When I was younger I never had any particular reason to love November- it’s always been home to one of my favorite holidays, my mom’s birthday, Black Friday, and vacation from school; but in my mind it’s been overshadowed by cold weather and snow flurries. Well now that I live in a little bit of a warmer climate, I’ve come to love November so much more! If you remember my posts from Novemeber 2009, you’ll know that it was quite possibly the best month of the year; lucky for me November 2010 is going fantastically as well! This past weekend my roommates and I went to see Chelsea Handler, a HILARIOUS stand up comedian who tells it like it is, at the Scottrade Center. Not only did the show cause us to laugh so hard our stomachs hurt, but we also had a fabulous meal at Tortillaria, a Mexican restaurant in the Central West End. Next weekend we’re headed to see Sara Bareilles (and we have tickets in the center of the second row!!), and then the weekend after that is Alpha Phi Omega’s formal dance! Talk about incredible weekends! Unfortunately, to play hard I also have to work hard- this week I have three tests on top of 2 papers and a project- gulp! But luckily my weekends have given me something to get me through the long weeks. Thanksgiving is already two weeks away and I’m already counting down the days! If you’re not enjoying November as much as I am so far, go buy your self a pumpkin latte and enjoy the great fall weather =)

If you have followed by blog for a while, then you know that last year I took salsa classes at SLU’s Simon Rec center. Although I absolutely loved salsa, I decided to try something new this semester at the Rec: ZUMBA! My roommate Melissa and our friend, and fellow SLU blogger- Ashley, took Zumba last year and fell in love. So Melissa convinced me to join Zumba this semester. Joining the class was probably the best decision I’ve made all semester- which is saying a lot, since this semester has been pretty fabulous so far! Zumba is basically choreographed dancing to  Latin cardio and hip hop music- but you don’t have to be a good dancer to do it! I’ve always loved dancing, especially to a great beat- so Zumba is pretty much a little slice of heaven that fits into my weekly routine. Not only do I sweat my butt off and get my heart rate up, but I can honestly say I love every minute of it!

Other than Zumba, work, and classes, I’ve definitely been keeping busy this semester! APO (Alpha Phi Omega- SLU’s co-ed service fraternity) is back in full swing! This semester I’m volunteering once a week at a preschool near SLU- I really enjoy playing with the kids each week and helping the teachers out. Although I have no intention to become a preschool teacher, I’ve gained more respect for my mom who taught K4 for many years! I’m pooped after 3 hours with the kids, so I have no idea how she lasted a full school day! Props to you mom, and all the other preschool  teachers (or former preschool teachers)reading! Since returning to St. Louis, I’ve continued my role as food connoisseur. In my last blog I talked about the Fountain on Locust ( which, since my first visit I’ve returned two more times for dessert! I promise I’ll make it for a meal sometime soon!), but I’ve also visited Vito’s (an old favorite!), Pappy’s, the U, and Triumph Grill- all restaurants withing walking distance of SLU. Like the rest of St. Louis, I’m now obsessed with Pappy’s Barbecue! Talk about great pulled pork and sweet potato fries! If you make a visit to Pappy’s don’t be turned away by the long lines- I promise they move quickly!! Props to the U for a great and affordable burger, and also to Triumph for fantastic food every time I go ( I definitely recommend the Flash Fried Asparagus- by far my favorite thing on the menu!).

This week marks the start of midterms week. Luckily, my week won’t be as bad as some of my friends- but I’ll definitely be busy!! Then I’m headed home to Wisconsin to visit friends in Madison and spend some quality time with my parents!

I always consider labor day to be the end of summer- now I know that the farmer’s almanac and what not disagrees with me, but growing up in Wisconsin taught me that September is generally when it starts to get cooler. With that being said, I wished farewell to my favorite season this weekend by enjoying some of my favorite things about St. Louis and also trying some new things which quickly became favorites!! My boyfriend, Joe, came down from Madison for the weekend and we spent Saturday in Forest Park. We started with a great walk by Art Hill, then headed over to the zoo! Now, I absolutely love zoos and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the penguins, giraffes, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!… sorry I couldn’t resist). Here’s a shot of me with my favorite cold-weather animals =)

Gotta love the penguinos!

On our way back to the car, we stopped at took a picture at Art Hill- arguably one of my favorite spots in Forest Park:

Joe and I at the top of Art Hill

Next we stopped by Greek Fest, also at Forest Park, for some fantastic Greek Food. Since I never made it to Greece last semester, I insisted we make a stop at the festival =) I ate a shish-kebob with Rice Pilaf, and a Greek Salad- yum! Of course, this made me even more upset I never made it to Greece, yet even more excited to make the trip back someday!!

Sunday, I showed Joe around SLU’s campus and we walked over to the Fountain on Locust to get some fantastic ice cream sundaes! The Fountain on Locust is a great restaurant with friendly service, a fantastic interior, and delicious deserts- basically a Mecca for someone like me with an uncontrollable sweet tooth! I had never been to restaurant before, so I was really excited to try it out. Joe and I opted for desert, which was a good choice because my sundae was HUGE! Made with three scoops of  Wisconsin ice cream (how could I resist?!), hot fudge, homemade whipped cream and chocolate coins, I was determined to scarf down the whole thing. I succeed with minimal melting, but I definitely felt sick the entire rest of the day! Lesson learned: return to the Fountain on Locust, eat main entree, then SHARE a fabulous desert with a friend =) Here is me with my sundae before attempting to eat it:

Me with my sundae... on sunday =)

All in all, I think my summer ended with a bang! I’m definitely ready for fall, especially my favorite part: pumpkin pancakes, lattes, and deserts!

Hi everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA since May- my summer absolutely FLEW by! I know many friends and family members have been bugging me to blog, so I’m happy to inform you that I’m back to my weekly postings =) After my last blog entry, I returned to Easter Seals Camp Wawbeek for my second summer- which was a blast!  Although I worked many long and challenging days, I have hundreds of amazing memories thanks to all my fellow staff members and our awesome campers! After camp ended at the end of July I spent some time at home packing and cleaning out my room. After a laid-back week, my sister Angela and I took a trip to San Diego, CA- and I fell in love with the palm trees, no-humidity heat, and lovely beaches! Our first day we drove up to LA and toured the Disney Concert Hall (same architect who designed the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain!) , the Cathedral (props for a wheelchair accessible altar!), stopped by the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, drove through Bel-Air (unconfirmed Usher sighting), and met up with my sister’s friend Steve, another SLU alum, for dinner in Hermosa Beach. Here are a few pictures from the LA trip (click on them to see the full version):

Back in San Diego, we visited the San Diego Zoo, which I LOVED- The Panda Bears and Giraffes were my favorite! We also ate in the historic Gaslamp District, Little Italy, and even visited Coronado Beach. I also got to see Leslie, one of my roommates from Spain who lives in CA =)

Now I’m back at SLU and all moved into my new apartment in the Coronado (yay! I have a kitchen!). I already had my first class of Junior year, and went to the first 9pm mass which was amazing- I really missed that mass while abroad! Check back next week to hear all about my first week back (gosh, it’s good to be back home).

Although I had an amazing semester in Madrid, it feels SO good to be home!! My last three weeks in Spain were such a blast! I made sure to squeeze in everything I hadn’t done in the semester, so I was super busy running all around Madrid! I went to futbol games for both Real Madrid and Atletico (Madrid’s less-known team in La Liga), saw the Palacio Real, spent time in Retiro park and the Botanical Gardens, visited the Monet exhibit at the Thyssen-Bornemisza (which was hands-down one of the best art exhibits I have ever seen), ate lots of churros and chocolate, went salsa dancing, and went to Madrid’s infamous 7 story club: Kapital! I also made sure to eat as much spanish food as possible, specifically my favorite: tortilla espanola (also known as tortilla de patatas)! I was so obsessed with tortilla, I ate it 3-4 times a week and luckily my senora taught me how to make it my last night in Madrid, so hopefully I can make it for all my friends and continue to feed my addiction!! Here are a few pictures from the last 3 weeks:

My friend Hannah and I at the Palacio Real (royal palace)

Me with some flowers in the Palacio Cristal in Retiro

Me with my favorite chocolateria in Madrid!

Even though I was ready to come home to the US, there are so many things about Madrid that I already miss, and don’t miss… so I’ve complied a list of each:
A Few Things I miss about Madrid:
1. Drinking Cafe con Leche (espresso and milk, plus a packet of sugar=bliss!)
2. Eating Tortilla Bocadillos!
3. My Senora’s cooking
4. Staying out until 3am…4am.. or 6am!
5. Walking around Retiro through Sol
6. Speaking spanish!

Things I don’t miss:
1. Smelling like smoke and having people smoke around you 24/7!!
2. The Metro- Madrid’s is the cleanest in Europe and very convenient but I spent an hour on it every day, which got very old!
3. Dressing up every day- I’ve spent most days in sweatpants since I got back
4. Everything closed on sundays! I was so excited to go to the grocery store yesterday (sunday)!

So what’s next for me?? Well, my whole family will be home this weekend for a wedding, so I’m really excited to see my extended family! Then, I’m headed back to Camp Wawbeek, an Easter Seals camp for Individuals with Disabilities, for another summer!! This year, I will be holding a leadership position and will be serving as the Camper Coordinator! I’m really excited for a challenging and FUN summer- so check back for updates and pictures =) I hope everyone enjoys their summers!

Exactly three weeks from today I will be on a plane back to the US (provided there are no more volcano eruptions in Europe that keep me here-the entire travel system has been thrown off whack thanks to mother nature!). As I type this I can’t help but think, “WHAT?!?!?! Where did the semester go?!?!” But as I look through my pictures to pick some out for this post, I realize how long I’ve been here, and how lucky I have been to see so many different places! Leaving will definitely be bittersweet, as I’m really looking forward to seeing family and friends but I will be sad to leave Spain behind!
Since I’ve been back from spring break I’ve spent time here in Madrid and also Mallorca, an island off the east coast of Spain. Two weekends ago Real Madrid (Madrid’s football team) played their arch rivals: Barcelona. Although I would have loved to go to the game, tickets are near impossible to get and VERY expensive! So my friends and I went down to the stadium before the game to see the atmosphere, and the streets were just FULL of people! It was so fun to just watch everyone so excited about the game, and my roommate Leslie and my friend Hannah and I got interviewed (in english!) by Real Madrid’s tv network (maybe you saw the interview on TV in the states?!?!). Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures from that night, because my camera was stolen later that night! (for those of you who have been following me all semester, yes this is the second camera that was stolen from me. talk about bad luck.) Unfortunately Madrid lost, but it was still a cool experience!
This past weekend I went to Mallorca, and spent all weekend laying on the beach and relaxing! I love beaches, and Mallorca’s are just gorgeous: white sand, clear blue water, and (my favorite part) palm trees! Here are a few pictures I got from my friend Andrew’s camera (thanks Andrew!):

Unfortunately we can’t take ownership to this sandcastle, but it’s still a great picture!

Sailboats along the horizon

A gorgeous Mallorcan sunset!

Check back the next few weeks to hear about the last of my adventures in Spain!

At SLU Madrid we have our spring break during Semana Santa (aka Holy Week), so my friends and I decided to take advantage of our time off and see Europe! We started off in France, where we went to Paris and Versailles. Paris was my favorite city that we visited- it had an inexplicable charm that had me hooked as soon as I stepped into the city! Although cliche, my favorite site was definitely the Eiffel Tower- it’s so beautiful at night, we went twice because we couldn’t get enough! I quickly fell in love with crepes as well, especially since they included my newest obsession: nutella! My other favorite site was Notre Dame- after studying and seeing pictures my whole life, it was still impressive in person! It’s my 2nd favorite church I’ve visited, after St. Peter’s in Rome. Here’s a picture of me with the tower:

Versailles is home to the famous Palace of Versailles, the home of a string of King Louises (that’s the plural of Louis, sorry that looks confusing!) and Marie Antoinette. The palace was incredibly ornate and had an expansive garden that included 2 more palaces and a small, quaint village that reminded me of Beauty and the Beast! After France, we went to Amsterdam, which is such a pretty city! It has beautiful canals and a very unique style of architecture. Here’s a picture of a traditional street in Amsterdam:

My favorite thing in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House, which is now a museum honoring the people the people who lived in the Secret Annex. It was very powerful and very informative, and I’m so happy I got to see it! Afterwords, my friends and I ate dinner at the Pancake Bakery which was DELICIOUS! I asked the waitress what her favorite pancakes were and ordered them, so i ended up with a scrumptious dutch pancake with bacon and apples inside! Here I am excited to dig in!

After Amsterdam, we took an overnight train to Prague. Prague has some of the most unique and beautiful architecture that I’ve seen in Europe, and it has a really interesting history! Other than the architecture, my favorite part about Prague was the food! In the Old Town Square they were having an Easter festival that included booths selling traditional crafts and food, and a variety of traditional dance and song performances. Prague was also challenging at times, because the language is so unfamiliar and different that both English and Spanish- at some points during the trip my friends and I would read signs and just laugh because we had NO idea what they said! My friends and I also took a cable car up to the highest hill in the city, where they have a tower (strangely, it resembles the Eiffel Tower but is much smaller!) had has a fantastic view of the city. Here’s me with the view from the top:

After leaving the Czech Republic, we ventured on to Germany to visit Munich! Munich also has some great architecture, but also has a huge gorgeous park right in the city. My friends and I walked all around the park because it reminded us of Forest Park back home in St. Louis. I loved Munich’s atmosphere and loved trying some great German foods like pretzels and sausages! Here I am eating the best brat of my life!!

Our second day in Munich we took a day trip to Dachau concentration camp. Dachau was a work camp used by the Nazis for 12 years for political enemies and Jewish men during WWII. Although deeply saddening, it was really interesting to hear the history of the men who suffered here. Overall my break was awesome- it was a really unique experience to travel from culture to culture in such a short time! And I can’t wait until the day I can go back and visit these countries again =)

The past two weeks have been so busy, it feels like it was just yesterday I was writing on here about Ireland! I had a ton of fun with my sisters and friends who came to visit Madrid, and I was very sad to see them leave! Saturday to Tuesday I got to show my boyfriend Joe, two sisters, my sister’s fiance, and my sister’s friend all around Madrid. We went to El Botin- the oldest restaurant in the whole world- the Prado, Retiro Park, and so much more! Here is a picture of all of us in front of the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian Temple given to Spain under franco’s rule:

On Wednesday Joe went back to Valencia and we all went to Sevilla, a city in Andalucia in the south of Spain. Sevilla has a gorgeous, small, European city feel, and I just loved wandering around the streets. We went to the Cathedral, which is the biggest Gothic style church in Spain, and decided to go up the 300-some foot tower to catch the views of the city. My sister Angela is in a wheelchair, and she was really excited to see the tower because our guidebooks said it was all ramped! Well, the guidebooks failed to mention that after 35 steep ramps there was a 15 step flight of stairs to get to the top!! So after pushing my sister’s chair alllll the way to the top, we had to carry her chair up this narrow flight of steps- let’s just say the view from the top wasn’t the only reason we were breathless!!! Luckily, the scenery was beautiful, and completely worth all the work! Here’s a picture:

In Sevilla, we also walked along the Guadalquivir river, saw the Plaza de Toros and the Plaza de Espana, and saw and amazing flamenco show! After coming back to Madrid, my sister Becca and her Fiance flew back to the states, my sister Angela and her friend Allison flew to Barcelona, and I took my class trip to Granada and Cordoba (also two cities in Andalucia). Cordoba is home to a huge mosque that, after the Muslims left Spain, the Christians put a huge Cathedral in the middle! The architecture inside is AMAZING- you’re standing in one spot with a church on your right and a mosque on your left with completely different styles of architecture! Here’s a picture of what I just described:

Granada was beautiful as well, and had an amazing market where I bought some gifts for family members and friends =) We also went to the Alhambra, which is a huge castle on the top of a mountain that was built in the 18th-10th century full of gorgeous gardens, and Islamic designs and architecture. Here is a picture of me with the Alhambra in the background:

I’ve spent the last two weeks exploring Madrid and Andalucia, and tomorrow I’m off for my 9 day spring break extravaganza: Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Munich, and Salzburg!! Check back after easter to hear allll about it =)

For my first three semesters at SLU I lived with the same roommate, my best friend Erin. Now, Erin is very Irish, loves her Irish heritage, and Irish danced competitively for 15 years. For the past year and half I’ve heard how amazing Ireland is, so needless to say, I was very excited for my trip to Ireland! My friend Hannah, my boyfriend Joe, and I flew into Dublin and immediately integrated ourselves into the Irish world by taking a walking tour of Dublin. Our tour guide was amazing, and enlightened us on about 9,000 years of Irish history in 2.5 hours! I quickly found out that over those 9,000 years Ireland was not the majestic place Erin had painted for me in my head; for years Ireland struggled to maintain itself as a stable and safe country! Although I was a bit embarrassed at my lack of knowledge on Irish History, I played the “only Irish one day a year” card, and am happy to say I am now properly informed on the events of Ireland during the past 9,000 years =) Here my friend Hannah and I are with the Irish flag, very content to be in Dublin!

After our tour, we took a bus to Galway, to visit my friend Doug, and other SLU students who ares studying there. As soon as we arrived Hannah and I were on a mission to buy Claddagh rings! For those of you who don’t know, a Claddagh ring is traditional piece of Irish jewelry which symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty. I have wanted one of these rings for about the past 6 or 7 years, and never got one until this past weekend. I was so excited about my purchase, as I bought it from one of the finest Claddagh jewelers in Galway! here is a picture of Hannah and I with our rings on:

On our second day in Galway we decided to take a day trip through the Irish Countryside and to the Cliffs of Moher. I have always heard Erin and other friends talk about how gorgeous these cliffs are, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. As soon as I saw them, I was amazed- they are breathtakingly gorgeous- even better than what I expected. Their beauty is very difficult to capture in a picture, but here are Joe, Hannah, and I with the cliffs in the background:

We spent our last day in Ireland back in Dublin to tour the Guinness Storehouse. This was one of my favorite things we did because we learned all about the history of Arthur Guinness, his 9,000 year lease on the brewery building, and the process of making Guinness. At the top of the storehouse, they have a 360 degree room where you can see one of the best views of the entire city. When I was walking through the storehouse, I was very excited to see one of my favorite phrases on the ceiling beam:

Whenever anyone asks me if I’m Irish, I always say, “Only on March 17th!”, so I was so happy when I saw this! Ireland was absolutely awesome, and I’m so happy I was able to go, because now I understand Erin’s love for the country and can share it with her =)

This weekend my two older sisters, Angela and Becca, are coming to visit, along with Becca’s boyfriend, Denny, and Angela’s friend, Allison. I am SO excited for them to come and I can’t wait to show them around Madrid! Also, they are bringing me my new camera- so I look forward to posting my own pictures on here once again =)

If you know me well, you know that I absolutely love art. If you know me really well, then you know architecture is my favorite art form, and I’m a tad obsessed with taking pictures of buildings. If we’re best friends, you know that my favorite architect is Santiago Calatrava, and if you know anything about him, then you know he designed the art museum back home in Milwaukee and is from Valencia, Spain. Well, last weekend I went to Valencia where my boyfriend, Joe, is studying, and took about 200 pictures of buildings =) I absolutely loved seeing all of Calatrava’s work, because I had studied it in high school. That’s one of my favorite things about being in Europe- I get to see the buildings, paintings, and sculptures that I’ve only before seen in books! Here are some of my favorites of Calatrava:

One of the buildings in Calatrava’s Cuidad de Artes y Ciencias

Me with La Cuidad de Artes and Ciencias, the buildings I studied, in the background! I was so excited to see them!

Valencia is on the east coast of Spain, and is the third largest populated city in Spain, but the city is MUCH smaller than I thought it was going to be- which was great because I got to walk all over it! In addition to amazing architecture Valencia also has a huge park that runs through the entire city, as it is the old river bed from a river that had to be redirected around the city. Valencia is also the citrus capital of Spain, so there are orange trees all over! I wanted to snatch one off a tree and eat it, but I’m just a tad too short (and I was pretty sure the had some sort of pesticide or chemical on them!)

My three favorite things Joe and I did were going to Oceanografic, the aquarium in La Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias, seeing an IMAX movie in Hemisferic, the IMAX dome in La Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias, and go to Bioparc- Valencia’s zoo. The aquarium was SO cool- we saw lots of strange fish, sharks, whales, and even a dolphin show!! Here’s jaws up close and personal:

The zoo was also really cool because none of the animals are in cages! Joe and I walked through the trees where the lemurs were sleeping, and watched an elephant take a bath from about 10 yards away! Of course all of the animals that need to be a safe distance away are, but I’ve never gotten so close to exotic animals! Also, the majority of the animals are in habitats similar to their natural ones, which means many of the animals live together in one area. Here is one of my favorite pictures of a rhino and a few zebras:

Overall Valencia was a really cool city. If you ever come to Spain I definitely recommend you visit! Today I’m off to Ireland, and I’m quite excited to be surrounded by Irish accents =) Check back next week for new updates!