90 cent wine

Yes. Lorca might not be known for much. But we ate plentiful and highly enjoyed our 90 cent glasses of wine! Ricardo had been recording a new album here in Madrid over the past few months. While in the process he got a call from a promoter announcing that his band had one a contest and out of over 400 bands they were selected to produce an album. Another album aside from the one he's currently working on. So off to Lorca we go for a quick 4 days in the studio. I decided to tag along.... work from the road.... and see what Lorca had to offer. 90 cent wine.

this was taken from a church near the studio. Lorca had a devastaring earthquake last year. There are cracks in almost every building you see.

Ricardo playing in the studio

Love Division live in Barcelona

A nice November day.... a concert in Barcelona.... and a great excuse for a day off to walk around the city.

Starting the day with a croissant de chocolate and a nice cafe con leche in the plaza

a visit to the Market La Boqueria


Paella on the beachfront with Javi and Ani (our good friends from Madrid), followed by drinks with Susana (a friend/past colleague of mine from Maersk)


Then a weekend of Rock n' Roll with the boys

a special tribute to the past- with Ricardo on drums!

Autumn Colors

Fall has come and gone, but I'm still catching up! One Saturday in October......

Captured this as Mom and I were leaving the house- a beautiful light fog on the lake
We were on our way to Addie's 8:30 soccer game- Dad is the coach and these little ones were adorable. At some point believe I even ended up on the field to get them in the right direction.
Then a nice drive to the mountains, just in time for some amazing colors.

Love this picture of the Richards while we were out skipping rocks
mom found the cheer uniform I wore when I was her age- love this and the amazing fall days!

Beautiful Bali

A few years ago I went to Bali and when I left..... I just knew I would return. This place has my heart. I love the beautiful scenery, the beaches, the rice fields, the mountains, the small villages you pass on the way to your next destination. The people are so warm and inviting, that you instantly become best friends with every taxi driver, waiter or hotel staff. Bali.... I will be back.

here is a view of our villa overlooking the rice terraces and bamboo forest, about 30 min outside of Ubud- a very relaxing and quiet spot. For sure in my top 5 favorite places i've stayed. Morning yoga was included along with local village walks and cooking classes. They grew all of their own vegetables on the local grounds.

on the way out of town, a beautiful site

after my last trip to Bali, I swore off monkeys. These were much cuter and more tame

Mom and I having dinner in Ubud

followed by a performance of the Balinese Dancers

a day of Temples

We packed it in this day! Temple after temple and amazing views along the way. The locals were preparing for a Hindu festival and bringing their offerings to prepare. Great memories.

We began at a local coffee farm near the village we were staying at.

along the way we passed a few locals preparing for the festivities


We then visited the Tirta Empul Temple just outside of Ubud. It's known for the holy waters.




and then a stop to the Elephant Cave

return to Indonesia

After a weekend in Singapore, I headed south to Jakarta for a week of work. Mom joined a few days later to enjoy the city life of Jakarta. I think her favorite part was the amazing buffett at the hotel! =)

The Indonesian cuisine is quite an art display. Many small dishes to share with the group. Mom, Anders and myself found a very traditional place to celebrate our last night.

Mom and Me

The Richards hit Singapore! Mom joined me on one of my last trips to Asia. What a great opportunity to build in a little vacation time around my work weeks. I started out in China and met Mom in Singapore for the weekend! Here's a few highlights from our trip......

Walking on the promenade and overlooking the Marina Bay Sands.

Lunch at the famous Raffles Hotel

A trip to the Singapore Botanical Gardens

Work.

Work is prevalent in life these days. I spend 70-80% of the month on the road. And while I love what I do- it has taken a toll........ Today I was asked what I love about my job. This trip to Qingdao, China, being my next trip in the blogger role, summed it up for me. The people. My colleagues have become some of my best friends (and family=) Being able to meet so many new and diverse people has changed and expanded my life beyond words. I can't imagine not having lived these experiences and I am blessed to have a job that let's me travel the world seeing amazing places and meeting such great people. With that said, next year brings a life of balance.