a cupcake or the beach boys?

Well, it's been a while since I posted last, and I'm sorry to say that not a ton has happened. I will, however, catch all of you up on the wannabe thrilling things that have been going on while I'm up at school.

Well, to put an end to my birthday, I received a great cake that was shaped like a cupcake. Yes! It was one giant huge red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing. Are you hungry now? I'm sort of wishing I'd saved a slice and put it in the freezer for later (a.k.a. right now!). I also received a great care package from home. It was possibly the greatest gift I could have ever received. It was a scrapbook that my mom made of all of my pictures from Spain. I also got loads of Girl Scout cookies (thanks Blythe, Rebecca, and Sophie). I have already seemed to rip through a row of Samoas and Tagalongs...ok, more than just a row of Tagalongs! I also got homemade candy from Joseph. Yes, that is correct, Joseph is now a candymaker. They are so good. It's unfortunate that I only have about 3 left! Oreo balls...look up the recipe...delicious!

So since then, I've just been swamped with homework and projects. My latest endevour is a newsletter about living in space...sounds exciting doesn't it? It's for my physics class. I can't wait until Aunt Sue and Uncle Paul come in this week and Sarah comes in next week. That'll be such a great relief from all of this school work!

In other news Joseph made his confirmation on Saturday which was really exciting. I was bummed that I couldn't be there. It is such a beautiful sacrament. I remember how excited I was for my confirmation. I did get to Skype with my family afterward, though. I got to see all of my grandparents and my aunt and uncle, my campus ministry from when I was in high school who was Joe's confirmation sponsor and, of course, my brother!!! It was so great to be able to share at least a little piece of what he went through with him!

Other than that, the weather today is trying to be really nice, but I'm not sure it's working. Yesterday was gorgeous outside...75 and sunny. I think that Spring is here to stay though. I hope it is because I have already packed away my winter coats. The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and I think we're in for a beautiful Spring season. I managed to swipe a great newspaper from the Pryz yesterday and was up way too late reading it. It is called "The Best of DC 2009" and lists all of the top restaurants, museums, places for entertainment and so much more. It is such a cool newspaper. I learned that this Thursday is Free Burger Day in DC and that if I say "Yowza" when I go to Z-Burger, I'll get a free burger...any kind I want. You better believe I've been practicing saying, "Yowza" all night. I think Meghan and I are going to venture over there for lunch. I also learned via "The Best of DC 2009" that The Beach Boys are coming! Everybody watch out! It's surfin' time in DC. They're coming in August to Wolf Trap which is this really cool outdoor venue that sells cheap tickets and you just sit all day and listen to great bands. Since I know all the words to The Best of the Beach Boys (multiple volumes, of course), you can expect that I'll be there. I'll let you know what else I find as I continue to rummage through the lengthy newspaper. I'll leave you with a picture of my giant cupcake-cake that probably weighed in at close to 10 pounds...just look at it!

yellow cake with chocolate icing

Well...today is the day. (Cue dramatic music) I turn 21 today, and while I don't feel any different, I do feel really excited to see what all unfolds throughout the day. It already started off in a such a great way. Last night I'd just gotten out of the shower--hair wet...in pajamas--and what comes barreling through my door but my suitemates, Marge and Meghan, Meghan's friend Emily who is visiting, Alex, and Emily Lazor!!!! I was so excited! They started singing happy birthday. Alex made such a great cake. It was a yellow cake with chocolate icing, and we all agreed that she either did something special or messed up the recipe because it was the most moist and delicious cake! It even had sprinkles on top...and an M&M! We ate half of the cake in one sitting, it was so good!

I woke up this morning to two phone calls. One was from Mom and the other was from Dad and Joseph. I was having to whisper because even in the hallways people can hear, and it was 7:30 in the morning. It was so exciting! Then as I'm brushing my teeth, I look up to see a note that Kelly posted on our mirror that says Happy Birthday and that she has already reserved the top floor of Hawk 'n' Dove for my birthday party--haha! If I didn't have a sarcastic roommate there would be little comic relief in my life! Thanks a lot, Kelly. Leave it to her to also include little birthday children with hats and presents on the sign! I will forever cherish her artistry!

I am at work now, actually, and then I have class. After that who knows! I think I may go into the city for a little bit. For some reason it decided to be cold outside today, so that's not entirely appealing, but I'll take it. I honestly have no idea what else is in store; I just know that I am so thankful for all of the people who have been with me thus far on my birthday! Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes so early in the morning.

What a great day it is already.

Lastly, I received an email from my almost three year old Godson, Brent! He has apparently been keeping up with my posts and photos!
Dear Brent Paul,
I hear that you have been keeping up with all of the really neat places that I've been visiting. I'm glad you're enjoying the pictures! I hope that you keep checking back to see even more of the things I have been doing while I'm at big school in Washington, DC. Keep your eyes out for a birthday package, little man! You're going to be such a big boy soon. Maybe one day when you're a little bit bigger we can go to some of the cool places in my pictures! Blythe can come to. I hope that you two haven't been getting into too much trouble over there. How is Blythe's room coming? Did she put up the curtains that she got for Christmas yet? I can't wait to play with the two of you when I come home. Maybe we could go to the park again...or maybe the museum! Would you and Blythe like to do that? I will see you on March 20th. That's when I get back from school. Until then, you keep emailing me, okay? I miss you, buddy! I love you.
Love,
Nanny

the day i left one of my favorite places ever

This morning was difficult to say the least. I don't like goodbyes. It started late last night, really. When Jill said goodbye to us at the restaurant I thought I was going to cry. Then, it sort of overflowed into this morning when Nick and I had to say goodbye to Andy. It was hard; although, I will say that I didn't go through a ton of Kleenex so that was good! We checked in at the Madrid airport around 9am and boarded around 10am. Security in Madrid is a breeze. I don't know what the people here are so grouchy about. All of the security workers in Madrid were so nice. They were just chatting away in Spanish and helping everyone with their bags.

I always feel like I'm going through a slow motion movie when I go through security when I look back and see who I am leaving. It's the same way when I leave home to go to school. It's the hardest to look back through the glass and know that you're going in a different direction than the person or people looking back at you. Nick and I were both bummed that we were leaving. If Andy wouldn't be going to Malaga today, I'd have probably figured out a way to stay a little longer.

It was easier that Andy was going to Malaga. He's going to meet his friend, Mike, for few days and then going to London. It's his spring break this week.

Our flight to Atalanta was good--way too long but good nonetheless. We were in the air for just under 10 hours which I think is obsurd considering it only took us 6 and a half hours to get to Madrid. It's that silly wind I guess. We had great food again. I accidentally ate meat yesterday so I'm not eating meat today. I hope that's ok. I had pasta with spinach and tomatos and then our second meal was cheese pizza. It was really good. I watched High School Musical 3 on the plane (go ahead and laugh...I needed something to lighten the mood)! Our plane seats had individual screens on the back of the seat in front of us. It was so cool! There were tons of songs to choose from as well as TV shows and newly released movies. After watching HSM3 and playing a trivia game on the TV screen against other people on the plane, I took a nap and then our second meal came. Then I started watching Changeling. It's a fairly new movie...a little deeper than what I was expecting, but it wasn't as dark as I thought it would be. I didn't get to see the end, but I'd recommend it. It's a true story. I like true stories.

We got off of the plane and went through customs. We actually had to go out of security, go through customs, get our baggage at baggage claim and then recheck our luggage and go through security again. Phew! I never thought I'd get out of there. I could pretty much feel my bloodpressure rising. I am sitting at my gate now. I miss Spain. I don't want to go back to school, but then again, who does? Sometimes I wish I could just forever be done with school. Then I remember that I signed up to be a teacher for the rest of my life...haha! I know this much though, I will go back to Spain someday. I liked it too much to not go back. Let's just hope that it's sooner rather than later!

I'll never be done with school! Well, off to get a bite to eat then hop on the plane to DC. More on the way...

i don't wanna go...

A lot has happened since I posted last, and I'm trying my hardest to keep everyone up to date. There's just been so much shuffling from here to there that it's hard to write sometimes.

Wednesday was such a good day. Good day, Wednesday! I woke up and had café con leche with my Poptart and got ready for the day. Then Nick and I took the metro Sol which is basically a headquarters for souvenir shops. Hello, my name is Ashley, and I'm a tourist! We went into so many shops and little stores. We were waiting for Andy to get out of his classes and had about 2 hours to kill. We used up every second of the 2 hours and didn't even see everything. I'm secretly hoping that we get to go back there because I really liked it, but there are so many other things to see. Once we met up with Andy, we headed to lunch.

We went to this little restaurant that's hiding in a corner called Casa Carmen and got paella. It was delicious. It had shrimp and chicken and mussels and clams and all sorts of veggies and rice. After we ate, the three of us walked around Plaza Mayor for a while and took some great pictures! We did lots of souvenir shopping as I learned that Sol is the place to be for souvenirs and great Madrid goodies!

When we left Sol and Plaza Mayor we went to Andy's house, but along the way got to pass by the bull ring! It was huge. This place was so much bigger and more built up than I thought it would be. I guess in my mind I pictured something like the coliseum...it's not! It was beautiful with tile and lots of statues and stonework! The walk from the ring to Andy's house wasn't that bad except for an unexpected windstorm that we got caught in. We all felt kind of like we were walking more backwards than forwards. Looking back it was pretty funny, but at the time with the dust and mist and wind blowing all around, it was anything but funny! We went to Andy's house so that he could pick up a few things that he'd forgotten and then headed to Gran Vía which is a main road through Madrid. There are big light up signs sort of like in New York (except not nearly as many), and there are so many cows (vacas) there! I really like all of the statues of cows throughout the city. Andy has a map of where they all are. I wish I could have seen more of them, but there was only so much time that I had here.

Once we walked around Gran Vía and had some dinner—a great salad and some tapas sort of things—we headed back to the hotel because it was getting really late. We sort of turned in early in that we came back early, but somehow we still managed to stay up late.

Thursday morning was an early one, but it was so well worth it. We started off the morning with El Corte Inglés for about an hour and then went to Andy’s school for some lunch and to use their internet. They had the best pasta! Nick and I mottled around for a little while after Andy left to run to the hotel and then his house to do a switcheroo of his laundry. Then Nick and I went back to the hotel, chatted and put some of our things away and then left for the park! We went to Retiro which is the most beautiful park I have ever seen. It’s huge, first of all. There are so many pathways and fountains and statues and ducks! We saw the Palacio Cristal which is this huge old palace made entirely out of crystal. Then we went into this really cool cave. We quacked at the ducks and took pictures of the really pretty and the really ugly ones. Then we walked around—very quickly I may add—to see what else we could because it was really chilly. The sun was starting to go down, and we were getting a little hungry.

We left the park and ate at Vips. It’s like a bookstore, convenience store, and café all in one. We ate American food—burgers and fries—but it was different than the burgers and fries we eat back home. After Vips we headed back to the hotel to recharge and wait for Jill to call and let us know what she was doing for the evening. She called at about 10pm to say that she and her señora were just sitting down to eat. I know, right? Late! Anyway, she ended up meeting us at Sol where we had churros con chocolate. It was so good; it was such a great visit. In fact, we were having such a great visit that she slept at the hotel with us that night! I think that while I thought hanging out with Jill a couple of nights ago was fun, last night was soooo much fun! We had a blast. We just talked and watched Spanish TV and snacked and had such a good night. I have really learned what it means to have great friends on this trip. I have traveled with, met up with, and made memories such great friends on this trip that I can’t imagine having it happened any other way. I wouldn’t have wanted it to. What a blessing they all are.

This morning was a rough one but a good one. Andy went back to his house to pack up for his trip to Malaga this coming week, and Jill and I went to shop at some street vendors and little shops near her house which is between the Canal and Quevedo metro stops. We had fun girl time while Nick slept and Andy did what he had to do. They came and met up with us after Andy got back to the hotel and met up with Nick. We ate kabops (not kabobs) for lunch. I didn’t really know what to expect of them seeing as how I was expecting meat on a stick, but it was more like a sandwich. I had a Kabop con pollo which had chicken, lettuce, tomato and 2 kinds of sauce on top. We walked around the area a bit after we ate OUTSIDE (the weather was so great today)! We went to a little bakery and Nick and Jill got some good little pastries that were like puff pastry filled with chocolate mousse. I don’t remember the name of it, but it was a pretty tasty little desert.

Jill went back home after that because she lived so close, and Nick, Andy, and me went to the hotel to recharge a little and then headed back to Sol—big surprise! We did some last minute gotta have it souvenir shopping and then went into a few little shops. Then Jill came and met up with us to walk around and whatnot. We went to Fatigas del Querer for dinner again because it was so good last time we went and then headed back to the hotel. Now, we’re just sitting here packing up and snacking. It’s really sad to leave Madrid. I have sort of been welling up throughout the day at the mere thought of leaving Andy and Jill and all of the great people that I’ve met here. The city is beautiful—better than anything I could have ever expected. Europe has been amazing, and I haven’t even seen a slice of it. I have been so blessed to have come here.

We leave tomorrow morning at 11:05am, and I don’t want to go at all. Oh dear! The thought of going back to school and leaving this great city makes me really sad; although, I will say that the sooner I go back then sooner I can be un-sad! I am hoping to post again before I leave, but in case I don’t, please be thinking of Nick and me as we travel back to the states.

Well…off to more packing. Madrid has been a blast. I said all along that I wasn’t sure when I’d be back to Madrid. That still remains true; however, I know that I will be back.

yay jill

Since my last post we have so much that if I wrote it all in one note, it would be one you'd have to scroll through. Oh well...

So we went to Andy's house in Madrid and guess what...WE MET ANTONIO! Andy walked into his house and asked his dad, Antonio, if we could meet him and then we walked in. The house was easily 80 degrees and smelled like Mimi and Papa's (food cooking). He was the shortest little old man I have ever seen. He had on a little jacket with a string tying it shut. He said that it was because he was so poor that he couldn't afford buttons. He's hilarious. He can definitely afford buttons! Their house is great; everything is miniaturized...and it's not because he's short either. In Spain everything--appliances, furniture, doorways--is much smaller than in the US. Out of the window in the laundry room is the clothes line and you have to reel it in with a pulley. It was so cute! I secretly wanted to pull their laundry in just so I could see how it worked.

Anyway, Antonio was cooking tortellini for him and Paco (Andy's roommate who's real name is Buck, but Antonio is convinced that it's Paco). Then he pulled out a pan and made a tapas for Nick, Andy, and me. It was so good. He put some cooked ham on some bread with olive oil. They put oil on everything, and they don't even bother with sliced bread here. If you walk into any bread aisle of the supermarket it's really little. They use the fresh baked stuff from the bakery. After taking a grand tour of the cutest and only Spanish apartment I've ever been in we headed over to Malaspina for dinner. It's some bar that Michelle's señora's ex-husband's girlfriend owns. What a line of connection, huh? The food there was soooooo good. We ate pollo y patatas fritas (chicken and fries) and had a plate of jamonón and queso to snack on, too. I thought I was going to burst, I ate so much chicken. For something like 5 euro we ate a half of a chicken in a great sauce with homemade french fries. I'm going to learn how to make it. It was so good!

After dinner we turned in for the night and went to bed early to get ready for Tuesday.

Yesterday was such a good day! Andy had class in the morning so Nick and I went with him in the direction of school and walked around a great shopping mall (all Spanish stores) while Andy was in his first 2 classes. I've learned that only in Spain can you find legitimate shoes for 3 and 5 euro. I couldn't believe it when I first saw the sign. We even found some shops that had such cheap stuff in them. Their "Rebajas" (love a sale) were at most 10 euro. What a steal. Can't get over it! Then we left and went to meet Andy at school for lunch where we met his friend, Liza. She goes to SLU in the states and is studying. Again...another great meal. Even at school they have great food! It was a little misty, but it wasn't too bad. Apparently we are in Madrid during the worst week. Last week Michelle said they were wearing sandals. Let's just say that I should have brought a heavier coat for this week. Yes, it's cold and wet, but nonetheless one of the best weeks ever!

After lunch, Nick and I headed back to the hotel for siesta while Andy stayed at school for his break. Nick and I ventured down a street that Sarah and Michelle go to buy shoes. I was told when looking on the teency map that the street had all shoe stores. I didn't think that's what it was really going to be like. I'm talking back to back shoe stores. I've never seen anything like it. They were all really cheap and really stylish. Some were for older people, while some were for babies. They had everything you could imagine. Nick and I walked to a McDonald's to try and get some free internet, but it wasn't free, thus the shoe browsing! Then we grabbed some pizza after a second mini siesta of the day. When in Spain...

Last night could possibly have been my favorite night here. Nick, Andy, and I went to another bar/restaurant owned again by Michelle's and Sarah's señora's ex-husband's girlfriend. Guess who came with us. Go on...guess. JILL! I was so excited. I got to see Jill. She couldn't stay for long because she had a test or something today (I mean, they eat so late over here), but we had such a great visit. I love friends! What a great friend she is. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I saw her here. We all met up with Sarah and Michelle and their other friend Sabrina, too. It was such a great time. Andy and Michelle have really made some great friends here. Now, I'm determined to find a cool barrette...Sarah had the coolest barrette in. It was a heart! I like hearts! Oh it was such a fun night!

What a great night it was. I don't know what could top last night. I mean, I do say that about every single day that I'm here, but last night was so great. Love ya, Jillie!

actual post time...monday march, 2nd

The date is kind of messed up because I didn't get internet access til today; so, this has been saved on my computer since then.

Well, we're off to the eastern part of Madrid for the afternoon and the evening. We'll be back tomorrow, and I'll have lots of great pictures posted and more updates on what we did. Until then, I wanted to let you all know what we did today. This morning I woke up to a great sunny day with a little bit of a breeze. Nick and I had breakfast in the room this morning...Poptarts...and then headed out for Andy's school. We stopped at El Corte Inglés which is a huge Spanish Macy's, grocery store, and electronic store all rolled into one. After browsing for a bit to kill some time, we headed to the metro and left for SLU Madrid to see Andy and have lunch with him and Michelle. Michelle and her roommate Sarah (studying abroad from SLU in the states) actually ended up getting off of the metro at about the same time we did. Sarah went to class, and Michelle walked us to campus where we met up with Andy along the way. Then we got lunch.

The greatest sandwich I've ever eaten came from a place called Tienda Verde. It was a place the size of a closet; it's really small with a bright green door. My sandwich had jamón serrano, queso, and aciete (olive oil). Andy, Michelle, Nick and I ate on the roof of one of the main buidings on their 4-building campus! It was so great. It was a little hazy so we couldn't see the mountains in the distance, but we were still able to see other parts of the city.

After lunch, Michelle had class so she headed out and Andy walked Nick and I around the city for about an hour or 2 until his class. We walked through a really tiny park and found a secret driving range! We went to Vips and SuperSol (the supermarket) and got some great Spanish snacks. Dad, I'm going to bring some chocolate stuff back home for you...it's the best stuff I've ever eaten! Anyway, Nick and I walked back to the metro after getting a little turned around and made our way back to the hotel after stopping at Moda Shopping--a mall near the hotel. It's not a very big mall, but it's really nice. Now, we're at the hotel, and we're heading to Andy's house to see the city that he usually sees. I'm not sure when we'll get back tonight, but there will be pictures and more updates on today, tomorrow.

i can't believe i'm here

Upon arriving in Madrid at 9:30 this morning, I was groggy to say the least. We left New York for Spain at 7:50pm and slept and ate and slept and ate and slept. They showed 2 movies on the plane. I didn't really understand why because they were playing while everyone was sleeping, but the first half of the first movie (the only part I was really awake to watch) was pretty good. The Secret Life of Bees...rent it! I was served the greatest airplane food I've ever eaten--tortellini and salad and bread and a brownie. It was soooo good. After I made my happy plate, I strapped on my eye mask, plugged into some classical music and tried my best to fall asleep.

I woke up 15 minutes later--no joke.

After a constant tossing and turning I managed to get 2 hours of great sleep. The plane was cold, but they gave us pillows and blankets (one of which I swiped for keeps) so it wasn't too bad. I woke up to Nick yelling at me to look out the window. I peeked and then put my mask back on; I was exhausted. Then he yelled again for me to look out my window and that they were serving breakfast...I shot up! Breakfast a treat, but the view was even better. The sun was just starting to come up and we sat right on the wing. Within the hour I had a hazy picture of the city I'd be spending my next week in. We touched down in Spain, and let me be the first to say that I could have kissed the ground. I was so happy to be out of the air! We were off the plane and headed to baggage claim soon enough.

Nick's and my luggage were some of the first pieces to come out of the terminal! Customs was a breeze. I was so excited to get my passport stamped for the first time. I rolled on through with my luggage, and before I knew it I was walking out with Nick to find Andy. There were so many people (all taller than me and speaking Spanish), and then I looked to the left and who do I see taking pictures of my arrival but Andy! I was so excited. I knew that it would be the start of a great Spring Break!

After that, we headed to the metro and took it all the way to the hotel. The weather was a little misty and cloudy, but it was soooo nice temperature-wise. We dropped our things off at the hotel and without blinking an eye, hopped on the metro and headed to mass. We went to mass at la Catedral de la Virgin de Almudena. It was this amazing gothic-style cathedral, but inside it had more modern icons and stained glass.

Then we walked around through a great park to get to the Teleférico! It's this cablecar that runs really high up above Madrid. It was about a 10 minute ride and probably one of the most exciting things I've ever been on since the ski lift when I was 6. Needless to say, after that we were so exhausted that we made our way back to the hotel, recharged, ate some great dinner (spinach lasagne) and hung out for the night.

I can honestly say that while I was tired and groggy and a little hungry off and on for the majority of the day, it has been one of the best days of my life. I am still in awe that I am even here. I can't believe it. I can't believe that I am in Madrid, Spain, with some of my closest friends experiencing things that I never thought I'd get the chance to do. Now, it's off to bed tonight, and hello to tomorrow! All I know is that I can't wait for a good cup of coffee to sip!

still can't believe it...what a blessing