Happy Birthday to Me!

Birthday Week is Here!

This week I'm going to be a little m.i.a. #sorryimnotsorry because this week is my birthday week!

That's right! On Wednesday I will be the big 21 and I will finally be legal here in the U.S.! I have many exciting and fun activities planned this week which is why I will not be posting much here.

And if any of you want to get me the best birthday present ever figure out how to keep Dutchess Catherine in labor for two days so I can share a birthday with the coolest baby in town..erhh out of town I mean.

The Tiny Bedroom Project

This past week my mom informed me that I would have to switch rooms with my little sister. For three years my sister (a soon to be high school senior) has been living in a bedroom the same size of my mom's closet while my other sister and I have been away at school and only home during the holidays and summer.

I first want to say that I see how unfair this is and if I was in her shoes I would be pissed. But, this is my blog and if I can't complain about this sucky room switch arrangement here, then where can I complain? Am I right, or am I right?

I am someone who does not like change at all! In fact, I hate change. I am also sentimental and do no want to let go of my room. My room has more wall space than her and is the only bedroom in the house with two ceiling fans, a view of the backyard and pool, and three windows. I'm not ready to give up any of that! Not to mention I can fit two dressers and a huge desk in my current room. None of that will fit in the new room which means I have to get rid of a lot of stuff or box it up an ship it on up to the attic.

I realize the right thing to do is switch rooms considering I only have one more year of college left and plan to move out after I graduate, pending I find a job. And that's what sucks. I can't put up a fight and try to keep my room cause this switch is only fair and should have been done when I left for college.

The one upside to this is that I can do whatever I want with my new room. New furniture, new color, and possibly a new tv :) And you can bet your bottom dollar that I went to Pinterest on ideas for what I am going to do with this small space.

Here are some of the cool ideas I've found for the room:

Source

You can also follow my Pinterest board for this project here! And check back here to follow my journey to my new room!

Literary Junkies Link Up

Today I am linking up with By the Porchlight for Literary Junkies Link Up for the first time! And I couldn't be more excited!

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.

This book is a very quick read. It is one man's experience with the Bakerloo Line, one or the many tube lines that make up the London Underground or "the tube". I decided to read this book because the Bakerloo line is the line that I took most often during my semester in London. I love knowing what he is talking about when he says how useless the Regents Park stop is and going 'ahhhhh' when he mentions that Bakerloo got its name from its old name "Baker Street Waterloo line" (makes so much sense know). I would really like to be able to read the other books in this series (there's a book for each tube line) and see how much I am familiar with.

2. What book first made you fall in love with reading?

I honestly don't remember when I fell in love with reading. I've loved to read as a kid. Ever since my mom used to read my George's Store and my grandpa read all of us A Fly Went By every time we visited him. I remember I used to sit in my room as a kid and read Amelia Bedila and Nancy Drew. 

3. Summer is a great time for series.  What are your series recommendations?

Harry Potter.  I know it's well known and most of you have probably read it. But if you haven't you need to read it. There's no way you can call yourself a bookworm and not have read Harry Potter. And if you're sitting there thinking I'm not going to like it than promise me this: just read the first book. I promise you, you will get hooked. I have never met a person that has read Harry Potter and not liked it.

4. Does a song come to mind with the book you are currently reading? If so what it is?

Not really. The only thing I could think of would be Greenday's "Time of Your Life" because that kind of became our London song, since it was played at the bars we went to every time.

5. Are you participating in any summer reading challenges?

Yes, I am! I am participating in Semi-Charmed Kind of Life's Summer 2013 Book Challenge!  Check it out!

Travel Tuesday: Barthelona!

Country numero cuatro this past spring was Spain. I loved this trip especially because it was just my sister and me. We left all our friends back in good old London. It was nice to get away and do a sister trip. 

I was really excited to go do Barcelona to put my Spanish skills to use. Unfortunately everyone there spoke English and could tell that I am not Spanish so they would start off say "hello" to me before I could say "hola". 

It was such a great trip in a beautiful city! Here are some photos from our weekend in Spain:

The hostel we stayed in. Isn't it cute?!?

The yard at our hostel

Me and the Mediterranean

Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia

The 1992 Olympic Stadium! I may have gotten teary-eyed while in the stadium.
(Fun fact: The 1992 Barcelona Summer Games happened at the same time I was born)

I loved all of the boats in Barcelona. So pretty!



Happy Tuesday everybody!

A Late Weekend Update

Instead of telling you about this past weekend that just ended I'm about to you all about my really long holiday weekend last week because I'm a little very behind on these posts. Ooops 

On Wednesday night I headed over to the beach, where I stayed until Monday morning. All of my days were filled with sun, beach, BBQ, fireworks, and Heineken.

On Friday night Tim the Guitar Man played and my friend "R" came over to listen to the music and show off his moves.

Tim the Guitar Man

"R" and I

On Sunday night my Dad and I found a little grasshopper friend who ended up being an excellent model. Our little friend was voguing it up and so cooperative.

On Monday morning I happened to wake up weirdly early so I snapped some pictures of the sunrise.

This mini week in the sun was such a nice break from reality. There's nothing better than the boat rocking at night and the salty beach air.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Summer Beach Workout

Lucky for me I'm still enjoying my extremely long weekend at the beach. Running everyday can only be so exciting so while I'm here I try to mix up my workouts. Today I'm sharing with y'all a workout I do here at the beach to work on my footwork for tennis. But even if you don't play tennis it's still a good work out.

This workout can technically be done anywhere but doing on the sand adds difficulty and is great for your calves. If you are doing this on a hard surface I recommend repeating it few more times.

Hope you enjoy! If you try it out let me know what you think!

Handmade Gift Exchange Reveal!

Today I'm linking up with Craftaholics Anonymous for the Handmade Gift Exchange!

I was partnered with Shandra for this exchange! She knew I loved going to the beach so she sent me this amazing basket with all of the beach necessities.

This was the perfect gift for me! I' already used the majority of things in the basket and it hasn't even been 48 hours!

Thanks so much Shandra! I really love this basket!

About Me: A to Z

A: Available or Married?
Available

B: Book?
I am currently reading Second Glance by Jodi Picoult and The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners by Luanne Rice

C: Cake or Pie?
Cake! Preferably ice cream cake!

D: Drink of Choice?
Cider mmm:)

E: Essential Item?
My camera and phone

F: Favorite Color?
I actually don't have a favorite color. I love them all!

G: Game to Play or Watch?
To play - Tennis

To watch - football

Childhood game - red rover

 H: Hometown?
Long Island, NY

I: Indulgence?
Ice cream or Froyo

J: Job Title
I'm a lifeguard and work at a market research company calling people to take surveys, and I also work at a Froyo cafe  

K: Kids and Names?

No kids yet. 

L: Life is Incomplete Without?

Music. Especially showtunes. And traveling

M: Music Group?

I don't think I have a favorite group. I'm not very picky when it comes to what music I listen to.

N: Number of Siblings?

dos sisters

O: Oranges or Apples?

Depends on my mood

P: Phobias/Fears?

Scary movies

Q: Quote?

I love cheesy motivational quotes, I could name a million right now. "Prepare for the worst, expect the best" is one of my favorites

R: Reason To Smile?

I'm at the beach all weekend. Tough life.

S: Season?

Spring. It's not too hot and the anticipation for the summer is the best!

T: Tattoos?

No tattoos...I'm too much of a commitment-phobe to get one.

U: Unknown Fact About Me?

I hate going barefoot.

V: Vegetable You Love?

Ugh that's a tough one. I love all vegetables. Except beets and radishes.

W: Worst Habits?
Biting my nails.

X: X-Rays?
Only mah teef

Y: Yummy Food?
Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream.

Z: Zoo Favorites?
Monkeys!

Happy Birthday 'Merica!

I hope everyone is having a great a joyous time celebrating! I know I am!

I had seen a Facebook friend's post earlier this morning that she loves this holiday because everything stops for one day. All of the fighting between political parties and media and all of the things the country's been dealing with; it all stops. And for one day everyone is together and united and proud to be an American. 

I couldn't think of a better way to put it. It's just an amazing feeling when all of the frustrating politics and the huge gap between our nation's citizen disappears for a day. If only it could happen more often. While I was traveling around Europe that past few months I had an amazing time but it also made me appreciate the U.S. much more. 

On a lighter note, here are some photos from a Fourth of July shoot I did with my friend last year on the Fourth.

Travel Tuesday: Photos from my Weekend in Paris

Back in February my friends and I took the Eurostar over to Paris for the weekend. Not to sound like a brat or and ungrateful beotch but even though I did enjoy Paris I can say that is was my least favorite trip. Probably because it was snowing and freezing the entire weekend and I looked like this:

Attractive, I know.

Getting touched up before Eiffel Tower pictures.

The Eiffel Tower, obvs

Ms. Mona Lisa in all her glory.

From Mona's point of view.

The five flights of stairs we had to walk up to the flat we rented.

Moulin Rouge

The two Arc de Triumphs

Notre Dame

We randomly came across this adorable little building.

A cute church and garden we came across.

Love lock bridge

Au revoir.