I'm back

So I got back from Africa 2 ½ weeks ago and have been meaning to blog….but I have not….I would like to blame jet lag, or a super busy holiday schedule – but really it is because I’m lazy.

So we went to South Africa, to Cape Town for 5 nights and Kruger on Safari for 4.  It was an awesome trip.  It is hard to try to sum up an awesome trip, so I am going to do a top 10 list and some pics.

Top Ten Moments my South Africa Trip

1)      The flights….I love long flights - it is pretty awesome having no contact to the outside world for a very long time, no crackberry, email, facebook, etc. Awesome time to watch movies and not feel guilty, read a book, and nap a lot.  Warning – don’t take Ambien (a sleep aid) if you are not used to it.  I had an outer body experience with hallucinations mixed in.  I am not sure if the experience was traumatic or awesome – the jury is out.

2)      Cape Town’s botanical garden was a real treat. It was beautiful; we had excellent weather and enjoyed a nice meal outside. There was a smell and touch exhibit, where you were instructed to touch and smell certain plants. Elliot loved it!

3)      On Safari - seeing 2 black mambas – a very poisonous snake….a truly traumatic experience, I also saw 2 scorpions! 

4)      On Safari – seeing elephants from my room…nuff said

5)      In Cape Town and Safari, Wine, wine, and sparkling wine.  I do love a nice bubbly. The vineyard we visited was simply de-VINE!

6)      Elliot and I taking 2,000 pictures of lions sleeping – what can I say, I am still learning to use my camera.

7)      A rhino charging our vehicle, luckily it was only doing it so we would remember who the boss is. 

8)      Seeing a different side of the world, and still realizing it can be a small place. I saw my co-worker from Atlanta in the Johannesburg airport, and we ended up staying in the same hotel in Cape Town (a hotel with only 8 rooms)…talk about 2 ladies with good taste!

9)      All the animals were amazing, not just on Safari but near Cape Town too [see facebook account for full idea].  Elliot was pretty pumped to get his big 5 certificate!

10)   Getting to spend 11 days straight with Elliot…WINNING!

Harry Potter World - family style

So a few weeks ago my family (Mom, Dad, Spectra, her hubby Sawyer, Elliot, and me) went down to Orlando to celebrate my dad’s retirement. And by, went to Orlando to celebrate, I really mean went to Harry Potter world to celebrate our own wizard and witch skills!

Before I get started on Harry Potter world, let me first say crazy that my dad is retiring, for several reasons i) he is a really magical teacher and seems to have so much fun with it all (from dressing up as a knight and knighting a child from each class who exhibits strong character, to using Google earth to pretend he is an astronaut with the kids landing on Mars….this is just the beginning, ii) he does not really have much gray hair, which seems like it would be a requirement for retiring, iii) my parents have crazy amounts of energy….as an example – when we were planning Orlando they decided they wanted to do theme parks 3 days in a row, and when I say theme parks I mean arrive at 9am leave at 10pm after the fireworks…..wow-zer, I really needed a vacation after the vacation, and finally iv) for him to retire, means I am really old enough to be an adult (hence the name Growing Up Thyme – always weird when I remember I am an adult)

Here are some highlights of the trip

1)      Butter Beer, butterscotchy cream soda goodness…nuff said

2)      Picking out own wands at Ollivander’s Wand shop….now most people would select a wand by either their birth month or which character in Harry Potter they most relate to….not my family – Wally (dad) insisted of having us open a bizzillion wand boxes (without him knowing which wand was which) and glide the wand over his head until his Chakra energy felt powerful….let’s just say it is kinda scary Elliot felt the Voldemort and Harry Potter! I hope my hubby is not evil!!

3)      Moaning Myrtle moaning in the bathrooms

4)      The amazing window displays

5)      The state of the art ride where I got to fly….so neat! Even the line was amazing – going through Hogwarts

6)      Honeydukes candy shop – yes I did buy a chocolate frog and bertie botts jelly beans (my favorite of the weird flavors was grass and pepper!)

7)      Unrelated to Harry Potter, but playing Settler’s of Catan late night with the fam

Having geek parents that would rather do Harry Potter world vs. some stiff dinner or party sure is awesome…WINNING!

Here are some pics

{Wandering the streets}

{Obvi they are in costume}

{Family Photo - don't pretend you don't like the fanny pack!}

{Hogwarts}

{Enjoying a butter beer}

{It moved around the talked!}

{Mandrake}

{Frog choir}

{Lots of small touches scattered around}

{Wally wearing his sorting hat drinking another butter beer - non alc. of course!}

10 days till Africa

In less than 10 days I will be in South Africa!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it.  I am going for a little R&R and will spend 5 nights in Cape Town and 4 nights on a Safari to Kruger Sabi Sands!

Here are some pics of the loveliness!

{High Tea}

Source: mountnelson.co.za via Gaya on Pinterest

{Penguins}

Source: google.com via Gaya on Pinterest

{Fabulous Neighborhoods}

Source: google.com via Gaya on Pinterest

{Wine Galore!}

Source: google.com via Gaya on Pinterest

{Nice view from hotel}

Source: tripadvisor.com via Gaya on Pinterest

{Safari - making friends}

Source: tripadvisor.com via Gaya on Pinterest

Source: tripadvisor.com via Gaya on Pinterest

Source: elephantplains.co.za via Gaya on Pinterest

And the winner is....drumroll please!

The lady bug is the winner!

Thank you Tamara for submitting your cute pic Sophie Mae dressed up in her lady bug costume for Halloween!  It was a close race (5 of us voted for our top 3, and she came up with the most points). A 10 dollar target gift card will be mailed to you home! Congrats!

All the pets are of course winners, here are just a few of my favorites.  I really love costumes when they have attached arms!

Look at this squirrel - I love the arms!

Very cute cowboy!

A tiny bumblebee named Oliver

Cute little froggy...if I ever saw a real frog this big I might just die!

 I love how this is part Diva part princess. I think my sister in law Em girl might want the same sweater.

This cute kitty did well in the competition too!

This turtle is seriouslly killing me!

Turtles and bunnies tend to get along.  This pic scored in the top 3!

A lazy little cow! Moooo. I love the utter!

 I love the hat - I want one!

Once again the arms kill me! I love this little chicken. Even the cute husband and TV could not steal his thunder!

Clifford the big red dog....no need for a costume sucka!

Congrats to all of you who have super cute pups! I am sooo jealous.

Elliot - are you reading this?

CONTEST: Halloween costumes for your pet

I am doing my first contest.  It is short notice, but awesome none the less.

As we all know from previous posts, I want a dog, someone to love me and greet me when I come home. In order to keep my hopes up slash convince Elliot about how awesome a dog would be, I have decided the first competition will be for a gift card of 10 dollars to Target (where they sell pet stuff). Not quite the big leagues - but everything counts!

Send me a pic of your pet (dog, cat, turtle, gerbil, etc) in their Halloween costume. I will vote, and will find 2 random co-worker who does not know any of you vote also - to minimize bias!

Rules:
- You could submit up to 3 pics (of the same animal or of different animals).
- You must submit photos of animals you personally know (you don't have to be the owner, but if the owner submits a photo, you can't)
- You can NOT submit random photos you found online

Send me the pics to my email gaya.myers@gmail.com by Friday, November 4th.

Here is some inspiration:

Source: google.com via Gaya on Pinterest

Source: kohls.com via Gaya on Pinterest

Source: d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net via Gaya on Pinterest

Thank you cornea burning laser!

Top 10 reasons I am loving my new 20/20 vision thanks to Lasik

 

1. More bathroom counter and drawer space. Sigh-a-nar-a crap (see pic below)
2. Waking up in the morning, reaching for my glasses and realizing I don’t need them
3. Seeing the clock in the morning
4. Getting to wear different sunglasses on a whim
5. Being able to play tennis, jog, etc without the dang glasses shaking around
6. No more expensive contact solution
7. In the shower being confident I am using shampoo in my hair, instead of body wash
8. No more smudges on the eyeglasses – woot woot!
9. Seeing the individual leaves on a tree super far away…loving all these fall colors
10. Having the best vision I have had since 5^th grade

Here is a boat load of crap....mostly contacts, including an entire unopened box....adios!

If you are considering Lasik, start with this website: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/SurgeryandLifeSupport/LASIK/ucm061358.htm

A reminder to be mindful

A few weeks ago I was in Raleigh visiting the family, when I noticed a small bell hanging from the doorway down to the basement (ie my dad’s shrine). I asked my dad what the bell was for and he explained to me, each time he walks directly in to it, bumping his head against the bell, which then chimes, and serves as a reminder to be mindful. Silly Gaya, I should have figured!

I will have to ask my dad more about what mindfulness means to him, but in the meantime, google told me “In its Buddhist context, mindfulness has three overarching purposes: knowing the mind; training the mind; and freeing the mind.”

Here are photos of the rents demonstrating:

{To bad my mom is too short to be reminded to be mindful!}