Hi All!

Sorry I have been lacking on writing.I'm sure you all understand- but this is LONG overdue.I have had a very busy two weeks or so.There is so much to tell and talk about but I'm going to give ya a top 10 list instead of rambling and jumping from story to story.You know how good of a storyteller I am! Ha.

Emily, Julie and I have just laughed- laughed- and laughed for two weeks straight!!

So this list is in no particular order…just favorites!

1.The dream I had before I left of Delhi.I had a dream- and long dream short- at the end a woman's voice said loud and clear "Just tell them you are floating in the wind".When I woke I felt clam but knew it was something important that I needed to remember.It was awesome.So I'm telling YOU ALL "I'm floating in the wind"I'm finding myself, learning, loving, going with the flow, and growing here.That's my goal and it was reiterated through this dream THE night before my international flight.Cool huh?!

2.Going to Kalimpong and learning about Kavita's (Julie's housekeeper)family.This place is in northeast India in the mountains.It is a true mountain village.The flowers were amazing!Anyway- not only did I fall in love with her family, but found a sense of peace in India.Our hotel was on top of a mountain overlooking a valley and surrounding mountains.There were Tibetan prayer flags strung from trees and could be seen from every direction.We spent a day with her family- they cooked for us- we gave them gifts- we played games (Uno)- laughed and told stories.It was so great!!

3.Riding on an airline flight with a corpse!That's right…a corpse.Random huh?Julie passed Emily and me a note on the plane that stated:"5 dollars that the box is a dead body- yes or no" ha!While I'm talking about dead bodies- in Nepal we went to a Hindi temple and there was a crematory outside for everyone to see.It was a cultural experience to say the least.It was really interesting the processes and steps.Nothing like feeling the fire of a dead burning body on your face and ashes flying in your hair, nose, and clothing! Ha.Hygienic huh?!

4. Our drive to Kalimpong after the "corpse flight".When I say we were driving up a mountain….I mean UP A FREAKING MOUNTAIN!Picture this.Kavita, Kendra, Emily (all who get severely car sick) the driver, Julie and I in a 4x4 with our luggage strapped to the top of the car.Windy- 1 way roads- honking- no railing.Kavita vomited out the passenger side window the entire trip (approx. 3 hours).Emily was in a focused daze.Kendra calm because she drugged herself.Julie and I in the very back- smacking our heads on the roof and laughing at all the sick people and clenching for dear life as we nearly get in a head on collision like 10 times!Our driver was crazy!The best part- a large van with India women was driving in front of us.One lady was apparently so nauseous that she sticks her entire body out of the window and shoves her fist down her throat.A flying jet stream of the brightest yellow vomit I have ever seen flew at us!After making it to the hotel we checked out the 4x4 and it was totally covered in vom.This trip was called "Vomit Valley".

5.Emily and I going whitewater rafting down the Teesta River in sight of Mt. Khangchendzonga (highest mt. in India) in between West Bengal and Sikkim.It was a lot of fun.After the rapids we had calm waters so we all (1 guide, Em, and I) jumped in.So FUN!

6.Nepal!!Oh my gosh.It is such an amazing place.The monkey temple was awesome- it had a lot of energy and cool religious ceremonies.Its Buddhist.We also got to see a living goddess!It was a big deal.She is worshiped until she reaches puberty then she is kicked out ( with a large dowry of course)Her feet are not allowed to touch the ground.

7.Seeing Mt. Everest!We took a mountain flight and got to see a large portion of the Himalayan Mt. Range- including Gauri Shankar, Nuptse, Lhotse, Amadabalm, Chamlang, Makalu and of course "Sagarmatha" or Mt. Everest.WOW!

8.Pokhara, Nepal! We had a hotel right on one of the two beautiful lakes that has a view that is unbelievable! We met so many amazing people in Pokhara and they were SO sweet!The view and atmosphere of this place deserves it own number in the ranking!

9.Paragliding!In Pokhara we all (Julie, Emily and I) went to the top of a mountain ran- jumped off and glided with a parachute!There was a pilot of course!The view was amazing and it was so much fun!I did kinda get nauseous though.

10.Getting our noses pierced.Yes, I submitted to peer pressure and got it.It hurt so bad!Nothing like 3 Indian men with stinky rusty tools digging and prodding around in my nose. One man held my head, one did the painful deed of shoving an inch long piece of metal through my nose, and one man laughed and watched.No gun, no needle- just shoved the ring in my nose.Emily and Julie laughed so hard!Julie did it too she also did not cope well with the pain.Em did ok!So right now my nose is bright yellow! Kavita put an Indian home treatment on my nose (what her mother did for her when her nose ring was new) and its bright!All I smell is Indian spice all day everyday!Its all up in my nose! YUMMM! I'm calling it "big bird nose" ha!