My Favorite People

You know you have them. I am fortunate to have many favorite people in my life! Jonathan came out from Cali to visit a friend of his from back in the day and fit some time in for me. Without any effort on his side, he is definitely one of my favorite people.

Get Inspired

The Office is one of the BEST shows! It absolutely cracks me up! I usually watch it by myself and laugh the whole way through. Dwight is one of the characters ingeniously played by Rainn Wilson who happens to be a Baha'i. As he has gained popularity he has used it to spread laughter, depth and a great message. Check out his website designed to get young people engaged in the arts and promote discussion around spirituality.

http://soulpancake.com/

He was also interviewed by Oprah on her Soul Series... there are 7 parts to the interview, but I only included a few here.
Watch and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cPkzROkJLU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqTQkxBbiYE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZrOVTqQDlE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prmaMTVD_rg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lZOTILMI1I

Dream Away

Mountains, desert and stucco... I would be very happy here!

Things That Poke

Earth Love

I LOVE the Southwest! Ever since my college days in New Mexico it has held a special place in my heart. The desert is incredibly grounding and I feel like nothing separates me from the earth. I spend all my time outside and the blazing sun fills me with this energy I have never experienced anywhere else! Rex shares my connection with the land and culture... thank goodness because we just might end up here.

Land

Bright lovely land!

Desert Hike - Arizona

Hibernation

I haven't been doing much (or should I saw ANY) outdoor exercise in Wisconsin lately. Rex and I have been inspired to start running a few times, but once out the door we kept getting hit with nature's wild elements...

1)hail (in my eyeball)
2)strong winds
3)extreme cold

This quickly dwindled our excitement and within mintutes inevitably Rex would look at me and tell me this was not fun and it was time to go inside. I agreed without any hesitation and so we continued our lazy winter. Some people feel guilty, but Rex and I embrace the fact that we are just not meant for winter activities.

Kia-Nator

Celebrating dear Kia, my brother-in-law!

I absolutely adore my family and since many of us live close by we are able to get together for birthdays. We also see each other regularly for fun, games and visiting. Thank goodness my family loves game time!

Ang & Kia

Chris & Badieh

Summer, Jordan & Sissy

Badieh & Sheada

Love You Two

Choli Mama

Sheada loved her gift from India and she wore it beautifully.

Amsterdam

On our way home from India we had an 8 hour lay over in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. We completely forgot about this part of our trip and were ill prepared for the change in temperature. We got off the plane in flip flops and short sleeve shirts and attempted to walk through the streets in 32 degrees fahrenheit. It was chilly, but we stopped at our fav store (H&M) to pick up some much needed winter jackets! We also took most of the day to drive around the lovely countryside.

Baby Goats

I spoke to my step-dad after returning from India. Since he is all to familiar with my dislike for animals he cleverly asked why I didn't post any pictures with me holding the baby goat when everyone was posing with it. In fact the children did do a quick exchange, they plopped one of the baby goats in my hands and took the camera. I don't dislike animals in general, I usually just prefer them from a distance.

This picture is dedicated to you John. ;)

Alteration of the Soul

It's true, my Life has not been the same since returning. I have always been a weepy person. I don't want to say emotional, because I wouldn't call myself moody, but let's just say I am sensitive. There was so much that occurred in such a short time and my heart felt so expanded during this trip, letting everything in. I expereinced being so deeply touched everyday and that sense of being "moved" has stayed with me in a new way.

Rex and I are reflecting daily on our purpose in life. We always thought we would end up in the developing world and here we are 30 years old without any real plans to create a life somewhere else. So what's stopping us? We know things will be clear when it's right, but for the time being I am sharing in a new excited way, dreams of where we will go and what we will be doing.

Final Stop

The Baha'i House of Worship,where we began our incredible journey. On our final day in India we returned to The Lotus Temple for prayers. The sweet sacred space was aglow at nightfall and there was no doubt that we would both be content living here in India. It captured our hearts in a deep throbbing way just as Africa did 10 years ago. We walked the path slowly, savoring each step and I could not picture my life before India... I did not want to leave. Just 3 weeks and my life is forever changed. It was so easy to be there, so natural. It reminded us of the expansive world we live in. Where the reality experienced in the West can be so detached from the life the majority of the world experience.

We have been back at our home for 10 days and my heart still aches for India! Here we have all the comforts one could ask for, all the comforts we certainly did not have while traveling... and somehow I would be happy to give them all away... maybe I will.

Vimal

Vimal probably spends her entire day from 6am-10pm preparing, cooking, and cleaning for others. She is an extraordinary woman and her heart is so full of love. While staying at the ashram we ate 3 meals a day (we had to or she would come find us)... she also reminded us to come get chai during tea time. She welcomed us with the biggest smile, checked to make sure we were eating enough, and she even helped fix my sari. It turns out she doesn't actually live in Shodagram, (the ashram), which means she must be away from her home an awful lot. She comes there to cook for everyone and the food she makes is amazing! She made separate non-spicy curry for us the first day, until Rex convinced her we really do enjoy spicy indian food.

We miss you Vimal, so so much!




At Shodagram... so happy.

Monkey Butts

On our balcony... cute from the other side of the glass but up close they have super sharp teeth. I kept opening the door to take pictures and then quickly shutting it to make sure they didn't jump on me.

Photography

There are many types of learners and most of us probably learn best using several learning styles combined. I am clear I am a visual learner... I LOVE pictures & colors! When I look at anything the first thing I do is look for pictures. Rex teases me about this often, but I tell him that's just how I process things. Who wants to read when you can look at pictures? I'm like a 4 year old when you are trying to read a story and they just want to flip the page to see the next picture. I realized that's why my blog is primarily pictures.

I hope to travel the world with my camera... this is why!