Forgotten Pictures

I was browsing in my picture folder today and I found a bunch of pictures taken from vacations that I had completely forgotten about. We had a few outing to some amazing waterfalls and "bassins" and I wanted to share the pictures with you. Have a lovely day!

Trois Bassins in St. Giles
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3rd

So Far..

At the airport en route to Reunion

As you know Phil and I have moved to Reunion Island. Since we've been here so much has happened and I've been a little lazy to blog about it.
It's been exciting to start things all over again, and I'm very thankful to my family for all their support, advice, and helping us get set-up.

Highlights from the past months I've been absent:

Spent time with my sister visiting from France
Set up in our own "little house"
Had my first job interview
Got a job!
Celebrated Phil's 26th birthday
Made new friends

I'm so glad we made the decision to come to Reunion. It hasn't always been easy and we miss South Africa and our friends a LOT! But so far it really feels like a step in the right direction. Just being able to find a job within a month of being here is a miracle! I know there's lots more wonderful things to come and I'm eagerly looking forward to them.

Ups and Downs

Something I forgot to post:

Not everything works out perfectly. Well, when I think about it most things don't! But then again maybe what I thought I wanted, was not really what I needed...
The past few months have been a little discouraging in the way that, things I had hoped for didn't turn out. Most recently I was looking forward to belly dance and Bollywood shows in Malaysia. The organizer didn't follow through with his promises and so we couldn't go. At first I was really bummed. I had been looking forward to these shows for a few weeks now and it felt like just another thing that "had" to go wrong for me this month!
Time seems to change our perspective. Now when I think over the past months I can only remember the things that did work out for me.
-I passed my driver's license.
-Phil and I were able to sell a few things before leaving.
-We got to see most of our friends in the last week.
-I got to dance one last time for a very appreciative audience.
-Phil's ticket was booked easily and we got the same flight and even the seat next to me!
-Our move went better than expected.

I tend to be pessimistic at times, and it really helps if I take a few steps back and look at the full picture. Things aren't usually as bad as I make them out to be. One of my favorite quotes that make me smile: "When life gives you lemons, take them. Because, hey...FREE lemons!"

I'm a Driver!

I'm so excited I got my driver's license! This has been such a stressful time for me, learning how to drive from scratch in a short amount of time. But now it's all over and I can just relax and enjoy. A big thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and prayed for my test--you guys are wonderful!

To anyone here in Pretoria looking for a good driving school I recommend My Driving School. They have very nice, easy-to-drive-cars, and good instructors.
http://www.mydrivingschool.co.za/

Costume-ing!

Here's a belly dance costume that needs a little help. It's one of the projects I'm working on at the moment. Tina gave it to me a while back but I haven't had time to work on it till now. Notice the the nipple-flowers! I have a lot of work ahead of me. When it's done I'll post some pictures and then you can see the "before" and "after".

Yum-Scrub!

In the cold and dry climate we have here in Pretoria it's hard for me to keep my skin happy and healthy. I had some recipes for DIY body scrubs and I thought it wouldn't hurt to try. After all I have most of the ingredients in my kitchen. No need to go buy some expensive moisturizer or scrub! I found a lot of different recipes online and some helpful articles as well...( it's not a good idea to use anything you find in your kitchen!! )

Here's the concoction I made:
4 tbsp coffee ( I used "used coffee grains"
3 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp olive oil ( use just enough oil to moisten and barely cover the other ingredients )

Mix well together and store in a little jar. Voila! You have your very own body scrub.

Start out making a small amount as these scrubs won't last too long. It's also nice to add some essential oils to give your mixture that extra special touch. My scrub already had a lovely coffee scent so I didn't need to add any more. I just used this recipe last night and it was amazing! The coffee smelled so good and scented the whole bathroom. My skin felt so soft and smooth--all in all it was a success. I'll be trying different recipes in the future.
Nice article with helpful tips on how to make your own body scrub!
http://www.cancerlynx.com/bodyscrub.html
Easy-to-make recipes.
http://www.freebeautytips.org/body-scrubs.html

Improve Your Life

I just found this today while trying to organize the collection of files on my laptop, it's called "49 ways to improve your life". I don't know where I got it...it think it's one of those things a friend sent in an email. I first thought, 49 ways whoa someone has a lot of time on their hands. But then I realized we're all trying to improve our lives in some way or other. It doesn't matter if it's 1 way or 49 ways, we can learn much from others if we are open to it. So here are 5 of those 49 ways...( I thought 5 might be a little easier to start with )

1. Radiate Joy

Smile at everyone—yourself in the mirror, your boss, your family, strangers, co-workers, the clerk at the store. Smile, just because. Smiling creates friendship, acceptance, understanding, and it’s more fun! (Kalama Hochreiter )

2. Take a Risk

Do something outside your comfort zone. Whether it’s talking to someone outside your social circle at a party when you’re shy, offering to help someone with a project that will require learning new skills at work, or trying a new ethnic restaurant instead of the usual Pie ‘n Burger, you’ll expand your horizons and, with them, your ideas about who you are and what you can do. (Liz Pruyn)

3. Learn Something New Today

Stay open to learning. Be accepting of growth and change. There is something to learn every day. From an experience, a person you know, a book, a course, a film, your child, your parents…stay open. Life is about growth and learning. Growth and change bring us life. The more we learn, the more alive we are. And remember, your mind is like a parachute, it functions better when open. (Elizabeth McCollum )

4. Consider Points of View Other Than Your Own

If you judge people, you’ll have no time to love them; so try not to judge or make assumptions until you know the whole story. Be thankful for everyone you know. People are our greatest assets, so be kind and generous to one another. What comes around goes around. We tend to get back what we put forth, so if we plant seeds of faith in one another, we will receive an abundance of faithful friends. (Roberto Hemerez)

5. Show Your Appreciation

Let no one be invisible, some people spend their lives searching to be heard, appreciated, and valued. Sometimes it just takes 5 seconds to make someone’s day brighter. Whether it is asking how a person’s family is, or complimenting someone on their new haircut. Try not to let anyone go without stopping and showing interest in them. (Hannah Smith)