|
Super short video from todays trip to the Casino.
0 Comments
 Hi, Hope your summer is going well. August is my birthday month and like all good leo's I begin celebrating in July and go into September, lol! (That would be a funny story, but it is actually true, lol) One of the treats I bought for myself to celebrate was a SketchBox. (Because I clearly do not have enough monthly boxes, hahahahhah!) Oh and by the way, I really did purchase it, this isn't sponsored. The first box arrived August 1st and sadly I have not had much time to draw, but I am excited to use the supplies when things slow down. Let's look inside the box:  Front  Back I opted for the Premium Box. It is $35usd a month plus shipping. You never know what you are going to get, but looking at past boxes they included such favs as Copic Markers, Koi Watercolors, Charcoals, and other mediums I was excited to try! They theme the boxes so you can try a new medium with all the tools you will need to finish a project. They have also just recently started including a "How To" video on the website to help you learn to the use the products, which I love as well.  Inside  I love the collectable pencil tin! Inside the box:
While I love all the pencils, as you can see it wasn't much of a savings over retail. But of course the Lightfast oil based pencil set isn't on the market yet and it does seem to be incredible. I can't wait to play with them all! The Pros:
I liked the box and will enjoy using the pencils. They will complement my already large collection and I feel it was a fair price, maybe not a HUGE savings, but the items were very good quality. I'm going to give it three months to see what supplies are included before deciding to cancel or purchase a yearly subscription. What do you think? Do you subscribe to this box? Do you think it's worth the money? I hope to take some time off this week and use them all.  The sunsets are totally inspiring me to draw, paint and spend more time relaxing. Catch you later!
 Hey! How are things? I'm in the middle of planning a trip today and was thinking about some of the more interesting questions folks ask me when I'm traveling. Now don't get me wrong, for me travel is a way of life and meeting interesting people and having adventures is part of the fun. But I must be very approachable, because people do not hesitate to ask me off hand questions at every turn. Is it just me or does this happen to everyone?  Most often asked question or statement:  "You don't look like your passport!" Said by every customs agent everywhere. I usually reply, "Thank God! Because I was ill then," or something like that. They have never given me any real grief over it, so I must not look THAT DIFFERENT, lol (The picture is rubbish and I will not post it, lol but take my word for it!) But I honestly don't tend to look the same in any pictures and since I color my hair as a hobby, I do tend to look different everyday. (As you may have noticed on here.) Next common question: "Where's your husband?"  They usually look uncomfortable when I tell them he has passed away. I don't get offended anymore when people (men) ask. I guess for some people (men) it's tough to imagine a woman traveling that much? Another really common question I hear is: "What are you doing here?" or "How did you get here?" People seemed surprised that anyone would visit their region or even their countries. Usually I answer pretty straightforward, by telling them a plane or a train or a bus or whatever. I always run into people who have never left their own countries and cannot image anyone coming all the way from America to see their area. Travel really is a mindset as much as anything else.   (Actual Rotterdam station) Leaving Rotterdam, Norway a youngish train attendant was talking to me about which route was best to take to get to the port and seemed to be caught off guard by me returning to America via a ship. "How long does it take? It takes 6 months, right?!" Funny but a lot of people still seem to think it takes months to cross the sea. #WTF?!  We are going on a bigger ship than this! It usually takes about 7 days to make the crossing from NYC to Southampton UK. It takes a bit longer from Norway but still not over 2 weeks even with stops along the way. The number one question French women ask me, when they find out I grew up in south Texas: "Are cowboys real?"  Yes, they are. But most of them are not like on TV. Another common question I hear is: "Is Trump for real?" It is usually asked by everyone who sees my American passport.  Your guess is as good as mine! Another common question or actual statement I hear often in England is: "There is nothing older than 200 years in America! Nothing there to see so you come to Europe!" Ugh! I usually just smile at this and walk away, because its not my job to educate people.  But if you want to learn more about ancient sites in America I'm working on another blog post... This is Chaco Canyon in New Mexico it was occupied from around 800A.D., to the 1,200s. There are plenty of Native American sites across America that are even older.
What are you often asked when you travel? I'd love to hear so leave me a comment below. See you at the airport!  Today's goal: Make time to paint (in between naps) lol It's Tuesday, I know. But it's been a long month in a long, busy year. So I'm ready for a long, lazy vacation. #TrueStory And if I can't travel right now I am hoping to at least work on the planning/details of my next MEGA adventure this week. To be honest I enjoy the planning part of travel too. I love learning about new places.  I need to review best times to travel, weather and of course VISA's restrictions for Australia. Do you have any suggestions? If so leave me a comment or email me, I love hearing from ya'll!
Catch you later~  I'm still alive! Hello! It's been awhile and I have no excuse other than I have had company almost every single day since late June! The last bunch is leaving Monday and then hopefully I can catch up on blogging. Life is really good now. I have really enjoyed visiting with everyone and exploring the area. Its great to see things through other people's eye. You, or at least I, forget how beautiful every day life can be. So truthfully we are spending most of our time outside in the garden and of course eating!  (From one ladies snapchat, lol. I'm glad they liked my vegan food. :D)  Bring on the vegan food!  OMG! These were soooo good!  And the tacos are flowing!  Meanwhile the plants are blooming..  My garden is kicking-ass!  My toad crop is really coming in nicely this year, lol!  Free range crop is not amused.   We have been chasing sunsets..(that's actually a sunrise, cause sleep is for losers)  (Sunset in progress) I'm enjoying a low key summer for a change. There are so many AMAZING travel deals right now, but I cannot get away from work yet. I'm still working almost every day, but hiring additional folks has really helped, so hopefully by next year we can return to the travel life. (Fingers crossed.)  We are in the monsoon season and it's been really nice and cool lately. Perfect weather for exploring in between rain storms.  I also have a TON of boxes and other goodies to share with you! I took lots of photos so expect to be bombarded with posts soon!  #Yum!  Newest Obsession! I really hope you are having a great summer!
I promise to put together a proper post soon, Until then-  Desert dwellin’ □✨ Welcome July!
It's going to be a month full of friends, food and adventure!  I know most ppl are like "OMG! WTF?!?" For the long time readers of the blog, (thank you both, lol) you know I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 18 and vegan for 5 + years now, but I still get asked questions like, “What do you eat?!”  So now that vegans and vegetarians are much more mainstream, chances are good you may find yourself invited over for dinner. What can you expect? Well, first off don’t panic! If a gourmet chef invited you for dinner you would expect to try some sublime foods that you had never tried before. If a specialty pizza chef invited you for dinner, you would expect to eat some incredible pizza that evening. You would probably even look forward to the bits of flair that would be added to the plates and table as you sampled this new cuisine, yeah? So what happens when your vegetarian friend invites you to dinner? Will it be a GIANT bowl of raw salad, sans dressing and heavy on the kale? Hardly, if you are lucky enough to be invited to a vegetarian’s home for dinner you can expect a culinary adventure! Now that being said, there are many different types of vegans and vegetarians and people are all different. I for one, am not a fan of curry. (Insert hate mail here, lol) Which is the one guaranteed vegetarian meal on all flights… #FML Anyway, enough about airplane food…If you yourself are not a vegetarian, you should be open to trying a couple of new and interesting foods at your *BVFF’s house. (*Best Veggie Friend Forever) Don’t be afraid to try meat alternatives, if they serve you any, most meat eaters love them, once they get over the “TOFU FEAR” that most people seem to have. Just come hungry and enjoy yourself in a new environment of tastes and smells. I have a few tips to get you ready for what you may encounter on a typical vegetarian table. Are you game?  Seasoning Adventures Vegetarians frequently use strong seasoning in order to bring out flavors more effectively in foods that don’t necessarily add their own flavor to a dish. There is a high likelihood of finding characteristic flavorings from other cultures. So expect to try some new flavors. Traditional vegetarian cultures have influenced American vegetarians quite a bit. Indian spices are very popular in combination with vegetarian entrees and sides. But as I said not everyone eats Curry. Spices, herbs and seasoning from Mexico, Italy, and of course Asian cooking, are popular in vegetarian cooking. Ingredients such as peppers, soy sauces and sesame oil are also quite common in most vegetarian kitchens. Depending on the individual, of course, but its a safe bet that you can expect richly flavored dishes rather than simple salt and pepper. Favorite Dishes for Non-Vegetarian Guests So, what is it that you will be eating that will be seasoned so beautifully? There are a few options. Protein source - could be beans, mushrooms, lentils, quinoa or Tofu. Tofu and tempeh are common soy products, that are now easily found in most US markets. They both receive flavor very efficiently and are easy to make fit any dinner mold. In addition to the protein portion of your meal, expect a colorful variety of vegetables. A spoonful of peas or corn would be insufficient for a nutritious vegetarian meal, so expect more varieties and larger servings. Finally, the carbohydrates will finish off your plate. Potatoes are a possibility, but it is more likely that you will find pasta, rice or risotto. If you are not accustomed to eating vegetarian meals, you will be surprised at the filling and satisfying results that an experienced vegetarian cook can produce. #WIN Now, that being said, of course there are many different types of vegetarian meals, way too many for me to list here.  Trust me, not every meal is salad, but if we serve you a salad it will be amazing! The important thing to do is to be willing to sit down at the table with an open mind. Get ready to enjoy something new, fun and delicious. Vegetarian foods are definitely unique as compared to typical American fare, but they make for an incredible dining experience.
Catch you later- |
AuthorWelcome to my travel blog, my healthy Vegan lifestyle blog and my life! It's a lot, but it's my passions and I just love to write about it. Here I share tips, stories and photos from my adventures and life. This is the place where people can find daily inspiration to travel and motivation to live healthier lives. I'm just an average woman in the world. Follow my journeys as I travel, shop, and meditate my way through life... 
Archives
August 2018
Categories
All
Most Popular Blog
|
RSS Feed
