Savannah Sites

Some of my favorite photos from Savannah:

Maybe this one will turn into a quilt someday...

Puzzling

It is puzzling why I would choose to put together a puzzle (inside) while in beautiful Hawaii. But I did. I guess I'm an indoor girl after all. I finished this bit in about 1.5 days. We ran out of time before I could put together the mountains and sky. Man, do I love a puzzle.

It should be noted, however, that I did do plenty of outdoor activities including whale watching, turtle-visiting, snorkeling (albeit short-lived), ocean swimming, volcano-visiting, on-the-beach-reading (a vacation must-have), shave ice-eating, and walking.

Hawaii pretty much rules and I hope to never stop visiting.

There Was Eating...

...Lots of eating.

And one of the more memorable things I ate while in NY was this:


A chorizo, chive, and manchego scone-ish muffin from Sweet Revenge. I will, without fail, order anything if it contains chorizo or manchego. Chorizo and manchego, you have never let me down.

We happened to order one of the only savory things in the case, but we really stopped by to pick up some cupcakes (I highly recommend the peanut buttery [sweet revenge] one and the raspberry velvet [crimson & cream]). I do believe I saw the words "mojito" and "sangria" on the bar menu as well, which are two more of my favorite go-to "foods."


I mean seriously, is this place not heaven? Cupcakes and mojitos? Sounds like dinner to me.

SCUBA Duba Doo

Remember when I told you I wouldn't post anymore Hawaii photos? Well, you never really believed that was true, did you? I forgot that our SCUBA guide was snapping photos while we were diving.

Here's my attempt at a smile with a regulator in my mouth. At this point, we were inside the hull of a sunken ship - isn't that so cool?!


I'm such a spaz - D is a much more technical diver. He holds his arms folded in front of his body (the right way), and I'm flailing about with my "wings" out in nearly every photo.

Up the mooring line:

The ship in the background:

A little photo session while we wait to surface:

So fun, right?

Ballooning in Tuscany

I can't believe I've waited so long to blog about Italy! I've been very bad. I'll try to highlight my favorite parts little by little.

For my birthday, D took me on a hot air balloon ride in Tuscany - can you even stand how gorgeous this is?? There were 4 balloons - 3 of which held the wedding guests. We got up at 5:00 and drove an hour to this picturesque plot for our sunrise ride. Once you're up, it's so quiet and peaceful. And the view was exactly as you'd imagine Tuscany would appear - lush, green, rolling hills speckled with stone farmhouses.



Our view from the basket.



Here is the groom's father, D, and me. In the basket with us was Greg, the "photographer," and Stefanino, our pilot. The ride was concluded with an outdoor champagne bruch with delicious Italian meats, cheeses, and pastries. Mmmmmmm....

Serenity Now

This was the view from inside the apartment couryard in Honduras. Can you believe the proximity to the beach? How lucky.

And I just loved this rusty old fence.

I'm Baaaack....

Ok, I got back on Saturday, but had no photos with which to blog. But here you are!

I had a GREAT time! Every once in a while, I would say in disbelief, "Hey, we're kayaking in Honduras!" "Hey, I'm scuba diving in Honduras!" "Hey, we're hiking in Honduras!" And I know many people have been to Honduras, but it's just a place I never thought I'd visit. It's a beautiful place with lovely people, and I'm glad I went. I don't miss so much las cucarachas, but I do miss the weather and leisure.

Business first, here's me in front of the hospital where the clinic was. I think I'd prefer not to get sick in Honduras.



Here's the beach that was right in front of the apartment. Pretty sweet, right? The water was bath-water warm. And that boat took us to beautiful dive sites a few hundred yards offshore. FYI: We dove the world's 2nd largest living coral reef in the world!



Here's me after my first dive!



Visiting other countries is always a little (and sometimes a lot) humbling. I'm glad to be home, and yet I'm lucky to have had this experience.

Bien Viaje!

Me voy a Honduras por una semana para eSCUBA y trabajar un poco en una clinica pediatra con Dario. Entonces, no voy a escribir esta semana (o quizas si escribire si puedo).

(I'm going to Honduras for a week to SCUBA and work a little at a pediatric clinic with Darren. So, I'm not going to write this week [or perhaps I will write, if I can].)

Tengan unas semanas buenas, y me extran~aron mucho, OK?

(Have a great week and miss me a lot, OK?)

If it makes you feel any better, it's supposed to rain most days I'm down there, so... I've packed plenty of reading material.

Rancher Fantasy Camp

I just returned from a little mid-week vacation to Bend/Sisters, Oregon to see two of my oldest & dearest friends Emily and Abby. I had SUCH a blast! It was like rancher fantasy camp for me - I got to bail hay, drive the 4-wheeler, mix grain...it was great.

Here we are, all 4 of us, on the 4-wheeler before we ran out of gas and were "stranded" in the pasture.



And as if my rancher fantasy camp experience wasn't awesome enough, Abby introduced me to World's greatest sewing shop - the Stitchin Post. I, of course, had to buy some fabric, which you can imagine I desperately needed.


Thank you for such a wonderful getaway!

Aloha!

*sigh* I just spent a week on the beautiful Big Island, Hawaii. Do I really have to go home? The weather, the beaches, the smells, the people... all so gorgeous and habit-forming. Maybe I could swing another week here if I say I need to go to rehab for my addiction. Or is that like attending AA meetings in a bar?

Our favorite spot was Hapuna Beach where we spent nearly every day swimming. We also hiked the crater of the Kilauea Volcano. And then there was the shopping, where I bought these...my new favorite shoe.



Here's Anthony taking a sip from the Akaka Falls:



Here I am hiking in the crater:



I loved the unfolding ferns:



And a little colorful gecko:



It was a lovely trip, but back to reality I go. Aloha...