Sunset from Longboat Key, Florida

Last Friday, it was the first time that I watched a sunset from the beach in over 2 years. It was hard to go because Emma is usually eating dinner by 6:00 PM and in bed by 8:00 PM. That night, she ate dinner early that and we headed to the beach. This sunset was special because it was the last sunset before turning 33. I felt like it was a good bye to a good and also difficult year. 

Emma loved the sand and even the cold water. She started to eat the sand and after the air started to feel a little cool we took her out of the water and dressed her with dry clothes. She enjoyed every second. We left right after the sun came down. We had a hotel for 2 nights to celebrate my birthday. Our hotel was right across the street and we couldn't wait to spend the following day on this beautiful beach. 

My First Ride in a Cessna

Last year I finally updated my college car. I only did it because I needed more room for Emma's car seat and stroller. I didn't want a car payment because all I wanted to do was to travel. Most people made fun of my old car and we called it chalupita. I kept saying that I didn't want a new car, I only wanted a private airplane. I kept joking about this and I never really considered buying one until a few months ago.

In May, I took a business trip to Pennsylvania. One of the engineers in that office owns a Cessna. He offered to give me a ride after work. He toke me and 2 others into his 4-seat airplane. We drove one hour from Harrisburg to the town of Millesburg; where he lived. The flight was less than 20 minutes over rural Pennsylvania. This was my first time seeing the Appalachian mountains and the Susquehanna river. I wanted to stay longer to see the sunset but we had dinner plans and it was time to go. 

I was impressed by the beauty of this State. I fell in love with with the feeling of being in the air looking at the river and the mountains. It was quiet and peaceful, except when someone talked over the microphone. Someday, I want to buy an airplane just like this one. Until then, I will have to find more coworkers or friends that can take me for a ride. Here are some of my favorite pictures of that day. 

I had to take a selfie to remember this moment: 

Weekend Cruise to Nassau Day 1

What does a girl do when her husband can't come on a cruise? She calls a friend (me), and asks her to come. When my friend asked me if I wanted to take her husband's place in a 2 night cruise to Bahamas I said YES. I only had one request: I had to come with Emma. At the time, I had never spent a night away from her. Also, this was the perfect opportunity to start taking long weekend trips with Emma. Emma and I were lucky that my friend had reserved a balcony stateroom in the MSC Divina and we had plenty of room for the 3 of us. Since we went to bed early, it was nice to have a good view from our room. 

We flew from Tampa to Miami on Friday afternoon and the cruise sailed for Bahamas Saturday at around 7:00 PM; just before sunset. As the cruise departed, there was a live latin band playing salsa, merengue and reggaeton. Emma was enjoying the music and she was running around the deck. I was running behind her, trying to eat a slice of pizza as my dinner and enjoying the music. The good thing about her new found energy is that she is sleeping the whole night.  

Sunset over South Beach's skyline

We all went to bed early and our plan was to disembark in Nassau as early as possible. 

Visiting the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha - Part 2

I only had less than one hour inside the museum before they closed. My favorite part of the building was the ceiling. The collection of art inside is impressive. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to appreciate much of it. One of my coworkers gave me a quick tour around the main galleries and took a few pictures of me. I saw a few persian rugs and several antique jewels that made me want to come back. I hope that there is another trip to Doha in the near future, and this time I will extend my stay at least one day to do some sight seeing. 

West Bay (downtown) can be seen from the back of the museum and also from the outside terrace. 

We watched the sunset from outside of the building and after that it was time to go to dinner. I can't believe that I was able to do so much and also work many hours while I was there. I guess that I have to thank my jet-lag for allowing me to sleep only 3 hours per night. That and lots of coffee can make the days long and productive. 

Visiting the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha - Part 1

While I was on a business trip in Doha, I was working late most days. The only day that I got out of work early, I went to see the Museum of Islamic Art. This place made me wish I had traveled with my DSLR camera. I took hundreds of pictures with my iPhone and with the small point and shoot camera that made it to the trip. Sadly, they don't really show how beautiful this place is. I still haven't downloaded the pictures, but I wanted to share some of them before I forget the details about this trip.

The museum closed at 5:30 pm and I only had time to walk by a few exhibitions. The outside patio has the most beautiful views of west bay in the city. I wanted to stay there and watch the sunset. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay because it was past closing time.

At first, I was intrigued about this building because it was designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei. The gardens and the entrance of the museum are beautiful. However, the inside of the building is one of the most spectacular places that I have ever seen. I will show those pictures in another post. If you have only a few hours in Doha, I would recommend that you spend them in this museum. If you have more time, walk across the street towards the Souk for some shisha and dinner.

Another Sunset from Cypress Point Park

Last weekend, we finally went to a nearby beach to take a few pregnancy pictures before it's too late. Our baby girl will be here in exactly one month (or hopefully less) and we were running out of time. Since sunset is now so early we went to Cypress Point Park located only 15 minutes away from our place. I have been there before to take sunset pictures with a photography group. I love this place because is next to the airport and is right under the flight path. All the airplanes landing in TIA make me dream about traveling. This is not the prettiest beach in the area, but it is a nice place to watch the sunset and take a nice walk by the water.

Here are some of my favorite shots. These were taken by Andre, my husband, and with the help of a tripod for the pictures of the 2 3 of us.