Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Friday, August 10, 2012

1 More Week!


Hello Lovely Readers,

I am one week away from going to Honduras! I hope by now most of you know for a long time I have had a desire to go work with Living Water International to go help dig a well. I have raised support, gotten my shots, and bought some supplies (need to buy more). Now I have a week until I go!


I am sad to say that I have not fully wrapped my head around the fact that I am leaving. I have been in summer school, which I actually really enjoyed, and then went on a last minute trip to California to see my mom.  So please pray for my head and my heart to be prepared for this trip and all that will come. 

I have had some mix emotions facing me this summer. Even though school has been a fun learning experience it was stressful. Also just some emotional stuff has been going on, on the side. I have had major amounts of homesick. My mom has been sick of this summer and has to have surgery, hence the reason for my trip to my mom, to see her before surgery. 
My mom and I
While I was at my mom's I went through some of my boxes from my childhood to high school: found my old porcelian dolls; went through year books; and some of my notebooks full of stories. I also got to try on my Nana's wedding dress. My Nana was quite small, you can't tell in the picture but the back could not zip all the way up, but it was very fun to try it on. 
Me in my nana's dress. 
Also my older sister has been pregnant and I am realizing how much I miss my niece growing up and now I am missing my nephew. I know my dream was to live in Boston but sometimes I wish I could telaporte to see my family. Fortunately I can skype with my family so I talk to my sister and niece every two weeks. Today was great and I got to skype and see my nephew. (I love that part of technology). 
My niece looking at my nephew
With all this going on I have not really given my attention to this trip. Is that bad? Or is that just life? This week I am in prep mode for this trip. I know it is last minute prep but better than nothing. 

If you have been watching the Olympics you have probably heard this song:
I have really loved it.

Please be praying for my trip down to Honduras, not just for me but for the people we will interact with and the conversations we will have.  

I will keep you posted on my trip. 

Friday, June 8, 2012

My Day in New York City

Our view of the city coming in from train
My mom has been visiting Boston and on Wednesday we took a day trip to New York. We went to go see a matinee of a play my mom wanted to see but we also got to see a little bit of the big city. We mostly stayed in Midtown so this map should help as I talk about different locations.

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We started our morning very early in the morning taking a 7AM train down to New York City. It is amazing how much you can do in a day when it starts at 5AM. We arrived in New York (Penn Station) close to 11 AM and the show was not until 2 so we had some time to kill. First thing we had to do was just get our barings. I know New York is on a grid so it is easy to find your way but I haven't been to New York in almost 5 years so I got turned around bit. 
At the theater in front of the sign
The first thing we did was find the theater. It was located between 6th and 7th Avenue and on 44th Street. Then we went on search to find something to eat. We weren't hungry yet but we wanted to know where to go. And our search for food gave us a little time to wonder around. We saw Grand Central Station. Mom told me how in the 60s the city thought about tearing it down because no one really used it but how Jackie Onassis helped save it... good job Jackie because this building is beautiful and deserves to be preserved. 

Then after lunch we had enough time to go to the New York Public Library. 


A man and his lion
I am sad to say as a future librarian, I had never been to this library, which is a true beauty. I have now seen the famous lions and the beautiful lobby. Now on my next trip to New York I hope to explore the stacks a bit. Then we went to the play. 
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End of the Rainbow is about Judy Garland staying London while she is doing a five week show at the Talk of the Town. It is to be her big come back tour. However she struggles with her drug addictions. With her is her new fiance, Mickey Dean, lets just get it out in the open is a big jerk, and her loyal pianist friend Anthony. 
Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland
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Okay that is the most basic plot line. So here are some of my reactions to the play. First if a play could be rated R, this play would be because they use the F word A LOT. That was hard for me to stomach because I have grown up idealizing Judy Garland from some of the movies I love most, Easter Parade and Meet Me in St. Louis. So to learn she was addicted to pills and alcohol, it kind of hurt. But Tracie Bennett who played Judy Garland played the character so sympathetically I felt sorry seeing one of my childhood heroes so fallen.
Judy Garland in Easter Parade... one of my favorites
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My mom and other people in the audience, I was probably the youngest, kept mentioning how the actress had the characteristics of Judy Garland down so well it was almost as if Judy Garland was on stage. The play ends in New York in September but then goes on tour, if you go see it prepare yourself because you leave the theater saddened but also amazed at powerful-ness of the story. Here is a link to the New York Times review of End of the Rainbow if you want more of a critical view of this play. 

But I will not end this post on a sad note. After the play we still had some time to walk around so we walked to Rockefeller Center.

Then as we walking back to Penn Station we walked through Times Square. There were all these cartoon characters out there and I got my picture with Elmo. My mom took this picture with her phone and we sent it to my sister and niece as my niece loves Elmo. 

Then we got back on the train and headed home. I know I didn't see much of the city but I felt like I saw a lot for one day. So thanks New York City for the great day. 

Friday, May 4, 2012

Happy Birthday Audrey!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUDREY HEPBURN!
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Audrey Hepburn is by my favorite actress and my favorite movie of mine is
Roman Holiday.
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I love the movie so much that when I went to Rome, I tried to find the exact seat she sat on at the Spanish steps so I could say I sat in the same place as Audrey Hepburn. 
This is me on the steps.
Here are some of my other favorite movies/photos of Audrey Hepburn.

Sabrina
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Audrey and Humphrey Bogart 
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A great classicly Audrey outfit
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My Fair Lady
Song: Loverly
I always thought it was a shame that they didn't allow it to be Audrey's voice
In sixth grade I was in choir and I thought I could do this as a solo
so I learned every word to this song.

I love this ball gown
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Charade
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Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn were great together. 
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A great ending scene:

Funny Face
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Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn
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Since she was a trained ballerina I thought it was great how much dancing she got to do in this movie. 

Now my favorite co-star of hers:
Peter O'Toole 
How to Steal a Million 
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She is so beautiful
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This film is full of comedy and 1 liners
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But Audrey Hepburn was much more than a great actress and a great beauty. 
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I know Audrey Hepburn lived in Holland during WWII. Trained to be a ballerina but she was too tall to be a prima ballerina and never trained to be an actress. Later on went to be Good Will Ambassador for UNICEF.
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Writing this post and finding these pictures and clips reminds me just how beautiful she was inside and out. She only made 27 films but she probably the most known actress in the world. 
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I could not finish this post with out this clip from Breakfast at Tiffany's

Sunday, April 15, 2012

I am going to Honduras!!!


Hello Lovely Readers,

I have decided to go to Honduras during the month of August with the organization Living Water International. I will be going down for a week to dig a well, teach about hygiene and spread the good news according to Jesus. I know I have talked a lot about this on this blog previously but it was about time I made it official and let you my lovely readers know about it. 

Please read this page (I am going to Honduras) and contact me if you have any questions or want to get involved with helping me raise support for this trip. I would truly be honored if my blogging community helped me go on this journey. I know not every one who reads my blog is not Christian but the lack of clean water is an issue that we can all help with. This is my way of helping. I joke with my mom that "I can't give blood" (like she does) because I am wimp when it comes to needles but I can dig wells. 
I do so honestly hope you will consider supporting me on this journey. 

Thank you,
-Blaire

Monday, April 9, 2012

A hopeful traveler

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This semester I have an internship where I have been cataloging letters written to the Academy. Most of them are from people in Boston, or other places in the U.S. but some are from France,Italy, Vienna, or even Russia. When I get these letters I go on Google to find out where these places are. I must admit I get sucked into my Google Image search as I explore the world beyond my little desk and imagine what these places must be like.

I can't complain too much. I have had my fair share of traveling for being only 25 years old. After my freshman year of college my mom, step-dad and I went on a Mediterranean cruise where I got to see southern France, Florence, Rome, Athens, Mykonos (a little island in Greece), Istanbul, and Ephesus. Then during my Junior year of college my mom and I went to London and Bath on my Spring Break and we frequently talk about our next trip over to Europe. We have decided it will be Paris and Versailles. And I will be travelling down to Honduras with Living Water International this August.
In Ephesus
At the Trevi Fountain 
In the Aegean Sea
At the Jane Austen Center

At Windsor Castle
At Big Ben 
I am not complaining I have loved all that I have seen and done. But there is still so much I want to see out in this big world. So when I read these letters from all over the world I long for times of traveling. I told my supervisor today that maybe one day I can trace a source back to its original place, she looked at me very idealistically.  But as a current grad student it is only right for me to dream.

Here are some places I want to see...
Paris
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Vienna
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Israel 
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Maybe one day I can see all these places... until then I will have Wanderlust. 

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