Friday, November 22, 2013

fall photography

seeing i got back from africa october 29 after my 5 month summer i didn't get to take in as much of the fall season which i don't really mind, i just drink my body weight in pumpkin spice lattes since i got back ;) and its pretty much been winter since october here in Upstate New York, with that said i thought i would reminisce of the last autumn i had. just a mini photo shoot with a little chickie i babysit for, the colors are STUNNING if i do say so myself ;)
   






happy fall!! 
xx

Thursday, November 21, 2013

{malawi pictures}

to start off my african adventure/journey-ish i went on a two week mission trip to with a few members of my church- a 17 year-old, high school student, a 24 year old student/secretary, and a 28 year old family business partner. 3 out of the four of us had been on this same trip twice before and we love going and doing. we are sort of the pioneers of starting this organization in malawi a few trips ago by coming alongside The People's Foundation of Africa bought an old farmhouse with a bunch of other small farming utilities, and two years ago a scrawny group of teens and young adults came together to help assist schools and teach small business classes and help furnish an old farm house to turn it into an inn with a plot of land for men and women to help create a sustainable income by farming food for their family and selling the leftovers, go EMPOWERMENT! with out further ado...

                                                                    MALAWI 2013:




sustainability 


not ilegal substance- MUSHROOMS!


the inn













this is africa 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

wordless wednesday


A F R I C A P A R T Y- in african time

So haven't been in the blogosphere in a while. this post is mega belated. in one of of my last posts i chronicled how i was fleeing the country to intern/volunteer at a children's home in south africa, for three and a half months, but my besties (who are seriously the best friends a girl could EVER have) threw me a W I L D (get it, africa party, wild, haha) surprise party since they thought they would never see me again, with lots of lies and deceit in the weeks and days prior. I pretty much HATE surprises in any form unless you're surprising me with a latte then I'll like you a lot or having a lot of attention on me, it just not my thing or ever has been. 

timeline of the surprise partaaaayyyy (don't you just enjoy the excess a's and y's)
`about three weeks before the whole ordeal happened my one of my besties texted me to get the date off of work so we could have a girls hang night before i left, totes normal, girls night yessss please- lie #1 
`about a two-ish weeks before the party my mom attempted to sneak into my room at around midnight while i was sleeping but woke me up on the way out she told me i was grinding my teeth and i was so confused how she could hear me down the hallway (funny bad lie #2) but was trying to steal my phone so she could get my boss' number to get the party date off work
`a few days before the party a woman i babysit for her asked me babysit her kids on the day i was planning to hang with my friends (the party), i told her i couldn't and i had plans so she asks again but asks me again a few days later so i obligee but i have to late  at X time- lie #3 my mom set her up to do this so my friends could set up the house for the party
`one of my sweet friends helping to plan the whole sha-bang sort-of gave me (on accident) an idea on that there was a surprise of some sort being planned for me and I totally freaked out because a surprise party is pretty much my worst fear but then i sort-a shook it off
     the day of:
`i woke up with bazillion things to do and was about to go running my new trend at the time but my coworker called me at about 6:30 and BEGGED me to work for her and because i'm crazy i said yes and worked a short shift for her 
`i go back home to get changed and procrastinate a bit mean while my friends we driving through my neighborhood waiting to see my car gone to start setting up
`while i'm babysitting my dear friend starts spazz texting and calling me begging me to help her with "something" but not telling me what that something is and begs me to help her once i finish babysitting 
`i got to help he the second i finish babysitting, i race to her house to help her and i go to find out she needs help frosting cupcakes for a party she is going, i love this friend but i just wanted to go home and get cleaned up to hang with my friends and i thought i was going to hurt her in that moment she says he also needs to buy a ballon for the party she is going to and begged me to come with her so i suggested the place about 3 minutes from my house so to stall me she takes me to the sketchiest dollar tree across town, she buys the darn ballon and a jet outta there
`my other bestie who was planing the party intercepts me and meets me at starbucks to stall me more and we catch up on life and God's goodness to us
`i propt her to have our girls night at my house and we leave once we got the text form the party setters saying everything was set
`i meet her in my driveway and point out my friends car there take note on how odd that is to her, erinn "oh presh's cat broke down last week she didn't tell ya" 
`we get inside to my dark house and there my kitchen table is covered in sweets and my tall friend jumps out at me and shouts "SURPRISE" i didn't know who is was at first i was so shocked and i pretty much thought someone was trying to rob my house and lure me in with sweets
`then i after my blood pressure went down i looked around the room to see pretty much all my favorite people all in one place. im so darn blessed i tell ya. 











they did the most amazing job on the decor and bought most of at a local thrift shop and my mom helped get the most amazing food
cutest table

"taste of an african sunset" punch- so clever!!
my girls made me this cake!! #gotTalentyo








more on my african adventure in a bit