Wednesday, April 30, 2014

It's going to be a great, big adventure!









I am so excited to share with you all that hubby, Rolo, and I are moving back (well, back for me) to the US! We are thrilled to be calling Miami, Florida our future home.

The decision has been made for a while, but for various reasons, I could only share it now. We leave mid-June...our exact date is 40-something days away (holy cow)...so we're busy trying to sell the majority of our things, pack, and take in every last minute of living in South Africa.

There are a handful of reasons for the decision, of which I'm sure I will elaborate on as time goes on, but the main reason is that we believe this is the best decision for us spiritually, both for the present time and for laying a foundation for our future. We love South Africa and it will always be a home for us. Making this move is so exciting, but also scary and crazy - we are selling almost everything, to have close to nothing when we get there. (The rand to the dollar is not in our favour at the moment.) So, we are making this move with lots of prayer, savings, and help from family and friends.

I find myself sometimes grappling for more time to take things in, but truly, we get more and more excited everyday. I will definitely share more thoughts on all of this as time goes on, but for now, I just want to share our joy because it is overflowing! :) As hubby said when the decision was made, "It's going to be a great, big adventure!" :)

xo,
Ellie

PS - Rolo is ecstatic. He doesn't even know what's coming.



Tuesday, April 29, 2014

My first wedding cake!



At the end of February, my brother-in-law got married! It was a wonderful, super fun day - and one that I got a sister out of. (Pretty good deal, I'd say.) The wedding was at a beautiful, country-type estate and was full of gerbera daisies, pearls, and kilts! (My husband's paternal side is Scottish; hence, the kilts.) Here are a few pictures, if you'd like to see.


The bride, Liz, on the left and our cousin Ashleigh, on the right - getting ready! :)



Almost time! 



Yay, they're married! And their pastor was just the cutest! Does he not look like the old man from Up?!



G & I. It's blurry but I love it. :)



I also wrote all the name tags for the reception. 



Incorporating the pearl theme into my wedding bands.





But one of the reasons it was so exciting for me was because I made the wedding cake! I have always loved baking and like to think I'm pretty decent at it, but I've never made something this important. I had made this particular cake before but it's never needed to actually come out perfect. So, when my brother-in-law and his (then) fiancé asked if I would make the cake for their wedding, I excitedly and terrified-ly said yes!

Here are a few pictures of the cake being made, if you'd like to see. I'll share the recipe and baking process later this week. The cake was a basic yellow cake with white chocolate, strawberries, and a whip cream based, rose-water infused frosting. (Woah, how did I even do that?!)














Waiting to be decorated!



The final product! It's hard to see in this picture, but the frosting has edible glitter blown onto it. Topped with red and white gerbera daisies.





Congratulations you guys! We love you!

Monday, April 28, 2014

A weekend in Durban, KwaZulu Natal



The Easter weekend here in South Africa, is a four day weekend. Oh, it is lovely! So, the hubby and I road-tripped it down to Durban to visit some dear friends. It was such a relaxing and needed weekend! We stayed with some great friends, who actually hosted me when Gordon proposed to me. It was such a fun weekend catching up, walking on the beach, watching movies, and just being rejuvenated.








Aren't these beautiful?



Love him. :)



Relaxing in the garden.






Doesn't she have the most gorgeous hair?


I think one of the reasons I love Durban so much is because it reminds me of Miami (where I grew up), especially the buildings right along the beach. 







Horses on the beach!







Where we got engaged a few years ago. :)






We also ventured a bit farther south of Durban to Umhlanga Rocks (pronounced Um-shlanga). Hubby's grandma and little brother were staying at a hotel there for the week. It's amazing to me how just 30 minutes south, the beach can look so different.















Little brother-in-law.






Thanks Comrie family for such a wonderful weekend! We love and miss you guys!


Getting engaged. :)


It's good to be back.



Rolo thinks so, too. :)

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Maybe these are funny because I'm so sick?


Hi all!

Well, this week has been a blogging bust. Monday was a public holiday here in South Africa, so hubby and I spent the morning driving back from Durban (which was such a wonderful trip! more on that later), and then spent the afternoon playing tennis (him) and being sick (me). I was hoping I just needed some rest and I would be back to normal, but alas, I have tonsilitis (sp?) and only went back to work today. And I still don't even feel great! I thought being home might give me some extra blogging time, but I was finished. I slept the majority of the time or watched Downton Abbey and Prison Break. (I know, we're so behind.)

Since I'm still trying to recover (and on the tails of Easter...no pun intended), I'll scratch this week out, leave you with some hilarious and creepy bunny pictures (hope you enjoy these - I literally cried from laughing so hard), and see you Monday. :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

xo,
Ellie







You can see all of these awesomely creepy pictures here.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Happy Weekend!




Wait, it's Thursday.

But here in South Africa, today ends the week and starts our four day, Easter weekend! Hooray! And hubby and I are going down to Durban for a little holiday! We are so looking forward to road tripping together, being at the beach (particularly, the one we got engaged on!), visiting good friends, and just having a break from busy life.

What are you up to this weekend? I hope enjoying the crisp, autumn weather (in the Southern Hemisphere) and the warming, spring weather (in the Northern Hemisphere). 

I'll be back on Monday with some fabulous things to share. Have a very happy weekend - wherever you are, whatever you're doing. :)

Love,
Ellie 


And PS -



That picture is from some local construction: watch out for the rumble strips? I have since learned what rumble strips are, but it’s still a weird sign. TIA. 
(Btw, driving last week was NUTS! On Monday, it took me THREE hours to get to work [it normally takes me 30/40 minutes] because of an accident; Wednesday brought about taxi strikes and violence [literally, the radio said, “there is taxi violence in the Fourways area”]…it only took me an hour and half to get to work that day. So, bring on the long weekend!


// Top image from Kinfolk //

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

News Flash: Pulitzer Prize winners



This week, the winners of the Pulitzer Prize for 2014 were announced. The Pulitzer Prizes, if you don't know, are extremely prestigious awards in journalism, writing, drama, and music. They're like the Oscars of writing. Past recipients have included the likes of John F. Kennedy, Robert Frost, and The New York Times.

This year, The Washington Post and Guardian U.S. won in the public service category for their coverage of the documents leaked by former government contractor, Edward J. Snowden.

The Boston Globe won a prize in the breaking news category, for their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings. The New York Times also won a photography award for their images from the bombings. As this April marked the one year anniversary of the bombings, and because Boston has such a special place in my heart (which you can read about here and here), I thought you might like to see a few of the images.

Love from the Southern Hemisphere,
Ellie

















// All images from The New York Times //