New News!!!

So last time I posted, I wasn't quite sure where I was gonna be next school year, but now it's official...I'll be in Bogota, Colombia next year! Whoop whoop!!! Super excited for this next adventure and super pumped I get to share it with seven awesome friends...whoop whoop WHOOP!!! Pack your bags and get ready to come visit ;) Check out this video to get inspired :) :)

And in other news...my parents just came to visit and we celebrated Christmas with a phenomenal trip around Asuncion, Mendoza, and Buenos Aires! It really was a phenomenal trip and am so happy they came to visit...thank you!!! Just wish it could have lasted a little bit longer (and that my sis and bro could have made it, too...) Here are a few pics of our adventure :)









































And, right now, I'm just chillin' in the 'guay for a couple of weeks before jetting off to Colombia and Ecuador. Super excited to chill and totally relax plus I can't wait to see my future home of Bogota, chill on the beaches of Cartagena, travel through Ecuador, and hopefully a Galapagos trip in there, too!!! man, life is gooooooood :)

much love everyone, much love <3

2nd Year in Asuncion

Hey hey! It's been a loooooooooong while since I've posted anything and I thought I'd start off with some pictures of my new digs. I moved at the end of last school year into an apartment complex everyone lovingly calls "Melrose." It's a great little place that conveniently located in the middle of everything, has a great little pool (you probably saw some pictures of me in it last year), a guard, and great neighbors. The best part about it, though, is the coziness. I was lucky enough to move in when Chaya's old roommate Shauna departed for the States and they did a GREAT job making it super homey. It was so nice to move into a place that already had furnishings taken care of plus lots of amenities. All-in-all it was a great move and I am SUPER lucky to have quite possibly the best roommate ever to boot! Here are some pictures to tide you over ;)












Let's see, in other news, I've been working super hard and getting really involved all while enjoying myself along the way. Cheerleading is under way again this year, but this time, I am actually taking a team to Rancho (a sports tournament in Brazil) where we get to perform....super exciting! It's been loads of work, but now that it has all come together, I'm super pumped! I'm sure I'll post more once they perform. I'm also lending my old dancing boots towards helping the High School musical this year. They are performing Grease at the end of the month. It's also been A LOT of work, but it's so fun to see it all come together. With both things, I kinda sorta feel like I'm living a real-life episode of GLEE which is, well, awesome! Other than that, I'm still teaching away...trying to balance preparing the AP kiddos in time for the exam all while have some fun, too. It's a lot of work, but to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way :)

And, let's see, on the traveling front, I went to Santiago in early October which was GREAT! It is such a great city to visit - very clean, friendly people, fresh air....ahhhh good times! And then in December, my parents are coming!!! They're gonna spend a few days here in Asuncion before we travel of to Mendoza and then Christmas in Buenos Aires...should be phenomenal! After that, I'll be in Asuncion for a couple of weeks before I head off to Columbia and Ecuador for what's sure to be an amazing adventure with amazing friends..very excited!!!

What can I say? Life is pretty great these days. No idea what I'm doing next year or where I'll end up, but enjoying the journey along the way...whoop whoop!!! :) much love to all...besos!

Los Estados Unidos y Mundial

The countdown is on!!! T-10 days til I'm back in the States...yay!!! I am beyond looking forward to just hanging out with my friends and fam, meeting my newest (and adorable!) nephew, and well, just relaxing. It is unbelievable to think I've been here for almost a year now and that I actually survived my first year of teaching!!! Can you believe it?! There were ups and downs, highs and lows, smiles, tears, and everything in between, but in the end, I can with 100% certainty say that I made the right decision :) How great is that?! Plus, who in the world would have ever thought that I would actually like watching soccer?!?! It takes quite a place to convince me of that ;) World Cup fever has taken over Paraguay and I must say, I'm not immune!!! haha, no, it really is fun and I absolutely love that sports are one of the few things in the world that have the power to unite everyone together..it's very, very inspiring.

So anyway, things are winding down down here...last day of classes tomorrow, finals and graduation next week, moving and packing ahead of me, and then I'm home! yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! much love to all and let me know if you'll be around at all..would love to see you! besos!

Mad Hatter Birthday Bash

So, if you know me at all, you know that the one thing I love to celebrate are birthdays...I mean, what better reason to celebrate?! It's not very often that you can get all the people you love together and although I wasn't able to get everyone I love together (you know, being in South America and all ;) ), I did have a rockin' good time celebrating with my new friends in Paraguay!

For some reason awhile back (actually while vacationing in Uruguay I believe), I decided that it would be fun to throw a Mad Hatter themed birthday party. I guess my love for hats, combined with the release of the 3-D "Alice in Wonderland" had me thinking grand thoughts. Well, 2 months later, my dream became a reality when 30 or so friends joined my roommates and I on my terrace to ring in "my" new year! It was a great time and can't wait to start brainstorming ideas for next year :)

The Spread



Cristi and I (Roomies and Math Department)


Jenna and Chaya - don't they look so happy?!


Shauna, Chaya, and I being silly (or rather, super excited!)


Loving the Dance Floor :)


This photo cracks me up!


J&J getting their groove thing on! Love it :)


Hats,



Hats,




and More Hats!!!








Much love to all for coming out...hope you had a great time :)

Just sittin', and wishin', and hopin', and thinkin', and prayin'...

Just sat down to right this blog post and that little ditty came to mind...remember that song? I remember it from My Best Friend's Wedding...such a cute little song!

Anyhow...just sat down on the palette I made on my patio and was thinking about how things just feel so right right now. It's like I don't know how all this came into my life, but for some reason it all did and when I really stop and think about it all I'm completely speechless.

My life has been super busy since school started up again...pep rallys, intercolegial (big sports tournament at school), dinners, visitors, AP conference in Buenos Aires, braces, taxes, tutoring, visas, and well really, just getting back in the swing of things...but now that I have a night to just sit and be, I'm realizing how wonderful it has all been and how wonderful things can turn out to be. Life can get a little crazy sometimes and it's so so easy to get caught up in it all, but taking some time to breathe, reflect, smile, and appreciate really helps me to keep it all in perspective. So this is to all you out there that are a part of my life in any way, shape, or form...love love love you and wishing you lots of love and peace. You are appreciated more than you know! xoxo from paraguay to wherever you may be :)

Big Break Trip 2010

These are my notes I started after Mendoza that cover traveling through Argentina, down through Chile, and then up and over to Uruguay. A lot of them probably won't make any sense, but these are all the little things I remembered along the way that seemed noteworthy at the time...Enjoy!

El Bolson, Argentina = awesome hippy town nestled between mountains, artisan fair, dreadlocks, jauja ice cream, artsenal beer, hike, rio azul, head of the Indian, jumping pictures, almost missing bus, apunto (A.) - great restaurant, entire fish for dinner, great hostel coffee

Brewery - Delightful!


Center of town right by the Artisan Fair - best market ever!


Rio Azul


Cabeza del Indio


Argentine bluebonnets!


Bariloche, Argentina = awesome!!!!!, great city by the lake with backdrop of mountains, marcopoloinn, tronador day trip, black glacier, waterfalls, 5 hour bus rides on twistiest roads ever, smoky bar, new Zealand couple, rafting!!!!!!, super cute guides, rat tails, ridiculous video on Chaya's camera, alphabet game, Aussie Davids, night out, Malabar, Wilkenny, Dusk, Argentine boys, dancing, sketchy car ride, chocolate, el vegetenario, seeing old friends, meeting new friends, cheap laundry, nicest staff, chillin at a park, drum circle, Mexican food, fugazetta pizza, bread, bread, bread, prepping for ferry, what else do we need to get? flipflops, free dinners, hot water, repacking, shasha and moshy, getting 10 random people to go out with us, ass-plosion, oh snap!, seeing that makes me really want to get braces

First view of Bariloche


Isla Corazon (day trip to Tronador)


Pasture where we all had lunch..on our way to THE Black Glacier


Black Glacier


Drum Circle in the center of Bariloche


Sooooo excited for rafting!!!


Rafting - so fun!


Rafting - still going strong!!!


Feeling awesome!


Even more so!!!


Little artisan market in Bariloche - the views were delightful :)


Puerto Montt, Chile = best bus ride ever...so scenic, also sweltering hot, sang song puerto montttttt, tea WITH water, bug splattered windshield, miles of green landscape, cows, bombarded by people while getting off bus, sketchy at night, family owned hospedeja that was at first cute but turned scary when Chaya showered...

Sights around town


Glacier cruise, Chile = Navimag, corridor bunks, hot shower, Jefe from Valpo, Eric the Frenchman, Paul the Aussie, Daniela the Swiss corridor-mate, David the Swissman, vino, beautiful sunsets, stars, wind blown hair, piscola, massages in the pub, learning to play poker, Chaya in bed for 18 hours, boat rocking, GLACIER!!!!!, glamour magazine photo shoot, jumping photos, vino, vodka and coke, trying to open the vodka bottle, bingo, Christian the entertainer, dance party!!!, salsa dancing and feeling like my legs might come out of their sockets, raining outside, love 'em and leave 'em - not my style, parallel parking the cargo ferry, hanging out outside waiting to disembark and playing the alphabet game yet again, waiting for Chaya's suitcase before our wonderful hostel in Puerto Natales

Navimag - our home for 4 days


Up on the deck


Sailing through the Chilean fjords


Beautiful sunset on the first night


Rough day at sea


Stunning scenery


More beautiful views


And more!


Pio XI!


Up close and personal with Pio XI...never thought I'd get so excited about a glacier!


Off the boat...loved it!


Puerto Natales, Chile = best port town by far!, cozy hostel with TV and down comforters...wonderful!, Little Charlie's restaurant with cruise-mates, day trip to Torres del Paine, sooooooooooooo windy and being pelted with rain, Cueva Milodon, giant milodon and posing for pictures, La Mesita Grande, Bagueles, meeting up with Valpo friends and laughing uncontrollably, searching through the brush, realizing our flight is actually tomorrow, all day Skype session with travel agency only to realize our flights were exactly the same, NEW NEPHEW!!!!!!!!, yay for the George family and my sister! xoxoxox!

Rainbows on the way to Torres del Paine


Cuevo Milodon


Looking out from Cueva Milodon


Torres del Paine!!!


Rolling hills and gorgeous sky...ahhhh bliss :)


Waterfall- quite the adventure to get out there!


Lago Azul and Cuernos del Paine


One last shot...


Punta del Diablo, Uruguay = sticky, hot mess, best/worst hostel room ever, great beach, interesting nightlife, umbrella days for all, umbrella days for me, no water for showering, reggae concert, chancho, seeing James and Niki again!, sleeping in the hammock, billions of bugbites, sleeping terribly, Cabo polonio, sea lions, cooooold water, jellyfish sting, fresh squeezed oj mimosas, tractor ride up top, stinky bus ride, reclined seats in our faces, alphabet game again, burp, we could leave!, all sleeping outside, our moist and uncomfortable room, basically beyond ready to leave

Beach time!!!


The 3 amigas :)


Loved this little nook!


Friends at Cero Stress - love them!


Sunset walk home


So beautiful!


Daytrip to Cabo Polonio


Sea lions at Cabo Polonio


More!


Tractor ride back - crazy, rocky adventure!


Punta del Este, Uruguay = upgrade!!!!, Serena, noquis dinner, free champagne, huuuuuuge shower, beds on the beach, cabanas by the pool, infinity pool, rainstorms, complimentary nail polish remover, ac, 1949hostel, hot and sticky yet again, golf with truth or dare, good Mexican food, calamari, mimosas, fingers coming out of the beach, avatar, este cafe, so ready to go home, wireless on the bus, mcd's at the airport, brie sandwich at the airport, headed home!

Serena- a dream come true!


THE hand!!!


Last sunset of vacation - sunset from 1949 hostel


Such a great adventure!!! Loved, loved, loved it! Now just to get back in school mode - it's gonna be tough after all that! Besos all :)