I am a Princess.

Sometimes the best adventures happen by accident. They're the beautiful corners you stumble upon, the waterfalls hidden in a forest, the palaces sitting in the mountains. You can't plan moments that wow you, but if you're really lucky... They just sort of happen?

Some of the girls from my study abroad group wanted to go hiking this afternoon. I thought it would be a great opportunity to give you patient people the photos that you've been waiting for. What I didn't consider was the fact that I'm not even the slightest bit athletic. That trait passed me up in the gene pool. I can barely walk through my bedroom without bumping into something. I can't walk down the street without tripping over my own feet. I was crazy to even think that I could hike.

I was in mid-stride as my brain breathlessly began saying "No, no, girlfriend. No." My entire body felt like I had dipped myself in olive oil. That's how gross I felt. Miserable was not how I wanted to spend my day. I'm not a hiker. I'm a wanderer. Gasping for air and praying for water is not a good time. As the rest of the girls hit the hiking trail, I decided to do what I do best... Get lost.

I'm one of those girls that if I get lost, I end up finding some really incredible things. It's fate. You always find what you're not looking for. In life, love, and adventure....When you stop looking and just breathe, something magical will find you. 

Today, I just so happened to walk right into the Alhambra, an old, Muslim fortress turned royal palace. I'm sure I was supposed to buy a ticket or something, but no one stopped me? I just kind of walked in, not really paying attention to where I was going.

The Alhambra was built in the 9th century, according to Google. Most people had nice recorders that explained to them what everything was. I guess if I had payed a couple of Euros, I would know more about the Alhambra. My fellow tourists walked around with their fanny packs, Nikons, and hand-held devices... but I had Siri. She gave me all of the information that I really needed anyway and I didn't have to pay her for it. 

I don't need an in-depth explanation of dates and facts in order to admire how beautiful something is. I can see it with my own eyes. I said in the beginning that I wanted to come to Europe to marvel at something. The Alhambra was definitely worth marveling at. Imagine all of the people that have came and went in the past thousand years. Kings, Sultans, and princesses... They've all stood where I stood and saw what I saw. It's an incredible rush of adventure to know that wandering could lead you inside of something that time has preserved.

I was the stereotypical tourist that draped her camera around her torso and stopped to read maps that said "You are here" without truly knowing where "here" was. It is quite relaxing to just move around from place to place with no agenda, no quick-footed tour guide to tell you to hurry and keep up. I marveled on my own time, lingered longer than I had to, and sat on the ledge of the palace without wondering if I had lost my group.

I even watched a girl get "blessed" by a gypsy. The poor girl wasted her money on a twig of rosemary, but I got a laugh out of it.

It took every bit of my strength to not begin quoting the movie, "Borat." 

Do not fear me, gypsy.

Have you ever just sat and laughed at some of the situations that you get yourself in? Maybe you burnt your finger on a hot plate that you knew not to touch... Or maybe you found money in an old jacket pocket... That is how I felt today. I laughed on the ledge of the Alhambra for a good twenty minutes about how I just seem to end up at the right place at the right time. There were several episodes this afternoon where I would ask Siri where I was... Even she didn't know there for a minute. 

Granada just keeps getting more and more beautiful by the second.. My classes begin tomorrow, so I'll be able to learn a little more Spanish, more history, and have a better understanding of the place that I'm living in. I have felt more alive in the last 2 weeks than I have in my entire 20 years.

There is something exhilarating about living every single day as though it is some grand adventure. I won't know what to do when the day comes that I have to give all of this up. I feel like Cinderella. It's all magical for awhile, but it won't last forever. . . Unless some Spaniard finds my shoe? And asks me to marry him? I don't see that happening, but then again, I never thought I would live in Europe either. Anything can happen, right?

The Prince of Persia

My host mother, Isa, and I had lunch this afternoon. It was just her and me in the kitchen, forcing me to try to understand her without having Juan Maria or Jaylyn help me translate her quick dialect. After a few minutes, she told me in her thick, Andalusian accent that I need to "learn Spanish, find a novio (boyfriend), and live in Spain." I nearly spit out my salad at the idea. Ojalá que sí, Isa. A life in Spain really wouldn't be that bad. Between siesta time and free tapas, Granada is a place that I could definitely see myself living in. Granted, being this far away from my family permanently is not something I could do right now... but I could see myself living here under the right circumstances someday.

I think my tiny, quick-tongued host mother made me realize that what I want in life is attainable. Most of the time I may not know what people are saying, but I like to listen. I love to hear their accents, the way they pronounce things, and how intense their hand gestures can be when they're making a point. Spanish culture is addictive. It's like a finely poured glass of wine that once you have a taste, you want more. 

Last night my friends and I visited the Albaicin, which is an Arabic neighborhood filled with tea houses and hookah bars. It took a moment for me to decide which type of tea that I wanted to try, but I went with Persian since I liked The Prince of Persia so much. (Leave it to me to make life decisions based on my movie preferences. Hey, you can't go wrong with Jake Gyllenhaal.) The tea was kind of bitter, nothing like my grandmother's sweet tea. Jackson had Moroccan tea (marroqui) which tasted minty, like a mojito. I'll have to order that flavor next time. The tea comes in these cute little Arabic tea pots that you pour into small shot glasses. It's very herbal and relaxing. 

After the Albaicin, we managed to find a bar called Poë, ran by Matt Poë and his wife. He is English, from London, and was a former teacher turned bartender. He's had the bar for about 11 years and was quite an interesting guy. We talked with him for hours over beer and free tapas. If any of you come to Granada, stop in and talk to Matt about slavery. He can converse on anything from the Atlantic slave trade to the British Parliament. He even served me a glass of Kentucky Bourbon so I could taste my homeland. It is hard for me to get accustomed to the different drinking age and culture here, but it is fun to be able to have a beer with your friends and talk about why our constitution tells us to pursue happiness without telling us where to find it.

Classes begin on October 1st, which will be the end of my "vacation" and the beginning of the real reason why I am here. I will have courses in English, but my Spanish classes are quite lengthy. I'm scheduled to learn at a fast pace here, which will come in handy at the dinner table when Isa tries to talk to me about which Spanish boy I think is cute.

My friends have left for Malaga for the weekend, which gives me a few days of alone time. This is the part where I wish I had local friends to show me the real side of Granada. I need native friends so that when my study abroad group leaves me in December, I'll still have people to spend time with and practice Spanish with. The locals here are kind of hard to approach, which I'm sure they feel the same towards us. I want to be able to walk right up to someone and start talking, but I get so nervous when I try to speak Spanish... my words jumble and my brain freezes. I'll have to work on my confidence at some point.

Today is much cooler in Granada than it has been. I think I'll go buy a newspaper and find a cafe to practice in. I need to brush up on my reading skills and learn a few key phrases. I hate having to think so hard when it comes to speaking. I focus more on not making mistakes than actually trying to make a sentence... Even if I sound like Mr. Miyagi, I need to talk to people. I've noticed that the people I do talk to in Spanish are very happy just to have me try to speak their language. Maybe soon I'll find a study partner, someone that is also learning English and we can help each other.

Until next time. Keep it classy, USA.

Finding My Balance.

Balance is never letting anyone love you less than you love yourself.

There comes a point in life where you feel like everything is repetitive. Your job. Your school. Your conversations. You wake up at the same time, eat the same foods, listen to the same songs, and drive in the same direction. There is no balance. You have too much of the same routine and not enough time to let caution tip the scale. Sometimes the most important thing you can do for yourself is listen to what your heart is telling you. Mine told me to come to Spain. Leaving was the hardest thing I had ever done, but in doing so... I found my balance.

Traveling to Spain was not easy. My flight in Dallas, TX was delayed. According to the Scottish girl that sat next to me in the airport, there was something wrong with the plane's sensor. By the time we fixed that, traveled across the pond, and landed very poorly at Heathrow airport, I had less than an hour to run all the way to another terminal in order to catch my next flight. I can still hear the British security guard saying, "You betta huh-ree" as I ran across the airport all while knowing there was no possible way for me to make it to my flight. I made it to my terminal with 20 minutes to spare only to have a nice lady kindly let me know that the gate had already closed and the plane was taking off. Desperate and alone, I was able to send out a few emails and inform my family of my misfortune. Little did I know, everyone in my sweet, little hometown was worrying about my whereabouts thanks to a less than informing Facebook status. To clear up any confusion, I was placed on the next available flight free of charge.

Dear Natalie, thanks for joking about me being "the girl that watches her plane leave without being on it." You got me on that one.

Hala Madrid

The best part about seeing Madrid for the second time, is knowing that I got myself here on my own. I worked for this, I earned this, and I would like to think that I deserve this. When you earn something, it means more to you than something that was given. That's why I encourage you to set a goal and reach it on your own. The reward is worth the struggles you will face. I'm living proof. 

Madrid is one of those cities that once you fall in love with it, you're never really able to let it go. It's "the one that got away" every time you have to leave it. My love for Madrid is something that I'll never be able to fully describe no matter how hard I try. There is an unexplainable love for the food, the parks and busy streets, the nightlife, and the sound that it makes through your hotel window when you're trying to sleep. You become lost in the trilled R's, the smooth wine, and the freshly prepared paella. Everything about Madrid makes you never want to leave it. 

Our study abroad group visited two very popular art museums, the Reina Sofia and the Prado. Artists like Goya, El Greco, Picasso, Dalí, and Velazquez grace these world-renowned museums with beautiful paintings that most only see in college textbooks. We study about them, read about them, and learn everything there is to know about them, without ever seeing them face to face. It's incredible how a small-town girl from Summersville, Kentucky can say that she's been able to see something so profound at such a young age. I'm incredibly blessed and a little lucky. People who love art should never hesitate to visit an art museum. Each painting is food for the soul and it's remarkable to see how much detail was put into each canvas.

The best thing about Madrid is that it never sleeps, and the more I travel through Spain, the more I realize that the rest of the country doesn't either. The streets are never empty. There is always someone still moving into the early hours of the morning. I loved leaving my hotel window open just to listen to the street below while I tried to sleep. It was strangely soothing, a sound that I remembered from my first visit two years ago. 

Toledo 

After Madrid, my group of fellow students traveled by bus to a more traditional city in Spain called Toledo. 

Toledo is very different in comparison to Madrid's busy streets. It works at a different pace, the atmosphere much more relaxing and tranquil. The buildings are rustic and have a very fairytale-like quality to them. I feel like if I tried to imagine a world full of knights and princes and maidens... it would resemble Toledo. 

Home Sweet Home

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would be living with a little, old Spanish lady in the south of Spain. The idea never crossed my mind, but having someone that doesn't speak English cook for me three times a day is something I'll gladly get used to. Isabel (or Isa) is a mother of four and a grandmother to eleven. She has taken in college students from all over the world and keeps magnets on her refrigerator from the states and countries each student is from. I'm going to be sure to add the Commonwealth to the cluster. Isa stands at an astounding 5 feet tall and speaks as though her voice is on fast-forward. Our household is a never-ending game of charades, but I love every second of it. She tries to call me Jess, but it ends up sounding like "Jeh." My roommate and I tried to teach her how to say "toaster," but it's probably best that we get her to say our names before we get into the more advanced vocabulary. This is going to be a fun year. I truly do love my host mother. She's adorable and tries so hard to be accommodating. I met her husband who doesn't stay here often and he was just as kind. 

I've kissed more cheeks in the last two days than I ever have in my life. At first I wasn't fond of it, but now I think I'm going to start greeting people like this in the United States... Okay, maybe not... But the idea was nice? I don't think my friends would be to fond of me invading their personal space. The thought alone makes me laugh. Jeffrey would probably shove me down a flight of stairs and/or force me to wear his coveted "cheeseburger" shirt. Both are equally painful.

My journey is an interesting one. I do miss my family, but they know I am happier than I have ever been. I try to talk to them daily and keep up with what is happening in Greensburg. It is nice to hear about what's going on and what I am missing. I was able to see Cow Days via FaceTime. It clearly hasn't changed in the last 20 years. Keep it classy, Greensburg. I don't have time to scan through my newsfeed and see how everyone is, but I do read my message daily and I'm so thankful that you all care enough about me to ask how I'm doing. I'm eating new types of food, learning new words, and meeting people that are becoming a very important part of my life.

I feel like Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. 

When am I going to meet my Javier Bardem?

The Final Countdown

I'm so close I can feel it. Everything I've worked for, every meeting I've sat in, every scholarship I've applied for, every contract I've signed is all about to pay off in a big way. This will be my last full week in the United States and I'm finally starting to realize that this is really about to happen to me.  This is it. This is my dream coming true. The years I spent watching Disney movies, telling me that dreams are a wish your heart makes, finally makes perfect sense.. Dreams are possible if you want them bad enough.


A few days ago, I was finally given my host family. After months of assaulting my email account, I have a name, address, and phone number. They're an older couple named Isabel, 63, and Juan Manuel, 68. I don't know what they look like or how nice they are. All I know is that they are laid-back people with a son named Javier. Isabel is a good cook, according to "my adoption papers," as I tend to call them. I don't know if they speak English or if I'm going to share a room with another international student. I'll find all of that out when I meet them. I'm very excited about moving in with them. They have a terrace and live 15-20 minutes from my new university.

When I leave Louisville on Sept. 18th, I'll fly to Dallas, London, and then land in Madrid on the 19th. I'll get to return to the Prado Museum.. see some of my favorite paintings again.. and go back to Toledo, Spain. I laughed when my program sent the five day itinerary of what we would be doing once we arrived. Everything on the list was something that I had already done before. I'm more mature now then I was went I left. Hopefully I'll see the world through wiser eyes.


Here area few photos from my trip in 2011:

Museo del Prado in Madrid

Toledo, Spain

Toledo is known for its steel. When I visited, I was able to see a man make a sword.  The history of steel in Toledo is quite interesting. You history junkies should Google it.

I made a promise the morning that I left Spain that I would be back and I'm so blessed that this is one promise that I swore I'd keep. There is so much excitement running through me when I think about all the things that I'm going to see, the people I'm going to meet, and the impact on my life that everything is going to have. Spain is a beautiful country full of beautiful people. These people are going to mold me into a better person, share their lives, and help me learn how to speak their language. I feel like Pocahontas, except her hair looks much better than mine in a windstorm.


I want to go away for awhile and just sit and marvel at something. I want to stick my toes in the Mediterranean. I want to see Real Madrid play at the Bernabeu. I want to watch football games and eat tapas with people that are just as happy as I am. I want to watch a bullfight and visit cathedrals, castles, and palaces. All of this is going to happen even if it takes everything I've got.


Despite my excitement, there is a lot of fear inside me.

When I walk away from my family at the airport, it's going to take everything in me to not turn right back around. They mean everything to me. They raised me to be a lady and pushed me to have enough confidence in myself to apply for this opportunity. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am if it hadn't been for them. My mother especially... (Hi, Mom. I know you're reading this... I love you so very much and I'm sorry "your little angel" is flying farther away than you would like, but know that I'll never forget my way home.) Leaving my family and friends is a tough pill to swallow. I know they'll be right here waiting for me to come back, but I will miss so much while I'm gone.

I just have this fear that during this school year, I'll slowly start to disappear. I'll miss out on things that I should be home for. I'll miss my brother's first year of high school. I won't be able to celebrate Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, etc. Everyone's lives will continue without me in it and I'm afraid of becoming insignificant to people that mean the world to me. I don't like that I can't text my best friend when something funny happens. I can't call my mother at 10 in the morning when I miss her. I can't sit on my grandparents front porch and listen to them tell me stories. My absence will really hurt them and I hate that I'm selfishly choosing a life that's so different from theirs. I wish I would have been more like them, happy with staying in one spot.. but God didn't mold me from the same cloth. I want the world and I can't help it.


My journey is 9 days from beginning. It's the final countdown. I'm in the process of seeing people, saying goodbye, eating tons of macaroni and cheese, driving, watching movies, and breathing in that good ol' American freedom. My life is about to change and all I really need is assurance that I'm going to be okay.


Continue to pray for my family and me. The overwhelming support is what keeps me motivated. God bless.