What We've Been Up To

It has been a crazy few weeks (I feel like this is how I start all of my blog posts lately). I had an event at work last weekend and was able to take Monday off, so Scott and I headed out to Food and Wine.

It was a gorgeous day out and was not crowded, which was a definite bonus. We had a lot of our favorites and found some new ones. I think my favorite was the pulled pork from Hawaii and the tostones from Puerto Rico.

After a fun-filled, kid-free day at the park, we headed out for Aaron's baseball game. He's really loving the game and we are loving watching him on the field. Wednesday he was able to play catcher. I think this is his new favorite position. Scott actually spent some time this weekend practicing that position and unfortunately had to work the night he played that position.

He has no fear behind that plate, he never moved when the ball came at him. I mean seriously, how cute is he?!

Today Scott and I ran our first 15k race. This is the longest distance Scott has ever done and he did amazing! I on the other hand, have been battling a head cold all week and hit my wall at the 10k mark. It was everything I could do to finish. I had snot draining down my throat into my stomach, it was disgusting.

We finished in 2:14ish which in the grand scheme of things was not bad. I was not a huge fan of this race (not just because of the whole sick thing), but also because of the late start. We didn't start until 10:30 and it was while 3 other races were going on. The signage was pretty rough on the course, too. We totally missed the turnaround (which was supposed to be at 1.2 miles) and finally turned around at mile 2 (where the marathon/half marathon runners were turning around).

We spent the rest of the race just watching our Garmins trying to figure out where we had to turn around.  I am so proud of Scott though, he did amazing!

I hope all of you are doing amazingly well!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

We had another really busy weekend (hence the lack of posts). After looking at my calendar I noticed we will be busy pretty much every weekend until New Years.

Saturday we met up with our friends Bob and Vanessa at Food and Wine. Yes, if you are keeping track that is our third weekend, in a row, at Food and Wine. We had a blast, naturally. I would like to say though that having a glass of champagne, then a beer, then a glass of sparkling wine is not the ideal combination. Just sayin'. I would also like to mention that even though it is Fall, sunscreen is required. I'm rocking a scorching sunburn, just in time to visit the dermatologists office. Score one for me!

Sunday was our busiest day, we met up with Bob and Vanessa in the morning for the kids to go swimming. Scott and I sat that one out thanks to our sunburn and need for shade. The kiddos had a blast with their Uncle Bob and Aunt "Essa" as Jill calls her.

That night we went with Mimi and Paw Paw to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. I LOVE this party! This year for Halloween the kiddos are a train engineer and Alice:


Now, I might be biased but, aren't they the cutest kids ever?! By the way, the headband was gone within minutes of this photo. I was just happy it lasted as long as it did.

I also love this party because it is prime people watching. Some people go all out for Halloween and I love to check out the costumes. Some, well, wear their PJ's, like the girl behind us in this photo:


Now, if you ever get the chance to go to a Mickey's Not So Scary, you have to go to the parade. It is hands down the coolest parade put on by Disney. My favorite part is the headless horseman. The horse is just gorgeous, and it is just an amazing site to see. Way back in the day he used to charge down the street and sparks would fly from his hooves, but because people are well....people...safety became a concern and now he just trots, no sparks.

Jill wasn't a huge fan of certain parts in the parade, which I expected, but for the most part they did really well.

After the parade we went to visit our friend Jane and her friends Tarzan and Turk. Jill looked shocked when Jane said "Oh hello Jillian!".

We then headed over to visit the dwarfs and see our friend Happy. Jill was not too sure about the dwarfs, but Happy cheered her up and we were able to get a somewhat decent photo. Kinda sorta maybe.

Our final stop of the night was the carousel. The kids have always loved this ride. Before we got on though, Scott stopped and got me a crown, because as you know every princess deserves a crown. Both of the kids looked at me like I was a whack job though.

Now, onto the part of the evening that made me want to pretend like I didn't know the group I was with. Paw Paw and Mimi were both in motorized wheelchairs, aka ECV's. Mimi is a pro and can navigate through the thickest of crowds. Paw Paw...well...can't. So we were leaving the park and things were a little crazy because the second parade was getting ready to start. There are only so many ramps off of the sidewalks and we were all heading for one of the ramps. Well, all except Evel Knievel Paw Paw, he decided to hit the gas and jump the curb. LITERALLY! All I heard was Scott yell "Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!" then we both yelled "DAD!", which was mistake #1 for me if I was trying to pretend like I wasn't with them. We all had to stop and laugh for a minute because it was just that funny. Thankfully he and the ECV were not harmed during the stunt.

The whole night was a blast though! I hope you had a great weekend too!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Don't forget to link up your photos of you and your kiddies at Mommy and Me Monday with Krystyn of Really, Are You Serious?

Weekend Recap

Yesterday we took the kiddos to a pumpkin patch. This was the first patch they ever went to, so it was neat to be able to take them back when they could really enjoy it. They seemed to know exactly why they were there, and I think if we let her, Jill would have taken the entire patch home with her.

Later that night we met up with the Billings, minus all of our kids! Can I get a Woo Hoo?! We all went to Food and Wine at EPCOT, it was their first time back in something like 20 years, so we knew it would be fun. So much fun in fact that I was coerced into taking this photo:


No, I was not drunk, but I was practically in a chair pose trying to get my head in this hole. The entire night was nothing short of awesome. Thank you again to Aunt Staci for hanging with the babies!

Hope you have been having a fantastic weekend!

EPCOT Food and Wine 2010

Yesterday Scott surprised me with a trip to Food and Wine. Next to Christmas this is my favorite time of year. I love being able to try new types of foods, and when I'm not on antibiotics, different beers and wines.

There are 28 different stops you can make, we made 15. Trust me, I wish we could have done all 28 but there was just no way I could keep eating, I probably would have exploded.


Our first stop was Chile, both of us got the Shrimp Ceviche which is really yummy, but I prefer mine to be topped with popcorn, not corn nuts.

The other option in Chile was a Pastel de Chocolo (Beef and Corn Pie).

We skipped the Desserts and Champagne booth, but they offer Strawberry Angel Verrine, Pear Streusel Pudding Cake and a Dark Chocolate Sensation with a variety of champagnes. Next time we go I think I'm going to try the Pear Streusel Pudding Cake.

We also skipped Brazil, not because I'm still boycotting, which I am, but just because. They offer a Grilled Pork Skewere with Farofa and a Shrimp Stew with Coconut and Lime.

The next stop was Argentina. Scott got the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree and I had the Cheese and Roasted Corn Empanada (soooooo good!)

Puerto Rico was next, but we skipped because we literally just ate in Argentina. They offer Asopao de Pollo (Chicken Soup with Rice) and a Medianoche Sandwich.

Next was Mexico, which turned out to be my favorite of the day. We each had a Taco de Chilorio, which was a shredded pork taco with red onion and avocado. So crazy delicious, you have no idea! They also offered a Tamal de Pollo, Esquites (Pan-Fried Corn and Spices) and a Churro.

Next stop was my motherland, Poland. Scott and I each got the Kielbasa (my Dad's is way better) and Potato Pierogies. The other option is Golabki (Pork Stuffed Cabbage) which I may try next time. My Mom made it all the time growing up and I hated it.


Next we went to China and waited in the longest line we waited in all day. I had the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles and Scott had the Xinjuang Barbecue Chicken Stick. Both were really yummy. The other options were Pork Potstickers (we normally get these, so good!) and Caramel Ginger Ice Cream.

We skipped South Korea because Scott kept reminding me that Kimchi is rotten cabbage. They offer Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and a Kimchi sauce and a Barbecue Short Rib with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi.

Next was our favorite from last year, South Africa. This was also the exception to my "I don't care for beef, therefore don't eat it". I had two bites of the Seared Beef Tenderloin and remembered why I don't care for beef. The sweet potato puree was divine though! The other option is a Flavors of Africa plate that has salad, bread and spreads.

We skipped Singapore, but when we go back I want to try the Shrimp Cake with Singapore Noodle Salad. They also have a Coconut-Braised Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice.

They also have a big beer stop right here, I believe they're all German beers.

The next stop for us was Germany. We had the Spaetzle Gratin with Ham and Cheese (crazy delicious) and the Apfel (Apple) Strudel (again crazy delicious). The other offering was a Nurnberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll.


Italy was our next stop. I'm always slightly bothered by this booth because it's stereotypcial Italian food. I wish they would feature more Northern Italian dishes. Anyway, we had the Polpettine Toscane which are meatballs in a red sauce. The girl behind us pronounced it Toe-scan and said "I like don't even know what that is, let's just get the ravioli" which helped cement the notion that Europeans hate us. The other offerings were Baked Cheese Ravioli and Cannolo Al Cioccolato.


There are two booths in America, one is more New England style and then the other is wherever else they decide to feature food from (last year it was New Orleans). In the New England area we had a Lobster Roll and Pecan Bread Pudding.


At the other America stop we shared the Bison Chili, holy hell it was delicious.


We skipped Japan this time, they offer a Spicy Tuna Roll, California Roll, Tuna Sensation and Wafu Ribettes. I want to try the Tuna Sensation next time we go.

Next we stopped in Australia. We had the Grilled Lamb Chop with Roasted Potato Salad and a Red Wine Reduction. They also offer Seared Barramundi with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula and Lemon Oil as well as a Chocolate-Covered Butter Cake.


I made it my mission this year to try something in Morocco, we decided on the Beef in a Pita Pocket (my other exception to my beef rule). It was super yummy but I'm going to try the Falafel next time. They also have Baklava as a dessert.


Next up was Belgium, which is a new booth this year. We had the Steamed Mussels in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce. They were really yummy. The other option, and I'm not kidding, is a Freshly Baked Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream.


We skipped over Spain this time but they have a Taste of Spain plate that has Serrano Ham, Chorizo, Manchego, Olives and Tomato Bread, a Seared Albacore Tuna with Romesco Sauce (I am so trying this next time) and a Spanish Almond Cake.

Next up was France, Scott had the Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes. They also offer Escargots Persillade en Brioche and Creme Brulee au Chocolat au Lait.


We skipped Ireland because the line was crazy long. They offer a Lobster and Scallop Fisherman's Pie, Kerrygold Cheese Selection and Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailys Irish Cream Ganache. I'm definitely getting the Fisherman's Pie next time.

Our final stop was Canada for the Canandian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Scott says mine is better, but I don't agree. They also offer Maple-Glazed Salmon with Lentil Salad, and Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta (I want to try this next time).

We missed out on 4 other stops. The Charcuterie and Cheese station had Cheese Fondue with Croutons and Roasted Potatoes and a Nueske's Charcuterie Plate that had Applewood Smoked Beef, Duck and Ham. Greece had a Greek Salad with Pita Bread, Spanakopita, Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki and Baklava. New Zealand had a Seared Sea Scallop with Vegetable Slaw and Lemon Oil and a Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney. Finally there was the 15 Beers for 15 Years booth.

As always the food was amazing and it was just great to have a night with my honey! We can't wait to go back and try the foods we missed!

Multiples and More QOTW

Very seldom do I answer the QOTW at Multiples and More because I think it's weird to answer my own question, or one that Lani and I just talked about. But this week really wanted to share on this one, so here we go. This week was more of a writing prompt than a question:

Write a list of 10 surprising things about yourself

1. Scott and I dated less than a year before getting engaged, and we were married a year and a few weeks after we got engaged.
2. When the right sippy cup top isn't on the right sippy cup it throws my whole day off, I have to fix it. Some may call this OCD, I call it normal.
3. I could watch any and all episodes of Friends a million times and never get sick of them. Love that show!
4. I own the Lizzie McGuire Movie and think it's awesome. Don't judge, it's cute.
5. I never get my hair colored the same way, I always change something about it,
6. I will always stop channel surfing on the radio if I hear: "Don't Stop Believing", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Layla", any Beatles song and "Gimme that Girl" by Joe Nichols.
7. I love to bake and hate to eat it. I think I ate enough sweets in my childhood.
8. I don't like beef, but always make an exception for the braised short ribs in France during Food and Wine. I literally want to die afterward, but it's so worth it. They are delicious!
9. I watch General Hospital, everyday. I've watched it since I was a kid.
10. The most romantic thing Scott has ever done for me is he had our wedding centerpieces recreated for our first anniversary. It was like recapturing a moment in time.

Play along at Multiples and More!

Thankgiving Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

• Scott and all he does.

• My HILARIOUS kiddos! They sure do keep things interesting!

• A fantastic Thanksgiving potluck with my fellow GOMOTTers. It was a great night and yes Melissa, I'm still thinking about those potatoes!

• The awesome family and friend support we have around us!

• The beautiful weather we have been having, it allowed Lani and I to have a nice stroll around EPCOT (and when I say stroll I really mean super brisk walk so nobody stops to talk to us, especially during Food and Wine when 90% are drunk at 11am).

• Buy One Get One sales, they rock my world.

• Smiles in the morning and hugs before bed, it really makes my day.

• The new special from Kathy Griffin, the woman cracks me up and she did not disappoint.

List is a little short this week, sorry my mind is just blank right now. I guarantee after I hit publish post 10 more things will come to mind.

Play along with Elyse at Following Him!
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Here's some photos from our day at EPCOTHave you voted today????

The day we ate around the world

Scott and I got to go to Food and Wine at EPCOT last night. Being the foodies (and slightly winos) that we are we were excited to try some new and yummy food. The best part about this is all the food is served tapas style, so you get to sample all the foods without committing to a large dish. Our biggest problem whenever we go to this is determining where to start.

This year we decided to start on the right hand side with Santiago, Chile. The logic behind this was they had a rock shrimp ceviche and I figured that if I had a few glasses of wine I would more than likely up chuck the ceviche. The ceviche was really yummy, Scott thought it was somewhat spicy, but if you mixed it with the popcorn on top it was wasn't bad at all.

Our next stop was Athens, Greece. Scott had the spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese in a phyllo crust) and I had the chicken souvlaki with tzatziki in a warm pita (wayyyyyyyyyyyyy delicious). In Wellington, New Zeland we had a seared scallop with vegetable slaw (the scallop was perfect) and a lamb slider with tomato chutney (yummy!). In Cork, Ireland we had a scallop and lobster fisherman's pie (way to hot for a 90 degree day but yummy nonetheless). Next we went to Paris and had Cabernet short ribs with mashed potatoes. This was by far the most savory yummy dish we had! The ribs were inside the potatoes and it was just like a little bite of heaven each time, see:

At this point we definitely needed to take a food break so we went to watch the film about France. Now, I love this film, it's beautiful and the music is amazing, however the film was made when EPCOT opened and is in serious need of being updated. But other than that it is beautiful and I highly recommend it.

We got back into the food in Toyko, Japan (I was thinking of boycotting them because they got more votes than Chicago, but I really wanted sushi). Scott has never had sushi so I figured this would be a great way to start. We split a California roll, and much to my surprise, Scott totally loved it!

Next up was New Orleans, Lousiana, which is like the mother land to Scott (no joke). They had one of his favorite dishes Crawfish Étouffée. I'm going to be very serious here, I was lucky to get a bite of this dish. It's a good thing I got my own chicken and andouille gumbo otherwise I would have not eaten in New Orleans. And what's even better is he talked about the crawfish all the way to the park exit. All that amazing food and he was in love with the crawfish.

While enjoying our food from New Orleans we got to watch En Vogue (for reals).

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Funny thing about them being there was Lani and I were just talking about them because they are on one of the Sesame Street DVDs. Now here's the ultimate photo, notice the fist pump from the guy. I had no idea "Free your mind" had that big of an impact on people:

Vienna, Austria was up next. We had Goulash mit Servietten Knoedel (Paprika Beef Stew, Bacon Dumpling) because anything with bacon immediately makes it delicious.

Next up was Bologna, Italy. Now, here's my beef with the Italy booth, it's all stereotypical Italian food, meatballs, cannelloni and pizza (we had the meatballs in case you were wondering, haha). I really want them to do traditional Italian food, but have a feeling it wouldn't go over as well as the meatballs and such. As a total side note I took 3 or 4 semesters of Italian when I was in college and am always overcome with sheer panic when I'm in the Italian pavilion. I love to listen to the cast members talk, but have the fear that I will laugh too loud and they will realize that I know what they are saying and then try to talk to me. Yeah, my Italian is pretty rough now and I would need at least 3 or 4 glasses of Prosecco prior to responding to them.

After the Italian adventure we went to Munich, Germany and had apple struedel. It's so good, I get it everytime we are there. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be apple struedel, I am so not kidding.

Next up was Cape Town, South Africa where we had a beef tenderloin with sweet potato purree and mango barbeque sauce. It was heavenly and Scott now wants to recreate the sauce.

Shanghai, China was next and Scott desperately wanted to show off his mad Chinese speaking skills (all learned from Ni hao Kai-lan) but chickened out. We had pork pot stickers there and I showed off my mad chop stick skills (yeah I'm being sarcastic here, I can't eat with chop sticks to save my life), see:After China we went to my mother land, Krakow, Poland. Like a good Polish girl I got the kielbasa and potato pierogi (with sour cream, naturally). It was good, Dad's homemade kielbasa is better, and Grandma's pierogi's are better, but in a pinch this works.

We hit up Barcelona, Spain next (I didn't boycott because Madrid was the one that tried to get the Olympics, not Barcelona). Now, the guy working the register at this one was...well...he had no business being there. He had no idea what he was doing and honestly I think we got our food free (not that I'm complaining). We did the taste of Spain which was serrano ham, chorizo, manchego, olives, and tomato bread. It was really yummy.

Our last stop was the Mouse Catch which featured cheeses from the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. We tried all three cheeses which were really yummy. Fun fact, across the way from Mouse Catch was Rio de Janiero, you know where people dress like this and get the Olympics:

Sorry, I'm still bitter, and definitely boycotted them.

At this point we were stuffed and decided to ride Spaceship Earth (with my phone safely tucked in my purse) and go home. It was a great night, and I think I'm still stuffed. My only regret of the night is not taking this photo BEFORE eating all that food:

Hope you had a great weekend! Stop by Multiples and More today to read a really touching twins story.

Thanksgiving Thursday

Another week has flown by, so here we go! I am thankful for:

• Scott and all he does and for just being him. And for the mad jambalaya skills that he has, it's out of this world!

• My kiddos, even though they have kind of made me batty this week. They are always good for a laugh. I have no idea where they come up with some of the things they do, but it's awesome.

• My small army that helped find my missing phone. Special thanks to Steven, Andres, Wil, Bob and the entire engineering team that worked Spaceship Earth. No thanks to Loren from Guest Relations and whoever the coordinator was at Spaceship Earth, you guys were jerks and your managers know, so now it sucks to be you.

• Jenn suggesting Food and Wine. Minus the "incident" it was a blast, complete with massive embarrassment in the parking lot (my panic alarm wouldn't shut off, therefore attracting the attention of everyone in the parking lot). Based on our night I think ABC would be able to make an entire 2 seasons worth of an Emmy winning sitcom, just saying.

• Whoever thought up the show Modern Family. It is seriously the funniest 30 minutes on television.

• All the great family around us that supports us in so many ways.

• The beautiful weather we've been having, I hope it stays!!!

• Everyone who participated in Blog for a Cure, you truly are helping a great cause and it was great to see such a good turn out. I know Lani put a ton of work into it (how she finds the time, I will never know) and it's great to see that her work didn't go unnoticed! *You can still enter the giveaways until Saturday!
  

Play along with Elyse at Following Him!

Food, Wine and a Blackberry in Outer Space

Last night I got to go to EPCOT Food and Wine with my gal pal Jenn. I was pretty excited, this is one of the events I look forward to every year. It's the one place you can try crazy food from all over and not really have to commit to a whole dish, just a sample. I forget how many booths there are throughout the park, but you could make an entire meal out of all the samples. We started our delicious journey in Greece, Athens to be exact and had a spanakopita (spinach, feta cheese in a phyllo crust). It was super yummy, slightly greasy, but really good. We also ate in Munich (apple strudel way yummy!) and Krakow (kielbasa and pierogi naturally). We mainly spent the night walking through all the shops and enjoying our time to do that without struggling with strollers and such. Jenn even got a henna tattoo:

Seriously funny though, she totally flashed the woman at least half a dozen times, I have a feeling that happens often because it didn't even faze her. After the tattoo-ing we went to American Adventure to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. They were insanely good, and not just because I had just had a glass of Prosecco, they were genuinely good. They have a new album coming out featuring the hits of Cab Calloway which is cool, but you know, they aren't Cab Calloway, no offense guys. They did a good job though :)

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Again, I apologize for the video quality, I had my small camera which isn't as good at taking video.

So after all the food and wine festivities we decided to go on Spaceship Earth and that's when the fun night turned to a big crap shoot. As we were getting on the ride I checked my phone and put it back in my purse, or so I thought. I had a feeling that it didn't go in my purse, but then I figured I was paranoid. So we go through the ride, get off and go to leave the park. Well it was down pouring, maybe monsooning. I went to text Scott and let him know we were going to wait it out and BAM! No phone. So we went back inside to see if they could check the ride, I mean it's only been like 5 minutes so the ride has to cycle through and they can check, right? Well you would think. The cast member I dealt with was super nice and assured me they would check. So Jenn and I sat by the exit fingers, toes and all other appendages crossed hoping that my phone would show up. No dice. I watched the last family walk off the ride and then all the cast members followed, ummmmm what about my phone that is probably sitting at the top of the ride blinking away because Jenn has been calling it the last fifteen minutes (I hope you like Jason Mraz "I'm Yours" because that's what you've been listening to). So I talk to the coordinator, who we will call Jerk Face #1, and he just brushed me off and told me all lost and found was taken to Guest Relations. Funny, I didn't see anyone walk by with lost and found, but ok. So I dashed across, in the monsoon, to Guest Relations to see if they had my phone. I get in there, see the open cast member and make my way to him then, Jerk Face #2 as we will refer to him, says "Oh no ma'am that lady was ahead of you". What lady?! And there she was all the way at THE BACK OF THE ROOM. So this lady wanted every single button that Disney makes times like a million. So here I am waiting while this guy takes his sweet time to get her all those buttons that, "You know I'm not supposed to give all these out". Then don't, or do it faster Jerk Face #2. So he's finally done with her and I get up there and ask about my phone, he goes to the back to "check" and is back within like 2.3 seconds with no phone. Really, you checked? Ok.... So he doesn't have it and gives me the number to central lost and found. Now, I worked at Disney for a few years and I know that stuff rarely actually makes it to central lost and found, it's usually swiped before it gets there (sorry to ruin the magic for you). I called Scott and told him what happened and he told me to ask for security so I could file a report and have it all documented. Good call Scott! So I go back in and there's Jerk Face #2 again. "Oh welcome back" yeah I'm excited to be here. I ask for security so I can file a report and he freaks out. "You don't need security, just fill out this yellow card, no need for security". Ummm, I want security. Still freaking out on me, so I tell him "My husband is in security and told me to ask for security". Now the kid is shaking (maybe it's the fact that I am almost 6 feet, or the fact that I knew what I was talking about). Security happens to walk in at this point, with a Blackberry. HALLELUJAH! Yeah, not mine, bummer. So security walks out while I check the phone to see if it's mine, and I look at Jerk Face #2 and go "Uh security?" and he says, and I wish I was kidding, "Oh, did you still want them?" "Is this my phone?" "No." "Well then yes, I would still like security" "But you really don't need...." "You know what, we're good, I'm done dealing with you, but thanks". So I call Scott back and he has the security manager meet me so I can file a report. Now I'm just waiting on my phone to magically show up. I also know the manager at Spaceship Earth so last night he sent an email to the engineering team to be on the look out for it. I hope someone finds it, I feel like I'm missing a major appendage or something. It's really sad. As a total side note, I have written this entire post while on the phone with central lost and found, awesome.