My Oh My!

I have had a crazy second half of the year. Something I wouldn't change for anything in the world. I've traveled, seen amazing concerts, and most importantly spent time with those whom I love.

A quick update. Amsterdam. Lovely. Absolutely Lovely (and affordable). The Anne Frank House is a must see. To be in the place where the book happened.. to be in the Secret Annex... I've experienced a lot in my life and I can honestly say, that is one of the most powerful experiences I've ever had. Just Wow.

Oh and in case you wondered... the Red Light District is named after the red lights that surround the windows where the girls stand. How about that?! Fun fact.

Here are some pictures:
Amstelveen: Bikes were EVERYWHERE in the Amsterdam area. Biking is the desired form of transportation.

 Outside of my hotel.

 Heineken Factory!

 Love everything about this. 

Copenhagen
Need I say more?

 Tivoli closed the day I arrived, which was one of the main attractions to me.

Also - Did you know that Hans Christian Anderson is from Copenhagen? He is the one who wrote "The Little Mermaid" and apparently most things Disney. 

 It was a beautiful city. An 'Old Soul' as I would say. It was expensive. I mean a $55 dinner at the Hard Rock and all I had was the California Sandwich for an entree!

I went to Malmo, Sweden for a day. It was only a 45 minute train ride from Copenhagen. 

It was a fabulous trip. I loved every minute of it. I thank my lucky stars everyday that I have been granted the opportunity to travel the world.

Just a side note: Less than 2 weeks until I'm back in South Africa. I CANNOT WAIT. 

Take it easy. 

Weekly Words To Inspire

Last week of October and Hurricane Sandy is on her way. The Steelers had a big win in those interesting uniforms yesterday. Seriously, I think every media outlet has talked negatively on the uniforms. Who designed them? This is my last week in Pittsburgh. After this week I will be traveling for two weeks. At least it's domestic traveling!

Here are the words:

"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."
- Bill Gates

"There is hope in dreams, imagination, and in the courage of those who wish to make those dreams a reality."
- Jonas Salk

"One new perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one change of heart, one leap of faith, can change your life forever."
- Robert Holden

"As we grow up, we realize it is less important to have lots of friends, and more important to have real ones."
- Amanda Mcrae

This is so true it's scary..
"Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know."
- Pema Chodron

Stay safe.

Take it easy.

Weekly Words To Inspire

I know it has been far too long since my last sending of weekly words... Let me just tell you that my trip was an absolute blast and I loved just about every second of it!

Amsterdam was wonderful. Copenhagen was very interesting, but expensive.  I'm slowly getting my life back on track and organized. SLOWLY... 

Enjoy the words for this week... I added one at the end from Anne Frank... She was truly an amazing human being. 

Tolerance means excusing the mistakes others make.Tact means not noticing them.

Arthur Schnitzler 

 

The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.

David Bohm

One of the most important lessons that experience teaches is that, on the whole, success depends more upon character than upon either intellect or fortune

William Edward Hartpole Lecky 

 

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.

George Lorimer

Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.

Annette Funicello 

“I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Anne Frank  Take it easy.

Weekly Words To Inspire

This is my last week in Europe.... Be home soon!!!

Have a splendid week!

' Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness.  Your willingness to wrestling with your demons will cause your angels to sing.. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength."
- August Wilson

“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.” 
― Louise Erdrich, The Painted Drum LP

“Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around it, let it slide like coins through you fingers. So much time you can waste it.
But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know.” 
― Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall

“Yes, I decided, a man can truly change. The events of the past year have taught me much about myself, and a few universal truths. I learned, for instance, that while wounds can be inflicted easily upon those we love, it's often much more difficult to heal them. Yet the process of healing those wounds provided the richest experience of my life, leading me to believe that while I've often overestimated what I could accomplish in a day, I had underestimated what I could do in a year. But most of all, I learned that it's possible for two people to fall in love all over again, even when there's been a lifetime of disappointment between them.” 
― Nicholas Sparks, The Wedding

I know this is a repeat... but I need to reiterate it again... 
“It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” 
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Take it easy.