7 things I CAN'T live without

I was tagged by Andrea to come up with 7 things I can't live without!!! Here goes.... 

1. My FAMILY - These people are the greatest on Earth (and the majority of my blog readership haha). But for reals, I couldn't live without you guys! You make me laugh, support me, and are all around wonderful. 

2. TRAVEL 

I absolutely love to travel. I got the travel bug young and it's staying strong! Being able to travel is crucial! I have seen some beautiful places, learned about other cultures, not to mention tasted delicious food. 

3. My laptop

I love my laptop and use it a ridiculous amount. Internet goes hand in hand with my laptop, because I am a compulsive email checker. Really- it's a little out of hand. 

4. SPANISH- I LOOOVE Spanish. I love hearing it and speaking it. It's like a little adrenaline rush when I can carry on a conversation with a native Spanish speaker. In Cozumel last weekend I talked to a cab driver for 20 minutes, and it was practically the highlight of my day. I remember being at Tokyo restaurant in EC maybe 10 or 15 years ago (woah)- there was a couple at our table who spoke another language. I remember being fascinated by it, and wanting to understand. I am proud of my ability to communicate with people who speak another language. ¿Hablas español? 

5. Food- Obviously I can't live without food in a literal sense. But I mean from a life satisfaction standpoint, I can't live without it. I loooooove good food. I like cooking/baking too, although I'm a novice. (Remember mom's blog post about how to cut a tomato?) 

WEll, maybe I can live without eating Guinea Pig!

 well.... I'm stumped after 5. I'm sure there are many more things I could think of, but this post has already taken me an hour. Soo to be continued!

Spring Break!!!

I had a FABULOUS trip to Mexico with Danielle. We left last Wednesday and flew to Tampa, and then boarded the ship on Thursday morning. We were at sea Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Saturday we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. We got a ton of sun, danced the nights away and ate plenty of dessert!!! Here are a few pictures--- enjoy!!! 

The ship

Personally, I was looking forward to the towel animals. I've heard big things. Unfortunately, I think our cabin steward was a novice. This was our first one, and was pretty good... Too bad it just went downhill from there. We also got a nondescript seal?.... and possibly a frog. Better luck next time Mr. Cabin Steward. 

Between the two docked Carnival ships in Cozumel 

Our cabin. Not too shabby, eh? 

From the highest deck of the ship.... notice the water slide peeking out from the tail of the ship. Not to brag or anything, but Dee and I were the first 2 passengers to zip down it. 

Here she is, the Inspiration

A little INSPIRATION!

Dee and I at Margaritaville in Cozumel. This guy had a tableside guac stand. He made us a HUGE fresh bowl of guacamole, which was so amazing I cannot begin to describe it. We also found out that this guy actually lived in Wisconsin for 4 years. Small world!

We were big fans of the Carnival robes. Very comfy. 

Livin the good life in Cozumel. 

Fruity drinks on deck!

Mandatory lifejacket training session/what to do if disaster strikes drill

Big Falls

Mom & Dad, Yusra and I went hiking at Big Falls today! It was gorgeous and nearly 60 degrees!! Heat wave!!!

high school kiddos

All of you know that within a few short months I will be standing in front of a room full of high schoolers, all of them smiling gleefully at me with their hands folded on top of their ready-to-go school supplies, ready to learn. waiiiiiiiiiiiit. Reality check. Half of them will probably be asleep, and the other half will likely be mildly entertaining my attempts to teach them history. Maybe somewhere in the middle?!

Anyways, this morning I had my first crack at my future. I am a volunteer "youth coach" with the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, a non-profit that is fighting for Immigration Reform and educational equality regardless of immigration status. I will be at Edison High School in Minneapolis once a week for 7 weeks, facilitating 2 classes. The classes are about immigration, getting their voices heard, etc.- and the students are all ESL. 

I'm happy to report that I loved it!! I was a little worried at first that the kids wouldn't be into it (one piece of the curriculum has them act out their favorite animal, for goodness sake. these are high school students!!) They really had fun with it though, and I enjoyed myself. I found their humor refreshing, and I felt more in my element than in front of the elementary kids in my Spanish classes. YAY! Not to say that one day with high-schoolers equals a blissful next two years, but I'd say it's a good sign that I didn't want to run away screaming- right?!

Spring Break!!!

I'm going on a cruise!!!!!! My friend Dee and I booked a trip on Friday night- something we've been talking about for awhile. We will fly to Tampa a week from Wednesday on the 18th- then board the ship the next day. It is a 4 day cruise and we'll be stopping in Cozumel, Mexico (an island... I hear it's safe!) on Saturday. We get off the ship on Monday the 23rd in the morning and fly back that day. I'm really excited!!!! 

UPDATE!

There have been a few, **cough**, requests for a blog update so that William Shatner's face does not continue to grace your computer screens everyday. I'm happy to oblige :) Here's what I've been up to: 1. School!! 2. Family time!! I have been very busy with school/work lately. Luckily, I have very minimal work due this week so I had a nice relaxing weekend! Not to say that my past few weekends haven't been relaxing... but this one was even more so, knowing that I wasn't procrastinating!! 

Last weekend, mom and dad came up for a visit. It was wonderful to spend some time with them in the cities! On Saturday we ate at Axel's Bonfire on Grand Ave (delicious food) and poked around in some of the shops on Grand Ave. On Sunday we went to church and had brunch at Duplex, a restaurant in Uptown. It was a great weekend!

This weekend, I went home again for some quality family time. On Friday night, Mom, Dad and I went to see Milk- a very good movie, as I have previously commented. Saturday got to spend time with Adam and Andrea, which was great! Emily and I (and her fiance CJ) also met up for a drink before going to Jessica's wedding reception. Jess looked beautiful in her wedding dress! Today we had a great family get together, complete with Tim, the A-team, Gma G, Dan & Nancy and Harriet! - here are some pictures!