The maid is gone..

... and now I'm left with having to cook again. And without my built-in dog watcher/walker...

But seriously, I'm so thankful for the time that we had together and that we get along so well. She keeps me on my toes & makes me think about the important things in life, like how the price of quinoa is going up for indigenous Peruvian families because we're consuming more of it here, or how I should get veggies from the local farm. She's calm, collected, hilarious, the life of the party, and not afraid to go out on her own to explore the world.

I'm so proud of her for who she is and can't wait to see where life will take her. I'm blessed to have the best sister ever, who loves me despite all the torturing she endured as a kid.

 Have the most amazing time on your road trip, Annie... we'll all be living vicariously through you :)

Asian Invasion

Seriously. I've been contemplating how to appropriately blog about the amazingness that is Asia, and haven't been able to sit down to do it yet. So here it is, an attempt.

I absolutely fell in love with Asia.

I've never had the desire to go there... I've had conversations with Mike about all the places that we want to go to one day and I admitted I had no desire to go there because in my mind it was crowded, dirty, and unfriendly. I was so wrong.

Mind you, I'm sure there are places that are out of control. But the places we went to were simply incredible. I loved the amalgamation of cultures that comprise Singapore, yet was relieved to find it westernized enough to not feel completely like a fish out of water. It's clean & vibrant with tropical plants and mismatched sky scrapers. And I enjoyed the monkeys that made their presence known in the mornings over coffee.

We couldn't have had better hosts; the Loscalzos completely opened their home to us and truly made our Singapore vacation with their gracious hospitality, phenomenal dinner choices and "cocktail hours/dance parties." Rella was an incredible woman who cooked the best dishes I've ever had.

And Bangkok was nothing like I imagined. Fun, colorful, so much culture, the people so hospitable. The Buddhist temples were like nothing I've ever seen... absolutely astounding!

Phuket was breathtaking and heartbreaking; it was hard to imagine that so much of the area was destroyed in the terrible tsunami in 2004, and the blatant sex-tourism/prostitution was hard to swallow. But we went on amazing tours of the islands and jungles that have to be on the top of life's best experiences (so far...) And I might have offered to adopt a 1,000 lb, leathery-skinned baby with a trunk and large club-feet.

Needless to say, I'm hooked. In the future I will again brave the 24 hours of traveling to explore the rest of Asia. Maybe Mike can get transferred....

(You can see all pictures here)

Leavin' on a jet plane

The bags are packed, legs are shaved and I'm ready to go!

I've been anticipating this trip for months... perusing through travel books at Barnes and Noble, reading fiction books with Asian settings, counting down the days on the calendar in my bathroom, getting updated on vaccinations... the whole gamut. And finally, it's here.

Our flight leaves from Atlanta (lame, I know, but it was worth it money-wise) so we'll drive there tonight and stay with Amy. Tomorrow around 1 we'll board the plane and ensue traveling for the next 18 hours (eek!) 

I've stocked up on books and secretly don't mind the lengthy flight because it means I can read interrupted for as long as my brain can take. I'll be tackling the following:

Mike asked me last night what's the one thing I'm most excited about...

can I answer 'all?'

Happy 4th!

Hands down, 4th of July is my favorite holiday.

As I'm sitting on the porch pondering why it is the best, I'm having trouble putting it into words. It's the one time that everyone in America gets together with their closest friends and family with the sole purpose of having the greatest summer day, eating the yummiest of barbecue foods, and topping it all off with a fabulous fireworks display. Sure we can do this anytime we want, but something about doing it on the same day as the rest of America makes it special. Anyone can partake in the festivities, no matter how rich or poor or whatever you are.

All that matters it you're outside in a bathing suit for the majority of the day by some body of water eating until you feel like you're about to burst.

(This 4th was a little different for me as I spent the majority of the day driving back from Tampa, but I was okay with that since I'd spent the entire weekend in 4th of July mode at the beach/pool.)

And then the best part: going downtown to be with the community (and in St. Auggie, plenty of tourists) in preparation for the fireworks. Watching old-man bands play patriotic music in the park while sweet elderly couples dance and decked-out children chase each other. Securing a spot right next to the fort and laying on your back in anticipation.... the patriotic music starts blasting from some unknown location then all of the sudden THEY START! giggling at the collective 'oohs' and 'ahs' at the especially loud or bright explosions and the cries of 'those were the best fireworks EVER!' that I feel like I proclaim after every show.

love. 

Anna Marie Island...

...is the place to be.

 I'm pretty sure that every summer I will be visiting this island oasis for the rest of my life.

Thank you, Alex & Jenna for planning a super fun weekend! Next time let's make sure to have a boat :)

  

party foul...

Kristin, Rachel & Annie's Day of Fun!

I never tire of going downtown, especially with my favorite people (and fur babies.)

 Go Oliver Go!

I cant say enough how much I'm in love with the Hyppo. Please go there immediately and have a datil strawberry popsicle.