South Africa was pretty amazing...

So as of a few nights ago, I'm home from South Africa!  Sorry I didn't have more posts for you while I was away, but we moved literally every 3 days, and most people didn't have a reliable internet connection!  But I'm sure you'll forgive me.. I hope?

I can't lie, I definitely miss my new friends and family, most of whom I was meeting for the first time on this trip.  It was so strange after years of skype and voices on the phone and photos on facebook to be able to actually sit with and talk to all these people.  

I met my dad's two sisters and their kids, and I got to see my dad's brother and my aunt for the first time in 15 years and their daughter for the first time since she visited us in high school.  I got to meet one of the families who hosted my mom when she was on exchange there 40 years ago.  Not to mention, being the crazy foodie that I am, I got to experience some of the best meals of my life.  Of course it was also pretty great to see my mom get emotional with friends she hadn't seen in the 24.5 years since my folks moved here.

I had a nice dinner with Kas and Robyn just after I got home, which was great.  This was probably one of the longest times I hadn't seen or really talked to them in during our crazy-long friendship, so it was nice to catch up!

I promise I'll return to regular posts after this one, but since some of you asked on a previous post, here are some teaser photos from the trip(I still haven't downloaded the 600+on my digital cam, so for now you get instagram!).  I hope you like!

This is Ben, the wriggliest puppy ever who belongs to friends of my parents. 

Franskraal, a gorgeous beach-type town where we spent three days with one of the families who hosted my mom when she was an exchange student 40 years ago.  

I told Kas and Robyn about this seal at dinner the other night: The whole time we were eating at Live Bait, a restaurant in Kalk Bay, this guy was swimming and flipping around outside.  He was SO HAPPY.

We visited the penguin colony at Boulders Beach(and another one at Betty's Bay!) and oh my goodness they are so cute.  I should add there's no zoom used here, these guys were just really chill.

View of the Simon's Town Harbour, where my dad spent a lot of time when he was in the SA Navy as a young man.

Completely unedited and unfiltered photo of the sunset during dinner at our hotel in Oudtshoorn, in the Klein Karoo.  What say you to a manicure inspired by this?  Methinks it might have to happen.

Me on top of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town.  Which is a pretty amazing city, in case you were curious.

View of the moon and mountain from the home of my mom's exchange family in Somerset West.  Seriously, almost everyone we stayed with had an amazing view.  Here my view is trees, which isn't bad, but I can't lie, I miss being able to always see mountains.

And because who am I kidding, you're here for nails, I got some pretty new Inglots :D I promise I'll swatch soon, since there are precious few swatches of any of these online.

So there's a taste of my trip, I'm sure I'll show a few more pictures here and there :)

I promise regular posts coming again starting tomorrow :)