Archives for 2012

December 26, 2012

A Christmas Recap

Australian Christmas.

Mike and I had a wonderful Christmas down here in Australia. We are both incredibly grateful to be house sitting over the holidays. It definitely beats sleeping in our tent!

We anticipated lounging by the pool in the sun for Christmas. Unfortunately, a thunder storm arrived on Christmas Eve and prevented that fantasy from happening. Instead, we had a relaxing rainy day indoors. It felt much more like home with gray outside the windows.

Christmas Eve

We headed out to the shops to pick up groceries for our Christmas meal. Just as I expected, it was insane! We spent the afternoon listening to Christmas music and wrapping up our gifts. I found a Santa section in the newspaper and chuckled while I made sure at least one Santa was on each on Mike’s packages.

 

In the evening we spent a few hours preparing a delicious Christmas meal. It was quite the spread and will be feeding us for a few days. We prepared an avocado and beet salad, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, roasted pumpkin, and a chicken for Mike.

After dinner we posed for a few photos by the Christmas tree and curled up on the couch.

Dino came and crashed our photo

Christmas Day 

In the morning we exchanged gifts on the floor under the tree.  We agreed to a $10 budget this year so we had to be creative. One of my gifts to Mike was a pack of Skittles comprised of only his favorite color: red. I was so excited for him to open it. We also opened a package sent by my parents. Now I have plenty of books to read and vegan marshmallows to eat. Mike has his very own Powell’s t-shirt and enough ginger candy to keep him satisfied. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Toni!

After gifts we cooked up a special breakfast, drank some tea, took a few photos, and cracked our Christmas crackers.

Dino got a Christmas cracker too!

The rain continued to pour the rest of the day so we continued the indoor relaxing.

It was a very pleasant Christmas, but Mike and I both agreed that no matter how hard you try to create a holiday atmosphere with lights, gifts, and good food… it’s friends and family that really make it feel like Christmas.

I hope everyone’s holiday was merry and bright! 

xo, jill

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December 26, 2012

A Christmas Recap

Australian Christmas.

Mike and I had a wonderful Christmas down here in Australia. We are both incredibly grateful to be house sitting over the holidays. It definitely beats sleeping in our tent!

We anticipated lounging by the pool in the sun for Christmas. Unfortunately, a thunder storm arrived on Christmas Eve and prevented that fantasy from happening. Instead, we had a relaxing rainy day indoors. It felt much more like home with gray outside the windows.

Christmas Eve

We headed out to the shops to pick up groceries for our Christmas meal. Just as I expected, it was insane! We spent the afternoon listening to Christmas music and wrapping up our gifts. I found a Santa section in the newspaper and chuckled while I made sure at least one Santa was on each on Mike’s packages.

 

In the evening we spent a few hours preparing a delicious Christmas meal. It was quite the spread and will be feeding us for a few days. We prepared an avocado and beet salad, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, roasted pumpkin, and a chicken for Mike.

After dinner we posed for a few photos by the Christmas tree and curled up on the couch.

Dino came and crashed our photo

Christmas Day 

In the morning we exchanged gifts on the floor under the tree.  We agreed to a $10 budget this year so we had to be creative. One of my gifts to Mike was a pack of Skittles comprised of only his favorite color: red. I was so excited for him to open it. We also opened a package sent by my parents. Now I have plenty of books to read and vegan marshmallows to eat. Mike has his very own Powell’s t-shirt and enough ginger candy to keep him satisfied. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Toni!

After gifts we cooked up a special breakfast, drank some tea, took a few photos, and cracked our Christmas crackers.

Dino got a Christmas cracker too!

The rain continued to pour the rest of the day so we continued the indoor relaxing.

It was a very pleasant Christmas, but Mike and I both agreed that no matter how hard you try to create a holiday atmosphere with lights, gifts, and good food… it’s friends and family that really make it feel like Christmas.

I hope everyone’s holiday was merry and bright! 

xo, jill

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December 25, 2012

A Wonderful Christmastime!

Simply havin’ it!

This year it was quite the challenge for Molly and me to prepare our annual Christmas video. How do you make a video together when you’re stuck on different continents?! Luckily, we had enough foresight last year that we made a little extra holiday footage for future use. At least that’s our story, and we’re sticking to it!

Here’s our fourth annual Christmas greeting:

Merry Christmas!

xo, jill 

(Special thanks to Molly for taking on the role of Milk Drinker.)

Previous greetings:
2011 – Super speed at the mall
2010 – 12 days of Christmas Abu Dhabi style stop motion
2009 – Christmas in the Mid East

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December 22, 2012

From the Hip Friday

Double accordion.

Today’s photo from the hip comes from Mike. He captured this shot at a little grocery store in Venice.

Despite the photo being a bit blurred, I absolutely love the subject. Two people out buying fruit with their accordions in tow. What do you think? Are they a long time couple who bonded over their love of accordion music? Or two people on a quirky first date? I’d guess the first, but I’m hoping for the later. 

Thanks, Mike!

xo, jill

From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!

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December 20, 2012

Christmas Past

3 of them.This year this will mark my fourth Christmas spent abroad. It’s always a bit strange to be anywhere other than home for the holidays. It’s especially weird if you are in a country where Christmas is just any other regular day of the year. Happily, Australia closes down for Christmas (just like home!), but it will probably be a scorcher and not the traditional wet weather I’m accustomed to.

Here’s what Christmas has looked like for me over the past 3 years.

2009 – United Arab Emirates

2009 was my first year spending Christmas away from my family. In the days leading up to it, I was pretty nervous. I didn’t know what it would feel like to be on my own. Of course, I wasn’t really on my own because I had Molly there with me and she’s just about as close to family as you can get.

We had to work on Christmas Eve (which is super weird if you’re a teacher) but thankfully Christmas day fell on the weekend. We spent the evening of Christmas Eve making macaroni and cheese (my family tradition) and cinnamon rolls (her family tradition). I accidentally used vanilla soy milk for the mac and cheese. So disgusting.

Christmas morning we opened presents and celebrated at breakfast with Hannah and Jen before driving out to Frannie’s place in the desert. We ate a delicious meal and chatted with our families via Skype.

2009 was also the year that launched our annual Christmas video greetings.

2010 – Jordan

I thought I might go home for Christmas in 2010, but instead I ended up in Jordan with Molly and her sister. We spent Christmas Day driving around trying to find a certain church in Madaba. It was probably one of the most frustrating driving experiences I’ve ever had, but we perserved and made it there in the end.

Later in the day we stopped at the Dead Sea for a swim where Molly performed some Christmas themed synconized swimming. That evening we talked our way into the business center at a fancy hotel so we could get in touch with our families. Unfortunately, not all of the microphones or speakers were functioning so it made it pretty tricky.

After dark we struggled to find our hotel for the night until a police officer jumped in our car and had his police officer buddies escort us in their jeep. This is still hilarious to me and one of Molly’s greatest travel feats. (She asked for help, and she got it!)

We toasted the holiday with some Mickey Mouse sparkling cider and fell fast asleep.

2011 – Vietnam

Last year Mike and I spent both Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Hanoi. We didn’t plan it purposefully that way, but it worked out great both times. Our hotel was across the street from a church so everything was quite festive and merry.

Christmas this year could be characterized by “searching.” Christmas Eve we searched for the perfect meal, and Christmas Day we searched for Skype with webcams. (Having families in different time zones is not ideal.) Luckily, we found both! We also treated ourselves to a famous water puppet show.

I’m looking forward to celebrating Christmas 2012 with Mike in Australia. We’re planning to stuff ourselves and relax by the pool.

xo, jill

 

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Filed Under: Australia, Jordan, UAE, Vietnam
December 19, 2012

Christmas Gift Guide for Travelers

And Other Interested People.

Do gift guides drive you nuts? They are all over the place this time of year and most of them are just not practical. Sometimes they remind me of watching an Oprah’s Favorite Things episode several years ago. Oprah pulled out an item she loved and said something like, “And it’s only $50 so it’s a great gift for your mail carrier! I loooooove it!” Personally, I don’t have that kind of money. (I hope I’m not alone on this or I owe several apologies to my local postal workers).

I’ve seen a few gift guides this year tailored to “the traveler.” I’m not going to lie and say the items weren’t cool… but personally, I don’t really want to be weighed down when I travel with more “stuff.” There are so many blog posts and articles out there about packing light that I don’t think I’m alone on this.

It got me thinking about the kind of gifts I like to give and receive, and what other travelers might like as well.

How about something that makes you feel good, helps others, and won’t add kilos to your pack?

So here’s my Christmas Gift Guide for Travelers and Other Interested People

1. Make a donation (or reserve a baby blanket) to Haiti Babi.

Haiti Babi is an organization that seeks to keep families together by providing jobs for women. In Haiti, many children are in orphanages because their parents simply cannot afford their care. Haiti Babi provides women with the opportunity to learn a skill, produce a product, and make a living. The women knit and crochet high quality and stylish baby blankets for sale in the US. The organization recently held a very successful fundraiser and is getting ready to make an even bigger impact. As Katlin (founder of Haiti Babi) says, “Every mom should have the opportunity to care for her child.”

Full disclosure: The founder is a friend of mine from childhood and I am immensely proud of her. I worked with her on a project earlier this year to help promote Haiti Babi’s cause and Indiegogo fundraiser.

2. Make a donation to Iqra Fund.

Photo from Iqra Fund

A friend of Molly’s was traveling in Pakistan recently when she randomly met Genevieve Chabot. Genevieve and her husband founded a non-profit in Pakistan, Iqra Fund, aimed at serving and educating women and girls in remote regions. Iqra Fund’s goal is huge, but Genevieve and her team have the know-how and skills to make a big impact on the local communities. Please read more about Iqra Fund here because their mission and programs are too complex to discuss here. 

3. Give a Kiva Gift Card

My Kiva Loan recipients for 2012

After two years of lending with Kiva, I’m still hooked. If you haven’t heard yet, Kiva is an organization that makes it easy to lend small amounts of money to entrepreneurs all over the world. Once your loan is repaid, you can lend again…and again…and again.

So there you have it. A Christmas Gift Guide minus the “stuff.”

Another bonus is that donations can always be made last minute. So if you find yourself scrambling on Christmas Eve…

xo, jill

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