This is the sweet life...

Jingle bells Jingle bells...

2009-12-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Chicken pot pie tonight. So yummy. Probably my most favorite meal when it's cold outside. Iced tea. Salad with cranberries, walnuts, white cheddar cheese. Homemade vanilla bluebell ice cream. I was going to make cherry crunch but we have a faulty can opener and I was too lazy to try to open those cans...

Today was fuuuuunnnnn...We decorated for christmas at work! Set up the christmas tree. Went and bought some new lights because it had dull patches that were dark. That was a sad little tree. It was kind of droopy and I could tell it was crying before we pulled it out of its box. Christmas decorations are magical to put up. I could put up Christmas decor for a looooooong time, but I hate when I have to take it down. It's just like, this is a lot of work and the thing that we were looking forward to isn't happening again for a long time. We put garland around my front reception area, and so every time somebody walked by I could tell they had a little twinkle in their eye because they were so excited about the holidays...

Boo yah

2009-11-30T16:21:00.003-08:00

Ohhh yea you can hey ya'lllllllllllllllllllll......

2009-11-30T16:21:00.001-08:00

Can you blog at the apple store????

2009-11-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

Hello!

What's going on ya'll??? Is everyone getting excited for Thanksgiving because I sure am! We are having thanksgiving in Dallas for the first time in my life this year. With the exception of one magical year when we were taken on a surprise trip to Disney World by my parents when I was 15 (that was so awesome, we woke up with bags packed for Houston and went to sleep in the car and woke up at the airport to Florida--way to go Mom and Dad), it has always been tradition to spend Thanksgiving in Katy, Texas where my Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Dan live. But this year we just can't, and I'm sad about it, but...

Dad is having shoulder surgery tomorrow. He's finally reached his limit. Too much tennis playing has landed him a shoulder injury that must be fixed with surgery. It shouldn't be too complicated of a surgery and his recovery time is surprisingly fast. He should be back in the office by Tuesday!! (but we'll see about that).

Anyways, Dad's going to be out of commission, so we're staying here and having Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family on Thursday. Becky got here last night. Tonight we're having a last meal before Dad goes under the knife, tomorrow will be a festive day at work, and Thursday, well you know what happens Thursday.

Gobble gobble!

Love,
Sarah

Oh and Crawf...

2009-11-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

Why can't I post on your blog? It won't let me, otherwise I already would have. Sorry. Let's check that out so I can write on it, OK?

I miss running with you.

Feeling kinda bloggy...

2009-11-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll!

First note- Crawf-I am so proud of you for re-starting your blog. Maybe if we do it together we will be cute, bloggy girls in no time!

Last night I made chili. It's the recipe my mom uses, and it's mostly from the recipe on the back of the chili mix, but I'm going to tell you how it's different. AND healthy. AND SOOOO easy! (Andrea this is for your marraige recipe list)

you will need:

1 lb. of ground turkey

1 can of ranch style beans (If you want to be extra spicy get the kind with jalapeños)

1 packet of William's Chili seasoning (or you can go to Sam's and buy a big container of it to have on hand - that's what I did because this chili is very good)

1 can of diced tomatos (I'm pretty sure mine were Hunt's)

1.5 tbs flour

Brown the ground turkey (if i were you i'd leave in the juices, but you are also free to take them out if you want to be super skinny)

Season it with the Chili seasoning, salt if desired (I always desire.)

Add tomatos and beans

Add flour

Let it simmer for about 1o minutes.

Eat. Use Frito's, rice and cheddar cheese liberally, or eat it by itself.

So easy, but you can't go wrong.

Yesterday Katie stole my new dress and wore it to church. I was kinda ticked but then I realized it wasn't that big of a deal and so I wasn't mad anymore. And then today she sent me a hot brownie from Tiff's Treats to work and I'm getting ready to go give that silly dress to her, ya'll!! She knows the quick way back into my heart!!

I was actually really busy at work today, and I am so excited that it is Thanksgiving this week because everyone at work seems to have a little pep in their step. Makes for a much happier work environment. Wednesday we are having a Maggiano's feast. Thursday I am running the turkey trot with Calli and Kyla. We are super-runners. Oh i need to make sure I have some leggings to wear. Brrr that's gonna be so fun. And then it's off to stuff myself with all kinds of yummy Thanksgiving food! Yay!

If you are reading this, I am thankful for you. Thanks for all the encouragement to keep going! I'll see how long I last, Ya'll!

Love you.

This is the sweet life...

2009-11-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I know that nobody reads this anymore, and I kind of hope nobody reads this blog until I can get some sort of consistency with it. So, if you're here, go away. I'm not ready for you yet. Just kidding, if you want to read this then that is fine.

I always get re-inspired to blog when I read other people's blogs, and a coworker told me about a blog that has become my recent obsession. It belongs to a really funny mom, and she's inspired me to take a new approach to my blog life. You can read about her funny life here:

www.holymama.org

Time to leave inhibitions behind. If i'm going to share my life with people on the INTERNET, i guess i better stop worrying about if I sound stupid! Because who cares, this is me.

Campbell and I are having a chill date night tonight. We're going to use the gift cards that I've been collecting at work to go to Chili's. Yes, I LOVE Chili's. Most nights I really want to go somewhere swanky and hip, but tonight I just want a chicken fajita pita from good 'ol Chili's. And french fries and iced tea. That sounds happy.

And I don't want to wear fancy pants and a fancy top and fix my hair. I just want to wear my high-wasted GAP mom jeans and a fleece. I want coffee later too. Doesn't that sound great? C'mon all you cute girls (all my little friends are super cute dressers), I know that sounds great to you.

After Chili's we're going to catch up on some TV and just veg. Awesome. This is the sweet life.

OH! There's my blog title! I've been waiting so long for it to come to me.

Happy Friday!

back to blog...

2009-08-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

Problem:

I love hamburgers and french fries more than almost any other food.

Solution:

Weight Watchers meeting in the morning.

Helloooo everyone! I'm back again. I hope you'll read my posts again after this long break. I can't guarantee that I'll be here that often, but I'm going to give it another go. I have more to tell you, but it will have to be a little bit later. Busy day!

love,
sarah

Today I got a job...

2009-06-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

I will be working for Storm LLC for atleast the next month...Many of you don't know this, but I have been working for my dad a little bit since I've been home for the summer while I was looking for a job, and I feel so fortunate to have found a job so early in my summer search. One of my dad's patients works for a law firm a few blocks over in downtown, and the other day when I was working at Dad's office she told me that they were looking for an office assistant.

It's not exactly what I thought I'd be doing, but I am really excited about it. What I like about it is that it has potential to become become whatever I make of it. There aren't many specific job requriements, I'm just kind of there to learn and to help out wherever I'm needed. Sounds like a good first job to me. They told me I get to ask lots of questions, and that's all I needed to know. Undoubtedly I'll get to know more about the legal field in this job, and it will be a good indicator of whether this is something I'm interested in doing long term (I've thought about doing law firm recruitment for awhile, and that may possibly be on the horizon)

I still have dreams of owning a dance studio or becoming a speech pathologist, and I made that clear in my interview, but for some reason they're still real excited to have me, and I'm real excited to be there.

I start Thursday. I'll keep you posted.

Love ya.

This is such a strange time...

2009-05-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have been home now for 2 weeks. I'm already finding that while my home in Dallas is still home I don't feel quite as comfortable living in it the same way I've always done. It's a strange time...

I've graduated but all I have to show for it is a diploma. I do not have a job to go to during the day, I don't have a source of income, I am still relatively helpless and dependent on my parents. An adult that much more similarly resembles a child. This awkward stage in my life affects every interaction I have with my family. "Hey Sarah do you want to go to the Rangers game?", "One sec, let me ask my mom." or "Hey mom and dad do you mind if I go on a run with Katie this morning instead of going to church, I went last night."--"Sure Sarah, you don't have to ask us that, you can make your own decisions now."

but...Can I? I am the oldest child, and from what I can figure in the bible, though I am graduated and in some ways independent, I am still under the authority of my parents. I feel strange. I little bit underdeveloped or something. I am not confident in my own decision-making abilities and constantly need the advise of someone wiser.

I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing, but maybe it's time to start going to the ultimate wisdom-giver. Maybe it's time to start consulting my Heavenly Father and His Word about every decision. Maybe the way I mature is to come to the Lord like a little child. Not only is it OK, but it's the only way we're supposed to do according to Luke 18: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." So instead of constantly going to my parents and saying, "Help me make this decision.", I need to start consulting the Lord to ask the same thing. That pleases Him.

I'm on my way to Becky's graduation baccalaureate, but will continue struggling through my thougts later. If you just read this, thanks for reading my piddly thoughts. I think majority of us reading this are all in a similar position, and I hope it's encouraging for you to read that I'm struggling through this awkward phase as well.

Love you all.

SYTYCD

2009-05-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow night at 8/7c. This is a sweet blessing in my life. Thank you God for Dance and for this show. I love it very much.

P.S. Hi Twitch, Bethany and I will miss you this season.

2009-05-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe for Neopolitan Ice Cream Pie that I got from SELF magazine. Doesn't it look yummy? Shouldn't we make it??

INGREDIENTS

9 graham crackers
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups nonfat strawberry frozen yogurt, softened
1/2 Heath bar, broken into small pieces
1 1/2 cups mint ice cream, softened
1 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
1 1/2 cups nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt, softened
2 fresh strawberries, halved

PREPARATION

Combine crackers and butter in a food processor. Press mixture into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan to form crust. Chill in freezer for 20 minutes. Remove; spread strawberry frozen yogurt over crust. Sprinkle Heath bar on top. Freeze until firm. Remove. Spread a layer of mint ice cream over frozen yogurt; sprinkle 1 cup Oreos on top. Freeze until firm. Spread a layer of chocolate frozen yogurt on ice cream; freeze until firm. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Oreos on top. Garnish each slice with strawberries.

Yumm...and summer begins!

Everything's easier in Dallas...

2009-05-19T08:56:00.001-07:00

I am officially in Dallas.

I am officially home. This last couple of days has been very fun and exciting.

I think I'm going to like it here....

Wanna see what I've been doing??

This is a chow chow. If you didn't know it, Katie Tucker is living in Dallas this summer (her first Texas summer! woo woo I hope she doesn't melt...) Katie is living with a very sweet woman who I have yet to meet whom we lovingly refer to as "the widow", and a GIGANTIC chow chow named Tonka :) Tonka is actually black, but I liked this picture.

I spent the night at Katie's new house after we went to church on Sunday night, and I like Tonka but he kinda scares me. These dogs are known to be very sweet, but also very aggressive and sometimes mean. Not Tonka though. Sweet as they come.

I'm going to turn into a couch potato this summer because of all the shows that are starting. Last night we watched Jillian pick her batch of men that she will pick a husband from. We love the pilot (jake), and Kiptyn. Is anyone else as excited about So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) as I am??? That show premieres Thursday, and you better bet it will be entertaining.

Other topics: I am looking into taking Bickram Yoga this summer, anyone else??

also...I have a good recipe for healthy ice cream pie that I will post soon. :)

love ya.

Martha's Bloomers

2009-05-06T22:01:00.001-07:00

We went to Martha's Bloomers today with bible study. As you know I do love a good restaurant. Have you ever been there?

It's a fun place to go with girls. It's a gardening haven with a little tea room in the back that serves delicious chicken salad and iced tea. We also had sample "shots" of tea in tiny tea cups with butterflies for handles. Cute :)

I absolutely love the girls in my bible study and I will miss them so much! Kelsey and I have been leading these girls since they were freshmen, and it has been such a blessing to learn about Philippians and then Daniel with them. This all started because 2 girls decided to invest their time and wisdom into me and Kelsey and some other fun girls when we were freshmen and sophomores in hopes that we would learn and someday lead our own study and help more girls know Jesus more deeply in college. Since then Kelsey and I have started our own study with three girls--Amanda, Lauren, and Kate.

We recently (almost finished!--we're going to finish over the summer) the Beth Moore study on Daniel. I loved it. If you want to read a book about a true man of God, and also learn a ton of crazy/awesome prophesy read Daniel! And we loved doing it with the Beth Moore study. I don't think I'd touched Daniel since I was in preschool learning about Daniel in the Lion's den. Which is a really cool story, but there is so much more to his life! He is a great example of a man who lived counter-culturally, and faced much persecution in his life because he feared the Lord. Amazing!

Tomorrow I will clean my room. Deep clean. I mean it this time. I'm also going to find a place for my sister to live next year. If anyone has any good College Station dorm/apartment suggestions please let me know!

love ya'll

Today I sat in bed all day long...

2009-05-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up around 8 and literally did not get off of my bed until I went to the allergy doctor at 1. :) I don't know what's wrong with me, but lately I can't breathe very well, so I saw the doctor and he gave me some samples. I hope that helps. I think I just need an inhaler.

Tonight I went to dinner with my dear friend Holly. Holly has been my very good friend for such a long time, I guess you could say our friendship blossomed when we were officers of the 9th grade drill team, had a common interest of shopping at Agasi, and thought we looked cool in braces. We actually thought we looked cool all the time.

We didn't...

Anyways, now my dear Texas girl is planning to up and move to Boston to start married life with her new fiance, David. I love talking with Holly about her plans. Everything is so exciting right now. Holly is literally about to be a wife, a teacher, and a northerner (eww). Everything in her life is changing! Everything in our lives is changing I guess. I don't know how we got here. Every time I talk with Holly I learn something from her. As I was sitting across from her tonight at dinner I just kind of realized how important it is to maintain friendships. There is really nothing more comforting nor healing than being with a person who knows you inside and out, and has for a long time. My friends and I are all about to graduate and scatter all over the world, and I'm not very good at keeping in touch, but it's so important! So i'm gonna try real hard. Even more than that I guess I've just been learning to value people a whole lot more lately.

God puts all kinds of people in our lives for a reason. We are made to live in community with people. Heather Hendricks says that as believers, our unity points others to God (John 17:20). So if this is the way we point others to God we better know each other deeply, and let people know us deeply. I am so thankful to have friends who love me enough to know me. Know what's going on inside of me. I will strive to do that for people around me so that we may point to Jesus because of our unity.

By the way, I'm learning this stuff because I'm reading this blog: http://www.herhands.blogspot.com/.

If you are a girl you should read it.

I'll be floating the river tomorrow. :) That sounds delightful!

Goodnight

Today a miracle has happened...

2009-04-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

It is a rainy day in college station. And it is perfect. My finance class was cancelled today and so I called Katie and Michele and we decided to go eat lunch at Madden's. I believe that if we eat food in heaven it will be from Madden's. I mean it. If you have never been to Madden's for lunch, go and order the Bacon and avocado grilled havarti and white cheddar cheese sandwich on focaccia with a cup of

bisque. Yum. It will melt in your mouth.

I want a labradoodle.

i mean is that not just the cutest thing you've ever seen??? My family has one, Moe. He is very cute, but I want one of my own. Katie and I are watching When Harry Met Sally in my bed. We made coffee and ate cake. I love to grind my own HEB coffee. Taste of the Hill Country is my favorite. It has light hints of vanilla and cinnamon. Really good with hazlenut creamer. Perfect.

i forgot that i restarted my blog

2009-04-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

i'm going to work on the design.

Coming back...

2008-12-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

I think I've decided I might just start this blog up again. The only thing that was holding me back is my own self-consciousness in my writing skills...well, and my thinking skills. I feel like people who keep blogs are really deep thinkers, and I would never really call myself a deep thinker. I take that back, I would say that I have deep thoughts, they're just not overly intellectual. If that's possible.

I think I won't tell anyone that I'm doing this for awhile, and then later if I feel like it I'll spread the word.

Anyways that's besides the point. I'm going to keep a blog starting now and going through the next semester documenting a major life transition time. I started getting serious about my graduation and future job today. I visited with my advisor in the COMM department this morning to make sure that I am lined up to graduate in the fall. I forgot to register in November like I was supposed to, and so right now I don't have all of the classes I need. I need to get into Finance 409, and I've been trying, but it looks like I might have to wait until add-drop week. I also made a stop into the Texas A&M Career Center this afternoon to meet with an advisor who helped me put together my resume. As I was sitting in the waiting room I started to get overwhelmed with the whole job search that I'm just beginning. Apparently resume writing is its own art form, so is interviewing. Then, if I do happen to get a job when will I start and what exactly will it be? I'm just not sure that I know what I want to do yet. How did college go by so fast? I was supposed to have it figured out by now. Right now I'm looking into an entry level Human Resources position, possibly directed toward college recruiting. Wouldn't that be fun?? I'll keep updating as the search progresses.

Did I mention I'm going with Campbell to see George W. Bush speak at Graduation convocation this Friday? That's right. The current president of the United States will be in College Station this Friday. I'm stoked. :)

hmm ok that's all for now.

love sarah

Barcelona

2008-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hello from Barcelona!

Today we arrived in Barcelona after a 12 hour, over-night train ride across Spain. The train had little compartments where the seats folded out into bunk beds. Three beds stacked on top of each other. Calli, Katie, Katie and I shared our compartment with a nice lady from Salamanca who used to be an english teacher but now doesn't remember any english. She said that she barely spoke english in the classroom when she was teaching it anyway. We were a little confused.

So who wants to guess the first place we went to in Barcelona? Of course we went to starbucks. I love spain's coffee (Café con Leche), but my iced caramel machiatto was refreshing and reminded me of home. We hung out for a few hours and wandered around Madrid until we could check into our hotel. Our hotel is nice. The four of us are sharing one room with two twin beds, so we'll just have to squeeze tight for the next few nights.

Today we went on a Fat Tire Bike Tour of Barcelona. It was a four hour tour, and we saw all the important sites of the city. We saw Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, we went to a pretty park with a beautiful fountain, also by Gaudi called "Cascades". In the park there were lots of people picnicking and enjoying the beautiful day. We ended the tour at the beach where we ate dinner with the rest of the people on the tour. Every person on our tour went to A&M. It was the four of us and then 6 other finance students studying abroad with the A&M. The aggie network is everwhere!!

...i had left off here in Barcelona and now i will finish:

The next day we went to the park where we saw Gaudi's cascades and read for hours and that night we saw a movie in english--What Happens in Vegas. It wasn't a great movie but we were so glad to be watching a movie that we understood that we didn't really care! After the movie we went to Hard Rock Cafe. Needless to say, we had a very American night.

Our last day in Barcelona we went to the beach. The beaches in Barcelona are part of the Mediterranean and it was absolutely beautiful. We laid out all afternoon. The sell everything at the beach. There were men walking around singing little songs about all the cold drinks they had for sale, and Calli and I both got massages from Asian women walking around saying "massage?" I'm not sure how certified their services were, but Calli and I both enjoyed it very much. If we decide not to come home, we can just give people massages at the beach to make a living...That night we ate at a nice restaurant on the beach called "Arenal". There we celebrated Katie Crawford's 21st birthday and enjoyed watching people at the beach. Later that night we went to watch the "magic fountains" of Barcelona. They are these huge fountains that turn all different colors and change as music plays. I'm going to try to post a video of that on this blog. I took about 5. I'll do that in just a little while.

We took an 11 hour train ride home on Sunday. It was almost too much to handle, but we survived. The trains are a very nerve racking thing because they don't give you much time to get on or get off. The four of us brought 2 gigantic suitcases to Barcelona (we packed for 3 weeks instead of 3 days) and they were hard to get on and off the train. So in all the hustle and bustle of getting everything off the train I forgot to grab my school work from under my seat. Every single handout and every single note I've taken in the last 2 weeks is gone. I started from scratch on Monday. Oops. I don't think it'll be that big of a deal though because I'll just study with Katie and the tests shouldn't be that hard. I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left! It's flown by!

Tonight we will probably lay low and start studying for exams. Clemen has lots of movies so we might try to find one that has english subtitles. I think that's all for now! Thanks for checking in! OH...i'll post that video in a sec.

Santander

2008-06-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I'm sorry that it has been awhile since I've blogged. Our internet was out at the house for the majority of last week and we were out of town this weekend. So let me start where I left off last time and take you up to this very moment.

The weather in Salamanca got better starting on Tuesday, and our moods got better too. The cold weather was really starting to wear on us and we have been so happy to welcome the warm sun each afternoon after our classes. It still starts off a little chilly in the mornings, but by the time we're done with class the weather is perfect. It's probably been in the 80's every afternoon here. Muy bien.

We have really been wanting to try this Spanish/European fast food company called "Pans & Company" so on Thursday we decided that we would skip lunch at our respective houses and eat Pans together in the Plaza. The food, the company, and the weather was all very good as we sat and talked and read together in the Plaza for the majority of the afternoon. There has been a big festival going on for the last 2 weeks (as I mentioned in my previous blog, the video is from the festival) so on Thursday there was a Spanish radio station there to hear what the people of Salamanca had to say about all of it. Katie and katie left at about 5 and Calli and I stayed to read a little more and we listened to the DJ's as they interviewed different people walking through the plaza. When I saw one of the DJ's walking toward Calli and I, I had a moment of panic and then calmed myself as she chose to interview Calli first. She started speaking very fast asking Calli lots of questions. I guess Calli kind of got nervous too and couldn't really understand the girl and so when she put the microphone to Calli's mouth all Calli could say was "No hablo mucho Ingles". Oops. She meant spanish. Everyone knew that, so it was OK. So then the girl says (in spanish), OK then we will talk to your friend here and put the microphone up to my mouth and all I could think to say was "I speak even worse than her" but what came out was "mas menor" which means "more smaller" or "more younger" to which Calli burst out laughing and I just put down my head. Every eye in Salamanca zeroed in on us and the main DJ at the front just kept repeating "mas menor...hmm....mas menor".

On Friday after class we left to go to a town called Santander for the weekend. Santander is a beach town in north Spain. We were a little nervous about the weather because when we got there it was really cold, but the next morning when we walked out of our hotel the sun was shining and it was a really pretty day! We stayed at the beach all afternoon. We had lunch at telepizza, which is another European fast food place and went back out to the beach. We've all been reading a lot on this trip. I started a new book, A Severe Mercy, and I have not been able to take my nose out of it since I opened it. Santander was beautiful. We went to the cutest little park on Saturday afternoon. We saw 2 brides getting married, lots of little kids playing in beautiful green fields, and a beautiful, old palace. In the park there was also a small zoo that had penguins, ducks and sea lions. Dinner Saturday night was kind of an adventure. We took a taxi to a Mexican food restaurant (yes, they have mexican food in Spain) but the restaurant was completely empty so we wandered around the town until we found somewhere better. Dinner was very good, and Santander was fun to walk around in at night. Calli got a lot of pictures of Santander, so I will steal them from her and post them soon.

We just got home and are worn out and ready to go to bed. I will try to be better about updating more frequently. What an adventure we are having here in Spain! I hope that who ever is reading this is getting to experience it a little bit with us :) more later...

A Lazy Saturday

2008-05-31T01:42:00.000-07:00

We have now made it to Salamanca. Each Spanish city we have visited has been completely unique of the last and Salamanca is no exception.

We arrived here in the afternoon on Wednesday and met our Madre's. Calli and I had received correspondance that our Madre's name was Clemen and that her profession was homemaking. Our letter said that Clemen lives with her Mother (91) and two daughters, but other than that Calli and I didn't really know what to expect. When we met her for the first time we were showered with hugs and kisses. She was so happy to see us :) When we got to her house we were pleasantly surprised to find the apartment quite spacious, and we also found that we would be dwelling in the same room. That was a huge comfort to me and Calli because we like to stick close together most all the time--but especially in foreign countries.

Our living situation is especially lucky for two reasons. We LOVE our madre and we have wireless internet in the house. So beside having such a comforting connection and counsel living with us while we're in Spain, we will also be able to keep you all posted pretty regularly on what we're experiencing. Internet is quite a commodity here in Salamanca, and we are VERY lucky to have it free and in our own room. I'm writing this while sitting in my warm bed in my pajamas and slippers.

That's another thing...my bed is warm which is a stark contrast to the weather outside! Normally the summer weather in Salamanca is warm and aggreable, but since we've been here it has been so COLD!! As we enter the month of June most people are still wearing boots, scarves and heavy coats. Calli, Katie, Katie and I just didn't come prepared. Our plethora of shorts, dresses and sandals still sit in our suitcases untouched, and the one fleece and pair of jeans that I brought are worn with my closed-toed flats on a daily basis. I wish I had a pair of boots, and I'd buy a pair if they were on sale in any store, but all the stores are selling summer clothes right now. Because it's June and it should feel like summer.

We started orientation classes on Thursday. Calli meets with the advanced spanish speakers, Katie B meets with the Intermediate speakers, and Crawf and I meet with the special group-the Beginners. There are 6 of us in our little class and we meet in a tiny room in the ISA office for about 3 hours a day and learn the fundamentals of Spanish. We actually love it. Katie and I are definitely in the right level as we have taken Spanish in high school, but needed a heavy review of the basics. In a place that we don't understand the language about 90% of the time, it is refreshing to go into a classroom and understand the Spanish that we're hearing for 3 hours of a day. Our teacher is very patient and speaks slowly. She speaks no english, but explains everything she is teaching very well, and so each day we leave feeling more confident and able than we were the day before. We have only been here about a week but our vocabulary and speaking ability has already increased so much! I still feel pretty shy when speaking with my Madre but Calli says that I do just fine. Every meal at home feels more like a language lab than a time to eat and unwind, but that's OK. We're here to learn, right? I think it will feel more comfortable after we've been here another week or so.

The food. It is interesting for sure. Our madre cooks every meal and prides herself in her cooking. She tells us it is verey important to her that we like what she makes. The first day we were here Calli and I were so excited o have spaghetti and chicken. It was SO GOOD. Since then we've had meatballs and potatoes, a bright, orange-yellow potato puree, fried fish, lettuce and carrots, some kind of vegetable soup, and toast and jam every morning. The toast and jam is delicious. We also eat a lot of bread, but our meals are so spread out that we are STARVING by the time we eat our next meal. Chocolate croissants have become my favorite snack for the inbetween hours of breakfast and lunch. And lunch and dinner.

Last night was our first night out on the town. Calli and I met Katie and Katie in the Plaza Mayor where they have been holding a festival for the last week. We watched a dance show that looked like cirque de sole in the plaza. I'm going to try to post a video, because my words probably won't do it justice. Actually, the video might not either. Everything was lit up. The costumes were so cool. There were butterflies with giant wings and umbrellas and then dancers who descended from a giant, lit-up crane that came from behind the buildings and landed down on the stage. That's what the video is of. I really enjoyed it, but that might just be because this kind of thing is right up my alley. I think some of my friends got bored with it :/ But see for yourself.

OK, I think I've about talked your ear off so I'll close this blog for today. I will post more frequently now that I have a steady internet connection and so many adventures to talk about. I'm loving it here, and I'm having a blast.

Talk to ya soon!

Monday May 26, 2008

2008-05-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today we left from our hotel in Madrid. Before we left the city we visited El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace) and La Sofia Reyina. The Royal Palace was amazing. It hasn't actually been lived in since the 1930's but it is still the official meeting place for all Royal events and Gala's. All the rooms have been preserved and restored, and we were able to take a tour inside the palace. I had never seen anything like it. It was room after room of the most ornate furniture, art, walls, chandaliers and even the floors were beautiful.

From there we went to La Sophia Reyina, which is a contemporary art gallery where many of Picasso's most famous works are displayed, including the Guernica. I never really liked Picasso until today. Our tour guide was fabulous, and she was so enthusiastic about informing us of all the background that goes with the artists works. It is really quite amazing how much a picture can communicate.

After the museum we traveled to Toledo where we spent the evening and we will spend the day tomorrow. It is completely different from Madrid and so cute! We had dinner at a great restaurant tonight called La Abadia. I'm excited to see where we go tomorrow!

I'm going to try to post a slide show of our trip thus far.

2008-05-22T03:37:00.000-07:00

Hola Mis Amigos!!

So I've made it to my first stop in Madrid, but not without a few kinks upon arriving. Nothing too serious except for my debit card did not work when I got here and so I had no way of getting Euros. After 2 collect calls with mom she finally got my card to work and I was off to flag down a taxi.

My taxi driver did not speak a lick of english, and I don't speak a lick of spanish. My first language crisis. I guess we were able to communicate enough for him to understand where I needed to go, and he was very patient with me. He told me about all of the attractions in Spain that we were passing on the way and I kind of repeated the words he said like I was understanding it somehow. All i could think to say was "Oh, es muy bonita!" I said that about the bank, some kind of arches that were cool, the military headquarters...Everything...muy bonita!

I'm at my hotel now and it's perfect. So cute. My room is quaint and perfect. I'm in the lobby right now on my computer and it's really pretty. There are just open doors leading to balconies all over the 9th floor. It's so pretty. Muy bonita.

Anyways, just thought I'd let ya'll know that I made it over here! We'll see if i venture out into the streets of Madrid. That may be my adventure tomorrow. Right now i'm going to go sleep off the jet lag.