Emilicious

new blog site

2009-11-16T11:42:00.002-06:00

If any of you are still browsing to this site to see what I am up to, please redirect yourself to the new blog site at emilyandoren.com

Thanks!
Emily

Another Berman Girl

2009-08-18T15:46:00.003-05:00

Sweet baby Maya was born into this world on July 30, 2009. After visiting her in Tulsa this past weekend at only two weeks old, I am convinced that the Berman girls are the sweetest girls in the world. I couldn't feel more lucky to be the auntie of two amazing babies who light up any room they are in.

Although the trip was short, I got some great one-on-one bonding time with Miss Maya. She is such a good baby and boy does she love to sleep! I actually got about eight hours each night, which was totally unexpected, or actually the opposite of what I expected to experience! Ben and Nadja figured out a great schedule for her that doesn't always go as planned but it's pretty good for only two weeks in!

So far this is what I have observed about Maya...she is going to have the deepest, most beautiful blue eyes. She has THE cutest sneeze I have ever heard. She is working on focusing her vision, although she hasn't quite mastered it yet. She can sometimes hold her head up. She has many amazing reflexes you just don't expect to see in a two-week old and she LOVES LOVES LOVES to snuggle. She likes to position herself into what we call the "tree frog" position and her head nestles right into your neck. She'll wake up every so often and make an adorable sighing noise, nestle her head a little more into your neck and then fall soundly back to sleep. When she is awake, she is very quiet and just finds things to look at and stares. She's a good eater and you definitely know when she's hungry by the type of cry or by her frantically searching for something to put her mouth around. She has a very sweet demeanor, just like her cousin Sasha. And last but not least, she has brought so much joy already to her new parents. I don't think I've ever seen my brother so happy and it makes me so happy to see the amazing daddy that I always knew he would be.

Of course, I enjoyed catching up with Ben & Nadja too. It had been about two years since the last time I visited them in Tulsa. We talked a whole lot, watched a lot of movies and enjoyed some good food (I cooked for them Saturday night). They seem to really know what they are doing with Maya. It's like its the most natural thing in the world to them, which is very refreshing to see.

Congratulations Ben and Nadja on a beautiful and lovely baby girl. I can't wait to see you all again. Until then, give Maya plenty of kisses from her Auntie Em!

Update on wedding details

2009-06-24T11:47:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone!!! I know you have been waiting patiently to find out when and where our wedding is. I think a lot of you have already heard by word-of-mouth, but in case you haven't....

Wedding Day: May 1, 2010 (that's right, exactly one year from the date he proposed!)

Ceremony location: Beth Israel synagogue

Reception location: Omni Houston Hotel

We are currently working on our web site, which should debut very soon. We are also planning on sending out save-the-date cards within the next few months. Everything you will need to know will be on our web site.

We do want to warn everyone well in advance to begin looking into flights as soon as possible because there is a worldwide oil and gas conference in Houston the week of our wedding and there will be several airlines escalating their prices as it gets closer to the date in order to make more money on the thousands of people that come in for the conference.

For those of you who don't want to/would rather not pay for a guest room at the Omni hotel, we will be providing a couple other hotels in the same area that are a little more cost-effective. We promise to provide those options very soon as well.

Oren and I are already in the full works of planning and we're getting really excited. The date and location were the biggest accomplishments and we feel great about those decisions.

We hope this finds you all very well and stay tuned for the launch of our new web site!

An Engagement Story

2009-05-07T14:37:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a tall, dark and handsome young man named Oren. Oren, being the hopeless romantic that he is, decided to take his lady on a vacation and ask her to marry him at a beautiful winery in Napa Valley, California on their one-year anniversary.

After arriving at the first winery, which was the famous Robert Mondavi winery, it had suddenly begun raining. Fortunately, the rain only added to the romantic feel as it lightly fell upon the vineyard and flowers and trees in the distance. There were beautiful mountains in the background with mystical clouds hovering over them. The setting was as if it was taken out of a storybook.

As Oren and his lady walked along under the covered portion of the open area, Emily pointed out a beautiful rose garden. The couple walked over there and stood staring at the pretty scenery. As they stood there, Oren was building up the guts to say some important things. He finally began and it went a little something like this:

"Well, it's been a year since I first asked you to be my girlfriend. And I knew on that day that this was the start of something really special. Emily, I love you. I am so in love with you. There comes a time in each person's life when they have to decide who they want to spend the rest of their life with. I have made that decision and want to spend the rest of my life with you. [Oren gets down on one knee and pulls a ring box out of his pocket and opens it]. Emily, will you marry me?"

[Emily shaking and having an out-of-body experience looks at Oren and the ring and back at Oren smiling] "Of course I will! It would be an honor." [Emily bends over to hug Oren and he gets back up holding on to her. They stand and hug for a long time and after a minute or so they both start crying. They tell each other how happy they make each other and how excited they are to be the other's life-long partner. After several kisses and hugs, some photos are taken and the cell phones come out. They take turns calling parents, siblings and best friends for the next hour or so.

The rain doesn't let up once, yet the newly engaged couple begin their wine tasting journey. They only get to go to three wineries before closing time, but at most places, the employees found out about the engagement and gave the couple an extra free souvenir glass with extra wine or champagne to express their congratulations.

Later, the lovebirds went to a lovely french bistro in downtown Napa Valley called Angele. They were led to a more private, quiet room where they were given yet again another two glasses of champagne to celebrate the occasion. Oren ate the steak and Emily had the halibut. It was rich and delicious. They were both pretty exhausted from such an emotional day so they returned to their lovely Marriott hotel and day spa in Napa and retired.

The next morning they awoke and ventured over to the day spa for a one-hour couples massage. The spa was so relaxing and peaceful with steam rooms and jacuzzis and other fun amenities. After a blissful experience, they returned to their room and ordered room service breakfast. It was very tasty. They soon departed and made their way to Sausalito where they were to spend the rest of their vacation with Emily's brother and family who also helped make the occasion super special and enjoyable.

THE END

------

We are so very excited in this time in our lives and have many people to thank for being instrumental in helping with the proposal, the ring, and accommodations. This was an unforgettable and beautiful experience that we will forever treasure. We promise to inform everyone of a date as soon as we get it finalized. Until then, we are trying to enjoy a few weeks in engagement bliss before all the planning gets under way. There will also be an official web site for the wedding, where all of the pertinent information and photos will be provided. We love you all and can't wait to share such a wonderful experience with you.

Oren's birthday surprise

2009-03-25T14:26:00.007-05:00

So...many people have asked me the details of Oren's birthday surprise and I ended up just summarizing so I thought I would go into detail here, along with some fun photos.

He turned 27 on March 15, but we celebrated the night before on the 14th. Oren once told me that he had never been in a limo (other than when he was 3, and it doesn't count because he can't remember it). I stored that little fact in the back of my brain knowing I would do something to change that one day. :)

So, I rented an 8-passenger limo (it ended up being a Dodge Magnum limo, which isn't quite what I was told I would get but it was still nice) and invited his sister and 6 good friends to come along for the ride. I had everyone meet at his apartment complex but stay outside in their cars until the limo arrived. Then, they all hopped in there to wait for us. I blind-folded Oren and slowly led him down the stairs. He kept saying he heard an engine and I kept saying "well, it is a parking lot!" So finally I took his blind fold off and he got to see his long-awaited surprise. He was very shocked and thanked me immediately. Then we had the driver take this picture:

He saw heads inside so he knew it wasn't just us. As soon as he opened the door they all yelled, "Surprise!" Our first (and only) stop was at the wonderful and delicious Melting Pot fondue restaurant. Oren had also been wanting to try that for almost as long as I have known him. I kept telling him it was much more fun to go with a big group so that we should wait until we can arrange that. This was the perfect occasion to go!

The only downside to the awesome meal, was the amount of time it took. I believe we were there for nearly three hours! We only had the limo for 5 and had spent a little while in there before dinner so time was whittling away. The original plan was to go to Midtown and do a little bit of bar hopping, but with an hour and change to go with the limo, we all decided to stay inside the fun vehicle and party it up in there. We shared a bottle of champagne and another bottle of wine (Yaniv was the professional limo wine pourer), listened and danced to music and had a really good time.

After our time was up in the limo, everyone went back to Oren's apartment and played Guitar Hero for another hour or so. Oren was very happy with the evening and said it was his most memorable birthday yet! So I did good. :)

please let me win a trip to Hawaii

2009-03-19T12:22:00.004-05:00

Dear Ellen DeGeneres,
I know you are going to get tens of thousands, if not millions, of submissions from fans trying to win that glorious trip to Hawaii. But if you ever got to know me, which oh my God that would be so great if you did because I think we could be best friends, then you would know just how much I am aching to go! Here is my very short story you requested of why I deserve to go to Hawaii:

To be surrounded by beauty. That is all I wanted after my world turned upside down one day almost exactly two years ago. I came home to my boyfriend of three years to find him sitting on the bed and telling me our relationship was over. The man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with completely broke my heart and left me there to pick up the pieces. After quitting my job and moving back home to live with my parents (and after lots of crying) I knew I wanted to travel. I had always wanted to go to Hawaii. It was just so beautiful in every TV show and movie that I ever saw. My mom reminded me that I was once there...in her womb. She was about six months pregnant with me and my twin brother when she went on vacation with my dad. I remember asking her when I was little, "Mom, why didn't you make a window in your belly so I could have at least looked out at the beautiful scenery?" She would just grin and tell me I would get back there one day. After buying the Fodor's guide to Hawaii and lots of research, I decided that I simply could not afford to go. Also, I was told by many people that it's not really a place to go as a single, depressed girl. It would hurt to see all the happy honeymooners there. So I decided to do a six-month work/study program in Spain instead. I had the time of my life there, but I have never let go of my desire to go to Hawaii. Now with an awesome new man in tow, I think it's about time I see that beautiful state. Without any windows.

*The deadline for submission was today and the winner will be chosen next week.

Writer's block

2009-03-05T14:04:00.003-06:00

I'm having trouble following up the Hanna Montanashevitz post. Nothing is nearly as captivating that I can currently think of at the top of my head. In case you don't know, I rarely have this problem...

funny

2009-02-13T15:20:00.003-06:00

So last night Oren needed me to open a new tissue box and I told him to get one from under my bathroom sink. He picks one up and says, "Um, Emily...did you know you purchased this box with Hanna Montana on it?" Well. I gasped in horror. Not a big fan of Hanna Montana/Miley Cirus. I think she has slim to no talent and is just plain out annoying. For no particular reason, I have a very strong aversion to her.

So, Oren and I sat there brainstorming for about three minutes as to what we should do about this dilemma. Yes it's a dilemma for me OK???

After covering several options, I got my Sharpie permanent marker out and gave Oren full rights to use whatever inspiration came to him to do with the pen and tissue box. With about 10 minutes of cracking up to the point of tears and a few suggestions on my end...here is the result.

This photo is not meant in any way to offend any sector of the Jewish population. We were just being silly and trying to make Hanna Montana look better. If anything, it's a compliment.

Venting

2009-02-05T10:48:00.003-06:00

The past few working days have been unbelievably annoying and so I felt the need to vent a little bit. Basically, for the first time in 17 years (according to my managing editor) the entire Houston office experienced a full-on computer virus outbreak. I walked into work on Tuesday morning and was told not to plug in my computer (I use a laptop that I insert into a loading dock). I sat around for a complete 3 hours, doing absolutely nothing as I watched the IT people run around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Once it hit 11 a.m. and I realized there was no way we were going to make deadline unless we started writing pronto, I told my manager we better just go home and try to work remotely. I don't know why I honestly thought the IT department would figure things out and fix things quickly. That would be too easy.

We are lucky because most of the programs we use to do our research are web-based. Therefore, we were still able to use those sites at home to get the information we needed. However, we were unable to use the program where we actually write and publish our articles. We also couldn't access the shared drive that we use to post maps so Denver (our headquarters) could get them and format them into our stories. I can't express enough how frustrating it was to find as many loopholes as possible to get something out. We ended up writing our stories in Word and emailing them along with the attachments of maps to Denver and left it to them to do double the work to put it into a normal publishing form. Of course each of us only got two stories written when we usually each write a minimum of four.

The next day, after receiving a voice-messaging system alert at 5:55 a.m. announcing that everything had been solved and we can return to work, I walked in and my editor told me once again not to plug in my computer. Apparently everyone who had, ended up still getting the virus. And so after one hour of waiting on IT to say something, I walked back out and went home to work. This time I was able to access the network. Everything was so freaking slow though and IT was threatening shutting the network down again, so I had to work as fast as humanly possible (with the slowest remote programs in the world) to get my stories out. Three stories took the entire day, but the network never went down on me. After they were published, I was exhausted.

Today I walked in and no one was saying anything. I wasn't sure how to interpret that. I hadn't been told much the past few days so it wasn't necessarily an "all systems go" kind of thing. I ended up deciding to take my chances and plug my computer in. So far so good. swaeho[gtno[inmg. Just kidding.

The other writer in my department (who has a brand new computer) seems to have gotten infected and is dealing with the IT department to get things straightened out. He found out that half of our office still has the virus. What the heck? Why can't they solve this?

I think I have two main problems with this whole debacle. No. 1: The IT department has had the poorest communication in the universe when it came to instructing employees what to do and what not to do. It was my decision both days this week to work from home because I didn't want to risk getting infected. Had I not gone with my instincts, my computer was very likely to have gotten infected. I would have appreciated much more than a little flier that was posted on one door outside the elevators stating there was a problem and IT was working to resolve the issue. I have no idea how many IT employees there are here but I know there are enough to at least make some rounds explaining what was happening and what we should be doing about it. I mean come on. This is a large corporation that depends on communication to function. Why was this element so lacking in one of the largest crises our office has ever faced.

No. 2: Why did we even have this problem to begin with? Our world today basically runs off of technology. It would not function without it. The United States is touted for being so advanced in the technological world and the people here stand proud of how much more efficient we are because of technology. Why then, are things as fundamental as computer viruses even capable of infecting an entire corporate office? Why is this company shelling out thousands, if not millions, of dollars per year to fund the top technological experts who can't even prevent or for-see a computer virus from taking over an entire office? Maybe my expectations are too high. But come on. Aren't we past this in our technologically advanced world?

I'm still not out of the water with this virus. It's very possible my computer is getting attacked as I type. All I have received communication-wise is another flier mentioning that the issue is still not solved. Great. Thanks for the instructions.

Hot Yoga

2009-01-30T12:43:00.002-06:00

Last night I had the pleasure of experiencing a completely unique form of exercise. Oren and I decided to finally go try out a yoga class we had been talking about doing for months. We walked into Bikram Yoga thinking it would be somewhat similar to other yoga classes we'd taken in the past. Boy were we wrong!

This was "hot yoga," where they basically heat up a room to 100 degrees more or less and then have you do the more physically intense forms of yoga poses (26 to be exact) for 90 minutes straight. I have never sweat so much in my life -- not even when I ran a half-marathon! I know now not to ever wear yoga pants in that class...the fewer the clothes, the better.

It was all very overwhelming and some of the positions seemed downright impossible. But others came to me easily as I have done them in the past. Of course it takes practice to build up to those difficult poses, but some of them I just didn't even get how they were doing it! Our instructor was great, very encouraging to the new guests and reinforcing the fact that if you got too tired it was OK to give yourself a break.

The last 15 minutes were the most grueling. I even got a bit of a headache as well as some nausea. But I kept going because the instructor was slowing down a little. When I walked out of the hot room at the end of the lesson, my body felt amazing. I had worked it out literally from head to toe and it felt so relaxed and free-flowing. Not to mention the overall euphoric state I was in. I knew right then I was a little hooked.

I made the commitment to sign up for a month, consisting of 10 classes. It will be quite a challenge but I am so curious to see the kind of results I am thinking I might see since just one class made this much of an impact on me.

Today, I'm pretty sore. But it's a good kind of sore and I am going back this afternoon since that is usually the best cure for soreness. Stay tuned on this new element in my life...

25 random things about me

2009-01-29T13:09:00.003-06:00

So, in keeping with my friend Elizabeth's blog idea, I decided to post a Facebook concept to my blog so that all my readers can learn a little bit more about me. The challenge was to list 25 facts, opinions, life goals about yourself. It is actually pretty difficult to come up with on the spot. But I'm long-winded, and therefore I enjoyed this exercise. So here you go people. A little more about me:

1. I am one who needs lots of time when it comes to getting ready, especially in the mornings. If someone tries to rush me I get really pissed off and it can potentially ruin my mood for the rest of the day.

2. I have three brothers, one is my twin, and I love them all in so many different ways. Oddly though, they were never those intimidating, over-protective types who scared boys away from trying to date me. I'm OK with that. I'm happier knowing they allowed me to learn my own lessons.

3. I have a cat who thinks she is a human being. She is the neediest thing I have ever seen...always wanting to make some kind of bodily contact with me. She even reaches up and cups her paw on my face and looks lovingly into my eyes. I know it sounds unreal, but I promise you it is.

4. After the brutal ending of my last relationship, I picked up and moved to Bilbao, Spain for six months to rediscover myself and remember what it was to be on my own and comfortable with that. I took intense Spanish courses and taught conversational English. That period of my life will always hold a special place in my heart.

5. I have one niece who is about to turn 1 year old and I recently found out I will be an auntie for the second time because my middle brother, Ben, and his wife are pregnant.

6. I am addicted to coffee. It's not even my favorite thing to drink. I began drinking it in high school in order to stay up late to cram for my very challenging Advanced Placement courses which was almost impossible to do after an entire afternoon of intense cheerleading practices.

7. Yes, I was a cheerleader in high school. We competed on an annual basis and won the NCA National Championships in 1998 in Dallas against 40 other small co-ed squads.

8. I am now living in Houston, a place I never thought I would end up after leaving for college in the year 2000. Surprisingly, it suits me very well and I am loving re-discovering the city and being close to my parents.

9. This past summer, I gave in and bought a Blackberry because I hated my last phone. It is seriously one of the neatest devices I've ever seen. And I love the new ease of texting with a full keyboard.

10. Although my boyfriend, Oren, tried very hard to find a good singing voice in me, it's just not there. I am not tone deaf, but I definitely need some form of training.

11. No matter how hard I try, I cannot whistle. And no matter how many different ways you teach me, not so much as a pathetic little noise comes out. This drives Oren crazy and it is one of his life goals to get me to whistle.

12. My two best friends currently live very far away from me and it has been hard not having them closer. They are my sisters and I love them and I am comforted to know that in the future we will have the ability to see each other much more.

13. In 2007, I trained for and ran a half-marathon by myself. It was one of the most strenuous things I've ever done and I couldn't feel my body from the butt down for about 3 days afterward, but it was one of the most rewarding personal accomplishments of my life.

14. I am technically 4' 10 3/4 " tall although I tend to tell people 5 feet (which is usually true with most of my shoes). I have always wished I was a little taller, mainly because weight is such a bigger battle for such a small person. But there are benefits to being petite as well.

15. My hair used to be naturally curly, but over the past 5 years or so, it has progressively converted to a wavy, trying to be straight sort of state. I'm not sure how I feel about this. But I've been told it will probably totally change again once I get pregnant.

16. My biggest passion is writing. I'm currently a writer for the editorial department of a petroleum information company, but my life dream would be to become an author of nonfiction novels. Words are one of my most favorite things in life.

17. Travel is another one of my passions. I am fascinated with other cultures, languages and different forms of beauty in exotic, far-away lands. Another one of my life goals is to always try to surround myself in beauty.

18. This past year has been one of the best years of my life. I have fallen in love with a person who is everything and so much more that I've ever wanted in another half. He is truly wonderful and I feel so lucky to have him in my life.

19. I love wine. I think it's a wonderful beverage full of different flavors and elements. Each time I drink it , I feel like it's an experience. I love how it is made and that it comes from nature.

20. I love food too. I'm very open-minded and like to try all sorts of different ethnic varieties. I think cooking is an art and am slowly working on mastering it and finding my cooking style. Top Chef is one of my favorite shows and it inspires me to continue working on my craft.

21. Photography used to be a big hobby of mine. I have published several photos in several publications back when I was a journalist. One of my photos even made it to a large billboard in Austin (although I never saw it) as I helped my friend in advertising with a breast cancer awareness campaign.

22. I have met some pretty famous people, including Julia Roberts and Kevin Spacey. Kevin is awesome. Yes we are on a first-name basis.

23. I'm really tired of always feeling poor. Although money is not the most important thing to me, I feel like I can never make enough to feel comfortable and/or to be saving for any big things. One day.

24. I want many children. At least four. I may change my mind but I'm pretty sure Oren is scared to death. Sorry babe.

25. I am strongly considering getting laser eye surgery. My doctor feels I am at the prime age and prescription level to do it. The expense of it is a little hard to stomach right now but I do believe in the long-run it will be well worth it.

i'm that age

2009-01-23T14:45:00.003-06:00

As I look around me at the age of 26, I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed at life. Although I must have known this was the age most people decide to settle down and start families, I guess I never thought I would get here so fast. It was more of an imaginary place where when I would speak of my future I would pre-determine how my kids would be raised and what kind of home I would be in. But it always seemed so far away.

Now, every which way I look almost every single one of my friends is engaged, married and/or having children. I look at them and although I know they are grown adults, I still see them as the 10-year old girls I met and would ride bikes and go swimming with. Where has the time gone?

I can't express enough how neat it is to watch them transform into wives and mothers and continue on the beautiful life cycle. But it's all so surreal at the same time. I know when the time comes for me that I will be ready but until it happens, I kind of feel like I can't quite relate. I still have the younger lifestyle of going out and being social whenever I want to. I have downtime with only my boyfriend and I get to enjoy unlimited amounts of fun things to do. (Not that the other stuff isn't fun).

I like to tell people I'm not in "the club" yet, although my friends desperately want me to be. It's really funny. I always say, it will happen when it's supposed to happen and I'm not in any hurry. I'm still a little bit in denial that i'm that age. Everyone who knows me knows that I can't be pushed or rushed. That's just not how I work. My time will come and maybe I can make someone else feel the surreal emotions I'm currently feeling as I watch from the outside.

Life is so strange. But it's great too.

Childlike spirit

2009-01-14T14:56:00.002-06:00

In one of my favorite chick-flicks, Under the Tuscan Sun, there is a line about how to find happiness: "Always keep your childlike spirit." I love it.

In childlike fashion, I decided to "play" yesterday. Oren wanted to go play shuffle board at Dave and Busters. We invited his sister along and made an evening out of it. Although Donna (his sister) and I lost the shuffle board game, we both rocked at some of the other things we played in the main game room.

I know it's old school, but Skee ball is one of the coolest games out there in my opinion. I don't know why, but I have always been good at it even if it's been years between playing. If it were up to me, we would have played that all night but since it had been who knows how many years since I've been to Dave and Busters, I thought it best to take a look around and see what other kinds of games we could play.

Although there were some cool new ones and other ones where you could definitely earn more tickets, Skee ball still comes in as No. 1 for me. Even though I stayed out way too late for a weeknight, I had a great time. There is something very refreshing about good old-fashioned playing. :)

Bright lights, cold city

2009-01-08T14:50:00.013-06:00

It's funny how you take a vacation and when it's over, you feel like you need another one. Don't get me wrong, Oren and I had a wonderful time in New York City for the week we were there. But the problem is, there was so much planned and so many people to see that by the end of it we were exhausted! Of course it was all worth it and even if I was busy...it's not "work" so that makes it better. I say it was cold in the title but it was actually warm for that time of year in Manhattan. It progressively got colder during our stay and by the day of New Years Eve, it snowed and reached a chilling 12 degrees outside!

For those of you who don't know, Oren and I took a week-long vacation to New York City from Christmas day to New Years Day. One of my best friends lives there and I was definitely owing her a visit (She came all the way to Spain to see me last year). Oren also has several friends from school and his former band that now live there so he wanted to see them as well. I won't go through all the details of what we did, but I will mention the highlights. :)

Let's start with the day we arrived: Christmas. While I just assumed this was a traveling day and we wouldn't get much accomplished, we actually did a whole lot and it was one of the best Christmas' I can remember. After we checked into our hotel and ate an awesome dinner at a Zagat-rated Vietnamese place called Laan Nan, we made our way over to Rockefeller Center to see the huge Christmas tree lit up. It was truly gorgeous. I still don't understand how they find and transport trees that big but if I have learned anything about New York...anything is possible.

After trying to get through an almost impossible, claustrophobia-inducing crowd we went to Grand Central Station. This experience has made it to the top of my list of all-time favorites because I felt like it was out of a movie and totally unexpected. I had been before but Oren never had so we went inside and while standing in the main corridor, this beautiful laser light show started up. Complete with beautiful images on the walls and ceiling and Christmas music, it was a fantastic (and not to mention free) show! Oren and I had a little moment that made my heart melt so I will always remember that place and time fondly. :)

Later we went to Byrant Park where there is a huge ice-skating rink and tons of little shops (that were closed by that time) and a neat restaurant/bar in the middle. After vetoing the idea of skating due to the monstrous line, we decided to go have a drink at Celsius (the bar). This is kind of a scary picture but that was how red the lights were inside. We had fun!

The next big event was venturing to the observation deck of the Empire State building on Friday morning. We attempted to get up early to avoid a horrible line. Although it took 45 minutes to get to the 86th floor, it moved pretty quickly and didn't seem so bad. We went on a beautiful, clear day and were able to see the entire city. We spent about an hour on top taking pictures and looking through magnified binocular machines. Here is a photo of me looking out at the amazing view.

Out of all the awesome food we ate, my favorite by far was dinner at Spice Market. It is Asian fusion cuisine located in the Meatpacking District in a huge warehouse size space (which is rare for Manhattan). When you walk in, you feel like you walked into a very luxurious Indian palace. The food was mouth-watering and the service was excellent. Oren and I tried to make it last as long we could...before we knew it, two hours had passed. If you ever go to NYC, definitely make this a priority!

Some awesome shows we attended consisted of a matinee of Phantom of the Opera (awesome), Wicked (THE BEST SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!) and an improv comedy troupe at the Upright Citizens Brigade black box theater that included several famous comedians from SNL and 30 Rock. The cool part of the comedy show is you never know who is going to show up and we were lucky enough to get to see Amy Poehler and Rachel Dracht from SNL!! That was pretty cool and very entertaining. It was only 9 bucks too! And seriously people, go see Wicked in New York...it's an experience of a lifetime. Here is a photo of us at the Gershwin Theater in our orchestra seats (thank you Langworthys for the awesome hook-up!)

Museum visits included the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). While they were both nice experiences, none of the exhibits really wowed us this time around. There were some very interesting notions of art as well as entertaining ones. We didn't get to spend very much time in either museum due to always having somewhere to be next.

We got to see a lot of wonderful friends as well. Heartfelt thanks to Eva and Philip, who put us up for four nights in their adorable little apartment in Chelsea. We had a great time sharing amazing meals and seeing some great shows with you. Of course just being able to see you was a gift in itself. I got to see my dad's cousin and her family, which was special since I don't see them much. Thank you Langworthys for an amazing (and very amusing) dinner at Tartine in Greenwich Village. To my Jackie and Oren's Jackie, lovely to see you both! And it was very nice to meet Oren's other friends as well.

Last but not least...New Year's Eve. Well, due to my mother's life-long dream to be in Times Square on New Years Eve and watch the ball drop, I decided it was important for me to try to do it since the opportunity was there. The only thing was that it snowed for the majority of the day with gusting winds and a wind chill factor causing it to feel like 10 degrees outside! I also wanted to enjoy part of the evening with Eva and Philip since it was a special occasion and I never get to see them. So we all went to Chelsea Market (my favorite market) to buy fresh shrimp and live lobster to cook on the fire back at their apartment. The meal ended up being awesome (although a lot of work) and I was very glad I didn't venture to Times Square at sundown to sit and wait for hours in the cold like most tourists do.

Oren and I knew our potential of actually getting into Times Square was reduced significantly by not leaving Chelsea until 9:30 p.m. but we still wanted to try. So we walked (at a very brisk pace) all padded up in all the winter attire Eva and Philip could throw on us several miles to our destination. Unfortunately, the police kept blocking off the avenues we needed to turn down and we ended up with the late-comers at the last possible avenue you could turn down at the south end of Central Park. We still believed we could make it to the cross-section where you can make your way to Times Square, but not even a half-mile down the street they blocked it off. Initially I was very disappointed and on the verge of tears because I felt like if they let us through I could try with all my might to make my way to the ball. But, I had to accept that we were defeated by the law. There was no turning around either because the crowd behind us trapped us in. We had one of the many jumbo screens placed all around the Times Square vicinity right in front of us so we could still see Times Square and the ball. Although it wasn't the same, we were still out in the cold standing and waiting...doing the exact same thing about a million others were doing. Oren and I snuck in a couple Ozarka bottles half-way filled with Champagne. We slowly took some swigs of it to stay entertained and warm. Midnight came rather quickly and Oren and I shared a fabulous New Years Eve kiss...another experience at the top of my list! The one unique thing we had Times Square people didn't was the ability to watch the fireworks go off in Central Park. They were beautiful and it was nice to feel like waiting out there was worth while.

There is no better way I can think of to bring in the new year. Watching fireworks in New York City with the man of my dreams. (Sorry, I know it's corny but I really appreciate the happiness that has been brought to my life after some struggles) I hope everyone had their own wonderful celebration and I wish you and your families a very Happy New Year.

keeping up with boys

2008-12-18T12:54:00.002-06:00

I have to admit it. I've always had a little complex about feeling the need to keep up with boys in certain competitive arenas. I think it has to do with being an only girl surrounded by three brothers my entire life. No matter how much of a girlie girl I was and still am, I also tried to be like a boy when I was little too. If my brothers signed up at the YMCA for baseball, so did I. If they took violin lessons, I wanted to try too. Nothing comes even close to my competitive spirit as skiing does. I began skiing at the same age all my brothers did (I believe I joined the Buffalo Ski Club at Winter Park, Colorado when I was three). They may have longer legs or more endurance, but God knows I want to keep up with them! And the cool part about it is I think I do a damn fine job of skiing at the same difficulty level.

Two years ago, my oldest brother Ari convinced me to ski down a "yellow," which basically means it's uncharted terrain that is blocked off from the general public. There are all kinds of warning signs that tell you to enter at your own risk, be ware of avalanches, you hold sole responsibility for injuries, yada yada. It's basically an 85-degree angle slope full of rocks and trees and maybe a few patches of snow here and there. So, yeah, I have no clue why I thought it would be great. I basically slid down because you can't really ski with all that madness in the way. I remember thinking the whole time that I might die. Most people get a rush after completing something like that. I was just thankful to be alive and promised myself I would never do something that dangerous again. This is a perfect example of my complex. If any girl or non-peer asked me to do this I would have said "hell no!"

Well, last night was my office Christmas party. The company rented out a lovely ballroom in the Westin Galleria hotel. There was tons of food and the best part of every company party: an open bar. I work with two men (ages 37 and 41) who are huge beer oficionados. They have basically become like brothers to me and so...here goes my complex taking over my logic again.

These dudes are about twice my weight and probably have quadruple the alcohol tolerance I have. I am not a disillusioned idiot so I know there is no way to keep up with them. But I figured if I can drink about half the amount they do...it would be somewhat equal if you factor in the body weight and tolerance levels. I definitely had a good pace going. I believe in the four hours we were there I had four beers (maybe a bit more, I can't quite remember). I know most people would laugh at this number but I can seriously get drunk off of just one...especially on an empty stomach. Four is a lot for me! I'm usually feeling good at two and stop there.

The boys had anywhere between 8-10 and guess what? They hardly had buzzes going. It's crazy the differences. So of course I decided to be safe about it and called Oren to come get me so I didn't have to drive. I wasn't too drunk but I also know I didn't belong behind the wheel. Although I don't think I crossed my boundary in intoxication levels, I still feel a bit woozy today. My stomach isn't so happy with me and I have a mild case of nausea. I would have loved to just stay in bed this morning.

All in all, I don't think I let the guys down...not that it should matter anyway. I would be just fine, if not better, if I listened to my instincts more and my weird competitiveness less. I guess we all have our flaws. The real question here is, why do smart people decide to schedule parties with open bars in the middle of the week??? That's just bad for business.

Friends

2008-12-17T10:53:00.003-06:00

Is it me? Or does everyone secretly wish they could have a group of friends as great as the one NBC was able to create on its hit show "Friends" that lasted for ten seasons? I think it might just be a girl thing. However, it is a very appealing yet surprisingly unattainable concept.

I mean, think about it. The notion that seven human beings around the same age with very similar life circumstances that aren't tied down just happen to have tons of time on their hands outside of their "full-time jobs," where they can all meet up around the same time everyday to talk about nothing in particular, is pretty unrealistic to me. Yes, yes I know. That's why it's a show and not real life. But I bet you can talk to any girl who used to watch that show religiously and they will probably tell you that they would give anything to have a group exactly like that. Actually, they have probably already tried to create one because of that show.

The truth is, after college, we all have to grow up. We get real full-time jobs that exhaust us so much after the eight hours are over with that it takes all our might just to run a couple errands, work-out or make dinner each evening. The thought of repeatedly going to some friend's crib to hang out like nothing happened that day? I just don't know anyone that does that. And if you do have a significant other..they are the No. 1 priority to give your extra time to.

So really, the best anyone can do is have a close circle of friends that they see more realistically on an average of once per week, if that. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with friends and I feel that I have made quite a few new, good ones since I started dating Oren. He has two good buds with girls attached and we seem to have a great dynamic when we're all together.

Just last night my friend Kristi decided to throw an "end of semester" dinner party for our friend Janelle, who is taking some extra classes to further her career. Oren and I went and had a fabulous time. We ate some yummy grilled meats and veggies and pigged out on some cookies that are made from those awesome tubs of cookie dough that are usually sold as fundraisers. Good stuff. Then we played this hilarious game where you have to ask the person beside you a personal, and often embarrassing question. They have to answer yes or no and if you don't believe them, there is a "lie detector" where you can challenge their answer. If they are telling the truth according to the detector, you can move up on this board. If not, you have to stay behind.

We decided that the lie detector is seriously a crock and after a while we just all started answering the same question. It's interesting how much more you can learn about someone through this game because you would never normally blurt out questions like this on your own. The game actually makes it appropriate, which is awesome! I do warn couples though...you might not like what you hear when your partner has to answer something. Although its all in good fun and no one dwelled on any of their partner's answers for too long...it can be a little upsetting at times. Definitely don't play this game if you are the possessive or jealous type.

Last night got me thinking though. This is as close as I have come to having a group that resembles the Friends sitcom in a very long time. And definitely the first in my adult life outside of college. It's a good feeling to have a "group" where you can pick up where you left off no matter how much time has spanned between visits. It might not be everyday, but I almost think that's what makes the relationships even more fun and special.

Why can't Houston weather make up its mind?

2008-12-15T14:54:00.004-06:00

It's 2pm on a Tuesday and the temperature is currently 42 degrees outside. When I drove into work yesterday, it was 60 degrees dropping by 15 at noon. Sunday, it must have been in the upper 70's and it was so humid I felt like I was in a bath. I know this because I went to the Texans game (yay! we beat the Titans! No offense Vince Young.) Last week, it actually snowed. But the day before the snow fell, I remember leaving work in the 80-degree range. I don't want to even pretend I understand the trends of the sub-tropic weather patterns. All I know is this is the kind of weather that gets the general population sick, moi included.

So, as Oren likes to calculate the percentage of his health (he is also under the weather), I would rate myself at about 85%. I can feel my body trying to spiral down to a meager 20% but I am battling it out with lots of fluids and Emergen-C. That stuff works wonders. Or at least I think it does, although it could all be in my head. (Remember people, I also majored in psychology).

I hope Texans everywhere are staying warm and avoiding getting sick. For me, I think this is good preparation for Oren's and my trip to New York next week. Christmas in New York...how great does that sound???

OK, it's been way too long

2008-10-02T15:56:00.008-05:00

Wow, I have really been out of commission with this blog...I apologize deeply to my loyal readers (if you are still loyal). I feel like my life has been a whirlwind lately and I haven't had much time to sit and write, which is so important for me to do. So where do I begin?

Other than the damaging effects of Hurricane Ike to the Houston area and all the resulting power and traffic issues, Houston has been treating me pretty well. Thank God no one I know had devastating damage to their homes, but some people (Oren's parents to be exact) had no power for two entire weeks. What a pain in the butt. I am enjoying being closer to my parents and exploring all the things Houston has to offer. Thanks to Oren who really loves to experience things, it looks like I will be signing up for dance classes, attending my first opera and going to the Houston Rockets opener. How's that for variety?

Speaking of Oren, things are going really well there too. We are definitely in love and really enjoying being with each other. Time has flown so fast with our relationship I can't believe it's already been six months. He is pretty much the perfect guy for me. Sometimes I almost think he is me, but a boy. We think the same way, we're on the same intellectual level (well, he's much more of a nerd especially on the engineering end) and we like to do so many of the same things. One of the things I love most about him is that he has such a love for life. He never wastes a moment, always wanting to better himself and try new things. He really inspires me. Best of all, he's become my best friend. We talk to each other about everything and there is no hiding thoughts or holding back or any of those silly rules or games I practiced in my younger days. We also have the same core values, which I have learned the hard way is so, so important for a lasting relationship. So I am happy, and I feel very lucky to have him in my life. We recently got back from a romantic mini-trip to Ft. Lauderdale, where Oren planned everything as a birthday present. I felt very spoiled and had an amazing time. Here are some photos from the trip.

(on ft. lauderdale beach)

(oren's profile at sunset)

(beautiful water)

My job is going really well too. I have been there about 5 1/2 months and I think I have gotten really good at it. I hardly have questions anymore and I have received several compliments on my quick progress by people from pretty high up in the company. My goal is to become an editor within two years and right now it's looking very possible. I'm finally at a place where not only has it stayed interesting and kept me challenged, but I really enjoy the people I work with and for. My managing editor is awesome. He feels more like a brother than a boss most of the time. And when he has to be a boss, he is so patient and respectful. It's a wonderful change from my last jobs.

That's about all with me. I hope this blog finds you all well and happy. It's Fall, my favorite season!!

Real Life Update

2008-05-29T12:27:00.004-05:00

It's not every day that almost immediately after beginning a new job you get to take a vacation, but that is exactly what I did! I had a trip planned about a month before my niece was born to go out to San Francisco and help Ari and Rachel for a week after all their other help died down. I told my supervisors about this trip during my second interview and told them I could always change something around if it affected my potential to get the job. But they are both really cool people and told me that would be fine. One awesome thing about my company is that the option to take vacation time begins right away rather than having to accrue it through a certain amount of hours worked. I also get 14 days within my first year, which is unheard of for journalists! Unfortunately, I came in with about 6 months to go before the beginning of a new fiscal year so I received a prorated 7.5 days of vacation until December rolls around. That's OK though because my trip to San Fran was totally worth it!

I got in on Monday, May 19 and finally got to meet my beautiful niece, Sasha, in person. She was exactly 1 month old but still pretty tiny. Rachel and Sasha met me at the airport and although Sasha was asleep, it was the perfect greeting. I just stared at her in amazement and disbelief of her very mini features while Rachel recorded my reaction for Ari to see later. Sasha was wearing a onesie I bought for her at a cute store that says "My Auntie Rocks." It was so cute to see her in it.

Hopefully by now most of you have seen my hundred or so pictures from my trip but here is one of my favorites that we took on my first day...

Isn't she precious??? I have to say that bonding with Sasha was a really amazing experience. Even if some it involved me changing her poopy diapers or her vomiting on almost every outfit I wore, it all seemed OK because she was so cute and I love her so much! Many times while she was awake, she would just stare at me with such innocent curiosity and looking back at her would physically make my heart ache. There aren't many times in life you get to experience the good kind of heart aches.

Throughout my visit, I spent lots of time with Rachel since Ari was back at work. We would run different errands and Sasha would come along. We walked around Sausalito quite a bit, which I never mind doing because it's seriously one of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion. We ate at some really yummy restaurants too. The one that stands out the most was called Burma Superstar which is in the city and Oren highly recommended it to me so I was determined to eat there even though for dinner there tends to be a line out the door and sometimes parties don't get seated for hours. Thankfully, Ari called an hour and a half ahead of time to get our name on the list and we only waited about 10 minutes after we arrived. The food was amazing and very different. I'm not sure I've ever tried Burmese food before this.

We also got a chance to meet up with my cousin, Devin, who lives in Berkley. I have always wanted to see that town so we drove there and ate at a world-famous pizzeria called Zachary's. Man, was that pizza delicious! I will never forget it. It was also really good to catch up with Devin since we don't chat on a regular basis.

On my last day (Sunday), Ari and I woke up and ran the length back and forth of the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. The total distance is around 4 miles but it was so easy to run because I was so distracted by the amazing scenery around me. Not only do you get a great view of the city of San Francisco, but you got a great view of Sausalito and the water. We had a really good time running and taking pictures every so often on the bridge. Thanks Ari for slowing down your pace for me...I promise I once ran a half marathon!

Overall, I had a great trip. It went by way too fast and I didn't get much sleep since I tried to help out as much as I could at night. But it was so nice to spend some time only one year later in San Francisco with my wonderful brother and sister-in-law and my adorable new niece.

Now that I am back at my job, things are slowly but surely progressing. This week I've gotten to do a lot more hands-on things rather than just sitting and observing. The massive amount of information and instructions are also beginning to absorb into my brain so that's good. Today I attempted to write an entire story on my own, which my editor did not expect me to do. He was happy if I just began a story! It was pretty hard, but I think I did alright. We'll see once it's edited. As they say in Spain: Poco a poco (little by little).

And last but not least...the love life news! Things with Oren are going really well. It's been exactly a month now since we became a couple and we are still having a lot of fun. We try to see each other a few times during the week and do a lot of stuff together on the weekends. We seem to mesh really well personality-wise and like to do a lot of the same things. Needless to say, I really like the bloke! Here is a picture of us from one of his music shows where he played the guitar and sang for three hours!:

That's about all with me. I hope this post finds you all happy and well! Drop me a line when you can. Besos!

Lots of News!

2008-05-02T14:25:00.003-05:00

Hello All! It's been a while since I've made a post but that's because so many things have been up in the air since I got back from Spain. It took me some time to re-adjust to the "states" and to figure out what was next. I hope all is well in your lives. Here is a little bit of what is going on with me...

First and foremost, baby Sasha Rose is here! I am so pumped to be an auntie and she is one of the most gorgeous newborns I've ever seen (no bias here!). This photo is from her birth day, April 20, 2008. I learned from a movie that the literal translation of "to give birth" in Italian is dare alla luce, which means to give to the light. This photo reminds me of that translation. Welcome to the light, my beautiful niece.

I am going to San Francisco to help the new parents out May 19-25th so the anticipation is pretty high for me. I can't wait to meet Sasha in person.

In other news, I got a job offer I couldn't refuse (little Godfather reference for ya there)! It is a publication writer position for a company called IHS. It's a major information company that focuses on the petroleum industry. I will be writing in daily wires, weekly reports and monthly publications catering mostly to all the geologist-types out there. It will be a new challenge as I will be learning about an entirely new subject matter and I will be learning some technical writing, which is a very valuable asset to have as a writer. Here is a link to the web site if you want to take a look: http://www.ihs.com. I start May 12 and I am going to be paid pretty well for only being in the real world a couple of years. Me alegra!! (This makes me happy.)

Also, there is a new boy in the picture. ;) His name is Oren and he lives here in Houston. He's a technical engineer for Schlumberger and a musician on the side. And for all my family members you might want to sit down for this...he is actually Jewish! He's Israeli-American and has dual citizenship. Fluent in both Hebrew and English and just really one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. We made things official yesterday and it's been a lot of fun so far! I promise to keep you all posted.

Whew! I think that's about all. Looks like Houston is my new home for a good while, which my mom is pleased about. I want to hear from all of you and I wish you all love.

Hasta Luego, España

2008-02-23T07:34:00.004-06:00

Well, I can't believe it but my journey is coming to an end here in lovely Spain. It feels like last month that I was writing to tell everyone I booked my flight to come here, and in exactly 6 days I will be flying back home to Houston. I am going through a huge range of emotions as I close up my life here. I am torn between not wanting to leave and being so excited to see my family, friends and pets that I left behind. My mom said it the best. I have created my own little family here in a country that I have come to love and have called home for the past half year. That it is never easy to build such strong bonds and connections and then just leave it...but just because I am physically leaving it I have these new and fabulous people in my life that I hope will remain life-long friends. We can visit each other in our respective countries as well as have reunions in new places none of us have ever been. And as for Spain, well, I have so many memories that will stay close in my heart for the rest of my life. I also plan to come back here at least a few more times in my life.

I'd like to send a few shot-outs to some people who have really made my experience here that much more enriching and made me feel a little less crazy! First of all...mom and dad-you supported me financially to come here and I would not be here if it weren't for your help with that. Your investment was so much more than money...it was your faith in me and your wanting me to experience the best that life has to offer. You didn't question me once when I randomly told you I want to live in Spain. I can't begin to tell you how much your love and support has helped me to bloom and grow in this process of soul-searching. You are my best friends and I love you so much.

All three of my brothers-I know we didn't talk too much while I was away but each time we did, you're pride in me definitely kept me going. In return, I was so proud to tell people about you and how I am so lucky to have such wonderful siblings. And Ari and Rachel-thanks for making me an auntie!! Getting the news through a transatlantic call will always stay in my memory. I can't wait to meet my new niece.

Grandpa-thanks for all your articles you found in the papers that had anything to do with Bilbao or Spain and sending them to me. It kind of amazed me how often this great country and city came up in the U.S. news. Your interest in my trip really made me appreciate that much more what a great place in which I was living. Of course all your emails made several of my days too!

Diana-thanks for all the awesome greeting cards you sent my way...you must have sent one like every 2 weeks...that takes a lot of thought and persistence and I loved getting so much snail mail. The people at the institute said I was the most popular student they had ever had when it came to getting mail...thanks to you!

Eva-we had our bumpy times especially when I first got out here but man how much we have grown...I don't know too many people that would take the time or effort to work on their relationship over an ocean mostly through email and a few phone calls just to try to make things right. Your sacrifice to come visit me...I can't even put in words how much that means. You completed what was already an awesome experience in Spain and now we have technically finally traveled together. I hope we have many more oppotunities to come.

And all my other family and friends....thank you for checking in on me, for supporting me and for making me so excited to come back and see your beautiful faces. I know it's hard to leave Spain but you all make it easier because I know I have some amazing people in my life to come back to.

Para todas mis amigas en España- madre mia, voy a echaros de menos. Estais en mi corazon para siempre. Gracias por todo y yo lo se que nos vemos pronto. Os amo!

With all that said...I thought I would list out some of the things I am going to miss and not so much miss about Spain:

I won't miss the noisey bar beneath my bedroom that kept me up or woke me up several nights. I also won't miss the never-ending construction above our flat that several times I believed the roof would come crashing down on me. Really...Spain is pretty noisey and I won't miss it at all! I won't miss having to always look down when I am walking outside in order to dodge the endless piles of dog poop or puddles of pee. The Arabs on Calle San Francisco whistling and saying nasty things as I walked by. Always smelling like smoke because everyone and their dog smokes here. I definitely won't miss my teaching job (although it was good experience). Always being cold in the flat. Fighting to use the washing machine and never having room on the drying rack. Not being able to watch TV when I wanted to. The 25 minute train ride to and from my job. Never having enough money! People (directors of schools in particular) being a bit on the flaky side. Beds breaking in the flat almost once a month. The sometimes very constant rain and my pants always getting soaked. Getting sick almost every other month. Having to pay for the internet and having to go to internet cafes to use it every time. The endless trips to the supermarket...I never seemed to have enough food! Being homesick at least a little bit the whole time I was here.

I will miss my friends first and foremost. I'll miss the amazing food, especially the tortilla! I'll miss Nikki's awesome selection of DVD's and Bristish chic lit novels. I'll miss my yoga classes where I continued to work on my Spanish and my emotional state...my instructor was awesome and I will truly miss his wisdom. I'll miss going out to all the bars and discos and dancing like there is no tomorrow. I'll miss kissing and dancing with random, beautiful Spanish men in the discos. I'll miss Casco Viejo, the Nervion River (and running along it), Zubiarte, menus del dia, chocolate con churros, pintxos y vino, short weekend trips to other cities. My friends...I'll miss speaking Spanish and learning Spanish. I'll miss the beautiful beaches where it's normal to go topless and fall asleep for hours. Dinners and lunches with my friends. The awesome fashion and shopping. The cheap chinese stores where you could find anything and everything. My friends.... My flat and all the flatmates I have had over the course of 6 months. Hilde's massages. The sunny, clear-blue days. The view of the beautiful moutains in every direction I walk. The Umbrella song (amigas- vosotras sabeis!) Kalimotxos, Sangria, Txakoli and all the lovely and cheap La Rioja wine. The alioli at Asia di Roma. Cafe con leche. Have I mentioned my friends? Catching up each evening with Nikki. Nikki and me swtiching off making dinner for each other. Nikki helping to undress me when I was too tired or drunk. My side trips to Paris and England. The fresh organic fruit store five feet away from my flat. The fresh bakery with awesome bread four steps away from my flat. The nice pharmacy lady across the street who always gave me the good drugs to make whatever illness I had go away. Most of all...I'll miss my friends.

I could go on forever but I will stop there. I truly did have the time of my life here and I am actually really proud of myself for making it more successful than I could ever hope for. I feel I have done enough soul-searching to really know myself again and that is priceless.

What's next you all ask? Well....as always, I don't have a definite answer. I have lots of ideas and promise to keep you posted. In the meantime I plan to see where life takes me next. It is after all, an adventure.

Eva's visit to Spain

2008-02-20T06:44:00.007-06:00

(Me and Eva in Plenzia)

On February 13, Eva took the very long flight from New York to visit me for 5 1/2 days in Spain and we used every single minute possible to soak it all up! Before this trip it had been almost a year since we had last seen each other and even then it wasn't under the best circumstances as we were attending the funeral of a very close family member. It was about time we spent some quality time together and remember what it is like to be the two crazy best friends we have been beginning from the age of ten. We have also been dying to travel together and although it's hard being a poor, post-graduate with hardly any vacation time this was a great glimpse of what it would be like. I am so thankful she made the financial and time investment to come see me...I have so many cherished memories from her trip that I will never forget.

So on Wednesday, I went to pick Eva up from the airport after a pretty significant delay. We got started with our day by going to the Guggenheim since that is basically the most crucial thing to see in Bilbao. This was only my second visit and I was once again taken away with the beauty of the structure. It is just so magestic. The main exhibit was called Art in America, which was pretty funny since we both have a good idea of the American classic artists. Also, a lot of the things in the exhibit were things that came from New York museums and Eva had already seen a good amount! Oh well, she still loved seeing it all. After that, we took the funicular up Mt. Artxanda so she could get a good view of the entire city. We went at a beautiful hour where the sun was just beginning to set.

(view from Artxanda)

After taking lots of photos we went a beautiful cafe/restaurant called Txakoli...named after the yummy Basque white wine. I made her try her first Kalimotxo (coke with red wine) and she really liked it. We also ate a few snacks. Finally we headed back to the flat to freshen up and then made our way to Casco Viejo for a lovely dinner of the best pintxos in town at Cafe Bar Bilbao. I treated Eva as a birthday gift (her birthday was in November). As I suspected, she absolutely loved the pintxos. We shared a bottle of Txakoli and I got thoroughly drunk. Then I took her to a different restaurant where I don't like the food but the desserts are amazing. Finally we made it to bed to get some rest for the next day.

On Valentine's Day, Eva and I took a nice day trip to Plenzia-a small beach front town about 35 minutes from Bilbao. It is the last stop on the Bilbao metro and I had always wanted to see it. Since we went in the middle of the day we were just about the only people walking around. Everyone else was either at work or taking siesta so it was kind of neat...it felt like the town was ours. As you walk off the metro there is a near bridge that takes you over a river that is full of little tug boats. It seems almost every person who lives in that town must have a boat and they all just park them in the river.

(sunset in Plenzia)

Other than walking around, eating a lovely menu del dia and walking on the beach, there wasn't much else to do. After a few hours we headed back to Bilbao. We socialized with all my roommates for an hour or so. It was really funny because our kitchen is the smallest room in the flat and we could have all sat in the living room but instead as more people began to join us, they took chairs from the living room and put them in the kitchen. It was really cute, you had to see it. Finally, Eva and I went out to a Valentine's dinner at a beautiful modern restaurant called Viva Bilbao where we had some of the most interesting dishes with the most interesting types of food. Eva had a tasting menu where her first coarse was in the shape of a lolipop that was frozen foie gras with this interesting sweet sauce. She also had a dish that was kangaroo...it was actually pretty good. I ate a yummy duck dish that was more of a mediterranean style with figs and fried onion. We both shared everything and it was really enjoyable. We also shared a bottle of the Spanish Cava Champagne and got a really good cheesecake dessert in the shape of a heart.

On Friday, we stayed in Bilbao and made it a shopping day. I took Eva to all the best spots like the Gran Via and Casco Viejo. We both ended up buying a purse from a famous store here called Mi Sa Ko...where all the purses are very original and are made in the Catalonia province of Spain. We took a short break at a nice place called Cafe y Te where we both had some good tea and where I had her try some tortilla...a type of pintxo (one of my favorites)made with potatos and egg. We shopped until all the stores closed and finally went back to the flat to chill for a while. Then my friends came with us to the karaoke bar because Eva really wanted to see what a Spanish one would be like. We found some English songs to sing and Eva was a hit among the crowd. They all applauded each time she sang...she really has a great singing voice.

On Saturday all my girlfriends came with us to San Sebastian. I had been here once before but I was still so jetlagged that I found a beach and fell asleep for practically the whole time! This time I really wanted to see the town because it is said to be the most beautiful city in northern Spain. After a nice hour long bus ride, we walked for a long time around the sea.

(the girls in San Sebastian)

We took a short break at a cafe and shopped a little for souvenirs. We saw the beautiful port area and then walked into the old town where there were some amazing stores. We all bought a treat from the pasteleria (bakery). They were all divine. Then we went to one of the main beaches...The Concha, where we found a beautiful cafe on the beach. Unfortunately, we had to wait about an hour to be seated and the menu del dia was not very good but we still enjoyed being in a beautiful environment and talking and resting. After a long lunch, we headed back to the buses. After eating some pasta for dinner, we all got ready to go out to some discos. All of our friends came to pre-drink at our flat and then we went to two different discos...we couldn't go all night because we were so tired but we managed to stay out until about 3am. Eva loved seeing the different environments and differents music that can change so dramatically from one disco to the next.

On Sunday, we all woke up again and all the girls went on a daytrip to Santander...another beach front city I had always wanted to see. The bus ride was a little longer this time but it was good to fit some naps in. We walked along the sea for a while and then found a little cafe that offered boat rides to different parts of the city. We sat in the cafe and had some good cafe con leche and some really awesome tortilla with chorizo. Then we walked to the port area and then walked back in time to catch the next boat. It was such a beautiful day to be on the water and under the sun. We went to the complete other side of the city where we found a beach and played for about an hour. It was so cute to see all the girls running around and jumping in the water with all the their clothes on. Eva and I started doing cartwheels on the beach and cheerleading jumps. It has been so long since we have done any of those that we were really sore the next day!

(cartwheels on the beach in Santander)

After getting burned out from all those cartwheels, we found a restaurant with a good menu del dia. Although there were some items on the menu that they ran out of, we still all had some of the most tasty meals we had ever had. Eva got her paella she had been craving too! After lunch, we headed back to the boat to get to the other side of town where we went back to the buses. After getting back, Eva and I went back out into Bilbao to do some more shopping for gifts for her to bring back home. We also decided to have a very late dinner at a lovely place near the Guggenheim called Tapelia. We ate some more lovely pintxos and a really good salad. Then, unfortunately Eva had to begin packing up. We finally went to bed after she was all packed.

The next day, we woke up and talked for a long time during breakfast. We went into town so I could buy a cheap bag that I could pack some of my things in for her to bring back with her to NY so I could avoid dealing with having too much luggage when I come home. We'll see if I still have a problem...probably. Then I took her to get chocolate con churros because you can't come to Spain and not have those. She loved it of course! Sadly, our time together came to an end. I took her back to the airport where we sat and chatted until I had to get on the bus in order to make it to work.

We were both so glad she came to visit, regardless of how short the trip was. She came when we had some of the most beautiful weather ever since I had lived in Bilbao. It was mostly clear blue skies each day and it usually warmed up enough to not need a jacket. I know this was an experience neither of us are ever going to forget and I was so grateful to have a visitor that could see my life here and meet some of the amazing friends I have made along the way.

Vive Barcelona

2008-01-30T06:19:00.000-06:00

(At Catalunia National Museum looking out on the city)

So, I'm basically in love with Barcelona. I don't know if it was the phenomenal weather, the amazing company that came along or the enchantment of the city that made it so spectacular but it was probably a little bit of everything. By far, Barcelona has been my favorite experience in Spain and my favorite city. I could definitely see myself living there one day or at least taking a nice, long vacation. My girls Nikki and Hege came along this time and we decided to save time and take a flight out from Bilbao Friday morning around 8am and return Sunday night around 10:30pm in order to get the maximum time in. We were warned how big the city was and how there were tons of things to do. The one set-back was that we wanted to celebrate our friend Hilde's birthday before we left since it fell on Friday so we had a party for her at our flat Thursday night. A little dumb I know...we ended up only getting about 2.5 hours of sleep before we had to wake up and get to the airport! You can only imagine how tired we were...we actually had bouts of dilerium that made it super funny. Hege couldn't stop giggling at every single thing she saw and I became grandiose saying things like I was so thirsty I wanted to drink all of Barcelona. Yea, I know. Nikki stayed pretty level headed, which is a good thing because she was the one who planned the trip and was trying to always figure out where we were going next. I did manage to make her laugh quite a bit though.

Each day there, the sky was clear blue (that is rare in Bilbao) and the sun was shining so much that by the end of each morning, we no longer needed to wear a jacket. Now, how is that possible in the end of January? The best part about this trip was although we didn't see every single thing we wanted to see, we really enjoyed everything because we made sure to relax and sit in places, taking in the scenery, having a cold drink and just talking. Usually I feel frantic trying to get it all in to where I now realize I tend to not enjoy it as much. This time, we just let go a little bit, chilled a little bit more and I have to say this is the way to go. I think it also helped that we were all girls and all wanted to do the same things. Dynamics are very important I have learned.

So when we first arrived to Barcelona, we took a bus to Plaza Catalunya, which is the center of town. Then we walked to our lovely hostal in Old Town called Hostal Avinyo. Although still a little shabby, it was better than the one in Madrid with lots more space. Finally we set out to do some sight-seeing. We walked down the famous Rambla...a large street full of performance artists, cafes outdoors, shops, just about everything you can think of. There is always something to look at on this road and you will never be bored. Everything is just so alive. We walked all the way down to the port (Port Vell) and then realized we needed to turn back around in order to make it to our lunch reservation. We walked up the Rambla to the famous food market called the Boqueria. This place was so cool. Overwhelming amounts of fresh food and cute little bars in different parts of the markets where you got to eat some of the hand-selected fresh food from the market that was cooked right before your eyes. Somehow I was able to make a reservation at Bar Pinotxo before we got to Barcelona thinking that this place was closed-in and there were actual tables. I was wrong. It was in the center of the wildness of the market with maybe 10 little bar stools that were completely filled. We mentioned we had a reservation but it didn't help much. We eventually all got to sit down but it was quite a hassle. We enjoyed the famous Spanish champagne called Cava and ate some of the Catalunian delicacies. I ate a really good sausage thing. Then we wandered around the market for a while before moving on.

(Bar Pinotxo)

Then we headed back down the Rambla toward the port once again where we took a seat on one of the coolest bridges I have ever seen and watched the boats and rested for a while. Then we headed to the Ciutadella park which is known for some of its beautiful architecture, a zoo and a nice area with fountains and paddle boats. We walked around as the sun was setting and decided to get in one of the boats to take in the beautiful ambiance. It was nice peaceful until Hege took us under a low-suspended bridge that almost decapated my head! That was fun trying to get through. Finally we headed back to the hostal, took a short nap because we were past the point of functioning and woke back up to eat dinner. We ended up finding a place in the Old Town called Fondo that was this beautiful, split level wooded restaurant filled with red lanterns. The food was delicious and cheap. I had a yummy salad and roast lamb. Then we called it a night so we could catch up on our sleep to enjoy the next day.

On Saturday we had a nice breakfast near our hostal and then headed to Monjuic, which is a big mountain that looks over the city. We took a cable car all the way up to see the Castle Monjuic. It was beautiful. You could see sea and the ports and just about everything. We hung out there for quite a while and even had a few drinks enjoying the view. Then we walked around to find the site of the 1992 Olympic stadium and other facilities. It was pretty cool to walk into the stadium and look around. I believe we had another drink around there and then made our way to the Catalunia National Museum. This was an amazing piece of architecture. Outside, there was live music playing so we sat down again and gave an interview to a sociologist. Then we met this cool Italian dude who was selling some pretty glass jewelry and bought some things and chatted with him. Then we walked down to Plaza Espanya,where they have a famous fountain and light show on the weekend and which we sadly missed.

Finally we went to eat some yummy Mediterranean food (my favorite) at Babilonia Braseria where I had some Shwarma and hummus. It wasn't the best but it satisfied my craving. Then we finally saw the much anticipated Church of Sagrada Familia, created by the famous Guadi. It is said to be the "Bible in stone." It is still not finsihed although the construction began in 1882. There are contantly additions being added and supposedly it is not supposed to be complete for another 50 years. This is the most intricate building I have ever seen in my life. Now I understand why it is so famous.

(Sagrada Familia)

We then continued on the "Gaudi tour" heading back to Passeig de Gracia (famous for shopping and the best stores around), where several of his masterpieces stand. We saw the Casa Batlló and the Casa Mila on this street. Then we rested at a Starbucks...yes I gave in for the second time since I've been away. Then we went back to Plaza Espanya where we thought we would see the fountain and light show but sadly discovered we missed it. So then we walked all the way along Gran Via, which was nothing like the ones in Bilbao and Madrid. It took such a long time that we took Nikki's phone out and began singing along to her MP3s. We're dorks. Finally we reached a famous cocktaileria called Boada's Cocktails, where I had my first Cosmopolitian since I have been away. It was a nice bar but very small and very crowded and smokey so we didn't stay long. Then I dragged the girls to a famous tapas bar that I really wanted to try only to find it was closed. But we were in the Gothic area and there were several other places to choose from. We ended up at an old tavern called La Taverna del Born on Born Street, a famous street in Barcelona, and ate some really delicious tapas. Then we called it a night after doing a load of walking that day.

The next morning, we woke up and decided to eat breakfast on the Rambla at one of the cute little cafes. Then we headed up to Park Guell, which was a good 30 minute bus ride. This is also known as Guadi's park as he actually lived in a pink "Alice in Wonderland" house he created in the middle of this botanical haven. We walked around and sat at his famous winding benches. That was my favorite part. There was a man playing the sax with all the classic songs and everyone was just sunbathing and relaxing.

(Guadi's benches)

Then we headed back to eat lunch in the Old Town at one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona called Can Culleretes founded in 1786. They are known for their very interesting combinations of Mediterranean food. I had goose with apples. It was delicious. Then we headed to our last destination: the beach in Barceloneta. This was so beautiful. The pictures don't really do it justice. We found this cool bar on the beach called IceBarcelona, where for 15 Euros you can walk into a bar constructed totally of ice with a temperature of -7 degrees celcius and have a cocktail made with Absolute Vodka. We gave in because we were so curious and I had seen a news report on it once and wanted to try it. We put on these really furry, warm clothes and stayed for about 30 minutes. It was about all we could handle. But I have to say it was literally one of the "coolest" experiences of my life. Then we stayed a little while on the beach before heading back to Bilbao.

This was definitely a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. Next on the agenda is a visit from my little New Yorker, Eva. She will arrive Feb. 13. I am very excited. :)

Cheers to England

2008-01-10T03:48:00.000-06:00

(Westminister Abbey)

After leaving Paris I made my way to England on a Thursday evening . Nikki and her family were kind enough to pick me up from London-Heathrow Airport and transport me back to their home in Reading, about 45 minutes south of London. They live in a nice community similar to those you would see in the suburbs of the U.S. I had a chance to unwind and speak with her parents. Let me tell you, it was really nice communicating in English to everyone again! Nikki’s parents are both Scottish so at times I still felt like I was listening to a foreign language and of course there are all those fantastic British expressions that you sort of know what they mean but you never hear nor say them so you are caught off guard. But her family was lovely and I was so appreciative to have a place to stay and to feel at home.

After getting a good night’s sleep, Nikki and I woke up and made our way to London on a train. We had pretty bad luck (actually, we had quite a bit of bad luck the whole trip) by getting on the train that stopped a million times so it took that much longer to reach our destination. Once we got to the London Paddington station at about noon, we went into the Underground, also called the “Tube,” which is supposedly a vital London experience. We went all the way to Westminister and as we walked up to ground level, we saw the glorious Westminister Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben right in front of us. Also in front of us and everywhere around us was a hoard of tourists just like us moving every which way and making it very difficult to walk on Westiminister Bridge. After taking tons of pictures in not the best light (it was threatening to rain), we walked across the bridge at a snail’s pace, checked on our tickets for later to take the London Eye tour and then walked along Whitehall Street. We found a great little British pub to eat lunch where I ate the obligatory fish and chips. For those of you who don’t know, chips are French fries and actual chips are “crisps.” I think I finally got that down! I had the strange option of choosing garden peas or “mushy” peas with my meal and had no clue what to say to that so I went with the garden variety to be safe. Later I saw on another’s plate that the “mushy” peas looked like a blob of boogers so I was reassured by my initial choice. After lunch, we continued down Whitehall Street where we saw endless beautiful buildings (mainly ministries and central offices). We took a short venture into St. James’ Park-one of the many royal parks in London. Even on a dreary day, the park was beautiful and I had to take at least 5 photos of these amazing white pelicans on the water. Then, we continued and found Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister lives. Of course the street is blocked off by iron gates and closely patrolled by lots of security guards. Nikki and I were trying to peer down and see the actual building he lives in because it supposedly has a number “10” on the door. We think we found it but our eyes weren’t completely accurate from the distance where we were standing. We continued on and saw the famous soldiers on their horses in front of the military museum. Lots of tourists were taking pictures next to them, and of course the soldiers aren’t allowed to pay attention or even change their facial expressions. I decided to be one less torturous tourist and pass on being in the picture with one. By this point it was time to go do our London Eye package deal tour.

The first part of the tour was on a boat that took us along the Thames River and explained all the famous buildings, architecture, and the beautiful and very unique bridges. We also were served a free glass of mulled wine, which was nice to have the warmth since we decided to go to the top of the boat in the open air on a cold day. We saw all the necessary things such as Shakespeare’s Globe, London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the funny-shaped city hall. We really enjoyed hearing the stories and background to all these famous sites. Then we took the actual London Eye, which is basically a gigantic ferris wheel except you walk into enclosed little pods rather than an open-air seat. The “flight” lasted about 30 minutes and it got dark immediately after stepping into our pod. This meant pictures were impossible as the flash reflected against the glass of the pod and if you didn’t have a tripod (because who brings those on a flight?) it was pretty much too dark to capture the magnificent sight of the city of London lit up at night. I tried putting my camera down on a surface and taking long exposures and some came out OK but I was still glad we saw it in the dark because it was gorgeous. As soon as we walked off, it began to rain. And rain. And rain. We had to buy some umbrellas because we were getting drenched and we tried to move on with our sight-seeing. We walked to Trafalgar Square, where a beautiful Christmas tree was lit up. We didn’t stay long because the rain made it impossible to take pictures. Then we kept trekking because we wanted to at least see Buckingham Palace before giving up. We finally got there after I received a nice huge splash of rainwater from a car all over my body. The place was bigger than I had imagined and it looked so royal. I tried once again to take some photos with raindrops on the lens. Oh well, at least I saw it in person. Finally, we ventured back to Reading where we passed out not too long after. As they would say in England, we were “shattered.”

The next day, Nikki and I got on a train once again and went to Bath, England- a World Heritage Site City, Nikki’s college town and home of the famous Roman Baths. While Nikki went to the eye doctor I strolled along the charming town and found this beautiful store selling the famous Bath glass. Just as Venice is known for its glass in Italy, Bath is the equivalent for England. The range of free-blown glassware and jewelry reflects the color and elements of the historic spa waters of the Roman Baths. Let’s not talk about how much money I spent there. After meeting back up with Nikki, we decided to take a bus tour of the town. It took as all around, explaining the ancient Georgian heritage and some famous people who lived there including Jane Austen. It was a great tour. After having a nice lunch next to a fire, we set off for the Bath Market where you could find just about anything and everything. They say you can’t leave the market without buying at least one thing. Of course I ended up buying a used book for one pound. Can’t pass up a deal like that! Later I gave into my American indulgence and made a quick stop at Starbuck’s (the first time in four months people!) and it was delicious. Then we got on a second tour bus that was supposed to take us up into the hills of the town to see the skyline and other important places, including the campus of Bath University. Of course it hit 4pm and quickly got dark and it was raining so we didn’t get to really see that much. When we got off we finally made our way to the Roman Baths but to our disappointment, the last entrance had closed about 15 minutes earlier. Well, I was super upset because I really wanted to see it. I mean, who goes to visit Bath and doesn’t see the baths? So Nikki and I walked around the building and walked into the gift shop, which was still open and I began flipping through books hoping to get some idea of how it looks inside. Then Nikki saw an entrance to the museum portion of the building and a woman at the information desk. We walked over to see if there was any way we could get in. The woman apologetically nodded her head and said, “Not today.” We saw two other girls just as disappointed and Nikki saw them walk down some stairs so she followed them and then yelled my name. Well…there were some bathrooms down the stairs but if you keep going there is an entrance into the baths and no one was guarding the entry area! After the girls disappeared in the crowd Nikki told me to go with her down the stairs. Now, if you know Nikki she is a very proper girl who abides by all rules and would never think to do anything dishonest so this caught me by surprise because although it is something I might have done I didn’t even think about it until she told me to go in with her! So yes, we were those two criminal girls who snuck into the Roman Baths! It was actually pretty exhilarating and there were still tons of people around so we totally blended in. We were still a little wary we might get caught so we tried to play the dumb foreigner card and began speaking in Spanish. The funny thing about that though is that we heard lots of real Spaniards around us speaking much better than we were and we sounded like phonies. Isn’t this a great story? Well, we wandered around for about 20 minutes and we saw the majority of the baths. It was really neat to see and tempting to get into some of them because the steam coming off the water made you want to get in. We took some photos and finally escaped right back out. I even bought some official bath water from the gift shop to remember this very funny occasion of seeing the Roman Baths. Later we went into some shops Nikki wanted to see and then she took me to a place that is known for their amazing fudge. She thought it might be closed but we would try. We got there and the door was locked but the owner was sweeping the floor and saw our looks of disappointment and opened the doors just for us. Nikki said at this point, “Emily, I think our luck is changing!” So we bought some delicious fudge and then headed back to Reading. That night we decided to go to a movie (it was lovely seeing a movie in English) called St. Trinians-a British comedy. We really enjoyed the film.

(those sneaky girls in the Roman Baths)

The next day was a bit more relaxed. We were pretty pooped from taking trains into far-away cities and traveling all day long so we decided to take it easy, sleep in a little and then take a little drive to Windsor (which was less than 30 minutes away) and see the famous Windsor Castle. This is where the queen usually spends most of her weekends and other important occasions. The majority of the castle is open to the public (with a hefty fee of course) so we decided to take a tour of the place. It was everything you would expect a castle to be like, huge with all its fortresses and separate buildings and cathedral. We walked around the outside and inside the walls and finally went in to see the residence rooms. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the inside so I will just have to keep it in my memory but it was absolutely beautiful, full of ornate and royal décor and some of the most amazing art pieces hung on the walls. It was neat to get a feel for how today’s royalty lives and see a place that is still a real, working castle. On our way back, we stopped for a Cornish pasti, which is this awesome pastry thing with meat and potatoes and other yummy things inside. Supposedly they are really popular in England so of course I had to try it. That evening back in Reading, we decided to go see some of Nikki’s friends at a local pub but right before we left Nikki got sick. She still insisted on going for some reason and was sick about two more times at the pub so I made her call her dad to come pick us up…poor girl.

I’m pretty sure it was a 12-hour bug because the next day she basically felt normal again. We continued on with our plans to take a train to Portsmouth, where Nikki’s friend Caroline lives and where we were going to spend New Year’s Eve. I got the chance to meet all of her closest friends, play some drinking games, eat some pizza and then get ready for the theme party of James Bond “007 into 008” at a club in the center of town. We got all dressed up and the boys were all wearing tuxes or suits. We found a great little spot inside the club where we could sit and talk. Some of us danced while others stayed in our little area and all of us had lots to drink! We had a great time and it was nice to get to know all of Nikki’s friends. We stayed the night at Caroline’s and actually went to bed at the decent hour of 3am.

On New Year’s Day we headed back on the train to Reading. After some much-needed relaxation we ate a lovely dinner at Nikki’s house with her family. The table was beautifully decorated and I got to experience a family tradition of pulling a string out of a basket in the middle of the table, which at the end of the string was a gift. Supposedly the tradition started in Nikki’s dad’s side of the family in Scotland a long time ago. I got a beautiful necklace. I thought that was a really neat thing to do on New Year’s. After eating a lovely meal, we tried to play with these whistles that came in those New Year’s crackers that you pull and something pops out. Supposedly if everyone had a whistle, you could actually make music by following directions to particular songs. We weren’t very successful. Rather, Nikki’s brother made fun of me and then her dad decided to put the whistles in his eyes…well I had to take a picture so here it is!

We followed with more family games until we were all “shattered.” It really was a great day to bring in the New Year.

The next day we slept in a little and then went into the town of Reading. It’s funny how I had stayed there the past 5 days but hadn’t actually seen the town until my final day there. I guess we went backwards in a sense. We took a bus into town and went to the main shopping center. It was really nice and big and we spent some time wandering around some stores. Then I saw a Chili’s and got really excited! I haven’t eaten in an actual American restaurant for a long time, unless you count Burger King which I’ve only had once. The meal cost twice as much as in America, but that’s England for you. It was all worth it. I took my flight back to Bilbao with a full tummy and a sense of accomplishment after a very busy two weeks of traveling around two separate countries.

I will never forget my experiences during this trip and I have lots of photos to go with it! Next on the travel itinerary is Barcelona. Our flight is already booked for January 25. Happy New Year!

c'est la vie en Paris

2008-01-07T05:48:00.000-06:00

Well, I decided to split my blog entry between the two countries I visited this Christmas break because they were two separate experiences and there is so much to say about both of them that I didn’t want one entry to become a novel. But I warn you, it’s still really long! Paris was my first stop so naturally I will talk about that first. How do I begin with such an amazing city? I visited Paris once before
when I was 12 years old with my family. I can’t remember exactly how long we stayed but we had an intense itinerary to complete and it involved a large part of the country of France so I don’t think we were in Paris longer than four days. I also saw it through a child’s eyes and obviously because of that, I didn’t remember too much.

Everyone asked me, “Are you going alone to Paris?” Well, technically I guess I was but I didn’t think of it that way. You see, I have relatives that live there and ever since I knew I was coming to live in Spain I had the idea to go visit them (for only the second time in my life) while I was in Europe. It happened coincidentally to work out for them and me to come during Christmas. Right here I have to say that if you have any family (no matter how extended) that you don’t really know, you should definitely make an effort to get to know them better. I say this because it was so completely gratifying to really get to know Lily and Serge Sokolowsky and to feel so at home and like family with people I have hardly spent any time with in my life. I’m not saying all extended family will be as great as these two were, but they went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable and to make sure I got a nice, well-rounded taste of the fabulous city of Paris.

I ended up spending most of my 6 days there with Lily, who was like that really cool aunt that everyone wishes they had in their life. She knew the most English so it was her job to do most of the communicating and explaining of the city. Although she didn’t think her English was very good, I told her when you put it into perspective with my learning Spanish and speaking it every day for the past four months, compared to her only learning English in school and not speaking it for about 15 years it was phenomenal how well she did. She was not only very well spoken, but you got to see her hilarious sense of humor, which is also a difficult side to display in a different language. But I swear, I was laughing all the time while I was around her. She has this infectious spirit that makes you want to be around her and be her best friend. So thank you Lily for being so amazing.

OK, onto the touristy stuff: My first evening was nice and calm. Lily came to pick me up from the airport and we checked into my cute little hotel in an area right outside of Paris called Levallois. The hotel was perfect and comfortable and it was nice to have the privacy (no offense roomies). Then I went back to Lily and Serge’s flat where she somehow managed to cook an amazing French dinner in between picking me up and driving me everywhere. Serge automatically began speaking to me in French because when I said hello I had one French phrase memorized (oops). So that was fun. I pretended I understood and just kept sipping on the champagne he had opened hoping something would sound like Spanish every once and a while and waiting for Lily to come translate. Serge actually knows and understands English perfectly but he just doesn’t like to speak it if he can help it. After a lovely dinner complete with Serge’s best French wine and some awesome French cheese I turned in.

The next day, I went with Lily and her niece, Alix, to Musee du quai Branly where we saw a huge exhibition on primitive art. Surprisingly, there was hardly any translation into English. Supposedly, many museums and other public institutions are fading out the use of English always being a second translation. I was actually really surprised in general to see how few people knew much English at all in one of the most touristy cities in the world (thank God I had Lily!). Anyway, the exhibition was great and then we headed to a very French bistro in the middle of the city and had a fabulous lunch. I had some kind of duck dish, which was very characteristic of the French cuisine. It was divine of course. Then we of course had to go to the Eiffel Tower. It was one of the most perfect days to go. The lines weren’t too bad and the day was not too cold and the sky was very blue. So we went up to the second level (Lily was afraid of heights so she really gets a gold star for coming) where you can see the entire city and all the landmarks from an aerial view. I took loads of pictures (which you have probably already seen by now) and really enjoyed doing probably THE MOST touristy thing you can do in Paris. That evening, I went to see the official American Broadway show of West Side Story with Lily and Serge at Theatre du Chatelet. I don’t know how Lily did it, but we ended up being in the second row of the orchestra seats! We were so close I could see every bead of sweat on every actor! The show was amazing, as I knew it would be and the theater was absolutely gorgeous. That was an experience I will never forget.

(Chocolate at the Angelina)

The next day I think I had the most sinful breakfast I will ever have in my entire life. Lily took me to one of the most famous chocolate bakeries called Angelina where they serve basically liquid gourmet chocolate. As Ari would say, I’m pretty sure it has some crack in it. No, it was so good. I also (I’m such a sinner) ate a croissant thing with chocolate in the middle. We took pictures because it was such an elegant, old-fashioned place and it all looked so beautiful. After gaining about 5pounds from one sitting we walked to Jardins du Palais Royal, a beautiful area where there are lots of civil ministries bordering some beautiful fountains and an art exhibition of black and white pillars of different heights springing up from the ground. Later, we walked through the outside of The Louvre (I do remember this one as a child and we really didn’t have time to visit the museum because it was so huge and would take days). We walked through the Jardin du Tuileries, which was huge and had tons of fountains where you could see birds standing on the frozen ice and people just sitting around watching the birds. We finally made our way to Musee de l’Orangerie where they were exhibiting Monet’s water lily project of paintings with every time of day and every shade of light. The paintings were set up in a panoramic perspective. It was beautiful. Then on the bottom floor, there were all kinds of famous paintings by my favorite impressionists. Lily and I began playing a game that she and her cousin originally made up where we got to choose two paintings that we were going to buy from each museum…even if we had to fight over the same one! I of course wanted more than two in this museum but I was happy with my selection. After that we walked around Place Vendôme, where some of the world’s most famous jewelers are set and we gawked in all the windows…also picking out which pieces of jewelry we wanted. Of course I’ll have to go back when I’m rich and really pick a piece out. That’s a goal anyway. After that, we wandered to Place Concorde where the famous ferris wheel sits and where you can see a great perspective of the Champs Elysees. Then we went to eat lunch in a busy and yummy bistro called Café Madeleine. That evening, Lily and Serge’s son Jeremie surprisingly flew in and we all had another fabulous dinner at their home. Jeremie spent a week or so in Houston when I was ten years old and that was the last time we saw each other. When he walked into the flat, the first thing he said was “Wow, you look different.” I would hope so! Anyway, he’s currently living in London working in finance. It was really great to catch up with him.

On Christmas day, Lily took me to the Jewish/gay district of Paris (because of course there would be things open there!). We ate breakfast in a wonderful Jewish deli where I had my first bagel since I had left Texas. It was awesome of course! And mom, I ate a fabulous Napolean there too, even though they don’t call them that in France-they are called Millefeuilles. I thought you would be proud of me eating the infamous pastry once again in France, where my obsession with it all originated. Then we walked around the area, making sure to see some of the synagogues and the Place des Vosges, which is a very luxurious area to live and is known for its beautiful architecture. It was really neat to be surrounded by a Jewish environment all of the sudden in a place that is very much considered a catholic country. Of course, there is nothing like this in Bilbao so I really enjoyed getting a chance to feel Jewish again…even if it was just for a few hours. Then, we went to see the Hotel de Ville, which is Paris’ city hall. It was grand and huge as you can expect. And there was even an ice-skating rink outside of it where you could get a picture perfect image of ice-skaters on Christmas in Paris. Later, we went to an artsy district called Abesses making sure to stop by Moulin Rouge in the Pigalle district (or hot spot area of Paris) to take a few photos. Then we went (or should I say climbed up)Montmartre where the famous cathedral or Basilique du Sacré Cœur sits on top of a mountain where you can see all of Paris. For Christmas, there were quite a lot of people/tourists walking around! From far way, like from the Eiffel Tower, this huge white cathedral looks like some mythological and magical place as its white grandness stands out from the rest of the city. Once you are there, you see how huge it actually is and why it’s such a perfect location to sit. Montmartre is also known for its “starving artists” where everywhere you turn, people are asking to draw or paint your portrait. There was a large square, Place du Tertre, full of paintings (mostly of the city) that were being sold. I actually thought some were quite good. I loved photographing the atmosphere there. Lily and I slowly walked down the hill to a famous area of Abesses where you could find Le Bateau Lavior- known for where the great artists such as Picasso used to have their art studious. Then, we drove to Lily’s parent’s house (Therese and Henri Broun) where Lily’s mother who said she wanted us to come for a small snack ended up making this enormous and delectable Christmas feast complete with a turkey and lots of yummy Jewish food. It was like the Thanksgiving I didn’t get to have! Of course it was delicious and although the plan was to come for about an hour, I believe we were there for at least 5 hours! It was really nice to see them though, and Henri spoke English very well because he worked for the US Army for a while. He still talks about how he worked for the US but never got there and that he missed out on his big chance to become an American. Of course I don’t think it’s so lousy to remain a Parisian! Although I don’t celebrate it per se, it was great being around actual family on Christmas. If I couldn’t be home in Texas, I have to say it was good planning on my part to make sure I was with some sort of family.

(my French family)

The day after Christmas, Lily and I went to one of the most famous museums in Paris (although there are hundreds it seems) called the Musee d’ Orsay. I’m pretty sure I was here as a child too because it’s pretty difficult to forget the amazing architecture of that place. Lily and I saw the Holder exhibit, an interesting Swiss artist who is well known for his landscape paintings. We both really liked it. We also saw a photojournalism exhibit, which I really enjoyed. Then we went to visit some popular districts of Paris such as St. Germain and Jardin du Luxembourg. We walked by the famous Odeon Theatre and window shopped in St. Michel. Later that evening Lily took me to this gypsy horse show called Battuta Zingaro, where real, live gypsies had trained horses to perform with them along with a Turkish band who played along to the show. It was really quite strange but also so entertaining! These men and women would do all sorts of acrobats and dances on top of moving horses. It’s one of those things you have to see for yourself and is really hard to explain, but it was definitely quite a sight to see.

My last day in Paris, Lily and I ate a wonderful brunch in Levallois and then went to Musee du Jeu Paume, where a famous photographer, Steichen, had one of the largest exhibits I have ever seen in my life! It began with his very first photo of his sister when he was a little boy and ended on the second floor with his success as a gallery manager for the MOMA in New York City. I have to say, this man is truly a legend. I know I have seen his work before but never knew him by name. He’s done so many different forms of photography including portraits of the old Hollywood greats as well as fashion photography for Vogue. You name it, he’s probably done it. Anyway, it was intriguing and inspirational and very, very long. Lily had to pull me away because it was time to leave for my flight.

So that’s where Paris ends and England begins. Come back soon to read about the rest of my adventure.

Pamplona (Iruña)

2007-12-10T06:05:00.000-06:00

(Plaza del Castillo)

On Saturday my roommates and I took a little day trip to Pamplona. It was about a 2 hour bus ride and although it's still considered to be part of the Basque country it is actually the capital of the Navarra province. We were told that it is a very charming little town, but other than the Festival de San Fermines (Running of the Bulls) in July, there isn't much to do.

We arrived at about 11am and explored the Ciudadela first. This is an old citadel fortress dating back from 1571. We wondered around the outside of the fortress not knowing there was an inside until later. So we returned at night before returning home to the inner portion where there was a beautiful park with lots of old buildings that are now exhibition rooms.

Then we walked to Casco Antiguo, or the old town where most of the things to see are. We saw the beautiful Plaza del Castillo, where a 14th century castle used to be set. This the area known for the best bars and cafes and it is where we decided to eat lunch at a beautiful place called Cafe Iruña. Also in this plaza sits the famous La Perla hotel, the hotel where Ernest Hemingway would stay whenever he came to watch the Running of the Bulls. It is said he would watch from his hotel bedroom and write about the events as they took place. He is the person responsible for making the town of Pamplona famous so there are tons of places named after him in this town. (Of course I love this!)

Then we walked up the famous street where the Running of the Bulls takes place called Calle de Estafeta and walked along it all the way to the famous Plaza de Toros. Supposedly besides the plazas de toros in Madrid and Mexico City, it is the next largest bull ring. It was also recently renovated in 2005. We didn't really get a chance to see it because inside the bullring there was a huge tent set up with a market (Feria de Navidad). We had fun shopping in there though!

We returned to Casco Antiguo to visit some of the more famous buildings including the 18th century town hall and a famous cathedral. We basically saw the entire town including a long lunch within 7 hours. But we were all glad we took the trip and walked along the famous route of the Running of the Bulls that occurs every summer. Pamplona is small but just like every other northern town, it's absolutely beautiful with so much history.

half-way through the journey

2007-12-09T10:53:00.000-06:00

Well, it's really hard to believe but as of today, I am exactly half-way into my Spain adventures. Time has really flown by having both classes and work. My weeks have flashed before my eyes it seems. Starting Monday, my life will slow down a little. Friday was my last day of class (technically I still have one week left of classes but I am going to use them after the holidays as a refresher course). I don't even know where to begin with how much I've learned...about the language and myself.

I know the first question friends and family seem to ask me lately is: ¨so are you fluent?¨ Well, the real answer to that is no. But I would say that I have a basic fluency where I can hold conversations with anyone in Spanish and I can understand almost everything they are saying unless they are mumbling or using far too many colloquial terms. I ended up being placed in the advanced level class after two weeks into my courses and from there I have increased my vocabulary, speed and grammar understanding. But there is no doubt that Spanish is a VERY COMPLICATED language. The several verb forms (including vosotros which I never used before) the use of subjunctive in almost half the situations of speaking and getting used to the country's more widely used phrases and words when you learned different ones growing up and learning Mexican Spanish has all been quite a challenge.

I must say though that as my comprehension has increased the more and more I love the language and see its beauty. My teacher and director both told me last week that I have improved tremendously and I have had the opportunity to speak to many locals lately and they all flatter me by telling me I speak Spanish very well. I have worked really hard and I have to admit I am a little burned out after 3 months straight of intense classes. But I think that amount of time was necessary to get to where I am. Now I fear I might lose a little bit of it as I won't be taking those intense lessons in the mornings and I have to speak English for my job in the afternoons. I have come to an agreement with Nikki (my roommate) that beginning Monday we are only going to speak in Spanish unless one of us is really upset or something and can't express ourselves properly in Spanish. I am also planning on reading newspapers and books in Spanish, watching a little more Spanish TV now that I have time and I just bought 4 great new albums of popular Spanish musicians. Of course I'm sure I will need the refresher course after being away in France and England for two weeks so I was happy to hear I still have a week of classes I can take later.

As for everything else...I have met some amazing people so far and think I have found some life-long friends. That in itself was worth making this journey. So far, I have traveled to Sopelana, San Sebastian, Gexto, La Rioja (twice), Portugalete, Madrid and Pamplona. All beautiful and unique places that I will never forget and hopefully I will return to some one day. I also feel like I am constantly rediscovering or discovering more and more about the wonderful city of Bilbao and I am starting to consider it my home (even if it is only for a short while). The area here and the Basque country in general is so beautiful and the people are so unique. Everyone is proud of where they come from and they are so inviting and warm to foreigners. It is as if I was meant to meet every single person I have met and they have always expected to meet me. Truly an experience I will never forget about this place.

I still get a little homesick now and then but I have also adjusted to the point where I am happy I did this and in retrospect I will see everyone very, very soon. I really miss my cat and I think about her a lot. I also miss little things like having a clothes dryer and an oven to bake things. But it's also amazing to find that you can adjust to whatever circumstances you are given and know that you could live that way too if it ended up being your fate. Life is a bit more simple here. People take everything a bit slower and relish in the simple luxuries of life such as food, wine, siestas, friends, family and having some really good conversations. If they are lucky, they get to meet a new person and show them where they come from and how proud they are of their little circle of people with whom they pass their days.

Next on the agenda is my big Christmas break trip to France and England. I have a little less than two weeks and have already begun to prepare by buying some warmer sweaters and socks(I've been told sevreal times how cold it gets during the winter in these countries!)It will be a nice change of pace to have my mornings free to sleep in a little longer, get some much needed exercise done (there is an amazing exercise route along the river here), do some leisurely reading and whatever else I want! I will continue to work in the afternoons 4 days a week teaching English. We have semester exams coming up so it will be nice not to have to worry about teaching new material until after the break. Traveling plans include Barcelona in January and hopefully both Cordoba and Seville in February. My friend Eva is coming to visit me in February as well so that will be lovely. In between those travels, we will continue to try to discover other neat cities nearby in the Basque country. I know I will have to come back when I am not working to see some of the great places I didn't get to see this time around.

Well, that's all for now. Come back soon because I am going to post a blog about Pamplona. We had a great time there on Saturday. :)

Madrid...La Capital

2007-11-21T04:47:00.000-06:00

(me next to the Palacio Real and in front of the park)

Wow, Madrid. It was better than I had ever imagined. There is something so colossal and so significant about the place- it’s really hard to put into words. It’s one of those places you just have to go see for yourself to grasp a taste of the life, history and culture. To know that you only have 2 full days to devote to a place like this is a bit overwhelming. There are just so many essential things that you have to see while you are there or else you won’t get a proper perspective of what the city has to offer and really what’s it’s like to be there. So rather than just “winging it” like I did with my previous trips, I began reading and researching and booking things in advance about two weeks before the trip. I’m so glad I did. It’s a lot of work, but worth it in the end. It’s satisfying to know that you really got your money’s worth and that you know just in case you never get back there, you were there and experienced it.

So, my roommates, Nikki and Christian, came along on this trip. We took a bus out of Bilbao at about 2:30pm Friday and arrived in Madrid around 7pm. The first thing that came to my mind once we reached the city limits was, “Wow, this looks a lot like Houston!” The borders of the city were very modern with tall buildings and there were wide highways with lots of traffic. And just the way everything is bigger in Texas, everything was bigger in Madrid. It made Bilbao seem like a pueblo.

When we got off of our bus, we had to figure out how to get to our hostel. Little did we know we were going to be about 40 minutes away by car. So we asked a lot of questions and figured out that we needed to take the Metro across town. We lugged all our bags and switched metros half-way through and finally got to our stop. Then we walked another 10 minutes or so stopping every 2 minutes to stare at the map…we looked like the most stereotypical of tourists. But it was OK because we soon learned that about 50% of the people there were also tourists and also very lost. You never see this sort of thing in Bilbao. Those people stick out like a sore thumb. We finally reached our hostel, which was right off of Plaza Santa Ana, a famous and historic square right smack in the middle of the city. It was the perfect location if you planned to mostly walk to see all the sights (thanks to Fodor’s Guide Book). The building was so old and beautiful but the actual hostel was about what you expect of a hostel to look like…very simple, a little scruffy looking with three incredibly uncomfortable twin-sized beds. But, we weren’t there to enjoy our accommodations. We were there to do some serious exploring. And for 22 Euros per person per night in a pricey city like Madrid, you can’t get much better than that.

On Friday night we walked around the Santa Ana plaza area and also walked down Lavapies, which is known to be the Jewish neighborhood of the city. But all we really saw were a bunch of Indian restaurants and a bunch of people hanging around outside. We walked into a bustling tapas bar and ate some yummy empanada and each had a drink. We then continued to a cerveceria where you can order just about any type of beer you want. The place was full of men shouting and laughing about I don't know what. I ordered a cerveza limon...a beer with a hint of lemon. It was very tasty. I was impressed. Then we walked to Cafe Populart, where an awesome blues band was playing. The entire month of November, Madrid celebrates a Jazz Festival and so we passed several bars with live jazz music but it was quite pricey to go into them. For some reason at Populart it was free to get in. I still can't figure out where the band was from. They spoke English as their main language but had an accent too. All the songs were in English. They were great. Christian ended up getting their CD. After that, we headed back to the hostal and to bed because we were beat and knew we were waking up early.

Saturday we began our journey at The Prado Museum. What a sight. Man (hombre!). This place holds some of the most famous and well-known pieces of art in the world. There are two other famous museums in Madrid (Thyssen and Sofia) but of course we didn't have the time to see them. We spent about 3 hours there and probably only saw 1/4 of the art. It is absolutely gigantic! Among all the artists that were featured, we made sure to see El Grecco, Goya, Velazquez and Rubens. They were just excellent.

Then we walked along the Paseo de Prado, a very long road where you see some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings, fountains and plazas. Included in this were some famous sights such as El Fuente de Neptuno and La Plaza de la Cibeles. Of course we stopped at a few souvenir shops along the way as well! Then we ate lunch at La Trucha (the trout)in plaza Santa Ana. It was a tiny little restaurant recommended by my guide book for a good taste of the food for not very much money. I ate a chicken dish with roasted garlic and potatoes. Nikki and I shared a vegetable dish and I got a cute little pitcher of the house white wine. It was all very yummy.

Then we continued with our exploring to the Puerta de Sol, which is the exact center of Madrid and it's compared with New York's Time Square because there is a big clock tower where the people go on New Year's Eve to count down to midnight. But it really looks nothing like Times Square. Haha. The custom when counting down in the last minute before midnight is to eat 12 grapes the last 12 seconds...this can be very difficult depending on how big the grapes are. After this, we walked to Plaza Mayor where there was a fiesta going on with all the Swedish football fans who came to watch their match against Madrid Real. They were all wearing blue and yellow jerseys carrying around Swedish flags and shouting obscene things (in their own language thank god). It was all quite a spectacle. Sharing this space were all the artists who come to work and sell their masterpieces. There were some really beautiful things that I wished I could buy. Oh well.

Finally, we made it to the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace) where you can actually take tours, but it takes at least 2 hours to tour place because it's so big and we didn't have time. The king and royal family don't live here (no royal family has since the 1930's). They live in a more remote palace somewhere on the outskirts of Madrid but it was still neat to see a place with so much history and royalty. The area where it sits is called the Plaza de Oriente where there are tons of small gardens and sculptures of historical figures all over the place...along with a beautiful fountain in the middle. We arrived there at about sunset and it was just gorgeous.

Then we went to see the monument of Cervantes (the author of Don Quixote). Supposedly this was the exact location where he wrote the last words of his final novel. It was beautiful as well. Then we walked along the Gran Via, which is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world (similar to Rodeo Drive or 5th Avenue). We have a smaller version in Bilbao, which is big enough for me! Then Nikki and I went to the famous Buen Retiro park, which can be compared (a little) to NY's central park. It's also gigantic with a beautiful lake in the middle where you can see people in little paddle boats. We didn't stay too long because it was getting dark and very cold and we didn't bring our coats with us! Yea I know, that was dumb. Nikki and I stopped at a pretty cafe to have hot chocolate and churros-one of Madrid's delicacies. I was pretty much in heaven for those 20 minutes. So amazingly good. The hot chocolate is more like pure chocolate melted down. It was so rich, like eating the equivalent of 3 chocolate bars. But it is essential that you eat this when you go to Madrid (twist my arm! ;)

After a short rest, we all went back out for more tapas and drinks. We went around Plaza Santa Ana again and then to an area one of my students recommended called Chueca, where you can find a lot of gay bars but supposedly they are the best. Well, we went a little too early, around 11pm/12pm and the nightlife in Spain really doesn't start until at least 1am...and then people stay until about 5 or 6am. I still can't manage to pull this off. The latest I've been able to make it so far is about 4am. Maybe I'm just too old. I don't know. Anyway, we were convinced my some persuasive barman to go to his bar where if we ordered a drink, he would give us all a free shot. So we went and he ordered something for Nikki and I that scared me half to death. We watched the man add in about 10 different types of pure liquor and a tad bit of green kiwi flavoring. It was neon green in the end (see my photos). It was actually kind of good but a little too sweet for me. Of course I drank it all because it was the equivalent of about $13. So then we took our free shots and left because not many people were there. We went to one more bar where we were falling asleep on the sofa because it had been a really long day. So we finally went back to the hostel and went to bed.

On Sunday we woke up early again and went to breakfast. Then we went to see the Arab Wall where the old Moorish city used to stand and where it is said originated the city of Madrid. There weren't really any signs around it and not much to really see. Oh well, I'm glad I went. Then we went to the famous El Rastro market that goes for miles and miles on one road where you can buy anything and everything and there are always great deals going on. All the foreigners go to do their shopping there and I did a lot there as well. It's jam-packed with people and it takes hours to get through because of all the human traffic. People are always bumping into you and trying to get past you. It gets a little frustrating after a while. This is also where someone decided to steal my cell phone as it was resting in it's case behind my back. I should have known and I was warned several times to watch my things. I was too busy safeguarding my purse in front of me but I should have stuck my phone inside. Oh well, you live and you learn right?

Finally we went to eat lunch at Botin, which is said to be the oldest restaurant in the world! It dates back to 1725 and I believe some of the structure inside is original. This was also said to be Ernest Hemingway's favorite restaurant when he would visit Madrid. And you all know how much I love him so of course I wanted to go somewhere he loved. It was beautiful and old inside. The waiters all wore white jackets with napkins around their arms. They were all so charming and sweet and the service was amazing. I ate another Spanish chicken dish and drank some delicious Spanish wine. It was great.

We sadly had to end the trip and get back to the bus station lugging about twice the amount that we originally brought with all the new gifts and goodies we had bought. That wasn't fun but we made it and then had to wait forever to get a bus that wasn't already full. I have been working all week to make up for the sleep I didn't get this weekend but it was all worth it. I got to see a famous, beautiful city with wonderful weather (pretty cold but beautiful)and now I have lots of wonderful memories from this trip.

My first Spanish poem

2007-11-07T04:42:00.000-06:00

Well it's been a long time since I've taken a stab at writing poetry, but for some reason many of my Spanish assignments involve writing my own songs or poems and it seems to be flowing out of me! My profesora was very taken away with one that I wrote this week and called me a professional poet! I don't really think so but I am pretty proud of this poem and I thought I would post it for you all. I guess having a broken heart is really beneficial in the artistic realm.

It is in Spanish and I'd like to keep it that way because I think it's more beautiful and intense in Spanish and means more to me since I can actually write poems in a different language. My dad might be the only one who understands it but you can always pull out your dictionaries if you want to know the meaning:

El Sufrimiento del Corazon

Cuando te vea, estare contenta
Cuando oiga tu voz, me sintire aliviada
Cuando me toques, estare comoda
y cuando este contigo, olvidare mis problemas.

Al contrario, cuando me veas, estaras triste
Cuando oigas mi voz, te sintiras culpable
Cuando te toque, estaras nervioso
y cuando estes conmigo, recordaras todos tus problemas.

Cuando me digas la verdad, estare desconsolada
Cuando mire tus ojos, vere mucha pena
Cuando me digas que me amas, no te creere
y cuando yal qespededir, me ire para siempre.

Cuando piense en ti, tendre buenos recuerdos
Cuando hable de ti, dire buenas cosas
Cuando recuerde mi vida, siempre seras parte de ella
y cuando te des cuenta de que soy tu unico amor verdadero, estare con alguien quien ya lo sabia desde el principio.

Christmas plans, etc.

2007-11-01T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Yes I know...my entries are becoming less and less. I guess that's what happens when you lead a busy life. Right now it is busier than I would like but it will only be that way for about another month and a week or so. Today is a holiday so I didn't have any school or work which is really nice. I could definitely use the break!

All is well here. I just finished making plans for my Christmas break and it looks like I get to go to Paris for half of it and to England for the other half! I am so pumped! I have some distant relatives in Paris who have offered to take me around the city and do touristy things with me as well as see some fabulous art exhibits. Spending Christmas in Paris...can it get any more dreamlike or romantic?

Then after a little less than a week in Paris I am heading to Reading, England to stay with Nikki, my female roommate here and her family. She lives about 45 minutes south of London so we will be doing lots of exploring in London of course! She and I have gotten really close these past few months and I really look forward to seeing where she comes from and meeting all her people. Of course having a good friend to be with while bringing in the New Year is something I am really happy about too. And I think it is so sweet of her family to give me a place to stay during that time. I am very, very lucky to have that.

We are hoping to make a trip to Madrid in about two weeks to get a trip in before Christmas. We still need to do some more researching, which is easy to put off when life gets crazy but I'm really going to try to make that happen.

We got a second chance to go back to La Rioja last weekend for just a day but this time it was organized by the institute and so we were finally able to see a winery and taste some of their wine. It was really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed that trip. Not only did we visit a winery, but we went to this beautiful restaurant that was hiding in the mountain area of La Rioja, where we had an amazing and huge lunch (it's the main meal of the day here). I don't think I've ever been so full in my life! But the scenery was beautiful outside the restaurant and we had a large table full of friends eating some of La Rioja's delicacies and drinking some of the wine made from grapes that were grown directly on the land we were walking beside. How cool is that?

After a very long lunch, we decided to walk some of it off by going to explore some ancient castle ruins up some smaller mountains. It was the perfect time of day, almost sunset, and the leaves on the vines were brilliantly gleaming all the beautiful fall colors you can imagine-reds, oranges, yellows. The entire country side looked like it was lit up and glowing. I loved it...as many of you know from my hundreds of pictures!

That's about all the news over here. I hope all is well with those who are visiting my page and checking up on me. Leave me a comment! I'd love to hear from you.

my how time flies

2007-10-16T04:49:00.000-05:00

Well my friends, it's been an entire month since I've been in Spain and I have to say that I'm glad I got this month over with. Not that it was bad...just that it was quite an interesting adjustment period. Not only did I have to adapt to a completely new place and culture, but I also began intense Spanish courses and had to get used to taking those every day for 3.5 hours as well as beginning a new job with people who hardly understand what I'm saying in English.

As you all know, change is not easy no matter how positive the outcome is going to be. I had a hard time catching up on my sleep for at least 2.5 weeks, I needed some of the necessary items in my apartment to feel comfortable and I needed to get a lot better at speaking Spanish...pronto!

As of now, I feel my Spanish is tremendously better than it was before I got here. I can definitely get around on my own. I can basically understand anything I listen to in Spanish and my speaking is following along a little slower but still improving greatly. I have come to realize that when I have a little alcohol in me, the Spanish flows right out of my mouth...losing inhibitions is great!

I have met a lot of amazing people...making lots of international friends, which I love but I do hope in these next months I will make friends with some local Spaniards. That's important to me.

My job is going well. I really enjoy teaching. My days are really long with classes before but I am currently working on cutting my teaching time in half so that I feel like I actually have somewhat of a day outside of classroom walls.

In between classes and teaching my number one goal is to continue traveling around Spain. I have seen some amazing places so far, but I'd really like to go to some of the main cities. I think Madrid is next...hopefully in about 2 weeks.

Yay for Spain....me encanta.

La Rioja...sort of

2007-10-09T04:46:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my roommates and I took a short trip to La Rioja, one of the primary wine regions of Spain. It took a little over an hour on a bus to get there. The problem was that we did not plan one single thing in advance. I found out it was going to be great weather outside for the weekend and immediately jumped to the conclusion to go somewhere beautiful. I have been wanting to go to La Rioja ever since I tasted the wine back in Texas about 2 months before I left. It is so delicious! After more research, I learned that La Rioja is quite famous and that the area is gorgeous if you go before it gets too cold.

As soon as we got off the bus...we had all the hopes in the world to visit some great wineries (bodegas) and drink some awesome wine. Little did we know nothing would work in our favor. We arrived in a small town called Haro, which is the capital area of bodegas and walked straight to the tourism center. The woman there told us we probably would not find any hotels or bodegas to visit this weekend because they are all booked. You are supposed to always call and book in advance, especially on the weekends. So she pointed out a few hotels to try that were more expensive than we wanted and further away from the town of Haro, where we planned to stay for that visit.

After arguing with a woman at a hotel in B.F.E. compared to where Haro is, she told me she would save a room for us. After glancing at a map and comparing where we were and where the hotel was, and given my large and heavy bag I was dragging around (you all know I always pack for a small army...this really needs to change)we decided it would be best to take a taxi. However, Haro is a very small town and we found out that there are only 4 taxi drivers total there and they are usually in different towns that contain more people. We called a taxi number that was on the map and the man I spoke to was incomprehensible. I finally said three short words in Spanish to explain where we were and he found us.

Once we dropped our things off in the hotel-Hotel Eth Rioja, a fabulous three star hotel, we tried to call a taxi once again to go back into town. Of course there were none available so we walked about 30 minutes on a dangerous road with no sidewalks. That was fun. Finally we began to look for one building that the tourism lady said we would be able to visit and taste some wine because they were celebrating the 125th anniversary of the wine creator's birthday. This place was awesome. There was an exhibition describing the vineyard, the history, the family that is still working it today...it was very neat...I have pictures to send so you can see a little of what I am talking about. There was also a wine tasting area that was so pretty and modern. It actually reminded me a little of the Guggenheim because everything inside was curvy and the structure had no straight lines except the ceiling. It was all silver and white with neat modern looking tables and chairs. There was an interesting contrast inside because the original booth made for an exposition in Paris in 1912 sat in the back of the room. The very antiquated structure against the very modern building was quite a sight. An of course the wine was delicious. We all practiced our wine tasting skills that we learned at the course in Bilbao.

Later, we walked around the Plaza de Paz (Plaza of Peace) which is the central area of town where all the restaurants, bars and shopping are. We sat at a popular cafe for a while and drank more wine. Later we went to dinner at a very fancy restaurant that the wine tasting girl recommended. La Rioja is also known for certain types of food such as roasted lamb (which is what I had), venison, veal and many other delicacies. We all loved our dinners.

I think probably the funniest part of this trip was the fact that we could not for the life of us get a taxi back to the hotel! We called the number several times and no one answered. People kept telling us different places to go to find one. Finally, we ended up at a police station where they said at that time of night in that town, you cannot find any taxis. However, they told us they would take us back to our hotel. Wow, police escort....how touristy and unprepared us foreigners are! They were really sweet men though and they had nothing better to do.

After a lovely rest in the three star hotel we all woke up and ate breakfast in the restaurant connected to our hotel. I sent pictures through Shutterfly of the wall full if wine. I thought that was pretty awesome. I think all of La Rioja is like that...either walls of wine or actual wine cellars. After waiting 45 minutes for a taxi to come get us, we went to the coolest wine cultural museum in a town called Briones. It was set on a working bodega and the family who owns the bodega played a vital role in creating the museum. They wanted you to know everything you could possibly know about wine making. It was huge with one floor per subject such as the process of finding quality grapes, the process of making the wine, making the oak barrels to store the wine, etc. There was an entire floor entirely devoted to display cork screw openers. There were thousands! It was unbelievable. And last but not least, you got a free glass of the vineyard's wine when you were finished with the exhibits. That was delicious of course. I believe we were at this museum for about 3.5 hours! Finally we took the bus back to Bilbao.

So next time I will book ahead and actually visit a bodega and hopefully taste a lot more wine! It was still beautiful and we still enjoyed ourselves. It's fun to laugh at yourself every once and a while too and I did a lot of that this past weekend.

Mi Trabajo (my job)

2007-10-03T04:35:00.000-05:00

(My school)

Well I started my job on Monday and although I know it will be a good experience, I have to admit I am pretty overwhelmed. I am teaching conversational English at a private institution called Mugakoa- a Basque term which means "in between." The town I work in is along the coast, about 25 minutes away from Bilbao and it's called Portugalete. The area is called Pinota. Actually the building itself is in between Pinota and Portugalete, hence "Mugakoa." The city is beautiful and very much a port town. If it would ever stop raining I would like to wander around and discover it more.

(Portugalete)

I basically have 5 classes (sometimes 6) every afternoon beginning at 4 pm and running until 9 or 10 pm at night. The students come twice a week, alternating with 5 or 6 other classes, so that's about 11 classes total! It's a very long day for me since I have classes all morning and early afternoon! The good news is I only have to work Monday through Thursday so I get Friday off. The classes are not based on age, they are based on understanding level so I have some classes with a decently large age range. But I have adults (up to 41 years old), teenagers, children...all ages. They all have Basque names, which are nothing like Spanish names. Most of them I can't even pronounce. The Basque language looks like Greek to me. So maybe by the end of 6 months I will know them all by their names...but I have a lot of students! Most of them are very nice but some of the younger kids like to make fun of the way I pronounce their names and they are so resistant to speak English. I'm not supposed to speak even one word of Spanish in the classrooms or they will take advantage of the fact that they know I know Spanish and never speak in English.

Some of the younger ones caught me off-guard yesterday so they are now always speaking to me in Spanish and I'm trying really hard not to respond in Spanish. It's hard when you've been speaking and hearing Spanish all morning!

Things are a little disorganized right now...I have like 10 books to use for different classes and it's hard remembering which book goes with what class. But I think in the end, it's more about talking and encouraging them to speak English. I'm pretty exhausted by the end of the day but I go home feeling rewarded. Even if I can help just a few students speak English a little easier I will be happy.

ummm..... vino

2007-09-28T05:05:00.000-05:00

This week has been pretty eventful, despite the three days of constant rain. I have been told this time of year it rains all the time but not as much in the winter. Let's cross our fingers.

Yesterday, our institute provided one of the best afternoon activities yet...wine tasting! Wine is a very big deal here. For those of you who know about Rioja, you know what I'm talking about. Rioja is a huge and famous winery not very far from Bilbao where wine is produced from some of the most ancient and wonderful grape vines. I have yet to make a special trip out there. In the meantime, I will enjoy the copious amounts of Rioja wine offered and sold here in Bilbao.

All the students and some of the teachers walked to a place called La Carte de Vins, where a man from Bilbao owns a beautiful wine shop.

He took us all to the back of the store where a table and slide show are set up. He was excellent because he spoke Spanish so clearly and every once and a while spoke English-also very well. He taught us all about wine making with tons of scientific details and how to distinguish good and bad qualities of wine. We all learned so much! Of course, after our class we continued to drink some lovely Rioja wine. What a great experience.

Earlier this week, I visited some of the well known museums here. On Tuesday I went to El Museo de Pasos, which showcases the very important Holy Week in Bilbao. From Good Friday until Easter, the city has twelve processions within nine days, where more than 3,000 members of the Brotherhood of the True Cross take part. Many colored wood figures bearing characteristics of the Basque, Castilian, Levantine and Andalusian schools of imagery make this procession appear as a traveling museum.

Of course I won't be here when this procession takes place this year, so it was nice to get a feel for what the people see and how it all takes place. I am sending some photos through Shutterfly so you can see some of the artistic figures.

On Wednesday, I went to El Museo de Bellas Artes-this is one of Bilbao's most renowned museums. My guidebook puts it right up there with The Guggenheim. I was surprised to encounter such a modern, square-looking building in the middle of a town full of ancient and beautiful ones. I didn't spend too much time there because it is gigantic and I was starting to come down with a little cold. However, I did see some pretty awesome pieces of art. Most importantly an exhibit featuring Picasso and Debuffet. I mean, if I live on Calle Pablo Picasso, I think I am supposed to see some of his work while it's in Bilbao right? I thought it was a neat coincidence anyway.

I loved the exhibit. There were tons of people there from all over Europe coming to see some of these extremely famous pieces of art. Other paintings within this exhibit featured Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and many more. These guys are my favorite so I was very happy! I will definitely have to go back to see more.

Tonight, once again we have vino y tapas in Casca Viejo. My profesora, Rosario, is leaving back to Italy tomorrow so I will have to spend lots of time with her tonight. For being a new Spanish professor, she has done a really great job. I will miss her.

Las playas

2007-09-24T05:58:00.000-05:00

(sunset in Sopelana)

I love beaches so much, I feel they deserve their own blog space. I knew I could expect to find some beautiful beaches based off of a few photos in a guide book but no words or photos can really do these beaches any justice. They are so breathtaking. My first beach experience occurred on Thursday when my Irish friend Frances and I decided the day was too beautiful to stay inside the city. We were ready to see some ocean! Of course, she is from Ireland where she is used to gorgeous landscapes and piercingly blue water but I told her living on the Gulf of Mexico is a whole different story. Of course, it is a beach and it is pretty in it's own rugged way but this water is so much more amazing.

We took a quick metro for about 30 minutes (Within a week I have tried almost every form of transportation offered here-pretty neat how easy it is to get around)and were worried we wouldn't have much time before sunset but we spent a good 3 hours on the beach before that happened. I walked in the water but wouldn't dare swim. The water had to have been about 65 degrees! Frances said it was warmer than Ireland so she went head first into a wave-crazy woman! I took several photos as you will see in my Shutterfly email invite. I was so happy and for the first time last week I felt at home. I mean, who wouldn't when surrounded by beauty? This is what I have wanted and all I have asked for since my turn of events 5 months ago.

Frances and I had a glass of yummy wine while watching the sun go down and walked into town for some hamburguesas. They were huge but pretty good. Who ever knew a fried egg would taste good on a hamburger?

Yesterday (Sunday) my new roommate Christian (from Germany) and Norwegian friend Hilde went on a little journey to San Sebastian. I have heard endless amounts of good things about this coastal city. It used to be known as a famous spa getaway. Now it is known mainly for its annual film festival extravaganza and it just so happened that the festival was going on when we decided to journey out there. We took a bus for an hour and 10 minutes and arrived in a beautiful and thriving town. A river runs all the way through it and eventually leads you to the ocean. Yet again, a gorgeous beach. It's a hard life, I know.

(relaxing in San Sebastian)

It was a little annoying to be there during the festival because of the hordes of people. There were tons of movie stars there including from America but I did not see any. I was more intrigued by the town itself. However, these huge groups of people were gathering around hotels where they might see stars leave and when a premier was about to begin they all flocked to the main venue of the festival. It was insane...I have pictures! Hilde and I went straight for the beach to chill out. And for the first time I lost my inhibitions and sunbathed topless like all the other locals. It was hard at first but Hilde encouraged me that it is normal and no one cares. My friend Jaclyn at home also told me to go wild and be topless on a beach so there ya go...aren't you proud of me Jac??

Finally after a nice little siesta, Hilde, Christian and I walked around more. We encountered an excellent ice cream parlor called Helado (ice cream) Boulevard. There must have been 30 different flavors. I ended up getting a combination of mango and coco (coconut laced with chocolate). It was delicioso! Then we watched an interesting performance in the center of a plaza. I'm not really sure what they were doing even though I could understand a lot of what they were saying. It was kind of weird but nevertheless entertaining. Finally it was time to get back to reality...do some homework for class the next day and get some rest. I had a great weekend though and this beach only topped it off!

Cuando una puerta se cierra, una ventana se abre

2007-09-20T07:10:00.000-05:00

(view from my window)

When one door closes, a window opens...

Here is why I love that there is no air conditioning in Bilbao (or most of Europe for that matter): the windows are always open.

Of course this means so many things. From a physical perspective, you are breathing fresh air. There is no such thing as a room feeling stuffy. You can also hear everything going on outside (which can get annoying sometimes) but for the most part you feel so much more connected and part of the outside world.

The more symbolic part of windows being open speaks for itself. It is a constant reminder to me however, that this is my window of opportunity to really live and have a totally different and real experience that many people never get a chance to do. It also says something about the culture. This place is overall more trusting. There are no fears that some crazy person is going to climb into your window and rob your house. And the people here want to be connected to the outside world. They are engaging, welcoming and warm. I love this.

My Spanish will take a while to get up to par with the locals, but in the meantime they are so patient and always want to understand you and help you. If they only speak Spanish, they try to find the right word for you to say. There are lots of hand gestures and pointing to also help. I am just very impressed with the society.

Anyway, yesterday was the most amazing day so far for me. After classes, all the students went together to see the famous Guggenheim museum. It was unbelievable and breathtaking. Pictures really don't do it justice. You have to see this for yourself. It is definitely a masterpiece. I took some photos outside, but they don't want you to take them inside. Here is one...

I believe we stayed there for 3 hours. There are tons of very different galleries inside. One was on Basque art and it's contemporary development and it's importance in the country. Another was an amazing exhibit by Serra full of these huge rusty metal installations that you walk through. It completely distorts your perception and makes you wonder how he was ever able to make these.

It was the first sunny day since I have been here and the temperature was about 74 degrees. I will never forget this day and I plan to go back to the museum several times. I have more pictures and I will probably post them on shutterfly. For some reason, they take forever to upload here.

Estoy Aqui (I'm here)

2007-09-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

Well I made it! Thank God. I was a bit worried about the trip over here. Especially making my connection in Paris. It's a good thing I didn't have to go through customs! I didn't get much sleep on the plane of course so I had a very hard time yesterday staying awake and making coherent decisions. I fell asleep at 9 p.m. here and didn't wake up until 8 a.m.! I really needed that.

It's definitely a culture shock to be here. My first reaction when I made it to my apartment was a bit of crying (not expected). It's just all so strange and new and when you're alone you are REALLY alone. I have some neat roommates, 3 Germans and 1 Irish girl. They are very nice and know English to an extent. They are all leaving though at the end of the week. They are just on "holiday." I told them in America, no one goes to take classes on their holiday and it was admirable that that is how they want to spend their free time.

I began my Spanish lessons today. I took an assessment test and made it to the intermediate level. I guess minoring in Spanish wasn't all for naught! I am in there with 2 German boys who are actually pretty good. I also met some students here that will be here about as long as me or longer. Two are from Norway and one from England. All very sweet. I look forward to getting to know them better. We are going for drinks tonight. There are bars everywhere!

I had my first taste of Spanish food for lunch today. It was a potato, ham and cheese sort of quiche looking thing. Very rich but very good. Oh, and the cafe con leche here is amazing! It's been raining off and on the past two days. I'm very happy I brought an umbrella along with my loads of things from Texas. Hopefully it clears up soon. The city is so neat and there are some really beautiful areas. I can't wait to explore more. I just have to be careful not to get lost! I am going to the Guggenheim tomorrow with some students. I'm very excited. It is the primary famous landmark of Bilbao.

I tried to post some photos of my apartment but it's not working so I might have to do the whole Shutterfly thing. I will let you all know. Hasta luego...

T minus 3 weeks

2007-08-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

For the past four months life has been at a much slower pace for me. Sometimes I even think it's been too slow, if that's possible. I planned my trip to Spain what seems like a century ago and I've been slowly preparing and finalizing plans and anxiously awaiting the day I finally leave. With most things set in place (other than the packing, which I am really dreading trying to shove my entire life into 2 big bags) here I sit with exactly three weeks until the departure.

My cat is currently sitting next to me looking up at me with her loving eyes, thinking "my mom is never leaving my side." I have to say, this will be one of the harder parts of me leaving. She is very attached and might go through a little bit of withdrawal without me around. I think I might too. But I know she is in a good home with people who love her and will take care of her just as well. If I could bring her, she would be on that plane with me. I have to say, this little feline has been through everything with me for the past four years and has faithfully remained my companion through it all. She knows when I'm sad and knows exactly how to soothe me. Pets are really incredible. I have read about psychological studies and how it's proven that people who have pets are generally much less depressed than those that don't have pets. Fascinating. I believe it.

I have a few more plans before I leave. My brother Ben has generously offered to fly me into Tulsa over Labor Day weekend to see him and his wife, Nadja. They basically moved to Tulsa when I left and I never got to see their home. I don't know about you, but there is something about seeing where my loved ones live that puts my mind at ease. I know they are fine even if I don't get to see it but it's nice to really picture them in their environment and know that they are happy. I felt the same way earlier this summer when I finally got to see my brother Ari and his wife in San Francisco. Maybe it's a woman thing. I don't know.

The following weekend I am going up to Austin (sigh) one last time to see my best friend Diana. She and her friend Ashley just moved into an apartment together and they are having a housewarming party. They are both second year grad students at UT and will be finishing up their Master's this year. Smarties. It's going to be tough not seeing Di for 6 months. She has sort of become my rock in all my strife (besides my parents) and I know I will feel a little lost without her to lean on while I'm gone. Of course it will be good for me to be on my own. So I'm not worried, but I sure will miss her.

And last but certainly not least, the week of my departure I have a lovely appointment scheduled at a spa for a full "suburban delight" treatment thanks to my parents who thought it would be a great birthday gift. The package includes a luxurious massage, facial, lunch from one of my favorite restaurants and a manicure and pedicure so I can leave the country looking fabulous! I'm very excited.

So that's what's happening with me. I would love to hear from any and all of you within the next few weeks to catch up, say goodbye, etc. Gimme a call, or better yet come see me! Love to you all.

Moving On

2007-08-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

So...I'm not sure if there is supposed to be a moment where something clicks and just like that – bam – you are over someone, but I do believe there is a particular sensation of knowing you are moving on. It's been about 3 1/2 months since my break-up with Clark and I am feeling a sort of clarity.

As I've said before, music tends to be my therapy and lately I have been noticing some songs where I can totally relate and I almost feel like I wrote the song. The one I like best is called Light Years Away by MoZella. It's interesting that you sometimes don't see or hear things until you are really ready to, because I've probably heard this song 50 times but it wasn't until about the 45th time that I really paid attention to the lyrics and caught myself saying, "yea, that's how i feel!" It basically talks of acceptance of how things are now and not being angry or sad anymore.

My favorite line is, "I don't blame you anymore, that's too much pain to store." Sometimes I still think I should be so much more angry than I actually am, but it really is too much pain and not worth filling up my brain with something that hurts when there is nothing I can do about it. She also talks about the entire experience – the pain, the crying, the near insanity and depression – actually saving her life. I feel this way too. I can only imagine staying in the "hard place" that I never accepted was a fundamental issue of why I shouldn't be with the guy until he screwed up and broke my heart. It's then that all the flaws, issues, red flags, etc. come to light and you think, "I was about to live with that the rest of my life?" It's really amazing how blind love is.

But I do think that even though I wasn't unhappy at the point he decided to break my heart, I would have figured it out later...and later can really ruin your life depending on how invested you are with marriage and kids. So ultimately, him breaking my heart...the pain and tears and self-doubt and everything in between was so very worth it. It saved my life. I know now how much happier I can be and how truly deserving that person will be of my love. In a time like this, I thought...maybe I'm all out of love or not capable of loving someone without being afraid of getting hurt for the third time in a row. But actually, I feel like I have more love to give than ever before. I have another chance to get it right and it's going to be wonderful.

Here are the lyrics to my song. It's definitely worth downloading it from itunes because the melody and her voice make it that much better. ;)

Artist: MoZella
Song: Light Years Away

It's almost like you had it planned
It's like you smiled and shook my hand and said
"Hey, I'm about to screw you over, big time"
And what was I supposed to do?
I was stuck in between you and a hard place
We won't talk about the hard place

But I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy, looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life

It's how you wanted it to be
It's like you played a joke on me
And I lost a friend
In the end
And I think that I cried for days
But now that seems light years away
And I'm never going back
To who I was

Cause I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy, looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life

I think I cried for days
But now that seems light years away
And I'm never going back
To who I was

Cause I don't blame you anymore
That's too much pain to store
It left me half dead
Inside my head
And boy, looking back I see
I'm not the girl I used to be
When I lost my mind
It saved my life

That life seems like light years away
Light years away
And that life seems like light years away
Light years away

Rach's surprise 30th

2007-08-06T11:53:00.001-05:00

Yay for completely shocking Rachel for her 30th birthday! Way to go Ari. Rachel already had what she thought was her party back in San Fran on the actual day of her birthday. Then Ari woke her up Friday morning and told her they were taking a little trip, a quiet weekend in Austin just for them. Little did she know she was going to walk into a room of 40+ people (all her family and friends) waiting to celebrate with her. We had a great time at Pok-E-Jo's BBQ Friday night and then spent the entire day on Lake Travis on Saturday eating, drinking, jet skiing, riding in a boat, etc. It was a beautiful day . Couldn't have asked for a better one on the lake. The photo above is my big birthday kiss to Rach. Love you sis! :)

quarter century old

2007-07-29T22:33:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm officially 25! Man, I'm old. But as Ari said, I have already suffered my quarter life crisis so I guess that's a good thing. This photo was taken at an awesome Spanish restaurant called Ibesa. Instead of the usual free piece of cake, we got cotton candy in huge silver cups with a sparkler. It was so cool.

Also on the actual night of my birthday, we went to Craft in Dallas. If you haven't heard of it, it's owned my renowned Chef Tom Colicchio, producer of the Bravo show Top Chef. Let me just surmise to say that it was one of the best meals of my life! I got lots of sweet calls and lovely gifts, so thanks to all of you for making my day so special. :)

cutest kids ever

2007-07-19T15:43:00.000-05:00

well, i finally found a part-time job to keep me busy for the rest of the summer. i am a substitute counselor at the Houston JCC pre-school day camp. that means i get to see the teeny tiny ones 2 to 4 years olds! while they are adorable, they are also the most energy guzzling things i've ever seen. I only go til 1:30 most of the time and by the time i make it home i am dead to the world and have to take a nap in order to function the rest of the day! this week i spent two days with the "whales." they are mostly 4 year-olds and all it takes is 1 day for me to get attached. here's a cute picture of them i posted today:

from left to right is will, rachel, olivia and sasha.

oh yea, i think my job is the hardest because i don't get just one class. so far i have learned the names and personalities of about 50 campers! but it's all worth it. there is something about children that makes me so happy. :)

I have bangs!

2007-07-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

OK so I don't think I've had bangs since I was 7, but I decided to do something drastic and try it again, this time with a more "sweeping to the side look."

Let me know what you all think. ;)

It's official...Spain here I come!

2007-06-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

I just booked my flight today and will be departing Houston on Sunday, September 16 at 4:10 PM off to my new adventure! I am so pumped. I also spoke to two different people who work for Instituto Hemingway and they answered all of my silly American questions. In case you are wondering exactly where I will be in Spain, it is in the northern region and the city is Bilbao. Here is a map to get a better idea.

Anyway, as soon as I get ther I will begin taking my Spanish lessons because school starts Oct. 1 and I will have to know enough Spanish to teach English to my students. I will have internet at Instituto Hemingway so make sure to email me and stop by my blog as often as possible because I will be posting things. I also plan to get back into some of my photography so hopefully I will post some nifty shots too. Now I have to get busy preparing. I have to get a student visa, which is a very long process and figure out exactly what to pack!

Here is a photo of the famous Guggenheim museum designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. Many people from around the world travel here to see it.

Isn't it gorgeous? If you want to know more about my city, you can visit this link. I have to decide where else I want to travel while I'm there. Definitely Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Southern France since I'm right below them. So much to do!

Cincy 2007

2007-06-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a lovely week in Cincinnati with my Grams who turned 83 on June 16th. This photo is from Rookwood Pottery, a famous restaurant in Mt. Adams on her birthday. She let me treat her to lunch. Isn't she beautiful?

pretty day at Surfside

2007-06-13T21:04:00.001-05:00

I went to the beach last Sunday with the padres and I got really burnt. :/ But at least I got a pretty picture. It's sort of one of those cliche ones, but I liked it.

New Favorite Quote

2007-06-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

I was on Facebook looking at one of my girlfriend's profile pages where you can list your favorite quotes. Hers really got to me and it's a great mantra in a time of confusion or doubt:

"One day you are going to wake up and realize you truly love her and when that day comes, she'll be waking up next to the guy that already knew."

Love it! And on a lighter note, I came across a new artist and song I love. It's more playful and upbeat, but man I really feel her...

Artist: MoZella
Album: I Will
Year: 2006
Title: Amnesia

Help me cause I’m falling and I just can't see you
You came along and took a hold of me.
You gave me sugar-coated valentines
Promises that you were mine.
Tying up my line. Talking dirty to me.
And all I need I thought I found.
You only let me down you went sleeping around. around.
I wanna go back to the day before I met ya.
Things would be better
If I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia
Life could be sweeter (for me).
Everyone was saying what are you doing playin
With her heart when you don't care.
She’s much to young to string along put her back where she belongs. \
Why you doing her wrong. its just not fair.
And all I need is piece of mind
I wanna put it behind
Quit wastin my time. My time.
I wanna go back to the day before I met ya.
Things would be better
if I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia
life could be sweeter. (for me)
Yea you only let me down.
How you turn a girl around.
And now I need some piece of mind.
I want to put this behind.
Stop wastin all my time.
I want to go back to the day before I met ya.
Things could be better
if I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia.
Life could be sweeter. (for me).
I wanna go back to the day before I met ya.
Things would be better if I could forget ya.
Somebody give me something strong so I can release ya.
A double shot of amnesia.
Life could be sweeter. (for me)

I'M GOING TO SPAIN!!

2007-06-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

At least I'm pretty sure I am. ;) I started researching yesterday on some ways I could make money while I travel. I came across this pretty cool web site called Instituto Hemingway as I was looking into Spain being a potential country. Here is the address in case you want to take a look: http://www.institutohemingway.com/index.htm.

Anyway, I noticed that you don't have to be a college student to still take a Spanish course over there and you can actually get paid at the same time for teaching English! I began emailing with this cool guy, Jose, and he made up a package deal for me to take a 13-week Spanish course, set me up in an apartment that will be a 6-month lease with other female students my age and an orientation on how to teach English. It came out to be pretty cheap so that was pretty cool.

The town I will be living in is called Bilbao and it's on the northwest corner of the country. http://www.institutohemingway.com/bilbao.htm. I spoke to my dad's best friend's wife who is a Spanish professor and who has lived off and on in Spain including Bilbao and she said I will love it so much I won't want to go home! She said it's beautiful, in the mountains but surrounded by beaches. It's the safest city she's ever been in. She said I could walk alone at night and feel perfectly safe. It's a pedestrian city so I can walk everywhere and there are three main forms of transportation that you can use one pre-paid card for and all the trips are cheap. France is close nearby, so I can just take a bus over there if I want.

Here is why I think this is meant to be:
As I was sorting through some desk papers during my move, I came across a letter I was assigned to write to myself when I started college. It was a letter full of my goals and dreams and in it, I had already decided that I was going to minor in Spanish and go to Spain to immerse myself in the language to become fluent. It's interesting because my parents went on a trip to Spain about two years ago and absolutely loved it. They were actually surprised they liked it so much. Anyway, through their photos and stories, I once again felt this strong urge to get there. And I had totally forgotten that it was my original destination city until I found that letter.

Also, I have always wanted to become fluent in Spanish. This is my chance. I missed out in college studying abroad because I, eh hem, wanted to stay for a boy. So this is actually my second chance with nothing standing in my way.

My other thing is...for the first time, maybe ever in my life, this decision that I don't know much about feels so right. The notion of it just clicks and seems like I was meant to do this since the day I was born. I can't really describe it better than that, but I know this is what I'm supposed to do. I can already see myself there, speaking Spanish, meeting awesome new people, exploring this enchanted and exotic country as well as other nearby countries and really finding something about myself I never knew I would find.

Anyway, that my big news. I am sending in my application tomorrow (but they have already accepted me) and my plan is to leave September 1 and (maybe if i'm ready) come back March 1.

What about grad school you ask? Well, I'm still going to prepare for that but after having a long talk with my dad, we decided I should wait and see if I don't find a different direction with my life while I'm over there...or at least decide on a different topic to study in grad school. So I am still going to take the GRE, research on schools, get rec letters and transcripts set up and then just take it all with me and send applications from there if I decide to still do it at that time in my life.

I am very, very excited about this whole new adventure. I haven't felt this happy or optimistic in a long time. :)

music is also theraputic

2007-06-03T13:28:00.000-05:00

I am loving so many songs right now but one in particular really stands out to me and unless you saw the movie Elizabethtown, you probably haven't heard it. It's by Tom Petty and it's called "Square One." Below are the lyrics, but I highly recommend people download this song off of itunes or get the Elizabethtown soundtrack. It's an awesome album.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Had to find some higher ground
Had some fear to get around
You can't say what you don't know
Later on won’t work no more
Last time through I hid my tracks
So well I could not get back
Yeah my way was hard to find
Can't sell your soul for peace of mind

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head and me my dear
It took a world of trouble, it took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here

Try so hard to stand alone
Struggle to see past my nose
Always had more dogs than bones
I could never wear those clothes
It's a dark victory
You won and you also lost
Told her you were satisfied
But it never came across

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head on me my dear
It took a world of trouble, it took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here x3

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my favorite line was "you won and you also lost." there is so much to that simple sentence that i really believe is true for both parties when a relationship ends.

reading is theraputic

2007-06-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

as we all become very busy people in our day-to-day routines, most people sacrifice certain joys in order to get it all done. one of my sacrifices was not reading the books i had been wanting to read. i usually saved any reading time i had for newspapers/online news sites so i could keep up to date with my current events since it was part of my job to always be "in the know."

since I have become unemployed, one of the first things i told myself was that i was going to do lots of reading. my friend diana came to visit me in houston very soon after my world turned upside down and she had a laundry basket full of things for me. Most of that included books she thought might help me as well as her entire set of Friends episodes to cheer me up.

In the past month and a half I have read about three books, all three of which have helped me gain perspective and feel so much better. The first book is "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. This book was excellent. I had been wanting to read it for some time after my brother, Andy, told me it was his favorite book. It's basically all about soul-searching and a little boy's strength and willpower to survive in the most impossible conditions. The ending has quite a twist to it, but I decided regardless of the ending, it's still about the same thing and in the end about having faith in yourself.

The next book i read was one that diana got for me and told me to read immediately if not sooner. It's called "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's nonfiction but so attention-getting the entire time. It's a true account of a journalist's own soul-searching who travels to three different countries within the span of a year and in each country she focuses on three subjects she wants to explore and improve upon. She first travels to Italy where she explores pleasure, which involved a whole bunch of eating as well as learning and practicing the Italian language. The second country is India, where she learns how to pray, meditate and get in touch with her spirituality. Finally, she goes to Indonesia where she learns to balance the pleasure with spirituality. Her account of each place and the people she meets and gets close to make you feel like you are there and talking to them too. She is so easy to relate to, funny and revealing of her deepest thoughts. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I think a lot of it had to do with how much I needed to hear her story right now since she did all of this after two relationships failed and she was lost.

Finally, and I read this in one day, was a book called "How to Survive the Loss of a Love" by Harold H. Bloomingfield, M.D., Melba Colgrove, PhD and Peter McWilliams. This was another book Diana gave to me and it is meant to be one of those books that drag you out of your depths and make you realize above all else (and what is a mantra throughout the book) "you are alive. you will survive." It's not so much a book but a set of instructions and points to remember while you are at your worst. It gives you hope and reminds you that you are a wonderful and amazing person. That loss is just a part of life and above all, you are a better person for loving someone regardless of the outcome. It also focuses on the importance of letting yourself heal. It greatly advises to take as much time off from your daily life as possible and really go through your thoughts and feelings and no matter how painful they are, accept them and work with them. Avoiding them and staying too busy will only make it worse and you might be back to square one years down the line. Good thing I did all that before I got around to reading this book! This was one of my favorite passages:

"There is beauty in sadness. There is a certain beauty in sadness (and here we mean genuine sadness, not self-pity). We cannot elaborate upon this further (not even the corn-fed poet in our midst dares do that), but we thought it was worth mentioning. If you are enjoying the beauty of being sad, it's perfectly all right."

task for the week accomplished

2007-05-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

When I got back from San Fran, I had one goal in mind. (In my state, you kind of have to take baby steps and be proud of them.) I registered to take the GRE – the required test you have to take before applying to any graduate or professional school.

I've never been good at taking any sort of standardized test. I can make straight A's but I can also miserably perform on those things. It's weird. I remember in middle school, being pulled out of my class once a week to do practice tests for TASS or whatever the stupid required test was at the time. It was humiliating because I knew I was a good student and smart. There was just something about those things that made my mind work differently...and not for the better.

Anyway, here I go again. Hoping this time that a complete education, including two majors and a minor under my belt and some life experience might do me some justice. I plan to study and review quite a bit but I'm frequently told not to study too much for this thing.

My test date is July 14, so I have some time to prepare. Keep me in your thoughts as I can use all the luck I can get. I want to do well on this very expensive test!

The San Francisco Treat

2007-05-30T12:25:00.000-05:00

I just got back from an amazing trip to San Francisco and the bay area. My brother, Ari, and his wife, Rachel, have lived in Sausalito for about a year and a half and this was my first visit. Above is a cool shot of the Golden Gate Bridge as we were driving on it. I liked the vantage point and the lines as it makes you feel like you are riding up the lines.

Here is a photo of Ari. Isn't he cute? This was taken on my last day there in the wine country – Sonoma Valley to be exact. We had just visited our fourth vineyard and were a little toasted from all the wine tasting. It was truly a beautiful day and an amazing sight to see. I bought three bottles of wine from different vineyards. This one was Ravenswood and was one of our favorites.

Here is a photo of the famous "Painted Ladies" Victorian houses. I wanted to see them and Ari and Rach had never been over there. It was very windy outside so I only got one shot before I ran back to the car in effort to not get blown away. We did a good combination of typical touristy things as well as things most tourists wouldn't know about. Here is a summary of what I did and saw:

Toured Sausalito and did a little shopping with Rach there

Ate lunch at the famous Cliff House that overlooks the ocean and saw the ancient ruins of the bath house.

Saw the Palace of the Fine Arts

Drove down Lombard Street – the curviest road ever!

Visited Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 where all the sea lions hang out.

Shopped a little bit in the famous Union Square.

Ate dinner at an authentic Chinese restaurant called R&G Lounge in Chinatown.

Hung out at a trendy dive bar called Hemlock's.

Got up at 6 a.m. to witness Ari and Rach go to rowing practice in San Marin.

Went to Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Garden and yes, drank some yummy Jasmine tea.

Visited the de Young art museum where a cool exhibit of Vivienne Westwood and her evolution of fashion was on display. We also went up to the observation tower where you can see the entire city. Pretty cool even on a foggy day.

Strolled down Haite Ashbury Street – known as the weird, hippie area. Also saw Castro St, which is the predominately gay area. Got some yummy cookies there at Hot Cookie.

Went to North Beach for dinner – the Italian District and ate some authentic Italian cuisine.

Attended the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast at the San Marin Firehouse.

Rode a school bus up Mt. Tamalpais to see the musical production of Hair at the very top. That was fun.

Caught the end of the annual street fair in Sausalito and bought some nifty things.

Ate dinner at yummy Asian Fusion restaurant called E&O Trading Co. in Sausalito and hung out at the Marin Brewery.

Above is a photo of us at the brewery. My friends Diana and Ashley were also in town for a Communications conference and hung out with us when they could.

And last but not least was a day spent in Sonoma Valley wine tasting. So much fun!