I’ve never cooked a Roast Chicken… an entire chicken! It’s like cooking a mini turkey – and it turned out amazing if I do say so myself. And it was so simple to make! It was the whole chicken, lemons, salt and pepper <– How easy is that??

Take a look at the pictures! I made a side spinach salad and some cous cous. Yummmo.

And recently I’ve become obsessed with hair and wanting to try new things with it – but I’m still not very good with it and it’s usually down and up in a pony tail. And most of the time, I don’t even need to brush it out – my hair is pretty limp.

But like I said, I’ve become a little bit more high maintenance with my hair. And one of my favorite blogs – A Cup of Jo – the author, Joanna Goddard, puts a few posts about hair styles which I always save as a favorite. And usually I’m not able to do the hair because my hair isn’t long enough… but now, my hair is long enough which is exciting (yes, I’m a dork). So, today, I tried out a totally new hairstyle – and it came out just the way I wanted! It’s a braided crown – and I love it. And so easy to do – instructions are on the blog – but here are the results of it! Enjoy!

Hope you like it!

- Do another Solo backpacking trip – already in the works for Colombia in February <– Totally done!

- Go camping on the beach (hopefully my birthday weekend in April) – I don’t know if I technically did this – because we went camping – but ended up in a hotel room because there was torrential rain and flooding warnings on the shore. But we did break out the camp fire stove. 

- A day trip skiing – I’ve been mentioning this for the past few years and it still hasn’t happened… it will this year. I swear it! – Darn it – it didn’t happen this past winter, but there is still the winter of 2011. I’ll do it. I swear!

- Go skydiving – always on my list – but I’m determined it will happen this year. Totally done! I definitely want to do it again – I’ll post pictures and a video soon!

- Go to NYC more than once this year – and while I’m there visit my aunt and cousin on Long Island <– I’ve now been two weekends in a row in March – and I did visit my aunt and cousin who live on Long Island. I plan on going back up again by June.

- Bike my own city of Washington DC – I’ve bike NYC, San Fran, Sonoma, and I plan on biking in Bogota – I need to bike my own city! <– My bike is tuned up and I will do it… once the absurd heat is gone from the DC area.

- Learn to crochet/knit – and actually finish a project! <– Uhh.. not started on this yet.

- Complete two-three more triathlons this year – including the same one I do every year – the Kinectic Sprint Triathlon in May 2011. Okay – I’m updating this one to completing the Marine Corps Marathon in October under 5 hours. And also finishing the Army 10 miler in under 1:40 – so a bit faster than a 10 minute mile. Ambitious? Yes. But I’ve been doing a lot of running – so I think I can do it.  

- See more pyramids – including Macchu Picchu (Peru with my brother) and the Great Pyramids in Eygpt – if/when I go to visit my friend Eric who is moving to Egypt this August – and I plan on visiting him at the end of the year. <– I bought my tickets to go to Peru! I will definitely be seeing Machu Picchu. However, I might not be doing Egypt with all the unrest happening in the Middle East.

- Learn how to make a salmon dish… cooking seafood intimidates me.. I will conquer salmon. <– Haven’t made the Salmon yet – but have made Tilapia, Trout and Cod – Salmon is still in my freezer. Update: I made my first roast chicken! It turned out awesome!

- Apply to be a contestant on the Amazing Race/Survivor – two shows that I absolutely love and would do in a heartbeat. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get on unless I apply, right? <–Not done yet.

- Swim a mile without stopping – my swimming endurance is pretty good now, I think I can do this by the end of the year. <– Need to get in the pool for this to happen.

- Get scuba certified <– Hopefully this summer or fall… hmmm… I don’t think this will happen due to all the things happening on my schedule. 

- Pay off my credit card debt <– 2/3rds done – unfortunately still 2/3rds of the way there.

- Walk/Cross another famous bridge… I don’t know which one it’ll be – but I’ll figure it out soon. I’ve done Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge… what are some other famous bridges? Any in Peru, Egypt or Colombia? <– I’m crossing this off mainly because I’ve run and crossed over many bridges in DC – and they are rather famous bridges. I know, this might be cheating, but damnit, I need more things to cross off.

Okay – I knew my list for this year was very ambitious. 15 things on the list. I’ve really only crossed off one thing – the solo backpacking trip – but the beach camping is in the works, skydiving appointment has been set, I bought my tickets to Peru, which means I’m definitely seeing Pyramids… I’ve been to NY twice already and gone to Long Island <– I’ve only crossed 5 things off my list – 33% of my Bucket List for the year. Not looking good more than half way through the year… let’s hope that this changes in the next 5 months!

Okay

Work kicked my butt for the past three months – can you believe that summer is nearly gone? Next week is August!

But seriously – I’ve been on the go for the past few months, I don’t know how I’ve kept sane. The next few months are going to be just as crazy – but I’ve got a ton of stuff to update – photos, my bucket list, my travel plans!!

So much has happened – and it seems like in the past few days things have slowed down but that won’t last for long.

But just a few things to look forward to:

Post on skydiving… yes, I did it!

Post of my trip to New Orleans – I went! It was great!

Post on running – I’ve been running like crazy – I officially have a bib for the Marine Corps Marathon this upcoming October!

Post on my future travel plans: to Peru and possibly Alabama!

Some other camping trips I’ve done…

Man – I can’t believe how much time has passed.

But the past few months I feel like I was creatively lost – I wasn’t doing much with photography, I didn’t have very good ideas on blogs and honestly, I think I was just burned out from work. Working 12-14 hour days – not fun. I haven’t had a day off since my vacation to Colombia! (I won’t include national holidays, they don’ count). And I also won’t count the day I took off to go to New Orleans – because I still worked that day and woke up at 6am to get work done.

Anyway – hopefully despite my crazy schedule the next two months, I can keep up somewhat.

We’ll see how it goes!

Day 3 in Colombia I was in San Gil – which is in the northern part of Colombia right in the middle of the Andes. It is a well known spot for backpackers for an adventure travel spot. And there is nothing I love more than adventure. It is considered the adventure capital of Colombia, filled with whitewater rafting, paragliding, caving, bungee jumping and more. I wish I had more time to spend there – I only spent one day there but I got a lot of adventure while there.

So, what I did I end up doing with only one day ? I went paragliding!!

Paragliding. That’s right, I went paragliding. And it was freaking awesome.

I got in late Monday night to San Gil, checking into the Maconda Hostel at 11pm that night. I get there and then see the board for adventures the next day and there it was – paragliding for 45 minutes in the Chicamocha Canyon. And I signed my name down and went to bed to get ready for my next adventure.

So, the next morning at 10am, I got picked up by the tour company to go paragliding. They picked up two other couples that would be joining in on this adventure – the girls were not paragliding, but their two boyfriends were. I was the only girl in the group ready to jump into a canyon. Myself, the two couples and four others from the paragliding company set of in a decrepit old van, around and around mountain to reach the canyon where we were going set off from. And let me tell you – it was gorgeous.

We get to the bottom of the plateau and then we had a small hike to the top.

Ready to jump off the canyon.

Hiking up to the plateau.

And boy was it windy at the top. Which I guess is perfect when paragliding – because you need the wind to to carry you off and make sure you don’t plop into the middle of some field somewhere.

So next thing I know, we’re all at the top and I start getting strapped in. They tell me the instructions in Spanish and telling me, all I have to do is run.

Strapped in and ready to fly!

Setting up for paragliding.

Once I was set up – I got strapped into my tandem partner, Edward and next thing I know he said run and then we were off. It was exhilarating. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. For 45 mintues, Edward took me paragliding up and around the canyon. At one point we were so high we were up in the clouds and all I saw through it all were white clouds. And it was really really cold. But I could see for miles and miles and I didn’t want to come down.

While up there, Edward took it upon himself to do twists and turns in the air and we were doing crazy flips through the air. It was so much fun.

Up in the air.

High up with my tandem partner Edward.

I didn’t want the 45 minutes to end, but end it did. We landed back at the same spot we started and since I was the first person to take off, I was the first person to land. And I was able to watch the other two paragliders land.

After landing. High on adrenaline.

Landing.

I can go on and on about how amazing it was, but it’s hard to describe something that is pretty much indescribable. All I know is that if someone has a chance of paragliding, then to do so because it is something they will never regret.

But I did I tell you that after I landed, I found out that my tandem partner, Edward, was only 20 years old? I’m glad I didn’t find out beforehand or I might have been a bit freaked out. I wonder how much experience he actually had. Or how many of the guys were actually certified. All I know is that we all landed safely and that I’m still alive. And that is all that matters.

But… enjoy some of the video. One of the girlfriends got a video of me taking off and also twirling in the air. It was insane.

I will definitely be going back to San Gil when I go back to Colombia. And if paragliding is anything like skydiving, I cannot wait until June!!!

Anyway – this past weekend it rained. Like always. It is April. But did that stop me? Stop me from?

Camping!! At the Eastern Shore.. i.e. beach.

No, it did not stop me from camping. Kinda… I had this trip planned for a month. I wanted to cross camping on the beach off my bucket list for the year. But the weather had another agenda for me. As in torrential rain, flash flooding, tornado warnings.. yeah – all of it. On the weekend I planned to camp.

But I was gung-ho. I was going to camp! Until my friends (sane) decided, we’d go – but camp in a hotel room. Ha! So much for roughing it.

But it was a blast. We still got to go to the shore, walk around, see wild ponies and then spend an unhealthy amount of time in the heated pool and the hot tub.

We did some campy activities – we roasted marshmallows over a camp fire stove… we made beer brat and had hot dogs. All delicious. We made the best of the situation an I had a blast.

I’ll go into more detail later. It’s late, I’ve had 4 days in a row of birthday celebrating and I’m pretty tired.

But for now – enjoy two jumping shots on the beach. There were 5 of us – I had to photoshop these photos to make it seem we were all in the picture!

It was my first time really photoshopping – I downloaded a free trial version – and I did pretty well if I do say so myself.

Happy Birthday to me!

Jumping for Joy!

Were at the beach!

I actually lived here before – two years ago – not the same apartment, but the same complex and I have the same layout as before – but just flipped. I loved my apartment before but I was getting antsy and wanted the experience of living with roommates. So I moved out of my perfectly lovely apartment that was decorated the way I liked it to move in strangers. And I loved it. I loved living with them – Amanda and Shri – and I count them as two of my dearest friends. And living with them was a great experience – and honestly, we would probably still be living together if we didn’t have an ass of a landlord and the location were just a bit better. But good things come to an end and when our lease ended – we went our separate ways. We all live in our own apartments – they both live in the District – which I’m jealous of – but I love Virginia and I loved my old apartment complex, so I came back.

There was however a brief period, four months, when I lived with my sister out in suburbia. And I enjoyed living with my sister during that time – but I didn’t like suburbia. I wasn’t ready for it. And I thought I could live with family again for a long period of time – I admit I was wrong. So – I’ll put those 4 months in the past and into the my folder of distant memories.

But when I moved in with my sister – I gave up a lot of stuff that I had. And so when I moved 5 months ago – I pretty much had to start over from scratch.

Which has been fun/stressful. But it’s starting over with a new design focus and bringing out my creativity. I still have a bit of a way to go – but after moving 6 times in the past 3 years (ugh – all in the past), I don’t want to move again for a while. And I want to really establish my home base. Even if I traveled for a long period of time – I would sublet or someething – so I won’t have to worry about moving.

Anyway – the past few months, I’ve been rebuilding and it’s slowly going. Like, I have a dining room table, but no chairs. I have my flat screen – and meant to mount it on the wall, but I got the wrong wall mount. My kitchen isn’t full stocked quite yet – and I need to get a big pot so I can cook pasta. I did just buy a colander – not that I can drain anything quite yet.

But most recently (10 minutes) I hung up some of my photographs that I printed out and framed. These are recent photographs, from my trip to Colombia – where I took countless pictures of doors/churches – so I printed them out and then bought frames for them. Now – they are hanging (albeit crookedly) in my long hallway. I’m proud of them.

I also started decorating my foyer – it’s still a work in progress. I’ve also bought plants and new pots for the current plants I have that have been sitting in foil the past 4 months. I’ve now just re-potted them and babied them a little bit and hopefully I’ll have a green thumb.

Sigh… I have so many ideas – but so little time – well actually, plenty of time, I’m just impatient. I wish I could see ideas – and then have them magically done in the blink of an eye. But I’m not Hermoine Granger. Damnit.

For now – here’s a glimpse of my recent endeavors.

My hall of doors.

The beginning of my indoor garden - it includes two Peace Lillies, a pointsettia, gardenia bonsai, a small herb garden that hasn't grown yet and a pot of daisies that I just planted.

Any ideas on things to do? Plants to add?

I was extremely happy to have stopped off in Villa de Leyva too. Considering that I had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning so I could catch a 5:30 bus to Villa de Leyva. I happily slept on the bus -and when I arrived in Villa de Leyva – it was a beautiful gorgeous day.

Villa de Leyva is everything you expect a historical town in Colombia to be – filled with cobblestones, churches, Spanish architecture, arches, and old men with cowboy hats. It is settled in a high altitude valley in the middle of the Andes – and all I can say is: Gorgeous!

When I got to Villa de Leyva – I had my giant backpack and I didn’t plan on staying in Villa de Leyva but for a few hours. So I was on the lookout for a hotel/hostel that I could keep my backpack safe until I left again that afternoon. While roaming the town – I ran into an older gentleman (in his 50s) and he introduced himself to me – Mauricio. He asked if I was looking for a hostel – and I told him only for a few hours. He replied that he owned a hostel and that I could keep my bag there for the hours that I needed to. I think I trust to easy – so I said yes and followed him. He proved to be honest and trustworthy – and for $5.o0 I was able to get a small room to keep my backpack safe.

Mauricio then took me for a tour of Villa de Leyva – which wasn’t long because it’s not a big town at all. I went to the main plaza called – Plaza Mayor – with a non-working fountain and surrounded by churches and stores… he took me to a local restaurant for breakfast, a local food store for snacks and introduced me to the locals. He also showed me around the museums. He was really a great guide. So very nice. And he didn’t make fun of my bad Spanish.

Later on – I walked around the town and took pictures (that’s all I do really) and just relaxed. It was a sleepy old town and it was a nice stopping point since I had such a busy two days with traveling, biking and touring the big city of Bogota. I got to enjoy the outside air, the heat (it was hot but not humid) and enjoy the small town Colombian culture. I would definitely go back to Villa de Leyva if I had more time and probably do some hiking that it’s known for and visit some waterfalls in the area.

For now, I’ll just reminisce by looking at the photos that I took. I hope you enjoy them!

On my way to Villa de Leyva

My first view of the main plaza

The streets of Villa de Leyva

With the main fountain (that doesn't have water)

Surrounded by the Andes

Inside a museum - a fresco.

A small treat for myself... delicious Flan.

A statue of another Colombia hero

Villa de Leyva Church

The Villa de Leyva Monastary

Another beautiful panoramic view of Villa de Leyva

Coming up soon: San Gil and paragliding!