I said I'm proud, to be, a CSU RAM!

This weekend is a very special weekend in the good ole US of A. It's Labor Day weekend, which is a 3 day weekend marking the end of summer and the beginning of fall. It's also a very important day for me and my fellow Colorado State University alumni: the Rocky Mountain Showdown. This is an epic game between CSU and our rivals, the University of Colorado Buffaloes, that takes place every Labor Day weekend. In the 5 years I attended CSU we only won 2 games, and our record is not anything to brag about. But that's not the point. I loved going to CSU games so much in college, even though we weren't very good. It wasn't about the victory, it was about the tailgating and the team spirit. And CSU Rams have a lot of spirit! Football games are actually one of the things I miss most about college, and when I think back to that time in my life I have so many memories, hazy and clear.

 

1. sophomore year, i don't know why i thought that vest was a good idea

2. sophomore year with sonny lubick mask (they were so creepy)

3. senior year roomies

4. junior year

5. senior year sorority pose

6. senior year, typical j and b pic

7. super senior year

Good luck this weekend Rammies, beat the buffs!!!

Really?!

I'm sorry, I came across this today on people.com and I just had to share. This is why people think Montana is a backwater state...

Man Dressed as Bigfoot for a Hoax Is Run Over and Killed

By MIKE FLEEMAN

08/28/2012 at 05:00 PM EDT

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Ghillie suit (left) and purported Bigfoot photo

BILL GREENE/THE BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY; AP

An apparent attempt to stage a Bigfoot sighting horribly backfired when a man dressed in furry camouflage was struck and killed by two cars on a Montana highway, police say. 

Randy Lee Tenley, 44, of Kalispell, Mont., was pronounced dead at the scene near Flathead Lake in northwestern Montana after the stunt late Sunday night. 

"This is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Really," Montana Highway Patrol Lt. Col. Butch Huseby tells the Los Angeles Times. 

Tenley had donned a Ghillie camouflage suit covered in thick foliage-like material that's used by hunters and military snipers and dashed onto the two-lane road around 10:30 p.m. Two cars, both driven by teenage females, slammed into him. 

A friend who was with him told police about the intended Bigfoot hoax. Authorities are investigating whether the men had been drinking.

Baring it all in Menorca

I'm back! Again! And Lisbon was AMAZING. Seriously, my new favorite city. But before I get to that I want to finish sharing my trip to Menorca. The beaches were incredible. Totally natural and pristine, and difficult to get to at times, but completely worth it. One thing I've really noticed living here in Spain is that everyone has such perfect, uniform tans and I completely know why now. Every beach is a topless beach in Spain and most the kids just run around butt-naked. I'm not sure about the totally naked thing, sand could really get in some bad places, but I could get down with the topless thing. Save some money since you only have to buy swimsuit bottoms, less tan lines, no need to worry about a nip slip. In the States I feel like everyone would stare at every single topless person, but in Spain it doesn't phase anyone, it's like they don't even notice. Unfortunately my photography skills are not the best yet, so I wasn't able to truly capture the beauty of the beaches. The water was so clear and this incredible turquoise color. I'm still dreaming about it. For some better pictures google Cala Mitjana (this one is where lots of people cliff dive) and Cala Binibeca. Those are 2 of the beaches I went to.

view from my room

punta prima

cala binibeca

my private beach

the downside of traveling alone... trying to take pictures of yourself

Congratulations are in order!

Before I post the rest of my photos from Menorca I wanted to take today to talk about something else. One of my best friends got engaged last weekend and I couldn't be more excited for the happy couple! It's so hard being in Spain and missing things like this, but thankfully with technology these days we'll be able to have a virtual toast to celebrate :) Beth and I met in our sorority back in college and also worked at the student rec center together. I have so many great memories of wine nights and margarita nights and girls' nights in and I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle! Unfortunately I don't know Wes very well, as I wasn't living in Colorado when they met, but I did get to meet up with him in Amsterdam back in March. He's a great guy with a huge heart and it's clear how much he loves Beth. Congrats Wes and Beth!

And just for a throwback... I couldn't resist. Love you B!

Oh, and I'm heading to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow morning for a long weekend so I'll be back in business Wednesday! Até mais tarde meus amigos!!!

Menorca

I got back to Madrid late last night and all day I've been dreaming about the beach. Menorca was absolutely beautiful and I spent about 95% of my time in a bathing suit by the ocean. I will say this, the island was not what I was expecting. Of course I did my research and I knew that it was more underdeveloped, but I just thought that meant it'd be more natural. What it really meant was that it's not so easy to get around the island. And the beaches are small and far apart. From my hotel there were two beaches I could walk to, one was about 15 minutes away (and was not the nicest) and the other was about 40 minutes (but worth the walk). The bus system on the island was good, but the bus only came once an hour to the closest stop to me. The best way to do a trip to Menorca is to rent a car, but that was not an option for me. As for where I stayed... I knew I'd be walking everywhere so I wanted to stay as close to the beach as possible. When I booked my plane ticket another page with hotel info popped up and I found this really amazing deal for an all-inclusive hotel that was only 15 minutes from a beach. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, unlimited drinks, and my own room (which was very important to me) and it would only cost me about 70 euros a day! That's a steal considering to eat out I would have spent at least 10-20 euros a meal, and for a private room in a hostel, I'd be paying around 50 euros a day. The downfall of the hotel was that it very clearly catered to British families. The food was nothing to write home about and there was cheesy entertainment every night, not to mention there were children running around everywhere. I didn't spend much time at the hotel though, just to eat and sleep. In the end it was an amazing trip, and looking back on everything I wouldn't change any of it. I relaxed and slept and read and came home with a fabulous tan! I've got tons of photos to go through, so here's a few iPhone snaps for the time being.

Hasta luego Madrid!

In about 5 hours I will be on a plane bound for Menorca! I'm taking myself on a beach vaca and I couldn't be more excited. Menorca is a small island off the west coast of Spain. It's part of the Balearic Islands (the most well-known island being Ibiza). Menorca is not a party island, but is described as being the least overrun and most tranquil of the Balearics. The northern part of the island is hilly with a rocky, natural coastline, while the southern part is flat and one big chain of sandy beaches. I will be there for 5 blissful days and plan on doing nothing more than laying on the beach and reading. I'm also not bringing my laptop so I won't be posting while I'm gone, you'll have to wait til next week for photos. Here's a few photos I got online, just to give you all an idea :)

hotel pool and the mediterranean

recent reads

via

I love to read. I've loved to read since I was a little girl and I'm so glad that's stuck with me. With my long commutes to classes I've been able to read a lot since I got here, and a perfect afternoon for me is sitting on a terraza with a great book and a cafe con leche. I've read some good and some bad books since I've been here, but here are two of my recent favs!

My Name is Memory
This book is about a guy who has the ability to remember all of his past lives and spends years and years looking for a girl he fell in love with in his first life. They cross paths a few times in different lives, and in the present he finally tells her about their past together and fights to be with her. I read this book so fast, I couldn't put it down!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
This book was AMAZING! I really really liked it. It's written entirely in the form of letters from different characters to each other. It's a story about the relationship that develops between a writer in London and a group of people who live on the island of Guernsey during the German occupation in WWII. It's so well written and the characters are perfectly developed.

Any suggestions for other good books?

La Granja

La Granja, formally known as the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a short bus ride from Segovia and the second stop of the day for Jessie and I back in May. La Granja also means "the farm" in Spanish and was also once the summer residence and a hunting lodge of the royal family. It's a stunning palace set against the mountains and surrounded by sprawling gardens. Again, we were a little pressed for time so we didn't get to spend too much time exploring the grounds, but it was so incredibly beautiful!