{life} loving lately

Lately I'm loving....

All of the time I have been able to spend with this wonderful, sweet, thoughtful man.

The new mascara I am using lately. Holy amazeballs, this stuff is good.

The new color of revlon nail polish I picked up at Target the other day. I love Essie and OPI as much as the next girl, but I love the price tag of this similarly high quality nail polish more than the others!

Dining at The Refinery in Seminole Heights. A unique menu that changes daily and a whole lotta delicious craft beer options. What more could you ask for?

Total Wine because I can find a wine I tried in Portgual and my favorite Spanish red in the same aisle. Yes.

All of the back to school shopping I get to do again! Say hello to my gorgeous new bookbag / hiking pack.

In a similar vein, I cannot wait to say hellllo to some gorgeous new gameday dresses! This one is perfection.

I'm also really excited to move up to Tallahassee and get to know the city like I never did in undergrad. This means that I will definitely be checking out the Farmers' Market, Railroad Square artwork, and Tallahassee Trails much more this time around.

And finally...

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I saw this quote at the perfect time last week. Invest in people who invest in you. Sounds so simple doesn't it? It's important to remember this at this extremely transitional period of life. Let go of the negative energy in your life and focus on the people who, and things that, make you feel energized and happy. Namasate.

What are you loving lately?

xx, Jen

{life} loving lately

Oh, hi! Remember me? I can't believe it's already been a month since I last blogged. My life has been a little crazy lately. I finished up with work for the year (hola verano - adios mis estudiantes), moved out of my apartment, said goodbye to a whole lot of friends, and went on an 11 day trip to Greece. Now I'm back in Madrid for a super measly two days before it is time for me to head back to Barajas airport to hop on yet another plane, but this time I will be going back to the USA, for good. Eeeek.

While I am slightly freaking out about leaving this gorgeous city I have called home for the last year and a half, that is not going to be the focus of today's post. Here's to focusing on the positive and all of the things I'm looking forward to at home.

Hanging with my sweet boyfriend.

We'll finally be living in the same country again! Even better? In the same time zone. Goodbye six hour time difference and 31839182 mile distance. Even though we'll be in different cities attending our respective graduate schools, what's a three hour drive when you've survived almost an entire year of living on different continents? Best thing? I'm flying home on his birthday, so I get to be with him on the day he turns 25. Old man status! ;)

Good ol' American BBQ.

This is ALWAYS the first meal I request when I come home. While Spain has certainly picked up on the American burger concept, nothing compares to my dad's pulled pork or my mom's baked beans. Some of the best food I've ever tasted has come out of my parent's kitchen. I mean... check out the spread below.

FSU football.

I might look like your typical girly girl, but I am paaasssionnattee about my college's football team. I bleed garnet and gold and am therefore ridiculously excited to attend football games again. My graduate school choice was 90% about the program and 10% about the football. sorrymomanddad. I'd just like to throw everything else American cultured into this section too. Tailgates! Happy hour! Fashion! Service! Language! Etc. This American girl is ready to get back down with her roots.

Florida.

You don't really realize how unique of a culture your particular state has until you move abroad and start chatting with people who grew up in other places. So wait... you didn't learn the stingray shuffle or the best route on how to run away from alligators? (Always zigzag, never straight). You didn't grow up going boating on the weekends or on a diet of freshly caught fish? You didn't have friends who caught lizards to wear as earrings? (Yes, totally a thing in Florida. lolzz). You didn't have hurricane parties or have your afternoon storm ritual in the summertime? You didn't grow up eating Cuban food or hearing Spanish all the time? It has been so interesting learning about other states' cultures and realizing how awesome the place I come from is.

Friends and family.

I'm so thankful for my time living abroad, and all of the incredible people I've met along the way, but I'm getting so excited to be home with my family and hometown & college friends. Nothing feels worse than missing weddings, babies' births, engagements, birthdays, and holidays. I can't wait to catch up with everyone and celebrate a few things I've missed!

Blogging catch up.

Even though I will be starting graduate school soon after moving home, I have high hopes for my blogging productivity. I want to start setting aside solid hours each week to write. After all, I still have to write about my trips to Ireland, Asturias, and Greece, as well as my last few months in Madrid! Eeep. #comingsoon

Next time I blog I will officially be living in the USA again. Here's to new memories and a new beginning. I hope you'll still follow along as I start to adjust to life on American soil again.

xx, Jen

{life} loving lately

I'm taking a break from my #italyspam travel posts to share a few things that I have been loving lately. New recipes I've tried, things I've done, and random internet things I've enjoyed lately. It can sometimes seem like my travels take over my entire blog, when it really is a fairly small percentage of my everyday life. My life is pretty normal, although you really wouldn't think so if you have read my blog lately. If I'm feeling fancy during the week I might hit up a market for some fresh fruits and veggies, or meet friends for a coffee or wine date, but a general day goes like this: wake up, go to work, cook lunch, blog a little, lesson plan a little, make dinner, chat with friends / family / my boyfriend, and then go to sleep. But I also do lots of fun stuff on the weekends that I stay in Madrid! I would love to start sharing more about that side of my life, instead of just sharing the "super glitzy" travel side! So here goes!