For the second year in a row I was able to spend New Years with my besties Lindsay and Katherine, this year Youn was able to join as well!

We had an amazing weekend of Pete's Piano Bar, 6th street, and of course ringing in the new year!!

 And since I was in Austin, I got to see another beautiful bestie- Megan!! I love this city- I'll never stop coming back!! Here's to a spectacular 2015!!

NOLA at Christmastime

My mom and I decided to take a quick three day weekend to New Orleans. She hadn't been there since before hurricane Katrina, and I had been trying to convince her to go back there. And at Christmas time? It was magical!!

 

 

 

And it felt like the city welcomed us with open arms:

 

 

Santa 5K- Galveston

Lauren and I are never up for traditional hangouts- I love this girl for her always upbeat attitude and willing to do something new-

We heard about this Santa Run and thought it would be something so fun to do over the holidays- followed by mimosas and brunch of course!!

 

 

 

Marrakech

I finally crossed Africa off the list- my goal to visit each continent ..

 

 

My friends Danique and Danielle invited me to join them in a plan to visit Morocco, we really wanted to get some good shopping done as well as exploring a new culture- different from the Western Europe that we were so used to. I must admit I love the movie Casablanca, but I never thought that I would go to Morocco. We decided on the city of Marrakech for four days in October.

That time I made a DIY costume for the GAGA concert

My friend Danique and I went to see GAGA in Amsterdam and naturally we wanted to dress up- I was inspired by her costume from the music video for Applause.

Viva Las Vegas

This summer when I went home for a training, my mom and I decided to take a short trip to Vegas, and get away. We stayed at the Paris hotel and were anxious because had gotten tickets to Celine Dion!

 

The last time we went to Vegas together was October 2001- yep I was around 11 and had no business doing anything except the kiddie arcade- My mom went with her aunt and uncle and I would just hang.... I've been here when I turned 21 with my friend Megan- but it was always a dream of my moms to come here with me. And we finally made that a reality!

 

 

All We Want 2014

Another lovely festival in Goch, Germany- just 1.5 hours away from Haarlem.

Amsterdam goes Crazy!

Well, seeing as Holland has been playing amazingly well- they also show all the games on the Museumplein in Amsterdam where the city comes out decked out in Orange ready to support their team!

The Day of Reckoning

So I knew that the World Cup would be so fun while living in Europe... but I didnt know how intense the Dutch history was... they have never won a World Cup but they also ALWAYS get far... it must be so frustrating!!
Anyways, the first game this year was against Spain- the current European and World Champions- they also happened to beat Holland at the last World Cup.

Everyone was so worried- but then Holland began scoring GOAL after GOAL after GOAL..

The Year of Summer

After the unusually warm winter- I just dont know what to expect from the weather in Holland!!

We have been able to do a lot of fun in the sun and tanning- something this Texan girl really needs!

Collin Visits!!

My friend Collin came to visit only for a short time so we tried to make the best of it with some new Holland experiences!

Evening at the Jopen Kerk (okay not so new for me):

Swiss Business

I was invited to give a presentation on "Clay Chemistry" for a company called NAGRA in Switzerland which is running a large simulation to dispose of Nuclear waste in the future- LUCOEX Large Underground Concept Experiments.

5 Mei

The 5th of May is a special day here in Holland... and no its not Cinco de Mayo!! It is liberation day which is the end of occupation in Holland after WWII.

It is celebrated around the country and we had a party right in the park across from my House! I am so lucky to be able to live in this area.

Mont St. Michel and our last Couple Days!!

We wanted to explore another area of France, and I have always wanted to see Mont St. Michel. It is an old monastery build in the year 900AD. It has been there for over a 1000 years! It got turned into a prison sometime as well, which its in the perfect location for since it is separated by land by the high tide and if you try to walk through the tide, there is quick sand! People have actually died and we were pretty sure we saw ghosts swimming in the sea around the abbey!

Versaille, Swans, and Boats

After thinking Starry Night was at the Louvre, we looked at Musee D'Orsay.. where it typically is... Normally, it would have been there but the Starry Night was online at the MoMa in New York... The Orsay was a beautiful museum though... and although no pictures were allowed we had a great time..

Louvre and Moulin Rouge

Our second day started at the Louvre, we spent the first 30 minutes navigating through hordes of traffic just to see the Mona Lisa, by the time we finished the last thing we wanted to see were crowds...

Paris, avec Mon Ami- Le premiere Jour

I only had about two weeks to recover from my first vacation, before my best friend from UT, Youn, came to visit. Actually, she met me in Paris- which is just so amazing that it was only an hour away from me!

When we arrived our hotel was having technical issues and they sent us to their partner hotel right on the Champs-Elysses. As our taxi driver was driving us there we started seeing gold-edged buildings...And then we saw the eiffel tower to our left and started shouting "It's so beautiful! It's so beautiful!!" Our taxi driver thought we were insane.

The Swan King

Another way i was able to convince everyone to go to Munich was that it is a two hour drive from the "sleeping beauty" castle ... yes it is the model for the disney castle. The area around Neushwanstein includes two castles Hogenshwengau (sp??) where King Ludwig grew up, and then the castle he built on his own castle, Neushwanstein.

Beer Country

You guys must know by now that I LOVE Germany. I have been lucky to go there several times, experience Oktoberfest, and see so many amazing things. I advised my Aunt and Uncle to go there when they came and they loved it as well... i guess there is just something about that place.

Dutch for a Day

Last weekend, a friend took me to a grand tour of 3 cities which we finished in less than a day!!

First stop, Zaans Schans--- It was an outdoor museum of old dutch windmills and other memorabilia. For instance, the original Albert Heijn (grocery store here... think HEB)... There was also a spot to rent bikes! It was a lovely day and perfect for walking around!

Espana! Vale!

I was lucky enough to go to Spain for work. It's funny, so many Europeans get to travel to each others countries. I will not say that they take it for granted, I think they really become engrained in each others countries and try not to go to places "too touristy". But for Americans, sometimes we have to take quick vacations and just try to go take the picture. I saw the Tour d'Eiffel, I saw the Louvre, I saw the globe theatre! I think both points are valid, because what are the points of our ancestors creating such master pieces if we cant see them, or take them for granted... BUT its also nice to go somewhere and really see how people live.

During this trip, I got a mix of both. I spent the first night in Madrid and that was wonderful. Tried Paella, tried Sangria, and walked around la Plaza Mayor.

Haarlem Shopping Night

Yet another difference- they actually close shops here! Many stores are privately owned, therefore only one or two people work there. Hence, if you want to shop you have to go from 9-6. If you work, you can go Thursday nights, or on weekends.

This makes it necessary and cool to have special shopping events. Last weekend there was "Haarlem Shopping Night". Imagine a cross between clubbing and Black Friday.

There were runway shows, fake runway shows, mascots, DJ's, free wine, free giveaways, and you'll see-- even a rock wall!

Getting around

There are Four ways to get around in Holland: Bus, Train, Car, Bike

I am finally an official and got the OV chipkart! I can now ride all the public transport my little heart desires!

As for driving, I thought these were convenient. The dutch have these electric signs along the highway. They have green arrows (which you cant see in the picture) to let you know if a lane is open. When traffic is high, they open the shoulder lane and let cars go. When its flowing as normal, they put a red X and make it a shoulder again. There are few cops, since these portals also measure speed and automatically send you a ticket. Finally, they can increase or decrease the speed limit based on the traffic flow. THAT is a smart system.

and FINALLY biking... for the first time i rode my bike >20 km to Zandvoort! Back and forth! It was a wonderful ride, and still too chilly for me to get in the water, but just warm enough to lay on the sand with a Cola light, and hop on my bike for the ride back. Dont get me wrong... people were already tanning in their bikinis at 62 F!!

My treat was the ice cream! I mean 20k!!

Buiten Westen 2014

The summer hit Holland in a typical way... 3/365 days of scorching heat with no AC and the rest of the year you crave the sun... Well on one of those days my girls and I decided to go to a festival, "Buiten Westen".

It was really fun! But if you can believe it, I almost passed out in 85 degree weather... thats so embarrassing for a Texan- but I am saying its because of the intense humidity.

The Greek Side of Things

So, Cebo Holland where I work is a joint venture between Halliburton and S&B... I am still a Halliburton employee, but as the lab manager of Cebo I need to be able to establish relations with both sides of the business. and ONE of the perks is that S&B is based in Greece!

I traveled from Amsterdam to Athens, waited at the harbor with an amazing and authentic greek salad and then embarked on a four hour ferry ride to Milos island. The ferry stopped in three different ports so it was the perfect picture opportunity!

King's Day

King's Day is a tradition in the Netherlands to celebrate the King's birthday... this year it was on a Saturday so we didnt get the day off.. but it was super fun and I am so happy to have so many great friends that included me in their traditions. First off, I went to my neighbors house for a "bier ontbijt" or a beer breakfast... i thought this was crazy until i realized its the same as brunch (mimosas/bloody mary's) except its with beer :)

Then, I met my friends to go out in Haarlem and we walked all around the city where it was literally a giant party... there were DJ's and bands on EVERY corner... and a festival in the center. 

I even tried patat oorlog for the first time... French fries with peanut butter, mayo, and onions... No matter how it sounds it was amazing!! 

I had a blast and was proud to be decked out in orange :P

Moedersdag

This is the first Mothers Day in 25 years I have spent away from my mom. Even when it was finals time at UT Austin, my mom would drive 3 hours just to watch me study and join me for brunch. My mom gave up a lot to give me everything; shes always been there for me.  I was an only child, but i never felt lonely.  Even when I was living in my own apartment after graduation, anytime i called feeling lonely or bored she'd be there. My mom has been and always will be my best friend- playing boardgames with 2 people, going to the movies on weeknights, spontaneous house of pies nights, weekly homemade dinners... My mom is my fashion inspiration, the chef i aspire to be, my go-to expert for sports... yes, she knows about every sport and all the rules and all the coaches and all the players... she taught me how to make empanadas and while everyone loves MY empanadas, i hate them because they taste nothing like hers... And i only wish i could be as fashionable.

Not all fun and games though, we have had our rough moments- my mom worked two jobs when I was in high school so that I could have everything I needed and be prepared to go to college. She never gave up on anything and didnt let me give up either. We would both arrive from our night shifts and she would stay up with me while i studied for school the next day. She would send me care packages while i was at UT (and here in Netherlands) that gave me the strength to keep going.

I'm not very good at communicating my feelings sometimes, and am definitely more closed off than my mom and her sisters; but she has taught me to always be myself. She has taught me to believe in love while still being indepependent - to believe that anything is possible and then to support those dreams. When i was accepted at UT, she became the #1 Longhorn fan; when I got transferred to the Netherlands- she encouraged me to make the most of my opportunities... Of course i was worried and scared that she is all i have, and that i am her only daughter; but nothing shows me how deep her love goes that she would be willing to support my move here... and now she is the #1 Netherlands fan.

It has been hard being alone today- and i've been lucky to have some amazing friends that i went to brunch with.... but I'm lucky to have such an amazing mother- wherever we are in the world.

Den Haag

My mom was able to stay for an extra week... and we still wanted to keep exploring. She was able to watch me go around on my bike, and we also managed to find my new favorite restaurant "Popocatepetl" ... yes, the best Mexican restaurant in Haarlem. We had "Kaasfondue" aka Queso (it tasted like "old cheese fondue" and was served with tortillas... but we asked for nacho chips and devoured it like if it was kerbey queso... its funny how amazing things are when you miss the real thing)... And we also had margaritas (rimmed with sugar), and chicken fajitas... but dont know if you'd call it fajitas because in Haarlem it is really really healthy tasting grilled chicken and veggies. Anyhow, AMAZING. Ole!!

We also explored "Den Haag"... it is the political city of the Netherlands where the Queen (and maybe new king and queen) live and most of the ambassadors. They also had amazing shopping... and afterwards we went to see my friend Gladys perform. She is a belly dancer, and is incredible!! We had a lot of fun.