Zero Gravity

Zero gravity is what I come home with after a vacation.

This is a state I am in right now, and will try not to lose this nothingness.

What caused this wonderful state of mind? Lots of time with my love - my husband, Punta Cana beaches and his Majesty, the Ocean. Added to this recipe were luscious jungle of the resort, simply made, scrumptious, almost home cooked meals, champagne in the morning, great two books to read. Mix all of these ingredients and you get zero gravity.

In zero gravity I am free from compulsory dependency on my phone, I stop hurrying from one "to do" to another, I pay attention to hear and now, and I can completely lose myself in watching the turquoise ocean. There is nowhere to be, nothing to do, nothing to worry about.

Gran Bahia Principe Ambar was a perfect place to stay, Paulo Coelho's Aleph was a perfect book to read (in addition to it and to counterbalance was Lemony Snicket's Austere Academy - a perfect birthday gift from my hubby), the ocean was the most beautiful shade of turquoise to soak in.

I will try to carry myself with zero gravity for as long as I can, and if something weights me down, I'll remember this feeling and will try come back to weightlessness.

Hola, Mexico!

I enjoy waiting for vacation as much as being on vacation, because everything is still ahead of us - so much time for each other, the sun, the ocean, flip-flops, good books, day trips to Maya pyramids, breakfasts, good time with friends, a wedding to photo-shot and  to dance at! ......

Any all-inclusive resort cares about their overworked guests a lot by providing very limited and very expensive internet access, so don't be too hopeful to hear more from me this week. Many stories and pictures to share when we are back, and for now a preview of this weekend's photo session.

It is amazing how much you learn with every new photo you take. I love this photo, but also see how I would retake it a little better. What do you think I have in mind?

The world spins around you faster when you spin faster yourself!

Ever since we moved into our house I was waiting for the world to start spinning a little slower....

But it never happened. I thought I just need to get through this crazy, busy time and then I will have time to breathe, reflect on our wedding, house buying, house remodeling, honeymoon.... But it never stops, it just spins faster with more things just adding into rotation. 


So, I decided to just blog about things that are happening now and then gradually weave in reflections on oh-so-beautiful and important events of the past 6 months.

So, most recently I visited NYC very spontaneously. And ... fell in love with it again. As I always do. St. Valentine's day is actually, despite the cold, is a perfect time to visit this never sleeping city. This year it also fell on Chinese New Year, so this was a joint celebration. I think I was "drunk" just with pure energy of seeing so many different people in the subway, on the streets, in my most favorite place in NYC - Central Park. I must have been a New Yorker in my previous life - I feel right at home there. 
Here are some iPhone snapshots from the trip:

 

On the Q train, heading to Manhattan

Ah, coffee shops!

  

Hearst headquarters - I work for the company within Hearst, 

BUT we are not within THIS building, .. I wish!

a view from the 29th floor of the Hearst Tower ... oooh!

My favorite place in NYC - Central Park

St. Valentines Day in NYC :)

Shopping! 

After this little NYC LOVE note, I've yet to explain the headline of this post. 

I think we are just used to say that the world spins around us. In reality, though, it is US who are spinning,we just want to accomplish more and more in less and less time. So, really, we control the speed of our life. 

For me the life pauses when I blog - everything freezes in the air for my examination. I missed blogging.

The Honeymoon took a loooooong time. You don't beleive me?

Hm..... I am back again. From the honeymoon. Yes, it took 2 months. ..... !

Ok, I am a bad lier, and feel guilty that during this period of my life - wedding, moving into a new house, honeymoon and first holidays as a family  - I didn't blog. Clearly, it is  a crime, at least for my own sake.

To make up for this major miss I am going to be putting the pieces together in the next posts and recreating the beautiful picture of this fall's happenings.

For a sneak peak - Thailand, of course. The most beautiful beaches I've ever seen... So far... :) !

Our short trip to Europe.... oops! ... Montreal, Quebec

Last Thursday Andrey and I excitedly packed our car and drove off to Montreal. I am usually overjoyed to go anywhere and especially somewhere that is known as Europe in America.

I have to say: indeed! (That comes from a renown European "expert" that has only been to Italy and Prague in Czech Republic). Well, at least I can say with a certainty, that Montreal does not feel American, and it is different from Toronto.

We enjoyed the historic architecture and details:

Loved (!!!) just installed city bike system - it lets you have a bike for $5 /24 hours and has stations to take/return bikes all over the city. It is called BIXI - bike taxi - cute! Pretty amazing, especially if you are a tourist and want to go places.

Andrey was such a gentleman to carry around my camera backpack! By the way, about camera bags: I am using Kata. I was torn between this one and Lowepro. Their products are very compatible in quality and price, so I chose the one that also offered a trolley. A set of wheels on something that contains a camera and a laptop can be very helpful at the airport. This model is DR-467. Good for transportation and sightseeing (when you need to stuff some personal items to the same backpack), not ideal for photo shoot carry-around. The carry around is going to be my next purchase. May be even the raved about professional photographers Shootsac.

Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral impressed beyond expectations! I've learnt it is a 1/3 replica of of St. Peter's in Rome. Never seen any church that big!

Our breakfasts took place in Eggspectations. Scrumptious! And a Marketing masterpiece.

Here is my delicious, freshly squeezed Banango: mango, banana, pineapple blended with fresh orange juice and ice.

Finally a couple of other views of Montreal:

Last logistical remarks: We stayed in Delta Centre-Ville hotel and were very satisfied: good service, great, clean rooms with a view (we stayed in a renovated premium room), reasonable prices. It is better to leave your car in the hotel parking lot and get around by public transportation and BIXI - my favorite.

Could I live in Montreal? Yes, for the months of summer. Winter is too cold! :)

Off to Montreal for the weekend!

Just wanted to drop a note: on the wedding side of things - we have started exploring our cake options - I will share the details very soon. But for this weekend we are taking a mini vacation from planning and going to Montreal! Have a great weekend! !!!

Our Dominican Republic Spring Break

When I close my eyes sometimes I still see the turquoise water, white sand, bright blue chair longs...Taking a tropical vacation in the middle of gray, cold, windy stretch of winter between February and March charges me to go through the rest of winter until we see more sun here.


Our Dominican Republic vacation this February was the first time we went to an all-inclusive resort. I was a afraid that laying out at the sun would quickly bore us, but in fact we hardly had time to lay around. We tried windsurfing, went on a day long jeep safari, even went down the waterfalls!

Dominican Republic is still very poor country, but with developing tourist industry I can definitely see these hardworking people becoming better off year after year. Dominicans came across to me as good spirited, and cherishing their land. They sing and dance all the time.

Punta Cana is a more touristy destination in Dominican Republic, it is located on the Southern part of the country's coast. We went to the north of Dominican Republic - Puerto Plata and stayed at Grand Oasis Marien, it was next door to Iberostar Costa Dorada hotel. Although our neighboring hotel was higher class, we liked ours better.



Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic was the city where Columbus came to shore to discover America. Just based on this fact we would like to come back to this bright country, next time to Punta Cana. Very nice vacation destination with a mix of tropical laziness and adventure.


If you haven't been to Dominican Republic, keep it in mind when planning your next vacation. Really nice honeymoon destination too!

Good Morning, Monday!

Mondays for me, as for many other people, are difficult. It is the beginning of the work week. It is hard to switch gears from freer, on my schedule day to committed and scheduled day.

BUT:
0) Andrey is not business traveling this week and will spend evenings at home :)
1) it already feels and looks like Spring!
2) there was major progress on wedding planning this past weekend (but I won't tell just yet);
3) this week I WILL write about our Spring break trip;
4) my brother and his wife are in town, and we will be able to spend some time together!
5) if the weather holds, I will be doing my third!! photo shoot this coming weekend!! (I'm yet to cover my first two here - this is coming up).

So .... life patches together in a bright, spriny blanket and I am thrilled to cover myself with it!

By shellayy0077 from Photobucket

A message from the Moon

Today is February 22. My last post is dated February 4. Surely, I must have fallen off the planet Earth, you would think.

The truth is - it seemed that I did! Last week (it felt more like a month) I found myself on the sunny, sandy beaches of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I kept pinching my skin very hard to make sure I really was in July weather, when the calendar said February. Many details and photos to follow! So far, I am leaving this YouTube video as a part of my "not my fault" plea. Perhaps it will make my vanishing act more understandable and, I hope, forgivable:



Also soon to come:
1) Updates on the Dress Search
2) Our choice of flowers
3) Chair covers and other extras for the reception
2) Tips for traveling to Dominican Republic (excellent honeymoon destination)

Our Miami Trip (+ some tips for first time Miami visit)

That Thursday was a very rainy, gray and wet. Any visitors to my work desk, however, were startled to see me grinning from one ear to another ear. :) <-- Just like that. My coworkers, though, understood: they knew I was flying to sunny and summery Orlando that evening. And, what was even better - driving to Miami the next day. I really could not keep the grin off my face any time I turned around to look out the window. I saw drizzle, but I was seeing palm trees.

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

And turquoise water....

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

This was our first time in Miami, and frankly, I didn't expect Miami to be a city. Like New York City, but on the ocean. Miami is a mix of city - clubs, restaurants, well dressed people, shopping and the sun bleached beach. The combination I never saw before, and it kept confusing me.

So, for those traveling to Miami for the first time, here are 4 tips for your trip planning:
1) Bring dressy clothes. Dressy, but beachy. Girls - stilettos will find their occasion easily.
2) To be in the center of action, stay at one of the boutique hotels in South Beach. (See the map below - we noted a few). If you want a quieter atmosphere, North Miami Beach will be your fit.
3) Staying north or south - make a trip to the Ocean Drive at night and enjoy the never ending party.
4) Go to Miami in a company of friends, as mentioned above - it is a party kind of place.

Below are some mapped tips


View Larger Map

I arrived to Orlando to meet my fiance that spent the whole week at a conference there. After a brief tour of a small part of the place (Rosen Shingle Creek) I mentally marked my calendar for next year - it was decided I will travel to this conference as well. 5 pools! Sunshine, palm trees! :)

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

When we drove closer to our hotel in North Miami Beach, condos rose on each side of the road and along the coast.

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

This is my favorite:

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

I was armed with an almost professional camera, so Andrey had no choice, but to become my model for this trip.

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

From Miami, Florida - November 2008

See a complete slide show of our trip with comments to the photos here:

Miami!!! Florida!!! Summer is back!

This is just a quick note to say that we (the bride and the groom to be) have eloped to summer for a couple of days. Yes, the USA is THAT wonderful of a country where at one end of it we have winter and on the other - summer. And summer is in Miami!! Today is November 14 and the weather here is in the 90s! (= = 25-30 c). It was hard for me to believe that the weather that is measured in 90 degrees exists now, in November, when I was packing, so along with two bathing suites I decided to include a jacket. Silly me - it is summer here, real NY or Belarussian summer weather!

I didn't study Miami over the internet and came here with only pictures of palm trees, topless girls on the beach (apparently it is the only place it is allowed in the USA, but this is not a confirmed fact) and salsa dancing in my mind - this is how I though Miami should be.

Well, what I found caught me totally off guard - skyscaping condos, not so neat and clean sidewalks and girls in pencil black skirts and stilettos or whimsical cocktail dresses walking the streets! My knee long jeans and a fancier than usual top with city style sandals are not enough for Miami! I will now know, and will be prepared for tomorrow. :)
Tomorrow we will also see what is the proper beach attire in this fashion demanding city.