Wild South Africa

I live in South Africa; at the bottom of the continent of Africa, 7,357 kilometres from Antarctica (or 4,571 miles).

It is an incredible country. There is so much ethereal beauty and an immensely deep history. South Africa has mountains, beaches, vineyards, bush...great white sharks, black mamba snakes, and rhinos. There are so many different foods and pieces of art that come out of here, and natural resources and human talent. South Africa has so much to offer and will always provide you with an incredibly rich experience.

I am not from here. I'm American. But after living in South Africa for just about three years now, I have grown to deeply love this country, the people and the nature. I don't know if you've seen this in the news lately, but it's just heart-wrenching. I'm not sure when I became such an animal lover...it was probably somewhere between getting my first dog and seeing wild ellies (elephants :) for the first time...but I have.

So, I just wanted to share some pictures from my most recent trip to Kruger National Park.(And here are just a few more photos from another trip to the park.) I hope they inspire you and that you enjoy and appreciate the beauty and nature that this country offers, as much as I do.

Love,

EF

A different kind of trash the dress

 A few weeks ago, we were flying back to South Africa after visiting my family in the US. We had a 10 hour layover in wonderful London and had long ago decided to spend our time exploring the city (versus sitting in Heathrow and drinking as much Starbucks as possible). 

But then one day while we were still in the US, my mom had this spectacular idea that while hubby and I were galavanting around the city, we should wear our wedding attire. Yes, my wedding dress and his suit. 

And that's what we did! 

Nuts! I know.

I still kind of can't believe we did it. When we first got on the tube (we changed into our wedding garb at the airport and then rode the tube into the city), I felt so insecure and spent a good 20 minutes telling myself this was a terrible idea. EVERYONE stared at us. It definitely was awkward for a little while. But slowly, people started asking us if we had just gotten married and wanting to take pictures for us and sharing in our excitement (or supposed excitement? Don't worry, we told people the truth that we hadn't really just gotten married). We even got a free lunch! 

But I also made a decision that I wasn't going to spoil the day because of my insecurities. I am so lucky to be married to a man who encourages me to have some gumption and "get out of my comfort zone" but doesn't push me if I really don't want to do something. And because he is so patient and kind with me, I couldn't let myself be the spoil-sport. So I just held his hand a little tighter and reminded myself that God gave us such a unique opportunity - one for the books, really. 

The whole experience was actually so fun! I'm so glad we did it! We have these fantastic pictures from it and I have now gotten to wear my wedding dress THREE times. I am so blessed. But really, I'm so glad I did it because it reminded me of some of the many reasons I married my husband. Besides just  being downright in love with him, he makes life so much more fun and adventurous. We have the best time together and can't stop talking. And when we can stop talking, the silence is just as wonderful. And the romance isn't just for special occasions, my husband makes life romantic!

These pictures remind me to love every moment of our life and to be bold, adventurous. I would be missing out on so much otherwise. 

Love, 

EF

PS - I put quite a few pictures here (although there's still more!). Hope you don't mind looking at lots. :)

Extra bits of happiness

What a day! As the day has gone on, I've felt more and more that we probably all need happy things to distract us and make a smile....and these pictures did just that for me. Enjoy! :)

Love, 

ellie

Ode to Boston

I’m not a Northern girl by birth, but I am at heart. The city of Boston is one of the few places that everyone else knew about, but somehow had escaped me until I was deciding what university to go to. 

I had pretty much always known that I wanted to study international relations, so in my search for a program for that field, I got my heart set on a specific liberal arts school in the suburbs of Boston. My always supportive mother flew with me up to Boston during the fall semester of my senior year in high school to check out a few places. I never ended up going to that liberal arts school, but instead, to the great Boston University. I had thought I may want to move to New York City for university (I would still love to live there at some point), but after living in Boston for five years, I think Boston was the perfect college town and is one of the Northeast’s treasures.

I had actually started writing this "Ode to Boston" quite a ways back and had planned to write it as a "Day in____" feature. I'm sure I will still do that at some point, but in light of recent events, I just felt compelled to share some pictures of the city that I came to love so dearly. My heart breaks as I look at pictures from yesterday's marathon and as I think about my friends who ran it (but are ok, praise the Lord), and the fact that I can't be there. I know me being there would do absolutely nothing, but I'm sure I could do more than I feel I can do from all the way here in South Africa. 

I don’t seem to get back there much these days, but I would in a heartbeat given the opportunity. The city of Boston and the friends...really, family...I built there over my time in college, irrevocably changed my life for the better. Please keep them all in your prayers. And I hope these pictures help you to see the joy that exists throughout the city of Boston.

Love,

Ellie