Events

  • Travel & Vacation: Leaving On A Jet Plane….

    Karlie and Brina watching the airplanes coming and going from the Greenville Spartanburg Airport

    Do you remember the John Denver song “I’m leavin’ on a jet plane, Don’t know when I’ll be back again….”?  I don’t necessarily love the entire song but every time I fly that phrase pops into my head.  Our family, especially the kids, love traveling and flying!  The last time our entire family flew was back in January out to Kansas (the pictures are from that trip).  It was the first flight the kids were big enough to sit in their own row together without one of us beside them.  We sat in the row right behind them so we could monitor them and they did very well.   I love seeing their excitement over traveling and flying, it’s contagious!

    We are currently gearing up for another fun flight to see family soon.  The girls have already started packing their backpacks, talking about all the places we will go and who we are going to see.  Here are a few pictures from our last adventure on the plane:

    Karlie reading the informational sheet for the airplane!

    Karlie is all about flying and learning more about airplane.  Every time we fly she reads about the airplane, the safety manual, and anything else she can get her hands on.  The whole experience is a grand adventure for her!

    Brina all snuggled up and asleep in her seat on the airplane

    Brina loves to fly but when it is a couple hours past her bedtime after a super busy day once the flight is in the air she tends to crash.  Glad to see her sleeping.  If only I could curl up and sleep that comfortably on the airplane seat.

    Karlie loves flying!

    Karlie turning around to see what Dad and Mom are up to and sneaking a peek out our window too!  She loves gazing out at all the city lights and watching as the plane lands.

    I am truly grateful that both my girls love to travel and fly.  They have always been excited about going on various adventures.  It is a blessing to be able to travel to see family and friends.  The items they pack in their back packs keep them busy for hours while on the plane or at the airports.  I am thankful for the amazing memories we have created throughout our years of traveling together and look forward to many more.

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away.

  • Happy July 4th!

    Fireworks display taken from our family trip to Disney!

    Wishing you a very Happy July 4th!

    Hope your day is full of fun with family and friends!

    In celebration of Independence Day the girls drew a United States Flag on the sidewalk!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busy with Vacation Bible School for the girls, work, looking for a new vehicle and a bunch of fun summer activities.  The girls have been doing a great job reading everyday and completed a chunk of their goal.  It has been fun being able to enjoy some extra time with them and participate it the fun summer activities.  I was able to tackle quite a bit of my list for last week!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day – I read over 20 library books, a chapter book, and about 20 books from our bookshelves to the girls this past week, they soaking in our reading time together.  
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Take the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS – they had a blast!
    5. Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) – they blew past 500 hours and getting close to our 1/2 mark
    6. Go to the library with the kids
    7. Go on a Date Night with Jake

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week
    2. Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Start My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – been a little more relaxed with this since we haven’t been meeting regularly throughout the summer months

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over on this one
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – on hold until we get the money set aside for the vehicle
    3. Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – moving forward with it
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Celebrate July 4th with the Family
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Family Outings: Ice Skating

    Karlie and Brina ice skating for the first time with Daddy!

    There is a local ice skating rink in our town that is open all year.  The first time the girls went ice skating was for a friends birthday party and they had a blast!  Even though ice skating traditionally is a “winter” sport it is a wonderful way to spend a couple hours cooling off during the heat of the summer too! If you look around you can often find tickets to your local ice skating rink as well. Who knows you may even run into a friend or two (we have) which makes it even more fun!

    Here are some pictures from another fun ice skating adventure!

    Brina skating backwards?!  No just turning around to look at Mommy

    Karlie getting around on her own….with a little help from the wall!

    Daddy pushing his girls around the ice skating rink

    Daddy and Brina skating

    Mommy pushing Karlie around the ice rink!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family was able to spend some time in Florida, visiting friends and seeing the area!  We got to go to Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, and Disney Magic Kingdom!  We had a blast visiting the amazing places and spending time with our friends.  Thankful for the awesome opportunities to create memories!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Prep for Summer Break – working on it 🙂
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day – didn’t do this every day we were on vacation
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    5. Plan & go on at least one family Adventure – went on a adventure to Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, and Disney soooo much fun!
    6. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – almost made it
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House – work in progress
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week – didn’t get home until the middle of the week and with everything going on so didn’t get this done
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group – emailed the updated schedule and information

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – working on it
    3. Save money for upcoming trips – starting it
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – work in progress
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects – on hold temporarily

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Prep for Summer Break
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    5. Attend the Girls First Grade Program
    6. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
    7. Swimming Lessons for the Kids
    8. Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Update my goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish The Hunger Games by Susan Collins (recommended by several friends)

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group
    3. Feed & Serve Homeless – 1 John Ministry

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Save money for upcoming trips
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family had an opportunity to spend Memorial Weekend with some great friends.  I am so thankful for the chance to catch up and have a fun time.  My goals this week (for the most part) are the same as last week to keep it simple and moving forward.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Schedule a Date Night with Jake
    3. Prep for our upcoming Family Trip
    4. Read at least one book to the girls every day – missed a couple of days over the weekend
    5. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day – the weekend was pretty busy so skipped a couple of days
    6. Plan & go on at least one family Adventure
    7. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst – working on it
    4. Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close – almost done

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – missed a couple days with the Memorial weekend activities
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement – didn’t get to it this week

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group – didn’t send out the email last week

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – made some headway
    3. Save money for upcoming trips – working on it
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – starting to put more aside
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects – on hold temporarily

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Prep for Summer Break
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    5. Plan & go on at least one family Adventure
    6. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses (we finished saving up for a 3 month emergency fund so now we are working hard on getting our 6 month emergency fund established, the yard sale this past weekend was a good boost for us)
    3. Save money for upcoming trips
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Creative Kids: Wrapping Paper Canoe

    Brina and Karlie’s wrapping paper canoe

    After a recent celebration at our house we had leftover wrapping paper, tissue paper, and a couple boxes.  As I was cleaning up the girls asked if they could use the leftover items for a few days before we threw everything away.  After a few moments of hesitation I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything to let them play with the items and get creative. They were thrilled to have such large pieces of wrapping paper and goodies to create something super special.

    Once they decided what they wanted to do they took the largest piece of wrapping paper they could find and made a wrapping paper “canoe” out of it.  The red tissue paper was used to create four rows of benches inside the canoe.  They used some of the cardboard to make oars for their boat.  I am not sure why they decided to make a canoe but they both worked together to come up with the idea and did well working together on it.  I let them keep out their wrapping paper canoe for several days.  I was pretty impressed with how they were able to put everything together all on their own and even made something that  resembled a paddle out of cardboard.

    Even though my preference would be to clean up the wrapping paper, cardboard, and tissue paper right away after the celebration I allowed myself to let go and let the girls have fun with the items.  The items were trash but they had a blast creating, using the scissors and the glue to put together their wrapping paper canoe.  Yes, I could have thrown all the wrapping items away as soon as the celebration was over but I would have never had the joy of watching my kids entertain themselves for hours with their handcrafted wrapping paper canoe!  It is a great way to reuse the wrapping paper multiple times plus the kids have a blast too!

    Cardboard paddle for their canoe

  • The Blessings of Motherhood!

    Mother’s Day cards – can you guess who gave me which card?!

    There are so many joys and rewards to being a Mom.  As I reflect on the recent Mother’s Day I am once again reminded of the many blessings I have in my life.  It took my husband and I several years before we had children so when I look back it on those days it reminds me of the precious gifts we have been given as well as the big responsibility of raising our girls.

    Cards from Karlie and Brina with for Mother’s Day with pressed flowers

    Not every day is easy nor does parenting always go perfectly for me.  Somehow raising children has a way of “highlighting” the areas in my life that I need to work on.  Several times over the past few months I have noticed more and more how my kids reflect my attitude, actions, and words.  I have had to apologize to my kids for overreacting, saying something hurtful, or just being in a grumpy mood.  Thankfully through all the successes as well as the failures my girls still love me and want to spend time with me.

    Mother’s Day cards from Karlie & Brina

    More than a week before Mother’s Day the girls announced that they were going to our neighbors garage sale to “shop” for a Mother’s Day gift so off they went with their little purses and money to the neighbors house.  The girls and their cousin came back with bags in their hands and smiles on their faces.  They were very excited to find treasures for Mother’s Day and they picked out some pretty cool stuff too.  Brina got me a “Mom” necklace, pens, and lipstick and holder.  Karlie got me a candle holder with candles, a mirror, and a “Mom” bracelet.  The best part is that they picked it all out themselves and they put so much thought into their gifts.

    Adorable note from my sweet Karlie

    I was spoiled because both girls gave me 3 Mother’s Day cards too.  Just reading their sweet cards brought tears to my eyes.  They have grown up so much…..its hard to believe that only a few years ago they were tiny preemie babies and now they are shopping, writing their own cards, and so much more.  God has richly blessed me with Brina and Karlie.  I love them dearly and pray that I have wisdom from above to be the best Mom I can be for my girls.

    Note and picture from my beautiful Brina

    Jake is so good to me everyday but he always surprises me around Holidays.  He made all the meals the entire weekend (it was a wonderful break).  Jake is an amazing cook so I was really spoiled over Mother’s Day weekend.  His cards always bring tears to my eyes.  This year I got a brand new…..office chair from my man for Mother’s Day.  Even though I don’t ever remember mentioning anything about my office chair he noticed that it was getting near its end.  It has been nice having a comfy chair to work in this week!  Thank you Handsome for your thoughtfulness, kindness, and love.

    Mother’s Day drawing and note from my beautiful Karlie

    The best part of the weekend was spending extra time with my family.  It was the first weekend in a long time that it was just us hanging out together.  We went on adventures, played games, read books, worked around the house, spent some time with friends, laughed, and just enjoyed our time as a family.  I am thankful for the many memories and our moments together are a truly amazing gift.

    Cute note in the card from my sweet Brina

  • Travel & Vacation: Charminar – Hyderabad, India

    Jake & I in front of the Charminar – Hyderabad, India

    We are actually standing on a small divider between two streets, thankfully it wasn’t during rush hour!  Charminar is known as the Emerald City in Hyderabad.  The Charminar was a beautiful building  made of granite and marble.

    Charminar – Hyderabad, India

    Charminar was built in 1591 during the rule of Sulltan Muhammad Quli Autb Shah.  It was built to celebrate the elimination of a plague from the city.  Historians say that he prayed at this very spot for the plague to come to an end and promised to build a “masjid” mosque to remember this prayer.  While building the Charminar Quli prayed “Oh Allah, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the water.” *

    View from one side of Charminar

    Looking out from Charminar towards a large temple in the center of Hyderabad, India

    Looking down to the sidewalk below from the top of Charminar

    Standing at the top of Charminar and looking across at the people on the other side.  The various designs and architecture were pretty amazing!

    The older part of Hyderabad that you can see from the top of Charminar

    Jake and I at the top of Charminar. 

    It is quite funny the unintentional scene we make walking through the streets, markets, and historical places because many people had never met anyone from “The United States of America!” and they were intent on watching what we did and the really brave ones talked with us.  I had to laugh looking at this picture afterward and seeing all the people standing behind us “posing” for the picture too!   It was a neat experience meeting and talking with so many people on our journeys.

    Our Driver was a great tour guide through this part of our trip.

    This was the only location he would not let us go into alone.  He came with us and we were very grateful!  They people at the ticket counter would not allow us to pay for his ticket because it was not “appropriate”.  He was an awesome driver, cheerful, knowledgeable, and it was neat to get to know him.  We got to see the village where he lived and found out that he and his wife had their first kid, a little girl, this past November 2011.

    One of the locals wanted us to put together our hands like we are holding the carving on the wall.  Always an adventure!

    It was so neat looking out over the city of Hyderabad

    Looking at Charminar from the street

    According to the local historians it has been said that one of the Charminar towers (or marinets) fell after being struck by lightening.  It was repaired immediately and since then no major reconstruction has been done on the Charminar.

    Charminar – Hyderabad, India

    Charminar is built on four corners of the square with a tower (also called “minarets) in each of the four corners.  Each side of Charminar opens to the plaza and you can see local vendors selling goods, food, and many items on the street.  Every tower (minaret) is four stories high with approximate total height of 159 feet.

    *Quote & Information Credit

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

  • Travel & Vacation: Chowmahalla Palace – Hyderabad, India (part 2)

    This was a really neat room, it had the various weapons that had been used on display

    I am continuing my pictures from our trip to the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India.  Jake and I packed in several amazing events, learned a lot of great history, and toured the city of Hyderabad.  This one one of the neat places we were able to see that day.   In the picture above you can see a wall of weapons.  It was pretty fascinating to see the various weapons on display.  Many of them were made by hand and were used by royalty or famous people in India.  They had two huge rooms from floor to ceiling with displays.

    More weapons….ouch!

    Jake had to explain to me what these seat / basket looking items were

    I cannot remember the official name for these….yes there is one, but these are the chairs royalty would set on when riding on an elephant.

    Garments and hats worn by royalty

    It’s hard to tell from this picture but the royalty wore a lot of gold in their clothing.  They would weave threads of gold throughout the pieces making them sparkle in the sun.  I have noticed that the people in this area really do like brightly colored and gold items, they wear a lot of “bling-bling”.

    Nizam’s Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Throne Car

    It was a beautiful canary yellow car (only driven 356 miles)!

    Story behind the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Car

    Pretty cool car.  They had someone in the display hand washing it when we were there.  It is a fun and cheerful colorful, it would be cool to go for a spin in it!

    Royal stables with a bunch of old carriages

    Pretty flowers in the courtyard at the palace

    Bright and beautiful flower at the Chowmahalla Palace, one of my favorites in India!

    I had a blast touring the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India.  It was filled with amazing glimpses into the history of India and it’s royalty.  One piece of advice for anyone traveling to this area from USA or overseas, you will probably get stopped a lot, asked questions, pictures taken, and hands shaken.

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!