Delta X-mas Party 2006

This year Delta threw the best x-mas party ever!! We recently partnered with Cirque du Soliel, so they performed at the party....it was more like a club. We danced the whole night, it was so much fun!

Me, Smita, Jenny & Varsha

Bailamos Mucho!

HOLA!!

My friends Gilberto and Smita

The angels danced!

They did a whole drumming session, it was amazing!!

India

One of my best trips EVER!!! I went to India for 2 weeks with my friend Smita. She grew up in Bombay and her family still lives there, so I really was able to experience how they live. I fell in love with the food, ate 3 India meals a day and never got sick of it. As a matter of fact I came home and craved it.
There is no way that I can capture the essence of India through pictures.
12 million people in Bombay alone and you can tell. I have never seen such traffic, it took us one hour to go from Smita's sisters house to her parents...its only 7 miles. The sides of the streets are filled too, there are just SO MANY PEOPLE walking and biking. Its not uncommon to see animals on the streets either:

A spice shop

Worli seaface boardwalk

One of the 5 million temples

The Gateway of India: this is about as touristy as i got. Snapped this picture from the car.

I did a lot of shopping

The beautiful vegetable markets

We got mehndi on our hands- so awesome!!

Street food...Yummy Dosas!!!

A Wonderful 33rd B-Day!

I have to say that this was a GRRRRReat birthday! I decided to take the day off work, just so I could just enjoy the day. Do whatever I want! A Cindy Day!
It started off so beautiful. I woke up to "Las Mananitas" playing and Ernesto walked in with breakfast. He had gotten up early and made me the most delicious omlet. If you've never heard this song, this guy has got the sweetest voice and even if you dont' understand spanish, you may start to cry......cry cry cry. It was just so touching. He said that when anyone in his family had a birthday when he was growing up that his mom and dad would play it in the morning.

Remember, its only 7am...I cant look beautiful ALL the time!

CRY CRY CRY

He cooks AND he bakes!

I met a couple friends for lunch, I went to TJMaxx to buy a treat (a pair of shoes), i did some jewelry, relaxed. Ahhhhhhh! Ernesto told me to be ready that night because we had reservations and plans afterwards??? A little partying he said. Well he did not disapoint!! We started off at Fogo de Chao, the best brazilian steakhouse in Atlanta, and then we headed to Tounge-n-Groove for some salsa dancing. It was so cool because I saw some pople from my salsa dance group and got to practice with some of them! God I love dancing!!
All in all, it was just a perfect day! Thanks mi Neto!!

Free Haircut? Yes, have some....

So I was minding my own business at Kroger, it was 7am for God sake. Ernesto an I woke up to discover we had run out of coffee. I had not taken a shower yet, and was wearing a long sweater and my black furry boots. I thought she was coming over to tell me how cool my boots were, but instead she told me how beautiful I was.......oh? thanks. Then Trea proceded to tell me that she owned a hairsalon in Oakhurst (2 seconds from my house) and that she was shooting a little film to submit to BRAVO to become "Americas Next Top Hairstylist" or at least be on the reality show. "It looks like you need your hair done," she said. Should I be flattered that she picked me? Later I would find out that Trea doesnt hold back. "come into my studio this Sunday and I will give you a makeover as long as you dont mind being filmed."

".....and dont wash your hair that day"Trea said

She wanted me to look horrible for the "before shot"...DONE

"Looks like you have some old blonde highlights in there, but girl you look washed out! Your tan is gone...its not summer anymore....girl, we need to put some lowlights, brown #55, yeah thats it. " I dont admit to knowing anything about coloring my hair, I have only done it for the past 2 years and waited that long because I was always scared of having ROOTS. Im not a high maintenace hair person, PLUS I get it done in Argentina, so it does take some time and planning........obviously from the foto, a trip was way overdue. I was in her salon for almost 4 hours. She had professional photographers and videographers and a few other clients she was working on for the film. I must have seemed nervous, but they ensured me that Trea was a great stylist and she would do a great job.

Yes, I would say she did!

I must say I do like the brown. I have never had my hair this color...look how shiny, I love it!! I though Buenos Aires was cheap, but this takes the cake!

Sand Collecter

My friend Joanne told me about a great idea ....collecting sand from every beach you have been to and displaying in bottles. Yes, it's very Martha Stewart (literally) I started this a few years ago, and have quite a lot of bottles. if only she would have told me a long time ago.....I am missing so many beaches. I'll have to retrace my steps........

I have about 24 bottles.

The collection grows..............

AHHHHH PARIS!

Three free nights at any Hilton in the world? Where would we go? Only 2 days to plan this trip? SHIT!

I spent HOURS on the Hilton website looking at their properties. There are so many places that I want to see. But alas, Paris was an easy decision. Although I wanted to go somewhere NEW, how could we go wrong in Paris? The flights were open and it requiered no research. Just walking the streets of Paris is enough. Its is so beautiful!

Neto and I looking oh so cool at the Notre Dame.

We climbed the 5 million (or so) stairs to the top. Breathtaking!
We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the BUDDA BAR, a very swanky restaurant that I had read about in a magazine a long time ago and wanted to check out. Sometimes in a place like this, you pay more for the atmosphere, but the food was actually worth the price.
The streets are so cute! Look at this one!!!

Hanging out at the Louvre, along with the 5 million other tourists. We opted to go to the huge Flea Market Saturday morning instead of inside the museum. (OK, I opted....as you know I can be very convincing)

OOOOOOOH AMSTERDAM!!!

Amsterdam is the coolest city!! Even though this was my third time visiting, I appreciated it so much more. The bikes are the best part. EVERYONE rides a bike, no matter what they are wearing. Men in suits and women in skirts. I LOVE IT!!

Of course I ended up saying what I always say when I visit europe (or anywhere else) "Oh I could live here" Here is the view out our apartment window. Gorgeous!


Smita and I flew over (business class, of course) to meet her sister Nameeta. She is a producer in India and had a museum exhibit opening in Amsterdam. She had been working on this for months....along with the Trompin Museum, she recreated the city of Mumbai. It was unbeleivable. They actually shipped every little , and big thing over from India. (an actual taxi and rickshaw) This is a replication in the museum of one of the many "god shops" (obviously, not the proper name) you would see on the streets of Mumbai. It got me really excited for our upcoming trip to India (November) Woo-hoo!!

Here we are at the tram stop: Smita, Nameeta and her husband Ajay.

FIRST BI-ANNUAL GIRLS TRIP

DESTINATION: SOUTH BEACH MIAMI OH YES!!!!! We're going to Miami, bienvenidos a Miami!!!!

4 great travel partners: Treffry, Me, Smita, and Jenny

There's nothing better that a girls trip!! How could we go wrong in Miami?!

Lounging on the beach for hours, dining on Ocean Blvd,

dancing salsa until the wee hours....it did NOT suck!!!

Our hotel, The Betsy Ross was a perfect location and check out the cute pool area!

Hi Birdies!!

Blue Door

This weekend we painted the front door and shutters a midnight blue. Look at what a huge difference!

Home Improvement

Recently, we have been putting a lot of hard work/money into our house. Buying a fixer-upper home may have been a good investment for Ernesto and I, but it has been a long time waiting to see the improvements. In the last two months we have had our hardwood floors redone, my brother bill designed and built an awesome deck on the back of the house (with the help of Neto, Brrrrrian, and my dad), Ernesto put up chairrail in the living room and into the kitchen, and I repainted (with the help of my mom) those rooms to create a very modern look. I love it!!! Check it out:





After the paint job, deck and new windows, it hardly looks like the same house (thank God!)

Launch of Pluma Jewelry

Pluma jewelry was started in at the beginning of 2006. My cousins wife, Treffry, and I had met several years ago and saw eachother at some family functions. We really hit it off at one wedding when we were seated at the same table. We discovered we have similar style and interests so we chatted the night away. Later that year our families got togerther for thanksgiving and she really loved the necklace i was wearing. She said she had made some necklaces in the past and would like to get back into it.
We really fed off eachothers ideas and excitement... so Pluma Jewelry evolved. Our first appearance was at Inman Park Art Festival in Atlanta in April 2006. We were so happy with people's reactions! They loved our jewelry and loved our display. We painted the branches silver and hung necklaces from them. It was such a success gave us the encouragement and confidence we needed to create our business. Below are a few shots:

A very very sucessful show!!!!

Pobre Sito Loquito-R.I.P.

On March 29, 2006 my little loquito passed away. He was almost 7 years old. The most horrible part is that the reason he died was probably my fault. Barbie was visiting us for a few days and we made a delicious mexican dinner (tinga). Lupe was sitting on my shoulder and I was chopping onions. Of course he always wanted to eat anything i had, so i let him nibble on one. I left at 9pm for my dance class and when I came home I scream "hola loquito" (as I always did) I didnt hear him...he usually squacks back. I didnt see him in the cage, or on top. So I started calling for him.....nothing. I looked a little closer at the cage and saw him cuddled in the blanket on top, his head and half of his body was snuggled in. I said to Neto and Barbie "Ay, look how cute, little loquito is cuddling in the blanket." I went to pet him and he didnt move. I screamed and Neto jumped off the couch. I left the room crying, I couldnt look while he opened the blanket.....he was gone. I couldnt figure it out, he was fine when I left. It had to be the onion, Barbie said that onion is toxic in cats and dogs. I googled it and found that to be rare with birds, but possible. I have had pet birds for 15 years and never heard that. I miss him so much. I do still have the two little parakeets, but its not the same. Pobre sito Loquito........lo siento.