A Very Lucky Girl

After an eventful afternoon in Amsterdam, we took a series of trains to Heidelberg, arriving at 9:30 in the morning, exhausted, unshowered, and starving. We took a crowded bus to the city centre, where our hostel was located just below the castle! The hostel was well-kept and all of the visitors were friendly. After a quick nap/coma, we ventured to the streets, intent on locating food. We ate dinner at Pizza Hut that evening. And, I don't know about Gibby, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! We enjoyed the free Wifi, informed everyone of our safety, and slept early. In the morning we headed straight uphill to Schloss Heidelberg. If I was an enemy attacking said castle hundreds of years ago, the incline alone would have been enough to make me think twice. My legs screamed at me as we trudged upwards. But, once inside, the views were spectacular, and worth every sore muscle! We scoured every inch of the property, crashed a wedding party, and pointed out the Old Bridge from our perch on ...

Switzerland was everything Gibby and I needed at that point in our euro trip. As soon as we crossed the border I think I breathed a sigh of utter relief. The terrors of Milan and Naples were behind us and the Swiss alps were before us. We chose to stay at a hostel in Interlaken, a small town situated next to lake Thun (pronounced toon as in cartoon, not thun as in thunder up). I learned this from my super awesome paragliding guide who looked scarily similar to Sean Bean from National Treasure . Did I mention I went paragliding? Yeah, I did.  We originally were only going to stay one night in Switzerland and then head to Paris, but we loved it so much (and the trains were so messed up) that we decided to stay for two. I'm so glad we had an entire full day!  Switzerland is on the Swiss franc and we honestly could only afford McDonald's. So we ate it for dinner two nights in a row.  We spent our time aimle ssly turning corners and reveling in actual beds and hot sho...

"Can y'all stop making all this noise? I think I'm hungover. I want y'all to be happy, but..."   I spent 4 days in Vegas in the beginning of August. They were INCREDIBLE. Megan turned 25 on August 4th and invited Tracy, Hannah, and I to Sin City to celebrate. Hannah was the only one of us who had been before so the entire trip was an adventure! We stayed in a skysuite at the Aria hotel, one of the biggest buildings I've ever seen, just completed three years ago. The highlights of our room included electric curtains, opening and closing at the push of a button, and a giant tub, perfect for soaking our tired feet in after a long day of walking the strip and dancing our dressed-up behinds off.  Vegas is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a relaxing getaway, especially not for four high-energy girls in their twenties. The film The Hangover  was all Megan, Tracy, and I knew of Vegas and so we named each member of our party after a character. Megan was Alan, ...

I am so thrilled to be roadtripping to North Carolina in August. Not only will I get to stop in Nashville and see childhood friends, but I also will be spending time in Wilmington with one of the most incredible women I know, Emily Bell. I will also dine on Bojangles, but that's another daydream. I met Emily at BayLeaf Baptist Church when we were both a part of the youth group. I don't remember why, but we didn't exactly immediately hit it off. For whatever reason, we weren't best friends right from the start, but Canada changed everything. BayLeaf Baptist sent a team of members to Port Elgin, Canada and my family joined them from Texas after our move. Emily and I shared a bed that barely fit in our tiny room. We took turns making free calls to our American crushes from the outdated phone in the stairwell.  The first trip to Canadian turf rekindled our rather dim relationship and by our second trip to Canada, we were inseparable.  So much so in fact, that I felt e...

Justin Buchanan and his wife Sarah entered my life when I was in the 6th grade living in Raleigh, North Carolina. Justin was the middle school youth pastor at BayLeaf Baptist church and he still remains the best youth pastor I've ever had. Famous for his pranks and silly shenanigans, he still made sure that we were constantly growing and learning in our faith. My first youth group trip at BayLeaf was the winter ski trip as a 6th grader trying to fit in with all of the macho 8th graders. We caravaned to South Carolina in stereotypical church vans and stayed in giant rooms with multiple bunk beds. I don't remember whether I was selected or if I volunteered for the chopstick game, but either way I found myself blindfolded and then led into an ominously dim room. I took a seat in a metal folding chair, face-to-face with Justin, with the rest of the youth group behind me, and a set of oversized chopsticks in my hand. After Justin swiped warpaint on my cheeks I learned the rules...

I'm in love with Jamaica. I would absolutely go back there for a week or more. It was a perfect mix of lovely beach with regal hills in the background that reminded me of Roatan, Honduras, another of my favorite places. My first view of Jamaica was from the treadmill where I spent the beginning of my morning, but only for a mere 10 minutes as I had completely forgotten that I had Addison's Disease and totally skipped every pill necessary to expend energy. What.Was.I.Thinking!? After fueling up on legal drugs, I found my way onto the dock and we located a cab to take us to the prettiest beach I've ever seen. Along the way we passed several resorts, coexisting next to huts, and Usain Bolt's high school. The beach was utter perfection. I could set up a tent in the sand and live there forever. This was my last legal day of drinking before July 1 so I made the most of it. I partook in two Sex on the Beach's (the drink, not the activity), a Long Island Iced Tea (holymol...

Going to take a week off from blogging. It's vacation time for A Very Lucky Girl. I already watched two gentlemen in front of me on the flight to Houston drink themselves silly in a 45 minute period. I'd almost be impressed if I wasn't judging them (just being honest). I'm languishing in memory lane in Beaumont, Texas for a few days. Woke up to a delicious thunderstorm, and Moriah only 3 feet away. What more could I want? 2 years in a city (can Beaumont be called a city...?) doesn't sound like much, but it revealed some true friendships. The kind that can be maintained with minimal effort, the kind that only change for the better everytime you're together. It's been 2 years since I've last experienced this town. I'm thrilled to see familiar faces and eat Nevrosky's. I'm sure to learn a few lessons on this adventure, and A Very Lucky Girl won't be selfish with new insights. But you'll have to wait a week. XO