Road Trip Thoughts

After a whirlwind weekend that included driving across the entire state of Ohio to visit my friend and her family in Pittsburgh, spending the weekend with three girls under the age of three, a day on the river, a day at the pool and lots of screaming, jumping, picking up and putting down, and two nights of restless sleep, 5 hours alone in a quiet car may have been just what I needed. 

Except when I have nothing to do, my crazy mind starts working in overdrive and I normally spin out of control. This time I was convinced that a deer was going to prance out of the woods and smash into my car, killing the deer and me, or that I would get a flat tire in this wasteland (kidding) called Ohio and I wouldn't have anyone within a 5 hour radius to fix it (My uncle in Chicago and the friends I just left in Pittsburgh were all I could come up with), which lead me to think that I need to learn how to change a tire myself. Then I started to wonder why I was worrying that something bad would happen, if it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, like if I thought a lot about something bad happening, would it be more likely to happen? I sound crazy, I had a lot of time to think. But thank god nothing bad happened, it was a great weekend road trip, and now I am two days away from HOME!

Re-reading this post, it sort of follows a logical train of thought....sort of.

I can't for the life of me make this post make sense. I had a lot of thoughts during the car ride, some of them productive, some of them bordering on psychotic. AND I was thoroughly amused by this blue station wagon who was chugging along and every time it went over the littlest bump, the back would bounce for the next mile. I was cracking up, probably in both senses of the word. I will stop trying to make this hopeless post into anything other than something I can look back at, shake my head and laugh.

Me and Barry Manilow

Someone please tell me why I heard Barry Manilow's "Mandy" at a restaurant, and now have downloaded it and listened to it multiple times....My name is Amanda, it kinda makes sense (not really), it's a catchy song, I remember it from the scene in Can't Hardly Wait (I just aged myself) when the nerd kid is obsessed with JLH's (Jennifer Love Hewitt, duh) character Amanda, and then the angel stripper lady tells him its a song about his dog. None of that explains why I am listening to it, and now typing about it (and listening to it again) and wondering if I have lost my mind. I also looked up whether or not it was really about his dog, and learned that the writer made up that it was about his dog when the song was called Brandy and people kept asking him who it was about, then when the song became Mandy in the US, the rumor followed it. And that Barry (first name basis people) was addicted to drugs when he recorded it, and that mandy is a nickname for some drug. And now that I am starting to listen to the lyrics, it mentions something to get him to stop shaking, which could be a side effect from drugs. That tidbit was not mentioned on the website full of useless information, maybe I just made a discovery about it! Which still does not explain why I am still listening to it and writing about it!!!

Wow, I really, truly worry myself sometimes. eek. Back to normal pastimes like watching Manzofest on Bravo. Shaking my head.

Spain Recap 2012

Europe Trip 2012, Leg 1: 3 days in Madrid, 3 days in Barcelona :)

Three days in Madrid: After an airport debacle, broken suitcase and a bus and hot walk to the hotel, I spent the afternoon/evening wandering Parque del Buen Retiro with my cousin and his 2 lovely spanish friends, Claudia and Luis. It was nice just for part of a day to have people who could translate for us, help us order food and help us get around. The second day, we slept until 1:30 (oops, jet lag), then hopped on the Madrid City Bus tour to get acclimated to the city, figure out where the high points were and seeing beautiful sights. We visited El Prado museum twice to check out the lovely paintings and sculptures. We wanted to watch the Olympic Men's 100M Track Final, so on our last night we ventured to a sports bar we had found the night before, met some new friends, and the 4 of us were the only ones that cared at all about the Olympics. It was a great race, and we had a good time hanging with our new friends.

Next: Off to Barcelona by train. The high speed train jetted us across the country in only a few hours. Then once we got to Barcelona, the adventure really began. Bye bye luxurious Westin Palace Hotel Madrid, hello living in a hostel, getting lost on the way to hostel, melting in the hot sun dragging suitcases, thanks to the nice man who helped us get to our hostel, hello time warp back to college staying in a room with two complete strangers. One of whom was loudly snoring when we walked in to drop our stuff off (I should have know what would come later). My cousin and I stood awkwardly looking at our new roommate, then hightailed out of there because there wasn't much else to do. We wandered around, found some food and beers, then joined our hostel mates for a "pub crawl" that they host every night, where they take you to a bar right on the water, then to a club that goes underground. Our hostel was part of a chain, and there were 4 other hostels around the city, so we all met at one and a huge group of tourists trekked off together. There were Aussies, Canadians, Americans, kiwis, and they all had such interesting travel plans and stories. 3 months, 6 months, 9 months on the road, traveling until they ran out of money, traveling alone or with friends, finding a place they loved and staying there longer than planned, on holiday from "university", studying abroad. It was super refreshing to be in such a laid back atmosphere. I met some really nice people, lost my cousin in the club, and panicked until he came back to the hostel after walking all the way home (took him almost an hour, he didn't remember the name of the hostel, and I am a bad older cousin for not stamping it on his forehead). The next day we hopped on another city tour which dropped us off at the high points of Barcelona (Camp Nou-Barca futbol stadium, Park Guell, La Sagrada Familia, the Gothic district, shopping avenue, and other churches, plazas and squares. We did Park Guell as our last stop on a long, hot day, and I was struggling, emotional, tired, not having a good day at all. But we decided to hike up to the top of the hill (I was wearing a dress and flimsy flip flops), and we were panting and sweating by the time we got to the top, but we had amazing panoramic views of the hills, valleys, ocean and city of Barcelona. Breathtaking!

Phew, that was a lot, and that is only the abridged version of the first 6 days! More later :) 

Olympic Man Candy ;)

Here are just a few reasons why I love the Summer Olympic Games ;)

 Ryan Lochte: FAVE

YUM!! (wipes drool from face)

Obviously I love it for the sports, it is all the best ones! Swimming, rowing, track& field are my favorites.

I asked my roommate, her bf and my sister a question as we were watching the Olympics last night: Would you rather be unattractive and an Olympic Athlete (like gold medal winner) or stay at your same level of attractiveness and be a normal person? My roommate and her bf automatically said stay the same attractiveness, that they really had no interest in becoming an Olympic athlete. My sister and I agreed we would rather be ugly and a great athlete. It got me thinking about what drives people. I guess competition, athleticism and recognition drive my sister and I, while attractiveness drives others. Not that either one is wrong, it is just an interesting comparison.

Which would you choose?!?

PS Dear Missy Franklin, You are my idol. I would give anything to be 17 years old, 6'1" and a swimming phenom. Keep it up!

Bachelorette Recap--Finale!!!

Finally, someone that I want wins on this show! After being disappointed by Ben Flajnik last season, and not thinking Emily deserved another chance to be on the show, and not thinking any of the guys were cute, I take it all back! I love Emily, I quickly fell in love w Jef and Arie. I loved Jef almost from the start, after I got over the hair and the one "f" ;) He is so cute and sweet and my heart melted at pretty much everything he had to say, like when he asked her in the library, something along the lines of "I really like you, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get a dog" or when he ran back and got the little Ricki puppet. I just thought he was good for her, and so cute and I may have shed a tear during their proposal :) I am not the girl that always loves love (sometimes I make barfing sounds), but I really want them to work out. Hi, my name is Amanda and I am a reality tv-aholic and I am obsessed with the Bachelor and Bachelorette. So sue me!

Euro Trip 2012

Next Thursday I am off to Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. I CANT WAITTTT!!!! I haven't taken a real vacation in forever, and it has been 5 years since I have been to Europe! I am so excited to go back, explore new places and have a fantastic time. I get excited every time I think about it!!! I believe that Europe feeds my soul, that I left my heart in Florence 5 years ago, and there is something so magical about getting out of the fast lane that we live in, and to be part of something so foreign and new. This is what experiences are made of, humbling situations, separated from the hustle and bustle, just soaking it all in. I can't wait to soak up rays on the beach in Spain, drink beer in Germany, feel the hills that are alive with the sounds of music in Austria, and marvel at the mountains in Switzerland :) I may go start packing right now!

Looking Back....

Do you ever look back on your life 2 years ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago and think about how you were "back then"? I have been doing that more often lately, and sometimes when I think about the person I was 5 years ago, or 2 years ago, I feel like I wouldn't recognize that girl anymore. I look back on the decisions that I have made, why I made them, what my mindset was at the time, and the way I reacted to things, and shake my head. For a really long time I don't think I was confident enough in myself to make my own decisions, or I made decisions hastily without thinking. I cringe when I think of some of the decisions I made, and get sad when I think of things that could have gone differently.But I believe things happen for a reason. But sometimes I lose faith in the reasons, faith in my ability to make decisions and faith in myself. It's frustrating and eye opening at the same time, because I am recognizing where I have made mistakes before and I am slowly teaching myself not to make those mistakes again. For me, I am an impulsive, impatient and passionate person, and my reactions sometimes reflect that, as for my decisions in the past that I now wish I could have maybe made a different decision. This insight seems to be a blessing and a curse. Now that I have gotten to thinking about it, I over analyze EVERYTHING! Every decision, reaction, encounter etc, and it gives me anxiety. My impatience is fighting to escape my "grown up" mindset, and doesn't want to wait for things to fall into place. I am working towards trusting the process, enjoying the little moments that you look back on and smile, and to embrace those as precious jewels. Moments like seeing a double rainbow a few hours after telling my friend I thought they were a sign from people above (Thanks Nana), a good conversation with a friend that opened my eyes to some things, the excitement of seeing my sister after 5 months, talking to my grandpa on the phone, just to tell him I was thinking about him, the Carrie Underwood song that makes me think of  Nana. Things that make my heart swell with love and gratitude, and I am working towards using that mentality to convince myself that my life has played out and will play out according to the plan, to stop worrying about where and when, stop comparing myself to others for whom things seem to automatically fall into place, and to soak up every experience I possibly can, good or bad. And just to smile :)

Because most of my infinite wisdom comes from  Pinterest, Friends, Mean Girls or Sex and the City, listen to the ever-wise Carrie Bradshaw:

 

"Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."