Across the Universe..

This has been the summer of my dreams. Traveling around the world has been my dream for as long as I can remember and it finally happened for me. I went on my last tour a couple weeks ago and it was incredible! We went all over. Poland, Prague in the Czech Republic, Dresden in Germany, Vienna in Austria and Budapest in Hungary. I can't even believe the amount of beauty I saw while I was in these places and the fun I had with the greatest people! 

Favorite memories on the trip:

Poland: 

Judah Wall.

FOOD!

Beautiful City.

Prague:

John Lennon Wall

Writing on said John Lennon Wall..

These People.

This.

From the Tower.

Dancing House

Night Boat Ride

Dresden:

Perfection :)

These girls.

Music House!!

Bratwurst :)

Vienna:

Vienna was beautiful!

Shopping! :)

BEST ICE CREAM IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!

Budapest: 

Castles..

Antique places

Best Goulash in the world!!!

I fell in love with each and every one of these places for different reasons and would go back in a heartbeat. I feel so blessed to be able to finally travel and see the world. I love life :)

Tender Mercy

Sometimes after a really hard few days you need a little something to know you can get through. Today after going all the way to work in Ukraine in the hottest time of the day, sitting on a bus creating an embarrassing amount of back sweat, I was told that I had no work today and someone must have forgot to tell me. I wanted to scream and yell and have a tantrum but I promised myself to be extra positive today. I said it was fine and hurried out the door. On my way back home I tried to stay positive. Getting off the metro I always see the flower guy and he usually always has sunflowers. The past few times he hasn't but today he had one left. I stopped and looked at it for a minute and after struggling to communicate he picked it up, pushed my wallet away and with the most sincere smile, gave it to me. I literally almost cried. After the weekend and day I had, I needed something. I got my favorite flower which may seem silly or not a big deal to most but boy, did I need it. Tender mercies people. Tender mercies. 

Burnt Cheeks, Sandy Toes and Gyros..

Well, I am finally writing about my Greece adventure. I haven't written because I think I couldn't fully grasp the reality that I went to Greece. It's been a couple weeks now so I think it was real and not just a dream...

So Greece. I have wanted to go there for so long. I mean it's a vacation surrounded by sitting on the beach all day and eating gyros... What more could you want out of a vacation? I mean really!

After a brutal 40 hour trek to get to this magical place, we got to our hotel at 11:00 pm on Sunday. We were tired, a bit grumpy but our stomachs over-ruled any other emotion so we set out for some food. The little town we got to stay in all week was so perfect. So many people and shops and places to eat, open pretty much all day and all night. The first place we saw with nourishment was a gyro stand. We ordered, we devoured. Just sitting there eating a gyro, in Greece, with people all around and music playing in the distance and the beach in sight... It was perfection. 

We went to Athens during the week which was incredible. Seeing all the history of Acropolis and standing there where so many have stood before was incredible. Other than that we sat on the beach the majority of the day, stuffed ourselves with gyros until we literally couldn't eat anymore (doesn't apply to Kimberly... that girl has an elastic stomach), made friends with the sweetest couple who sold us treats and ice cream and became our fake parents for the week. Got stung by jellyfish.. actually these weren't that bad compared to the ones in Hawaii. Ugh I don't want to think about that. Got a hair piece done on the beach by a guy named Chicki Chicki and we all got a henna too. Was offered a chance to live with a lady and her two sons so I could stay in Greece forever (Seriously contemplated this offer). I bought a floppy hat and some jellies so really what more can a girl ask for?

The Fourth

Reasons why The Fourth of July is the best holiday:

• BBQs
• Fireworks
• Picnics
• Hamburgers
• Friends
• American Flags
• Pink cheeks
• Fireworks
• Laughing
• A hotdog with mustard
• Barefeet on the grass
• Sparklers
• Smiles
• Family traditions
• Fireworks
• Red White and Blue Strawberries
• Cowboy Hats
• Stars and Stripes
• Food Coma
• Fireworks

There is something so special about Independence Day in the US. I like to believe that I have always been so patriotic and in love with America but since living in Ukraine I have come to the full realization that America is beautiful. It is unlike anywhere else. Be grateful for what you have.

This was my first Fourth away from home. It was hard. I have been incredibly homesick since I've been here but this day was different. All of my favorite things wrapped into one day. Everyone seems a little happier on the Fourth of July. Smiling, buying hotdogs and lemonade, inviting people to BBQs. Everyone seems like family. We are. We are America's family and I missed out on that feeling this year. To everyone here in Ukraine it was just another day. We did our very best to make it a great day and I would say it was a success thanks to the people I have been blessed with in my life now.

Here is a video of our adventure. Fourth of July in Ukraine = Success!

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22...

 Okay Okay, I know. The title is very cliché and everyone does it when they turn 22 now. But it's fun and I love it. I tuned 22 yesterday! Yay! First thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE birthdays. All of them, mostly because I love any excuse to eat some cake, but I especially love mine.

 My mother has always, always made a huge deal out of my siblings and my birthdays. She would blow up balloons in the middle of the night and sneak in to our rooms so we would wake up surrounded by them. Then she would always make pancakes. She would make the pancakes into the shape of the number we were turning that day and it is seriously one of my favorite things about my day! She would make us our favorite meal and our favorite dessert and the day would just be all about me. Every birthday party I had as a kid was always well thought out and executed to perfection by my incredible mother and I was never ever disappointed on a birthday, ever. The only day I was disappointed was when I finally figured out (at an embarrassing age) that the flags that were put out on June 14th were in honor of Flag Day and not for my birthday. Thanks family. Despite the obvious deception from them I still always wear red white and blue.

When I went to school I was worried I would miss out on all of that but then I met Jerica and our birthdays are a week apart and it was always an extravaganza! So, coming to Ukraine I knew it would be fun but I thought I would really miss out on that. Nope. My amazing roommates sensed that I love birthdays and made my day great! So, yesterday I woke up to the best breakfast, crepes. And there it was. A crepe in the shape of a 22! I danced to 22 by Taylor Swift an embarrassing number of times. We ate pizza and they surprised me with a cake. Not to mention all my friends and family made my day even better with all the love and weird videos they sent. Great birthday. Great friends. Great life.