done with italia

first rome
2nd lido
3rd venice
4th milan

& tonite is the last nite here. italy has not made much of an impression on me as i thought. i think lido & venice were the nicest. i miss yummy food. everything has to be worried about here as porkie is everywhere. so hardly have that many choices.
im pizza & breaded out. kinda homesick. too many cities already in 2 countries. 1 more to go but im looking forward to portugal as being my relaxing country as im touristed out.
like ms. s i miss my BED, my clothes, my tv, my language, my HOME, my car, & dollars. lol
i dont care much to shop here as everything is easy to find in nc & cheaper. nothing seems to make me awe. the streets are beautiful in their own but its all older here. & like i always say once youve lived in nyc youve seen it all.
venice was something else though. ah marvel for sure. im still dizzy from the boat rides across to each little port there.

happy happy birthday ms sofia

you are 3 years old. (i see her putting up 3 fingers to let me know her age). & you are mesmerizing. you talk like a little person & you are quite the world trotter. you are a picky eater & you like to speak your mind. you are comforting at the same time & are very loyal to those that you love.
as i lay next to you last nite- i wondered how you will grow up & become this beautiful little lady & take over the hearts of the ones that are in your life. you seem to make magic with your big beautiful dark eyes. i wish the world for you & wish that you could be well rounded in life in all aspects. may you be kind & kinder to everyone you encounter. happy birthday little one.
i love you even when you are a whinny & loud. & cry for no real reason like right now.

oh barcelona

i love love love this city. its first impression was wonderful as the first nite i was full-filled with wonderful food that made me feel good. i mean a falafel & then wonderful 3 course meal where i ate monkfish for the first time. you can find anything here.
& there are mad desi people here. its like nyc. the apartment were in is great & real roomy. so ms. likes it better here as there is also a big patio out. las ramblas is right at our doorstep-well a street out & its awesome. by far my fav place in spain.
went to cordoba for a day & that was nice as well. beautiful architecture. cant wait to explore gaudis work all over town.

seville or sevilla

a fast ave train ride to this southern part of spain & this lands us in a small town. after explaining to the taxi driver where i need to get to we land in a tiny cobble-stoned street where we meet the lady that hands us the keys to the precious & very neat & very nice apartment. so far this apartment is awesome. feels too homely untill you look out the window from the little balcony & see that this isnt home. its too relaxing here as it is when im home & have nothing to do. taking the city tour in a day has gotten me feeling guilty to be staying here longer than 2 days but it helps to be laid back as dahling has been telling me as we will be off the the hustling town of barcelona in a couple of days. city stuff again.
i tell you this place is old town feel with all the helpings of the new age world. ive been so creative to our meals (yes ive been cooking as that seems much easier here) with only a handful of ingredients that its kinda scary. scary in the sense that i def. back home have too much of stuff that i dont really need. its crazy how i wished id packed lighter as i really really packed light for this trip. & lighter than this would mean -well hmmm lets not go there. these people live so relaxed. i mean the shops really are closed for siestas in the afternoon & all the bars/eateries are packed with locals. yes this place were staying in is very localish. love it. again i wish i knew more of the language. well i shold run of too my comfy bed as im catching an early train to cordoba for a day trip. sounds so travelish huh LOL.
oh & ms. s well she cant understand this concept of traveling but she def. appreciates that the big flat screen tv gives her the disney channel in english. & that is something that i appreciate myself. now only if there was netflix to rent some dvds id be alrite.

espana pt 1

after landing here a few days ago ive rested enough to say that america is the best.though i feel pretty comfortable here as i can get by well with the language untill someone starts talking in full speed-then i tell them to speak slowly & somehow it all works out. i just wish that i paid more attention in spanish class so i could have been fluent in it not just get by. language opens up the world for you. that & it is a pretty language. & i feel nice when i can get my point across or order food without pork. thats another thing-spaniards love their pork. ahhhh-one must be so careful to make sure that its not in it. words for that in all ways were memorized with the word no in front of it the first day i got here.
people here are beautiful & having ms. s around makes everyone act nicer to us. spain is much more friendlier than i remember france to be. our hotel in madrid is located very well in the centre so its fab. 6 days in madrid & alot of it spent walking has done my body good. i love walking around. theres always something to see, something to drink, something to eat.

my poor ms. s has been a trooper but today she has fallen ill due to one of her big teeth coming in. so its been a bit tough with her. she is very homesick as well. poor her. she doesnt understand why we cant just drive back home already. but before that up next is sevilla. here we go again...

sept 11th

a day that will long be remembered. god bless.

with family

pink was the theme

pink petals when you enter the house with pink cups, plates, naps, & me made flowers, the big & the small.

heavy appetizers & then yummy reshmi & shish kabob along with palak paneer & malai kofta with rice & chutneys. YUMMO FOOD from a great indian place.

& the birthday girl

with friends

with us 3

i like stuff nice & organized

my dry goods in glass containers labeled in chalk such as dals, pastas, rice & sugars.

no joke. so when life for me gets a bit too scattered or messy-i get jolted from where i like to sit. & i have to figure out how to make it right again. i hate messes (though sometimes i get into them without even knowing it but thats for another time) & i like things a certain way in my life. after having my little girl ive had no choice but to let the reigns loose, otherwise i held them tight in the house, in my life. you live & you learn & you might as well let go at times. ive learned the hard way-the more you try to organize your life-there are chances that it can go the opposite. & then what? might as well try to go with the flow. that too is a magical trait that only a handful are born with. id take a picture of my underwear drawer with everything color coordinated & folded but that maybe a little too much for some.

my masala cabinet. & labeled. with boxes facing the same way.

i didnt want to show this part off but i need to have it here so i can look back & say that i did try to have somethings in order at that time in my life.

ok i really should go to bed but that chocolate fondue didnt help as the caffeine in it isnt letting me sleep. note to self: chocolate=caffeine. DUH!

full moon tonite folks. fun fun. its been good to me so far. no hissy fits this time.

i heart september

i dont know what it is about this month but i like it. its like a new start-like freshness-like school starting-like fall is around the corner-no more sticky hot days. FALL is my FAVORITE season ever. i love it. the best things in my life have happened around this time. i love full sleeve shirts & scarves & socks & soup& people needing to be warm & leaves turning shades so beautiful that cant still be put in a crayon box. it can only be gods work. i heart september.