Some of you might remember the little project from my birthday?! To refresh your memory, go check it out #100happydays. The good news? It has reached the halfway mark… whoop, whoop! For someone who has attempted to start a diary probably a hundred times, this is an absolute achievement. I always had the best intentions of laying my brilliant thoughts onto paper, but in all honesty I got distracted and bored before it even commenced. Truth be told people, it’s a damn right miracle that this blog is still alive! I figured out that I like to babble about what is floating in my head and let’s face it, in the digital age typing is just a breeze compared to putting pen to paper. Plus, there was always the whoops-I-made-a-typo-so-I-fixed-it-with-tipp-ex mess.
With this project, things were even more simple. See something that makes you happy, snap a photo and hashtag it! I figured I like to take pictures, so why not try? My promise to you is not to fall in the 71% below… why don’t you take the challenge too?

For those who aren’t my avid followers on Instagram and the ones who are even more unfortunate to not be my friend on Facebook, I decided to give a little breakdown of my first 51 days.
• 1: As I mentioned before, it started on my birthday. That means a girl is allowed to polish off a bottle of the best pink bubbles on the planet! Graham Beck Brut Rosé. I have managed to source it here in Ft Lauderdale. A very happy day indeed!
• 2: I moved out of my crew house and into a flat with fabulous new housemates and an even more spectacular pool. Gazing into my crystal ball, promised many lazy days in the sun.
• 3: Finally! I get to see The Grand Budapest Hotel with my new partner in crime, Tammy. She had seen it before, but loved it so much that she was prepared to watch it again. It’s that good!!!
• 4: My brand new card for my brand new Bank of America account. In the words of Aloe Blacc… I need a dollar! Here’s to them rolling in!
• 5: Sissy sends me a picture of the Tootsie roll, looking too adorable in her Naartjie outfit that auntie bought back in Cape Town. How does that not deserve a big, fat awww?! My day is made.
• 6: Leftover melktert! For the poor souls who don’t know what this is, words can not begin to describe it. So, I would simply supply you with the recipe.
• 7: Listening to Johnny Clegg REALLY loud makes for sanding teak furniture in the blazing Florida sun a helluva lot more bearable. Scatterlings of Africa is my fave!
• 8: Celebrating my Princess Friendy’s birthday while on the other side of the globe, with a picture from her fabulous bash last year – I miss this face.
• 9: A very wet Tri-Rail train ride to West Palm for an interview. Wet? Got caught in a torrential downpour on the way to the station on Sophia! Luckily I had the common sense to take extra clothes in my backpack. Only to be pooped on by a bird later on. This is supposed to be good luck they say, but I didn’t get that job… they lied!
• 10: First time putting in petrol, or gas as it’s know here in the States. No petrol joggies to do it for you, just good old common sense and wit. Might not seem that exciting to some, but for me it was an eye-opener.
• 11: I completed my Open Water Dive Certification and that smile nearly wrapped all around my head! Some of you might not think this a big deal, but go peruse my Mexico post and you will understand the pure and utter joy.
• 12: My housemate, Vicky, is the queen of putting absolute ANYTHING on a grill, including sweet potatoes. She cut them lengthways, chucked it in a Ziploc bag with some olive oil and spices. Then grilled them to crispy perfection. She is a genius and deserves a medal. Enough said.

• 13: A first visit to a real American diner. As with most places in the States, the portions are humongous. Tammy and I left properly stuffed!
• 14: As we are approach for landing, a glimpse of Cancun in the distance. Yes, we are in Mexico and I’m clapping my hands in glee.
• 15: Our first dive was in a cave. Petrifying, but beautiful and even though the picture is a bit blurry, I had to post it. At the end of the dive I got to feed some fish with fruit that fell from a tree into the water. Awesome experience.
• 16: More diving! This time not in a cave – thank, goodness – but in the bluest of blue waters in Cozumel. The picture I took was over the edge of the boat and absolutely no filter was used afterwards. What you see, is what you get!
• 17: What a lovely cup o’tea, maam! This flavour is called Mexican Winter and it’s Rooibos infused with chilli and orange. It smells as great as it looks. Promise.
• 18: A ginger lemonade at Mango Café on Isla Mujeres – super refreshing at 10am in the morning when the heat and humidity is already taking its toll!
• 19: Relaxing poolside at the fabulous Hacienda Chichen. An absolute oasis of peace and relaxation.
• 20: A must if you ever go to Mexico. Visit Chichen Itza to see El Castillo… magnificent!
• 21: Our last day in Mexico. Yes, a tiny bit sad, but there is always some Argentinian pink bubbles to raise our spirits. #iseeapatterndeveloping

• 22: A girl can’t be gallivanting all of the time, so a good couple of Game of Thrones episodes brought me back to some normality.
• 23: The champion of all late night snacks. It trumps all others before and after it. A bowl of cereal. I reckon many would agree with me.
• 24: This time a bus ride, instead of the train, to another interview. There was no rain and none of those pesky birds, but still I didn’t get the job. Not to worry, I will persist!
• 25: A spot of rugga at a Saffa pub. Almost like home.
• 26: Honoring the greatest man in my life on Fathers Day. A picture taken in the 19-voetsek of my father, siblings and I on our way to Uvongo on holiday. We are seen here grazing the traditional padkos. Very happy memories!
• 27: Once again, Vicky delivers… delicious beef stew washed down with a superb glass of red wine from a bottle for my birthday. I’m winning all the way!
• 28: Sometimes it’s the small things in life, like finding a machine that supplies you with quarters for doing laundry.
• 29: Jersey Boys at the cinema is not complete with some snacks and refreshments from the concessions stand.
• 30: A soccer statue artistically built out of Budweiser beer boxes for the Fifa World Cup. This was at the Riverside Market, an awesome spot with a very wide selection of beers, hidden away in the back roads of Ft Lauderdale.

• 31: Yet another blog post! My 16th and all about Mexico… for your enjoyment!
• 32: More rugga at the Saffa pub. This time we rounded it off with a boerie roll. Not quite the same as the ones back home, but it filled the spot.
• 33: Time to explore again with a road trip through the south of the States. This is the planned route, but nothing is set in stone!
• 34: Some last minute beach time. Fun? Yes, but walking in the sweltering heat no so much. Thus the air-conditioned Sun Trolley comes in quite handy.
• 35: The Jalopy is in tip-top shape for the long road ahead. It even got a little surfboard air-freshner… cool, dude!
• 36: I’ve died and gone to heaven… a visit to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. The one in Florida, not Russia.
• 37: The impressive capitol building of Florida in the distance. Where? In a rather characterful, little city called Tallahassee.
• 38: On our way to New Orleans we stopped at two very historical places. First, the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and the second stop was the Battleship USS Alabama in Mobile. For a girl who isn’t necessarily interested in battle paraphernalia, it was still fascinating. We also happened to visit 4 states in one day: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Lousiana!
• 39: Chilling with some good food and cocktails, while listening to a very talented jazz band at the Marigny Brasserie and admiring my brand new ring made from a cake fork.

• 40: Feeling like a kid again visiting the Ringling Circus in New Orleans!
• 41: Heading to Memphis, via Jackson to check out their capitol building and ending the day with a beautiful sunset over the mighty Mississippi… as seen from the Twilight Sky Terrace rooftop bar.
• 42: When in Memphis, do what everyone comes here to do. Graceland. Even though I’ve never been a big Elvis fan, I felt the reverie and awe of the king. He really was a great man.
• 43: Another music legend who could not be skipped! The Johnny Cash museum in Nashville.
• 44: A somewhat reluctant visit to the Jack Daniels Distillery that pleasantly surprised me. Beautiful location, a great tour with a very quirky guide who made it all worth it.
• 45: Finally we’ve arrived in Atlanta for 4th of July celebrations and just to make things more fun, I decide to run the Peachtree Road Race. The largest 10km road race in the world with 60 000 competitors!
• 46: A necessity that makes you feel like a space cake, only to be turned into a princess afterwards! #beammeupscotty
• 47: Every good princess worth her salt, also deserves a manicure and pedicure. #truestory
• 48: A day spent visiting the World of Coke with my fabulous and beautiful niece visiting all the way from Durban. I love this young lady dearly!
• 49: Trivia night at Johnny’s New York Style Pizza followed by a chocolate ice-cream waffle cone at Cold Stone. Sufficiently stuffed, but not so much that I won’t forget the pivotal question of the night: Which country in Africa has the largest surface area? It’s Algeria, people, not the DRC as was thought. Don’t forget!
• 50: Great Sashimi at a very affordable price makes me one very happy camper.
• 51: Don’t you just love driving through the middle of nowhere and spotting a farm stall. Then stop and discover they have great local produce. Supermarkets should die!