Travel
Travel & Vacation: We Made it to Bangalore! (part 2)
A little critter on their porch…..thankfully the little lizard is on the outside of the house! One of them did make it into our room but thankfully Jake and the kids were able to catch it quickly.
A little critter on their porch…..thankfully the little lizard is on the outside of the house (at the moment)!
Fresh watermelon stand, you can buy a whole watermelon or a slice from the box.
Burning the fields and underbrush, you see this often in India! You will often see a pile trash burning on the side of the road or paths.
A village near Bangalore
Monkeys on the side of the road!
A lady walking on the side of the road carrying a pile of sticks on her head. A common sight in India!
Two ladies carrying potted flowers on their head.
PVP Indus Day 2011 – 2012…..Respect, Love, Discipline, Empathy. The kids school put together an amazing presentation. It was really neat to watch all the performances that the kids had worked so hard on over the past couple of months.
Rachel dressed as the wind!
Erica all pretty in her beautiful costume!
David up on stage
Mike up on stage as a panda bear….his class did Noah’s ark!
Rachel on stage as the wind!
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!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
The girls are excited about getting to go to Grandpa and Grandma’s VBS program. We are all looking forward to spending some time with family this week at the family reunion.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read regularly to the girls and have them read to meParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsGet to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)Spend time with extended family- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – still working on it
Personal Goals
Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day- Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule – didn’t get much done with all the travel last week
Pack for upcoming family reunionPay all upcoming billsClean house prior to traveling
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork on projects with the family business
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – will work on it more once the car is purchased
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – still saving for a new vehicle
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold temporarily until we purchase a new car
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Attend Family Reunion
- Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
- Spend time with extended family
- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
- Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family
Home Management Goals
- Put mail on hold for when we are away
- Line up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work on projects with the family business
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- 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.
Travel & Vacation: We Made it to Bangalore!
Shepherds herding a large group of sheep on the road.
We had the opportunity to spend a few days with Jake’s cousin Matt, his wife Jen, and the rest of the crew in Bangalore, India! It was so much fun to catch up with them and explore the area. We had a wonderful time with the whole family.
Jen took us shopping downtown Bangalore! Lots of cool stores! We found some cute outfits for the girls!
Super neat toy store near downtown Bangalore! The girls would have loved it! 🙂
I think he is a little loaded down with sugar cane!
Aw….such great food!
Our home away from home for the next few days in India. Thanks Matt & Jen for letting us hang out with your family!
Jake on vacation but taking a few minutes to check in with work!
Michael and David were the first ones to hit the pool!
David performing under water for the camera!
Hey Michael! Having fun at the pool!
Erica swimming through Jake’s legs in the pool
View from behind the water fall at one of their many pools!
Erica was a great guide, she wanted us to check out all the pools in the area! It was pretty amazing seeing all the cool places to swim. This picture was taken in the kids area.
We had a blast hanging out with the whole family. We met some of their friends in the area, went swimming, grabbed a ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins, ate delicious food, and so much more. I will be sharing more on our adventures over in India soon. It was an amazing trip and we are thankful for Matt & Jen’s hospitality while we were there.
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!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was a fun one with Horse Camp for the girls among all the other fun summer activities. This week we are gearing up for extra time with extended family and friends!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every dayListen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every dayParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsGet to the 3/4 Goal Mark (1500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)Go to the library with the kidsTake the girls to Horse Camp- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – getting closer, such a big decision
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week – didn’t do well this past week
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekWork on My Summer Organizational Schedule- Pack for upcoming family reunion – getting started
Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my deskPut in extra hours with clients while girls are at camp
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchPrepare for the next Alms & Legs meeting
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – saving up for new vehicle
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Get to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
- Spend time with extended family
- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
- Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pack for upcoming family reunion
- Pay all upcoming bills
- Clean house prior to traveling
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work on projects with the family business
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- 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.
Travel & Vacation: Quick Trip to Nebraska & Kansas
Brina having a blast swimming at the pool in Nebraska
Earlier this year our family made a quick trip out to Nebraska and Kansas for a conference. During the trip we got to spend some time hanging out with family too. While Jake and I attended the conference the girls got to hang out with Grandma Penny. They had a blast swimming, going to the Children’s Museum and more.
Watch this! Karlie preparing for her next dive! Love the blue goggles and floats, she cracks me up!
Crashed after a fun day with Grandma…..can you guess whose wearing the “heart” pjs and who is wearing the “rockets”, ha?! I think it is hilarious that they have a queen bed with covers yet they are laying on top of the sheet and barely even using a pillow. You can tell from this picture which one wiggles around the most in her action packed dreams.
Slumber party in the living room at Grandpa and Grandma’s with the cousins
One of the best parts about going to Kansas is seeing family. The girls always love hanging out and playing with their cousins Nathan and Brandon. The kids have a blast together!
Grandma set up a craft for the kids. They were super excited and it kept them entertained for quite some time. It was fun listening to them chitchat while creating their cool designs.
Kids being kids….doing jumping jacks, playing Simon Says, and having fun
Early morning Kansas Sunrise (taken through the car window on our way back to the airport). Kansas has some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets.
The girls were concerned that the girls bathroom also served as the “Tornado Shelter” for the Grand Island airport. It was a really nice and small airport, thankfully no tornadoes came while we were there.
Hanging out at the kids section burning off extra energy before our next flight out of the Dallas Airport. This picture was taken only a few moments before Karlie spit out her lose tooth. She has a thing with traveling and losing her teeth for some reason because most of the ones that have fallen out have been away from home (in the Dallas airport, at a hotel in Charleston, eating a tomato at VBS, etc…). I am thankful for the fun times and great memories with family! I am already gearing up for next fun adventure to the Midwest which will be here before we know it.
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: 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.
Travel & Vacation: King Fisher Airlines
Delayed! King Fisher Airlines – our flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore, India
We had the opportunity to visit Jake’s cousin and his family while we were over in India. They were staying in Bangalore so we booked our tickets in advance to fly out to see them. We were flying from Hyderabad to Bangalore and back.
Sometimes timing just isn’t right when it comes to flying! The week before we were suppose to fly to Bangalore Jake got a phone call from KingFisher Airlines saying our flight had been changed……we would now be flying out at a different time and arriving in another city in India (nowhere even near Bangalore). Thankfully we were able to get it worked out and they got us on a plane that was actually going to Bangalore. There was less than 20 people on the entire flight. KingFisher had all their bank accounts froze by the government for not paying their bills and they had consolidated all flights to conserve costs.
We ended up making it to Bangalore safely on KingFisher after several flights changes and delays but we decided it would be better to fly another airline back to Hyderabad since KingFisher wasn’t doing hardly anymore flights! Plus when we flew back we would have to arrive on time for a connecting flight back to home to USA. Good thing we changed airlines because when we flew back to Hyderabad a few days later all the flights with KingFisher were canceled. I felt bad for the employees and anyone with tickets with the airline, but what can you do when an airline goes bankrupt! The airline staff were really nice but from the reports we had heard they hadn’t been paid for several weeks due to the financial problems the airline was having.
On the way back we flew Indigo airlines and they were really great (no cancellations, delays, or problems at all). Considering Jake and I were in 12 airports throughout our travels to and from India and this was the only major hiccup we really can’t complain. Thankfully we were able to work out all the little hiccups and everything went pretty smoothly.
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: Lemon Tree Hotel Hyderabad, India
Entrance to the Lemon Tree Hotel where we stayed in Hyderabad, India. Jake stayed in this hotel for several weeks while he was working. They had four restaurants in the hotel and people to drive you to and from wherever you needed to go. We were able to meet a lot of great people and see some neat places during our stay in Hyderabad.
If your looking for a great place to stay in Hyderabad we had a wonderful experience at the Lemon Tree Hotel. The staff was awesome, the rooms were clean, and it was a wonderful place to stay.
The hotel breakfast area with a TV and tshirts hanging up as decorations. I had a lot of fun reading the sayings on the tshirts, probably one of my favorite sayings was “keep staring I might do tricks” because being an American in India you will have a lot of people watching everything you do. People were fascinated with what you ate, talked about, activities, or what you purchased at the store….really with about anything. They wanted to shake your hand, meet a person from American and ask you questions. You got used to it after while!
View from Jake’s window, the gas station was a busy place with cars, trucks, motorcycles, equipment and other traffic coming and going all day sometimes the line would be so long it was out in the street.
Sign posted in the elevator….should I be worried???? Although the power went off several times while I was there it never happened while I was in the elevator (one time it was literally a moment after I stepped off the elevator)!
Roof top pool, beautiful and relaxing. There weren’t a lot of people that went swimming so most of the time I had the pool to myself.
One of the Jokes on one of the table mats at the breakfast area. Each mat have a bunch of different jokes, stories, and sayings….it was always interesting to read them.
Gas station across the street from the hotel “Indian Oil”. You can see the person with the tractor filling up with gas. Diesel was actually less expensive because the government subsidized it.
In order for the lights and the electricity to work in the room you had to have your room key in this wall mount. It was nice unless you wanted something to charge while your away from a few minutes, although they probably save on energy.
Watching the dump truck on the construction sight out our hotel window.
Outside view of our hotel from the Ohri’s restaurant.
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: InOrbit Mall Hyderabad, India
Inorbit Mall in Hyderabad, India which had three main floors and additional ones with restaurants. It looks much like our malls back home but with a lot of different stores. Jake and I were touring the city and wanted a cool place to walk for a little bit so he took me to the mall. It was really neat seeing all the different stores, people, signs, and more!
The washer and dryers are much smaller in India (and these ones are even on pallets). You can’t do as many clothes per load but it’s better than doing them by hand.
Nestle Kit Kat’s in the store (with the old wrappers). The chocolate was pretty expensive in India but it was neat to see some familiar brands. When I came over to visit Jake that’s what I brought over for his team in India, a variety of chocolates to share. They were thrilled with all the chocolates and excited to take some home to share with their families.
One of the signs posted near the escalator in the mall…..some of them made us smile!
One of the signs “You are wearing bi-focal glasses, pause for a moment, focus on the steps before stepping on.” – Good point, I will have to let Brina and Karlie know the next time we go on an escalator!
While this sign probably is not as important in the USA, however, there are a lot of people in India who go barefoot. “Do not travel barefoot, be careful while using soft footwear.” I am not sure how they go barefoot on the hot hard ground and rocks makes my feet hurt looking them walking. They must have some tough callouses.
At one store instead of manican heads they used a flower bouquet and a round bush (interesting way to improvise)
View of the playground at the mall and the city of Hyderabad from the top floor of the mall. Those little black spots in the distance are cows trying to find some water or grass.
Fun City arcade with a bowling alley, bumper cars, rides, and fun games in the mall
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: Food & Fun in Hyderabad, India
Loved the dishes and food at Tadka! I snapped this picture as they were putting the items onto the plate, rice and curry went into the middle. Jake and I stopped here after several hours of touring the city (with a lot of walking in 100 plus weather) so it was nice to sit down and relax together. They asked Jake how he was doing and he made the comment that he was glad to be in the “cool” restaurant after seeing the sights in the city. After a few minutes we noticed the restaurant was getting really cold (they had turned the temperature down for us, it was freezing even for us).
The food was amazing and they literally would not stop serving us. Every time our drinks got to the halfway mark they would refill the cup and if our plates had space on them they would scoop some more food onto it. Someone was literally standing a few feet away the entire meal to make sure we had drinks, food, and to help in anyway. We counted seven waiters for this one meal (which was not uncommon).
At the end of each meal they almost always ask you to do a survey. The main waiter picked up the survey with the bill and his face went from serious to a beaming smile. He immediately went over to his manager to show off his glowing survey results. We were thrilled to add some extra sunshine into his day! Below are some more fun food adventures and other fun stuff while we were in Hyderabad:
Thankful for the opportunity to hang out for a few days with my man!
Delicious chicken curry dish at the Tadka restaurant
Huge bowl of water and red rose petals at the entrance of the restaurant!
Doorman at the Ohri’s restaurant
This is one of the pictures hanging up in one of the restaurants that we visited, hilarious! It says “The Good, The Bad, and the Idlis” Does it remind you of something? Maybe “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!”
My handsome man trying to figure out what to order! They have very colorful decor in the restaurants, notice the green chair to the left of Jake.
Tasty treat – two types of rice, naan, and curry
Yummy breakfast
Hot Coffee and juice for breakfast……every morning they brought us coffee. The waiter asked me the first day if I wanted coffee and I said yes since I had been traveling the past two days and needed to stay awake. Every day after that he brought me coffee as soon as he saw me enter the room, excellent service! A couple interesting things about the coffee – the coffee was much stronger than what I make and I never received a full cup (for some reason they deliver half cups of coffee no matter where you go).
Browsing the aisles of Hyper Savers (the local small version of “Walmart”) in Hyderabad. Their food was sold by rs per kilogram. Some of the food in the store I had never seen before.
The girls REALLY wanted us to bring back a suitcase full of coconuts, ha! We told them the you could find coconuts literally everywhere, even on the ground! For one whole coconut it is 15 RS (rupee) which is like us paying about 30 cents (great price for a coconut)!
The soda of choice! At least in Hyderabad the Pepsi products were more popular. The flavor was not the same, but Jake didn’t seem to mind too much.
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!
