Valley of Flowers

I have finally started looking through my photographs from my trip to Armenia this summer. It's been nice. I put on music and zone out for a few hours, clicking away, reliving the moments of this trip in my head. I'm glad I went.

We visited a resort town called Tsaghkadzor (means Valley of Flowers) which is located in Kotayk. During the winter, there is snow everywhere and people come by to visit the ski resort. During the summer, there is no snow, obviously, but the ski lifts still operate. The ride up was peaceful for the most part - occasional screams from my little cousin, who is afraid of heights, added some excitement. We wandered around up top and I was delighted that there were adorable horses hanging out.

It was a fun day. Lots of warmth and laughter. I miss my relatives very much. It's always nice to visit beautiful places but it's even better when you have wonderful company with you as well.

sanctuary

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To say that the past couple of weeks have been difficult would be an understatement. My mom's illness took an extreme turn for the worse and we've had to process the situation and accept very difficult decisions in a short time which has put a lot of stress on us. As a family, we are all a bit on the emotional and sensitive side at the moment. So much happened in a blink of an eye. Now that she is back from the hospital and the situation has settled a bit, I'm glad to say that I'm doing better than I expected. This week I've started to feel energized and positive. I want to run forward...do stuff...move on. Though our situation isn't ideal, I'm happy and grateful. I'm grateful for my loving family and for the amazing friends that I'm lucky to have.

The day my mom was taken to the emergency room, I stayed at my friend's place. I stayed there several times afterward as well and it became a sanctuary for me (ughhhh sounds so dramatic) - a place where I felt okay when everything else in my life was falling apart. This is a snapshot of warmth, coziness, and friendship.

<3

dad & mom

I found this photo last night when I had given up (given up temporarily!) trying to fix the internet. It's a photograph of my parents from the early 80s. Today is my birthday and I thought it was appropriate.

<3

Back from the motherland

At Khor Virap - Lusarat, Armenia

I came back from Armenia a month ago and it has taken me this long to make a post. I wanted to write as soon as I got back but to be honest, my experience there was so overwhelming that I didn't know where to start and so today I decided I should just write something. I need time to process my trip. I took so many photographs and when I sit down to sort through them I get overwhelmed again, so if it's alright with you, I'm gonna take some time and let them sit for a bit until I'm ready.

Armenia was wonderful. It had been 12 years since I'd been there last. Saying that the place had changed would be a huge understatement. I had heard how much Yerevan (the capital) had changed from friends and family that had traveled there these past couple of years but I didn't expect to be so pleasantly surprised. It's a beautiful city with so much happening! People are always out and about and I'm a bit jealous that I'm not there right now.

What I appreciated the most was that I got a chance to disconnect from my worries for a bit. I was surrounded by wonderful people and friends, ate a lot of good food, and was just constantly in awe of how beautiful Armenia is. Lots of love all around <3

I'll be back with more photos <3