Forever a Tiger

A few major events occurred lately. I turned 21 and Mizzou hosted its 101st homecoming celebration.

At midnight on my 21st birthday, my father began tagging pictures of me on Facebook. My phone exploded with notifications. One notification of a tagged picture, three notifications of a tagged picture....FIFTY notifications of a tagged picture! They weren't just any pictures...they were baby pictures.

From cute, chubby baby cheeks to those awkward middle school and early high school years, my father covered it all. I deemed some pictures Facebook acceptable, but others did not meet the criteria and were far too embarrassing. (Thank goodness there is an "untag" button!)

However, some pictures that did make the cut brought back fond Mizzou memories. From an early age, I always knew I was going to be a Mizzou Tiger.

I had a little fun comparing recent photos to the childhood photos my dad posted online.

Me (left) and my cousin Kayla (right) with Truman in 1994.
The bunny ears are courtesy of my little sister Katie who apparently thought this picture was part of a coloring book. 

Showing off my cheerleader outfit pre-football game.

Me with Truman at the 2012 homecoming football game.
Fun fact: I'm wearing the same bow I wore in 1994. 

For three generations, Mizzou has been the school of choice for the Alewel clan. From a young age, my family attempted to brainwash me and my cousins to attend the university.

The Alewel cousins in 1994. 

So far, the brainwashing has worked for three out of the six Alewel cousins. There is one traitor amongst us...my brother... He chose to attend the University of Washington. (Obviously, he won't make it into our parent's will. No big deal.) 

The Alewel cousins at the 2012 Homecoming football game.

Despite my brother's traitorous ways (he's pictured on the far left), he still manages to support Mizzou. Maybe he will stay in our parent's will after all. 

A Pinterest Problem

I have a Pinterest problem.

That's the first step, right?

...admitting you have a problem.

I can easily waste an hour of my day by accidentally slipping into the dangerous world of Pinterest. The site lures me in with tempting pictures of creative crafts to make, latest fashion trends to buy, and delicious-looking treats to bake.

If I visit the website, productivity is instantly thrown out the window. I waste precious minutes pining after a pair of shoes and pinning them to my board dedicated to fashion as if the shoes will magically appear in my closet with a single click.

If only Pinterest worked that way...

Instead, the site is a reminder of all the things I haven't crafted, all the clothing I don't own, and all the treats I will never be able to bake. Let's face it, me + a kitchen = disaster.

Despite my lack of baking/cooking abilities, I do consider myself rather crafty. I have challenged myself to make at least one Pinterest creation each month. This will justify my Pinterest problem because I will actually make something useful based on a craft I saw on the site. Therefore, the time I spent (or wasted) on Pinterest looking at pictures will be...somewhat...acceptable.

My craft this month: A mantle piece decoration consisting of beer bottles wrapped in yarn.

Source: Julie Murillo on Pinterest

However, I wanted to put my own twist on the craft so I came up with a Mizzou-inspired design.

Tah dah! 

That Fall Feeling

The green leaves that escaped summer's dry heat are finally turning colors. The temperatures are dropping into the 60s. Starbucks keeps running out of pumpkin spice lattes. My boyfriend is giving more attention to his beloved fantasy football team than to me.

It must be fall. 

As a girl from Vegas, 60 degree weather means its time to bust out the sweaters I haven't seen since winter.

It took me a while to find where I stashed all my sweaters because they hid somewhere within the endless cavern of storage under my bed. I dug them out and found a sweater I brought with me to Barcelona last spring.

When you can only bring TWO suitcases full of clothes that have to last you FOUR months, you get to know the clothes you packed extremely well. I wore them over, and over, and over again. I refer to those clothes as my "Barcelona Wardrobe." Each article possesses a special memory. 

I grabbed the sweater and put it on. The sweater instantly engulfed me in a strange but familiar scent. My host-madre's detergent mixed with Barcelona's fresh (well, as fresh as a city can be) air filled my nostrils. I suppose I never rewashed some of my clothes when I returned to the states. 

The smell survived 5,790 miles and five months. Wow.

I really wanted to shuffle through the rest of my "Barcelona Wardrobe" to see if the scent lingered on other items of clothing as well. Instead, I think I'll leave it a mystery and wait to be thoroughly surprised if the scent offers its sweet reminder of the best four months of my life once again. 

To add to my trip down Barcelona lane, I wore my "Barcelona Boots" to class.

These bad boys walked me across Europe. With these boots, I conquered cobble stone in four different countries. After a rough first couple of weeks, my feet became impervious to blisters. I had the callous feet to prove it. Keyword: HAD. 

In the boot-less months of summer, my feet became vulnerable once more. These boots and I conquered Europe, but we did not conquer the campus of Mizzou. 

For now, I think I'll stick with wearing sandals.

"A Rose for Love and a Book for Forever"

Every April 23 the streets of Catalonia are adorned with makeshift bookstalls and rose stands commemorating the holiday of Sant Jordi. It's basically the Catalonia version of Valentine's Day.

Per tradition, men give their loved ones a rose and women return the gesture with the gift of a book. Apparently half the total yearly book sales in Catalonia are made on April 23.

 People packed Passeig de Gracia to purchase gifts.

Oh hey there Sant Jordi. 

Happy Sunday

Mimosas and Huevos Rancheros

After sleeping half the day away (oops!), me, Sonja and our friend Maddy went out for brunch. We ate at an adorable restaurant called Picnic. The food was to die for. They even had blueberry pancakes - a rare find in Spain. 

It's our final Sunday in Barcelona. The thought of leaving this city and all the amazing people I've met here is incredibly depressing. All I know is I'm going to take full advantage of these next 6 days and soak up as much of Barcelona I possibly can. 

#StudyAbroadProbz

This video = accurate portrayal of the "American Bubble" in Europe

I've heard it all. 

¡Hermanas en España!

What could possibly make Barcelona better?

...sharing it with my ADPi sisters of course!

For the past month, I've had a visitor every weekend and have absolutely loved it!

Diamonds en la playa.

Kasey!

Kelsey and I with our 5 Liters of sangria at Oveja Negra! 

Breaking "curfew" with Mashinks! 

 Opium with Danielle!