April Showers Bring May Flowers...

Hopefully! It's been gloomy and rainy for the past few weeks but I have a feeling that as soon as the rain passes it'll be amazing here. We're on holiday again (Spain really knows how to live) and I don't have classes til Thursday. I'm staying here in Madrid but planning on visiting some museums and doing other touristy things I haven't done yet.

I took these photos a few weeks ago around my neighborhood, I really love where I'm living. There are so many plazas with adorable terrazas (terraces) that are perfect for grabbing a quick coffee and catching up with friends.

my building

plaza next to my apartment

park just up the street

playing bocci ball

Homemade Hummus

One of the things I miss about the U.S. is Trader Joe's. Specifically the cilantro-jalapeno hummus. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I looked up a few different recipes for hummus and created my own. I just put garbanzo beans, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon, and hot sauce into a food processor and mixed it all together until it tasted right. Disclosure: I made another batch about a week ago and put wayyyy too much garlic in it and it was pretty terrible potent. So be careful. This is what I used yesterday:

1 jar cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 clove garlic
olive oil (I eye-balled it)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
a few shakes of cayenne pepper
a few squeezes of lemon juice
hot sauce to taste

Blend together in a food processor and voila! Serve with veggies, pita bread/chips, or on toast :)

it tastes better than it looks, i promise

Up next, sun-dried tomato hummus!

ps- I cook more here than I did in Sacramento... weird

Life is an Adventure

I love this quote.

 via

And I love adventure.

i know you're all jealous of those hiking boots and fleece

Happy hump day!!

Obsessed

Some of you might know this, but for those who don't, here's a little known fact about me: I get obsessed with songs. Like really, really obsessed. Like listen to a song on repeat 15 times a day for a week straight. In college I remember listening to this song at least 40 times just in iTunes, and who knows how many times on my iPod. Then there was one summer where I listened to this song over and over again trying to memorize the lyrics so I could sing along with my roommate. And when I got to Spain I listened to this song constantly because it was playing everywhere and I wanted to know the lyrics so I could fit in. Right now I'm really into this song. I heard it on Grooveshark, and I have no idea if it's popular in the US right now or not, but the video is pretty cool and I love the music and the guy's voice.

           

Here are a few more things I've been obsessed with lately:

zara

I am LUSTING after this skirt. Seriously. I've tried in on 5 times in the past 3 days. I love it, but I just don't know how practical a white skirt would be. Thoughts.... it's also available in yellow, which I'm a fan of.

Trying to find a color similar to this Essie Lilacism nail polish. I refuse to pay € 12,00 for a bottle of nail polish. 

My Grandma used to always tell me to wear lipstick. And I used to think that lipstick was just for grandmas, so I didn't wear it. But I've converted. A lot of Spanish women wear lipstick, so obviously I need to fit in. L'Oreal has a line of intense colors and natural colors created especially for blondes or brunettes, so it helps take away a lot of the guess work that goes with picking out a lipstick. I haven't bought one yet, but every time I walk by a shop that I know will carry them, I put one on and wear it for a few hours. I think I might be close to picking one!

Besos! xo

Amsterdam Continued

Like I mentioned the other day, I didn't take a ton of photos in Amsterdam due to the bike and the torential downpour that took place the entire last day we were there. Our second day there we went on a walking tour in the morning and then rode our bikes over to the brewery. It was really cute and even had a windmill out front. I almost felt like I was at New Belgium again :)

new belguim brewery, fort collins, co cerca 2008

via

After the brewery we just rode our bikes around and enjoyed the sun while it lasted. Here are the rest of the photos from Amsterdam!

Amsterdam was so amazing, and I can understand why so many Americans move there. I'm really bummed the weather was so bad while we were there, but luckily I have a friend living there so hopefully I'll be making another trip this spring!

ps- the reason I'm wearing that hat in every single photo is because it was freezing and raining and my hair was a hot mess. I haven't turned into a Rastafarian. It was, however, the best €1 I've spent to date.

Tres Meses

el oso y el madroño (the bear and the strawberry tree, the symbol of madrid)

3 months. 3 whole months. That's how long I've been in Spain. I can't believe how fast it's gone by! I also still can't believe I've found myself in Madrid, but I am in love with this city. I think back to before I left the US, and I had my heart set on Malaga and the beach, but now I can't imagine myself anywhere but Madrid. I look forward to my morning commutes and wandering up and down the streets every day. I've met so many interesting people, made so many new friends, and had the opportunity to see some incredible pieces of history.

I know the next 3 months (and the 3 after that, and after that...) will be just as great. Especially since I've got a visit from this lovely lady to look forward too!!

i would do almost anything for a Rio marg...

typical

May 13th can't come soon enough!!

Happy (belated) Easter!

how cute are these?!

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. The weather is usually nice, the food is good, and it's a great excuse to get together with family and friends. This year was a little different, obviously, since I'm miles away from family and friends, but I still found ways to make it familiar. Being in Spain for Easter was pretty amazing too though, because I got to experience Semana Santa (Holy Week). Like I mentioned earlier, everyone in Spain was on holidays starting last Wednesday or Thursday. Last Thursday night I went and watched one of the processions, but since there were so many people out watching I didn't really see anything. This link actually goes into more detail of how it was celebrated in Madrid and also has some pictures.

One of my favorite Easter foods is deviled eggs, and I really look forward to having them every year. This year, one of my American friends and I made 2 batches for ourselves all of our non-American friends, and they were a pretty big hit! Today I tried to explain deviled eggs to my English classes and that was a bit of a disaster. Since "deviled eggs" doesn't translate into anything that makes sense it took a while to explain.

delish

To make them we just mixed the yolks with Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and garnished with paprika! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Why Being In Your 20s Is Awesome

I've been in Spain for almost 3 months now and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I wake up every day feeling like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now, and feeling so thankful that I'm here. I came across this article the other day, and while it's a bit racy bold, I think the bottom line is spot-on. Being on the other side of 25 really gets to me sometimes, and there are days when I find myself wanting to grow up so fast. I need to remind myself to take advantage of being in my 20s and to just slow down sometimes. I've still got a few years left before the big 3-0, and I plan on making the most of it!

montana, cerca 2010

Why Being In Your 20s Is Awesome

MAR. 22, 2012 

By RYAN O'CONNELL 

I know I talk crap on being a twentysomething but I’m only half-kidding. In actuality, there’s no age I’d rather be. (Besides maybe seven years old because they don’t do anything besides eat ice cream and poop themselves. That sounds like an ideal life to be completely honest.)

Being in your twenties is all about discovering which things hurt you and what makes you feel good. You go in blindly, practically pricking yourself with a dull blade, and then you walk out with tougher skin. One day you’ll stop pricking yourself altogether. Maybe. I don’t know. How would I? I’m just a twentysomething, remember?

This is what your twenties are for — to feel and see as much as you can, to take advantage of not being tied down to anything and anyone and to go balls to the wall with everything that you do. You’re a raw nerve. You hate getting upset over little things, about being constantly unraveled by ignored text messages, parents, grades, and friends, but you have to remember something: you don’t know yourself entirely yet. Before the age of 20, you were mostly under your parents care, a reflection of what was going on around you. You didn’t have the option to make your own choices. You were merely living the life someone set out for you.  Being in your twenties allows you to start carving out the life you want for yourself. Everything is on your terms now which seems daunting but is actually liberating. For the first time in your life you’re the boss.

It’s important to talk about why your twenties are great because it seems like we spend so much of our time wanting to be somewhere else other than where we are. Think about it. Why the hell are we in such a hurry to live some boring grown up adult life that we saw at a Crate & Barrel? Because once we do get there, we’re stuck for a long time. The novelty’s going to wear off, we’re going to get married and have babies, and everything will be amazing but don’t think for a second that you won’t be nostalgic for this time. Don’t think for a second that you’re not going to miss those nights you spent putting on your make up, changing five million times, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes out your apartment window, and going to some silly party, a party that feels like all the others you’ve been to but still has the right to feel special. You will miss all of this. This is a luxury. It’s going to leave us eventually so you better freaking enjoy it. You better enjoy every lame ass party, every awkward kiss, every 5 AM hangover, every drug experience, every crappy apartment, because one day it will all be gone and you’ll just be left with the pictures and the bruises and nothing else. Youth is fu**ing magic. Don’t you get it? Look at your skin! Touch it. Look at your smooth legs and stomach. Grab it. When you’re older, you’ll want all of this again so bad. You’ll possibly spend so much money to get some semblance of it back. Now it’s yours for free.

We’re not stuck. Even if it feels like we are, it’s not true. We’re the opposite of stuck. As twentysomethings, we’re constantly moving — apartments, relationship, cities, jobs. Anything is possible. People are ready for you. They want to hear what you have to say. They look at you and are curious about what words are going to come out of your mouth. You’re the new generation. What do you have to say? Don’t bite your tongue. One day you’ll be pushed aside for a younger “fresher” perspective so you better get it out now. Make a mark. Make a stain. Make something.

I want to remember the fear, I want to remember the promise, I want to remember the nights I wanted to curl up in a ball, I want to remember the people I’m not supposed to remember, I want to remember not knowing myself, I want to remember the moment I started to feel safe and like this life I’m leading is really mine. I’m going to be scared, I’m going to bruise my knees and not know how they got there, I’m going to try to fruitlessly forge a connection with someone who won’t ever get it, I’m going to lose the person that means the most to me and find my way back to them. I’m going to be a twentysomething because that’s what I am and all I know how to be.  And you should too. You should love every single moment of this hot mess of a decade. Chances are you’ll miss it before you even get to say “I’m 30.” 

Amsterdam

The last stop of our trip was Amsterdam, and I have to say, I was the most excited for Amsterdam. I've only heard great things about the city, and there's really nothing that compares to bikes and beer. We got into Centraal around 8pm, so we didn't do much our first night. The next morning we rented bikes and set out for the Van Gogh Museum. After a few hours of wandering through the museum we just rode our bikes up and down all the cute little streets.

my super touristy bike

The day ended with lots of food and wonderful Dutch, Belgian, and German beer. I could definitely live here.

ps- I didn't take many pictures in Amsterdam unfortunately. Since we were riding bikes everywhere it was a bit dangerous to just snap pictures of everything. 

Rainy Days

via

This week is Semana Santa, or Holy Week, here in Spain. The week before Easter all the schools are out for holidays and most business people take holidays from Wednesday or Thursday on. Which means that my classes for the rest of the week are cancelled. A lot of people take advantage of this time off to travel out of Spain, but I'll be spending it here in Madrid. Unfortunately it's been raining! Not as bad of rain as I had to put up with in Sacramento, but I have to walk everywhere here so it's a bit more inconvenient. I shouldn't complain too much, Madrid needs the rain, and I can't wait to see how this rain helps with the blooming of all the flowers, but having all this free time and not being able to enjoy it outdoors is a bit of a bummer. I've been spending most of this week inside reading and catching up on TV shows. Hopefully I'll get around to putting up my pictures from Amsterdam!