Little did she know...

People, it has been a month since I left Joburg and I wish these pictures could come alive for you and you could hear the voices and and laughter and could feel the hugs and kisses and could smell the smells and hear and just BE. Shoot, I wish  I  could do all of the above.  I said goodbye to  my brother and his new wife  as they went back to Moz on Tuesday... and I wanted nothing more than to sneak in with them and be dropped of at OR Tambo.... note: it's small and the pictures go fast. sorry. just means you have to watch it multiple times :)  In other news, I a.Dore these people. The holidays were a grand thing with the all the sibs together (minus the Peter. lame sauce). Lots and lots of driving back and forth for me. Lots and lots of lost sleep.... but totally worth it :) Have I mentioned that these are some of my best friends and heroes? Legit. And as usual, we overdosed on coffee and "discussions" and stayed up to the wee sma's talking and laughing

I saw this project on Pinterest and was pretty stoked to try it :) Not too shabby! Step one: find a painting you don't necessarily adore. I got this one from my brother when he moved out of his apartment. Step 2: choose the quote you want and cut out the appropriate letters Step 3: stick the letters directly on the painting Step 4: prep for painting. I chose to spray paint, so I was out on the back porch. Step 5: apply the paint over the entire painting.. it took me about one and a half cans of white spray paint Step 6: when the paint is dry, remove the letters and TA DA!  Step 7: put your finished product wherever your little heart desires. Yes, all you OCD'ers ... i realize there are crooked and uneven letters ;)  Step 8: enjoy the scenery while you work!!! :) 

so apparently I am not a savvy blogger because I was given an award... that I was not aware existed before... but it, people, is legit. What is this award, you may wonder?  check it out. holla.  the OTHER Liz, who writes a sassy and fun blog  about her every day adventures, was quite a gem for giving me The Award! BUT, let's get down the the business of this whole thing : If you have been awarded the coveted Liebster award, here's what's next: Choose five up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers to award. Make sure and notify them by comment or e-mail that you did so. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them. If you're not already a follower of their blog, that might be a great way to show appreciation for the award. :)  Post the award on your blog, and be sure to link back to the 5 blogs you awarded, so that others can visit them so, w ithout further ado: Lenses and Lookingglasses

truth is, even though I am sitting here in this terminal pretending that my hair isn't greasy and I have had a shower in the past 24 hours and I am happy to get on another plane and I am so much in love with Starbucks that I have consumed More Than is Healthy during this Extremely Long Layover, i wish i was still in Joburg. It's only a quarter to 4 and the sun is setting. there's cold rain on the windows and i have nothing but a thin jersey (sorry, jacket). i am both amused and annoyed at the plethora of American Accents.  in my mind, i am still going back to my tiny flat to laugh and chat and just Do Nothing with my roommate.  or I will have my choice of 30+ kids to laugh with (read: at) and hug and scold and cuddle and love. or I will go to the shopping center that i have a love/hate relationship with and probably get a tall latte with wings from my favorite barista and then people watch. or I'll meet up with some friends from church and we'll go