India, I Miss You

I have taken a bit of time to write about India. Well, it was all a self-orchestrated playful plan! The more time I have to sit and think about India, the more I miss it and most importantly, appreciate it.

The truth, after my time in India I felt exhausted, confused, my mind was in a fit of frenzy and I felt relieved to be home. India is a massive, massive country through every definition – population, pollution, corruption, distortion, and commercialism. I was saddened that I had felt relieved to be home and questioned why I felt these emotions. Was I being ungrateful, was my mere minutes back in the sates affecting me already, was there ignorance infused in the air? What was going on?

After thinking and reviewing and talking about my trip, I realized despite all the qualms about the country, I truly love it and it may have been, especially culturally, my favorite part of my trip.

We had such a great time absorbing the intense culture of India. It surely isn't a trip you can prepare for and I'm almost certain not two people in the world will have the same experience in India. Not to mention, you can probably spend years there and not see and experience all that the massive country has to offer.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures. The blogs to follow will focus on each region I visited more in-depth.



Dehli Airport - Welcome to India!










Mini Taj Mahal










Angel :)




Taj Mahal from back-roads




Getting our bindis!


Entrance to the Taj Mahal














Outside our hotel




































Jaipur


Goa








My new friend in Goa :)


Perfect Goa sunset


Beaches are quite different there!


Romantic Seafood Dinner!




Mumbai - largest population of slums in India


Craziness of the markets in Mumbai


The wealthy side of Mumbai

I’m Walking on Sunshine

I know I am so behind on posts and owe you all many, many writings and images from India and beyond, however, I had an amazing weekend; a gorgeous wedding where I witnessed my dear brother marrying the woman of his dreams, and fun in the sun. Here are some of my thoughts…

Expectantly and justly, a lot of my family and friends inquired about my trip when they ran into me during my brother’s wedding this weekend. My response became tailored, “I loved it, had an a amazing time – to be honest, it is really hard to be back. I feel like I left a piece of my heart in each place I visited.”

After having one of the best weekends of my life filled with laughter, lots of dancing, family bonding, happy tears, amazing weather, fairy dust spreading, beach sand, water sports, sun worshiping, more laughter and loving, I reflected on my words. I have not left a piece of my heart anywhere. If anything, the trip and the time I’ve had to be back with the ones I love made me realize that my heart has grown with each step onto new lands and encounters with new people.

“Home is where the heart is” – my home IS my heart. My heart is where all my memories are preciously stored and I can reach down and take them out and replay them over and over again to remind myself that it is not my travels that have helped shape the woman I have become and still growing to be, but it is the people around me (whether from home or my travels), that love me, laugh with me and inspire me and have allowed me to love this life to the absolute core and thirst for more heart filling (or growing) discoveries.

Love and laughter feed the soul and I’m happy and lucky to have a gluttonous soul.


In the summertime when the weather's high, you can stretch right up and touch the sky...



Mohonk Mountain House - where my brother and Alli got married


Wedding Party


One of the many moments of laughter


The boys!


So fun and adorable


Lifting the groom :)


Having a blast


Look at those smiles!!!


Daddy with his girls


Mommy with her girls!


Our family - plus bobby who couldn't be there




Siblings


Beating up our bro!


Matt and I with my dad intently watching in the background haha


Summer


Here we go...


Mr. and Mrs. Frank Merlino!


First dance - Can you see the Merlino women crying our eyes out in the background?


Best man speech that made me cry my eyes out, again


Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life


love - Alli and Kat, her maid-of-honor


Mom and I at the reception


After party


Perfect ending to a fun-filled weekend


... When the weather's fine we go fishing or go swimming in the sea. We're always happy, life's for living, yeah, that's our philosophy.