a trip to the tip

... of India that is. Last week we went to the wedding of this guy we know from New York and since we were only 30km away from the Southernmost point, Kanyakumari, we made a detour on our way home.

Kris and I had lunch at a local spot and then went to explore. We were both dressed up and felt a little out of place on the beach. Since there are surprisingly few places to just walk around in Kerala, it felt really nice to enjoy a leisurely walk with my husband. 

It's a popular tourist destination, but I must admit it wasn't at all what I expected. There's a gorgeous beach and tons of people were enjoying the warm waters - just fully dressed. It was fun to see entire families playing in the waves! Not to be outdone, I took my shoes off and waded in. I would have given anything to go for a swim... the water was gorgeous!

Just for fun, here's a picture of my six month pregnant self in the waves. 

(Top photo from Shunya.net)

this much i know

St. George is not the patron saint of peace and quiet.

Or sanity.

We are enduring day two of his three day festival and I've never in my life felt myself boil with this much rage. See, the festival (happening literally next door), involves music blaring at concert level volumes, loud canon blasts (which, ummm, huh?) and lots of people banging on drums with a dramatic disregard for rhythm. Oh, and it's an all day/all night type of deal. Joy!

Yesterday, after waking up at 6 am to walk the puppies, I went back to bed for a quick cat nap before starting my day. Unfortunately, by 8am, the festival had started. There is no way that I can convey to noise levels. Suffice it to say, I'm fairly certain that I now understand how blasting heavy metal is an effective wartime torture. I could literally feel myself going insane.

Not being a cool cucumber under best of times, after about two hours of this, I just lost it and went stomping down the stairs where I found my mother in law cooking in the kitchen. She seemed pretty upset about it too, but I think she was caught off guard by the viciousness of my rant. To say I was fuming is a gross understatement. I think I may have mentioned packing our bags and moving back to the States at some point.

So, what did she do? About 20 minutes after I stormed back upstairs with my noise cancelling headphones (which were sadly quite inadequate) the noise miraculously stopped. Apparently, my mother in law, an ex lawyer and (as I now know) a tremendous force of nature, had stormed off the church next door and told them off. This is no small thing. In a culture where religion is taken extremely seriously and where women seldom stand up to men, she went and yelled at them. She admitted that she was prepared to cut the cables herself if they weren't going to listen. I'm a little in aw of how badass she is. 

Unfortunately, even though she's my new hero, it didn't stop them from coming back a few hours later. But (and I'll take any victory at this point), they did lower the volume significantly and turn their horn shaped (read: lethal decibel) speakers the other way. At least now ear buds stand a fighting chance.

morning commute

The other morning, we found ourselves in the car behind this unique sight. It was about 7am, and I can only imagine that these fine gentlemen were on their way to work. It bears saying that the vehicle you can barely see was just a tiny auto rickshaw - three wheels and about the length of a bicycle. Oh, and besides the men hanging on the outside, the inside cabin was filled like a clown car. We didn't stay behind them long enough to see if they made their destination, but judging from the precarious tilt you can see in the picture, I'd give them a 50/50 chance.

planning a nursery

The most exciting thing about being pregnant (other than the baby waiting for me on the other side of this) is being able to decorate the nursery. I'm not kidding, the thought that came right after "We're going to be parents" was "Oooh, what color should I paint the walls?".

I can't describe why exactly I want to bring our baby home to a pristine new room, but it means a lot to me. It might have something to do with new beginnings and a slightly OCD habit I have of compulsively cleaning and organizing my home on the eve of every major event - birthdays, NYE, anniversaries... Somehow I've always associated dingy surroundings with a less than ideal new start.

I've been thinking about our first child's surroundings long and hard ever since December when I found out we were expecting. I knew I wanted something bright and cheerful and decidedly modern. No syrupy cartoon characters for this gal! Since we're not finding out the gender, it had to also be unisex. I had actually seen the Little Darlings Animal Prints about a year or two ago, and always assumed they would be a part of our baby's surroundings when the time came. That's kind of where I started.

I'm still looking for the right furniture that will be available in India since shipping from abroad would be prohibitive. I'm thinking white crib and dresser and maybe a wicker or cane rocking chair. I also don't want to fall in the trap of getting everything at once. I'd much rather leave some elements unfinished and give myself room to fall in love with things as I see them.

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1. Fabric by the yard for roman shades 2. Little Darlings Animal Prints (I picked four Safari themed babies) 3. Cotton cushions in great colors 4. Neutral and modern bedding for the crib 5. Gorgeous crewel rug I'll keep forever

pinteresting

I know, I know, I was gone but now I'm back. Truth be told, last week was the busiest one we've had so far and at the end of our long days, I napped in true pregnancy fashion. I'm here now, and taking a few days off from the craziness of farm life so that I can focus on the house and getting things ready for the baby. At my sister's insistence, I put together a baby registry and had so much fun imagining what life will be like come August! For some reason, I've been cooking up a storm - or at least trying. While there's nothing yummier than Kerala cooking, we've found ourselves craving simpler fare as the days get hotter and hotter. 

So there you have it. I'm sharing some of my favorite Pinterest boards of the moment. I know I should be embarrassed, but I really really love Pinterest. The way my life has been lately, it's been harder to collect physical inspiration, but having it online means it's always at my fingertips!

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come follow me on pinterest!

bump watch: week 21

Week 21 and I'm in love. It started a few weeks ago with flutterings so mild that I easily missed them if I wasn't paying attention. And then came tiny little hiccups. Finally, after days of waiting, I felt the most perfect little kick right beneath my belly button. Baby really hasn't stopped since. We've got a routine going on: I lay down and put my hand on my belly and a minute or two later I get a walloping response. At night, especially, it's so strong that even Kris can see the kicks as they push my stomach out in strange little peaks and mounds. If Baby keeps this up, I'm going to have a handful to deal with come August!