Monthly Archives: February 2013

Day one in El Salvador

Posted on February 28, 2013 by erikamae82

While visiting mom, we were reviewing the general layout of the next stretch of my travels. Without second thought out of my mouth came “you should join me, I think it would be a great experience!” After listing all of the reasons she shouldn’t or couldn’t, I then replied with… “Those all sound like reasons of why you SHOULD go”!
A week went by of me discussing possibilities and after hard thought she came to me said, “I’m in.”
Can you believe it folks? One backpack, two weeks, a spanish farm and no french vanilla creamer… She’s in for an adventure!

Now boarding… El Salvador!

We landed safely and have an entertaining ride to our first hostel to San Salvador.

Welcome to our temporary home as we plan on returning after volunteering, Hostal Cumbres del Volcan. We had minimal time here, so I’ll share more photos later. Just an idea of our surroundings…

Remember that collection of classic movies I described that every hostel seems to have? Found them!

We woke up to an authentic breakfast provided by our host and new friends Sarah and Gladis. Scrumptious!

I asked for some spice and what did they provide…. My favorite sauce!

Our next destination is in the small country side of Libertad. We will be volunteering on an organic farm full of tropical fruits, a variety of veggies and other fresh items in need of harvesting. This is also a community in which they guide the local children in recycling product and material to create a sustainable lifestyle. Brilliant! This all starts tomorrow and we are both extremely excited to meet our new hosts. If you’re curious for more details about there organization, here’s where we’ll be!
El Salvador Tropical Farm

A few photos from their website.

I’m not sure of the internet acess or the wifi strength on the farm, so please bare with my quanity and quality of posts for the next 10 days. All smiles till next time!

Categories: Accommodations, Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: central America, El Salvador, San Salvador | 1 Comment

Surprise attack!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by erikamae82

Time to catch up before I depart from the US for another stretch of amazing adventures!
Let’s do this quickly as I’m leaving for the airport this morning and you just never know when the next “wifi” will pop up in the journey.

After Oklahoma, I made a sneak attack on my unexpected mom. She thought I was flying to a friends place before my final stop in Atlanta… Wrong! I wanted to be there for her birthday (if you know my mom, this means the world to her!) so I had her friend pick me up at the airport and here’s what happened next:

Our phone call started with her upstairs (unable to see me) as I walked in the front door.

“Hey mom, how are you?” as I close the front door.
“I’m good, oh wait… I think my friend is here.”
“Oh, should I let ya go?”
“Nah, they’ll just come up the stairs.”
Sadly I reply “Awh, I wish it was me walking up the stairs.”
She responds with “I know, that would just be amazing!”

As she finished that sentence I topped the final step and walked around the corner.

With camera in hand, I did my best to capture her reaction. If you can’t tell, there was a combination of excited confusion, screaming, crying and a hug that pleasantly lasted a long time.

Our week in a few photos:

Valentines day she was hosting a gorgeous event that I got a sneak peak of. I loved capturing this moment as she was serenaded by the humble and extremely talented Jeff McBride. This was the start to her Birthday week celebration!

Next up, live music! If you’re into quality lyrics and a chill vibe, you will thoroughly enjoy my new friends from the band Heritage. These guys absolutely did a job well done by keeping the crowd smiling, dancing and for me personally… directing thoughts towards positive energy! Thank you Tony for your voice of peaceful sound and our inedible conversations that followed.

Ending our trip with a walk around some local spots and a market of fun eats, homemade goodies, all with an awesome view!

Thank you “honey” girl for letting me borrow your gloves!

Recognize this? Me neither. It was the post office used in the movie Truman Show with Jim Carrey. I had no idea it was filmed here!

From here, I jumped over to visit my good ol’ buddy Marshall in Jacksonville before we drove to Atlanta… My final handstand in the states before I depart again!

Next stop… El Salvador!

Categories: Art, Uncategorized | Tags: Atlanta, Florida, Jacksonville, Jeff McBride | Leave a comment

Another pit stop in Oklahaoma

Posted on February 23, 2013 by erikamae82

After a short stretch back to Sacramento and a quicker stop in Arizona, I decided to spoil myself with another visit to Oklahoma! Now when I say “spoil”, I’m not talking about the good ol’ dry brown scenery or the flat roads with limited landscapes. I’m purely speaking of connecting with my precious family that I’m extremely grateful for.

I’m going to dedicate this one to my Aunt’s (my father’s sisters) and their mom who I call Grams.

Ill start with Aunt Tonya. Through example, she has been one of my greatest teachers. With her nurturing character she would (and did) give to others when she was the one in need. She was a natural at comforting the unsettled and there was never any doubt that her intensions were driven from pure love. I’m confident to believe that Aunt Tonya is missed and thought of often by those who were blessed to have known her.

Things I would be honored to say that I inherited from my Aunt Tonya: The ability to truly embrace joy, inner strength, and the adorable “shoulder bounce” that happens once the giggles kick in.
This photo is the two of us about 25 years ago. Her eyes say it all…

I’ve been told that my style mostly resembles Aunt Cindee. The family says, “When she was your age…” she carried herself with a natural bohemian vibe and a hippie flare. With a contagious laugh and quick mind, you can imagine the hours I enjoy bonding with her. I think if we grew up together, we would of made fantastic college roommates!

Things I inherited from Aunt Cindee: Love for homemade soup, a gypsy heart and her sense of humor (that’s based on exaggerated visuals and usually leads to a dramatic description that goes way too far… all resulting in involuntary distorted facial expressions).

After raising two children, she now designates most of her time to her energetic (to say the least) grandson and her job at Cushing Valley Hope. This is a drug rehab center in a stately mansion that provides residential, day or partial care, medically monitored alcohol detox, family and continuing care services. Also, the location for my handstand pic of the day!

Oh Aunt Heidi, Aunt Heidi, Aunt Heidi…. What will we ever do with her? She has a blunt direction when sharing her opinion and an effortless way to make you laugh. Being around her gives you a youthful sense of life (she didn’t pay me to say that). While raising her teenage daughter, she still maintains sanity and invites me for countless hours of laughter and reminiscing.

Things I inherited from Aunt Heidi: The nickname “Shug”, love for high energy socializing and her “guns” (aka arms). Also when I sarcastically laugh, my mom says “that was SO your Aunt Heidi!”

Grams, the woman that raised these 3 lovely ladies along with my dad (she must have super powers) plays a special roll in my life. Without too much said, she is simply one of my best friends. I can tell her anything, she gets my humor and most of all, she has shown me unconditional love through all the stages of my life.
Things I believe that I inherited from my irreplaceable Grandma: The love for good food, the eyes she gave my father, occasional necessary stubbornness and the ability to finish a soft serve cone quicker than you can start one.

The reason there are no photos of the girls described above is because they have mastered the art of “picture dodging”… Something I clearly didn’t inherit from them!

Need an idea for a creative gift? I took this photo of my family and made it into a puzzle for Grams. Love it!

To wrap up my Oklahoma family time, here are some fun photos of me and my sibs goofing off on a sunny Oklahoma winter day.

They set up an obstacle course from dads work scaffolding, garden gear and their own toys. Creativity is must when you’re raised without a television, computer or video games… I love to see what they come up with!

Now off to the airport on a snowy day in Oklahoma. Next stop? It’s a surprise.

They even had to “de-ice” the plane before take off.

My favorite part about taking off in a storm, is watching the sky break into a beautiful calm blue. Exposing the fact, that everyday is a sunny day… sometimes there’s just a few clouds in the way.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Aunts, Cushing, family, grams, puzzle, siblings, snow, storm, Valley Hope | Leave a comment

“Doing work in the AZ” (words by Christie)

Posted on February 11, 2013 by erikamae82

Although this post is mainly snap shots of the weekend, it holds a special place in my memory. On the way back across the country (working my way towards the east coast to fly south again), I made a pit stop in Phoenix Arizona to visit some friends. Here’s a quick recap of the personalities that I got to spend Super Bowl weekend with.

I’ll start with the owner of this new home, a girl I met playing with finger paint and Elmer’s glue back in kindergarten, Christie. This woman will add laughter and life to any gathering. With her sarcastic sense of humor delivered with pure love, she keeps those around her on their toes and usually running to the nearest bathroom doing the “potty dance”.
Here we are at age 5 together (rockin some rad hair) followed by a recent picture of her (rockin some rad hair). Thanks for letting me “play” with your golden locks lady!

Next up is Nate. The bodyguard, the the big kid and in my opinion a teddy bear disguised as a solid rock. This is why he makes an incredible travel partner! The first two pictures are from our trip to Europe a couple of years ago, followed by his “character” shot from the weekend. Love this guy!

Then there’s Hayden, I’ve known this fella for a solid 10, wait… over 15 years! To this day, he still has the ability to make me smile no matter what the circumstance. Unfortunately I don’t have any Jr.High pictures available, but if you focus on the two middle boys in the picture below, on the left is Michael (the owner of the bar I visited in Argentina) and to the right (the other red head), is Hayden.
Side note: Look forward to more posts of these two fine gentleman as they plan to hike Machu Picchu with me this year!

I’ll wrap up the friend descriptions with Christies perfect match, John. He happens to be my definition of “kind hearted”. I felt at home right away with this gorgeous power duo.

So it begins. Here is the house during construction followed by a weekend of playing in the dirt!

Did I mention that I love rocks?

A moment with my lady!

Break time with the crew as we take a quick road trip to prep for the Super Bowl!

What’s this? The ice-cream man! For all if my friends abroad who didn’t get the amazing childhood luxury of an ice cream truck, imagine this… A jolly man in a decorated vehicle driving around your local neighborhood. He’s playing familiar cheerful music that attracts children (and me) for a pick of any frozen dessert they desire! As creepy as it sounds when I describe it, it’s actually a very fond memory! Who didn’t love chasing down a van full of sugar?

I thought this was a fun idea to fill the void of an empty building.

Back home and getting ready for the big day. Food, drinks and far away friends? Check!
(Thank you for the great pictures Christie!)

Cartoons on for the small kids? Game on for the big kids? Check. Youngest follower looking at my blog? Excellent!

Appropriate dress attire? Not a chance.

A day of smiles with new and old friends for Super Bowl… Perfect.

What a sunset to finish up this brilliant weekend!

Categories: Accommodations, Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: Arizona, cactus, Phoenix, Super Bowl, yard work | Leave a comment

Yoga? You found me! LEAP this way…

Posted on February 6, 2013 by erikamae82

*Some of the photos below are borrowed from fellow LEAP lovers.

Depending on how long you’ve been following this blog, you probably get a solid idea that I believe things, people, and places are introduced into your life at the appropriate time. All for reasons that we may not even be aware of. Now enters LEAP yoga and everyone there!

LEAP is a studio located in my hometown of Folsom, California. I would often hear of the place through several invitations from friends who were already attending. At that time in my life, I chose working full time (over time), lifting weights, and dancing were my three priorities of energy expense. I’m not saying that I had chosen the healthier options… It’s just the way it was.

Upon returning to the ever so familiar city of Folsom, I was greeted by my precious (to say at the least) friend Crystal with an invite to join her for yoga. “Let me guess” I say, ‘It’s that LEAP place everyone keeps talking about, right?”. With a huge expression and a face filled with her contagious smile, she replies, “Yeh! So you’re going!”. Feeling the need to focus internally and release some tension, I decided it was a great idea, little did I know…. A brilliant idea! Let’s call it journey changing.

As you enter LEAP you’re greeted with genuine smiles and more often than not an abundance of sincere hugs followed by “I’m so excited you’re here!”

Side fun note: See that sparkling smile in the middle of the instructors photos? That’s Mark, a friend in which I used to trick-o-treat with back in our elementary school days. Now he’s a guiding light here at LEAP! Below is a photo from our old school yearbook, Awh…so cute!

Moving on to the natural calming sense that begins to take over as you make your way to practice. How can you feel stressed out when you approach a waterfall Buddha? Just feel the instant dropping of your shoulders as you enter a warm room filled with peaceful decor.

Im sure we’re all here for a different reasons. Many want the exercise and stretching, others might desire a sort of meditation or therapeutic session. No matter what your intensions are, as you arrive to the practice and you layout your mat, you’re tickled with an “indescribable” feeling. Something that grows within you as you acknowledge your purpose and embrace the beautiful experience. (Those feelings I will attempt to describe in a future post!)

Here is a scrumptious handful of photos to try and give you just a glimpse of the pure energy, sweaty smiles and active room that is… LEAP!

The creators, Cathy and Corey (pictured below) shared a vision for creating a studio where one could feel connected, supported and honored. “At Leap we are committed to building a community rooted in compassion, love and truth. We want to support all of our students in creating their best life.” Mission accomplished my new friends!

They have a modern website that is welcoming and easy to follow. I encourage you to check it out to get a more thorough idea of this magical place! Click here to be directed to leapyoga.net.

Here are two of my favorite pictures from the LEAP website!

A very deep and personal note of gratitude to Crystal, Jamie, Donna, Mark, Jenna, Michelle, Robert, Allie, Allison and Joy. You each have uniquely enhanced my life with such grace, I couldn’t have planned it for better. Thank you for sharing and enjoying our path crossing!

Categories: Art, Fitness, Uncategorized | Tags: California, exercise, Folsom, Leap, meditation, peace, practice, Yoga | 1 Comment

Day in the bay… San Francisco!

Posted on February 2, 2013 by erikamae82

Although I was raised just 100 miles away from this popular place, I find myself visiting for the first time as a tourist. What a fabulous city!

Who else but one of my best buds Walker to join me for this day of Bay area exploring. Our drive starts with blue sky and two smiles!

Nervous about going over bridges? This journey may not be for you as it’s necessary to cruise over a few throughout the day.

First stop is one of the most photographed spots in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge.
To answer a common question, no it’s not gold. It’s said to be “international orange” or in Walkers words, “It’s more of a red”.

SF Fun fact #1- The Golden Gate Bridge is continuously painted and repainted all the time. It’s so long that by the time the paint crew gets from one end to the other, it’s time to start over again.

Handstand photo!

The sign above describes what each rod is made of to support this massive structure. Below is a close up of the iron rods that make up each cable.

Can you walk across it? Of course! Let’s do it.

I’m not sure why the cyclist get all the room.

As you heel toe across these gorgeous steel path, signs keep you aware of the height that can take your life if dared to compete.

SF Fun Fact #2- The production of the bridge was the first of its kind to ever use nets as safety for falling workers.

We pause in the middle for a view that encourages a deep breath and forces the eyes to wander in attempt to capture all that’s around you.

That “little” island out there is the famous prison that is now closed but is still known as Alkatraz. I found a easy read website describing some details about it. Click here for the facts

On the way back we witness the “official” crew and their transportation cruising across bridge, you’ve got to smile on the intensity of these mini machines!

What’s this? I’ve only seen this abroad, which leaves me to wonder if these were attached by visitors here from over seas. The tradition brings a loving couple to the bridge and after securing it to the gate, they toss the key overboard to lock in their commitment.

Last shot as we exit the bridge followed by a “creative” photo I snapped with a neat effect.

Now, off to the well known cross streets of Haight and Ashbury. I absolutely love walking through this bohemian neighborhood of thrift stores, music shops, cafe’s and specialty boutiques. Here are some photos on the drive over and some fun in the shops.

SF Fun Fact #3- Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco for the Gold Rush miners who needed tough, comfortable clothing.

This wall was so magnetic!

SF Fun Fact #4- This city ranks fourth in the world, after New York, Moscow and London, in terms of the numbers of billionaires that call it home. This is despite the fact that it has less than 10% of the population of the other three cities. San Francisco is also known for having the largest Chinese community in the world, outside of China.

As we finished up the afternoon, I made photos from the passenger seat on our drive out of the city. Well, that was after we found the owner to the van that decided our car needed a hug.

Clearly the owner of this dog didn’t read the sign.

Adorable.

Nearing the famous Fisherman’s Warf before crossing the final bridge through the tunnel and Sacramento bound.

SF Fun Fact #5- The Chinese Fortune Cookie was invented in SF at the Japanese Tea Garden by Makato Hagiwara. Chop Suey was also created in the bay during a banquet!

I can absolutely understand why so many people around the world travel here to capture the energy of San Francisco. I’m so thankful I got the perfect company to join me on this day. Rabbit ears and all… Walker, you’re sawesome (not a typo).

Categories: Art, Uncategorized | Tags: alkatraz, bay, California, Fishermans Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Haight and Ashbury, San fransisco | 2 Comments

Monthly Archives: February 2013

Day one in El Salvador

Surprise attack!

Another pit stop in Oklahaoma

“Doing work in the AZ” (words by Christie)

Yoga? You found me! LEAP this way…

Day in the bay… San Francisco!

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