London Calling

One last set of pictures from my Europe trip last month.  

After Copenhagen, mom and I traveled to London where we spent a glorious 5 days.  We were on the run the entire time, trying to fit in all the things we wanted to see:  London Tower, London Bridge, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the National Gallery Portrait Gallery, the changing of the guard, Kensington Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Canary Wharf, Covent Garden, Harrod's, Westminster, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral and West End.  We also managed to score tickets to "Wicked."  What an amazing show!

London is such a fantastic city - I really think I could spend a month there and not run out of new things to see and do.  

The last several years there have been a number of female singers out of the UK that I find myself going back to time and time again - including Duffy - here is her "Stepping Stone."  Can you believe the smoky, bluesy voice that comes out of this tiny blonde?

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Overboard

This week I'm staying in a guest house rather than my normal Delhi apartment which means I usually stand in the driveway for a while waiting for the rest of the team to pick me up each morning.

Today, I plugged in my iPod while I watched a driver wash a car, a housekeeper sweep the walk and a few of the guards playing cricket. The music gave the scene a movie feel - especially this lovely song by Ingrid Michaelson.  I love it when you hear a song and immediately need to track down the lyrics.

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Out and about in Delhi

It was a rare no-work weekend in Delhi and I took full advantage.  I did a little more shopping that was actually necessary, but I also added a few photos to my colors of Delhi collection.  Check out the adorable little boy in this first set of photos!

This second photo is of a downed power line we had to get pass on our way home Sunday afternoon.  It took a while, but watching the process was fascinating.

My favorite song this week (and yes it could have something do with the fact that I won't be able to see a certain movie this week along with everyone in the US) but it is also just a beautiful song.

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Rainy Copenhagen

In early October my mom and I set off on our European adventure.  A first for her and a treat for me.  We started in Copenhagen - a truly beautiful city.  We explored beautiful old churches, the waterfront neighborhood and stately old castles.  We marveled and all the bicycles, ate at 7-11 too many times (don't ask) and tried to stay dry.  In fact, our only complaint about Copenhagen was the fact that it rained nearly every day.  

For me the highlight of the trip was celebrating with my friends from Rio as they were awarded the 2016 Olympics.  Years ago, I remember watching the announcement that Salt Lake City would be hosting the Games.  I thought then that it would be fun to be a volunteer, little did I know that I would find myself a part of the organizing committee or that someday I'd be involved in events around the world.  All these years later to be able to celebrate with Rio as they got their turn was a once in a lifetime experience.

Please excuse the blurry photos - between my jumping up and down and their jumping up and down I didn't get a single clear photo.

Because the theme of our Copenhagen trip was rain, a little Patty Griffin feels appropriate.

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Third Times the Charm - Kathmandu

Way back in September I went to Kathmandu to celebrate my birthday.  I'm finally getting around to posting a few photos of one of my favorite places on earth.

This first set of photos were taken at the Monkey Temple.  Such a fun colorful place.

The second set of photos came from the Boudhanath Stupa - so peaceful and yet in the middle of a crazy city.

The last set were taken as I wandered through the local Saturday market away from the tourist areas, one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Here's a little Frou Frou in honor of one of my favorite places to visit when I need to let go of the stress of life.

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A Makeover

My blog got a makeover thanks to the lovely Erin at Designer Blogs.  If you are like me and read your blogs through Google Reader, take a minute to click over to my regular site and so you can enjoy her lovely work.

I thought I'd use this post as an excuse to post one of my all time favorite songs, Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes."

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Vintage Friends

This weekend I was putting away some CD's that Miss M had pulled out of my shelf (one of these days I'll get around to childproofing.) As I worked I got a bit nostalgic about some of my favorite old CDs. I decided I would add some songs to my iPod so I could enjoy some retro music. Little did I know this would turn into a big project that would take up part of my weekend and several evenings.

Along the way, I rediscovered some old friends, the songs that got me through some hard days, songs that made me dance and some that made me cry.

It's fitting that I've spent a few days looking backwards, as that's how I'm going to spend this next weekend doing. On Friday I'm headed back to my college for a reunion with some of my favorite people. On Saturday I'm flying to Seattle to catch up with my friends there that I haven't seen since I moved four years ago.

Here's one of my old friends, Dido's "Life for Rent." I played this song over and over during a period of my life where I was trying to make a decision about the direction I was headed. It reminded me that taking chances and being willing to fail are an important part of living a full life.

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Beautiful World

One of the things I love most about living out of the country is that while I'm gone it is much easier to ignore  the negative stories that seem to saturate the media in the US.  While I'm in Delhi I almost never turn on the local TV - I get my news by picking and choosing from online sources - making it much easier to skip or skim through the really negative stuff.

I believe that living this way for the past four years has changed my view of the world.  I feel that without the media telling me what I should think and feel I'm better able to make up my own mind - and since I choose to see the world in a more positive light I think I'm in a happier place.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are problems in the world, I see examples of the ravages of poverty on a daily basis.  I just try to keep my focus on the slow improvements that are happening, the similarities we all share and the beauty in our differences.

This post is brought to you by a gorgeous song I heard this morning that got me thinking, "Beautiful World" by Dierks Bentley and Patty Griffin.

Dierks Bentley   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

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What I'm Loving Today

Today I'm loving:

Sitting in front of the fire while I work

Tazo Refresh tea

My cinnamon & clove bud candle

Brandi Carlile's new music

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Over

My holiday is over.

I'm home and slowly getting back to work

Until I have a chance to post some highlights from Copenhagen and London, enjoy my newest love, The Avett Brothers with their latest, "I and Love and You"

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