Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 in Review

via
I feel like the older I get, the faster time flies by. Honestly, I cannot even believe it is the end of 2013. I remember anticipating this year and being excited about what it had in store. I had some pretty big plans for 2013 like studying abroad and living in Cleveland. The experiences I had over the past year have presented me with opportunities to learn more about myself. 2013 was a year of tremendous growth and discovery of my passions and purpose in life.

Study Abroad.
Since 7th grade Spanish, it was my dream to one-day visit Spain. Spring 2013, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain. I never thought in a million years that my sophomore year of college I would be in Europe. It was incredible (I want to keep this brief so I won't go into much detail, but here are some posts.....here, here, here). I had the opportunity to live with the most amazing host parents, see breathtaking sunsets, develop my Spanish, meet new people and travel to 10 different countries. I will be forever grateful for that experience, it was the most amazing way to kick off my twenties, 2013.......and my life.

Summer.
The time following my study abroad experience was difficult. I wanted to pursue my next adventure...I wanted to be out of my small town. Instead, I babysat my two little sisters (here) and, in June, began this blog. It started off as Passionately Curious and, now, Permeating Purpose.

Urban Semester Program.
After being away from campus for spring semester, I was off-campus the following semester for an Urban Immersion Program . In Cleveland, I lived  in a house with 9 other students, completed 5 courses (all in the living room) and finished my first internship with a non-profit organization. This experience helped me grow as a person, learning a lot about how I communicate, what my strengths and weaknesses are and discover a new interest in Urban Planning and Development.

Good News.
My time abroad has instilled in me a passion for traveling, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people. As soon as an international opportunity arose, I leaped at the opportunity. I was accepted to a service trip in Jinotega, Nicaragua teaching young children English in May 2014.

An Election.
Elections for the new 2014 Alpha Gamma Delta-Alpha Iota officers were held at the end of Fall semester. My sisters voted me President of the Alpha Iota chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta. I am honored to hold this position and look forward to being a leader and role model to my sisters.


Well, I am going to enjoy my time back on campus with my sisters and friends next semester. I hope to start accomplishing some of my goals for this year (here). It is going to be a busy year, but I am excited and looking forward to what this next year may bring.

I wish you nothing but the best this New Year!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

21st Birthday: This Year's Goals

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It's that time of year again....my birthday! Oh yes, the big 2-1. I'm looking forward to moving into my twenties and the new year! Here are 21 things I would like to accomplish this year:

1. Enjoy some time to myself: reading, napping, shopping, walking, watching movies, etc.
2. Eat better
3. Make mistakes...admit it was a mistake, learn from it, and move on
4. Drink beer and be merry
5. Find an internship
6. Leave the country (doing this in May- Nicaragua)
7. Volunteer
8. Workout 3-4 times a week
9. Conduct 10 informational interviews (to get a grasp on the field and my interests)
10. Conquer a fear (not sure which one....I really don't like heights..maybe something with that)
11. Figure out what I'm doing with my summer
12. Tell people more often that I appreciate and love them
13. Keep practicing Spanish
14. Plan a weekend trip to a big city like NYC or Chicago (taking the Megabus or greyhound)
15. Write letters to my family and friends
16. Stop and enjoy the little moments
17. Complain less, do more
18. Listen
19. Be thankful
20. Journal and blog
21. Have fun

What do you hope to accomplish this year?

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Weekend in Review: Wicked, Books, and Family

permeating purpose

Winter break is about taking advantage of free time between hectic semesters. And, trust me, I have been taking advantage of it. Aside from taking glorious naps, I enjoy spending time with family, reading, watching movies, and blogging over break. This past weekend was a blast.

Randomly my cousin that I have not seen or talked to in awhile texted me and asked if I wanted to take a mini-road trip to visit my sister and nephew. Well, seeing as I had free time, I headed with her. Cool thing, my sister lives near the Longaberger Basket building (above picture). It was pretty cool. I snapped a lot of pics when we passed by. It was fun seeing her and the baby. We ended up staying the night because it is dark, country roads between her house and mine. It was great to spend time with my cousin and catching up with her. Spending time with family is refreshing.

permeating purpose

 I had been waiting almost half a century semester to go see Wicked at Playhouse Square in Cleveland last Saturday. My grandma and I ordered tickets at the beginning of November when I called frantically looking for someone to go with me before tickets were sold out. I absolutely love, love, love musicals and I had not yet seen Wicked so I seized the opportunity. I loved spending the day with my grandma. #bestdateever

permeating purpose

Sunday, my family headed over to my grandparents house for a Christmas lunch. A couple of my siblings and I will not be able to be at my grandparents house on Christmas day because we will be at our mom's house. So we headed over to grandma's house to celebrate early with a yummy lunch and opening presents early! I think the best part of the day was my grandpa's Minute to Win It games.



How are you spending your holidays?




Monday, December 23, 2013

Weekly Wishes

Sunsets: Masterpieces in the sky

WHoohoo! Only 2 days until Christmas! I couldn't be more excited. Starting off the week with a focus on what I want to accomplish this week, this really busy week. I hope you are having a wonderful day and have a great holiday!

Last Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Write and Plan Posts. well, I posted twice this week. I kept getting a little side tracked, but 2 posts is better than no posts. I have a post planned for this week and hopefully one more than that. Make Christmas plans. One more thing to figure out this week, but Christmas plans are pretty much made! I can't wait to spend time with my family! Read. I finished Water for Elephants! It was wonderful. Now, I am reading Blue Like Jazz.

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Enjoy Christmas. I love Christmas so much! Mostly because I get to hang out with all of my family and nothing could be better than that. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, as well!

Have an awesome 21st Birthday. Yes, it's true! My birthday, my 21st birthday, is 4 days after Christmas! I need to get my new license this week and enjoy my next step into my twenties. No, my 21st is not going to be wild and crazy, but pretty chill, maybe dinner and cake or something.


Happy Monday! 

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Cleveland Blogger Meet Up


Permeating Purpose

I'm a little slow on the uptake, nevertheless this is a cool thing that happened so I wanted to share it.  Blogging is all about the community that is created between bloggers. It's awesome to "meet" someone through blogging, but it is even better when you get to meet them in real life. 

My blogging big, Rachael, at Pretty in Pink, and Cleveland blogger, Jessica, at Anchored in CLE, decided to plan a Cleveland Blogger Meet Up for bloggers in the area to hang out and meet each other. We met up in Ohio City for a Holiday event, ate lunch in the Market Garden, and picked up some snacks in the West Side Market. 

There is a lot you can learn about someone through their blog, but even more when you meet them. Plus, I have a theory that only bloggers understand the world of blogging. I swear every time I talk to my parents, siblings, boyfriend, anyone who doesn't blog, they look at me like I have completely lost it. So it's nice to talk to people who understand. I really had a wonderful time hanging out with each and every one of them. I look forward to another blogger meet up!

Who I met: 


Permeating Purpose
Lunch! Eggs on a burger is one of the best things ever! 

Thank you, Rachael and Jessica! You guys did a great job!

Have you ever met a blogger? How was it?

Monday, December 16, 2013

Weekly Wishes


Hello partyblogger people! It's a blogging miracle, finals are over and I can get back to blogging. So I decided to start off with weekly wishes with Melyssa at The Nectar Collective to get me motivated again. Melyssa chose love as this week's theme. The picture above is the day my nephew was born when my grandma and I came to visit him. I love these two human beings more than words can truly describe. Life is so precious and it is important to cherish memories with the ones you love most. I cherish this one as our family moved into another stage together.

Due to my finals, I had to take a blogger hiatus and focus on my studies. It was a difficult end of the semester, but it is done! Now, I am home and the only things I have to do are: take naps, blog, read for fun, drink coffee, take more naps, celebrate my 21st birthday (Dec. 29), hang out with family and friends and read Buzzfeed. Those sound like wonderful plans to me. So since it has been a while, I will just skip over past wishes and head right into this week's wishes!

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Write and Plan Posts. Now that I have some free time, I want to devote time and creativity to my blog. I want to write some posts and plan them, read other blogs, and interact with other bloggers. I am really looking forward to this.

Make Christmas plans. I have a very large family like 4 sets of grandparents, boyfriend's family, cousins, 8 siblings, and a nephew. Yes, the holidays are crazy, but I love spending time with everyone. 

Read. I did not have much time during the busy fall semester to read for fun so I'm hoping to take plenty of time for myself. I started Water for Elephants yesterday, but I have many more like Blue Like Jazz, The Google Story, and The Choice. I hope to finish at least one this week! 

Happy Monday! 


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

My Love


Well, it has been a really bad week and I just haven't been in the mood to write posts. But when I saw that today's prompt for The Thankful Project was "something about your significant other", I had to do it. I do not normally talk about my boyfriend, but I knew that writing about him would bring me great joy and the prompt gave me an excuse to. 

He doesn't like photos so I have to sneak them. 

His name is Nathan and he is the man that has completely stolen my heart. We are nearing 3 years together and that is pretty exciting, but seems like forever. He is my best friend. He is smart, kind, hysterical and, basically, a gem. Although, we do not get to spend very much time together, due to the fact we go to different schools, we always find ways to make each other a priority. 

He is the balance in my chaotic life. There are many things I appreciate about Nathan, but there is one thing, in particular, that means a lot to me. I am someone who is very stuck in preparing for the future and focusing on what will come. On the other hand, Nathan is a live in the moment kind of guy. I am so thankful for that because without that perspective I would be missing a lot of awesome things that are happening right in front of me. 

Overall, he is a fantastic, lovable guy who has made a tremendous impact on my life. We have been on a long, hard journey through some crazy stuff, but we have made it through; which has only made us stronger. And one more photo because it's fun! He played dress-up with my younger siblings and this is him losing his wig. Makes me laugh every time. 

playing dress up with my sisters

Monday, November 18, 2013

So Many Choices


Today, I am continuing with the blog challenge, The Thankful project, with Kenzie at Chasing Happy. I haven't done it every day, but I found today's prompt interesting: 'A Choice'

Every stage of life brings new and, sometimes, more difficult choices. That was no exception when I had to decide where I was going to attend college. From sixth grade until my senior year of high school, I thought I was going to THE Ohio State University where I had dreamed of being a Buckeye and a member of The Best Damn Band in the Land. My family is full of die hard Buckeye fans who supported me through the whole process.


I applied to the main campus and got in, but things took a turn late in the fall of my senior year. My senior year, I worked as an assistant in the school office. Our office brought in representatives from colleges all over Ohio to speak with perspective high school students. There was a booklet where you sign-up to speak with the recruiter. As I was flipping through the book, I saw a school that had no one signed up to speak with them. I felt bad that they would drive all the way to my school and have no one to talk to so I signed up.

It was a small, private liberal arts college located outside of Cleveland. The day the recruiter came in, her and I talked for almost two hours and I was excited about this college. The next day, I booked a tour at the school. On the tour, I was blown away by the community and inviting atmosphere. After already being accepted at OSU, I applied to Baldwin Wallace University.


I was accepted to BW and was faced with the choice to go to either OSU or BW. Ultimately, I chose BW and I could not be more proud of this decision. Yes, it is going to cost me more money in the long run, but I LOVE my university. I am just far enough away from home, there are a surplus of opportunities, professors are approachable and helpful, and I am a person, not a number. I learned that you can't always plan things in your life....well, you can plan, but life may not go according to your plan and that's ok. 

What choices have you made that you are thankful for?

Weekly Wishes


My littlest sister, Sophia. She has grown up too fast.

Hello, pretty! I hope you are gearing up for a fantastic week and looking forward to a great Thanksgiving holiday. Can you even believe that it is almost Thanksgiving? Where has this year gone? If you are feeling a little overwhelmed or have a lot on your plate, I would suggest you take a moment and write down. Melyssa's link-up, Weekly Wishes, is a great way for you to reflect on your goals and help motivate you throughout the week. I hope accomplish all you need to to get through the week!

Last Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        
As I get closer and closer to the end of the semester, I think my life gets busier and busier. I accomplished a few of my goals, though! I wanted to continue training for my Turkey Trot, but I only ran 1 of 3 days. Oh well, I will do it this week. I wanted to explore Cleveland. I didn't get to explore as much as I would have liked, but I found an excellent movie theater that has midnight showings of 80's movies on Saturday nights. One of my housemates and I saw About Time (seriously a beautiful movie) and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Lastly, I wanted to write some letters to family and friends. I sent out 4! 

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Start research paper. I have a very big research paper that I have not started, yet, and it is due in two and a half weeks. I really need to get on it so I am not trying to do it over Thanksgiving break because it just won't happen. 

Contact a professional. I would really like to connect with a professional in my hometown to conduct an informational interview over Winter break. I hope that I can find one, at the very least.

Brainstorm Christmas gifts. Christmas is coming. Christmas is coming! I am super excited, but not sure what to get anyone. I don't really like to give gifts, but rather a date. I want to spend time with the person, creating a memory with them. I need to figure out what I want to do or do with for each person on my list.

What are you hoping to accomplish this week? How are you gearing up for Thanksgiving?
Happy Monday!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Carabox Exchange Reveal

Permeating Purpose Blog

Gift exchanges are a great way to get to know other people and make a fun, well thought-out, gift box. I heard from my blog friend, Lisa, about a great one, Carabox, started by Kaitlyn at Wifessionals. I participated over the summer in a nautical themed box. During the exchange you "meet" your partners through email exchanges to get to know them. One partner sends you a box full of goodies and the other sends you a box. It went ok the first time; which made me unsure of doing it again, but I decided to give it another chance.

I'm so glad I did! I sent a box to Chloe over at All That good Stuff. I really enjoyed making her box because fall is the best season; which allowed me to get creative and crafty! Getting to know my partners and sending a gift box is only half the fun, I also received a box! My package full of goodies came from Elise who blogs at Books, Bottles, and Bags. I could not wait for the package to arrive in the mail. Every day, I would check my porch to see if it had come. I was especially excited because the package was going to be fall themed and fall is my absolute favorite.

Last Thursday, after a ridiculously long day, I came home to it sitting by the door! I didn't even wait a moment to get to my room and open the box. My housemates also helped me open it to see what was inside, as they knew, I had been anticipating the box for a while.

Contents:

Woodland Creature Stickers. I told Elise in our conversations that I love squirrels because they are my sorority's mascot. She said she was unable to get anything that had squirrels on it so she bought me the stickers! They are so cute!

Hair Ties. I love these hair ties. I have been wanting to buy some, but never wanted to fork over the money to buy them. When I opened my box, I was happy to find them inside. They are also OSU Buckeye colors; which I love! Go Bucks!

Ohio State bow. Handmade gifts are the best. Elise did not make it, but it is a handmade bow from etsy. I think it makes a great addition to my collection of Ohio State stuff.

Glade Pumpkin Spice Room Spray. fall+pumpkin= perfect combination. I enjoy making my room smell nice, especially with fall fragrances.

Pillsbury Perfect Pumpkin Cake mix. I have not made these, yet, but I am looking forward to it. My housemates and I are having a Thanksgiving get together meal and I plan on making these. I want to hop over to the store and pick up some cream cheese frosting, too.

Ideas Grow Here notebook. I love to write and use journals to jot down my  daily reflections on life. The notebook is perfect. I have already used it for class, blogging and meeting with a professional. It is just the right size and complimented by an inspirational quote on the front.

Big thanks to Chloe and Elise for being great carabox partners!! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I have. If anyone is interested in doing the exchange, check out Kaitlyn's blog for information on the next one. she will post a sign-up sheet on December 2.

Have you done the carabox exchange? If so, what do you think about the new changes? If not, what are your favorite fall goodies that you would have loved to receive in your carabox?


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Fall in Love with Cleveland


I don't know if I can really stress how awesome it is to have a bloggy friend in real life. My real-life blog friend is Lisa who blogs over at Ameliorer la Vie. She is wonderful! I can talk to her about all kinds of blog related topics that people who don't blog do not understand. She is always on top of the latest blogging trends, link-ups, blog hops, giveaways, sponsorships, you name it, she usually knows about it and is kind enough to pass it along. 

Lisa is back in my hometown and I am, currently, in Cleveland attending college. Last week, Lisa had a rare Sunday off and came to visit me. We were lucky enough to catch a break in the rainy weather and enjoy a beautiful fall day together. For lunch, we headed to a quaint cultural spot in Cleveland, Little Italy. I knew she would love it because Lisa lived in Italy for some time as a nanny. Over at Presti's bakery, we enjoyed stromboli, soup (not Italian, but it was delicious), gelato, cannolis, and raspberry almond thumbprint cookies. 



 After lunch, we headed to University Circle to The Botanical Gardens. It was too fun. The gardens inside and outside were beautiful. There were birds, butterflies, tortoises, etc.  My favorite part was outside where we could enjoy all of the changing colors of autumn: the reds, oranges, and yellows. We had a great time talking about life, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying a few of Cleveland's gems.



What do you like to do in the Fall?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade


Still plugging through The Thankful Project with Kenzie at Chasing Happy. Today's prompt is 'an opportunity.'

I was going to talk about my study abroad adventure, but I thought I would choose something a little different that I don't really talk about much. When I was in high school, I loved marching band and playing percussion. My junior and senior year, I became the section leader and could not have been more proud. My goal for an extremely long time was to play in The Ohio State University Marching Band (The Best Damn Band in the Land). 





At the Skull Session (where the OSU band plays before the football game), I heard about The Macy's Great American Marching Band, a band composed of high school students from all over the counrty. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I wanted to do it so I could meet the director of the OSU Marching Band. That weekend, I contacted my percussion instructor (who was on the OSU drumline) and told him I wanted to audition for next year's band. Come Spring, I was on top of my music and video audition preparations. By April, I found out I was going to be a part of The Macy's Great American Marching Band in The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade my senior year of high school. WHAT?!?! My mind was blown. My family watched the parade every year on Thanksgiving morning at my grandma's house and I was about to be in it!  I was also going with my friend, Hannah (flautist), and sister, Caitey (banner carrier).



The first few days we were in New York, the organization gave us tours and free time around the city. After settling in, it was time to get to work and learn our routine that would be performed on live television. We had 3 days-ish to get it all together. It was so impressive how it came together in a short amount of time.  

The day of was INSANE! We had a dress rehearsal for NBC at 4 a.m.....yes, A.M., people. It was quite the experience. It really seemed so surreal. When it came time to start the parade route, I could not believe the sight of all the floats and balloons. I never thought in a million years I would ever have the chance to see the parade in person, let alone, be in it! I don't think I have ever seen so many people, especially at a parade. 



We marched through the streets of New York City until we arrived at the performance area that would be filmed on live television. We held up the back end of the parade, right before the Santa Clause entrance. Let me tell you, as soon as it was our cue, I played my little heart it. I played as if it were my last day to ever play cymbals. I was overjoyed and thrilled for such an opportunity. I knew all of my family was watching and I wanted to make them proud. Afterwards, my legs were jello and I needed some serious recovery from the 4a.m. rehearsal and adrenaline overload. 

Overall, it was an incredible opportunity and I am unbelievably thankful. Every Thanksgiving, I look forward to watching the band, knowing they are having the time of their lives. 


Sunday, November 10, 2013

Weekly Wishes

permeating purpose
Seville, Spain

Hello, lovely! I hope you had a fantastic week and an even better weekend. I had a great week, busy, but great: networking events, seeing speakers, going out to dinner with my housemates, and trying to do homework. I loved every minute of it. 

Blogging always seems to be my way of relaxing and doing something fun in the middle of chaos. I am always happy to be a part of Weekly Wishes every Monday. Melyssa always has fun stories to share, some motivation, and beautiful pictures to help boost the case of the Mondays. She also does participant art with a different theme each week. This week's theme is 'hobbies'. A hobby I cultivated while I was abroad in Spain last semester was an obsession with the sky. I love fun clouds and my heart melts with every sunrise and sunset. The sky, with its stunning colors and unique clouds, captivates me and brings me great joy

Last Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

This week was insane, but, I feel like my weekly wishes posts keep me accountable for the things I would like to accomplish, despite life's craziness. Well, I was able to find a 5k turkey Trot for FREE on Thanksgiving morning. I also started to train for it...oh yea (this took a lot of motivation). Last night, I finished my book, The Happiness Project. Totally, recommend this book! Such a fun and happy read. My goal last week was to start saving money. Well, if putting a quarter in my piggy bank counts...So I kind of did the complete opposite of save. I bought Cleveland Browns tickets and tickets to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I see them as investments (one of them is a Christmas present :). I will have to continue working on this one. 

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Run. Yes, I have to make this my goal, again. I feel more accountable for it by making it a weekly wish. And I don't really want to die during the Turkey Trot so I need to train for it. 

Explore beautiful Cleveland. I only have 4 more weeks left in my program this semester. Next semester, I will be back on campus. I want to continue doing and seeing as much as I can in Cleveland, especially this week because finals are coming quickly. 

Write some letters. I am working on the Thankful Project blog challenge with Kenzie from Chasing Happy. I have been reflecting on some sweet moments. You can check them out here, here, and here. It has really opened my mind and heart to think about moments and people I am so thankful for. I want to send out a few letters this week to people I am truly thankful for. 

Happy Monday!

A memory


Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you have had a wonderful week and a few moments to reflect on your life. If you need an excuse to reflect on life and pay attention to the things you are most thankful for, check out Kenzie at Chasing Happy's The Thankful Project Blog Challenge. The purpose of the challenge is to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness through daily reflection. Today's prompt is 'a memory'.

I probably should be working on a big paper I have due Monday, but I really enjoy the project. It makes me happy to write posts like these and think back on some pretty awesome things in life. At first, this prompt was a little difficult. I really wanted to dig deep for a memory in my childhood that I was really thankful for, but I couldn't, because of a childhood trauma, a lot of my memories are repressed. That aside, I had to recall a recent memory to mind.

Just like I said in yesterday's post, I talk about my study abroad experience in Spain, a lot! I can't help it, but it is probably the happiest, craziest, most awesome time of my life and it happened recently....so of course I talk about it! Today's post is no different besides the awesome memory I am going to share.

I have a lot of memories from my experience that flood me when I think about that unbelievable time abroad. One part of my time over there really stands out in my mind, my host parents, Carmen and Miguel. They are fantastic human beings!!

Celebrating Miguel's 69th birthday with his favorite pastry! 
They knew, even from my nervous beginning abroad, that I wanted to dive into the culture, be with Spaniards, and learn Spanish. They did their best to help me navigate life in Seville and helped me learn the language. One huge part of the Spanish culture, especially in the Southern Spanish city I was in, they celebrate, Feria de abril. It is a genuine cultural event celebrating the coming of Spring. The event is celebrated for one week in April. It is a huge deal, there is even a special part of the city reserved, all year long, for this one week event. 


The dirt patch is prepared over 3 months for this event. By the time it arrives, the area is covered with casetas, or little, tent houses, vendors, and an amusement park-like spot with rides for kids and adults, alike. This part of the city is shut off from cars, bikes, skate boards, etc. and filled with pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, and people riding horses. The men and women are dressed in traditional Spanish garb, i.e. suits with a short jacket and Flamenco dresses. Families from all over the city dress up and come out to drink, eat, and celebrate. The casetas are where they dine, dance, and laugh the day away. The casetas are mostly private and they have to pay a hefty fee to get in. 

beautiful host mom

In front of the portada, the entrance, to the festival

So here is the awesome memory, my host parents are members of a caseta and have lots of friends who are members of casetas, as well. I wanted an authentic feria experience so I asked them if I could go out with them and their friends. We left a little after lunch time and met up with 3 of their friends. Feria etiquette is to take your friends to your caseta, feed them tapas and drinks, then, they take you to their caseta and do the same. 

We went to their friend's caseta, first. I could barely wrap my mind around the happiness I was feeling being totally immersed is the beautiful display of Spanish culture with my favorite host parents. The caseta we were in sat on the corner of an intersection in the conglomeration of casetas. We saw all of the action: the horse and buggies, the people dressed in traditional clothing, the sites, the smells, everything. I sat at the table feasting on tapas and tinto de verano, surrounded by 60-somethings chit chatting in Spanish. It was too perfect. 

sitting inside the caseta with their friends

Then, as if it couldn't get any better, a drummer came into the caseta to play a traditional flamenco tune, a version of Sevillanas. My host mom jumped up and started dancing. I was blown away by her soft, but fierce movements with the drummer's beats. Her and I had been practicing this dance at home because I wanted to learn so she invited me to dance with her. The paleness that came over my face when she asked me to join her probably made her think I had died. I was petrified to dance in front of Spaniards who have this dance ingrained in their heads since birth and I was going to be the gringo attempting to do it. Oh boy, but I decided I needed to live in the moment and enjoy that special time with her. Because.... when would I ever have the chance again to dance a traditional Flamenco dance with my host mom during a genuine cultural festival in Sevilla?....probably never. 

That was the epitome of embracing the culture, the people, the food, the language......everything and more that I had hoped to gain while I was abroad. I am so incredibly thankful I was able to go to feria de abril with my host family and share that memory with them. 


Saturday, November 9, 2013

Capturing a Moment of Thankfulness




A little behind on The Thankful Project blog challenge, the week's busyness kind of blindsided me, but I'm back! If you do not know what this is, check out Kenzie at Chasing Happy to get started on your Thankful Project! Today's prompt is 'a photo'. 

I do not think I could pick a photo more meaningful and important in my life, right now. I feel like I say this a lot on my blog 'last spring, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain.......", but it was a BIG deal. I talk about it a lot because it is such an important aspect of my life and one of the biggest events in my life, thus far.

thankful project
             

This photo was taken in Seville, crossing the bridge over the Guadalquivir river, to my neighborhood, Triana. I fell in love with the view of the sunset over the bridge. It was breathtaking and always captured me in those moments. For whatever reason, I always felt a sense incredible thankfulness for the opportunity to be abroad, to be accomplishing my biggest dream, and to be fortunate enough to see such a beautiful view. 

I sometimes feel like I overuse this photo in everything; social media, this blog, sharing my study abroad experience, but it is my favorite and brings back a flood of wonderful memories. This photo captures my love for that incredible city and place that I call, my second home. I am thankful I have a picture that captures the single most meaningful and awe-inspiring part of every day in Seville.


Monday, November 4, 2013

Oh, Venice...Who knew you had 2 Airports?


Still so excited about Kenzie from Chasing Happy's blog challenge, The Thankful Project. It is seriously a joy to think about the things I am so thankful for. Well, today is Day 4 and I am reflecting on an experience I am thankful for and get a quite a chuckle out of. 

Last Spring, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain for the semester. Over Spring break, one of my friends, Kassi, and I decided we wanted to explore Europe for the 9 days we had for break. After about a month of deciding where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, our route, and arranging our flights, we set out on our 9-day-cross-Europe-adventure: Athens, Rome, Venice, Prague, Zurich, and Lucerne.


Where I thought Kassi was going to slip and fall into the water

Our journey to Athens and Rome, went off without a hitch. By the time we were in Venice, it started to get very cold (snowing, raining, sleeting, the whole shebang.....yuck...). We were getting a little drained and tired from our travels. We tried to rest more in Venice because it was so yucky outside and we couldn't do the one thing we wanted to do, ride a gondola (oh well, just means I have to go back again!). Our time was used to mosey around the city and enjoy Italian pizza and wine.

The closed gondolas... *tear

With 8 flights from city to city, something was bound to happen. The night before we left to catch a flight in the morning from Venice to Prague, we checked our tickets and made sure we got up in enough time to catch a bus out of the city to the airport. Everything went smoothly, we got to the airport with an 1.5 to spare. We arrived at the airport and searched around for our airline, but couldn't find it. We went to a guest service desk and asked where the airline company was. One glance at our ticket and they knew we were at the wrong airport.....EXCUSE ME? What do you mean wrong airport?? Their are two airports for this tiny city??? We just happened to be at the wrong one... and had the wrong time of our flight. In our tiredness the night before, we looked at our boarding passes for our Prague to Zurich flight instead of our Venice to Prague flight! (*begin mini humongous panic*)

We had one hour before our flight took off. We took off outside the airport and ran to a taxi outside to frantically tell him we needed to get to the other airport ASAP. The taxi drive told us 50 euros (roughly $75) to get there and it would take 30 minutes. Well, we had no other choice. So if going to the wrong airport, our flight leaving in just one hour, and an expensive taxi cab wasn't enough, I realized my bag did not fit the bag restrictions for this particular airline (cheap European airlines have really strict bag restrictions.).

When we got there, I had to wait in another line to check my bag and pay another 20euros to take it on the place. We arrived to our boarding gate with 15 minutes to spare. I don't think I have sweat, freaked out, or worried more in my life.


I am so thankful for that crazy experience. First of all, it makes for a hysterical memory, as Kassi and I were in major panic mode. But I also learned a few things: taking time for rest during a strenuous trip is important, the little details are probably some of the most important details, double-checking/ triple-checking/ or quadruple-checking is never a bad thing, and take time to laugh about a crazy situations (it makes things much easier).