strips my skin, leaving my ring finger rash just burning....Oww...

That said, the fact remains that I am unable to wear my rings.

I've "Googled" this very problem on-line and it appears I may be suffering from bacteria growing on my rings. The increased humidity here on Okinawa is probably a culprit as well. Sooooo....that said, I am going to try the "home remedy" I read about which includes soaking my rings in 2 parts white vinegar, 1 part hydrogen peroxide and then boiling the rings in water for about 20 minutes. What you say? Scared of boiling ? Yep, I am.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. For now, all I have on my ring finger is a bright yellow waterproof "Put on a Happy Face" band-aid. HA! The irony....

Does anyone else (this is for those of you out there in cyberland) have this problem? Anyone else develop this rash two years after wearing their rings without any problem? What gives?


~Chrissy

Sunday Dinner with the Girls

With Kev gone, I invited two girlfriends (Leah and Naomi) over to dinner for some wine and pasta. We had sundried tomato hummus and polenta with sauteed spinach with garlic and bleu cheese for appetizers. For dinner, we all pitched in to make the following recipe from Emeril....So yummy. We didn't want to use heavy cream so we used half and half instead. We had a great time, dishing and enjoying wine with our pasta. Although I think the wine may have gone to my head....Enjoy!

Pasta with Peas and Bacon
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 pound cheese filled tortellini
3 ounces fresh bacon, julienned (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped onions
6 ounces heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh peas (blanched), or 4 ounces frozen peas
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and black pepper
Chopped parsley, recipe follows

Directions

Place tortellini in the pot of boiling water.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, place on a paper towel to drain. Pour out all the bacon grease except for 1 tablespoon. In the same skillet place the onion and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden. Pour in the cream, and reduce until lightly thickened.

Remove the pasta from the water when it is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the pasta to the cream mixture. Add bacon back to the pan along with the peas and cheese. Reduce for 1 minute. Toss and adjust the seasonings. Spoon into a large pasta bowl and serve. Garnish with additional grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired.


**we doubled the recipe, but ended up with lots of leftovers....not sure whether the original recipe would have been enough...Guess I'll try next time.**

~Chrissy

That's Amore....

Kev is heading back home to PA today to spend some time with his family. Kev is a huge "Phillies" fan and I know that this kind of opportunity to go see them play in the World Series may not happen again--so how could I not let him go? He cashed in miles to get his tickets so it's not like it cost anything.

School starts back up again for me next week, so even if I wanted to go, I couldn't. Kev said the sweetest thing to me though...he said "thank you" for letting him go. I'm glad to see him happy and I know a trip back home will be good for him. Guess I AM a good wife. :) Nah, I just love my husband, that's all....

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know about an injured kitten my friend Jamey and I found last weekend. Jamey was driving me home after a party when we found the little kitten in the middle of the street. It had difficulty moving, so I got out of the car to help it and that's when I noticed that its hind legs were not working. We took it in and drove it to a vet hospital. Well, two days later, the kitten has fully recovered and is healthy! The kitten is a sweet little girl, about 8-9 weeks old. She loves being held and is absolutely adorable. We are now looking for a loving home for her. If anyone is interested in adopting this sweet girl, let me know and I'll have Jamey send you photos. Of course, this is only possible for those of you in Okinawa....:)

Well, hope everyone has a good weekend.

~Chrissy

Missing Fall...

This time of the year is one my favorites back home....In Montgomery County, Maryland, October is the start of the fall season. This is the month that all the orchards and family farms open up their pumpkin patches. Usually this time of year is when Kev and I would go to the orchard to pick apples for pie, go on a hayride, choose a large pumpkin (for carving of course :)), and buy some homemade jams.

Don't get me wrong, I like Okinawa, but I sure do miss the smells and taste of fall. I miss the fall foliage as well...

I was at the Commissary the other day (the grocery store we have on the military bases here) and saw Commissary staff unloading and unpacking pumpkins. I thought about buying one, but then decided against it. The pumpkins were wet and when I asked a staff member as to why, I was told it was from the shipping. That's when I realized that the pumpkins probably had to be "frozen" in order for them to make the trip from the States to Okinawa!!!! Can you believe it? Even worse were the prices. One medium sized pumpkin was about $15-18 bucks. Errr...maybe not.

With the high humidity here, our "previously-frozen over priced" pumpkin wouldn't last more than a day anyway....

So.... with a heavy heart, I left the Commmissary "sans" pumpkin. We will have to celebrate fall here on Okinawa another way.....

Well, hope you folks at home are enjoying this autumn harvest. Happy Fall!

Love from Oki, Chrissy :)

One Year Milestone

Well, believe it or not....Kevin and I have now been here on Okinawa for a FULL year. Crazy. We moved here in October of 2007 and now an entire year has passed.

We are supposed to be here for a 2 year tour, so that means we have one more year left. A lot has happened in the year that we've been here, I've gone back to school, we've traveled to some exotic places like Dubai and Hong Kong, but one thing is missing. Let's hope this year will be the year that it will happen. Think positive thoughts! Bring on the "----" dust.

~Chrissy

PS: Kevin is leaving for a work trip to Hawaii tomorrow. And he's leaving me behind. Life is unfair, I tell you. Instead, I get to stay home and take my Accounting final. Boo....Anyone interested in taking it for me? :)

Opening weekend of Ragtime....

Well, we did it! Our opening weekend of the POPS production of the musical "Ragtime" was a success! We opened officially on Thursday, had an evening performance on Friday, and a matinee and another evening performance on Saturday. Needless to say, I am very tired. I think my voice is as well, I feel really congested and my throat hurts a bit.... The good news is that we had full houses for all the performances.

I did hear that a few people got up to leave in the middle of the performance due to the adult nature of some the dialogue, but there's not too much that can be done about that. Ragtime is a musical based on the novel of the same title by the author E. L Doctorow. It is a fictional story with some historical accuracies and facts weaved in. The novel AND the musical deal with some "thorny" issues such as racism, prejudice, womens' rights and liberation, free speech, child labor, money, sex, love, violence, and war.... Some of the themes and topics may be a bit difficult for young children to understand, but I think for the older children, this musical has a very important message. Parents should explain the nature and the historical back story of this time period (early 1900's) before taking their children. That way, when people hear offensive language, they won't be offended. It sort of irritates me that people would come to our show and then leave in the middle of it. I understand the show is long, but really, open up your mind and understand that this is a "dramatization." No one on stage condones the language or behavior in any way. This is my blog, so I can say what I think. I'm sorry if you think I'm being a bit harsh.....

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. For those of you out there who want to see a wonderful and powerful show, please come out to the Foster Performing Arts Center to see it.

I leave you with a few photos.

Love, Chrissy :)

Ragtime!

-Caroline as "Evelyn Nesbit" & Chrissy as "Mother"

Last night we had our opening night of the POPS (Pacific Okinawa Players) production of the musical "Ragtime." Here are a few photos that my friend Caroline took back stage. I promise to post lots more soon. :)

Come out to the Foster Performing Arts Center to see it! You'll be glad you did.

See you at the show!

~Chrissy

PS: If you can, take a look at Okinawa Hai.com. The link can be found to the left. The very popular blog based here in Okinawa recently posted a story on POPS and the musical.


-Randy as "Grandfather" & Chrissy as "Mother"