anniversary trippin'.

a few snapshots from the absolute PERFECT weekend with my boo.

we hiked, cooked, wine tasted, relaxed, campfired, bookstore shopped, coffee dated, played cards, and just simply enjoyed each others company.

something that we rarely have the time to do with just the two of us.

like i said, it was simply perfect.

i mean, lets be honest, is this not the sweetest face ever?!

and if that isn't cute enough, he gave me a copy of '1000 places to see before you die' tabbed with our traveling to-do list for our future and the sweetest of cards for our 'no-present' celebration.

what a catch.

happy anniversary b- i'm the luckiest.

(mush fest is over now, i promise:)

passionate.

i would consider myself a passionate person.

i can be the most stubborn, tenacious, and persistent person when were dealing with something that i am passionate about and i have recently been introduced to a whole new level of

'emily wants to save the worlds children/ travel bug/ be a strong female/ make a change'

type of thing.

the other day, i attended a lecture on human trafficking,

(usf puts on the most incredible speaker series and guest lecturing)

primarily women and children,

both for labor and sex,

domestically and internationally.

get your attention?

(notforsalecampaign.org)

i would strongly urge you to take some time and check out this organization.

get involved, buy an item to support, or better yet read the book and become informed on todays trafficking state.

it's the number two most common criminal act in the world today.

crazy, right?

the organization and its staff were incredible, smart, diligent, and empowering.

it's worth you're time. for sure.

according to my iPhone.

in no particular order,

here are a few snapshots of my life these past few weeks.

commuting and working (student nursing). 1/3 done with nursing school!

 time with my super six. love you all.

a whole lot of olympic time. and yes that is a screen shot of the tv- those four couldn't be passed up.

 

 strolling thru the good ol' slo and enjoying a warm summer farmers night.

spent some great quality (super fun and relaxing) time with this little physical therapist. so cute.

you shouldn't be shocked by now that i have pictures of my foodie outings. yummm.

 the most colorful dump run ever. goodbye crapola of walnut. you have served us all too well.

 lounging poolside with B. nothing better than magazines, pool games, snacks, slurpies, and the boy!

 had the pleasure of attending some dear friends wedding (B was in it looking handsome). congrats j+k!

 celebrated the BIG 5 YEARS with my B!

no big deal, just my home.

home sweet home. yummy meals, great coffee, family time, shark week, backyard parties, you name it.

super random but i hope it pleases you followers;) 

enjoy your tuesday- semester three starts tomorrow!

goodnight my dears.

perfection.

a little late but thought you should know about my little yosemite trip with the boy.

its become quite a little tradition for b and i to take a little trip around the holidays as a part of our christmas present to each other and in celebration of his birthday (the day after christmas).

two years ago we visited yosemite together and it was perfect.

covered in snow and complete with snowboarding and snow hikes.

this year we decided to visit yosemite again and it was perfect yet again.

not a drop of snow and low key due to my lovely leg brace and crutches.

we sipped hot chocolate at the ahwahnee,

hiked to glacier point,

enjoyed delicious fancy meals at tenaya lodge,

cruised the back roads,

and picnicked on the beautiful yosemite hills.

p.s. i've decided dating a physical therapist is the best thing in the world. and dating a pediatric pt is even better. i was taken care of like a princess. thanks b:)

this guy.

spending a day with this guy in san diego. 

life is good.

enjoy your saturday!

weekender.

since i have moved down to LA i have been traveling on the weekends quite a lot. and by quite a lot i mean almost every weekend that i have been here. nothing too far, just a little hop over to B's or home up north but none the less living out of a suitcase, school backpack, and toiletry bag. then i found this little gem.

i know that you are shocked that i like this cause i never wear black, solid neutrals, brown leather, animal prints, or stripes (thats a joke) but you'd be surprised how far this has got me.

off to another weekend away-
B's, san diego day trip, EMT ride-along, grad school interview, back to LA, and then home for thanksgiving break!

wish me luck!

donner party of seven.

spent the last four days up at donner lake with some of the walnut/college crew.

it was like paradise.

great friends, great adventures, great food, great games, great everything!

rafting, beaching, tubing, eating, drinking, gaming, naping, hiking,

you name it, we did it.

donner '11 you were the best

and donner '12 we can't wait for you!

los angeles.

one month from today i pack up and move to the city of dreams.

(via)

who's excited?

me.

bandwagoner.

so this weekend was spent in the east bay/sf again with my most favoritist mewy and her family. love them!

the giants game was awesome especially with my first ever overpriced, fancy cup, professional game beer and hanging with a group of the 'walnuts' was so great!

yea, yea, yea i know im a bandwagoner...

but really all my friends and roommates are giants fans, so i was destined to bleed orange and black at some point... go giants!

and now with the possibility of heading to sf, i think its becoming appropriated. right? i think so:)

san francisco.

soooo i spent this past weekend in sf...

and it was

a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!

i checked out grad schools. and then fell in love with them!!!

i was a wannabe med student for the day and it was awesome.

i met some incredible doctors, nurses, and hospital staff (i am sooo lucky!).

i toured around the city with the best tour guide ever, thanks sean.

i had great dinners and cocktail hours with mom and aunt jane. so yummy and fun.

i hit the town with some of my favorite friends, tommy and sean you're awesome!

i shopped the boutiquey streets and found some goodies (woops).

and i fell in love with san francisco even more.

im certainly hoping that i can get into grad school there.

until then ill just be visiting often and praying for an acceptance letter.

also, i fell in love with this print. so i bought it:)

i love you sf and hopefully someday you will be my home.

cayucos.

this weekend i was fortunate/spoiled/lucky to be able to head 20 miles up north to one of my favorite little towns in the whole wide world--- cayucos, cailfornia.

my roomie's parents have a few houses there and a small group of us went there for the weekend to relax and have a little fun! (thank you roomies family:)

it was great to just hang out and do nothing. it almost felt like summer or spring break and to think that think that i live in a place that most people come to for vacation. so crazy and lucky!

anyway, it was great to spend some quality time with my friends (that are more like family) and to soak up a little pacific ocean time! oh and that whole three day weekend thing was awesome too!

hope you had a relaxing and fun weekend!

happy tuesday!

cliche

i am in love with BA! i just thought id let you know. this city is amazing and so full of culture everywhere you go! i know quite cliche but it is true. i came and am falling in love with a city, the people, the language, the traditions, the food, everything (if only i had my B here:)!

as for the past two days... school is great, my teachers are hilarious and fantastic, cooking meals and enjoying wine with friends from around the world is more than fabulous, doing homework over medialunas and cafe con leche in small cafes in the morning is so sweet, red wine tasting class was delicious, and shopping in a town full of beautiful leather isn't too bad either:)

as for my cultural adventures these past few days, i ventured to la boca -caminito. the most photographed and most cliche area in buenos aires. you've seen the colorful housed with tango dancers on the front of national geographic and yesterday i was fortunate enough to see it up close and personal. ironically, this area is 2 square blocks and la boca district is the impoverished and at times the most unsafe area in the whole city (not caminito itself but other parts of this district). caminito- the small area of colored houses and stores was originally an italian port settlement consisting of incredibly poor laborers. they used any materials that the ships threw off the boat to build their houses including the random bins of paint... and caminito was born. we toured the museo and strolled the streets with our teacher learning about the culture in spanish. woo, mine is slowly coming along!

more to come this weekend and of course the 'real ba" stories to come over coffee when i return. chau chau!

in the swing of things (14/7/10)

today was quite nice. a bit of sleep, school, touring, dinner, dessert, time with friends, and program coordination. its been a while since i have had time to slow down and sleep in so that was quite nice! nothing too fancy today, except i have been craving vegetables... i know weird right? i never thought i would say this but i am getting quite tired of bread and cheese, and crackers and cheese, and bread with tomato and cheese, and a different version of cheese with bread and tomato sauce... you get the idea. and cheese is my favorite food too! but ive been missing out on veggies and tonight we went to an asian fusion place with noodles and veggies. oh yum. i also went to the store and made a good amount of food at my residencia aswell for better/healthier eating here so that i dont blow up to the size of a elephant.

pictures are up on embitions.blogspot.com and ill be here most of the weekend. i will be heading to "las pampas" this weekend on a day trip with our group to go to a traditional argentinian gaucho ranch, horseback riding in the pampas, and several other fun things.

xoxoxo from BA!

61. see iguazu falls

THE bucket list #61. see iguazu falls has officially been crossed off of the list as of saturday. as i said previously i traveled to puerto iguazu on the very northern part of argentina this past weekend to see the iguazu falls. never in my life have i seen something so amazingly breathtaking. yea it was more amzing to me that belize, italy, london, peru, california, than all other places that i have traveled. not to knock any of them at all, but iguazu is simply amazing. besides taking over 450 pictures here is what i did this (long) weekend

-18 hr bus ride from BA to puerto iguazu

-lunch at a tango bar and walked by a nursery(dad!) and hostital. pretty cool.

-hike to "hito tres fronters" or the location when paraguay, brazil, and argentina meet in one spot overlooking the divergence of the rivers that lead to iguazu falls

-traditional parailla argentinian bbq and brazilian caparinia drinks

-night out at "club libre" which i am still quite sure was the only club in puerto iguazuu, and the only "open" club in iguazu tambien. it was a blast.

-moist and rustic hostel room, complete with slugs and centipedes

-trip to iguazu falls including a boat ride under the falls, hike to upper and lower falls, truck tour thorugh the rainforest, overlooking water hike to the "devils throat", and countless views of the falls while getting misted with the water

-brazilian show at the hostel including way more than half naked women in small, small clothes, sparkles, and jewels doing traditional samba... owwowwww!

-the best meal i have had in argentina thus far at "terra" with a great group of people. the restaurant lets al of the customers chalk the walls, no two chairs were matching, i had great veggies, and and they had beautiful artwork everywhere. a little malbec added to the experience.

-another musty night in the hostel. woo... thank you wet rainforest:)

-a trip to misiones, the town near iguazu to soak up some culture and shop around

-nearly missed the bus... had to chase it down the street but we got it!

-18hr bus ride back to BA- the funniest bus ride ever! thank you friends:)

-arrvied in BA at 9:45am to a brisque very, very, very cold morning- then off to shower, laundry, homework, and class!

i cannot say enought good things about iguazu. it was simply phenomenal and the boat ride was the most fun i have had in a long time!

buenos noches amigas. estoy muy cansada. adios.

VAMOSSSSS

hello again! its been go-go-go for me these last two days and im so tired but i had to fill you in briefly because i leave for iguazu falls tomorrow night and i will not be able to blog until monday most likely. its 1:32am here and i know thats early for argentines but its still a little late for me so here is my quick synopsis of the past two days...

tuesday--- medialunas (sweet croissants) and cafe con leche have officially become my breakfast on this day, first real day of class, great teacher and fun conversational class, shopping and touring the congress and san telmo district, dinner with my new group of friends at puerto madera (the argentinean version of the wharf in san Francisco... so beautiful) dinner was a fancy, fancy traditional argentinean steak dinner, lots of vino, and dessert (yum flan), then to a bar on the waters edge with great company of my new friends... im slowly learning how to stay out, very slowly.

wednesday--- late wake up time due to the late night before, official breakfast at a local chain cafe that i loveeee and have been to three times now, class with my other teacher and she was so nice and patient, general volunteer orientation meeting- i will be volunteering with homeless, abused, and neglected children at an after school program in "la boca" the low income, impoverished district in town teaching english and art starting next monday, then wine tasting class focusing on white wines this week (reds, sparkling, oaks to follow), then to placio alsina for "after work"=happy hour in the states, for drinks dancing and some true argentinian culture (quite the beautiful, fancy, and incredible place with very "friendly" argentines)

all in all, i am having a fabulous time so far and have settled in well, now im working on blending in, experiencing more of the culture, exploring the city, and practicing my spanish!

i wish i cold go on but im exhausted. buenos noches mis amigos!

dia tres

today was the first day of my "real" program with the company and school in BA (thats the cool way to say buenos aires). i started my language school and had orientation to the program as a whole with all of the activities and trips laid out to some extent. i admit i am getting quite tired and so for that reason im going to get right to the good stuff (which you should know usually includes lots of food)...

- woke up and grabbed delicious dulce de leche pastrys for two pesos at the mercado... yum and again im gonna be huge. don't worry tho, the second i get back to "the states"(thats my new word that i use as often as possible now that i have canadian and english friends... i love it!) i have to start training for the nike womens half marathon so ill shake all of this cheese, pizza, pastries, coffee, wine, and beef right off of me....maybe?

- attended orientation and am looking forward to volunteer work with children, mate dinner date with a group of friends, wine tasting on wednesday, first "real" day of school tomorrow, and iguazu this weekend!

- i have friends:) such nice friends from all over the world! sound like a good reason to travel more now!

- i have taken up a new slogan for the month- "i am eating my way across argentina". literally, it gonna happen and i love the idea.

-attended a fabulous and inspiring talk today from the madres del plaza del mayo. they are a group of mothers and grandmothers whose children and grandchildren (30,000 in total) were taken away form them 33 year ago during the government regime. the children were tortures and taken to concentration camps never to be seen again. these madres have been protesting and asking for change every thursday in a 30 minute march for 1,700 thursdays now in hopes of instilling a new democracy that will make right, politically, socially, and educationally, the laws of argentina so that their children will never be forgotten. the main women that spoke to us today was 97!!! and she was a spitfire... if only i can have that much passion for something at 97! the madres block the roads and march though the plaza every thursday in addition to building schools, memorials, libraries, and supportive homes for argentinean children. how cool is that? (im going to join the march this thursday or next... so exciting)

-marienda is the meal between lunch and dinner. america, i know your fat but we should bring this tradition back to "the states" its the best ha! a little pizza or empanada... or in our case all of the above and ice cream. woops.

-(shh i visited volta helado again tonight with friends and we had a great girl chat for two hours all getting to know eachother:)

- i had a spanish oral placement test today and i am in the intermediate class i believe so that should be great and quite funny hearing my terrible accent... that will change tho, hopefully!

ffffsssshhhuuuu... well so much for bed early. goodnight my friends! talk to you tomorrow!

dia dos

hola! today was so fun! my roommate and i did a walking tour of the recoleta district with our main destination being a huge artisan outdoor market in the grass plazas of the district. recoleta is known as the artsy, hippy, museum type location of buenos aires with a very creative aura... this was very much true. we walked around the market for sometime and then followed the "death, art, and shopping" tour, as lonely planet calles it, to take a walking tour around the district. it was all beautiful, but as every good traveler does once or twice, i forgot my camera battery in the charger! so annoying but i was still able to snap a few on my trusty iphone.

here are the highlights from the day:

- seeing evita's and all of the others famous graves and architecture. its a photographers dream and i think ill have to go back to snap a few with my camera.

- cafe con leche (sooo good) and napolitano style pizza pastry on a cute buenos aires street as a late afternoon lunch

- viewing van gogh, monet, manet, marisot, and rodin's paintings two feet away at the museo national de bellas artes!!! we were not expecting this at all. we randomly walked in it was so exciting, especially after finishing up my spring quarter with an art history class where i learned about them!

- volta ice cream shop- quite possibly the best "helado" i have tasted since italy. i think it may become my lunch on a daily basis (dulce de leche... yum, yum, yum)

- seeing the "floralis generica"- a gigantic metal flower in one of the cities beautiful parks that opens at sunrise and closes at dusk. were talking gigantic people... like 40ft or so with pistols and stamen lights (i think thats what the middle things are called- thanks montessori)

- having my new roommate move in this afternoon. were about on the same level spanish wise and well probably be in the same class. so fun! plus she has a great UK accent that i love!

as for the next few days- school starts tomorrow, possibly a tango show and dinner tuesday, and wednesday a dinner date with a few friends, mass at the catholic church, and watching the flower close and do its light show thing at dusk. thursday i leave for the fabulous iguazu falls! more to come on all of these things in the coming days!

goodnight and take a look at my gallery.mac.com/epalm25 if you get a chance... ill start posting asap!

dia uno

bienvenidos a argentina! i successfully made it here after a 3.5 hour car ride, 2 hour flight delay due to weather on the runway, 15 hours of plane rides, and one taxi to my residence!

i live in the heart of the congreso district of buenos aires, within 5 blocks from my school, program office, and several large plaza squares. the city is old, bustling, and rich with culture. my apartment is beautiful, cozy, and fancy with a great roommate and one more moving in tomorrow (i think). most of the students living in the six stories of the apartments are argentinean, speaking little or no english (woo for learning spanish fast!) and the others are from my program or on independent study. we have kitchens, study rooms, sitting rooms, and bathrooms on all floors. fancy, right?

so far its been a catch up day... moving in, lunch, phone cards, grocery store trip, and a few naps. from what i understand thus far, these people can p-a-r-t-y south american style. i arrived here at the residence to find most people still asleep and as of tonight i have heard of about two hundred different plans for the time between 12am and 7am. as for me tonight, im thinking a movie with the roommate, baguette (2 pesos from the grocery store across the street... im gonna be hugeeee), and some zzzz's.

i promise to post pictures of my place and the local area around me tomorrow. i hear that the "usaians" are gathering for a 4th of july celebration tomorrow in some fashion. until then... have a great night/day/morning!

buenos noches from argentina!