Sweet India

I do not have photos of all of the sweet treats I ate in India, but I will tell you about some of the things I enjoyed the most.  My favorite treats were burfee, gulab jamun (although ALMOST too sweet for my taste), rasgulla (also super sweet), ice cream and of course fresh fruits. 

The fruit in India is so ripe and delicious!

Chocolate bread and ice cream

I found Easter candy!!!!  That is a BIG chocolate egg!

Fresh squeezed juice in the morning!!  Mmmmmm...I love it!

Delicious India

The food in India was so delicious.  It is one of the things I miss most about my spring travels.  Luckily, I live in an area with many Indian restaurants.  I wouldn't say their food is as good as what I had in India, but it will have to do until I have the chance to go back again.  Here are some photos to show just a few of the things I tried.

Pani puri is fun to eat.

I asked out chaat should be made and Chef Balvinder decided I should learn by doing.
The next thing you know I'm wearing gloves and a chef's hat while making my own chaat!

This is what I had for Easter lunch this year.  My hosts stuffed me full of wonderful Indian foods.  It was delicious!!

I was spoiled once again Easter night for dinner.  This time I was treated to dinner at a restaurant.
I couldn't say thank you enough if I tried!

There are many McDonalds in India, but the menu items are quite different.

Would you like to learn more about Indian foods?  

Here are some books you can take out at our library:

Colorful India

India is one of the most colorful places I have ever visited.  So many of the people are dressed in bold and bright fashion.  Sale items are arranged on tables outside at the bazaars, creating brilliant rainbows on each table.  Fabrics and trims are sold to creatively crafty folks looking to make their own colorful creations.  Fruits and vegetables are ripened to perfection to show their brightest colors as they travel on peddlers' carts or as they are displayed on the streets for others to buy.  

Pit Stop in Switzerland

I made it to Switzerland in time for my next flight to Mumbai, India!  I took German classes in high school and was able to use a little here in Zurich, Switzerland. We only had a short but of time to grab a "pan au chocolate" (delicious chocolate croissant) and a tea. I'm heading to the runway now. Stay tuned for news from my trip...

Freddy Friday #10 - While Mom's Gone...

Well, I am sitting on the plane waiting for take off.  We have been waiting on the plane for an hour and a half because they need to fix something before we leave.  I am going on a trip halfway around the world, but it seems it isn't happening as soon as I'd like.  As I sit here and wait I am receiving messages from friends on my phone.  One just popped up from the dog sitter, Ms. Kirsten.  Here is Freddy keeping watch out the window with his buddies.  Think he is looking for ME??  

Circus Chroma 2

Time for one, last, short performance!  Tonight I performed on the silks. I find the silks harder to conquer than any of the other circus disciplines I've tried so far.  There are so many things to remember and practice in order to stay safe in the air while dangling from two, slippery pieces of fabric.  All I know to do at this point is to try my best and to make sure I follow all of the safety rules my teachers have taught me.  You can see the video of my friends, Miss Mariah and Miss Melissa, performing with me on silks below.  My classmates are great!  We support each other and cheer each other on.  They inspire me to keep practicing so I can be as good as them soon!

All of the performances are done for this semester!  Miss Mariah, Miss Melissa and I celebrate...woohoo! Jumping for joy for a job well done! 

See? Being silly is fun for grown-ups too sometimes!

Circus Chroma 1

We had our first student showcase of the semester tonight.  The theme is Circus Chroma.  "Chroma" is a word to represent a colorful theme.  Each class performed a little of what they learned this past session to a song about colors.  Tonight's show had 4 year olds through grown-ups performing!  That just goes to show that ANYONE can join in circus fun!

I performed on the lyra and on the unicycle tonight.  A Lyra is a metal hoop that hangs from the ceiling. People use their strength to perform tricks in the air on the lyra. I am working to get stronger but could certainly use more time to develop the muscles I need to do my best in the hoop.

The unicycle has been proven to be a very tricky skill to learn for me, especially since I feel it is harder to balance on it as a tall person.  Here are wise words of advice for my students..."learn how to unicycle NOW, before you grow super tall!"  Nevertheless, I did learn how to ride and how to do a few tricks in a group during these past few weeks. 

High five on a job well done! 

YES! It Really IS Spring!

I took this photo from the Blackwells Mills Causeway of the D&R Canal in Franklin Township, New Jersey.  ~ 3/21/15 ~

Well, it is officially spring as of yesterday, March 21st.  It was really kind of hard to believe it as my reading group and I sat and looked out the windows to view the snow falling softly at 9:15am from my table in the back corner of the classroom.  I know we usually have the occasional snowfall in March and April but it was still a little strange to get as much as we did this year on the first day of spring since we were really looking forward warmer weather!

Spring is often a time to start spending more time outside doing fun activities like visiting the park, riding bikes and hiking.  So, in the spirit of spring Freddy and I headed out this morning to spend time outside, even though the ground and trees were covered with snow.  Our first stop was the dog park.  What a fun time my best buddy had while playing with his furry friends.  Afterwards, we decided we would take a friend up on their offer to paddle on the canal under the snow-dusted branches.  It was beautiful!  I had been wanting to canoe all winter, but the canal has been frozen most of this year.  As we paddled, the snow began to melt.  By the time we returned with the canoe, most of the snow was gone which made me realize that the beginning of spring was truly here after all.

Apollo and Freddy at the dog park

Walker, Apollo and Freddy playing at the dog park

The canoe is all ready to be pushed off into the canal.

Freddy is such an adventurous dog!!  He is always up for anything.

Would you like to read more about spring?  Take a trip to the library to check out these books!

Freddy Friday #9 - Sleepy Dog

I have written about all of the adventures Freddy loves to go on and how much he loves zipping around the dog park with his friends, but have I ever told you about the thing he does most?  He just absolutely LOVES to sleep.  Yup.  He can be found most of his days curled up in a ball only taking up the slightest bit of his dog bed.  Other times he stretches out on his side, falls asleep on his paws, and sometimes even sleeps with all four paws in the air.  He has actually fallen asleep standing up a few times; no joke!  He just looks so sweet when he is sleeping, doesn't he?

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz......

He can often be found curled up in a little ball.

Freddy LOVES sleeping in the sunshine on the balcony.

Sometimes he likes a lot of room to spread out.

Cuddling with Cousin Big Boy

Snuggled up

Enjoying sun in Virginia

What a sweet fella!

I woke this guy up when I found him in a comfy spot where he did not belong....MY BED!  Crazy pup!