Back in the great state of Texas

What a whirlwind the last two weeks have been!  Here's a "brief" summary of all the exciting events!
~June 8th- Left for Warsaw, Poland. 
~June 9th- Arrived in Poland.  Met Raphael's family
~June 10th- Got engaged to the most wonderful man in the middle of Old Town, Warsaw!
                    Celebrated with friends and many bottles of cherry vodka. 

The night we got engaged!!

~June 11th- Still celebrating at sun rise :)
                   Slept for a few hours and then went and saw some great site in Warsaw and ate some amazing food. 

~June 12th- Poland v. Russia game.  Prior to the game, we walked the city and made a loop around the stadium.  We were interviewed by Polish TV about how much we would pay for tickets to this game.  (I will try to post the link later.) 

At the National Stadium in Warsaw. 

We visited some of the museums around town and learned some history of Poland. 



Visiting the National Museum filled with WWII equipment.

 You may have seen this game in the news for the huge amount of security that was needed to keep these fans civil.  I watched the game from an apartment near the Fan Zone. 

As we walked to the apartment, we had to detour around militia men with huge shields and guns who were standing shoulder to shoulder.  We saw fights, blood, inhaled pepper gas and then finally made it inside.  
Everyone made it home alive and well. 

~June 13th-  We went to finish the museum tour and walked around the Old Town some more. 
Ate some more yummy food, including zapiekanka (a french bread pizza like snack shown below). 

~June 14th- We left Warsaw for Poznan today to go to the Italy v. Croatia game.  We all loaded up and were on our way!

R and I in our Italy jerseys! 

We drove to Poznan, found our apartment and headed to the stadium.  We wanted to make sure we arrived in time to see all the opening ceremonies and the first kick. 

Ready to go into the game!  It was cold and a little rainy, but it didn't damper our spirits!

The game finally started and it was like no other sporting event I have ever attended.  The fans were noisy (although R said the fans were a little lame compared to the Poland and Russia fans) and each team had its own chant that the fans would just randomly start.  We watched Italy score and lead for most of the game and then Croatia scored towards the end of the second half.  It ended in a draw (which is a little weird to me), so I guess everyone went home happy!

We went into the Poznan square to watch the 2nd game of the night.  Ate some sausage and bread and then went back to the apartment. 



~June 15th- Time to drive back to Warsaw.  When we got back to Warsaw, we rested for little bit and then it was time for a girls night!  We sent the boys on their way and then went to several different hangouts around town.  We listened to a traditional Polish band, went to a bar by the river and then ate some Italian food. 

~June 16th- We spent this Saturday with R's aunt, uncle and cousins.  We went to the Uprising Museum in Warsaw and then went to eat lunch in the New World part of Warsaw. 

I watched the game that night with the girls and some bottles of wine.  It was much more relaxing than the previous game watched in Warsaw. 

~June 17th- An early morning ride to the airport and then we were on a plane to Milan, Italy.  We landed in Italy, picked up the rental car and were headed on our Italian road trip.  After a not-so-short trip (thanks to a little car accident we had in the parking lot) by San Siro Stadium (where AC Milan and Inter Milan play), we drove through the mountains and stopped in Portofino. 

Portofino, Italy

After dinner, we continued to drive towards Rome.  We stopped in Pisa and saw the famous leaning tower and then drove a little more until we found a hotel.  We slept a few hours and set our alarms for another early morning. 



~June 18th- On to Rome.  We got back on the road early in the am and drove through the gorgeous Tuscany.  We wanted to stop at every little village because they were just so gorgeous, but we only stopped at one.  We walked the cobblestone streets, saw the village church, and ate some prosciutto. 

After we examined the entire village, we continued to Rome.  We found a place near the airport to drop our bags and sleep at night and then boarded to train into Rome.  We saw ALL the site in Rome including the Colloseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Square, and the Spanish steps.  We had a fabulous Italian dinner complete with bread, pasta and mushrooms!  We then headed back towards the train station, found our hotel through our makeshift Italian, and went to sleep.  

  

~June 19th- The travelling continues.  We had an early flight back to Warsaw.  Upon arriving in Warsaw, we quickly repacked our bags and then headed, by car, the Krakow.  This is another little town in Poland. 
We arrived in Krakow in time to walk around the city and then find somewhere to eat.  We hit the town a little bit and then headed back to the apartment to sleep. 

~June 20th-  We woke up early this morning to head back and get an emotional, history lesson at Auschwitz Concentration Camp.  We drove a little ways out of Krakow and ended up on the same streets were prisoners and Nazi soldiers walked.  It was heartbreaking to see the piles of hair, suitcases, shoes, brushes and combs that were left behind by the prisoners. We walked through each building and learned a little more about the suffering that occurred behind the walls.  We said many prayers for the families and then headed back to Krakow. 

Krakow, Poland

Once in Krakow, we headed to the Wawel Castle.  We saw the dragon's chamber, the cathedral and the armour and weapons. 

Wawel, Castle

We went back to the apartment and cleaned up for dinner and a night out on the town.  We went to a Hungarian Pancake restaurant and ate way too much and then went to a couple of bars around town. 

~June 21st- Back to Warsaw.  We had an early train to catch back to Warsaw, so R and I were up and out as the sun came up.  We made it to the train station and were headed back to Warsaw. 

On the train to Warsaw. 

We we arrived back in Warsaw, we took a short nap and then headed out to get some lunch and do a little shopping.  We met up with R's cousins that night for dinner and to watch another game. 

~June 22nd- R's hometown visit.  We got up and headed towards the town where R lived 25 years ago.  Through fb, he has caught up with some of his old school mates and so he wanted to catch up with them.  We drove, and drove and drove and finally saw a little sign of civilization.  He took me by his village where we saw his school, old grocery store, church and the house where he lived with his family.  We met up with some of his friends at their house where they were very hospitable and even offered us a place to stay that night.  We then went to have some drinks with some of his other classmates and then went back to where we were staying.  He enjoyed catching up with his buddies. 

~June 23rd- Back to Warsaw, for the final time this trip.  We drove back to Warsaw and discussed all the things we did and the few last minute things we needed to pick up.  When we got back, we freshened up and headed out to pick up some more goodies we wanted to bring back.  We met up with some more of his family to eat dinner and then it was time to pack.  Of course we were taking back more than we brought, so we had to cautiously pack our bags.  We borrowed another bag from his cousin and eventually made everything fit. 

~June 24th- We boarded the plane early and then were on our way to our layover in Frankfurt.  We slept through both the legs of our flight and landed in DFW around 3pm.  Even with all the sleep, it took a couple of days to adjust back to our time zone. 

All of Poland that I saw was gorgeous and our short Italy trip made us both wanting to go back soon!  I tried all kinds of strange foods and, although I didn't like all of it, I gave it a shot. 
If you ever get the chance, travel wherever you can.  Try EVERYTHING and be open minded.  It will make your trip so much more memorable. 



Happy Travels!

Day 1: An Introduction

It's hard to believe it's been almost 7 years since my last blogging adventure!  That blog was to provide my friends and family stateside of my adventures studying abroad in Australia. 
This time, I'll use my blog to inform you of the wonderful happenings in my life. 
Just a little background information...
I was born and raised in Midlothian, TX.  Lived there my entire life.  Attended and graduated from Austin College in Sherman, TX with my BA in Psychology and MA in Teaching.  Began teaching 2nd grade in a small Catholic school. 

My 1st class of 2nd graders!

                                                            My 2nd bunch of kiddos!

After two years of teaching, I got the bug to go back to school, so I began my Education Administration certification to obtain my Principal Certification.  I left the classroom while in school and was the Assistant Principal at the same Catholic school.  I completed the program this past May. 

After lots of thinking and hard decisions, I decided to change schools and return to the classroom.  I will be starting a new adventure this fall back in 2nd grade, this time in a public school. 

I have a wonderful supportive family who is always there for me!  I love our Sunday brunches, baseball games and road trips. 

With Mom and Jess!

After a fishing trip with Dad and Charlie.  And, YES, I caught the biggest fish!

I have a wonderful boyfriend who I wouldn't trade in a million years.  We enjoy sporting events, biking and SUSHI!!  We are going to Poland tomorrow for the Euro 2012!  We will also be visiting Italy.  (I'll fill you in on the details when we get back.)



Aren't these guys cute?!?!

Hopefully I won't bore you too much with my everyday, ordinary life. 

Enjoy today!