La Mia Vita

S-S-S-Snake

2013-05-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend my momma got bit by that rattlesnake.

It was enjoying sunbathing by the pool in the backyard and got startled and bit her when she moved the pool raft.

She had to spend the night in the hospital for observation and the anti-venom but she's all good now.

It was possibly a mini-vacation for her getting waited on, a full nights sleep, and no wild little boys waking her up in the morning.

Of course, my dad killed it after. Real midwest country boy of him.

I'm really looking forward to the very imaginative elaborate stories about how huge it was and how he killed it with his bare hands ;)

Very very thankful it bit an adult and not one of the boys...or Massimo.

But things like this make being in a different country so hard.

Being so helpless, anxious and just sitting around waiting for news.

You never know if "every thing's fine"

really means

"every thing's fine" or

"we don't want you to freak out so we'll tell you every thing's fine"

Oye. Thankful and grateful for my family's health.
Definitely going to be having 'snakes under the bed' nightmares.

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Summer Couscous

2013-05-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

{sorry for the terrible photography. clearly slacking on my game}

My friend in Barcelona used to make this couscous dish all the time!

I finally made it last week for my friends.

It was absolutely perfect for a warm afternoon with the balcony doors open :)

I was hoping there would be leftovers (especially considering what a small cup of couscous actually turns into!), but it was gone before the sun set (which is now at almost 10pm! so weird and very cool.)

I am terrible/hate 'to-taste' dishes, but sorry this is one of them:

Couscous

tomatoes

cucumber

avocado

feta cheese

a lot! of lime juice (i used 5 limes to my 1 cup of cous cous)

salt

pepper

olive oil

After making the couscous let it cool to room temperature and then add in everything else!

I'm really into couscous now so if you have any easy recipes let me know!

"That's what makes Paris Paree"

2013-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Despite the crappy occurrences while in Paris we still trudged through the day to visit all the beauty of Paris.

Isn't is crazy how the clouds and haze make the Sacre Coeur look so grey compared to it's normal white in the sun?

peek-a -boo

The Eiffel Tower will always and forever be sight and symbol that takes my breathe away.

I still love you Paris.

I dropped my camera right after the Eiffel Tower so the rest of Paris is via iphone

"Thanks what makes Paris Paree"-Doris Day in April in Paris

Celebrating Madrid's Patron Saint

2013-05-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week Madrid celebrates it's patron saint San Isidro.

That means Madrid is filled with festivals and activities!

I spent most of Saturday writing my thesis but I was so glad I spent the evening with friends at the park watching the fireworks.

Personally, they were one of the best and closest shows I'm ever seen. Disneyland included.

Obviously my pictures didn't do it justice.

I love fireworks!

To My Mommy

2013-05-12T02:07:00.002-07:00

Happy (American) Mother's Day to the most incredible, hardworking, selfless, caring, loving, giving, adventurous, energized mother around.

She's the one who taught me to have an adventurous life and a travelers spirit.

"Oh you want to move to Spain? YES! I'm coming to visit...several times" :)

Couldn't have done it without her gypsy heart, guidance, support and encouragement.

xoxoxo mommy!

miss you so much!

Sevilla {aka favorite city in Spain}

2013-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have a slight obsession with Sevilla.

The colors, the feeling, the architecture, the otange trees, the river... I can't get enough of it.
The weather was much more gloomy and rainy compared to last time, but I still love that place.
Who doesn't love a place where you can have baguettes, cheese and tinto de verano by the river?

Aranjuez

2013-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

We jumped right on the tourist train the day after my mom and sister arrived.

I've been really wanting to go to Cuenca but since we missed the bus we hopped on the train to Aranjuez.

Honestly I don't ever think I would have made it to Aranjuez had we not missed the bus, but I'm so glad we did!

It's a short 45 min train and less than 6 euros round trip.

It was raining, freezing and windy when we got there but by the time we figured out the lay of the town, got our cafe con leche and figured out which direction to walk towards, the weather calmed down.

The gardens are huge and beautiful!

Apparently there are some incredible artifacts in the Palace so I'll have to go back for the tour.

(I usually skip inside tours of places. I so much prefer exploring outside)

A perfect day trip from Madrid and start to our vacation.

Birthday Travels

2013-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am so sad this trip is over.

My mom and sister left this morning and my apartment is going to be very sadly quiet and empty.

We had such a wonderful and memorable trip adventurating around Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque regions.

Lot´s of pictures to come!

more instagram pics @nicolemariesf

(really liking the new instagram ´photos of you´tab. it´s about time instagram!)

Met up for an hour in the Oveido train station with California friends who were in Spain for a wedding!

Celebrated Spanish mother´s day in Spain with my mama. Lucky me.

ps. let me know if you´re part of the tone it up community.

would love to meet more TIU girls!

My Birthday Weekend

2013-04-28T11:29:00.002-07:00

My mom and sister are here!!

Friday night I celebrated with my friends at an Indian restaurant (the owners brought me a cake!) then out till 5am! Who's calling the 27 year old a grandma now?! (paid for it most of the next day)

Sunday we went to Aranjuez for the day and yes the weather has once again dropped to middle of the winter status. Clearly Madrid did not get the memo that it's my birthday.

Only two work days this week then we're off to the north of Spain!

Thank you thank you for all the birthday love!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who freaked out about 27.

I'm starting to have a feeling that 27 is going to be really really great.

Happy Monday!

27 years of life aka: It's My Birthday!{tomorrow}

2013-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

{sevilla}

Tomorrow is my birthday!

I have no idea how this year flew by so fast.

26 was a holy moly year of learning experiences, stepping tremendously out of my comfort zone, realizing what's important to me, growing, learning how to be alone and becoming more confident in myself.

I was having an ohmygoshi'mturing27whathaveidonewithmylife freak out when Alex reminded to think about just how much i've done and accomplished in my life.
Maybe I haven't followed the "normal" life path or am at the "normal" place other 27 year olds are but
this list I made helped me realize just how much i've packed into these years.

My 27 years:

Moved houses, cities, or states 9 times before the age of 18
Was a soccer player, basketball player, softball player, ballet dancer and gymnast.
Played varsity tennis in High School {and beat my dad one time. ever}
Moved to San Francisco for college without knowing a soul or having visited SF prior.
Spent the next 8 awesome, incredible, memorable, life-filled years there.
Graduated with a Bachelors in Business Management
Got my Elementary Education teaching credential and found my passion
Taught 2nd grade in the inner city of San Francisco
Moved to Barcelona by myself not knowing a soul and got a little emotionally lost
Moved to Madrid by myself not knowing a soul and found myself
Taught English to primary kids in a Bilingual school
Working on finishing my Master's in Bilingual and Multicultural Education
Became basic conversationally fluent in a second language

I've lived in 2 different states (California and South Carolina)

and 3 different countries (US, Italy, Spain)

Traveled to 12 countries

and well over 50 cities in Europe (and counting)

got my heart broken once or twice, lived with my bestest friends, lived solo, picked up a hobby that helped me capture the beautiful world and people around me, learned to cook, felt anger, betrayal, loss and sadness but mostly extreme happiness, welcomed my brothers into our family, juggled full time work, school and life, learned to appreciate the little things along the way and tried to make every day special.

how lucky am i to have so many years filled with so much life and people who give me so much love

{my mommy and sister land tomorrow! on my birthday! best birthday present!}

Just Around the River Bend

2013-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

On our scootering adventure we randomly took a turn and ended up in a little beach town (it possibly was Rincon de Victoria}. We found our way to the beach, parked and took a stroll along the boardwalk that seemed to go for miles.

Then we sat at a beach bar and had sprites. No drinking and driving!

It was one of the highest highs of our trip.

Born to be Wild!!! {but don't tell my parents}

2013-04-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am a pansy.

I'm a follow the rules, put on your seatbelt, drive under the speed limit, look 5 times before crossing the street, stay on the marked path, take your vitamins, be careful, be careful, be careful kind of girl.

I DO NOT enjoy dangerous activities.
Plus growing up I got several very clear warnings from my dad: "If I ever catch you on a motorcycle...", I never wanted to hear the consequence.

I'm not exactly sure how my friends convinced me to rent scooters while we were in Malaga

{i'm sure #yolo and #makeitcount were part of the persuasion} but I'm so glad they did.

Yes, I was @$&! scared and gripping Erin and the seat for dear life, but that experience of riding along the COAST OF SPAIN{!} and the freedom to go wherever we felt like was AWESOME!

I highly suggest renting scooters while in Malaga. You can go all the way to Nerja if you have time.
Just try to avoid getting on the freeway. Not fun.

Life Lately

2013-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

made stove-top popcorn for the first time and it was delicious! never making the microwave kind again. although i have to figure out how not to burn the bottom ones or open the lid too soon and send the popcorn popping all over the kitchen!

so thankful it's finally nice enough to open up my balcony doors. makes me so happy.

a 'woah i live in spain' moment

i have officially joined the old lady club with my rolling grocery cart. old ladies know what's up.

i will never again painfully carry 15 pounds of groceries up a hill again.

two of my 1st graders walk through the halls every day like this with huge smiles on their face. so freaking adorable.

saturday morning i went to yoga in the park. the class was taught in spanish (obviously) which meant i mostly looked like a moron, doing the wrong pose and trying to look at other people to see what in the world the instructor was saying to do. afterwards we had yogi breakfast picnic.

getting a tan while doing yoga, learning spanish, meeting new people and eating yummy food! basically my dream morning.

Make New Friends

2013-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Geez this week flew by!
My sister and mommy are coming to visit me in a 7 days for my birthday!!
Last night I booked our train tickets to San Sebastian and Santander!
If you have an recommendations for day trips from Santander or other Basque cities please let me know.
Happy Weekend!

...

So Kari has been one of my best friends since 4th grade when we moved to South Carolina. We only get to see each other every few years, (like when she visited me in Barcelona!}, but we always pick up like we never missed a day in each others life.
She is a very fun and busy girl between running her salon, traveling, yoga, marathons and diy projects!
I know you'll love her as much as I do!

My name is Kari and I blog over at KariedAway. It's my little creative outlet where I share about my life, travels, friends, food and DIYs. I am a salon owner, stylist and massage therapist by day and a lover of life all the time! As a yogi and a runner i've become a huge advocate for healthy living and taking time to relax and enjoy the simple things. Come visit me at KariedAway and follow me on this journey I call life.

Facebook. Instagram. Pinterest. Twitter.

...

Eliza and her husband are expats living in Oman {and yes i did have to google where exactly that was. you learn something new everyday} and have a pretty awesome story of how they got there. They have the cutest dog ever , they were on House Hunter's International! {obsessed with that show} and have incredible beach at their disposal!

Hello La Mia Vita readers!

My name is Eliza and I blog over at PumpkinPolarBear (pet names for my husband and I). We are originally from the states but currently live in Muscat, Oman where my husband, Ash, works as a pilot and I'm a guitar teacher. This whole experience has been an absolute whirlwind for us. My husband was hired back in early 2011 and he proposed to me on the same day and a week after we eloped. Now here we are, two years later, still living in the Middle East and feeling quite settled here - I never would have imagined!

I blog about our entire experience of living abroad and I try to show a side of this region that you may not see on your local news. I also bring you along on all of our crazy trips together - we definitely take good advantage of our travel benefits! Our adorable puppy, Carlos, is a popular topic on the blog as well. And we just finished filming an episode for House Hunters International which will air later on this month!

Thanks for reading and I hope you stop by and say 'hi' ... I'd love to hear from you :-)

Instagram. Pinterest. BlogLovin.
...

Setarra is so sweet, lives in NYC and is a dancer. And all I have to say is... frozen blue maragritas...chicken and waffles... being a tourist in your own city... my kind of girl!

Hello La Mia Vita Readers!

Setarra here and I blog over at The Burghal Gurl.

I know, I know ... I've already been teased a couple times about it sounding like I'm a Burger Gurl haha. And while I DO love me a good burger, the title of this blog means something entirely different in my mind. A burgh/borough is an urban area sitting right outside of an even Bigger urban area. I think the technicality behind the definition has something to do with government jurisdiction but ...To tie it all together: I don't live in NYC but I do live in the Bronx Borough area. It's close enough so that I can get a taste of the city whenever I want and far enough when the constant hustle of the city becomes overwhelming. It's the perfect mix of city and suburbia.

I like to blog about my various NYC adventures, stuffing my face with food, my love for dance and once and a while, you will see me attempt to be stylish.

This past winter, I went on my first trip ever abroad to the beautiful isle of Barbados and got bit by the travel bug.

I am hoping to travel some more this year whether it be within the US or abroad!

And that's me. The Burghal Gurl... Living Life to the Fullest in NYC.
At least, that's where I am right now ... Hope you'll swing by the blog and stay a while :)

Blog | Facebook | Instagram

Malaga

2013-04-18T09:51:00.002-07:00

I really love Malaga.

While a lot of people have blah opinions about it, calling it a just a port town,

I think the city has so much to offer!

For starters, the food is incredible! The shopping is amazing, the nightlife is very fun, the people are incredibly nice and helpful, it still has the Andalusian feel but it's a bigger city. And the best part of all, it's on the water!!

{I have no idea what those delicious pastries were called. The owner of the bar below the apartment we stayed in gave them to us and told us they were typical pastry from Malaga for Semana Santa. They were incredible!
update: they're called torrijas. thanks readers!}

first comes winter, then comes summer

2013-04-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Madrid has skipped right on over Spring and has landed straight into Summer.

We went directly from high 50's into mid/high 70's

(How these Spanish people are still wearing down coats and boots is absolutely beyond me!)

The weekend was practically perfect with sun bathing, walking around very crowded Madrid, tinto de veranos, getting a project done at Starbucks and a long afternoon picnic in Retiro Park.

I felt guilty for staying at the park well past 8pm on Sunday. I had so much work to do and prepare for the week ahead. I just couldn't tear myself away from the happiness and felt I needed to appreciate the still warm and sunny evening.

Once again, after the horrific Boston events, I'm reminded to enjoy every minute, appreciate every ray of sun, be happy and be thankful for the amazingly good people in my life and in this world, because there are a lot of crappy ones.

Finally I Have Found You #somedayhopes

2013-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

{Cordoba, Spain}

the love i'm given by my family, friends and students on a daily basis is more than some people get in the span of their whole lives.

my heart and life are so full of encouragement, comfort, unconditional love, appreciation, support, affection, happiness and feelings of safety.
it would be selfish of me to ask for more.

so maybe i don't get other love in this life.

maybe this life of mine is so filled with love there's no room for more.

no room for that lasting, honest, can't eat, can't breathe, reach for the stars kind of love.

but it's still a #somedayhopes

Córdoba

2013-04-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Córdoba was our first stop from Madrid for our Semana Santa adventure.

It has everything I love about Andalusia: small alleyways, colorful tiles, orange trees, and Mediterranean feeling architecture and of course the awesome striped mosque/cathedral.

I would LOVE to get back to Cordoba in May for The Patio Festival.

I can't imagine how beautiful all those patios and building would be filled and covered with flowers.

A Little Weekend Film

2013-04-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

a quick, shaky, poorly edited video of my weekend.

not having my camera is physically paining me, but i know my little lens probably would have been very angry at me for dragging it to yet another farmers market!

{music: movie loves a screen by april smith and the great picture show}

Mezquita de Cordoba

2013-04-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

While every church and cathedral around Spain and Europe is different and unique in it's own way, for the most part they are usually very similar and can sometimes feel like deja vu.

The Cathedral of Cordoba (Mezquita de Cordoba) is far different from any cathedral I've ever been in.

Formerly an Islamic Mosque is has moorish influence and, let's be honest, I love it most because of the stripes ;)

holy TOLEDO!!

2013-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

{without fail, the result when asking a stranger to take a picture with my camera}

{thank goodness for iphones}

The day after the girls landed we immediately started our "cram as many cities as we can into one trip'" agenda.

I was very excited about going to Toledo since I've been wanting to go since I moved to Madrid.

It's only a 30-45 min train ride from (20 euros round trip) Madrid and a perfect day trip.

Toledo used to be the capital of Spain way back in the day.

It's a lot like Segovia with similar architecture and cute tiny streets.

We took the hop-on-hop-off bus from the train station so we could get the tour of the outside of the city

since that view is really what I wanted to see.

If you don't go by car you'll need to hire a taxi or do the bus tour(unless you're wanting a real good hike and are wearing appropriate uphill shoes) to get that city view.

I suggest packing a lunch or picking up a bocadillo from one of the cafes or bakeries.

We had the best bocadillo I have ever had from an Alimentation store kitty corner to the cathedral.

Eating that bocadillo in the sun while looking up at the cathedral was a great moment.

Since it's much more of a tourist town even the menu's of the day were on the expensive side and not offering anything that special.

The Lows

2013-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just gonna get out the lows now so we can focus on the great parts of the trip!

RIP 50mm lens. You've traveled all over Europe with me and helped me capture incredible memories I am forever thankful for.

Dear creepy, stealer, mugger man, I hope you used the Ray Bans to buy your family food for the week. Otherwise, rot in H-E- Double Hockey Sticks.

Paris started off on the wrong foot.
The apartment we booked didn't work out {dirty, nasty and an uncomfortable situation} so we spent six hours in a cafe with our luggage trying to figure out another hotel/apartment.
Not all bad, we had delicious pommes frites, cafe latte and the owners were so nice and kind.
And really we were half laughing that this was happening.

The only hotel under a million dollars was in a very shady neighborhood, so although we were happy to have a relatively clean place to sleep, it was not the Paris we were imagining nor were we feeling particularly safe.
BUT we woke up early and started what we thought would be a fresh start to Paris.
{as Paris laughed in our face}

After beautiful Monmartre and Sacre Coeur we ended up in front of Moulin Rouge where a man came up behind Erin as she was crossing the street, did some weird rubbing his hand in her face and hair thing, ripped off her sunglasses and literally skipped away.
It all happened so fast and was very shocking and violating especially for Erin.

We continued onto the Eiffel Tower very shaky, sketched out by people around us, clinging onto our belongings for dear life and very jumpy anytime anyone walked up near us.

fast forward a few hours...

I always have my camera either in my purse or in my hand with it wrapped around my wrist for safety rather than around my neck because it's easier to move it around for pictures, etc. Because of the prior incident I was carrying it around my neck. We sat down for a coffee, apparently I took the camera off from around my neck {which i don't remember doing, obviously} and when I stood up the camera went crashing down, lens down onto the very hard sidewalk.
It shattered straight through the lens cap, the protective lens filter and the real lens glass. harsh

A good cry, a plate of pommes frites and a bottle of rosé later we really hoped bad things happened in 3's and Paris was done being cruel to us. {which it was. we had an incredible last day in paris}

With perspective and in retrospect we know it could have been a lot worse.
We had somewhere to sleep, it wasn't a passport or a person that was stolen and it was just a lens, not a bone, that was broken.
It was just a huge huge bummer.

It's my birthday month so maybe the magic birthday gift fairies will bring me a replacement lens.
I can't very well live in Europe and not have a lens to capture the beauty around me, can I magic birthday fairies?! {and no daddy, that doesn't mean i should just move home now and not worry about the european beauty around me ;) }

lots of happy, fun, pretty pictures and stories to come

Mejores Amigas en España y Francia

2013-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how fast these two weeks have gone by and yet it seems like forever ago that I was picking up my friends from the airport.

So many amazing, fun, hysterical memories.

Although the lows (side eye Paris) hit real hard and real low,

the highs completely outnumbered and outweighed the lows.

Bare with me while I bore you with a trillion pictures of us prancing around Spain and France! ;)
{you can see all of our instagrams from the trip here}

Thank you so much Sophie, Stefanie, Denise, Casey, Ashley, Kelsey, Maggie, Serena and Brittany for keeping my blog company while I was gone!

The Little Things : Guest Post

2013-03-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey La Mia Vita readers! I am Sophie and write a blog called The Littlest Things. I am so happy to be guest posting for Nicole while she is on an amazing adventure with her friends! I am so jealous of them! Today, I thought I would share just a few (actually more than a dozen because I just couldn't cull) of the little things in life that make me the happiest. Kind of appropriate considering the title of my blog :). I love putting these kind of posts together because they always put the biggest smile on my face and they make me realise that life is pretty fricken incredible! Check out my current list below... The Littlest Things:

What are some of the littlest things that make you happiest?

Thank you so much for having me Nicole! You are the best!

Living the Life of a Mermaid : Guest Post

2013-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

hiii there, pretty la mia vita readers!! i'm stefanie from living deliberately.

i feel so honored that nicole asked me to introduce myself to you while she's off galavanting with her girlfriends! she suggested that i talk about my "ridiculous amazing island life" haha, so allow me to fill you in!

i was born in las vegas on the 4th of july, but i recently graduated from florida state with a degree in creative writing. a few months after graduation, my best friend and i packed two suitcases each and moved to the virgin islands! we moved down without a job or apartment lined up--only with the notion that if we had to work to pay off student loans, we might as well do it in paradise.

our very first week in st thomas, we scored jobs working as crew on sailboats and leading snorkel tours for tourists! i had never been on a sailboat or led a snorkel tour in my life... and i never imagined i would. but i've been doing it for almost 5 months now and i wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

my job here basically consists of greeting new people from around the world, pulling up sails, swimming with sea turtles, teaching groups about marine life, and pretending i'm a mermaid everyday...

and every once and a while, if i'm good, captain makes the mistake of trusting me to drive.

i love my job and my crew so much that i usually dread days off. so when i'm not snorkeling and playing on the beach for work, i'm probably snorkeling and playing on the beach with friends for fun.

st thomas is such a unique place. although it's technically a part of america, there's a whole different culture here that makes me feel like i'm in a different country. there's an overwhelming sense of positivity and patience here that's become so foreign to most americans now (thanks to that little obsession with speed and convenience). in the islands, nothing is done in a rush. we take time with our actions and are so much more aware of our beautiful surroundings, thanks to that. this notion of "island time" has become such a part of me, because it's taught me to live stress-free and even more deliberately. it's become home.

living in the virgin islands has been a really incredible experience so far. i've learned some invaluable skills and made some unique friends, but it's almost time for me to move on to the next wild adventure! in a little over a month i'll be getting ready to start backpacking through europe and volunteering on organic farms. believe it or not, working in paradise was just a stepping stone to get back to europe--i cannot wait! (see nicole, i told you i'd like to trade places! ;)