Nyungwe Forest & Canopy Tour

All is well in Kigali! We are settling into the house and we got our shipment last week. Slowly but surely the house actually is starting to look like it belongs to us! More on that soon!

A few weeks ago, Dom and I took our first trip out of Kigali to see the wilds of Rwanda. Actually it was my first trip out, as he did a business trip to the border right after we arrived. We decided to do the longest in country trip first and it was about a five hour drive out to Nyungwe Forest. Rwanda continues to surprise me. I was amazed at the road quality, as  most of the drive was paved. Though there was certainly a portion of the drive where we received the proverbial African massage. Which is the on going joke for any road trip on the continent.

We stayed the first night at the Top View Hill Hotel which is a nice, rustic lodge near the forest. For those of you considering a visit. Be aware that it has a very steep driveway and you'd most likely need a four wheel drive to get there. There are about 10 bungalows onsite, and the food was delicious.

Top View Hill Hotel Bungalows

 Graphic Dung Art Top View Hill Hotel Lobby 

 Bedroom in Our Bungalow

 Ceiling at Top View Lobby

 The drive is so worth it!

Reduce, reuse, recycle. The mosaic is all bottle caps!

The next day, we did the canopy tour. Which is amazing and terrifying at the same time. The pictures just don't do justice to the expanse of the canopies. I just about peed in my pants when I got to the middle of the second bridge. I was videoing but just let the camera drop around my neck when I realized how high up we were. Absolutely breath taking! If you come to Rwanda (and you should), it's a must see.

Off to the canopy tour! It's about an hour and half total! So amazing!

 Safari ants will eat you alive! Which led to the fashion statement below.

Tucking your jeans into dress socks is the next big thing. Didn't you know?

Our amazing view of the canopy.

 Canopy walk! 

The last night in Nyungwe, we treated ourselves to a five star stay at the Nyungwe Forest Lodge. Talk about luxury! Of course, my camera battery died, so I can't quite show how amazing the experience was. Thank goodness the iphone is a good back up. I would totally recommend this place if you are looking for a splurge!  The food was delish, the rooms were luxurious, and the views were amazing.

This guy was hanging out right in front of our patio.

 The lodge sits right in the middle of a tea plantation. Gorgeous!

 Bike ride around the tea plantation!

 Infiniti pool overlooking the canopy. 

 Lobby & five star dung art.

Miles of tea!

Monthly Montage: Our First Month in Kigali

We have officially been in Kigali for 38 days and I am aware that is my first "in country" blog post. All I have to say for myself is that I am on Africa time. What can I say?  I make lifestyle adjustments quickly. Here is my montage of thoughts regarding the first month that I thought you might like to know.

#iliveinaplacewherefirtreesandcactusreside

My first impression of Kigali- this wasn't what I was expecting. Kigali is the cleanest third world city I have ever been in. The entire country seems to be organized. Store fronts are beautiful manicured, and there is no trash on the street. Did you hear me? There is NO trash on the street. Pretty impressive for such a densely populated area. In fact, the last Saturday of every month is the community cleanup day and Rwandans who do not participate are charged a fee. Oh, did I mention that plastic bags are illegal in this country?  I suppose I should give up ziplocks but I'm claiming diplomatic immunity.

The weather is perfect. The sun comes up at six and sets at six. It is eighty degrees during the day and sixty degrees at night. Right now we are in the dry season, the only downside is the dust. It's like living in west Texas without the heat. But I've already been sunburned twice thanks to living on the equator. SPF 30 simply isn't cutting it.

Breathing is a problem. If you want to know what it's like to suffocate then do the 4th week of the Insanity workout upon your first week of arriving. Needless to say- I started back on week one.

The one click purchasing button on Amazon is evil and I love American peanut butter.

We have a lovely house, which will get a blog post of its own once our personal items arrive and I can actually hang things on the wall. For now, we feel like we are luxury camping as we try to MacGyver cooking dinner with what we have in the welcome kit and the strategic packing of the 200 lbs of air baggage that arrived before our other belongings. We were most happy to see our pillows and our coffee maker.

We have 4.5 bathrooms, and all of our toilets have been angled toward the door. I can only assume this is a feng shui technique to open up our chi. I have always said that having two bathrooms is the secret to a happy marriage. So basically my marriage should be like eating chocolate chip cookie dough and riding a vespa for the next two years. 

The trick to not going crazy when you first arrive at post and you don't have a car or internet is to keep yourself busy. So, I gave myself a list of projects. The first one is learn video. I haven't gotten to the second one. But I am working on two very cool video projects and an extra special multimedia project at the moment. I also hope to make a video about our first few months in Kigali so stay tuned!

I have read 12 books since arriving at post. In one, I learned about my Archetypes. Let's say that some were more flattering then others, but I gained some interesting insight about myself. 

That handsome man of mine is working some crazy hours and doing amazing things as usual. We're working on finding him a hobby and through discussions and delicious tastings with some new friends, I think beer brewing is top on the list. Frankly, I think it's strategic when your hobby-of-choice can actually support your sport-of-choice. But maybe that's just me.

Dom recently visited Gisenyi at the border with Goma. He enjoyed a five star stay at the Serena. He made sure to call and rub it in. One of his Rwandan work colleagues asked him if he'd like him to pick up some veggies from the market for him as you can get them for a better deal outside of the city. Dom told him, "Sure. Get me whatever you are getting." Dom arrived home with a 50 lb bag of veggies. It took us two days to clean all the veggies. I also learned alot about what you can make with 50 lb bags of veggies. This is what $18 buys you in the Rwandan countryside. 

That sums up the first 5 minutes of our tour! We love you! We miss you! Come visit soon!

Rwanda- Here We Come!

Hi All! Dom and I have received our next assignment and are traveling to our next post! We will arrive on July 4th which seems very appropriate. Want to see a slice of our new life? Check out this great video!

I'll be posting updates as we move forward! If you ever want a grand adventure then come and see us!

http://vimeo.com/57465392

Beauty Chaser

Over the last few weeks, I have been asked a simple question that I simply don't know how to answer. "If you could do anything that you wanted to do, what would it be?" For someone who has been chasing their dream for over ten years you would think this would be simple. But if anything, I find it increasingly difficult as I look both in my past and toward my future.

What do I want? When you take out logistics, finances, all limitations. What is my dream? I stop. I ponder. I rack my head against the wall. And the only thing that comes out is this truth. I long for beauty.

It's true, I am a beauty chaser.  I have flown my beauty flag my whole life. Always seeking loveliness and striving to surround myself with it. This is why I dwell on paint colors, make valiant efforts to meet (and feel a personal connection with) the artists whose work adorns my walls, and fill my shelves with photographers/designers/artists whose work I admire. It is why, I NEED to pick up fresh flowers from Trader Joe's and arrange them around my home in beautiful pitchers and vases. This is why, I shamelessly preselect people at parties that I want to be friends with because I love the outfit they put together or the way they fixed their hair. It's why I spend hours on Pintrest and read way too many blogs just so I can soak in the eye candy that is just there for the taking.

It is why, I dwell over my own photography and strive to be better. I am ever learning greater technical skill. My goal daily is to capture truly beautiful, creative moments.

Even as I say what it is I truly want. I feel silly. That's my dream job? To be with and create beautiful things? Seems vague, and probably not exactly the answer that they were looking for. But it is the only truth that I have for the moment, so there is nothing to do but own it. I want to be with and create beautiful things.  I want to be a beauty chaser.

So today, I left behind the hours of editing, invoicing, and house cleaning. I picked up my camera, grabbed my husband, and we went to the home of the late philanthropist and collector Marjorie Merriweather Post's Hillwood, an urban oasis blending exquisite arts and lush botanicals in DC. And was I ever inspired! Talk about discovering the ultimate beauty chaser!

You know when you feel like you just understand someone no matter what your differences, not to mention your lifespan? I just felt her love of beauty in the house from the furnishings, to the Japanese gardens, and an incredible demitasse cup collection that inspired me to start one immediately. Hillwood hosts the most extensive collection of Russian imperial art outside of Russia, and a pretty incredible collection of 18th Century French art. It didn't hurt that she once had a career as a "diplomatic wife", she shares my love of delicate flowers, and spent two years bringing Hillwood to it's currently glory. Something tells me we'll run into each other in another life and be grand friends.

Now back to my truth, I was absolutely, enthusiastically thrilled to be there surrounded by all that beauty and the effort it took to create it. So that is it. It's official. I AM a beauty chaser.  Right now it's just me and Ms. Post but I welcome you to join me in my endeavors!

In Search of a Legacy

I am on a soul search. For some reason soul searching brings to my mind ideals of meditation, tea, and prayer. Maybe I've been watching to much Eat, Pray, Love. Or maybe we have the definition of soul searching all wrong, and we think that the clouds will part and our purpose will be before us.

When we arrived back in the states a year ago, I was bright eyed with the prospects of being stateside and excited for an opportunity to run an business without all of the bureaucratic red tape that I had encountered as a spouse in Zambia. Oh the joy of work! Well a year has gone by and like a new penny that has lost it's shine, I am forced to take off my rose colored glasses and analyze both my present and my future.

What people don't tell artists when they begin their journey is that even if you work for yourself, your client often dictates the terms of the deal, which in turn dictates your creativity. I have spent the last year learning how to photograph weddings, portraits, families, and events. I have created a business, a new brand, and gone from zero events per year to double digits. It has not been an easy road. Some days I have skinned knees and a bruised ego, but occasionally I have incredible success.

I started on this path because I fell in love with the idea of creating something. I stayed on the path because I loved people and I kept thinking that if I helped them in some way or captured a beautiful memory of their life that all I am and all I create would be of some value. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that most of the work I create is stored on a thumb drive, stuck in a drawer, with a few winning shots showing up in frames occasionally in someones home. This makes me question my legacy and ultimately my purpose.

I have no regrets in terms of what I've learned, nor in the skills that I've acquired on this journey. But I do have to ask the question, "What do I want to create?" If I can find the answer to that question, then all I have to do is be brave enough to make it happen.

DIY: Capiz Shell Pendant Light

Hello friends!

It has been far too long since I did a personal blog! This is mostly because my business has been taking up lots of my time so the only blogging I have been doing is there! Speaking of there is a new wedding up so pop over and take a look!

When Dom and I moved back stateside, we literally had zero furniture. One of the glories in the state department is that they provide furniture to you when you are abroad. Unfortunately, that isn't the case when you get back home. So one of my first projects upon returning was putting together a home that had more inside than just books and art.

I had a blast shopping, choosing paint, and curating the space. Many thanks to Craigslist, antique stores, and Leah's love of auctions because I put together a space that was mid-century modern meets bohemian eclectic and I love it!

One of the first pieces I bought was a Capiz Shell Pendant Light from a very awesome junk/antique shop here in D.C. Several of the shells where damaged, but I just knew that I could restore it to it's former glory. Sadly it has taken me about 9 months to get around to the project, but last night we hung the pendant and I was thrilled with the results.

Here's a brief step by step of my DIY!

Step 1: I traced out the shape of the Capiz shell on a piece of white paper and cut it out as my sample.

Step 2: I used my sample to make wax paper versions. Each faux shell took 3 wax paper shapes. I had to do several test runs to figure out how many layers were the appropriate opacity when the light shone through the lamp. Three was the magic number.

Step 3: I grated up some candle wax to use in between the wax paper layers.

Step 4: I put the candle wax in between the layers of wax paper, covered it will pieces of brown paper bag, and put a warm iron on to melt the wax.

Step 5: I covered the outer edges of the faux shell with modge podge, once it dried I added a yellow and gold wash to the very edges so that my new shells would looked aged like my old shells.

 

 

Step 6: I removed the broken shells, and replaced them with my new shells by modge podging them in place. Once dry I made creases with a butter knife where the fishing line should of been and punched tiny wholes where the wire would go through. This give the visual of my shells being exactly the same as the original shells.

 

Step 6: My wonderful husband hung the hanging pendant for me, and we used a simple hanging pendant light from ikea that plugged into the wall socket! 

Now we have light and style in our living room! Woohoo!!!