Scooter Time Baby!!

How much FUN are these??!!! Got them today..then cruised all over town on them! Ray got the "James Bond" version...a 250~ He looks so cute on it!!

I have the "head turner" version..oh, and plenty of honks too. People are amazed at the color! Fun!

We got the Italian Nolan Helmets..had to...to go with the Italian Vespa~

Tomorrow it's Practice time...after our run!

Ciao~ ;0)

Free to a Good Home

Yesterday my son Oliver and I were out walking our three dogs around this gorgeous neighborhood of ours...I take it ALL in...each and every time I step foot outdoors, as this is the most beautiful part of summer around here. The trees, the lawns, the flowers...everything...the sky, the clouds..I take nothing for granted.

There is this house on one of my favorite streets..it isn't really the house that you notice though...it is the yard. Because this yard is like a Nursery in itself!! They have Every Plant you can even Imagine!! I always have to just stand there..in the front of the house and just stop and take it allllllll in...I can never get over how much I love it all. It is all over grown and mature and you have to inch your way past along the sidewalk as the plants are so FULL and beautiful and just...YUM!

Well...as I was saying, before I got all sidetracked...

I was walking past this house and near the curb..sat this little plant..that had a sign that said "Free to a Good Home"..That's Me!!!! So Oliver carried her home from me and here she sits on my entry table...a Very good home indeed!

And some of my backyard plants and how they are coming along...more to come of the front!!

going....Pink!

we have been thinking about this for awhile now...

ever since we got rid of our Honda Metropolitans (because they couldn't handle the hills in grass valley) so when they announced the release of the new Pink LX150 Limited Edition Vespa...I needed no more convincing!

I will be picking mine up on Saturday!! When you have one of these..a car is a thing of the past...

unless it rains of course~ (notice the pink piping on the seat!!) Wait until you see my helmet...Nolan makes an adorable one that has my name on it!

Here's to Vespaing!!!

The Giving....

and so...



the second weekend in June...brought even more gifts...gifts for the children of a shelter an hour away from Karunya Mane..



4 BIG Bags full in fact..as those kids have No toys...



Asha, a girl at Karunya Mane who touched my husband and my soul when we met her earlier this year..she is quite the artist and student..gave 50 rupees she had in her pocket to help buy snacks for them..
Asha, Lokesh and Amita came along to help pass out the gifts to the children...
what an Amazing thing...
when the poorest of the poor..give to other poor children...A lesson..Perhaps for ALL of us to take in and maybe one day put into practice ourselves? I can tell you firsthand because I have been there with those kids...and honestly, from the bottom of my heart..there is Nothing in my life that I have ever done or experienced that even comes close to what it was like to go and give shoes and art supplies to those kids at Karunya Mane..
Nothing.
You see, when you go and witness their innocence and Love and Open Hearts and see how much they truly, Truly appreciate even the smallest of things..it changes Who You Are Forever More...
we sometimes think we have so little in our lives, when in fact, if we take a moment to just look around our homes and at our lives..we do in fact have More than we actually need. Myself included.
And if you have never had the chance to give something to someone who has very little in their lives, I don't think I even have to tell you the feeling it gives you and the happiness that resides in your heart for a long time afterwards....
(Please click back two times to read the begining of this story...to "older posts"if you arrive from Ashtangi.net)

part Two..shopping trip for the kids of Karunya Mane!

Paul helping the kids pick out things...

After they finished up their shopping, Sharath and Paul gave them a few words about how they received a great gift today and how important it was to share with others...

because that is what we do..we share what we have with others..

Big Bazaar hosted a nice lunch afterwards in their lunchroom....

as they left...

The children decided that since they had so many toys..they would like to give some to an Orphanage about an hour away from Karunya Mane...

please see next post for the second weekend!!

The waiting is Over!!!!!

(i will warn you now...make sure you have plenty of tissues..if you are anything like me..you WILL need them!!)

One Sunday in June...
a Very generous and kind man, Paul from the US, and his family..Sharath,Saraswati and Shemi form the Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Mysore, sponsored a shopping spree for the kids of Operation Shanti!!


Paul wanted to take the kids shopping to buy whatever clothes or toys they wanted!!


Sharath suggested the Big Bazaar, a "mega store" in the heart of the city of Mysore....and even though the kids have come a long, long way, in terms of Good Study Habits, Cleanliness, and overall Excellent Behavior...you need to understand, that just a couple of years ago..these kids were the kids who stood outside these stores... Begging, and selling their trinkets.


They could NEVER have imagined even stepping into a store like this....let alone going inside and choosing whatever they most desired!


But this particular Sunday was different...all 43 kids of Karunya Mane went shopping!!!!! Words could not even begin to describe their day...so I shall let the photos speak for themselves...
Prema in the van window as they drive away... and as they arrived at Big Bazaar

getting organized into groups...
(please see the next post as the photos are not co-operating with me while I load them up...)

Breaking News out of Mysore, India......

I have some pretty Fantastic News to share with you all about the children of Operation Shanti...
but as I sometimes do...I am going to have to make you wait until early next week to release the News!!! (believe me, this hurts me WAAAAAAY more than it hurts you!!)
Please stay tuned.....
you will NOT want to miss this.....