Peru Crew

Well we went to Peru like a month ago... and I figured it would probably be good of me to have some sort of record of what we did... I've just been soooo busy! Exciting things ahead! But I finally made time to sit here and basically just picture dump. 

Sorry, not sorry. 

 But, if you don't feel like scrolling though 50 pics, here is a lovely video that pretty much sums it all up :) 

Peru Video
Peru Crew 2015 Ryan Thomas Spencer Anderson Aaron Montague Carlie Thomas Christopher Nicholes
Posted by Lindsay Thomas on Thursday, May 28, 2015

CUSCO

Days 1-2 were spent in Cusco. We stayed in a lovely little hotel that was close to everything. We hiked up to a giant white Jesus statue, which was awesome. We ate at the same restaurants the whole time cause 1. it was really good and cheap and 2. we are babies and didn't want to try anything else. mostly me. I really enjoyed Cusco. There are probably a lot more to see/do than we got to. 

I was pretty stoked to get a picture with a llama.

this would be a guinea pig. so so sad. 

the boys. 

SACRED VALLEY

A valley we drove through to get to Macchu Picchu. Very beautiful. But also really high altitude- soooo stay hydrated people! Or else the next day you will throw up all night. Trust me, I know. 

MACHU PICCHU

Unfortunately for me, I had altitude sickness on the Machu Picchu day... but I did manage to see some of it. Altitude sickness is the worst. 

 

Ryan's cute parents. 

Train ride up the mountain.

LAKE TITICACA

Then we just road tripped it on up to Puno and spent a couple days at Lake Titicaca, which was so amazing! 

Cool train track pit spot. 

 Floating islands... kinda wild. If you don't know... people make these "islands" out of plants and they literally float.. like they are held in place with an anchor and when they want to move locations, they just pick up the anchor and float away haha. It's amazing that people really live like this. Cutest kids though- Bernie, ya lil chubster- you are so stinkin cute. 

 also can we laugh about this kid with the giant boogie comin out... 

 HORSES

On our last day, we were just hiking to kill time before our flight left, and this guy came up to us asking if we wanted to ride horses up the trails for 2 hours. We didn't really want to, so we said no thanks. Then this man continued to follow us up the mountain, continually dropping the price of the horses until it was like $7 per person for 2 hours... at this point it just seemed silly not to go. So we did. 

 Us with our 11 year old guide haha

 It's hard taking pictures while riding a horse...

 also, hooray for the lady who gave me 3 stone to make rings out of for $1 

This was a much needed trip. It was honestly so great just to relax and hang out with friends and family. Peru is absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend it. 

XOXO

Because He Lives

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. 

Growing up, it was SO fun waking up Easter morning and hunting for our Easter baskets. We have some good home videos of Easter morning. Right Tori?

And then church always seems extra special that day. There is usually some sort of musical program (which are my fav) and everyone is just so happy and full of love. 

As much as I wish I could be home with my family celebrating Easter like I always do, it is kinda cool being in Paraguay for it. Here they celebrate the whole week (which is actually really nice cause we got extra days off of work), but they celebrate it differently than my family does. People don't dye eggs and they don't understand why a bunny would come bring you eggs in the middle of the night... (you don't realize how strange traditions are until you have to explain them to people... same goes for St. Patrick's day- that was really funny trying to explain what leprechauns are and how they chase rainbows to get the gold at the end...) 

So- because there are different traditions here, it has made me focus more on the meaning of Easter and less on all the fun extra stuff that comes along with the holiday (though I really enjoy that stuff too).

But we did decorate sugar cookies for Easter/spring (even though it's technically Fall here haha). 

The missionaries came over to our house last night and showed us the Because He Lives video. If you haven't seen it... here it is. 

I love this video. I love the Easter message that Christ lives. I think it is important to remember His death, but even more important to remember that He was resurrected. He lives. He is still with us everyday, waiting and wanting to help. He is there through it all. Through the ups and the downs, He is there. He is not a savior of the past, but of the present; living each day with us. I love that. I love that I have Christ to lean on, to confide in, to cry to (both sad and happy tears), to thank, to follow, to love. It's because He lives that we can return to our Heavenly Father again. That families can be together forever. That blessings and miracles happen ALL the time. 
It's because He lives. 

To test out my Adobe Illustrator skills (which are pretty elementary) I made this printable for the Easter season :) Download
 Also here is just the flower arch if you want it, and then you can write whatever you'd like inside :) Download

Hope you all have a lovely Easter!
And to all my LDS friends.. hooray for conference on Easter!! So basically it will be the best day eva. 

Also, family, have fun in London. Buy me something from Primark. Mmmmk thanks, love ya.

DIY: Calligraphy Script Font

Lately I've been loving all the calligraphy/watercolor script fonts out there. You can find some good ones for free, but the really good ones all cost like $20. Maybe that's a good price for a font? I don't really know. All I know is that I don't really want to pay $20 for a font. 

So i made my own. 

I'm still surprised it actually worked, but it totally did! And it was sooo easy.

1. Go to MyScriptFont.com and print off the pdf letter template and just fill it in

 - Note: when it says "use a black felt pen"- you actually have to use a black felt pen or else it doesn't work. I first wrote it in pencil cause my handwriting is better in pencil and it didn't upload, so I had to trace it in marker. Also you do actually have to stay within the inner auxiliary lines or else some of your letters will get cut off. Crazy how you have to follow directions... 

2. Scan your letters in

3. Upload the pdf onto the myscriptfont.com website

4. Click Start

5. Hooray, you have your very own font! 

as you can see.. i didn't follow instructions so some of my letters are a tad bit cut off... but i still really like it! 

And the best part is- it's totally free! 

So you can make as many as your heart desires. 

I'll probably make like 10. 

Happy lettering.

xoxo

Alpaca My Bags

Since we are already down here in South America, we figured it would be pretty silly of us if we didn't go to any other country. Cause there probably won't be another good opportunity to do so for awhile. 

Soooo we are going to PERU! 

 

I am actually really really excited for this. Machu Picchu just seems like the coolest place ever. And I am dying to see all the color of Cusco. And hang with llamas. Also I want to feel like I am in "The Emperor's New Groove...." so really I am just so stoked! 

If anyone has been there before, let us know fun things to do/see! We will be there for about a week. 

Also hooray that Ryan's parents decided to come down! What a treat :) 

 Thomas Travels 2015. 

Birthday Weekend

 Birthdays are the best. Especially when you are married- cause even when it's your spouse's birthday, it kinda feels like it's your birthday too. 

Ryan is the most impossible person to buy gifts for. So I just made him a video of people saying happy birthday to him, made him a key lime pie, and promised him that we would go on a sweet excursion sometime in the next few weeks- I just haven't found a good one yet. 

But it was a really fun weekend, and we have felt so much love from everyone around us! 

Really I'm just about to put a bunch of pictures on here to show what the weekend was like. 

The family we teach on Saturdays bought him a huge chocolate cake- SO NICE!

And I teach the cutest kids ever, so I spent the rest of the day trying to sneak a picture of my favorite 4 year old. Then he threw a soccer ball at my head cause I guess he doesn't like having his picture taken...

I just want to bring him home with me. 

Then Oscar made him a cake.

And we had Key Lime Pie cause I didn't know he was getting two other cakes... (recipe coming soon cause it was seriously soooo easy and so good!)

I probably gained 5 pounds this weekend. 

Hooray for Sunday walks

I realized that we didn't take a picture together on his birthday, and I wanted one. But it's hard when there is no one who will follow you around to take pictures... so we mastered the skill of taking separate pictures and putting them together haha. This is actually quite fun and also funny. Especially when you are high fiving the air and cars are going past you. But ya know what- I'm never going to see these people ever again, so it's totally fine.

Actually, I think this would make a really cute video. To split the screen like that and both people are doing their own thing... hmmm next project.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!