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 :)