Always a wedding guest, never a bride... or something like that.

I went with Alicia and Sellers to their friend's wedding. We stopped by to pick up a few people and by a few people i mean like 14 in a qualis taxi - haha. There's always room for one more is our slogan.... or the more the merrier.... as you like.

Me and the Sellers before we melted into a puddle in the heat.

Happy Engagement!!

Also that day i found out that my sister Tonya had gotten engaged over the weekend to Charlie. They will get married next summer (in time for me to come home- yippeee!)

So congrats to the happy couple!! I couldn't have asked for a better brother-in-law.

Love you guys!!! Congrats from Me and John Caleb!

The Big Chill - Happy Birthday style

while i was in Delhi, we went to eat at the Big Chill.

We celebrated early, the birthdays of Alicia and John Caleb.

So HAPPY BIRHTDAY GUYS!!

Debriefing in Delhi

We returned to India in time to catch the last day of debriefing for our summer volunteers who did an amazing job trekking around Nimda*. They battled the blazing heat, long treks, sketchy old men on mountain buses, leaches, bed bugs, rose water, unhappy bowels, all while sharing the good news, lifting people up, and loving on the people of Nimda*. PTL.

The Bekkers, The Apes and Team Hardcore!!
A spot of Tea ?


Some skits....


some goodtimes...

Goodbye Bali My Love

Dearest Bali,

Thank you for your tanning rays, your ice cold Dr. Peppers, your delicious foods, your clear ocean waters with big surf, your beautiful beaches and phenomenal villas. We will remember you always...

Our Last Night in Bali:

Love,

Your Balilicious Beach Babes

Surf's up Dude!

One bright and beautiful morning Myself, Alicia and Sellers all embarked upon a journey... a journey to becoming great surfers. OK so taking one surfing class may not qualify us as great surfers but as Alicia liked to remind us..it at least "ups" our marriageability status or perhaps potential dating status... Here's to you Alicia.

When the class was over, we were all awarded certificates, mine read:

"On a beautiful day in Bali

April made a dream come true

at the Rip Curl School of Surf,

catching a wave and

becoming one of life's true free spirits-

a surfer.

This certificate entitles the holder to

use words like "gnarly, ripped and stoked"

without fear of ridicule from lesser mortals."

More Bali

A Break From Bali Blogging...

Thank you for tuning in to this Bali Blogging Break....

Apparently i have been tagged by my roomie on her blog to name 8 (why 8 i have no idea) but 8 interesting things that make up who i am or how i got to be so cool (or weird, depends upon your interpretation.)

This reminds me of those email things that everyone used to get : that said to forward this to as many people as you can in the next 5 seconds so you'll have good luck forever because you'll get 3 cents per person you send this to that will save the poor legless, armless, headless orphan from Tinallindgazoogaognaland but if you don't then you'll bring a dark cloud upon your house, you'll have bad luck forever, and the poor legless, armless, headless orphan that you could have helped will haunt your dreams while a swarm of angry african hornets will attack you in your sleep. All because you didn't forward an email to 2.2 million friends within 5 seconds. Tragedy.

So anyways here are my 8 interesting facts:

1. Both of my Roomies listed something about Cheese as their number one thing so i feel i should accredit the number one slot to cheese as well. Beki's fam used to own a cheese factory in wales and Haley misses cheese since her grandma loves it with coffee.... i myself don't really care for cheese that much either way... but i am CHEESETASTIC! To quote Beki " April, (youre so cheesey) that by the time i go home, i won't have any courtesy laughs left...haha"

2. I love to sleep with socks on - even in the summers and i prefer to eat potato chips with ketchup

3. Sterling Roses, jasmine tea, and hammacks are my perpetual simple joys

4. I went to a private school from 6th - 12th grade, where our graduating class was 45.

5. My mom called me her nomadic daughter because i moved every year during college including some summers - i had a total of 16 different roommates over the course of 4 years. (i promise i'm not a bad roommate!! i just lived with tons of people at a time... its cheaper)

6. If i could have ANY job in the world, i would be a photographer for Lonely Planet.

7. I prefer to live in the mountains and vacation to the beach.

8. Anything monotonous drives me nuts, i like new things and new changes but i hate goodbyes - especially to dear friends.

Bali's Dreamland

Foot massages on the beach ... can life GET any more relaxing??

My Balinese Simple Joy....

A little unknown fact about Bali....

you can find Dr. Peppers in every mini mart in town....

Bali.... the second day

Our personal cook made scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, coffee with of course fresh fruit... for breakfast before we began our busy day of lying around..haha.

Well - what would you do on your first official day in Bali, home of the best beaches ??? stay inside?? I think not.... we spent the day toasting ourselves.

We lathered on the spf 30 but some of us still got roasted - i still submit that we blinded the sun when 6 very white chics exposed the palest legs on the beach for all to see....

I know what my indian family in Nimda* would say if they saw me - they would gasp! while handing me an umbrella to shield my skin from the sun and telling me that i am looking so very black and that i have not been taking care of myself...

In order to protect those who are avid subscribers to this blog, i have taken your health into consideration and have chosen not to blind you as well.... sorry for the inconvenience and lack of pictures thereof.

So here is a pic from the evening - we just went downtown to shop and eat at a fun balinese restaurant.

Bali.... the First Day

In the beginning...

Before any villas or hotels could be decided upon, we spent hours looking up and researching the perfect potential temporary residence of relaxation...

We trudged through the websites of the extortionately priced, the questionably legitimate, the computer illiterate ones, and those so beautiful we considered paying half a year's salary for one week of bliss...

But alas, after email correspondence, and a bit of bargaining we decided on Villa Baliana -a 5 minute walk from the beach....

we did have our doubts - at least until we got there...

2 words my friends: shock and awe.

Villa Baliana

The Dining Room

The Sitting Room

Upstairs loft...

One of the 3 bedrooms... our private pool....Opposite of the gazebo where one of our staff would serve us breakfast in the mornings...

OHH Villa baliana, how i love thee....let me count the ways.....