Bolivia- part three

Today we visited the cemetery. On Sundays, mass amounts of people come to the cemetery to place fresh flowers at the tombs or burial site of their loved ones. The process is very intentional and really had a huge impact on me today. As we arrived, we saw the beautiful flower stand- almost any kind of flower you could want! It was fragrant and beautiful, so many bright colors!


I am sure that my close friends and family already know the type of flower I bought...two bunches for 14 Bolivianos...around $2.00.


As we entered the cemetery, a large, colorful statue of Jesus appeared and it was as if He were saying "Welcome, my loved ones".


This statue really spoke to me today. It was very moving to see such an image.
I'd like to give a shout out to my girl Koren, she reminded me a bit of you and your love for Christ. Just beautiful!



This angel also spoke to me, I love the delicate why she is holding her flowers.


Today's experience really inspired me to keep my loved ones closer, even after they have passed. I was appalled at myself for how I have not gone to visit my loved one's burial sites in a very long time. Something I intend on doing is establishing my own rituals meant to honor my relatives and friends that are both living and deceased.

How do you honor your loved ones? When was the last time you did something special in honor or memory of a loved one?

Bolivia- part two

Have you ever wanted to feel like a superstar? This is a little taste of what it is like-you walk into a childcare center full of children that are dying to be held. They all reach their hands up and want you to hold them. It is the most precious, yet overwhelming, feeling in the world. We visited Madre de Dios and their FREE childcare center, as well as the residential part for pre-adolescent and adolescent girls.


Just a picture I snapped at the convent in Tarata...


The auto celebration- There was a party (someday I'll figure out how to upload a video...) with music, confetti, food, and alcohol. ALL because people bought new cars. Seriously- Bolivians know how to celebrate everything and enjoy each moment of life. When I buy a car, I want a party. Please!


The dogs and cats in America have no idea how good they have it...



I don't know what it is about these pots, but I took about 10 pictures of them. I love them.


A taste of life outside the city- countryside between Cochabamba and Tarata


Church in Quillacolla. It was beautiful inside and out. There were also ceremonies/celebrations happening outside this church today- celebrating the Saints. One family brought their statue of who I believe was St. Isidore the Farmer, saint of farmers and rural communities. Their statue was blessed and then confetti thrown and music played loudly. They then paraded out of town with their Saint. There were other families there as well.


Lunch today was nothing less that spectacular. They had parrots and toucans on site and I also go to feed an alpaca. This place was beautiful and the flowers were amazing. A little slice of heaven in the countryside of Bolivia.


These pictures and stories are not in order, just what stands out to me at the end of a day. Hope you enjoy them and you know I look forward to scrapping these pictures!!!

Bolivia- part one

Here is just a taste of my trip so far...I can't wait to update with more another day!

A stay-over in Miami? Sure, why not? We missed our connecting flight and had to spend the night and next day in Miami- had to make the best of it!


The view from my hotel room. Absolutely stunning.


Cristo de la Concordia up close- all of the holes are where you can walk up and look out on the city.


Overlooking Cochabamba with the protecting mountain, Tunari, in the background.


Casa de Chicos- the boys home. We took them clothes and one of the members of my group raised money to donate to them!


I have so much to say about this trip, but I'm going to wait until I get home to delve into all of the emotions and experiences. This has already been such an amazing week- I can't wait for the next part of the adventure!

Scrappy: Home

Tomorrow I leave for a two-week trip to Bolivia. While I'm gone I'm going to miss Mothers Day, my Mamaw's birthday, my brother's graduation, and other beautiful moments. I know that I'm going to make wonderful memories while I'm traveling, but I hate that I'll miss so much time with my family.

Here is a layout about my home with my Mamaw, Papaw, and Miss Kitty. After graduating from college, I moved in with my grandparents. I love them dearly for all that they have done for me and I'm so thankful that I have them in my life!





Check out my Frugal Friday tip that is posted at Scrap Our Stash!

I may be updating from the road, but I can't promise anything. I debated scheduling posts about some layouts I have created, but I decided to just take 2 weeks off.

See you in two weeks!

Scrappy: My Impossible Future

The first prompt for May at All About Me is "My Impossible Future". I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to take with this project until I picked up my pictures on Monday.

Last Saturday I ran my first 5k. And by ran I mean I walked most of the 3.1 miles and came in dead last. BUT. I finished, in under an hour which were two of my three goals at the beginning of the day. I've recently starting taking my fitness and health more seriously and it has been a struggle, but well worth the sore muscles. I've met with a trainer and she is teaching me how to run. That might sound silly, but up until recently I loathed running. I hated taking the mile run part of the fitness test and running was one of the reasons I gave up soccer for dance. I struggled to run, was out of breath, self conscious, and ashamed of how out of shape I was growing up. I learned something at the age of 20 that altered how I saw myself. I have asthma and had probably had it for most of my life. It is still difficult to accept my limitations and avoid beating myself up for not being 'good enough', but I'm trying to overcome my own critic and learn how to run and actually enjoy it. So long story short, my goal of being a real runner who finishes better than last is going to take a lot of time, energy, and patience but I think that it is possible.

For me running and being a runner was a near impossible goal, but I'm willing to work extra hard to make this a reality!!!


Supplies:Bazill Cardstock, Basic Grey paper and journaling card, Maya Road envelope, American Crafts ribbon, Bella Blvd. Flower (February kit from My Scrapbook Nook)


WE FINISHED!! Josh, Koren, ME, Tracy, Ryan


Swing by and complete this challenge (and others!) at the AAM Challenge blog and forum! You have to check out the other DT member's takes- so fabulous!


Is there something you have always wanted to do but haven't tried? What is holding you back?

Scrappy: Munich Snapshots

Next Saturday, May 8th, I leave for a two week trip to Bolivia. It will be a service-learning experience and I'm sure that I will learn so much while I'm there. Traveling is something that I've talked about before, but I feel that traveling and experiencing other cultures is one of the best ways to know yourself and others in a more meaningful way.
The only problem is my fear of flying. I always get nervous about two weeks out from a trip that requires air travel and this upcoming trip was no exception. I've had a couple of panic attacks just thinking about the flying, but last night I had a dream and I am much calmer already. I don't remember all of the dream or have any clue why or how I had this dream, but I'm so thankful for it and the peace that I feel.

This layout was created with an older kit from My Scrapbook Nook a couple of weekends ago when they had a fabulous crop! The challenge was to scrap a photo taken outdoors and I really love this picture. It was taken while I was in Munich a couple of summers ago and was having the time of my life! This picture reminds me that flying is worth the adventure on the other end of the flight.




Do you have any fears? Or have you had a fear that you've overcome?
How do you handle situations that you are afraid of?

Crafty Baby Shower

This past weekend I hosted a baby shower for my High School BFF, Allison. With some fabulous help from Brettany, I think we pulled off a lovely shower! We all three teamed up to make some quick no-sew bunting. For a tutorial, check out Allison's blog post.

The food table...

Fabulous cupcakes by Brettany...

The mother to be...

Scrappy: My World...

This week's challenge at AAM is My World From a Different Angle. There are so many different directions that this prompt can go. I chose to talk about how traveling helps me see my world from a different angle. The journaling in the pocket talks about how passionate I am about traveling and seeing so many different things with open eyes and an open heart. Through traveling I have learned a lot about myself as well as a lot about other cultures and traditions.



My photo printer and I have been in a fight for about a month now, so I had to order prints and pay for them. Well they messed my print up and since someone else picked them up and didn't check them, I ended up with with a smudged picture. I decided it wasn't worth driving back across town for, so I scrapped it and I actually like how it looks.

THE BIG GIVEAWAY!!!
I know that as soon as I announce a winner that I'm going to lose a few followers, but I hope that I have entertained some of you enough so that you'll stick around!

My friend Jonathan helped me with the name drawing:





The winner is.....


....




....







Please email me at RachLHawkins at gmail dot com and I will get your gift certificate out by week's end!


Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the blog hop! It was so much fun!!!

Scrappy: Geocache Log

I'm honored to be a guest designer for Scrap Our Stash this month- the challenge is to scraplift a layout or use a sketch for complete a project. When mojo is low, I find that the best thing to do is to find inspiration in someone else's work or to use a sketch to spark your creativity. I used a layout from DT member Danielle which you can find here. I was inspired be the criss-crossing strips and buttons. Here is my take on paper strips and buttons:





Supplies: Cardboard- repurposed Bind It All box, Inner pages- The Paper Company cardstock, Paper- Pink Paislee, Alpha- October Afternoon, Buttons-from my stash.

I created a logbook for one of my other hobbies, Geocaching. With the nice weather, I have enjoyed being outside more often and the challenge of finding modern day hidden treasure. I decided to create a journal of sorts so that I can write down memorable things from my adventures!

What hobbies do you enjoy?

P.S. Don't forget that it is the LAST DAY to participate in the AAM blog hop. I will announce a winner with my reveal of the next challenge tomorrow! I will have one of my students draw a name for a $10.00 gift certificate to Two Peas in a Bucket.

Scrappy: Vacation

This past weekend I got caught up on some scrappy stuff and found some major mojo thanks to the Virtual Crop at My Scrapbook Nook. The deadline had been extended and some awesome prizes are up for grabs! You have until 12:00 PST tonight to turn in the challenges. If you hop over there- please tell them I sent you!

This layout was created for the sketch challenge by Amy:



Supplies: Bazzill cardstock, October Afternoon paper and journaling spots, American Crafts alpha, Prima flowers, Pink Paislee tape, Bling from my stash.

Over Easter, Ryan and I went to the beach with my family. It was our first beach trip together and I got roasted on our first day there. He was so sweet and helped take care of me while I was in so much pain from a horrible sunburn. *swoon*

Virtual Crop: My Scrapbook Nook

There is a crop going on at one of my favorite places to hang out online, The Nook. The DT is so inspiring and all of the ladies there are super friendly.

I've been meaning to scrap a new blog banner for a while, and one of the challenges this week was to scrap something small, like an appetizer.



Today I'm debuting the banner- what do you think???

Scrappy: Beautiful Easter Eggs

The current challenge at Handmade Love is a color challenge. It was truly a challenge for me as I didn't have much purple or green in my stash, luckily a package carrying BG Kioshi arrived and I got to play with it:





Thank you for visiting, don't forget about the AAM Blog Hop that is going on!!!

What are your favorite springtime activities?

AAM Sweet Spring Blog Hop

Welcome to the AAM Sweet Spring Blog Hop! The blog hop will officially go live on April 7th and will run through April 21st.

I'm so excited to share with you two layouts that I created for this week's challenge- Self Improvement (Your biggest flaw)
I don't really like the word flaw so I took a bit of a different route!!





The first layout is about the serious problem I have with list making and planning. If I sit still for too long, my mind starts wandering and I have to make a list. I made to-do lists for homework, scrapbooking, and work. I jot down ideas and sketch out designs for layouts. I hardly go anywhere without my lists and I feel lost without them. It's kind of an addiction.

The second layout is about my current struggle to learn portion control. I love food and I love to eat, but I'm trying to learn when to push away from the table and say no.





I will be offering a prize on April 21st at the end of the blog hop here is how to enter:
Each person can receive up to 8 entries.
One comment per person= 1 entry
Become a follower of my blog= 2 entries
Complete the AAM challenge (must be a new project) and link it up here by April 20th = 5 entries

I will do this old school and have someone draw a name out of a hat on April 21st! The winner will receive a $10.00 gift card to Two Peas in a Bucket. (I know it's not a lot, but I'm a poor student!) Make sure you leave me a good way to contact you if you don't post a comment with a blogger account.

If you didn't start from the AAM blog, please go back there for official instructions on how to put your name in the hat for a fabulous prize from Treasury of Memories.

From here, you should head over to our fearless leader Melissa's blog!

Scrappy: I'm Worth the Effort

My new mantra is "I'm worth the effort". Because I am. I'm trying to get in shape and lose a little bit of weight, but I found myself making excuses and struggling to stay motivated. I'm working towards working out more days than not and eating more healthy, homecooked meals. I set a goal to get to the gym at least three times in a week and cook for myself at least four times. Once I meet that goal consistently, I'm going to move the bar up! Reciting my new mantra has been really helpful in meeting my goals. Every time I get discouraged or start to feel lazy I repeat "I'm worth the effort" and it helps to find the extra bit of motivation I need.

This week's challenge at Handmade Love is to scrap a self portrait. At first I had a really super creative idea, but the idea for this layout came out of my new mantra. I got really excited about the layout and then realized that the picture wasn't technically a self portrait after I glued it down. The picture is from my visit to Europe when we were in the Black Forest. I think that day and the week following were some of the most amazing times of my life.

Come check out this week's challenge at Handmade Love and enter for a chance to win a great prize.

Do you have a personal mantra or saying?