Logroño, Spain

I arrived safely in Spain late Saturday. It has definitely been interesting so far! The trip here was super long of course and I´m glad to finally be here. I´ve met a lot of good, fun, random people already. Somehow I got put in a class with kids who have taken a lot more Spanish than me (and by "a lot" I mean one semester). It´s intimidating, but I think I´ll survive. The prefesors refuse to speak English to us. Even the profesor who came with us from Utah State refuses unless it´s a matter of life or death. Kind of annoying at times, but a really good way to actually learn Spanish.

I went to the store yesterday and these kids who were about 12, give or take a few years, asked if I would buy them a drink. I looked at them and said "alcoholica?" To which they replied, "Si!" I just shook my head and told them I couldn´t do it, sorry. A little while later I was out on the bench outside the store with my friend looking at a map. Out comes these kids with hugeo bottles of water and soda. They dumped all of them out on the grass and went back inside. I have no idea what they were up to and I definitely don´t want to know!

Logroño is a much larger town than I thought it would be. There is an old part of town that we took a tour thru yesterday after class. It was so amazing and beautiful! I´ll probably end up posting all of my pictures after my trip. Prepare to be bombarded this August. Anyway, Logroño is a beautiful town with SO much history. I passed a monument celebrating 900 years for Logroño, from 1095 to 1995. The gal on the tour told us so many stories about the old part of town. I didn´t understand all of it. She tried to go slow, but I seriously only know so much Spanish. What I did get was simply amazing!!

Basic moral of this story is that I am safe in Logroño and having a fabulous time!! Hope all is well where you are! Much love!!

Shocking News...

Everyone who really knows me is going to find this quite shocking..... It's Monday and I've already started packing for Spain. My plane doesn't leave till FRIDAY. I had to take a break from it just because I couldn't believe what I was doing. Sadly, my promptness in planning and lack of procrastination doesn't stop there. I'll be in Spain for four weeks then I'll be spending five days in Italy and two-ish in London. I've already booked all the places I'll be sleeping and flights to and fro AND I've even booked a couple of tours so I can maximize my time in each country. WHO AM I?!?

Yard Work Day!!

I suppose I should technically call it "Clean House and Do Yardwork Day!!" I cleaned the house.... Honestly, I have NO IDEA how it gets so dirty!! It baffles me a lot. Then I watered all the green stuff and pulled weeds from my plants and lawn. Now it's off for some more laundry. YAY!!

MY HOUSE!!!!

Ok everyone!! The following three blogs are the long awaited pictures of my house. I hope you enjoy and keep in mind it's much cuter in person so come on over!!

My house..... The begining

And now, by popular demand, I give you....... MY HOUSE!!!! I just have to say that I REALLY love this place! And it's a weird but good feeling to own a house. I never have to worry about where I am going to sleep or any such silliness.

Here is the front view:


And from the side. I've got a few little trees and a pretty white picket fence. Cheesy I know, but it's so cute!! Also take note of the zeroscaping. Takes me home to good 'ole ABQ!

I have a cool little car port for my cute lil Suby. I love hearing the sound of raindrops on the roof during a storm. So soothing.

And here's the back porch. This is where most people come and go from, but be careful there's no railing ;)

Won't you join me inside and together we will explore the splendor and beauty that is my house.....

My house..... Part 2

As you walk in the back door you come into the dining room. This was all white when I bought it and my roommates and I painted it this beautiful green and brown. It's so much homier now. My sweet cousin Morgan painted that picture for me. She's a talented soul and I'm a wee bit jealous but that's another topic for another blog.

This is the kitchen looking from the dining room. It's a decent sized kitchen if you ask me. Sorry it's a bit dirty.... I just got home from grocery shopping and thought I better take pictures while the thought was in my head. I really, really love the green and brown!

This is down the hall, going into the living room. Off to the right is the basement but we won't be journeying down there this trip.

Up to this point you can't really tell that a single college gal lives here. Well, the living room SCREAMS college student. I'm sad to admit but it could very well pass for a boy's living room. This disgusts me slightly, but not enough enough to change it. It works for now.

I don't know if you can tell, but the chair matches the couch. DI special on both of them. It was the happiest day of my life when I found them together. I knew the fates were aligning just for that moment. Pretty sure I spent less than fifty bucks total for everything in my living room. That is definitely the way to roll!


To the right of the couch is the front door and the stairs. So let's take a peak at the treasures the upstairs holds for us, shall we?

My house..... The finale

Now, if we continue on upstairs, I've painted the hall such a pretty blue/gray color that I absolutely love!! And I'm not going to tell you how easy these gray leaf wall decorations were to make.... Just assume I spent a LOT of time and money on something so lovely...

To the right is my room. Not much to look at at the moment, but it serves its purpose. I do have one beautiful painting that my cousin Heidi painted. That girl is so talented it makes me mad sometimes. I swear she took all the talent I was supposed to get. But she's too awesome to stay mad at for too long, plus you haven't seen my closet or study nook yet...


This is the study nook I mentioned last picture. I painted this the same color as the hall. But in all fairness to the nook, it was painted first so technically the hall copied the nook, not the other way around. It's got white Christmas lights all around it. It is such a peaceful place to sit and relax..... And sometimes study...

This view is where the study happens. The other was just for reading and the like.

If you were to take a sharp right on your way to the study nook you would find my gigantic closet. Seriously, you could put a bed in there and call it a really small bedroom.

The pictures don't really give it the justice it deserves. It is a huge closet!

Now if you would cross the hall with me, you'll find my pride and joy..... The Massage Room

I'm going to brag just a little bit right here. I really did spend a lot of time working on this room and I am super proud of how it turned out. It used to be a little boys room with light blue on top and navy blue on bottom. Now, it's the pretty blue/gray on top and gray on the bottom. I made the curtains and pillows and hung all the shelves and lighting and everything. Lots of work, but I really like it. It's a calm, soothing space. So if anyone comes over, you just might be lucky enough to get a massage ;)

What massage room is complete without the Monkeys? You may also have noticed Buddah's head among some foliage on a shelf in the previous picture.

Well, that's my house! (minus the downstairs which has a bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and living room as well as a cute little married couple who I didn't think would be too happy if I took a million pictures of their space) I love it here!!

Grateful

I just want the world to know that I have the best family in the whole world! I spent the weekend back on the Compound to do a little planting and hanging out with family. Sarah and Joe were there along with the usuals, Mom, Dad, Catherine and Onge. It was so much fun! I really appreciate everything that they do for me. The older I get the more I realize what they sacrifice and give to us ungrateful kids. I feel so blessed! I have a great extended family as well. Amazing grandparents (both here and beyond the veil) aunts and uncles, and cousins. They are so incredible!! You'd be hard pressed to find this caliber of people all in one spot and I get to experience it on a fairly regular basis. I truly am blessed! Thank you all for not only enriching my life, but the lives of all you come in contact with!

Another Crazy Dream

So I had a dream...... I was sleeping on the couch at Mom's house (this wasn't the dream, this actually happened.) I heard my phone vibrating so I rolled over to answer it. I saw that it was my uncle Dave, but I was way too out of it to answer. I just fell back asleep. Then all of a sudden...... I was over at Dave's house talking to him.

Me: "Hey Dave! Sorry I didn't answer the phone. What's up?"

Dave: "We are having a Gaila tonight for Abe!"

My first thought was what?? A gala?? Like something the Queen of England would attend??




Dave: "It's a celebration where we can express ourselves thru dance and massage!"

Me: "Nice!! I'm totally in!"

Dave: "Could you make sure the word gets out? That would be great! Mostly just the people right next to us. The Hartch's and the family right next to us."

Me: "Oh, the one's with the cute kids?"

Dave: "No, the one's Sam goes out to eat with all the time. Ok! I'll see you later!"

He promptly left and I was left to wonder who the heck are these people that he wants me to invite to the celebration. Luckily I didn't have to wonder too long. I woke up again and listened to his message.... Really, he just wanted Sarah and Joe's phone number. Who knew...

I Heart Rain

I just rode my bike home in the rain. Some may say it is crazy and cold and not so much fun. But I say that it was a beautiful experience!! I love the rain!! And I love riding my bike!! Put them together and you have something extra amazing!! Now for some hot chocolate.....

Demolition Derby!!

I went to the Logan Demolition Derby this weekend. I've never been to one in my whole life. I was excited and nervous to find out what it was all about. I'll freely admit it..... It was AWESOME!! Cars that look like they shouldn't even be able to run come into the arena, they waved the flag and they all started crashing into each other. It was amazing!! I had a lot of fun watching all the crashes. At one point one car ended up on top of another. They had to delay the festivities and bring in a tow truck to get it off and make sure everyone was alright. There were a few who were WAY too into it, namely, the family that sat just below us on the bleachers. They were hootin and a hollerin the whole time. They literally got mad when a chevy chavelle (someone had to tell me what kind of car it was, and I had to google it to make sure I spelled it right) rolled out there. It was a super nice car and I feel bad that it got destroyed. But hey, the guy had to know what he was getting into. Anyway, the people in front of us thought it was a disgrace having such a nice car in the derby. Turns out, the chavelle was the one that ended up with another car on top of it. Oh good times and great oldies.

Memories of Adventures Past.... Part 2

When I left Nantucket last year I made a stop in New York to wander around a bit and to catch a show. So here are just a few pictures of the great city of New York City. The first one is just a random, giant arch in Brooklyn. I went to a botanical garden there and it was so beautiful! I just love all the flowers and trees they had. The second picture is a castle that's right in the middle of Central Park. At the time I knew what it meant and why it was there but I have since forgot. I know, I know, another reason I should have blogged about it when it was fresh in my mind. The third and fifth pictures are of the Brooklyn Bridge. My hotel was in Brooklyn and I walked over the bridge into Manhatten. There were loads of people there. It was great! Then the fourth picture is of a completely random, manmade waterfall. I have no idea what it is doing there. You can only see it from the bridge. Maybe it has a purpose that I am not aware of. If so, please tell me. It seems rather pointless to me.

So, I had walked over from the hotel and wandered around Central Park for a few hours. I had a ticket to see Wicked (which was an amazing show!!) and left myself plenty of time to get there. Well, I pretty much got lost in Central Park. Not to worry though, I still had a lot of time to get to my destination in time. I kept walking and walking and walking and walking. I felt a little like I was going to in circles. The paths are all windy and twisty so you really don't know what direction you are going in after a while. FINALLY I found a main-ish looking street. It was getting perilously close to curtain and I was NOT missing my show!! I hopped in the first cab I could get and told him where to go. I was so worried that I wouldn't make it in time. Well, the cabbie asked if I was from out of town and I told him I was from Utah. He laughed a little, turned the corner and pulled over. We were there. I feel a little foolish that I could have walked and been on time but let's face it, as much as I would have like to have blended in, I was a tourist and I no idea where I was. At least I wasn't late for Wicked! YAY!!

Memories of Adventures Past.... Part 1

This is what I like to call, "I'm Leaving Nantucket so I Should Combine ALL the Food I Have into One Unrecognizable Mound and Eat it."

I fried up some onions, zucchini, red peppers, and chicken. Then I added some broccoli and chili con carne. Top it with a cut up tomato and you've got some good eats. None of my roommates wanted some..... Weird.

For Dave and Heidi mostly

This is a special little somethin for Dave, Heidi and Onge. Now I know a lot has gone on and I just haven't posted anything about it. I got called out at Abe's blessing. Apparently I am the worst blogger around. Heidi is the best and Onge is ok. Here's a brief overview of my life right now..... I went to see Wolverine last night with some awesome people. It was entertaining. I went to the blessing of such a beautiful baby boy, Abe. SO CUTE!! Last week I finished a semster up at USU and that makes me really happy. I like school but I like being done as well. That's all for now. I will post pictures of the recent goings ons. I had an awesome visit to New York after Nantucket last year that I've got pictures for and a new house that I know you're all dying to see ;) Have a fabulous day!! Love you guys!!