Nihao, Cupcake!

Camping & Cooking; Cooking & Camping

Over spring break our family went camping. Our boys missed it so much during the four years we lived in China. Although, we came home twice a year, there never was enough time to camp.

One of the things we discovered right before moving to China was cast iron Dutch oven cooking. A friend taught us how to do it before we moved. We were excited to try it again during this trip five years after the last time! 

We forgot how fun and easy it is! You can cook almost anything using a Dutch oven. We made french toast, biscuits, dinner rolls, chicken, potatoes, vegetables, curry, rice, & cake. Can you believe that?

If you like camping, cooking over a fire or even using briquettes, I strongly recommend giving a Dutch oven a try. You will not be disappointed. I won't go into the details since I am no expert and there are lots of great websites out there with wonderful information. Just google Dutch Oven cooking - you won't be disappointed. 

And the kids just couldn't believe we were cooking our own food over a real campfire.

We didn't cook everything in the dutch oven, however. I made my kids this fun & tasty Banana S'more using a sheet of aluminum foil and the heat from our fire (the last night) & the heat from our white hot briquettes (the first night).

It tastes much better than it looks!

To make a Banana S'more, all you need is a banana, knife, mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Of course if you forget your mini-marshmallows like I did, you can cut up your large marshmallows.

Simply slice your banana lengthwise with the skin still on. Gently squeeze the banana from the long ends to get the slit to open slightly.

Stuff the opening with a few mini chocolate chips. Add some mini marshmallows. 

Sprinkle in a few more mini chocolate chips.

Carefully wrap the entire banana in foil.

Then either set your foil-wrapped banana directly on top (or under) the camp fire or bury under white hot coals. Be sure to use a stoker or long tongs especially made for tending fires so you don't burn yourself. 

 

Banana set atop the burning embers under the active fire burning above

Wait 5 or 10 minutes. Remove the Banana S'more from the fire.

 

 

Banana totally buried under white hot charcoal

 

Let cool a few minutes. Carefully unwrap the foil. Your Banana S'more should be cooked through, chocolate and marshmallows melted.

Using a spoon - dig in! Scopping, the insides out and eating like a dessert.

ENJOY!

The next time you go camping, I hope you will give this easy, fun & tasty recipe a try.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

On Nihao, Cupcake! Blog this week:

**Project Life: Week 15 tomorrow.

**a new photography challenge coming up on Thursday (and the 25th of every month going forward)! The theme this month is 4 Self Portraits; 4 Ways. Feel like you want some photography inspiration & motivation? Join us! We will have a link where you can add your post too. The challenge is to take 4 self-portraits, 4 different ways, but even one is cause for celebration. So don't be shy! More details to be revealed on Thursday. We hope you'll stop by & join in.

How to Survive a Japanese Wedding While Having a Great Time Part 1

Back in November my middle son and I traveled to Japan to attend the wedding of the daughter of some of our dearest friends. I met this family back in the 90's when I lived in Japan and taught English.

Their daughters were 4 & 6 back then and they hired me to teach three classes in their home for the daughters and about 12 other children in the neighborhood.

After the classes were over, the mother would invite me to stay over for tea. We would chat, both with dictionaries in hand. I was learning Japanese & she was learning English.

We did this every week for two years. We became close friends. The family also invited me and my husband (fiance at the time) over for dinner often and even took us on a wonderful trip of Japanese hot springs and amusement parks before we moved back to California.

When we got married their two daughters were the flower girls in our wedding!

I had always hoped I would get the opportunity to return to Japan someday and attend the wedding of their daughters. For so many reasons.

There is no greater privelege than to share in the tradition, customs & special ceremony of friends from another country and culture, especially in the intimate way that we were able to. 

We were treated like family. I feel like we are family. I will cherish these memories forever. It was one of the highlights of my life!

We arrived in Kyushu (southern most Japanese island) early in the morning after more than 24 hours of travel. We walked from the train station directly to the hotel where everyone was getting dressed. We quickly changed from our travel clothes into our wedding clothes at the traditional hotel.

In the lobby of the hotel we all posed with the bride & her family before heading up the mountain to the Buddhist temple where the ceremony was to be held. Her father was joining her at the temple. 

The groom's father is a Buddhist priest and they were getting married at his temple in a traditional Buddhist ceremony.

Very few Japanese have religious ceremonies now-a-days so this was a rare opportunity even for Japanese people. It is actually considered incredibly old fashioned and boring and they could not believe we actually wanted to travel as far as we did to attend. The family lives on the main island of Honshu in Kyoto, 600 miles away. 

Here is the bride and her younger sister in the van ready to depart for the temple. My son and I rode up with the bride, her mother & her sister in the van. The father of the bride met us at the temple.

Exiting the van at the mountain temple.

Ascending the mountain from the road.

The wedding photographers were at the ready, awaiting her arrival. Her mother escorts her up the last part of the mountain to the temple.

She is wearing traditional wedding Kimono. Her sister and I followed them up the pathway. I was trying to hide so I wouldn't ruin the traditional photos. They wanted us in the photos because we were part of the scene. And there is still some novelty in having someone from so far away attend a wedding.

Entering the temple gates.

Her mother escorts her through the temple grounds into the temple.

We pass the time chatting and enjoying the gorgeous grounds

and location - high in the mountains.

The temple congretation anxiously awaits the arrival of the bride.

The temple congregation was never far away from the excitement. They are so happy for the wedding of their priest's son. They watched him grow up here.

The bride's friends enjoying the beauty of the temple grounds.

Entering the temple to wait before the ceremony begins. The stairs are difficult for her to ascend due to the way the Kimono fits tightly around her legs and of course her special sandals.

In a room off the main temple, we relax with the family. The groom's grandmother stops in to greet the bride and her family.

The bride's father was at the temple awaiting her arrival. We relax with the family having snacks in anticipation of the ceremony to begin in a few minutes. The mother of the bride receives a few last minute touch ups while the aunt of the groom looks on.

The ceremony begins as the two younger sisters of the groom process in with candles in their gorgeous Kimono. They wore my favorite Kimonos of the entire weekend.

Next cousins of the groom enter carrying gorgeous flowers.

The groom enters wearing a traditional wedding Kimono.

And now the bride enters escorted by her attendant who is the aunt of the groom.

This was my view of the ceremony. I sat on the bride's side in the third & last row.

This is the Buddhist prayer book. I was happily reading along (I know how to read Japanese) but could not remember what any of it meant. I used to know, once upon a time!

Exchanging vows.

Then the entire audience shared in a cup of celebratory sake. Even Nicholas got to partake. He felt so adult. He was surprised by how good tasting it was. It was a sweet sake and probably of very high quality so it went down smooth!

Immediately after the ceremony we posed for photos.

We took photos of each other.

Then it was our turn. The family photo...

This is my faux pas photo. Notice my bare feet?? After living in Japan 2.5+ years, and visiting two times since, I know better!

Of course at a temple I would have to remove my shoes! Of course not covering my feet would be impolite and inappropriate. But for some reason, when my little feetie socks could be seen in my flats, instead of sticking them in my purse, I put them back in my suitcase! 

So I arrived at the temple door and had to remove my shoes. I cringed inside. But I knew my dear friends would forgive me. So, I held my head high and did my best to be respectful and enjoy myself at the same time.

Only one person expressed concern that my feet might be cold. I assured him that I was perfectly comfortable.

And then one photo of "the kids."

Back to the side room for more snacks.

A quick nap...

More photos out in front of the temple before the Kyushu reception.

Then we high tailed it back to the train station to catch the Nozomi high speed train straight to Kyoto.

And we caught a few ZZZZZZZZss so we could wake up in the morning and do it all again the very next day with the bride's friends and family Kyoto-style!

Check back soon for How to Survive a Japanese Wedding While Having a Great Time Part 2.

Thanks for stopping by!

FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop - December 2012

Dear friends, the end of the year is fast approaching! But despite the busyness we (the FAMILY x 12 Blog Hoppers) are pausing briefly to share our monthly (almost) tradition of sharing with your our family photo(s) from the month.

My photos this month are of my Japanese "family." I have known this family for 17 years. We are about as close as two families can be who are separated by the entire Pacific Ocean! We lived in Japan for more than 2 and a half years and it was then that we met and grew very close. I taught English to their girls and many of their neighbors' children. Yukiko (the mom) and I spent hours chatting over green tea and manjyu pouring over our dictionaries both learning each others' language. We spent many meals over at their house as well as some exciting Kyoto restaurants. The most memorable was probably the Fugu restaurant which serves the poisonous puffer fish! We all survived - luckily! I am pretty sure I even cooked them as much of a Thanksgiving dinner as I could using their old small kitchen in their traditional Kyoto home.

We even took a long weekend trip together to the Southern-most Japanese island visiting traditional Japanese resorts, zoos & amusement parks. It was their treat. The girls were only 7 & 9. Kotono (the younger one) & I were partners on all the roller coasters. Ayane, at the time, didn't like roller coasters so she watched from the ground.

When my husband and I were married, the girls were our flower girls at our wedding in California!

Yuji & Yukiko visited us every time after we had a new baby. They brought us a very large traditional gift that is given to families (by the grandparents) every time a couple has a boy after I had my first son. I'm sure they would have brought us the traditional girls gift if I had ever had a girl!

Late this past summer, the girls, now young women, came to California for the first time on their own to visit us. It was a wedding present to the oldest "girl" from their father, Yuji. It was so wonderful to reconnect with them as young women. I don't think they really remembered us all that well. They knew us, but not like we remember them. After their week with us, we became close with them as well. I feel like I have two new friends just like their mother. They are so like their mother in different ways.

Last month one of my sons and I made the trek to attend the oldest daughter's wedding. It took a 12 hour flight, a ten hour layover in Beijing, a three hour flight to Osaka, a 45 minute limosine bus to Kobe, an overnight bus to the island of Kyushu, a 45 minte train ride to Saga, a ten minute walk to the hotel and then a 45 minute ride (with bride, mother & sister) in a van to make it to the traditional Buddhist ceremony at a small temple in the mountains. My ankles were swollen for three days from all that travel, but it was worth every moment! The night of that ceremony, we rode the bullet train back to Kyoto and the next day we had the privelege to attend the wedding reception in Kyoto. Amazing! It was so special being there.

A full cirlce moment for me. Even when the girls were just 6 & 8 I always wanted to return to Japan to attend their weddings. Their mom & I used to talk about it. I can't believe it actually happened. I treasure this family's friendship so very much. 

So even though it isn't my family by blood, my photos this month are of my family nonetheless. My son and I represent our side of the American part of the family.

Now on to the rest of the blog hop participants this month... RUTH is next.

 

December FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop Participants

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog

Ruth http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com

Patricia http://patoliveira.wordpress.com/

Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com

 

Coconut Shampoo {Day 11 of 31 Days of Blogging}

Now I am posting twice a day on some days. No hard and fast rules. Doing my best to post 31 times in 31 days. We'll just pretend it is 31 posts in 31 days. Nobody is stopping by to read these anyway. I get a lot of google visitors to check out all of my CUPCAKES and iwth Halloween coming up that increases my traffic.

This is a humorous street photo I took from a motor rickshaw in India. I don't think anyone else find it as funny as I do. Just a silly photo taken on accident.

 

Hotel Courtyard - Pingyao, China {Day 9 of 31 Days of Blogging}

Taken in the courtyard of our hotel in Pingyao, China. Sept 2010

7-Up & Local Food in Jodhpur, India {Day 8 of 31 Days of Blogging}

The post today will have to stand on its own due to shortage of time and a swollen finger. Come back tomorrow for another favorite photo!

 

Chinese Canal Town in the Morning Fog {Day 6 of 31 Days of Blogging}

I may have posted this one before. It is my favorite photo from a weekend photography class I took. Well, maybe not my favorite photo from the weekend, but my favorite photo from the village we were trying to shoot. When we wandered outside the touristy area, I managed to get another photo that I like better.

This photo was taken at a Chinese canal town in the morning fog.

I will post the other favorite one later in the 31 days. Thanks again for stopping by. What will I post tomorrow???

Sunrise at a Train Station in Rajasthan, India {Day 3 of 31 Days of Blogging}

I took this photo from inside a train as we were pulling away from the station. I was trying to capture the sunrise. I wish I knew enough about editing photos to bring out the colors in the sky without it looking overly processed. But otherwise, I like this photo. I like the different stories it tells. I love the silhouettes and how they fit nicely in rectangles and I like the almost bright colors. It is India to me and holds a lot of good memories from our trip there last year.

Thanks again for stopping by... 3 down, 28 more to go! Photos, that is. 31 posts in 31 days.

Dear Photograph,

Dear Photograph,

It is hard to believe that it has been fifteen years since we visited Tian'anmen Square for the very first time in 1997. It is the one place in Beijing that is still recognizeable to me. The rest of the city is still changing at a break neck pace. I was hard pressed to find anything different between the two photographs.

The walls appear to be a different color red but is that only the angle of light? The old photo has red flags on the flag poles, but other than that the only difference I could find was the white street lamps in the older photo just under the sign on the left side. Even the color of the sky is the same! This is pretty unusual these days since the pollution has gotten so bad in the past four years. Beijing is a much different city when the skies are blue!

The Forbidden City is a much different place now than it was then. There are so many more tourists these days. I remember back then most of the visitors were dressed in drab colored Mao suits comlete with matching hats. So many babies and toddlers were balanced on the marble bridges below Mao's portrait for a photo of their own with Tian'anmen gate and Mao's portrait proudly showing in the background - proof of their pilgramage from the village to the capital city. Oh, how I wish I had captured a photo of that scene! How times changes and in such a short time. Now thousands of domestic tourists pour over the marble bridges each day and the crowds are kept moving. No chance to balance a baby and pose for what used to be an obligatory photograph and keepsake of a citizen's journey to their beloved captial.

 

I was finally motivated to get this photo taken by the DEAR PHOTOGRAPH Challenge at Ella Publishing's blog. If you hurry, you can link up too, it ends today, May 31st.

Come back tomorrow, Friday, June 1st for the ONE LITTLE WORD monthly blog hop AND for a fantastic give away compliments of Ella Publishing. I will be giving away Ella Publishing's PHOTOGRAPHY BUNDLE (if sold separately it's over a $21 value!)

Ella Publishing May Take 12 Challenge :: Stepping Back in Time [China-Style]

It is time for yet another Ella Publishing Take 12 Challenge!!

CONFESSION: My twelve photos are not actually from May 12th. Shhhhhhhhh! I had a very special day on May 11th. I had a very special day on May 13th (Mother's Day). On May 12th... not so much.

Don't get me wrong. We had a fun day, but it was not a day that was conducive to good photos. Nor was I in the mood to force myself to take photos, as much as I tried.

I call myself "The Moody Photographer." And when the mood isn't there, I don't take photos.

So, I decided to do my layout with the TWELVE photos that did inspire me. On the 11th I went on a special tour with a group of other moms who live in Beijing. We went to a village just outside of the city. It is the one place in the world that makes the special glazed tiles (many 3 dimensional) that adorn the buildings at The Forbidden City, the city gates (including Tian'anmen Square), the temple buildings in the parks, etc.

It is a workshop where they mine shale in the local mountains. They turn that to clay and packing molds by hand, they create these amazing decorative tiles.

After which, they dip them in glaze (made from cobalt, copper & iron) and fire them in old fashioned kilns. 

 

I love these mock old Chinese coin brads I got from Michaels. They come with two other Chinese-esque brads that are equally as cool/beautiful.  

One reason this trip was so meaningful to me was that I have taken ceramics classes at various times in my life; for two years while in Japan, one summer in college when the visiting professor told me I should be an artist and in California with my kids at our local community center. [How cool that they had Mommy & me ceramics classes,no?!]

I chose this paper from the Far East (Die Cuts With a View) paper pack because the crackling reminded me of the dried mud turning into clay in huge troughs at the front of the workshop. 

 

I wanted the attention on my photos so I chose a sketch (Template 1 in the Template packet) from the Ella Publishing Take 12 Guided Inspiration Kit. And I LOVE how it turned out. The photos are definitely the stars of this layout. They tell the stoy.

There is more journaling I would like to add, so I might add a 6x12 insert and if there is space, I might add a few smaller accent photos along with my journaling.

I just loved this day. 

I loved interacting with the artisans, being able to be right in the heart of their workshop - literally stepping over the wet clay shapes waiting to go into the drying room (essentially a giant oven).

This is the drying room. Notice how the pieces are different shades of grey? The darker pieces are the wet ones and the lighter grey ones are almost dry and ready to go to the glazing workshop.

It was like stepping back in time to simpler times before over-litigation and the chaos of the modern world got in the way.

A day like this is one of the magical treasures that seem to happen or find you when living abroad. It's a wonderful surprise to find amazing things that still seem undiscovered. Hard to find any more!

Oh! I almost forgot! The best part was that we got to take home some of these amazing tiles. The lady who organized the tour is fascinated with the mythical creatures on the tiles that adorn the roofs of the Forbidden City. 

This is my lion.

It is this fascination that inspired her to arrange the tour. She worked on our tour guide the entire time trying to convince him to let us purchase a tile or two and he finally broke down when she told him, "My life won't be complete until I get to take some of those animals home!" With that, they opened up their storehouse and we had a great time shopping in the dark, dusty (such thick dust you wouldn't believe it) store house, picking out our treasures that cleaned up very nicely. 

This is my dragon.

To see all my Flickr photos from the outing, including photos of the village with a faded painting of Mao Zedong (I'm pretty sure that is who it is) on one of the walls and a train rushing past within mere feet of us as we stood on a bridge, click here.

To see all of my past Take 12 Layouts and the corresponding posts, go here.

More inspiration from the Take Twelve Design Team:

Like the Car
Janette Carter-Kincaid
Scrap Inspired
Scrappy Wife, Happy Life
Day by Day
Right Here-Right Now
The Scrapbooking Haven Diva
Scrapworthy Lives
People of the Scrapbook
My Little Blessings
Life is Sweet
A Swoop and a Dart
Endless Possibilities
Yeah, Write

Visit Ella Publishing Co. to link up your layout or photos for a chance to win this month's prize.

 

A Family Story for Storytelling Sunday

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I'm linking up at Sian's blog for Storytelling Sunday (first Sunday of every month). Sian shares a story and invites others to tell a story on their blog and join her linky party. If you have a story to tell, why not think about joining in?!

I'm excited to get this story documented today. I can't believe I managed to get a scrapbook page made as well!

Here is the journaling:

Guilou: This is likely a word we heard while we were sitting at a table in public in Golmud, China in 1997. We were traveling with our friend Bob (from London), who we met on the road. Bob studied Mandarin in Beijing so he was our translator. On this day, we were sriting postcards and since foreigners were a rare sight, we attracted quite a crowd. Bob made a sign (in Mandarin) asking for a few kuai (about 5 cents) to watch the show. Unfortunately, we didn't get any takers so our only take away was a good story!

It is a short but sweet one today. I hope you enjoyed it.

#LOAD212 - Day 8 {Jodhpur Fort}

Even though I have been keeping up with the LOAD (Layout A Day) Challenge, I haven't been posting my layouts here every day for a couple of reasons. Sometimes I have something else to post and other times, I have other people in my layouts that aren't in my family so I keep those layouts only in private galleries.

The papers for this one as well as the sequin-type things at the top were purchased on my trip to India at a neat paper store in Delhi.

What's the most exotic scrapbook supply that you have ever purchased? Where did you buy it?

To see everything LOAD related on my blog, click here.

To see everything SCRAPBOOK realted on my blog, click here.

 

Ella Publishing Take 12 Challenge :: Layout & Jetlag

 

I can't tell you how much I love a project like this. Take twelve photos on the twelfth of every month of the year and then make 12 layouts, of course! Give me a photography challenge and I am there. And taking everyday photos is my favorite.

On the 12th of January this year the boys and I had a 13+ hour flight across the Pacific to be reunited with their Dad who was back in Beijing, China. Not the most exciting activity to take photos of. But there in lies the challenge, no?

We take this flight four times a year - twice there and twice back. It has been a big part of our lives for the last three and a half years. This should be documented. I try to take one or maybe two photos every time we fly but I have never tried to "tell the story" of the flight. I am so glad that I did! I love how so many of the photos turned out.

I used template #12 from the Ella Publishing Take Twelve Template Pack. It was so easy to use! I am still suffering from jetlag - there is a 16 hour difference between California and Beijing - so I didn't want to spend a lot of time on my layout. (I need more sleep!) This template was perfect and it's so cute! I used digital papers and ribbon from Tracie Stroud Designs to add some color. The simple text is Arial.

 

DID YOU TAKE TWELVE??

Did you Take Twelve and make a layout? Join the link party at Ella Publishing! There are prizes. But hurry, you have to link up today (Jan 18).

Do you want to Take Twelve but didn't do it on the 12th? Not to worry, it isn't too late! (Link party for prizes closes today but feel free to link up next month and/or leave me a link in the comments [here and/or at Ella's blog] and I'll come see your page.) In fact, Ella Publishing has a discount on their TAKE TWELVE Inspiration Kit just for procrastinators. Angie Lucas even gives tips on cheating on the blog. I'm all for cheating in scrapbooking if it gets another story told and a memory documented! It all counts, right?

Don't forget to check out the Take Twelve Flickr group and post your photos & finished layouts.

Check out the blogs of the other Ella Publishing Take Twelve Design Team:

 

Like the Car

Nihao, Cupcake!

Janette Carter-Kincaid

Scrap Inspired

Scrappy Wife, Happy Life

Day by Day

Right Here-Right Now

The Scrapbooking Haven Diva

Scrapworthy Lives

People of the Scrapbook

My Little Blessings

Life is Sweet

A Swoop and a Dart

Endless Possibilities

Yeah, Write

 

PROJECT LIFE

I loved the photos my boys and I took on the 12th so much that I came up with a way to integrate more of them into my Project Life album. I'll post that tomorrow (Beijing time) along with my finished Project Life layout from week one that was meant to be posted on Tuesday. (Jetlag is a killer!)

 

FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop {January 5, 2012}

Welcome to the first FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop of 2012!

Every month on the 5th, a small group of us have a blog hop to keep each other accountable in our efforts to take more family photos throughout the year. Our goal is one family photo a month.

How lucky that the blog hop landed on a Thursday because not only do I get to use my photo for the blog hop, but I get to use it as my link up for EMBRACE the CAMERA at The Anderson Family Crew Blog. I love participating and try to as often as I can.

The goal of both events is to encourage ourselves to get in front of the camera with our families and loved ones so it is a perfect match!

My family photo this month was taken on our family holiday in Purgatory, Colorado the week before Christmas. It was my husband's idea. My father was born and raised in Durango (25 miles from Purgatory) and loved it. He took us every other summer when we were growing up. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1989 and I have only been back once. My husband had never been. It is a gorgeous place and definitely holds a very special place in my heart so it was wonderful to see it again. It has changed alot, but it is still the quaint, charming town I remember. Now, we hope to go back again but this time in the summer as there are even more things to do there at that time of year, as there are in the winter. I can't wait to go camping, hiking, jeeping and finally ride the narrow gauge train from Durango to Silverton.

 

Here's a bonus photo of me with my kids and mom in downtown Durango in front of the historic Strater Hotel where my father worked as a bellboy in his youth.

 

A nighttime view of Durango all decorated for Christmas.

 

And another family photo in Zion National park on our way from Durango to Northern California to be with family on Christmas.

 

GIVE AWAY

Before I send you off on the blog hop, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you I was having a HUGE giveaway on my blog right now! I have one space in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes to give away. Comments are open until 9 PM PST tonight. Read the giveaway post for more details.

 

CLASSES

Anyone else taking any classes this year? I am! Right now I am doing TWELVE. with Stacy Julian at BPC, Reclaiming My Time with Karen Grunberg, ONE LITTLE WORD with Ali Edwards, 12 Days of Christmas with a bunch of teachers at BPC and have just signed up for my very favorite...

LOAD!  

Anyone else doing LOAD? I have been participating since 2008 and haven't missed one yet. It's intense, but so much fun. What is LOAD? It stands for Layout A Day - so basically you produce one layout a day for a month and Lain supplies motivation, prompts (optional) and even video inspiration for the first time!

 

OFF YOU GO...

Now on with the blog hop! Next on the list is Ruth. If you should get lost along the way, there is a complete blog hop list and the end of the post, so you can return here to find your way.

 

Margie   http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog <--- You are HERE.

Ruth   http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com  <--- Go here NEXT. 

Jo           http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com

Monica   http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com

Patricia  http://patoliveira.wordpress.com/

Carol Anne    http://www.scrappingthoughts.com

 

MORE STORY BEHIND THE BLOG HOP

The reason I started this hop is because I realized after a trip to Singapore and then a trip to Kyoto, Japan, that I never took a family photo during either amazing trip! How could that happen? Then, I saw a post on Tara Whitney's blog last December that she made a goal to take a family photo once every month in 2010. Her photos were wonderful. Many are just her family hanging around the house. I don't think any of them are formal and posed but they are all very fun. I was so INSPIRED and knew I had to try this. I was lucky that some blog friends wanted to play along. They have guaranteed that I won't forget my goal. And the month when I did forget, I cheated! As long as I take a photo at a time when the month hasn't ended some where in the world, my photo still counts. 

Because the most important thing is that we get more family photos. The time that our loved ones are with us is fleeting, so capturing ourselves together as we are now, is priceless.

One on One: November 1 One Little Word Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the One Little Word monthly blog hop! For those of you that are new, One Little Word is a class at Big Picture Classes, taught by Ali Edwards. A group of us students join together on the first of every month to share our projects. My blog is the first stop. Don't forget to keep going - there's lots more inspiration to follow.

 

This month I am letting the photos speak for themselves. I quickly set up a selection system for myself to narrow down my nine photos for the prompt. I decided to select from all the photos I took between February (our last photo prompt) and today. The photos were already rated 3 stars and I quickly went through and tagged the ones that said SERENDIPITY to me.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Now on to the rest of the amazing participants for more fabulous inspiration. You won't be disappointed! Next on the hop is Julie Ann. If you should get lost along the way, please come back here and you will find a list of all the participants just below.

Thanks for stopping by! See you next month, if not before.

 

But before you go, I hope you don't mind if I ask for your opinion, please? There is a photo contest coming up at the end of this week and I am trying to decide which photo to enter.

This is the contest description:

Community members are invited to make photographic journeys into their understanding of 'truth' in the contemporary urban context.

This may manifest itself in many ways: the truth about congestion, architecture, 
population, pollution, wealth, poverty etc. There are no boundaries regarding 
subject matter as the idea of 'truth' is essentially subjective and personal.

Here are the two I am considering:

I see this photo as the truth of modern Chinese culture. We are in the back streets of a Chinese city and although the conditions are poor and the mother in the background is dressed in modest clothing working outside her home. The little girls are posing for the camera nicely dressed in their namebrand, albeit fake, clothing. Notice the Chanel zipper pull?

This second photo tells the truth about someone. We are first drawn in by the bright colors and pretty items on the surface but at second glance we notice the stains, the haphazard sticthing to repair the fabric, as we look longer, we notice more details and get a glimpse into who this person might be - the scissors, the old fashioned needle, the keys, the coin, what looks like a thumb drive on the key chain.

If you have any other thoughts that pop into your head about either photo and how they relate to the theme of truth, I'd love to hear those too.

Now back to the blog hop! Thanks for letting me steal you for a few minutes. I had to take the opportunity since I knew I would have a higher volume of visitors today. Thanks!

EDITED Nov 6, 2011: Unfortunately, the photo contest has been postponed until early February (after Chinese New Year). They didn't email until the day of the original due date. Oh well! It is just as well, though, since I was only the second entry. I really appreciate everyone's input. It was really very helpful.

And don't forget, Julie Ann is next on the blog hop!

 

November 1 OLW Blog Hop Participant List

 

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com/

Julie Ann            http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com

Lisa                 http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Sam                  http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Jenn                  http://studiojenn.blogspot.com

Cheri                http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Jan                  http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Debra                http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com

Nikki                http://www.inkyart.com.au

Monica            http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com

Rebekah            http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com

Lynn                 http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Jill  http://jillconyers.typepad.com/

 

31 DAYS of CREATIVE INSPIRATION:: Day 15 {Color Inspiration}

This is the 15th post in a 31 Day series: Creative Inspiration. Check out all the posts here.

It is the Color Combo Blog Hop today! This is the third time I have participated (I think?!), but it is a monthly event and lots of fun. We are given a color combo and can use it to make something, anything we want. It is a great excuse for me to crank out a scrapbook page especially if I haven't done one in a while, which I haven't.

You should have found your way here from Sue's blog. Thanks to Amy for hosting.

Color does great for inspiration, don't you think? And so does a challenge? And what better deadline than a blog hop? More great support for an online habit, like I discussed in yesterday's post. Blog hops are awesome like that.

And today you get to experience one first hand. Hop on to the other blogs to see what the other ladies did with one of the color combos. We were given three to choose from. I chose this one:

 

Here is my scrapbook page. I purchased the patterned paper (yellow & gold) & the dimensional flowers in Delhi, so I thought they were perfect for this page which is about our Elephant ride in Jaipur, India in the state of Rajasthan.

I still need to add journaling. I want to ask my kids about their memories of this exciting and unforgettable ride. And I just realized I misspelled unforgettable, the title! So I am not quite done, but you get the main idea!

What inspires you? Is it color? If so, what is your favorite color combo?

Next on the hop is Michelle. Please continue on as there are lots more color inspiration after me, all with a fall color scheme. If you should get lost, see below for a list of all the participants on todays' hop!

Thanks for stopping by and please come again!

www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com

http://suealthouse.blogspot.com

http://xnomads.typepad.com    <--- You are HERE now.

http://michelleroycroft.blogspot.com  <--- Go HERE next.

http://throughthecameralens.typepad.com/

http://scrapyourlife.net

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com

http://handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://adriennefalzon.blogspot.com/

http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

31 DAYS OF CREATIVE INSPIRATION: Day 10 {Drive-By Travel Photography} 10 on 10 @ Shimelle.com

This is the 9th post in a 31 Day series: Creative Inspiration. Check out all the posts here.

Today I hope to inspire you with 10 special travel photos on the 10th of the 10th month for Shimelle's 10 on 10 link party. Anyone can join - it's simple. Blog about any ten things of your own creation on the tenth of the month, go to Shimelle.com and link up.

My husband and I came to Beijing in 1997 right after we were married. We stayed for three days and did all of the typical tourist things. We took photos at all the expected places, Tian'anmen Square under Mao's portrait, The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven, etc.

What we forgot to take pictures of were the ordinary things - the crowded buses, the two line subway, the large boulevards dominated by bicycles, the blocks and blocks of old courtyard homes (hutongs), the street food, the people.

Now that it is 2011, Beijing is unrecognizable to me. It looks nothing like it did when I was here 15 years ago. I would love to look back at my Beijing holiday photos and remember how it was back then. To see how truly remarkable the change has been.

But I can't. I don't have any photos.

With the way I take photos these days. So. much. of the everyday. It is hard for me to fathom how I took virtually no 'everyday' photos back then.

What was I thinking?

No foresight for what was to come. None! 

Our first camel sighting in Rajasthan.

I want to remember what is unique about the places I am fortunate enough to visit. The tourist attractions, I can buy a postcard if I have to. The everday sights, the back alleys, the back roads, the villages - it is up to me to get those on film.

Now when I travel, I cannot take enough photos. I thought I took a lot before. I refuse to admit how many photos I take in a day now. It's embarrasing.

But now I have gems like these.

 

Do you know what is unique about all ten of the photos in this post?

Each one was taken from inside a moving vehicle. 

Imagine if I didn't get these amazing sites captured on film? 

In fifteen years, this India, which is developing rapidly, will be unrecognizable. I want to remember these places how they were when I got to visit this past June.

The photo above and the one below were taken from inside a Toyota 4 Runner with the windows tightly rolled up and the A/C blasting - Rajasthan is SIZZLING HOT in June.

This photo was taken out of the back of a rickshaw. That's my husband on the back of the motorcycle with the son of the owner of our Haveli (centuries old home) where we were staying. He picked us up from the station and arranged for a motor rickshaw to take us there. Paul couldn't fit with all our luggage (5 daypacks). Later in our trip we would count 15 people in one motor rickshaw, so I'm not sure why we couldn't manage one more person in ours!

This photo was taken from the back of an open air gypsy (jeep type vehicle) returning home from our camel safari.

I'm linking up at Shimelle.com today for 10 on the 10th.

 

5 BONUS DRIVE-BY PHOTOS

I find this photo humorous for some reason. Do you think it's funny? If so why? I can't quite figure it out. Does it seem like a quirky ad for coconut shampoo?

I love the glimpses of the everyday in these photos.

Most of them are straight out of camera (SOOC). I think they will look even better if I spend a little time cropping some and brightening them up. I shoot in RAW, so as many of you know that typically means they are a bit drab until they get some loving care.

I'm dying to crop out that edge of the cart on the right of the photo below. That will make that picture so much cleaner.

You don't need a fancy camera to be a DRIVE-BY PHOTOGRAPHER. In fact, I know a few of these photos were taken with my Canon Point & Shoot on SPORTS MODE.

 

You can see the glare from the car window on this one. I'm in the 4 Runner again.

I had hardly a moment to frame these photos, so as you can imagine I had far more pictures worthy of deletion than saving.

But look how many are worth saving.

I took this one out the window of our train while it was leaving the station. Is it just me, or does it seem counterproductive to SWEEP off a train track.

 Tomorrow is Project Life Tuesday. Not only will I be posting my photos, but I'll give you a peek into my album.

 

 

31 Days of Creative INSPIRATION Series

Introduction

Day 1: Design Your Own Cupcake

Day 2: Storytelling Sunday

Day 3: Scrapbooking (Week in the Life Album)

Day 4: Everyday Photojournalism (Project 365/Project Life)

Day 5: Family Photo Fun - FAMILY x 12 BLOG HOP

Day 6: Links to Creatively Inspiring People (all writing a 31 Day series)

Day 7: Healthier (But Still Delicious) Cottage Pie

Day 8: Photo Walk

Day 9: Fun Photo Story

Day 10: Drive By Travel Photography

Other topics in the works for my 31 Days of Creative Inspiration Series: 

Photography - I answer the question, 'How do I know if I should buy a DSLR camera?', Family Photo Fun ideas from around the web.

Recipes - my husband's delicious salsa, HealthIER (Yet Still Delicious) Recipes

Scrapbooking - My favorite mini album, 30 minute scrapbook challenge

more Cupcake Ideas, craft ideas...

AND LOTS, LOTS MORE (I'm posting for 31 Days straight, remember?!)

And to find more than 700 other blogs participating in the 31 Days series, go here. There is a huge variety of topics to choose from.

India: Rajasthan – a Photo Book from Paper Coterie

India: Rajasthan  created by: Margie S.

A random grouping of some of our favorite photos from our trip to India in June. Unfortunately the order of the pages have been mixed and I am in the process of working with customer service to get this straightened out, so please excuse the strange order of things.

via www.papercoterie.com

Click on the link to view my book.

FAMILY X 12 August Blog Hop

Ok, so my biggest blogging fear came true! I totally blanked on posting this month's blog hop and I am the first blog on the hop!

I think that is a sign that life is more stressful or chaotic than I am admitting perhaps! But, that doesn't mean I can't keep plowing forward and doing my best and publish my post a few hours late. Please forgive me!

Last month I had to cancel the blog hop at the last minute due to my husband's sudden illness, so this month we bring to you two months worth of family photos.

 

JULY FAMILY PHOTO

As many of you may know, we live in Beijing and for the summers the kids and I come to California while my husband stays in Beijing to work. Most summers he is able to come join us for a couple of weeks but this year there is just too much to do at work. It also didn't help that he missed two weeks of work due to his scary illness earlier in July. This means that our immediate family was not all together at any time during the month. So, instead I present you this photo of me with my kids and my mom. If it were not for the hop, I know I would not have remembered to get a photo of all of us with my mom. So even though it isn't exactly a family photo, it is a treasured photo none-the-less.

 

JUNE FAMILY PHOTOS

This is our family in Ranthambhore Wildlife Park in Rajasthan, India on a tiger safari. We were lucky enough to see a tiger in the afternoon taking a drink at the watering hole.

 

Later in the evening the hotel's chef invited us into the kitchen to see the Tandoori oven. He showed us how he makes naan, chicken and vegetables. So interesting!

The next person on the hop this month is Melissa.

And if you should get lost along the way, feel free to come back here to find a list of all the other participants and their blog addresses.

 

AUGUST FAMILY x 12 BLOG HOP PARTICIPANTS

Margie  http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog <--- You are HERE
Melissa  http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com  <---Here next
Carol Anne   http://www.scrappingthoughts.com
Ruth  http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com
Patricia http://patoliveira.woodpress.com/

Monica  http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
Jo  http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com

 

Tiger Safari and other India Memories

I'm back for one post, anyway. This happens a lot. I go away on holiday and my routine of posting gets interrupted and I find it very challenging to get back in the groove. It didn't help this time that 48 hours after I returned I got a nasty flu bug. At first I thought it was something I caught in India, but it turns out it is going around here in Beijing at the moment. In fact, my husband is on day #3 of his turn with the bug.

Today I will share a couple of photos and some India memories that I've had written for more than a week now.

In this photo below, see if you can see the tiger in the distance. It was my 'proof we saw a tiger' photo.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: our family joke - 50% of the world's mangos come from India (true fact but we brought it up over and over again during the entire trip).

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the taste of magos, especially smoothies & shakes of that flavor, will forever be the taste of India to me

I WANT TO REMEMBER: sharing the excitement of seeing a tiger in the wild with my young sons - nobody was too cool, or too hungry, or too tired, or too young to appreciate the gift of the moment

I WANT TO REMEMBER: our visits to several Indian sweet shops - they were usually air conditioned and offered a refreshing place to rest and try out some of the local food that was of interest to the whole family. We all ended up with our favorites.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: Braden warming up to the locals on the street unlike he does in China.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: Braden making friends on a train with an Indian boy his age.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: an amazing vacation that included the perfect balance of adventure and luxury, excitement and relaxation.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: my real ayurvedic massage in the hotel spa

I WANT TO REMEMBER: croquet with the family on the lawn by the pool

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the family at the haveli where we stayed in Jodhpur - their kindness & hospitality

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the warmth of the people, the country overwhelmed with poverty & filth yet teeming with life (human & animal), culture, color, hospitality & spirit

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the soda cart vendor who sold us 2 7-ups outside the Red Fort - he gave us a fair price and then helped us locate our driver without expecting anything in return

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the service and warmth of the staff at our hotel in Rathambore

I WANT TO REMEMBER: swimming with the kids in the cool pools at both hotels.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: complimentary mango sorbet at the pool as well as the instant trays of ice cold water, sunscreen and spray bottles

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the man who picked us up at the Agra train station right after Reece warned me that this was not a vacation. We were being watched closely with curiosity (not many foreign families hang out at train stations, I imagine). He handed us cold, wet cloths to wipe our brows, ice cold bottled water and took care of our bags. He whisked us off to the Oberoi in Agra with its amazing view of the Taj Mahal complete with live Indian music playing below, an amazing terrace that over looks the palatial grounds with the Taj Mahal in the background, complementary fresh lime juice (also a taste of India) and a golf cart a 100 meters from the entrance to the Taj.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the protest we encountered that blocked our road to Rathambore. The melee that ensued on the road and how brilliantly our driver handled the situation. He turned our car around in the middle of the road and got us out of there ASAP. We found an alternate road that hadn't been blocked yet and drove through back roads until we were out of the state where the protest was held and safely in Rajasthan. Our safety was not in jeopardy but our road to our next destination was!

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how calm and collected we were in that situation. All of our travel in developing nations and living abroad in foreign lands has prepared us to be calm and not scared.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how good it felt to feel confident in a land that intimidated me 14 years ago.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: such special times with the kids, sharing with them the magic we experienced 14 years ago before they came into our lives.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the lessons my kids learned by seeing how kids have it in other parts of the world. Now when I tell them they are being ungrateful for complaining about soggy bread in their eggs benedict, they take me seriously and shape up even if it takes a few minutes.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the families and other local tourists who stopped us and asked to take photos with us - kids and parents alike.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how Nicholas still likes it because it makes him feel a little like a celebrity

I WANT TO REMEMBER: thouroughly enjoying the luxury of two of our hotels

I WANT TO REMEMBER: enjoying the two days & three nights of our trip when we were roughing it - two nights in a clean but minimal backpackers haveli and an overnight train (A/C class with private cabin). I felt like I was really visiting India.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: walking the streets, interacting with the people, purchasing things, photographing the sights

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how my blisters that were getting infected miraculously cleared up when we arrived at the luxury hotel after two days in the backpackers haveli!

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how Paul basically interviewed every waiter, waitress, hotel staff, naturalist guide, driver and haveli owner we encountered and ended up knowing more about them than their own families by the time we moved on

I WANT TO REMEMBER: I accidentally drank water from the man selling me 2 SD cards for my cameras - his bottle was the same color as the one I just threw away and was sitting right at my elbow - oops! I live dangerously.

 I WANT TO REMEMBER: buying a mango on the street and tasting its delicious refreshment in the desert heat of Jodhpur (around 117 degrees F)!

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the kids fascination with the ancient observatory in Jodhpur. They wanted to go back to take the audio tour at a cooler time during the day.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: Braden pasting his face up to the window to watch the three musicians playing traditional instruments during our meal. They were so good-natured about it and interacted with him and me as I was trying to take photos. His shyness was hardly noticeable in India.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how Nicholas loved the special bears and hats the hotel staff left for them on our day of departure

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the fancy dessert plates the staff left for the kids in their rooms with their names written in chocolate - Reece gobbled his down before I could get in there to take photos

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the curious little people in the train station there were fascinated with the foreign family.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: my favorite time is days spent doing 'things' with my family.

 

Two quotes I saw on Steve McCurry's blog that really speak to me:

"The traveler sees what he sees.
The tourist sees what he has come to see."     
- G. K. Chesterton

"The World is a book,  and those who do not travel
read only a page." 
- St. Augustine

 

Other things I've seen on the web lately worth noting.

Here is a blog post by my blog friend Linda who wrote this article in response to a question I asked her. Thanks, Linda! It includes information on British beach huts I never knew I didn't know!

http://linda-lindasphotoblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/beach-huts.html

 

A freebie! Digi poloaroid frames are all the rage and you can get a whole set for free here:

Free digi Polaroid frames

http://www.fuzzimo.com/free-hi-res-blank-polaroid-frames/#comment-8221

 

Some great journaling prompts from Ali Edwards

http://aliedwards.com/2011/05/13-everyday-life-journaling-prompts.html

 

A little late on this one, but an important blog post by Shimelle. This topic is close to my heart as you see poor children without education in developing nations when you travel and I feel so helpless of how I can help. The group she highlights seems to be a great way to do something productive.

http://www.shimelle.com/paper/1067/five-ideas-for-scrapbooking-with-girl-power/

McDonald's in India

Some more unedited photos. My computer problems and my bad flu are preventing me from dressing up my photos like normal. This will have to be enough...

While in India for over a week, the kids were craving some Western food (though, truth be told, they did eat a lot of Western food throughout the week), so we searched out a McDonald's. My husband was also keen to go since it is fun to see what is on the menu at McDonalds around the world.

India did not disappoint.

There was no beef or pork on the menu! I have a picture of a sign stating this. My 10 year old son insisted on taking the photo since he and my 12 year old son were so shocked to find no hamburgers. I will have to post that photo later since I have yet to download it on to my computer.

The cow is sacred in India so it is against the law to kill a cow or any animal, for that matter. Or so we were told. I'm not sure the specifics of that law, but based on the plethora of animals every where, I would not be surprised. 

We tried the Chicken Maharaj Mac and the Spicy Paneer Passion and Spicy Paneer wrap. I love the chicken sandwich's name - Maharaj, of course, is the name of some of the royalty in Rajasthan and Paneer is a popular cheese served all over India. If you ever eat Indian food, I'm sure you've seen it on the menu.

Simple things like an exotic menu at a Mc Donald's in Jaipur, India made me smile this week. 

I'm linking up at The Simple Things.

 

FAMILY x 12 June Blog Hop

This is another photo that I cheated on. It was no longer June in India but it was still June in Hawaii, so this is going to count. I am so amazed how an entire month can go by even with this challenge such a forefront in my mind and yet I still don't take a family photo all month long!

In the interest of time this one is not edited. I have come down with a case of traveller's stomach flu, I'm guessing. I have a low fever and keep visiting the bathroom. Glad it waited until I got home.

Not to mention I was greeted by major computer problems that I've been working on since last night.

So without further ado, please visit Melissa next.

But before you head off, if you are interested in joining us for this monthly blog hop, please send me an email and you can join us on July 5. To see everything FAMILY x 12 on my blog click here.

 

 

Margie  http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog <--- HERE
Melissa  http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com <--- Go here next.
Carol Anne   http://www.scrappingthoughts.com
Ruth  http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com
Jo  http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com
Sharis  http://www.airbs.blogspot.com

Patricia http://patoliveira.wordpress.com/

MonicaB   http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

 

Ten on Ten: 1st Day in India

This is my first post after a little blog hiatus. I was in India with my family for the past ten days. It was an amazing trip to say the least. It is a rough place to travel but at the same time the people are really wonderful and the country is steeped in culture, history, spirit and life. It is possible to travel comfortably there and with a history of service and luxury, they know how to treat guests. We had the perfect balance of relaxing holiday and adventure. I'll look forward to sharing more about our trip in the days to come, but for today I am only going to share my ten most favorite photos from our very first day in India.

Our first day was spent in Delhi while my husband was at a business meeting so it was me and my three boys (ages 12, 10 & 6) navigating Delhi on our own in the 107+ degree heat. We hired a taxi from our hotel and went to see the Red Fort & do a little shopping (obviously not my sons' idea to go shopping). It was nothing special so don't expect anything too spectacular from these photos. But the rest of our trip was just spectacular.

(In the interest of time, I did not edit these photos. They are SOOC. Please forgive!)

 

I'm linking up over at Shimelle.com as part of the Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers class.

 

 FAMILY X 12 MONTHLY BLOG HOP TOMORROW

Tomorrow come back to the blog for another FAMILY x 12 blog hop to see more beautiful family photos. And if you'd like to join us, please let me know (email me or leave a comment and be sure to sign in with your email address). On the 5th of every month (except this month) we share our one family photo for the month.

My Big Blue Marble Pen Pal

Remember a time when making friends from far away meant putting pen to paper, a trip to the post office and lots of waiting time between correspondence? There was no such thing as email, Skype, message boards or forums. Heck, there was no such thing as the internet! Wow, have things changed. I'm feeling ancient just writing that.

Well, way back then, in the technology dark ages, I wrote away to the TV show The Big Blue Marble for a pen pal! I wrote to the girl they matched me with for more than a decade but eventually we lost touch.

But tonight, she found me through Facebook! How amazingly cool is that?! I have no idea when we originally found each other, but I do know we originally found each other all because of that show. (edited to read: Apparently she is the one with the better memory - she just told me via FB that we were 10 when we started writing.)

Here's the show's intro from YouTube:

 

And the lyrics to the theme song:

The earth's a big blue marble when you see it from out there . . .
Closer, getting closer, perspectives start to change. Things look a little strange, as we get closer.
Closer, growing closer, no need to be afraid our troubles start to fade, as we get closer.
Together is a word we must learn to understand, if we ever want to get to know each other better.
Together is a word that holds tomorrow in it's hand, tomorrow's just another day to get together, and...

Get closer, closer, closer…

Such a great message. It was back then and still is today.

Back to my story...

Andrea and I started writing to each other probably sometime in elementary school and we wrote back and forth all through high school until we were able to meet the summer after I graduated from high school.

It is horrible because right now I can't remember which state she was from. I want to say New Jersey or some where in the North East. I know I used to have her address memorized but my brain is over stuffed with other things like kids, Mandarin Chinese, husband's travel schedule, recipes, etc, etc that it has been pushed out the bottom (it has nothing to do with old age - my brain is just getting full).

Anyway, that summer one of my best friends and I drove my little green VW bug up to Northern California. We met up with Andrea, my pen pal, in San Francisco at the Esprit outlet! How 80's is that?! I was scared to death to drive in San Francisco with all the really steep hills (my car was a stick shift!) and funky lane changes - so different than the suburbs (I was only 17) - but somehow we made it.

Andrea and I continued to write back and forth over the years but then eventually lost touch likely sometime in our mid-20s? I'll have to see if she has better recollection than I do. And now, out of the BLUE tonight while I am sitting at my computer, I get a Facebook email from none-other-than her! I cannot believe that it never occured to me to look for her on Facebook. I was beyond excited! We exchanged a few emails before she had to get offline to pack up her stuff to run off to her job in Iraq of all places! She spends one month in Colorado (near my Dad's hometown & favorite places in the whole wide world) and two months in Iraq.

I think it is quite a coincidence that we are both abroad. I suppose if we were both curious enough about people in other places that we would write to a TV show called Big Blue Marble, it is no surprise we are out exploring that big blue marble as adults!

I cannot wait to go home this summer and start digging through my old photos and my memorabilia boxes to find pictures of us in San Francisco as well as bags of her letters I know I have saved! Of course, it is no surprise that I saved every one, is it?!

So, I am sorry, readers, you will have to wait a few more months to see photos of me, dressed in a bright yellow mini-dress, and my penpal, dressed in a blue v-neck sweater, standing in front of the San Francisco Esprit outlet on a beautiful but windy day.

How about you? Any fond memories of a childhood pen pal?

Wuzhen, China & My Pursuit of Photography

I went to Wuzhen, China for a photography workshop. It was a chance for me to get out of Beijing, have a break from motherhood in between two weeks of my husband being out of town, but most importantly to try out my newfound photography skills that I have been working on the past nine or ten months.

I can't say that my results were all disappointing. If I compare the results from this weekend to the very first weekend photography workshop I took last year, I'd definitely say there was improvement. But, I also cannot say that I was as pleased with my results as I was hoping.

The good news is that I saw a glimpse of my own personal style. One that I like. The other good news was that I now know what I need to do next to take my photography to the next level. The part I find frustrating is that I think I already knew what I need to do to improve before I even went on the weekend.

Hearing it from someone else made it that much clearer, though. It also helped me decide that I need to stop pussyfooting around and get serious. I need to find a story that is important to me and tell it in photographs. I need to get permission to be somewhere and then concentrate on my photography rather than worry about how much longer I should stick around the random person before I feel uncomfortable and bolt.

You see most of my practice has been wandering around Beijing with a friend(s) looking for people or things to photograph. You see, for a shy person like me, even in a place as friendly as Beijing is to a caucasian woman with a camera, this can be intimidating and nervracking. It's 90% all my own hang-ups and I know this, but it is still a huge challenge. One I have made progress on, but still is always hanging over my head while I shoot in these situations. Very likely, preventing me from relaxing and most importantly THINKING while I click away.

Since I've recieved this feedback, there's been a switch with in me. I'm not sure what it is and only time will actually tell if it is a permanent change. So far it feels different.

The other positive thing about getting that feedback on my individual photographs was that I knew he was right! I had told myself those same things in many an internal conversation. Problem was, I also convinced myself of the opposite and sometimes an outside party would agree.

Without hearing it from someone with professional credibility, I didn't know which side to believe. Now I do.

Som of my other photos are 'good,' per se. Nicely framed, in focus, reasonable lighting, most often an interesting subject, but beyond that - ho hum! Now these are my words, not his. But let's be honest! The thing I love about photography is those magical photos. Those perfect photos that are more than just a snapshot. That are even more than just a good image. Those complex images that take more than just luck. That is what I want to be able to achieve. I have a good foundation, but I am not there yet.

And as disappointing as that is to make that realization. If I were already there, then the goal wouldn't be as compelling. It would be far too easy to achieve. So I continue.

Many of the photos I have liked over the past few months, I have been pleased with because they had achieved something I wasn't able to do before. They were one small step in the right direction. There are still huge flaws with those photos, but they are the ones that mark improvement.

Sometimes it is easy to get stuck on the glory of those small accomplishments and forget that I still have a long way to go.

I have a lot more to say on this topic. But, for now I will let you check out the photos from the weekend I've selected to share. Pursuing photography is a long process. Whether or not I ever make it my profession or if I just pursue the ultimate photograph in my free time, it is something I want to do.