things that grow

It has been one of those weeks...rainy, hectic, exhausting...a week that appeared to be never ending.  Today was definitely the icing on the cake with the first torrential rain storm of the season.  I know, who cares about a little storm, right (How I Met Your Mother episode anyone?!)? Let me just tell you that this one was seriously insane though as the sky got crazy dark (think midnight black) and it rained HARD, so much so that my umbrella started leaking.

Lighting.  More HERE.

The worst of it though was that the heaviest rainfall was around lunch when the kids and I had to walk from our classroom to the lunch hall with a portion of the walk uncovered.  I have 23 students and at one point had to take them three at a time under my umbrella up stairs to get them to a protected awning.  Once I'd sent my kids to safety, it didn't stop as more kids showed up needing help.  Thankfully more teachers arrived and an umbrella brigade was made for the kids to walk under.  Then we did it all over again 20 minutes later when lunch ended.  Awesome I tell you.  By the end of it my whole backside, shoes, socks, everything was drenched.  Luckily I still had three more hours of school left. :)

Yay...it's Friday!

The week is over though and it is now Friday and with it comes my weekly P52 post.  The theme for this week is things that grow.  I won't whinge about the lack of time or lack of dry weather making photo taking totally impossible.  It is all good.  :)

Unfortunately I had to dig in the archives for the pictures this week.  As I thought about this theme, I was struck by the passage of time.  Somedays, like this week, time seems to go by ever so slowly.  Then other times, like my 20s (which ends in June), seem to fly by very quickly.  This blog, and all the blog hopping I've done recently, has really made me aware of wanting to capture all of the moments life has to offer.  I want to capture the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Thank you for joining me in this journey! 

Passage of time in India

Babies with their whole lives ahead of them.

Kids dreaming big.

  

Adulthood and finding oneself.

Seniors reflecting and enjoying a full life.

 

(Linking up with This or That Thursday, Fabulous Friday Challenge, and Photo Friday.)

These photos are from our trip to India.  If you want to see more, click HERE to enjoy some beautiful sights from India.  It was an incredible trip and a photographers delight! I took thousands of pictures and managed to share only a dozen or so from each of the five cities we visited.  :) 

agra...part 2

Just a few more random shots for you to enjoy!

goats chillin' on the top

fading...

 

vibrant man and neat stairs

 

patterns

details

sunset

 

perspective

the taj mahal...gorgeous!

agra

Our last destination in India was Agra.  We had every intention of taking a train from Jaipur to Agra, but unfortunately there were protests happening on the tracks.  Due to the protests, we changed plans and decided to find a driver to take us to Agra.  This was a lot easier said than done.  We tried different people, but most weren't keen on the trip as the protests also fell on the major highways between Jaipur and Agra.  This meant that a lot of country roads had to be taken making the trip even longer than usual.  In the end, we shared a ride with a random English couple that stayed at the same guesthouse as us.  The one cool thing about it all was that we were able to drive in an Ambassador, which is a super cool old-school car.  The one bad thing about it all is that we had so sit in an Ambassador for a total of 10 hours! The Ambassador is a sweet ride...just not as amazing when you are in it for so long and having to share the back seat with two other people.  Guess who got stuck in the middle? You got it, me.

On our way to Agra, we stopped by Fatehpur Sikri.  It was built to be a new capital, but after 15 years, it was abandoned due to a lack of water available.  It is simply a deserted city now.  The next day we were up at dawn and standing in line to get into the Taj Mahal by 6 am.  We were let in an hour later and it was truly incredible to see.  The Taj Mahal is beautiful.  We spent a few hours just walking around the premises and enjoying seeing the splendor of it all.  The day we were at the Taj was kind of hazy which gave our pictures a not as crisp feel to them.  That said, I still had a wonderful day and am so happy Matt and I were able to see it together.  After that we went over to Agra Fort for a quick look around.  Then we were off to Delhi via our driver Danesh!

Fatehpur Sikri

Inside Fatehpur Sikri and my love for hallways and the window screen carvings continue.

Look carefully and you'll see the crazy man who jumped into this nasty green water that was absolutely filthy.

Taj Mahal and Us!

Best picture minus the closed eyes!

 

One of the mirroring guest houses to the side of the Taj Mahal.

Silhouette of the Taj Mahal. 

Agra Fort

 

Inside Agra Fort - A cute old man and an old part of the fort.

jaipur...part 2

Just a few more random shots for you to enjoy!

 
COLOR EVERYWHERE!

 

Vegetables and Chai

Animals...camels, hogs, and even pigeons on chandeliers!

Intricate

 

 Bangles and Puppets

 Details

Posing at the City Palace.

 At the observatory Jantar Mantar....a picture of gemini.

 

Old vs Young

Getting my henna on!