Hello everybody! I want to share with you some of the photographs I took during my time in India this December. I am excited to try out the new gallery feature on wordpress! You can click on them to make them larger, and I have written captions to some of the images that you can see by scrolling over the images. I hope that you enjoy them!
Category Archives: Beautiful World
Latvia Explored: Riga and Rezekne Part 2
There wasn’t going to be a part two, but after nostalgically going through my “Latvia” folder on my computer, I felt it was an injustice to some of the photographs that I did not yet upload. And so, there is a part two.
Old Town – Riga. It looks like a set to a movie or something…
Latvia Explored: Riga and Rezekne
In May, Konstantin and I went to Latvia. I had the time of my life. I took hundreds and hundreds of photographs, and I have chosen my favourite ones to share with you today (that was so hard to do! Yikes). I wont write much today, because I think the photographs will speak for themselves.
Here is a link to Part 2 of the series.
We went to a beautiful rustic cafe in Riga City for coffee and honey cake.
South Africa Explored: Safari Adventures
I'm watching the elephants
The final set of my favourite photographs from my adventures in Africa.
South Africa Explored: Cape Town
South Africa Explored: Johannesburg
First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for giving me the honor of being Freshly Pressed for the 4th time in 9 months. The lucky post was How to start your day like a rockstar and believe me, waking up to an inbox full of blog comments, likes and subscriptions definitely made my morning routine that much more rock-star-ish.
To my new followers, I recently returned from a 2 week vacation in South Africa (and a couple of neighbouring countries). Here are some of the photographs from my time in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Living in Ireland: Ireland in photographs
The month of September marked one year since I moved to Ireland. As a tribute to my first year of Ireland-ness, I decided to share with you a selection of my most beautiful photographs that I have taken (except for any photograph with me in it. I did not take those 
) during my year here .
Ireland Explored: Banagher, Offaly
Too cool. I know.
My ride.
Michelle: Do you want to take a picture of you in the front and then one of you in the back with all the turf?
Me: I want to take one inside, outside, everywhere. I want to get all up in that tractor’s bidness.
***Note to mom: I’m not really smoking!***
I promise 
Some of my readers will know that I recently got my licence, and I am slowly coming to terms with driving alone. I decided to ask my roommate Michelle for some driving alone advice. This was our conversation. It was too hilarious not to share.
Me: How long does it take for driving alone to feel normal?
Michelle: It depends on how many times you crash.
*A few minutes later*
Me: Ok, well how long did it take you?
Michelle: Well. I crashed pretty soon so….
*Few minutes later*
Me: So did you feel okay soon after the…crash?
Michelle: Well I was really really nervous at first. Then slowly, I was fine. Then crash. Then I was nervous again. Then I started to feel okay. Then the next crash. So, it took a while.
I’m experimenting with macro photography, and getting the focus juuuust right.
Michelle’s mama’s first home-grown tomato.
Michelle plays Camogie – which is an Irish sport played by women (the dude-version is called “Hurling”). She’s obsessed with the game, and even after a whole year of living with her, I had never been to one of her matches before. That is, until now. Michelle is number 5. She was so awesome!
It is a fast paced sport played with a hurl (that stick like thing) and a ball. I thought they would have to knock it around like field hockey, but I was wrong. They have to do many skilled maneuvers with the ball, like throwing it up into the air, sprinting with it with the ball balanced on the hurl, and catching the ball that is being hurtled at them (a little too fast for my liking) with just their bare hands. I wouldn’t want to be out there (but then again I’ve always been a bit of a wuss). I would not want to mess with angry girls wearing skirts and holding weapons.
I know. I’m such a noob. I’ve never been part of the “sport culture”. I have never pursued any particular sport, either as a player or a dedicated spectator, so this was a great experience for me! It was pretty neat to experience the pep talks, group huddles, game-plan discussions, cheering, and over all sense of team spirit. I can see why people can really throw themselves into their team. There is a great sense of pride, community and shared goals.
And that has been my last few days in Ireland.
Amen.
Arizona Explored: The Grand Canyon
My family and I decided to take the Grand Canyon Airplane tour – or, also better known as Pukefest 2011. We sat in what could only be described as a small car with propellers, and there were times when I wished that we could just crash into the stupid ass canyon just to avoid this overwhelming and unbearable nausea. Everyone was so sick! There was puke on the floors, and most people had their faces buried in the puke bags. It was a great experience
I tried so hard to keep my mind off my nausea. I tried to think about things that made me happy, but even that made me feel sick. I thought that if I ever wanted to torture my very worst enemy, there would be nothing worse than if I cursed them with nausea. This would be my torture-method of choice. I also thought about how it was really smart of the flight organizers to conveniently take our souvenir photograph infront of the aircraft before we took a ride in the death-plane rather than afterwards, because I don’t think anybody would stick around for a photo afterwards and want to be reminded of this unfortunate time of their life. I didn’t even want to look at the picture at the end of the trip! I kept my (empty) puke bag as my souvenir :)
I spent the entire 45 minutes just trying to remain calm and focused. I wasn’t frightened or panicking, but I wasn’t really in the best place either. And then this really freaky thing started to happen! I started to feel my hands start to clench together and I physically couldn’t open them. I noticed really strange spasms in the skin of my hand, which I thought was my blood pulsating or something. I (silently – gotta stay classy ladies) freaked out! I couldn’t open my hands! I couldn’t even take many pictures, and if you know anything about me, you will know it must take a LOT for me to stop taking photographs.
At the end of the flight (THANK GOD) I asked Devaki’s father what the crap was up with my hand. And he was surprised to inform me that it looked like a sign of tetany, or a tetanic spasm, which occurs when someone is losing too much carbon dioxide during hyperventilation (usually during a panic attack – which is why people breath into paper bags). It was so strange because I wasn’t hyperventelating at all, and I never really felt “panicked”, just really sick and wanted to get off the airplane as fast as I could.
For days after this TRAUMATIC GRAND CANYON EXPERIENCE, every time I saw a the “Grand canyon tours” sticker anywhere at all, I instantly felt sick!
Ok enough of my disgusting little story.
And of course, not to forget, the grand canyon itself!
Was it pretty cool? Yeah, sure. I guess. Beautiful, with texture and depth that is hard to even truly comprehend.
Was it worth the constant nausea? No.
Would I go again? Not for a long time yet. And if I did, probably if I was in a car, and in the area. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it.
I think the photographs will speak for themselves. Enjoy!
The Hoover Dam.
Las Vegas Explored: The Vegas Strip!
Vegas was beautiful and alive. I want to come here again and see the shows and walk up and down the strip and stare at the bright lights. I want to lose some money and win some money. I want to stay in the hotel room all day and order room service.
I was surprised that the city had such positive energy, even though most people are here to gamble, drink, and party. It is a city built for entertainment, and entertained I was!….
It was baby boy’s first time in the hot tub! It took a very long time to get him in here. And then it took a very long time to get him out of there.
Me, in the desert! I love my new adidas shorts.
Now we’re in Vegas, baby!
We stayed at the MGM Signature – a family friendly part of the MGM. The windows were gold.
I love hotel-lobby decor and design. There’s nothing like it.
Our hotel room was beautiful. There was a telephone in the toilet, and a tv in the bathroom. Holla.
Is it just me or is hetting married in Vegas is starting to look more and more appealing?
The Vegas strip! And all I could think of is how much their electricity bill is?
Nothing like a little bit of pornography while you’re walking.
With your family
Vegas: Where you have to explain cross dressers to an 8 year old girl.
