and!

I haven't mentioned Ben in awhile and I don't want to get in trouble! We are still gooey in love and wicked happy together. All is right in the world. We can't wait to spend time together over my month long break...that starts in exactly 36 hours and 20 pages!

so...

it's been quite a while since i've posted anything. the final dog sees god post will come as soon as i get the production stills so i can share them with you. but i realized yesterday that somewhere during the semester, i made a couple of friends and thought i'd share pics of them for you rare few that read this bloggy blog.

this is andrew. we gossip about musical theater together. he is someone i never thought i'd be friends with someone like this (he's super christian and married), but i enjoy the like-mindedness concerning theater so it works! (he's wearing rollerskates for scene later...he doesn't just wear them for fun.)
benji! I love him! he's my office mate and keeps it real at all times...also married and christian, under the age of 25. you'd never think it to talk to him.
and this is who i spend most of my time with-megen. she is also a first year director, also is in a long distance relationship, and also needs someone to laugh with once in awhile. it's nice to have a friend here.

so there they are...not quite family, but they'll talk shop with me, make me laugh at school, and are truly good people so i'm in!

IT'S OPENING NIGHT! I LOVE THESE THINGS!

My first production poster!

Designed by Jeff A. Smith

and this is what it looks like curly!

since i don't live next to any of you, a request has been made to show the new do when curly...because let's be serious, when do i ever do my hair? so this is what it looks like!

how delilah and i spend the days...

lately lilah has taken to sitting on my knee looking at the computer as I do my homework. it's like she's proofreading as we go. i think she's got my back. but i had to share with you because it's too cute. i love my little girl and am so happy to come home to her. ...although she's got to figure out soon that my earlobe is not her mom's nipple and milk is not coming out any time soon.

i've had a noisy head this week. lots of crazy throwing me into the realms of self-doubt and unlovable insecurity. and then mom got hospitalized which didn't help. she's totally fine now, but shit, my head...so so noisy soo cloudy. but i'm better now.

thank you, baby, for listening to the hot mess. thank you, little kate, for helping me define it. thank you, lake calhoun for calming it down.

i'm better now. happy week all!

new do!

My Mankato gays have given me a new look... Whatchyathink?

some of my favorite research ever...

Dog Sees God begins!

Or at least it did a week ago... How wonderful to be in charge of the show again! How lovely to call the shots and conduct rehearsals the way you see fit! How exciting to create something and not have to answer to anyone and to use time productively, all while having fun! I love being the director! 6 days into rehearsal, we could already have a designer run. How sweet is that? I also am elbows deep in old Peanuts strips for research on the show... which is seriously the best kind of research a person could be doing, considering the past months I've had of discerning archaic Greek festivals, misogyny is early 90s drama, and the social functions of violence in entertainment. Reminder: Dog Sees God plays Nov. 29-Dec. 2. Come on down if you can!

GO SOX GO SOX GO SOX!!

RED SOX IN THE WORLD SERIES! EAT IT, INDIANS!!

jennyanydots--r.i.p.

see how much fringe that was? yeah. wow.

Meet Delilah!

She's my new kitty! She squeaks once in awhile and has a thing for my hair. I love her and we are in love!

Lilah has tap shoes for feet! (AKA her paws are tan and look like she has annie-taps on.) I rescued her from the Pet Hospital down on Riverfront, where I was hanging up Theater posters. We were meant to be.

One day Ben's gonna get a dog and name him Samson. Just wait and see...

Come meet Delilah!!!

as i sit here in my office, wickedly sweaty from Act I of the penultimate performance of Cats, I wonder what this was all about. why did I think I needed to do this show? i came here to be a director, to be taken seriously as a theater artist, to learn more about the vast art form of theater outside of my comfort zone...and the first thing I do is put on a fringe unitard, tap dance on a giant rollerskate, and go for laughs by making silly faces at a girating pelvis?

well, yes. it appears so. positive or negative, one thing you can't argue: i've definitely made a name for myself around here. :) that, and i'm a sucker for song and dance numbers.

i'll be a deep artist one day... just not yet.

new thoughts...

a few things i learned this week:

1. Mr. Rogers used to be a Navy Seal and was covered in tattoos which is why he always wore long-sleeve sweaters.

2. "Dialectic" means compare and contrast. "Minutiae" means little things. "Cooperant rhetoric" means arguments that support each other. I am supposed to talk this way from now on.

3. Archaic Greek religion is pretty much identical to current-day Hinudism in India. Seriously. It's crazy. 3000 years difference, same general idea. However, since the research paper I'm working on about Archaic Greece has nothing to do with something interesting like Hinduism, I am having a really hard time making myself write it. Boo.

4. Ben thinks I'm messy. I didn't know he thought this, but aparently, we've reached the place in our relationship where we can safely say things like, "Your kitchen disgusts me." Huh. It was actually pretty cute.

5. I still cry when Suz and Cory leave. It's not any different than when they would visit me out east. I cried when they left Mankato today too. I thought I would grow out of that.

Off to go be Jellicle now... one more weekend left...

meow...

just so you know how i spend MY nights....


why? what do other people do? :)

BOO!

Life is a pendulum...

Financial sucks!! Sucks, sucks, sucky suck sucks!

Or rather being a grad student that gets paid nothing and has to wait for financial aid to even gas up your car and then the people of financial aid say they get 10-14 business days to take action on every little fucking thing SUCKS. i have just been given another 10-14 days to wait for my financial aid. this is the third frickin' time! one of the times due to such trivial things as changing my contact info since i moved...yeah. this sucks.

Bragging!

Everyone have their garbage cans near them in case they have a sudden urge to vomit? Okay! Here goes!

This post is about how in love I am with my boyfriend! That's right! I am gooey, gross in love with my Ben. We celebrated our 6 month anniversary, and I know how lame that seems to some, but if we want to celebrate it, we're gonna! It all started with Ben winning tickets to an Ani concert (angry hippie woman music for those who don't know) on a morning radio show he was listening to while driving back from Mankato last week. He had never heard any of her music but knew that I loved her, so he called in anyway. (Impressive, thoughtful thing #1) He then proceded to plan the most impressive date ever. We got all dolled up and looking damn fine, and drove home to Minneapolis where he had made reservations for dinner the Chambers Hotel (impressive, thoughtful thing #2). We got there early and scoped out all the crazy post-modern art. We then got seated and waiting for me at the table is this beautiful flower arrangement, compose of birds of paradise and other exotic flowers in a really interesting combination. He had them delivered so they would be waiting for me! (impressive, thoughtful thing #3-8). We had the greatest server who comes up to the table and says to me, "wow, someone loves you" and we told her it was our anniversary (yeah, i know, it's only 6 months) and she is so good to us. We have the best meal ever, Ben gets a tour of the kitchen by the manager when he mentions he's a cook, the server treats us to an appetizer and dessert because we are having such a great time there. The dessert comes out (passionfruit souffle with bitter-sweet chocolate sorbet) and there are candles melted to the plate and 'Happy Anniversary' written in chocolate and caramel along the rim of the plate. In short, the best dining experience of my life with potentially the best food of my life, and y'all know I've done some eating in my day. Ben, of course, picks up the bill for this extravagent gormet meal without blinking. (impressive, thoughtful thing #9) We then go to the concert and we keep running into old friends of Ben's who just look at him shocked and ask him, 'What are you doing at an Ani concert?' to which I get introduced and get to bragged, and all of his friends are so impressed with him and giggly with me, it was so fun. The concert was great. Ani is married and has a baby now and she's happy. It was really great to witness. I've seen her a few times in the past and it was really great to see how much the audience had grown up. Ben and I were not the only happy couple in the audience. So we leave and the way out I ask Ben if we can go see Root City in Eagan, since 'I haven't seen my friends in a month' and he agrees (impressive, thoughtful thing #10) so off we go. It was great to see the boys again. Ben and I danced and acted like the total geeks we are and had so much fun. Finally we drove home to Mankato and concluded the 6 month anniversary celebration.

See? Don't have the best boyfriend? Could he be any more thoughtful and impressive? Could he put me ahead of himself and make me feel loved beyond compare any more than this? Some of you know, we had a really rough couple of weeks when I first moved, but worked on it, and now things are better than ever. Who knows what the future holds for us? No one really, but I'll bet it'll be great.

i miss india today.

it's weird. i am a little homesick for india. this morning i was thinking about cynthia, my domestic friend at the embassy, and then i was in research and we were discussing word choices for academic writing, which reminded me of ashok, telling me about his religious choices being more proper representation of his soul. semantics and rhetoric, really...which i totally understood and related with. after that i went to speech and we did breathing exercises, trying to resonate in different cavaties of our body, which absolutely flashed me back to trying to achieve the full body vibration of 'om', the perfect sound created by brahman with vineet. i miss india today.

namaste...

week two complete...

in case people are still checking this thing out, i thought i'd provide an update! and since i'm back in a world completely comprised of lists and checking things off of them, that's the format i'll use:

1. so far i am finding the workload managable. everyone here warns you emphatically that there is always too much on your plate on one time, and luckily, i haven't felt that yet. granted, the huge HUGE class projects haven't been due yet, i'm doing just fine. i have my first huge project due for theater research on friday and another the following friday and then it's pretty much like that from then on, but still, i feel good!

2. reference librarians are the best, most helpful kind of human being on this earth...if you're a grad student. otherwise i would have say true humanitarians and modern day saints win.

3. i am definitely seeking the right profession. how do i know this? why have i been confirmed on this? because 2 weeks into Cats rehearsal, despite how much i truly love and respect the director/choreographer (and i really, really do!), i want to take over so bad, it's killing me! i am helpless to the whims of the director! I like having the whims! if he makes a picture on stage that i don't think is balanced or appropriate or particularly effective, i still have to do it! if he wants to let us out of rehearsal early or start late, despite the fact that there are hours of cleaning in front of us, i still have to leave with the rest of the cast! (even though we should SERIOUSLY utilizing every second we have with such a huge production in such a short time, but that's just me.) i am not calling the shots, i am just an actor on stage, and it's not my show! grrrr! wow, am i having a hankering to do some choregraphing lately... i hope, i hope, i hope, i get to do some at some point this year.

4. things are going better with the whole long-distance relationship issues. talks have been had, consessions are starting to be made, i have hope again.

5. i still miss the fam. real bad. and lex. maybe even worse. yeah, i really miss lex.

6. apparently the show i picked for the studio season, 'dog sees god', is the most controversial, offensive show to hit MSU. its all i've been hearing about. (and with good cause as it is filthy little piece of theater that i happen to love but probably won't let my parents come to) turns out the head of department okayed it and advertized it before reading it and now he's concerned. i guess we're all learning a lesson with this one, huh? that said, i've begun production meetings and i think it might be good. we'll see. i haven't done this whole crazy non-musical thing before!

that's about it for the time being, but i will keep updating! much love to you all! come see CATS if you're available! nothing offensive about that! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

wow...

long distance relationships sure are fun and easy. prioritizing personal passion with committed love is tearing my heart out.

and, yes, i am in Cats. i will be playing Jennyanydots and tap-dancing in a fringe suit. if you are interested in seeing it, we play sept 27-oct13. get tickets!

much love...

the first day of school...

Well, well, well, I'm a grad student and let me tell you a couple of things about being a grad student here:
(keep in mind, I plan on keeping my own counsel while being here so this blog is my only outlet of keeping it real...)

1. When I am done here, I am going to be such a better person: smarter, more disciplined, more creative, and it is really exciting. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible the first day of classes (subject, curriculum-wise) was. Specifically Theater Research, despite the demands of having to read 4 full books and write abstracts on them every 2 weeks (yup, that's over 20 full books I'm reading in just ONE class this semester), is really exciting purely because of what it means for the potential of my career.
2. When you are directing a show that all the kids want to be in cuz it's naughty, UNDERGRADS HAVE NO SHAME. We're talking running up to me when I'm walking through the hall, in the restroom, in the middle of an audition (!!!) to tell me how much they love the show blah blah blah. It's hysterical. Don't they know I've learned my lesson about not getting close to students?
4. Surprisingly, I feel really comfortable and not overly overwhelmed with all the work. I'm already done with my homework for all of Wednesday's classes and the skills of multi-tasking have come back. That said, Tuesdays and Thursdays are much bigger in my schedule, so I will blog again at the end of week with the revised version of this statement.
6. I'm in love with my advisor. A third year director has taken me under his wing. I went out for drinks with the new professor and did well schmoozing at a Department Potluck. I'm okay.
7. Here I am after a really long day with so much news and thoughts and analyses to make and all I really want is my friends and Happy Hour at Green Mill. I guess water at an internet cafe will have to do for now. Miss you guys!
8. I miss Ben. I miss Ben. I miss Ben.

Not bad for a first day, right? Much love!!!

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering how Lex is doing without me, he started school this week and is doing really, really well and freaking everyone the fuck out. Go Monkey Go! :)

carter and logan!

In case I hadn't updated lately on how freakin' cute my nephews are, check it out! Remember how they were sick, tiny babies 8 months ago? Yeah, the days of tiny are long ago! Look at those cheeks!

That's Logan (Choppers) on the right and Carter (Spike) on the left...good nick names, huh?

And congrats to Breezy on her new ink in honor of the boys! I am nothing, if not supportive of scarring yourself for life with tattoos! Can't wait to see it!

And, yes everyone, I live in Mankato now. 4 days down, 3 years to go... It's not bad at all. Much love!

it's all happening...

well, the time has finally come and it's beyond bizarre. i am spending 7 days in limbo, not really living anywhere, not really here, not really there, and then I GO BACK TO SCHOOL. it's hard to believe that somethig i worked so hard for and seemed so far away and unachievable a year ago, is actually here. it's crazy to look back to a year ago.

1 year ago, I was...
...heart-broken beyond words, completely shut down, devastated, and scared that i would never be a part of something that good again, scared that that was the best i'll ever be, scared that i hadn't made a difference, scared to be home
...working retail, wearing designer clothes that i couldn't afford, and wouldn't be caught dead out of the house without heels on.
...someone who had a bumper sticker that said 'babies kill dreams' and really believed it.
...dating someone just to date someone, trying to fill the void of leaving my first love.
...not a college graduate, despite having left college two years previous, and it hanted me.
...12 pounds thinner
...a girl who told everyone i was taking a year off and then going to grad school, never once believing that it could happen.

NOW, I am...
...grounded and at peace 85% of the time, crazy the other 15% but that's how i like it.:)
...a flip-flop wearing, Target-shopping fashion plate who thinks about the workers in India before I buy anything and cannot justify spending too much on anything...I can also probably count how many times I've worn heels this summer, though that makes me a little, teensy bit sad, as i do have a ferce shoe collection.
...a nanny and an aunt who is so in love with my boys my heart could burst at the thought of Lex, Carter, or Logan at any given moment.
...in love with a wonderful man who knows me inside and out and laughs with me everyday like true love.
...a college graduate and a MFA Directing candidate.
...thinking about how to get those 12 pounds off in time to maybe be in 'Cats' this fall. Think it can happen?
...a woman who has followed through on every single promise made about the future one year ago and for some reason, shocked that it is actually all falling into place. I made good on my word.

Sorry about this self-exploratory entry, but that's where my head is. Also while I'm at it, I've got to say how much I have enjoyed my year of vacation in Uptown. This year of not really doing theater and not working insane hours or being bogged down with the kind of responsibilty that comes from working with kids, teaching, or the creative process in general, has been so much fun! Root City Wednesdays, Grey's Thursdays, The Fam, the Big Green Couch, walks around Lake of the Isles, Calhoun, Harriet, Twins and Timberwolves games, snow nights, Santorini's, GREEN MILL, THE DINER, weekend visits with Gayle, LEX!!!, The Fam, The Fam, The Fam, and every second with Ben has been the kind of year you tell your kids about when they ask what you were like before you had them and they can't believe the kinds of stories you have for them. It's just been incredible so thank you for everyone that has been a part of this wonderful time of fresh breath and healing. I needed it.

But just for the record, I cannot WAIT to be doing theater again every day!!!!!! It's time!!
Come see me in Mankato, y'all...it'll be different, a new phase has begun for me, but I want you to be a part of it...
See you in 3!

greatest day of the summer...

So my momma threw me a little pre-grad school/finally graduated party at Robbie and Ken's on Sunday. It was an intimate gathering of my very favorite people (minus some that either live far, far away or had a family emergency to tend to) and the result was maybe the best day of the summer, if not year... Check it out...

The Fam with some recent additions and my true fam, Brother!

An ode to Doug...note the half-open mouth and the almost dead look in the eyes...

How hot is my aunt? Seriously! We should all be so lucky!

Overall, a great, great day...Thank you all for coming! Thank you, weather, for being so perfect! Thank you, Mom, for putting it all together! Much love...

more prayer requests!

Sadly, it's the beginning of the end for Scott's mom, Anita. It's going way too fast. If you have some time, send some light to their family. They are going through a lot. Thank you!

muchlove to all...especially my sister and that wonderful man she married...

Is Harry a Horcrux or not?

10 HOURS UNTIL HARRY POTTER IS RELEASED ONE LAST TIME!!!! I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED!!!

and to all of you assholes out there that think its appropriate to leak the story to so many of us who truly love the books and truly love these characters and truly love the experience of going on the journey with them, you suck. seriously.

3 good men...

So for the last couple of days by brain has been ceasing with noise: will I find people to fill this building, am I choosing the right apartment in Mankato, am I going to be happy in Mankato (a town smaller than Marshall and we all know how small towns and I get along), how am I going to get money together to do all of this, what's in store for me, is this new life and new happiness I've finally found going to leave me once I leave town, how am I going to leave Lex, how am I going to leave the girls, how am I going to leave Ben, all of it...

Today was an especially intense period of this sort of thought and I didn't know what to do about any of it, so I did the unthinkable:

I called my dad for help and advice. And he gave it to me.

Then I called my boyfriend for support and love. And he gave it to me.

And then when I was still at a loss...albeit, a much smaller loss than before...
Ben had a wonderful surprise for me, a surprise that will definitely lift me from this funk, a surprise incredibly thoughtful and selfless (as he is not a fan), and he said, "Baby, I got us tickets to see Harry Potter tonight. You'll be okay after that."

And he is so right. I will be okay. With Doug, Ben, and Harry having my back, I really have nothing to worry about.

a post by Lex...

ex LEX NIKKI TAKING SWIM CLASS WHAT DID WE DO IN SWIM CLASS?////?? KICKINGUING AND FLOATING ANDBLOWING BUBBLES LOVE LEX





**please note I seriously had nothing to do with the contents, typing, or word decisions made in this post. he'll be 3 in august...

The Fourth with the Fam!

There was food, frivolity, and fireworks! What more could you want?

Oh, and my first foray with bocce ball... Who knew this was fun?

while i'm sharing...

this is more for those of you not in minneapolis, but...
this is ben. we're in love.
now you know. :)

Fisherwoman Extraordinaire!

I haven't been fishing in years and years and years... Until a few weeks ago when Scooter (my favorite brother-in-law), Doug, and I decided to go and instill the fear of God into the poor little fishies of southwest Minnesota.

Who knew fishing was fun?




Couldn't resist...LOOK AT THOSE BOYS!!! How proud am I?!

in case you'd like a visual...

I mention Lex a bunch...mainly because he cracks me up daily and is my favorite. I may not mention how beautiful this little boy is because the whole baby genius topic tends to take over. So here are my favorite Lex pics!

Wanna know what a frog says? Lex'll tell you: CRRRROOOOAAAAK!!!

India, Chapter 4...tidbits...

This was at Ghandi Smriti, where Mahatma Ghandi spent the last 144 days of his life and where he was assassinated. It was a really powerful place.





The rest of it speaks for itself, I think. India sort of proclaims itself to be a rich country where a lot of poor people live and it couldn't be more accurate. There are, of course, more stories not told in this blog. Stories of Ram taking me down seven stories under ground to explore a delapidated palace or people staring wherever I went, to the point of having one man just follow me around with a tray in case I needed something in Neemrana, stories of children with open wounds knocking on our car windows asking for money and food or watching cremation ceremonies in awe, stories of inner-peace and self-reckoning... but I just don't think I can share everything. It wouldn't be right. So instead of getting pretensious and spiritual, I will just say thank you... India changed my heart. And now you know.

Namaste...Om Namah Shivaya...

India, Chapter 3...the experiences...

So, in India, they don't believe in Homosexuality and if one is open/discovered to be one, they are made into eunachs and considered bad omens. Therefore, you see all these men holding hands in the streets like they have succumbed to puppy love, yet they are married. Or you see a man like this. I've named him the Pink Peacock Pundit. He was a dancer in Neemrana who was, hands down, the gayest thing I have ever seen, god bless his queer little heart...and you all know how I love the gays and know a plethora of them. He had three moves: hip swivels, a mean shimmy, and a whirling dervish move reminiscent of a toddler spinning until they fell over. He made 7 costume changes in a 45 minute show. One of his pieces was him spinning, then going from table to table, demanding they take a picture of him...which is what you're seeing here. Oh, and his dance partner was his wife. Right. Sure it was.

I spent a day at Mother Theresa's Charity, playing with the orphans. This little boy, Joe, and I fell in love. When I had to leave him there, I have never felt such loss and sadness in my heart. I tried to figure out any possible way of taking him home with me, but I knew now was not the time. He was perfect and smiled all the time. There was an absolute connection that I cannot describe, other than to say it awakened me. I will go back one day and adopt. There are too many babies out there who are perfect and smile all the time and don't have families because of stupid things like missing fingers and bad omens. I will be a mother to one of those children one day.

Here I am washing my feet before entering the Sikh temple. Exploring all of the different religions that we as Americans know so little about was really wonderful. Sikhs get a bad wrap, but I have to say, every one that I met was kind, lovely, and eager to share. And the baby Sikhs had total street cred. Not kidding. I really loved them all.

Okay. So I go to a slum, having a great time, playing with the kids, it's all hugs and kisses. They usher me to sit on a blanket. I'm all trusting the sweet little street urchin angels not to kill me. And then all of a sudden there's a cobra around my neck and two in my lap. I've never been so close to peeing myself in my life. I loved it!

I love this story. I'm at Agra Fort here, built by Akbar the Great who was known for his fair attitudes and uniting India through all of its diversity. He even went so far as to have 3 wives (1 Hindu, 1 Muslim, 1 Christian) and 303 concubines (1 from each tribe) to show he held no religious preference. Busy man. Anyway, when someone was convicted of a crime, they would put their head on this stone for an elephant to step on, thus executing the criminal. Akbar, knowing that elephants were the only animal to think for themself, gave the criminal 3 chances. If the elephant did not kill the convicted by the third try, he was released and Akbar assumed that the convict was actually innocent and that the gods wanted him free. Interesting, huh? And yes, in this scenario, I am playing the part of the elephant.

India, Chapter 2...the sights!

See? I told you I would get it done eventually. Since this is deemed 'the Sights', what better sight to begin with than the Taj Mahal? It really is as incredible as everyone says...


Alright, here is my absolute FAVORITE India quirk. There are freakin' cows everywhere! Traffic has to stop for them. People have to move from them. Bikes have to veer around them. And no one cares. Cows are holy because a)a cow fed Krishna after his birth when his mother died and b)Shiva has a pet cow, Nandi. India believes that everyone has 4 mothers: 1. Your birth Mother 2. Mother India 3. Mother Ganga-ji (the Ganges River) 4. The cow. It's incredible. This picture was taken in Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna and seeing a city bus stop so the cow could leisurely take its time crossing the street is no obscure thing. Don't you love it?

This is Kavita Dweli, an Odissi dancer that absoutely inspired me. She was compelling, specific, and humble. An absolute gift.

Ah, Ganesha... The elephant-headed son of Shiva and Pavarti is my absolute favorite Hindu god. He is the remover of obstacles in your life and a blessing when beginning new things. I am always beginnig new things and for my first dance had to wear an elephant head. It seemed intuitive that I fall in love with Ganesh. To make a long, really magical story short, I spent many hours finding the perfect Ganesh pendant and the one you see around my neck in this pic has been blessed by many holy people and is 100% my prized possession.

exciting announcement! ...not about me...

To everyone who knows Zac Hammer or that loves dance in general, Parsons Dance Company has made an incredibly smart decision and made Zac a company member! He auditioned the week before he graduated college and went directly into this extremely prestigious modern dance company. Zac is living the artist's dream!!! If you know him or have seen him dance, this is in no way a shock to anyone. Check out the announcement of his arrival on their site:

http://www.parsonsdance.org/cms/New_Dancers_.php

All New Yorkers!!! You MUST go see his debut (and some incredible dancing that will probably blow your mind) check out their concert July 27 at SummerStages in Central Park. Please please please do it and then call me and tell me how amazing he is. :)

I could not be a prouder big sister if I tried!

india, chapter 1...

I've been home almost a month and last Thursday I got out of the shower to see that the last drops of Henna were missing from my skin. It made me panic that I had lost Mother India or that she had lost me. It's time to put my adventure out there to share. Here are a few snippets from the many...

But first, the amount of gratitude and love I have for Kate for being exactly who she is and demonstrating generousity beyond comparison time and time again towards me is the singular most humbling and overwhelming emotion I can convey to you. She has changed my life yet again. I'm sure it won't be the last time.

And now some pictures...First the people...

I met this woman in a monastary in Varanasi. Her spirit was so powerful and calm. She felt so good to be around. When I left, she put her hands on my cheeks and held my face close to hers and spoke rapid Hindi, in what felt like, prayer.

This was a birthday party we were invited to in Varanasi as well. Our tour guide Ashok (who was truly a holy man that people dropped to their knees to touch his feet as he passed, in an energy of true gratitude and adoration) brought us to his niece's 18th birthday party, where his family served us food (which is rumored to have blessed us with Delhi Belly), sang us traditional Indian folk music, and made us one of them.

One day our friend, Poonam brought us through the different castes in Delhi. Our first stop was in a slum where 2 of her domestics lived. This experience and these children could very well top the list of favorite moments in India. They were so so much fun and so curious about my white skin and light eyes. We played. And despite the absolute poverty they were all living in, everyone seemed genuinely happy. They were all so anxious to show us their homes and insisted we sit on their beds as they served us the only biscuits they had. It was in this slum that I felt my heart open up more than I knew it could.


Sunrise on the Ganges River. 5:30 am. See all those people?


These were some of the many Indians, who asked to take pictures with us. This happened a lot and I really got use to it. This happened more at the tourist places like Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, and Siddhartha Stupa, where there were people from the South that had never seen white people in real life. There was a lot of poking and staring by many, many an Indian during our time there...and I actually got use to that too and began to just smile and hold my arm out for them so they could get a better look.


More on its way...The next chapter will be 'The Sights'!