Down on the Farm

An overview of one of my grandparent's hills...note the patch of Christmas trees there.

Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the groundhogs play! Where often is heard a pro-ofain word, and the men go out hunting all day!

Good morning everyone, and happy Friday to you! I'll have you know that I spent a whole hour getting these pictures ready to show you. Man, do I love you guys or what? I practically missed two whole episodes of Arrested Development to make it happen.

I'm really excited to share them and a piece of my family. So sit back, relax, and get to scrolling...

Me and the hill of trees behind the house.

The red barn...full of Christmas goodies, and antiques from God knows when...there's even an old horse-drawn sleigh that my great-grandfather used to use!

The white barn and a truck we affectionately call "the beast." Inside is tractor equipment and severed deer heads.

The house. My grandmother grew up with her family here since age 6. And she's lived there until now! It's 4 floors, excellent for manhunt, and is full of cubbyholes and corners with creepy dolls and other old stuff. The basement and 4th floor attic were terrifying to me when I was young (and even a little now...).

This is my great-great-grandfather and mother's grave. Gust J. Madera 1. There are now 5 Gust Madera's (My brother is the 5th.) Gust the first died in a coal mining accident there in Pennsylvania and was an immigrant from (we think) Czechoslovakia.

My dad sighting in his rifle for buck season.

John shooting, doesn't he look like a professional?

John LOOKS like a professional, I REALLY AM ONE. ; )

Helping my cousin make a wreath. I'm not a professional at this...but with Chris' help, I did alright!

This is me in my Dad's hunting gear. Can you see me? If you look into my eyes you can see that I am so seriously ghetto. Don't look at me wrong or I will mess you up!

That's my little tour around the farm and some pictures of the fun things we did. We can't wait to go back, hopefully when it is snowing so we can get some great winter shots. It's so beautiful in the winter when the snow is hanging on all the trees and the barn is standing tall and stark against the blanket beneath it. You must see it! 

Have a great weekend everyone, and see you Monday!

Question of the Day:

Is your family attached to a particular town or piece of land?

I Wish That I Knew What I Know Now

Last night, on my drive home I was doing some big thinking. I started to recall all the moments in my childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood where things when horribly wrong. I wanted to see how these mishaps made me a better person. Surely I didn't go through them without learning something valuable! By the time I got home I had a list of ten things that I've learned so far in life, either through the Lord softening my heart over time, or through trial and error, and oh how I wish I could return and tell the younger me each one of them!

First some pictures of a younger me...

15 years old. Freshman in high school. Complete idiot.

17 years old. Starting to learn more about the world.

19 years old. Self-obsessed. Turning point in becoming the me I am now...

24 years old finally figuring out how to walk through each day without making a mess of it.

10 Things I Wish I Knew Then
 
1. Proving your point to someone isn't worth ruining a friendship. If your argument will build a wall instead of a bridge, shut up and rethink how you want to explain yourself.

2. You never know what people are going through behind closed doors, so don't judge them too harshly.

3. Don't judge at all.

4. Be the first to say sorry. It will save you a world of trouble and is the key ingredient to a happy marriage. Along with the next point...

5. Forgiveness is a choice. We rarely feel it, but we have to decide to extend it to others, sometimes over and over and over and over and over again every single day until it does feel right.

6. Life is too short to hold on to friends that suck the life out of you.

7. Sex has little to do with the physical and everything to do with the spiritual.

8. We spend too much time getting angry over the things that don't matter and too little time being filled with a righteous anger for the things that really do matter- all the injustice in the world.

9. Confession wins 100% of the time. If you have wronged someone and they don't know it, or if you lied to someone point blank and just can't let go of the guilt, a humble confession and honest pleading for forgiveness will get you 1,000,000 times further in life and with people than living the lie.

10. Falling in love with the risk of heartache is better than the heartache of not doing so.

And one more for good measure:

11. When all else fails, ask your parents, they are right about almost everything...

Question of the Day:

What life lessons have you learned as you've gotten older?

Travelogue: Rabat, Morocco

Kasbah des Oudaias

As mentioned in this post, John and I honeymooned in Spain and Morocco. Our few days in Rabat were some of our favorites out of the whole two weeks. Rabat just has something. There's an electricity about the city, the people's smiles are contagious and their surroundings are picturesque. I love Rabat because even though it's a big city (the capital of Morocco) it still has a small town feel and you can really relax and enjoy the culture there.

Overlooking the Atlantic from Oudaias

Rabat is a coastal city bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It has been the country's capital since 1912 when it was moved from Fez. The city is broken up into two worlds- the new city and the old medina. The newer side of the city has nice hotels, bus and train stations, and lots of places to shop. The streets are impeccable (compared to other Moroccan cities, and other parts of Rabat) and are lined with tall palm trees.

John and I walked through the new city, but spent most of our time in the medina and surrounding areas. Our hotel was inside the medina walls in a beautiful old dar (house) owned by a French woman. If you make your way to Rabat I highly recommend the Dar Zouhour and it's central location. See my review here. 

Overlooking part of the city

John and I spent much of our time checking out the major sights and exploring tiny alleys.The oudaias is a great place to do this. Just inside the kasbah walls is a beautiful neighborhood. The whole place is painted in stark white and vibrant blue. On a sunny day the color is almost too much to handle, it just pours happiness into your heart. This is a must see, and on your way out you can take a walk through the tranquil kasbah gardens.

Warning: Men stand at the entrance to the oudaias telling you that you aren't allowed in because prayers just finished up. That's a lie. Blow right past them as politely as possible, anyone is welcome in the city and you can walk in, prayers or no prayers, as long as you stay out of the mosques (generally speaking Morocco does not allow any non-Muslim to enter the mosque, but in some cases you can stand just outside to peak in at a particularly historic one.)

Oudaias

Typical Moroccan doorway. Beautiful!

Another great sight to see is the medina and market (souk) at night. After dark, around 8 or 9pm head over to the souk and get lost in  the crowd. Moroccans love to be where the people are. If they go to the souk and it's not crowded they will go home until later when it's packed out. It is the place to be and it is full of new sights, sounds and smells. If you miss this, then you will have missed Morocco entirely.  Keep some cash in your front pocket for street food and hole in the wall restaurants. There's lots of great shopping around here, but bargain hard.

John and I at Le Tour Hassan

Lastly, but certainly not least-ly, make sure you take a walk over to Le Tour Hassan and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V. The Tour (tower) is an unfinished minaret built by Almohad sultan Yacoub al-Mansour in 1195. It was intended to reach 60m (the tallest in the Muslim world), but only made it to 44. Even at it's current height, the tower impresses.

The beautiful mausoleum (not pictured) is the burial site of the late King Mohammed V, much loved by the country and visited by many throughout the year. It's a solemn place to visit, and it is great to see all the care put into the design work inside.

To the right of the mausoleum is a large and beautifully decorated mosque. Go visit this area near the time for one of the prayers so that you can stand in the square between Le Tour Hassan, the mausoleum, and the mosque when they sing the call to prayer from the loud speakers. We enjoyed watching the locals flock to the area and leave soon after prayers were finished-  culture happened right before our eyes!

Rabat holds a special place in our hearts and we talk about going back all the time. Even though we visited many beautiful cities in the country, Rabat stood out among them all!

Question of the Day:

What's your favorite sight that I saw?

Virginia Trip, Part Two: Washington D.C

The Capital Building

Washington, D.C. It's one of the most beautiful American cities I've seen in terms of architecture. Being there, it was hard to believe that the buildings were real. I've only seen them in print these 24 years and seeing them in person was a bit surreal at first. I love that feeling. It always fills me with a sense of privilege. I've seen history with my own eyes. Do you know how many people in the world will never leave their village? I really do thank God for all that I've been blessed to see in this world!

My favorite building was the Smithsonian Castle (so Harry Potter-like!). My imagination was really able to run wild looking at that building. Unfortunately I couldn't snag a good picture of it, maybe next time. As far as all the political-y buildings, my favorite was the capital...hands down. We had a tour of its rooms and all the paintings and statues were exciting to see.

I wanted to share with you some of the best pics of the day...enjoy!

The front of the capital, flanked by the House and Senate

John and I with our nephew Zeb leaving the Thomas Jefferson Library

The Supreme Court Building

The Back of the White House (sadly, no Obama...)

Our zoom lens captured a sniper in bullet proof vest!

The Washington Monument

The Vietnam Memorial Wall

Me and honest Abe!

What is your favorite building in D.C.? Why?

P.S. None of you told me how flippin' spread out everything is there!! I think I walked about 1,000 miles in that one day. I'm still sore from it! It's ok though, I forgive you. ;)

A Weekend Getaway Full of Firsts

Well my friends, this is my last post for a little bit. My bags are packed, my stretchy pants are soon to be on, and the car is fully stocked for a red-eye drive to Virginia tonight. I'm going up for a long weekend with my husband to visit his our family, and it will be a weekend full of firsts...

Via

 The first time I've visited Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer.

The first time John and I have done a major road-trip together.

The first time I've had to drive through the night to get somewhere.

The first time I'll get to spend three consecutive days together with my favorite little siblings and nephew .

My adorable nephew, Zeb.

My favorite little siblings, Mei Leigh and Jin Tao

 The first time all of John's brothers and sisters have been together under the same roof since our wedding back in October.

And the first time I get to go here...

Via

That's right folks, I'm heading to D.C.! Words cannot express my excitement. I have never been there, and that fact has become an embarrassment I can't live with much longer, and won't have to come Saturday!Since I'm a capital noob, I need your help (see bottom of post.)

We're day tripping with my sister-in-law (Chelsea) and her husband (Justin) to see all that we can see. Justin works for a Senator and has gotten us a private tour of the capital building. (*jumps up and down*) Thank God we just got the new zoom lens for our d-slr because I'll need it to capture such a beautiful city. I can't wait to share my pics with you guys.

Via

I've really been keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get to cross paths with Mr. Obama. That would really round out my trip and knock another "first" of my list..."shake hands with president or presidential candidate." He's a big fan of the "thumbs up," so I would even settle for exchanging one of those if need be.

So, this is it until next Tuesday. My apologies for the radio silence. But I will be thinking of you all every time I snap a shot, and hope to be able to put some of your recommendations to good use...



If you've visited or live in or around D.C. do you have any tips on things we must do or places we must eat?

Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales, FL)

Bok Tower and its gardens are located about an hour outside of Orlando in Lake Wales, Florida. I had been to visit years and years ago, so long ago that I barely remember it and had thought for all these years that the tower was a lighthouse and not a carillon.

The carillon bells play ever half hour and the sounds resonate throughout the gardens, which are the best in Florida for getting a glimpse of native Florida flora and fauna. Edward Bok (the editor of Ladies Home Journal) built the tower and gardens in the early 1900s. The tower is one of the most well crafted buildings I've seen in terms of detail and design work. 

Here's some more pictures from around the garden. I hope that it can entice you to visit next time you're in our area. It's a great way to spend half a day and play with your camera!

My dad and I at the entrance.

These old Florida trees were everywhere and dripping with beautiful moss.

Close-up of the singing tower.

John and I at the reflection pond.

The first waterlily I've ever seen.

Heavy brass doors lead into the tower...tell the story of Adam and Eve.

The koi in the pond were ginormous, and very hungry. I almost touched one... :)

These lily pads were huge (about 3 to 4 feet across) and covered with spines underneath.

This mushroom was straight out of a fairytale.

Rows and rows of Florida citrus trees.

Which is your favorite picture from my day at Bok Tower?

Pearlies

Via Don Kitwood

 Thanks to Carole of Mademoiselle Poirot, I now know what a "Pearly" is! I couldn't wait to share it with all of you following here. You all know how jacked up I get about culture! And now, a little gem from England...

Pearlies, or Pearly Kings and Queens, are kind of the English equivalent to the bell-ringing Santa in America (only, I assume they work year-round.) They are a charitable organization that work the streets asking for money to go toward a good cause.

Apparently, it all started with a young street sweeper who begged for charity. He started adding pearls to his clothes in order to draw attention to himself and generate more revenue for local charities. Fast forward about a hundred years and you still have a thriving organization of do-gooders helping support a local cause.

Have you ever seen a Pearly King or Queen in your travels to England?

Travelogue: Ronda, Spain

Ronda- the cliffs and the country.

John and I honeymooned in Spain and Morocco last October and while spending a five day stretch in Malaga, Spain we took a day trip to Ronda. We made it to the bus station just as the sun was rising, with a 3 hour ride ahead of us. The first hour and a half were quiet dull, passing through a number of coastal towns known as tourist spots we realized we were right not to buy into the claims that a beach-side vacation was a must. While the ocean was breath-taking, the towns were dull and lifeless - nothing like the buzzing city of Malaga in which we stayed.

As we turned away from the coast and headed up into the mountains the scenery began to change. The huge tour bus swayed back and forth through the hairpin turns and suddenly John and I found our noses pressed to the windows. We lost all composure. After being presented with beauty after beauty were were presented with what we found to be the crown jewel of Andalusia....Ronda.

Standing on the Puente Nuevo

There's not enough room in the world (or my heart) to contain the beauty of this city. In the brief 8 hours I spent there my emotions were overflowing. The old Spanish town of Ronda is one of the most rustic and beautiful towns I've ever seen. Roaming its streets and hiking its gorge, I couldn't believe that the people of Ronda live there. They wake up in the morning, walk out on their patio, and see all of this. I felt so blessed to see its beauty for just one day,  and couldn't  imagine a lifetime engulfed in it!

The streets were bustling in their own little small-town way and though the residents are no doubt bogged down my the number of tourists clogging their walkways, you can tell they are proud of their city and happy to show it off. The people in Ronda were even more laid back than those in Malaga (if that's even possible) and quite friendly.

La Casa del Rey Moro

Upon arrival we got a bite to eat and then headed over to the Casa del Rey Moro.The house was recently visited by First Lady Obama and I knew there was access through the house to the bottom of the gorge. Those two facts sold me. After spending more euros than we would have liked, we had free reign over the old home. It was built in the 18th century and bits of it were falling to pieces.

The house and old staircase down the gorge had a lot of old world charm and beautiful overlooks of the city. It wasn't until later that we realized there was a much more spectacular way to get to the bottom of the gorge, free of charge.

View of Ronda from Casa del Rey Moro

If you love old architecture, finding fun hiding places, and a bit of mystery to stir your imagination, the casa is for you. But if you're looking to save your euros, you could visit Ronda without a tour of the place and still see everything there is to see.

Waltzing around the city we encountered numerous squares covered in vines and flowers. Locals gathered playing guitar and selling this or that. Out of the corner of our eye we noticed what looked like a group of young Scottish boy scouts gathering to walk off a cliff. Afraid they knew something we didn't, we went to inspect and found an old trail that led to the bottom of the gorge just below the Puente Nuevo. And we so began our journey down...

When we made it to the bottom of the gorge we were the only folks there. We started out with others but mud and a bit of rock climbing acted as a deterrent. There we were- two young people in love-surrounded by the grandeur of mother nature. John laid on a rock and I sat like this, silent, for what felt like hours. If I had the time and an ample amount of food you could still find me there, staring. Places like this stir my soul. When I inhale, I breath in the rushing water. And when I exhale, I send out all the things that weigh me down...when you're surrounded by the gorge all the worries and fears you used to know don't matter any more. All that matters is the beauty around you, and the joy of sharing it with your very best friend.