{Live Without an Off Switch}

Hello all, and welcome new followers! So sorry for the crazy lack of posting but this school thing and job this is a bit overwhelming. Thanks so much for the sweet comments on my new home and enjoyed reading all of them :) 

Today is the release date of the latest edition of Off Switch magazine, which I was featured in! The theme of this issue is "Lessons Learned" and I wrote a story about my Kenyan Adventures. Katie, the head girl behind this amazing magazine, has this to say about Off Switch, "Off Switch Magazine is a quarterly print magazine aimed at inspiring readers to live without an off switch. By showcasing the talent of folks around the country who are following their passions with energy and enthusiasm, we hope to motivate others to pursue their dreams." I would highly recommend checking out Off Switch and maybe buying a copy for your self! I am so blessed to be a part of this and can't wait till my copy arrives!

Forgot to add the link! But you can find the Volume 4 here.

 I have several more exciting posts coming soon :) 

Kenya | Sarah

Sarah was one of my favourite people I met in Kenya. She has an amazing heart, soul and smile. Every time I met with Sarah it was always full of hugs and smiles; tears and laughter. Her smile lights up a room despite everything she has been through. Sarah is a 70 year old woman (keep in mind the life expectancy in Kenya is 56 years) who can't walk very well because her bone splintered when she was young and she could not afford hospital fees. Her arm is also splintered so working is very difficult. And on top of all of that, she is HIV positive. 

I admire the hope that Sarah has, because I don't know if I could after all of that. She struggles daily to take care of her grandchildren and relies on the community to help her out with food and necessities. Sarah can not say enough about how much Children of Promise is helping her and her family. I do miss her hugs. I miss everything about Kenya. 

There is free shipping on all items in my shop through Sunday, so jump on it :)

Keny | Silvia

I met Silvia on my first visit to a school. I will never forget the stares I received walking up to that preschool. If you have ever felt like an alien, that is about all I can compare it to. But moments later, the children ran up and shook my hand and said the token "Hi, How are you?" That is about all the english a lot of people know. It still brings a smile to my face when people say that. 

Silvia is the oldest of 4 children. She has a sister named Sunshine and two brothers whose names are Trancy and Walter. They are such a precious family, and I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Silvia's mom one day. Silvia's mom is 22 years old and got married at 16. Neither of the two work so the kids go several days with out food. What I loved about Eva, Silvia's mom, is the joy and hospitality she had. The whole time we chatted she was smiling from ear to ear. 

Silvia is a huge chatter and loves to dance. She steals every show. You can always find her in the front of the room, the front of the line or the front of the dance. My family is now Silvia's sponsor and I am so glad we can help her accomplish her dreams.

Free shipping on photos in the shop until Sunday! Head on over and help out children just like Silvia!

Kenya | Peter

The first child I met in Kenya was Peter. He was a precious 9 year old boy, the middle of 5 kids. Children of Promis has allowed him to go to school which is a tremendous help to his family and himself. His family lives in a 2 room house and must cook outside on an open flame. Sadly, this is one of the better living situations I saw throughout my time. They had a roof over their head, tin walls and a small garden. A small garden goes a long way for most families in this community. Those without struggle to eat a few times a week, much less every night.

Peter love school and is working really hard in all of his classes. He enjoys sports and his family. Football (or as Americans say, soccer) is his favourite game to play. What I love most about Peter was his smile. When you got him laughing and joking he smiled ear to ear to flash beautiful, white teeth. His smile could light up the darkest of rooms.

This is the first in a series I am going to do on some of the children in the program. Hope you enjoy! 

Also, free shipping worldwide on prints from my shop until Sunday, head over and check them out :)

{Kenya in Film}

While I still have so many photos and memories to share with you about this trip, I am just not sure how to put it into words. I am working on several different pieces about the different aspects of this life changing adventure to share with you all in the upcoming days. Thanks for being so patient with me!

But anyways, here is a video I put together of my time in Kenya. I think videos really bring to life the emotions and beauty of this trip. Hope you enjoy!

I will be uploading photos, no worries! Have a wonderful Sunday :)

P.S. The shop is still up and running waiting for you to support! 15% of all profit goes back to Children of Promise.

Kenya | The Sun

This is the first true Kenya post out of God only knows how many. I have so many wonderful memories and thoughts to share with you about this trip. Tonight I am going to start with the beautiful scenery of the place because what comes to mind when you think of Africa? Hot, desert, poverty, disease? Let's just say this place completely flipped my view of Africa upside down. I am not positive what I was expecting when I arrived in Nairobi, but it definitely wasn't the lush, green mountain sides that I saw.

Everything about Kenya was a surprise: the people, the views, the weather, the hearts. I couldn't imagine a better bunch of people to be with for 3 weeks. I truly felt at home. Every morning I would wake up to a foggy morning and within a few beautiful moments the sun would rise through the fog and fill the sky. There is something about the Kenyan sunrise that makes the morning that much better. And the way the sun would shine on the hillside throughout the day was so spectacular. And then, the sunset. I can't even describe the African sunset to you. This is something you have to see for yourself.

Also, shameless self promotion coming up: You can buy prints of my Kenya/other travel photos here. It would be a great support if you want to purchase one or a few :) 15% of all profits will go to Children of Promis, the organization that I helped with in Kenya. Thanks! xxx

{and I was off!}

Hello again! I am back from Kenya and can't wait to share all the wonderful adventures I have had! This has been the best adventure of my life so I will start at the very beginning! I left for Kenya on June  21 to begin my 3 day journey across the world! Flying is one of my favourite things. I love airports (minus security, but what can you do right?), people watching, the hustle and bustle and just the excitement of the trip. The best thing about airports is thinking about where people are going and why they are traveling. I love creating stories for others.  People can be so interesting if you give them a chance. Other traveling things that rock: the long hours of music listening and reading. I love downloading new albums and books before I travel. Those songs that you listen to on your way somewhere are always special and have wonderful memories attached.

I think it may be a requirement that airports have cool architecture. What are your favourite airports? This trip I got to explore the Doha International Airport for 6 hours, layovers are always a good time for coffee and people watching.

{New Shop}

Hello! With one week of school left and finals coming up, I may not be around the blog-o-sphere as much in the upcoming weeks, but I wanted to let you all know about my new shop. I have been told by several friends and family members that I should start selling my photography. I have always been skeptical, but figured its worth a shot, right? So, I have set up a shop on society6. The neat part about this site is they do the printing and mailing for you, so I can continue taking pictures and being creative. You can find my new shop here, and it would be greatly appreciated if you would support me :)

In light of my upcoming trip to Kenya, I am trying to save money. I would love it if you would check it out. I will be working on updating my shop this week and every once in a while to add new photos. Feel free to send the link around to all of your friends, and if you have an specific photos that you have seen on my blog that are not in my shop send me and email/comment letting me know which photo (a link would be nice) and I will gladly add it for you. You guys rock.

I hope you all have a wonderful Good Friday and Easter weekend :) I will definitely update you with some pictures later this weekend SINCE I HAVE A 4 DAY WEEKEND. This really is the life. And for your ears, here is a good weekend tune. What are you up to this Easter weekend?

Update: I have decided that 15% of my profits will be going to the Children of Promise Project that I will be working with in Kenya this summer. 

{exciting news!}

I forgot to tell you all that I have some exciting plans for this summer. I will be going to Kenya with some family friends, Rick and Diana. I will be working alongside them on their project The Children of Promise. There will also be about 4 other interns. I am so excited that I have this opportunity. Rick and Diana are such wonderful people and I can not wait to spend the summer working with them. We met Rick and Diana when we lived in Venezuela. They work on so many cool projects all over the world. I definitely recommend checking out their website.

This trip is going to be such a neat experience. The work I will be doing this summer is what I have always thought that I want to do in the future so it will be a good taste tester.

Hope you are having a great day! Anyone already planning there summer? What do you want to do?

P.S. Prepare yourself for the pictures to come this summer.

Credits to Christian Buehrle for the photo. Check out his stuff on flickr, and click through for the link as always!