Nhan, Don't Read This!

I was really bummed on Saturday because Ben had hopped an early flight to San Diego to give a presentation at this SPIE conference. He's going to be gone for a week, and I probably won't get to talk to him much because of the time difference and the fact that he'll be very busy with the conference and I have this ridiculously early old person's bedtime. Anywho. . . I was feeling down and had noticed that my roommates picked up the mail (but not all of it) and I had a package waiting for me. YAY! I love getting mail!

My favorite person in the whole world, Nhan, whom I've known since my freshman year of highschool, sent me a present that he picked up in Viet Nam (Side note: I was really bummed when I went home for Christmas this year because I didn't get to see him. He left for Viet Nam a couple days before I flew in, and he didn't come back until the day after I had left). I haven't seen him since July, and I don't get to talk to him as much as I would like, so I was really surprised and excited to get something from him. He sent me these really cool orange plates. I love them. They're in my favorite color, and they're from my favorite person.


So. . . I decided that I'd send him something to show my gratitude. I made these "black and white" meringue cookies to send off to him. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with meringues. Sometimes I love them because they're light and airy and sweet and awesome, if they come out just right. I hate them because they're so fragile and I always seem to burn them or not get them cooked all the way, and they sometimes tend to stick to my teeth or the inside of my mouth. They probably hate me; no love on that side of the relationship. In any case, I made a ton of these little cookies, but most of them burned on the bottom and had to be trashed. Luckily, there were just enough good ones to pack up in a box and send off to Nhan. I hope he likes them. And I hope he doesn't read this before they get to him, that would ruin the surprise.