Birthday Party Extravoganza

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen some of our pictures from New Orleans last weekend.  Keep your eye out for posts on our trip there soon.

While Tyler and I have wanted to visit NOLA together for a while, the drive is really just too far to take for just a couple days of vacation and then to come back.  But we also had another reason for making a trip to Louisiana, and when we found out about it we knew we could turn two trips into one.

For years, various parties have been hosted for various reasons in Shreveport (where my Uncle Bob and Aunt Chris are from).  A couple years ago we just went down for my Uncle Bob's 80th birthday, and this year it was Aunt Chris' 80th, my grandma's 70th, and various other birthdays in the family that were celebrated at one event.

My grandma with a picture of my mom and dad.

Aunt Chris on her 80th

My cousin made all 5 cakes for each birthday!  She's pretty talented, and all the cakes were really unique.

My grandma's cake.

Aunt Chris' cake.

 This side of my family is really big, so Tyler always gets to meet someone new to talk to.  This time he talked to some of my cousins that he hasn't met yet, and revisited with some other family.

My parents at the party.  The party was held in the conference room of a casino/hotel in Bossier City, and lunch was catered in the conference room across the hall.  

Anyone notice how similar my dad's and Tyler's shirts are?  We thought it was funny that they were unintentionally twinkies.

 Aunt Chris' "80" balloons, and Grandma's bouquet of flowers for the table.  Each birthday person got their own set of flowers to take home that were unique from the other bouquets.

This is my Uncle Bob, Aunt Chris' husband and my grandpa's uncle by blood and brother by adoption.  Since my grandpa was adopted by his grandparents, it sometimes makes family relations confusing.  That and, there's just so many of us that we'd probably get confused anyway.

My dad with my little cousin.  Many years ago at Christmas, he gave her the nickname "Evelyn."  She was pretty young, and it hurt her feelings a little bit because Evelyn was not her name.  To make up for it, her mom told her to start calling my dad "George."  About seven years later, the Evelyn/George feud still lives on.

This shindig began about 1:00 in the afternoon, and ended at 7:00.  Since Shreveport is sort of the mini-vegas of the south, all the adults went and wandered all three floors of the casino that is connected to the hotel.  Tyler and I don't really enjoy gambling, because it is a gamble, but I put in $2 to one game so that I could get a free cocktail from the waitress and ended up with $24 back from the same game, so that was the extent of our gambling experience.

After everybody left, we stood out front to take some pictures by the grand fountain in the front of the casino.

While I was changing my camera settings, a guy started talking to Tyler and told him that he lost $1,000 that night gambling....which is why we don't really gamble much.  My personal belief is that if you are going to gamble, you should count the amount you decide to spend as "fun" money.  If you make more, good for you, but if you lose what you had then you stop there and you had your fun for the night.  I'm just glad my "fun" money was only like $5 and not more.

Tyler and I in front of the fountain.  

Birthday parties in our family feel more like family reunions, it is always fun to see family again.  One of my aunts commented on how it is sad that some of us who just live 2-3 hours away have to drive 6 hours every couple years to spend time together.  I guess busy schedules just get in the way too often.

What are birthday parties and reunions like in your family?

How to Make Beautiful Custom Maps

Do you love maps? There are many reasons we might choose to have a map of certain places.   It might be where we live, a place we visited and loved, or a map to use for a project.  You might want to print a picture of the place on the map where you or a friend got married, where you studied abroad, or your favorite vacation spot.  There are lots of reasons maps are cool, not to mention all the nifty map crafts that are popular right now.   I wanted to show you my favorite website to go to when I want to make a map of something.  It is called maps.stamen.com, and it is a really versatile FREE website where you can choose anywhere on earth to make a map.  It even will create an image that you can save that is up to 2000 pixels. This website is also perfect if you are designing your own wedding invitations and want to include a map.  (I just kick myself every time for not knowing about this website when I was still making my invitations!)

Okie dokie, are you ready to get started making your own map?! Go to maps.stamen.com and it will bring you to this page.

Use the search box in the upper left corner to type in the location of which you would like to make a map.  You can change the type of map by clicking the two previews on the right side, or choose from even more map styles by scrolling down.

I chose Oklahoma City, because that's where I live.

It was originally set on terrain, but I decided to switch to toner.  Toner would be the PERFECT way to make maps for wedding invitations.  Literally, it would be just perfect.

You can also zoom in and out using the yellow buttons under the search box.  I decided to get a little closer.

To get rid of the previews for other maps, click the yellow button in the bottom left right beside the current map style you have chosen to get rid of them.  This also opens up the ability for you to make an image of a specific location or embed the map onto a webpage.

I want to create an image, so in the upper right corner I clicked <image>.  

Doing so brings you to this page, where you can set the size and proportions of the picture.  You can also change map styles here.  The yellow box shows you the constraints of your map, and you can drag the map around until you get exactly what you want inside the yellow box.

Once you adjust all your settings, you can click "Make" in the upper right corner.  It will begin to process your map image, which sometimes takes a little while.  When it is done, you can click the map in the top of the queue on the right.  

After you click your map, it will bring you to this page where you can right click and save it.  

Here's how my map of Oklahoma City turned out!  

This map is another one I made of Oklahoma City in the terrain style.

One of my favorite settings to make maps with is the watercolor style.  They are just simply beautiful.  I made a map of the neighborhood I lived in while studying abroad.  I just love the colors, it is so pretty!

 I can't even name all the wonderful possibilities you can do with Stamen Maps, but I have lots of ideas that I'd eventually like to use it for.  

Do you like to use maps in your decorations?  Or are you wedding planning and needing a beautiful way to send a map in your invitations?  I hope this little gem is helpful to anyone else who loves travel, maps, and beautiful images!

I would like to note that I am not being compensated in any way, nor have I been contacted by Stamen maps.  I just really love their website and want to share!

6 Things to Consider Packing When Moving Abroad

When I moved to China for about 6 months, I thought I had thought of everything I could have needed when I packed my bags.  I practiced packing my bags several months before leaving, and spent two weeks actually packing them to make sure that I didn't forget anything.  Inevitably, there were some things I just didn't think about needing in another country.  This small list encompasses most things that I hadn't already thought of...

A small list of things you might not have thought to consider while packing for another country:

Measuring Utensils:  If you're from the good 'ole US of A, I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you are not very familiar with the metric system. (Why are we one of the only countries who still haven't implemented this system into practical use?)  Even if you have a general understanding of the metric system from science class or elementary school, it is just hard to use when it isn't how you learned to cook food.  One thing I wished I had brought with me to China were measuring spoons and cups.  While I could guestimate well to an extent, it would have been helpful when I wanted to cook for the holidays if I'd had some familiar measuring utensils.  Even when cooking simple recipes like pancakes, I had to think of things in terms of percentages instead of being able to whip out a simple measuring set.

Spices:  If you plan on cooking some familiar foods while you live abroad, I would suggest bringing some common spices that are not widely available around the world.  If you're moving to Asia, I'd suggest if you're used to using any Italian or Mexican spices to bring those.  If you'll be there for the holidays, don't forget to read up on your favorite recipes.  Chances are many of those spices included in the recipes will not be available in your new country.  But do research spices before you leave, as most countries will carry spices such as cinnamon, curry, and other spices that are used worldwide. Some spices I had my mom send me might have actually been available in China, I just couldn't find some of them.

I just took a picture of some random spices that I guessed might not be widely available everywhere.  They might actually be available in many places.  But as each area's food culture varies, you'll have to do your own research on what spices you won't have access to.

Recipes FROM SCRATCH:  I would advise anyone preparing to move to another country to read up on how to make some of their favorite foods from scratch.  Especially holiday meals.  Have you ever made green bean casserole without Cream of Mushroom Soup?  Have you ever made pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin, or without evaporated milk?  Nope, you're not going to find a ready-to-go pie crust in China.  Even if you can find these products, they will most likely be sold at the import price in a specialty import store, which is 2 or 3 times the price that you would pay for it in your home country.  If you are prepared ahead of time to make your dishes without processed foods, you'll be thankful in the long run.  You're welcome.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner in China...Roast Duck, Deviled Eggs, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Potato Salad...basically all this stuff was what we could find to buy at the market.  For Christmas we attempted to have a few less carbs on the table and planned not being able to have typical ingredients a little better.

I learned how to cook for real in China, and I also learned how to "DIY" a chicken...meaning I had to cut it up myself. ;)  If you're a youngster moving abroad like I was, you might get some cooking lessons from your grandma before you leave.  I would have found it quite beneficial.  But I digress...

Gifts:  In many cultures, it is customary to bring small gifts for people who come into your life or who help you.  I cannot even count how many international and exchange students would give me a small gift just for helping them move in at the beginning of the school year.  Sometimes I did not even see that person again, but I still remember them because of their small token of appreciation.  When I went to China, I brought some dream catchers and rose rocks - both which are very relevant to Oklahoma - that I gave out to friends.

via

Shoes:  I'm including shoes on this list, because EVERY SINGLE TRAVEL ARTICLE I've ever read has said to bring fewer shoes.  I'd just like to combat this, because I have a somewhat large foot, and it was extremely difficult to find shoes in Asia that would fit my foot.  When it got cold for the winter, I needed some warm shoes and couldn't find anything that fit.  When I finally did, the quality was so poor that they stretched out and didn't fit anymore.  I was also glad I brought several types of shoes, because during the rainy season I would often have to wait a week for a pair of rain soaked shoes to dry in humid weather.

When I left for China, I only brought my brown TOMs, black tennis shoes, and flip flops.  By the end of my time there, this is the equivalent of the shoes I already had plus the shoes I bought.  (The house shoes and black boots are "stand in" props for the real shoes that I left in China before I came back).

Keep Weight Fluctuation in Mind When Packing:  I have stayed in two different places in the world besides my home country.  I lived for one month in Cardiff, Wales, and for about six months in Kunming, China.  During the small month I lived in Cardiff, I gained between 5 and 10 pounds.  Sad, sad...I know.  But I only get Nandos once in my life (as far as I know) and I was going to eat it up!  Then, when I lived in China, I lost about 10 pounds.  Luckily I went to Cardiff first, eh?  Keep in mind the different diets you are likely to have in different countries.  I expected that I would lose weight in China, yet I brought a pair of jeans that fit but weren't snug when I left.  The other jeans I brought were tight, but fit just about right (a little loose) by the time I was coming back to the states.  By the time I'd been there a month or two, I couldn't even stand to wear the pair of jeans that weren't tight to begin with anymore because they were falling off.  Oh, and it is hard to find jeans in China (even if you are only 5'2) because Chinese girls don't have "them American thighs."

I really never thought I would have quoted AC/DC ever in my life, especially on my blog.  ;)  But there you have it.

This is probably what Chinese society was singing silently the last few times I wore those pants before I decided to get rid of them...

Oh, and if you didn't get the point of that quote above, it is because American thighs don't fit in pencil shaped pants. haha

What things do you wish you would have packed before living a stint in another country?

A Month in Cardiff, Wales {Travel Tuesday}

The summer after my freshman year was the first time I'd ever ventured abroad.  It was my first plane ride.  My first time to be a leader in a place that I wasn't very familiar with. It was a lot of firsts for me.  The place that brought me to many of these firsts was Cardiff, Wales.  My first time to experience  a country where there was a native language present.  My first time to see London.  My first time to go to IKEA (in my defense, I'd have to drive 4 hours to get to the nearest IKEA).

 Flying into the London area...the fields were so pretty from the plane.

My Flat

We stayed in flats where 5-6 people shared a kitchen and living area, and each person had their own bed and bathroom.   

I stayed there with a group of Americans for about one month, and it was a really great experience!  I got to lead younger high school groups to meet local people and learn about many, many different cultures.  If you weren't aware, the UK has a very culturally diverse population due to the many ties it has had all over the world. 

Random Things Around Cardiff

One thing I dearly miss (to this day, over 4 years later) miss about Wales was the food.  I seriously gained like 10 pounds while I was there.  I am not even kidding.  (Did I mention that was only there for a month?) Oh well, I made up that by losing those pounds plus some a few years later when I lived in China. ;)

The Ernest Willows bathroom...I wonder how many pictures there are of this wandering around the internet? If you haven't seen it in person, or if you can't tell by the pictures, this pub has some pretty extravagant bathrooms.  And silly me, being my first time to really travel anywhere that was different from my home, found it more interesting to take pictures of this rather than things I did. haha

This is near the Cardiff train station at sunset.  The sidewalks and skyline were beautiful!

I also was intrigued that even the parking garage was pretty.  Okay, America.  Our nasty looking solid concrete scary looking parking garages can take some lessons from this one.

A pretty evening view from the flats.  

I saw this IKEA truck with a display in the back one day as I was walking.  

I really just thought this was so weird.  Why does IKEA have a mobile model room?  Does the fact that it is in a truck with clear glass windows make people want to buy it more?

Cardiff Bay

This wall had paintings that related to the culture and history of Butetown.  

Milgi's was a pretty cool local place that a small group of us visited one night!  I think the right word to describe it might be... bohemian?  They mostly serve drinks, but I think they might have served sandwiches or light food as well.

We visited this park pretty often to play soccer, and it had this really cool toy on it that would probably cause a million lawsuits in the U.S. (which is why the toy is actually awesome).

The Coffee Lounge
My favorite coffee shop in Cardiff.  I really spent a lot of time here getting to know the owners and eating the yummy sandwiches and donuts, drinking tasty coffee drinks, and enjoying the fun atmosphere.  It is in the Canton neighborhood, on Cowbridge Road.

Everyone in our group signed an American dollar and left it with them.  The next time I came in they had it taped up on the menu. haha

I liked the local art flare they had going on with the decorations and the art for sale by local artists.  Those leather couches were comfy too!  It of course helped that we made friends with the staff!

This was the owner of the Coffee Lounge, we got to know him really well, which was really cool!  I really loved this little shop, and would love to visit again one day if it is still there.

A Quaint Beach Retreat

The leader group took a trip to a quaint little bunk house on the beach in the northern part of the country.  I honestly couldn't tell you what town it was!  (My attention to detail back then was obviously really bad).

See, I told you it was quaint!  I love the window, and I don't have a picture, but the kitchen had like a full wall of tea mugs that hung...and thus captured my coffee/tea-lovin heart.

Right after we arrived on the first day, we played in the water and built sand castles.  It is also safe to say we were the only people on the beach not wearing wet suits...and it was COLD!

Later that evening, we had a beach campfire...which was also my first camp fire on a beach.

Let me just put it out there that beach campfires are way cooler than regular campfires.  :)

We took some surf lessons the next day...and here we all are in our wet suits.  My first time to wear one. (I'm in the blue suit on the far left).  Somehow I got stuck with one of the "pooch revealing" blue ones, but I guess I didn't get the memo to hide behind everyone wearing the snazzy black wetsuits for the picture.  I can see that extra 10 pounds starting to come on in this picture! haha

Caerphilly Castle

Not long before my month in Wales was up, we took a visit to the Caerphilly Castle.  It was really cool touring it, and the grass was oh, so soft!

This was the 'crazy American' thing I did with my friend...which we would randomly do in the middle of Queen street (a busy shopping street).  Wow, I'm not quite that extroverted these days!  

Pictures at castles just look awesome.

If I could go back, I would definitely take pictures of different things...things that would help me remember the city streets, buildings, and places I passed every day.  As a youngster, I mainly took pictures of things that I found funny, extravagant, or different.  I guess that's okay, and that is part of "growing up" as a traveler...learning what to value in your photographs.  I've learned now that the things I value in pictures are people, details, and things that give me a strong sense of the places where I spent time.

Oh, and I should mention that I also lost my camera on this trip, so a good 60% of the pictures are probably taken by someone else on my trip...most of those being toward the end of this post.