tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10460691428203727082024-02-07T22:47:45.204-05:00Forward MotionAmy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-51460549032938958092015-08-22T12:59:00.000-04:002015-08-22T12:59:02.150-04:00Marathon Training Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Training update: 63 days until Leslie and I are standing on the Start Line for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. That feels like forever away but I know that it will be here before I know it. This year's training has meant quite a few days running by myself. Definitely more than last year. And I won't lie, it has made the training a little bit harder. I love running with people. But as I sat down to write this post, I thought back over the last two months of training and they really have been great. I have been grateful for every day that I have had to get up and go for a run, sometimes before the sun is up.<br />
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Running for as long as we do for the training runs gives me lots of time to think. Usually, this leads to me overthinking things. But for some reasons these runs this year have allowed for time for me to be quiet and pray for and think about others. I have found myself being more engaged with the run instead of merely trying to check off the box. And it has been so good.<br />
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I often find myself thinking about Inheritance of Hope and the families they serve quite often. It seems every year I hear about more and more people that I know getting diagnosed with cancer or other terrible diseases. And these people are not old, they are young and have families and lives. But I have also seen communities come around these families and support them and walk through the hard days with them. Inheritance of Hope comes alongside families who have a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness and helps inspire hope and provides support. They have Legacy Retreats in which families can participate for absolutely no cost. It is a place where the whole family can go and make memories together and laugh and cry and share with each other. I encourage you to go check out their website to learn more because I could go on forever about it. <a href="http://inheritanceofhope.org/">http://inheritanceofhope.org/</a><br />
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Part of running Marine Corps Marathon with Inheritance of Hope means fundraising for them. This year my fundraising goal is $750. I would love to even surpass this if possible. Won't you join me in my support of Inheritance of Hope? A donation of any amount is awesome. And will be put to good use, I can promise you that.<br />
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Click <b><a href="https://give.inheritanceofhope.org/fundraise?fcid=435275" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>to go to my personalized donation page. Every dollar is greatly appreciated. Seriously, even $5.<br />
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Stay tuned for more updates!<br />
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<br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-11320950489781520092015-07-21T11:25:00.001-04:002015-07-21T11:25:31.070-04:00In Case You Didn't Know, My Mom is AwesomeI just wanted to take a minute today to brag about my mom, Stacey Noll. She was recently selected to be the new Camp Manager of a Wyldlife camp in Florida called Southwind. This is a big deal. She's like running the whole camp. And she deserves every bit of that position and to be celebrated. Everyone who knows my mom knows how capable she is of taking on this new role. Anyone who thinks otherwise...I'll see you outside.<br />
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My mother is a great leader who cares always cares about her staff. She is funny and smart and when she sets her mind to something, it WILL happen. And most of the time, it will happen a lot faster than you can prepare for. She volunteered for Young Life for a long time which was awesome because we got to spend our summers at Young Life camps which is pretty much THE single best way to spend your summer as a kid.<br />
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For the past few years she has been on the regional staff with Young Life in Texas where she has been doing amazing things. She has also for the past few summers been running Camp Buckner, a camp in Texas that Young Life rents out for Young Lives and Wyldlife camp during the summer.<br />
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She is also the first Woman camp manager in the history of Young Life but guess what, that's not even why they hired her, that's just a sweet added bonus.<br />
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This next step is a big one for her and for my entire family, but it is definitely one that is to be celebrated and encouraged. I really cannot think of a better person for this position. And the even greater more important thing is even though my mom is really good at being in charge and making things happen, all of this, her whole story, has been painted and directed by Jesus. All of it. And she will tell you that. She has worked really hard and set goals and dreamed big but at the end of the day, Jesus did it all. Seriously. It's very humbling to her and to us as a family.<br />
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So Southwind, get ready, you are about to get one of the greatest Jesus loving, go getters I have ever known. I just hope you can keep up with her.<br />
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<br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-86835526451700637702015-06-29T20:31:00.000-04:002015-06-29T20:31:04.931-04:00I'm Baaaaaack!2015 has been an interesting one. It has been filled with a little traveling, a lot of laughing and of course, running. I have decided to run another marathon for Inheritance of Hope. Last year, as you probably remember, I ran the New York City marathon with my good friends Jenn and Leslie. This year Jenn and her husband Kyle welcomed a sweet baby boy and thus are not training. Leslie and myself decided we would run the Marine Corps Marathon on the Inheritance of Hope Team this year which takes place in Washington, DC on October 25th.<br />
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Next Monday, July 6th, we will officially start training. For the past 6 weeks I have been doing a bit of 'pre-training' to make sure I will be able to start really training next week. Sounds crazy, I know. I am currently in day 36 of a 40 day run streak in which the goal is to run at least 1 mile every day for 40 days. This year seemed more difficult than years past. I am once again in the middle of a move and keeping a consistent schedule seems impossible right now. But I have been getting it done even with a couple of 11pm 1 mile runs squeezed in at the last minute.<br />
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I am excited to be running Marine Corps with Inheritance of Hope. The experience last year was so great and the motivation of all of the families that are impacted by the donations I receive is the best.<br />
<br />I am so grateful for the ability to run and that I enjoy doing it.<br />
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Won't you join me again this year on my journey to the start line of the Marine Corps Marathon?<br />
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Click <a href="https://give.inheritanceofhope.org/fundraise?fcid=435275" target="_blank">here</a> to donate to my fundraising page and help kickstart my training journey.<br />
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<br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-77404871700585970042014-12-07T23:00:00.002-05:002014-12-07T23:00:51.787-05:00A Belgian ThanksgivingThis year for Thanksgiving I made plans to go to Leuven, Belgium to see my sister Mary and her husband David who are studying in the university in Leuven. I made these plans in July and was so excited when the day finally arrived to board a plane headed for Belgium. This trip was exciting because I was able to spend good quality time with Mary and David but also because I was able to turn my phone of for 9 whole days!! My job requires that my phone pretty much be nearby 24/7 so 9 days phone free was a vacation in itself!<br />
So here is a quick trip summary since I didn't post any pics while i was gone:<br />
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Saturday, Day 1:<br />
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Landed in Brussels and took a train to Leuven where Mary greeted me with the lovely sign in the train station. I somehow managed to not even be the slightest bit jet lagged..<br />
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I toured Louven with Mary and then we all saw Hunger Games Mocking Jay Pt 1 with some of their American friends. It was awesome. You have to go early and get your tickets and reserve your seats. Yes, reserve your seats. Which I actually think is a great idea. They also had like a full candy store inside the movie theater. I mean..it was pretty much my favorite movie theater ever. </div>
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Sunday, Day 2: Trip to Antwerp!</div>
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Sunday we took a train to Antwerp and walked around the city all afternoon. It was so fun. The train station there is ridiculous and I must have taken at least 10 pictures of it.</div>
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true love</div>
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It was really fun to have David and Mary know where they wanted to go and what to go see. We ended our trip with an amazing Indian food meal. It was so delicious. </div>
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Monday, Day 3: Skool dayz</div>
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Mary and David are both in school currently. David has finished one masters in Philosophy and is working toward a second. Mary is working on her masters in education. So they were busy with class during my trip which meant I was able to sit in on a couple of classes. Monday I went with David to one of his classes and got to experience grad school Belgian style. The university they are at is full of international students and it was pretty fun to get to now be able to picture what they tell me about. </div>
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Tuesday: Day 4: Education Conference</div>
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Mary had a very cool mini conference on education on Tuesday in Brussels so she took me with her. During the morning we sat through the conference and then after lunch it was time to shop! She took me to this kitchen store that was so adorable. It was called Dille & Kamille and I lived there, all my things would be from that store.. Then we went on a walking tour of the city and got THE best hot chocolate I have ever had (sorry Grove Park Inn). It was literally a chocolate bar melted in a glass of milk. </div>
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Later that evening back in Leuven we went up into the central church bell tower for a twice a month bells concert. It was really cool! Classical music mixed in with a little Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. </div>
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Wednesday, Day 5: Spa Day</div>
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Wednesday was the day that I went and spent for the first time in my life an entire day at a Spa. It was glorious. Let's just say it was very Euro and clothing was optional. I leave it at that..It was so relaxing. I read more there in a day than I think I have in the past year and everything was perfectly relaxing and not that crowded which was a plus. I am so thankful for that day. </div>
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Thursday, Day 6: Not Thanksgiving</div>
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So while everyone in America was celebrating Thanksgiving, Mary and David were busy with class and work. We kept making jokes about how at least all the stores were open for shopping! So I spent the morning hanging out and then walking around a bit and just some general hanging out! Mary also introduced me to Belgian Waffles..o my deliciousness. Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside and so cheap. </div>
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We spent the whole evening skyping with family who were celebrating Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for Skype.</div>
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Friday, Day 7: </div>
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On this day I slept in and then went to class with Mary. It was really fun to get to experience a little bit of what her daily life in class is like. The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent hanging out with David and talking about about the last 15 months in Belgium. We also played Pandemic, which is my new favorite board game.</div>
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Saturday: Day 8: Feuxgiving</div>
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Saturday was the day we celebrated Thanksgiving! They invited the same American couple that we went to the movies with earlier in the week to come and join us. We went all out! Here is the menu. It was uh-mazing and everything was made from scratch:</div>
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I even brought over things to make green bean casserole with. Mary made an apple pie from scratch and we had the best appetizers. We spent the afternoon/evening playing Ticket to Ride: Europe, Pandemic and laughing and telling stories. It was so much fun and I definitely did not want it to end because this meant my trip was coming to an end..</div>
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Sunday, Day 9: The Return</div>
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Sunday came too soon...I woke up really early, said my goodbyes and made it back to the airport. Thankfully I had a window seat for the 9.5 hr direct flight to Atlanta. I watched so many movies I lost track. But I made it back and then had to drive home to Asheville in the awful Thanksgiving traffic. But I didn't even care because going to Belgium was so great.</div>
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I wish I could have spent weeks hanging out with Mary and David. My family is currently living all over the world and that gets tough at times. I miss the days when we were all living under one roof and in the same town. But I am thankful for things like social media and skype that help make the world a little smaller. </div>
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I spent the whole week missing Mary and David and wandering through the streets of Belgium. Can't wait for my next visit!</div>
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Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-84119049160244851602014-12-07T21:32:00.000-05:002014-12-07T21:32:14.858-05:00We finished!!...a month agoSo this post is a long time overdue and somehow I did not take the time to do a final wrap up from the marathon so here it is! Short and sweet:<br />
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WE FINISHED! And not only did we finish..but we finished together. Jenn, Leslie and I without knowing all wrote this same goal down together and stuck in on the 'goal' wall in the race expo the day before the race. It was so awesome.<br />
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Race day was amazing! It was so cold and windy. But once we got started and headed over the first bridge the excitement pretty much made the cold not even matter. Leslie, Jenn and I kept a great pace and got to enjoy taking in each neighborhood in the city! Here are a few pictures from the race!</div>
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Pre race selfie with the NYPD</div>
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Verrazano Bridge Selfie!</div>
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Mile 13 feelin fine!</div>
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This last photo was taken what we deemed the 'zombie walk' out of Central Park. I ended up in the med tent due to a severe quad cramp in the last few miles but after we met up we still had to walk over a mile to get out of the park. It was more of a shuffle. But we were still super fired up!!! Once the cobwebs cleared my head it was so fun to realize what we had just accomplished! I couldn't have asked for a better team to run with. It has been a month and I miss our Saturday morning early runs and the excuse to get together all the time and talk about running! </div>
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Jenn's husband, Kyle also ran and absolutely killed it! He started and finished far before us so when we finally met up we had plenty of stories to tell each other. </div>
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After the race we took a few days to enjoy NYC. The first day involved a lot of waddling around with sore legs but by the second and third day we were feeling great! It was so much fun to spend some time just exploring the city.</div>
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I am so grateful for this experience and all that it brought along! Thanks to all of you for being a part of it with me!</div>
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<span id="goog_2037709992"></span><span id="goog_2037709993"></span><br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-84480421827645353842014-10-17T12:46:00.000-04:002014-10-17T12:46:01.844-04:00I Can Almost Smell the 50,000 Stinky People<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was taken last Friday upon completion of our 20 mile run. The longest run we have before the big day!! Look at those smiles!</div>
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15 DAYS????????<br />
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I mean..this is real. In 15 days I will be in New York City waiting to start the New York City Marathon. What a journey it has been. You probably noticed (or not) my severe lack of blog posts on my training and fundraising process. I am sad about that. But here is one that will hopefully encapsulate the last two months in a less than a small paperback.<br />
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The last two months have been hard. I don't mean just kind of tough I mean HARD. My job has been super demanding, like 50+ hrs a week demanding. I have been also trying to fundraise and be a Wyldlife leader to the best of my ability. Oh, and I forgot the couple of hundred training miles I have run on top of all of that and the numerous other life responsibilities.<br />
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But as tough as those days have all been I have been reminded each day of families and even friends of mine who have it even tougher. They don't have the ability to even get out of bed most days. They are fighting to stay positive for their families in the face of more pain in diseases than I can even imagine. And this is not meant for me to say I have it better or I should not be hurting or complaining about how busy I have been but for me to be reminded of why those and so many others keep fighting. And that is Jesus and the hope that he offers.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This verse has been constantly in my mind in the last two months and is something I have to remind myself of daily if not hourly when I am not sure how I am going to make it through the day:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;"><i><b>"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">This is quite possibly one of my top 5 verses. The exclamation mark is my favorite. It gives me chills and gets my blood pumping because I can almost feel Jesus grabbing me by the shoulders, looking me in both my eyes, at the same time (he can do that he is Jesus) and telling me to 'Take Heart!" It is also a gentle reminder, encourager and jumpstart for me on the days when I cannot see through the chaos. I have to stop myself and remember that <b><u><i>I know how this all ends!</i></u></b> And by remembering that I can set my alarm clock for 5am 4 days a week, lace up my shoes and head out the door to run for the Inheritance of Hope families who need to be reminded of how it all ends amidst their pain and their suffering. And just maybe by remembering how it all ends they can learn to smile and have peace in the middle of it. A peace that is only possible in Jesus. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">So in a nutshell that is what I am so desperately working on in my life and honestly the month of August/September were a huge emotional struggle in this for me. But I am so grateful to be on this journey and to not be in it alone. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Jenn, Leslie and I have put in the work, we have run the miles, iced sore legs, listened to way too many podcasts and Usher songs and downed so many gallons of energy drink. But I know for a fact it is all worth it.</span></span><br />
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The donation deadline for giving to my sponsor page for Inheritance of Hope is <b>Oct 29th</b>. Won't you consider giving today?? Like right now? This very second?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #dc0423; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 16.2000007629395px;"><a href="http://athletes.inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970" style="background-color: white; color: #dc0423; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 16.2000007629395px;" title="Runner Link">http://athletes.inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970</a></span></div>
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And may you remember how this all ends. It ends with the victory of Jesus. It has ALL been done. We get the opportunity to share that with people. May we share it with Joy! And not forget it ourselves. </div>
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Alright...so maybe a small novel and not a paperback but hopefully you read it!</div>
<br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-28594696612922822162014-08-10T21:46:00.002-04:002014-08-10T21:46:33.639-04:00Training Update- 100 miles!<br />
I officially hit 100 miles in my training plan this weekend!!! Jenn and I ran a 12 mile course on Saturday through the streets of Asheville. Some of those past 100 miles have been easy, some have been hard but I have run them all gladly. Almost all of them have been run in the early morning hours.<br />
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I am 100% a morning runner. There has always been something for me about getting up before the sun, slipping on a pair of running shoes and running for miles before most everyone else even wakes up. The air is fresh and the day holds so much possibility. I do some of my best thinking in these early morning runs and also some of my best praying.<br />
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During the workweek in this past month I have done all of my runs by myself but 'by myself' usually includes a little help from Spotify. This weeks playlist was Best of the 2000's. So many gems in that one. And sometimes you just need a little Nelly and Usher to get you moving. Some days I run without music but I have to say, I LOVE running with music. I also love running with people and I am so glad that Jenn, Leslie and I are doing this together. So much easier to get through 10+ miles when you are telling random stories to each other, ok, while I tell them random stories. But they help check off the miles so they deal with it.<br />
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I am so glad to be running as part of the Inheritance of Hope team this year. I've mentioned before that this will be my first charity run. It's a pretty cool feeling to walk out the door for every training run knowing that there is a greater purpose for what you are doing than just checking off some miles or trying to stay in shape. I am so glad that I said yes to this Team and this race.<br />
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I can't wait to see where I am after another 100 miles! The days are getting shorter but the miles are getting longer. Bring it on.<br />
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Also, I am currently sitting at $980 towards my $3,000 fundraising goal. Won't you please join me in this journey and help me reach this goal? Any amount you can give is greatly appreciated! Click the link below to give:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://athletes.inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970">http://athletes.inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970</a></span></div>
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Thank you!Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-11445170094497995182014-07-30T12:53:00.000-04:002014-07-30T12:53:55.624-04:00Why am I Here?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are now in week 3 of marathon training. I am starting to get into a rhythm of early morning runs again, something I have missed.<br />
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I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain a bit on why I am running for Inheritance of Hope.<br />
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Last year, my good friend Leslie Sloan announced she was going to run the NYC marathon and she was going to do it by running for a charity called Inheritance of Hope, an organization I had not heard of before. Throughout her training I was able to get a first hand glimpse at this amazing organization and what they have and currently do for families with a parent(s) who is battling a life threatening illness. I got to watch her work really hard to not only get the training done for the marathon but also to raise money for Inheritance of Hope. I attending several of her fundraising events and watched as each week she seemed to be so full of life even after a grueling 16 or 18 mile run. I watched her selflessly complete grueling training runs, solicit people on facebook, set up events, write letters and make phone calls so that she could reach her fundraising goal. I also watched her surpass her fundraising goal and continue to raise money even though she wasn't required to go above the minimum. I watched her passion for running, people, Jesus and her family grow with each day. It was an incredible journey to witness.<br />
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This year, Leslie approached me and our friend Jenn Murphy about joining her on the Inheritance of Hope NYC marathon team. My first reaction was one of hesitation. I had just gotten a very highly demanding job, had plans to move out of the Blue Barn and also become a Wyldlife leader (hanging out with sweet wild and crazy middle school kids). I had been training for a few races here and there but not at all thinking about marathons let alone running a marathon for other people. So when she first asked, I hesitated. I hesitated because I didn't want to be stretched to thin, I wanted time for myself, I didn't want to be too tired, I didn't want to have to fundraise, I was worried about fitting in the training. The list goes on. And it was all about me.<br />
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So I told her I'd think about it. And boy did I think about it. Took me over a month to make a decision but when I finally sat down and thought about it I thought about what we would be running for. I thought about the countless families that l would get to run for. I thought about how it would be a sacrifice for me but that I was ready for it! Because ultimately it wasn't about me. The last marathon I ran was totally about me. Could I make it? How fast could I run? This time around it would be different. I would be doing all of it (training, eating, sleeping, raising money) for others. And it was then that I had my decision. It was an overwhelming YES! I am in. That lasted for a few days and then the doubts crept back in. I had committed but was struggling with thinking about all of the what ifs, could I do it? and so on. But then I remembered I could absolutely do all of it and that I feel pulled to do all of it. I was also reminded of Hebrews 6:17-19<br />
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<i><b>"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the <u>hope set before us</u>. We have this as a sure and <u>steadfast anchor of the soul</u>, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain"</b></i></div>
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This hope is the hope of Jesus and it is a hope that I hold fast and firm to. It as a hope that is offered to these families and a hope that has carried me and my family through some pretty dark days. It is ultimately this hope that motivates me to pester people for money, go for long runs in the dark and carry arounds a snack bag at all hours of the day. It is a hope I want to share with as many people as I possibly can. </div>
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So here I am in the first 3 weeks of training. I have to admit, I am tired, I am hungry all of the time and my body is adjusting to mileage but yet it has been a fantastic three weeks! I have raised $320 dollars so far but have a long way to go to reach my goal. Won't you please join me in this journey? Click below to go to my personal sponsor page.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><a href="http://inheritanceofhope.org/sponsorpage.html?eventid=66&regid=2970&rowid=2970">http://inheritanceofhope.org/sponsorpage.html?eventid=66&regid=2970&rowid=2970</a></span></div>
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Want to know more about Inheritance of Hope? Click <a href="http://inheritanceofhope.org/about-us/mission.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a> to go to their webesite</div>
Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-56386038202126920832014-07-21T22:14:00.002-04:002014-07-21T22:14:53.404-04:00Chacos for the WinEver since I opened the box on my first pair of chacos about 10 years ago as a freshman in highschool I knew it would be my favorite shoe. It was so practical and I could wear it with anything, yes anything. Chacos are literally the best. And living here in Asheville they can be classified as a hiking shoe, river shoe, casual shoe, and yes..dare i say it..a 'dress' shoe. This last one has been important to me in the last week.<br />
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Two weeks ago I started feeling what I have deemed to be the possible onset of plantar fasciitis. Basically I switched running shoes for two weeks and it was horrible so now I am dealing with some acute heel pain. This is where Chacos come to my rescue. They provide the support I need to let my foot heel. I am now wearing them all day at work (ugggh) and at night in my house. I also stretch like a crazy person and ice/golf ball roll my foot like crazy. And you know what, it is working. And I am literally giving the credit to my Chacos. Now, this pain will probably continue through my training so stay tuned for that one but I will do everything in my power to not let it slow me down!<br />
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And so far so good. Week 1 of training is in the books. Leslie, Jenn and I all completed our first long run of the training plan this weekend. Leslie is in Colorado running at high elevation so Jenn and I are holding down the fort here at more manageable oxygen levels. Completing this first long run means one week closer to the start line in NYC! This also means we are one more week into our fundraising and I am a little closer to my $3,000 mark. Won't you join with me in this journey? Click the link below to donate today! Keep checking back here for updates.<br />
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<a href="http://inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">http://inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970</span></a></div>
Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-84549653880628459172014-07-17T11:47:00.001-04:002014-07-17T11:47:32.487-04:00Here We Go!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes. Over two years and lots of crazy awesome life changes I am back at the blogging. I came back from Spain in the summer of 2012, finished up my Spanish degree at UNC Asheville and spent a year as a nanny for two of the greatest families in the universe and then was recently gifted a job as the Director of Training for a software company here in Asheville called iStream Technologies that has created an application for Anesthesiologists and CRNAs to do electronic charting. I am currently in charge training about 200+ individuals on this technology. It has been such a sweet gift from the Lord that has also challenged every single part of me. I am extremely grateful for it. I also recently moved out of the Big Blue Barn and into an apartment with a girl named Carolyn who is here doing a dietetic internship. She is great and we are getting along well! I also just recently became a Wyldlife leader. Wyldlife is the middle school version of Young Life. I am so excited to be part of the Valley Springs middle school team here in south Asheville. I recently went to camp in Florida with 11 middle school girls. It was a fantastic week of laughter, no sleep, way too much sugar and a whole lot of Jesus!<div>
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I real reason I have resurrected this blog is to document my journey to the New York City Marathon on November 2, 2014. I will be running it this year with my two very good friends Jenn Murphy and Leslie Sloan. Leslie ran the NYC marathon with Inheritance of Hope last year and encouraged both Jenn and I to run with her this year. I have not run the New York City marathon before and I am very excited for the opportunity to run it for Inheritance of Hope. The link below will take you to my sponsor page and an explanation of this charity I have chosen to run for. My personal fundraising goal is $3,000. I invite you to team up with me in this experience. You can donate at the link below and feel free to share with others! I can't do this without all of you and your wonderful support. </div>
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<a href="http://inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970" style="background-color: white; color: #dc0423; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 16.200000762939453px;" title="Runner Link"><span style="font-size: large;">http://inheritanceofhope.org/amy-noll-2970</span></a></div>
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Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-72043916021397214652012-05-31T13:23:00.001-04:002012-05-31T13:23:47.828-04:00Family VisitMy family made it to Spain!! Well, half of them anyway. My mom, dad and Anne arrived in Granada on Saturday evening. We spent the first few days in Granada. I showed them everything (almost) that i've been doing the last 9 months. Basically everything but going to school. ONLY JOKING!! Whether you believe it or not I actually went to class and finished the year well. And had a lot of fun in between. It was really neat to be able to have my parents sort of see what my life was like. They got to meet my host family and see where I went to class. They were pretty impressed with what I had been up to. It is my dad and Anne's first time in Europe and everybody's first time in Spain. It is so fun to see the looks on their faces at some of the stuff we do. It has been unbelievable because I can communicate with everyone and I know my way around southern Spain pretty well at this point. A lot of times they have no idea what is going on and I get to take charge and tell them how it's done.<br />
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Anne and I at the Alhambra</div>
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After some very sad and tearful goodbyes to my best friends in Granada, my host mom and my program director we headed down in our rented car to Nerja a beach town i went to in September. Absolutely gorgeous. We ate breakfast and spent a few hours walking around on the beach of the Mediterranean. Then we hopped back in the car and headed to Ronda, a mountain town I visited 3 months ago. A great hit. Here is the only family photo we have so far..<br />
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Ronda was great but we weren't finished. Got back in the car and drove to Sevilla. Spent all day yesterday galavanting around Sevilla. My parents have been very impressed with Southern Spain and I have fallen a little more in love with it. </div>
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Today we are in Cordoba and tomorrow we head to the last stop on our list, Madrid. </div>
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I can't believe I left Granada. It definitely feels like it was time to go but after leaving I realized just how much I actually loved it there and this feeling has only gotten stronger in the last 72 hours. </div>
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But thankfully I have an equally awesome place waiting for me to come home, Asheville NC. </div>
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4 more days with the family! Couldn't be more thankful that they were able to make the trip to see me. It definitely means a lot.</div>
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See you in 4 days America!!! Get ready.</div>
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<br /></div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-22060498240584797352012-05-24T04:46:00.000-04:002012-05-24T04:46:47.106-04:00¿Que hora es?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In 2 days I get to hug my parents and my sister, Anne. IN SPAIN! I couldn't be more excited. I finished classes on Tuesday and I have been attending going away festivities the last 3 days non stop. Definitely doing all that I can to take advantage of my time left here. Stuffing my face with tapas and not sleeping at all.</div>
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I can't even begin to explain the mix of emotions that I have. On one hand I could not be more excited to see my family and then go back to the US and start my new chapter in life but on the other hand I have spent so much time here and had experiences that I could have never imagined for myself. My life is so simple and easy here. 3 words to describe my time would be class (sometimes...only kidding Mom and Dad), tapas and traveling. What a life! I have learned so much about myself and the world around me. But that being said I ready for the challenge of coming home. Because it will be a challenge, but an exciting one!</div>
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On another note, the video below will probably only be funny to some people but as a person studying Spanish and remembering when I first started to study it is hilarious. It is a 3 minute clip of a fake Soap Opera in which the actors only know basic phrases, numbers and the days of the week in Spanish. Spanish people apparently do not find this video funny. But all I can think about is when I started Spanish in 8th grade and this is literally what we learned. What a long ways I have come since then. So enjoy, even if you have no idea what is going on.</div>
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<br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-5854000557562184592012-05-10T04:45:00.001-04:002012-05-10T04:46:59.393-04:00The Next Step<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">I have been doing a lot of thinking about coming home and what that experience will be like. I have absolutely no idea what it will feel like but I have had all sorts of repetitive nightmares about it. Inception type nightmares. Those are the worst. The truth is I am actually super excited about coming home. It's time.</span></div>
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Lately the image I can't get out of my head is me stepping off the plane in Asheville, NC on June 5th and just standing in the middle of the airport, laughing out loud. Laughing at the unbelievable moments (almost all of them) of the previous 9 months. The fact that at 22 years young I have seen and done more things in 9 months than most people have the opportunity to see their whole lives.<br />
Laughing because it happened, and is over, and that I not only survived, but thrived. Laughing that it wasn't a dream, that I really did go live in southern Spain for 9 months consuming massive amounts of tapas and speaking spanish.<br />
I don't think I will ever fully process the craziness of these past 9 months. My list of things I have 'taken away' from this experience is endless. But above all, I am excited for the next step in life wherever that will take me. I have one semester of school left when I get back home and after that I have no idea what's next but somehow, I am perfectly ok with that..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdP3MCDICUmJhJFJU8xf-mSJrODeeZYzLezeTOyXS-78tipNKSeP-ya0ssyZCssHR2ubfq2BxCu2Oe3PPGnP1p7Wo-iu542D1Nhw4jI6mW2H8PpWbdgzOyoGfR6rJ7g0jw3VkdDadOAw/s1600/IMG_3353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdP3MCDICUmJhJFJU8xf-mSJrODeeZYzLezeTOyXS-78tipNKSeP-ya0ssyZCssHR2ubfq2BxCu2Oe3PPGnP1p7Wo-iu542D1Nhw4jI6mW2H8PpWbdgzOyoGfR6rJ7g0jw3VkdDadOAw/s400/IMG_3353.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Granada</div>
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Blue Ridge Mountains. home.</div>
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Don't worry Texas. I didn't forget about you. </div>
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<br /></div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-33099466858391391252012-05-05T05:33:00.001-04:002012-05-05T05:33:41.493-04:00One Month More.<b><i><br /></i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gX2Ag9MPx4nsbDPRR60dIm8xmMApPp6J7j1DhxYCNZ3lXe_-IPHS6_8i3ym4OFzzMaKf-Pycv0ESAoRuo1jwSiv41NqDcTZHSj4huK9AFXiaNSqRJzZUaaae1-Y-rz5zAkjfrNb5SDY/s1600/living-in-the-present.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gX2Ag9MPx4nsbDPRR60dIm8xmMApPp6J7j1DhxYCNZ3lXe_-IPHS6_8i3ym4OFzzMaKf-Pycv0ESAoRuo1jwSiv41NqDcTZHSj4huK9AFXiaNSqRJzZUaaae1-Y-rz5zAkjfrNb5SDY/s400/living-in-the-present.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of conflict. Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let's be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."</span></i></b></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"> -</i>Henri Nouwen <i>Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-4735480302766927082012-05-04T14:16:00.001-04:002012-05-04T14:16:16.056-04:00Cabo de GataTwo weeks ago I was laying on the beach nearest to Granada with some friends talking about what we were going to do for the upcoming 5 day weekend we had last week. They were all going on a beach trip to this place called Cabo de Gata near Almería, Spain about 2 hours away from Granada in the south of Spain. I seriously had wanted to go but was unsure financially how I would manage it. But then one of their drivers had to be back to Granada early so they were going to need someone else who knew how to drive stick shift to drive the 2 cars they were going to rent back to Granada. And then I realized that I don't have that much time left and that all my friends were going on this trip and I should just suck it up and do it. So i happily agreed to drive. What a trip it ended up being. 13 of us total, 2 cars, giant beach house for 5 days. I try and just give you the highlights.<br />
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On Thursday three of us met after class to go rent the cars. I had rented a car last semester and the process was super easy so I didn't even think about all of the things that could go wrong, but boy did things get crazy. We had to take the 40 min bus to the airport to pick up the cars. Since I had been a late addition to the group and my friend Sam had booked the cars I never bothered to read any information on the cars what so ever. Also, the other driver was not 21 which was apparently a rule. So we showed up to the airport and began to try and collect the cars we had already paid for. Well, I don't have a credit card and they did not except debit or cash. Then they busted the other girl for not being 21 and then my friend Sam was going to just pretend she was a driver but she forgot her passport which was needed to rent the cars. So we ended up taking the 40 min bus back into granada. Sam ran home for the passport and my friend Brette and I stayed on the bus. Well little did we know there were no more buses back to the airport. but the now off duty bus driver said he would drive us back to the airport b/c he had to take the bus there anyways. super cool guy. He even ended up driving back through the city to pick up Sam and our friend Katie who was going to now help us rent the cars.<br />
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Another 40 min bus ride later we showed back up and finally got the car situation taken care of, 6 hours later...<br />
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Woke up early and hit the road but not after receiving a 200 euro fine on one of the cars for parking in a loading zone (not mine). That was special. Finally got everyone together and got on the road. Almería is in the only desert in Europe and happens to be close to where a lot "Spaghetti Westerns"were filmed. They buildings used film are still there and when you drive along the highway you seriously think a group of native americans on horseback is going to come charging over the hills shooting arrows at you. It's super cool. We didn't visit the old west towns b/c they now charge to see them and we were all thrilled at the fact that we were just in the same area as them.<br />
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Finally made it to the beach house. It slept 10 but we had 13 so there was a lot bed sharing that happened. Weather ended up being fairly terrible for beach going but we all agreed that if the weather had been too good we would have never gone exploring. The second day we were there I ended up having to drive a girl to the emergency room to get stitches in her foot after she stepped on a piece of broken glass in our house. That was crazy. I had to go ask a neighbor where the hospital was. Super hilarious because as soon as we left the hospital we drove 30 min to another beach and were exploring. Super bizarre. We spent 5 days driving around without maps (best feeling in the world), climbing rocks, laying on beaches, eating junk, laughing until all hours of the night and enjoying our freedom. We all agreed that it was one of the best trips ever. No body wanted to leave and we have since then all hung out everyday since returning to Granada.<br />
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Here are a few pictures from the weekend. A few of them my friend Katelin took because I was really good at forgetting my camera.<br />
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yep. that's real</div>
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our house!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJRL94B_DtOVYtxX-MR5mLBT8Jb8_ILrxGGQKB_5gXK8-hLZRuDRFDQSa83sUYJOfVuZVK2Aj8v_gXXHHuIfn8G3D9By28x_yNNajQiRmFKs0O6lhgD55wh__wRx7GezcjTqPGH6-1_g/s1600/IMG_6519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJRL94B_DtOVYtxX-MR5mLBT8Jb8_ILrxGGQKB_5gXK8-hLZRuDRFDQSa83sUYJOfVuZVK2Aj8v_gXXHHuIfn8G3D9By28x_yNNajQiRmFKs0O6lhgD55wh__wRx7GezcjTqPGH6-1_g/s400/IMG_6519.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Day 1 of exploring</div>
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classic</div>
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water was so clear!</div>
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storms a brewin'</div>
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drive dancing</div>
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scaring one lane mountain road</div>
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San Jose, a gorgeous beach</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4lJ3VAAP_VJkfCrKOqRo943ugJ14p30sRvGadz5liafTBfJmATzvaf_gxJnFf-QzyD56aJZBSYsQrYTcZAtKtHYpDB0GXafDfEgfDUY_7RN0d4F_SL7qI4sEjRbeRImPkbsc_FZhjK8/s1600/cabodegata17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4lJ3VAAP_VJkfCrKOqRo943ugJ14p30sRvGadz5liafTBfJmATzvaf_gxJnFf-QzyD56aJZBSYsQrYTcZAtKtHYpDB0GXafDfEgfDUY_7RN0d4F_SL7qI4sEjRbeRImPkbsc_FZhjK8/s400/cabodegata17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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North Carolina buddies! (Katelin)</div>
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San Jose</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0gR-AMrFhYuqepwRDGg3PUUKY1Am_3Sp2labY1Yf9Lt52c78qwcD9qwJAhB-5wrATqQqlIDbZIY8BhBPT4igkwqWtoNEVGthqmWH8Y5shQ2SHqzMqT-gfYAwA8gRUtuNvKfL1i2tdik/s1600/cabodegata20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0gR-AMrFhYuqepwRDGg3PUUKY1Am_3Sp2labY1Yf9Lt52c78qwcD9qwJAhB-5wrATqQqlIDbZIY8BhBPT4igkwqWtoNEVGthqmWH8Y5shQ2SHqzMqT-gfYAwA8gRUtuNvKfL1i2tdik/s400/cabodegata20.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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San Jose</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi5qPhnwvrpTVPkQOUcX8kfNuOBuJi20lF37i2Gv-Dk-noFsvQU9uefDD_ezqza_obMVNgk6osT6W8je6YvPfa_cnxs8iWvi9uJfpXW6aqcPQf4M04TZzqK9fSBHDeq2pPDa0JghIjMo/s1600/cabodegata23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi5qPhnwvrpTVPkQOUcX8kfNuOBuJi20lF37i2Gv-Dk-noFsvQU9uefDD_ezqza_obMVNgk6osT6W8je6YvPfa_cnxs8iWvi9uJfpXW6aqcPQf4M04TZzqK9fSBHDeq2pPDa0JghIjMo/s400/cabodegata23.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Day 4 beach. </div>
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love these girls (Katelin & Sam)</div>
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our beach by our house.</div>
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We came back to Granada on Tuesday and only had to go to class Wednesday and half of Thursday before it was the weekend again. Sigh...what a rough life. Thankful for every minute of it! One month from today I will be getting on a plane America bound. There's a crazy thought.</div>
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Viva España!</div>
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<br />Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-27877557675964955402012-04-16T04:50:00.000-04:002012-04-16T04:50:11.137-04:00Can't Say I Didn't Warn YouSpent some time going through my old blog posts since being here and I got all the way to last August and I read this that I had written right before I left the country:<br />
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</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"So here's to adventure!! I plan on updating this blog regularly. So stay tuned.</span></i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">WARNING! this could get pretty incredible."</span></i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d1010; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</i></b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d1010; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't say I didn't warn you...</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d1010; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1d1010;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">So thanks to all of you for putting up with reading all of the unbelievably crazy awesome fantastic things I have been able to do while studying abroad and sharing in my joy even though I know at times some of you are seething with jealousy. Hang in there, 2 months and it will all be over and I can go back to posting about things that everybody (mostly everybody) understands again. </span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d1010; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-86217232690737101132012-04-12T12:11:00.000-04:002012-04-12T12:11:01.732-04:00Munich, GermanyLast stop on the list was Munich. It proudly carries the slogan of the Beer Capital of the World. They tell no lies. But far more important than this fact is the city of Munich itself. What an incredible place. It was the birthplace of the Nazi party and pretty much everywhere you went had some kind of connection to the Nazis. Talk about crazy. Of course, the entire city center was bombed by the British and the Americans in WWII and Hitler knew this was going to happen so he had photographers go throughout the city and take super detailed photos of EVERYTHING. Then he hid them in an underground bunker and later when the American's came back to clean up their mess the photos were discovered and they were able to rebuild the city exactly like it used to look like. So all of the new buildings look just as they did before the war but just made out of concrete. It is super crazy.<br />
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There were some buildings and churches that survived the war and being able to stand next to those was just unbelievable. We went on a free walking tour that ended up being about 4 hours long in the rain and cold but was by far the best walking tour I have ever been on. The guide who lead ours was so excited about everything he talked about. It was almost overwhelming to be standing in the streets of a place I had only seen PBS specials about.<br />
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What amazed me the most were the German people. They are incredible people. Not just saying that because pretty much my entire family came from there. I mean their work ethic is impressive. 60 years have passed since the war and it almost looks like nothing ever happened. And the people themselves are super open about everything that happened. I had the privilege to know 3 guys from Munich and 2 of them took us to coffee on Easter. So fun to be shown around by people who live in the places you visit. Makes them so much better. Becky also had a friend in Munich and he took us out 2 nights in a row.<br />
The weather was absolutely horrid but I almost didn't mind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87HXea6q00hK6xplagaBXCB8D-CeuWDkDyu2pL9dcIVyz8_uguffSSwJ1ltCU0lWDkRlbdb_JCEg2zLWI1elUixuyW8YAxw72JNR631Y3M36qPBF1KEvow_cWsKu3v1SMVasWZXaT7M0/s1600/IMG_6308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87HXea6q00hK6xplagaBXCB8D-CeuWDkDyu2pL9dcIVyz8_uguffSSwJ1ltCU0lWDkRlbdb_JCEg2zLWI1elUixuyW8YAxw72JNR631Y3M36qPBF1KEvow_cWsKu3v1SMVasWZXaT7M0/s320/IMG_6308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbid95EZIPkG0T5M9l4Ntwm4ZTqXkdDvQ1X7rSnY_6soow5SzIuzswoWbpbvpwQW44yodegAxQW0Mi1XEAfIIhrWOcbu_jwfdJzf5W0hkISxzVZEtSE0gJtGtOZEhcD9TAuCukMyzYzE/s1600/IMG_6313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbid95EZIPkG0T5M9l4Ntwm4ZTqXkdDvQ1X7rSnY_6soow5SzIuzswoWbpbvpwQW44yodegAxQW0Mi1XEAfIIhrWOcbu_jwfdJzf5W0hkISxzVZEtSE0gJtGtOZEhcD9TAuCukMyzYzE/s320/IMG_6313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">cathedral on Good Friday. safe from the wind and rain</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgYiPgeHv5B_gZcOkmQaZD9lCVqRhdpGfldQysKzkANjZuEgUluu02xtZoFTrXVzmBpfBPJlofau5yriKOf2OkSEtS5eiAI0VWrZgWmw3BIQxxj9nQdlROX_e5r1LKAMmdYkkivouh_4/s1600/IMG_6345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgYiPgeHv5B_gZcOkmQaZD9lCVqRhdpGfldQysKzkANjZuEgUluu02xtZoFTrXVzmBpfBPJlofau5yriKOf2OkSEtS5eiAI0VWrZgWmw3BIQxxj9nQdlROX_e5r1LKAMmdYkkivouh_4/s320/IMG_6345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">famous permanent outdoor market</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OXdNlwp7Lz95cGxLvNkPgotoU2z2Fo_UGeg1vEU8PBtPbsnWrad1sS1vIzPmQYsmmGVQFpsKWz5XENw_H6x_ULg5H1a_uAsdoYJTTEOecVdWX6ROIN3EuordNoS8P3rv41htbA9bTsE/s1600/IMG_6350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OXdNlwp7Lz95cGxLvNkPgotoU2z2Fo_UGeg1vEU8PBtPbsnWrad1sS1vIzPmQYsmmGVQFpsKWz5XENw_H6x_ULg5H1a_uAsdoYJTTEOecVdWX6ROIN3EuordNoS8P3rv41htbA9bTsE/s320/IMG_6350.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">copper strip is a memorial to people who defied the Nazis in Munich. cool story behind it.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cwawoem0ywzKeZ8yPTN7LtQ86f3xrjTrMLAP47JlvmHw1dZz8InOpHEvlCD1meMkLcmEPO4vAKiWogswxs1EYLYnmJauIMi2wPNwFZORvOyCKDZ9tfDZmoYcoiA1ET9f1zPoPGGt2-Y/s1600/IMG_6353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cwawoem0ywzKeZ8yPTN7LtQ86f3xrjTrMLAP47JlvmHw1dZz8InOpHEvlCD1meMkLcmEPO4vAKiWogswxs1EYLYnmJauIMi2wPNwFZORvOyCKDZ9tfDZmoYcoiA1ET9f1zPoPGGt2-Y/s320/IMG_6353.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio11KueFfmjxVlLEv1JEZyrp-2MuXQLIW4huClnnDzJxOOaNiYJyLMOAsQPK7P4TEJj9Mmj_gdPfmsIo0_F3JlCS51XbxnB9TDjXFRmqNyp-rZdK1E4uzPBpROS_jKxNyYq9y_vrQp5-w/s1600/IMG_6369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio11KueFfmjxVlLEv1JEZyrp-2MuXQLIW4huClnnDzJxOOaNiYJyLMOAsQPK7P4TEJj9Mmj_gdPfmsIo0_F3JlCS51XbxnB9TDjXFRmqNyp-rZdK1E4uzPBpROS_jKxNyYq9y_vrQp5-w/s320/IMG_6369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hafbraühaus-place where Hitler did a lot of his Nazi party organizing.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhb_1yw_FdSRVb5CenXaqGJzgjGaR7O4I2OyczXb2YnNa6LESRtI7QCXDgZz9o509YhYXCLuGKK1i4TDOLkd7FaEEglhMEM4tQJU_r942I0xDD7xoXINkdVC7TF6CLOtoX0f3GcL1W8-8/s1600/IMG_6374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhb_1yw_FdSRVb5CenXaqGJzgjGaR7O4I2OyczXb2YnNa6LESRtI7QCXDgZz9o509YhYXCLuGKK1i4TDOLkd7FaEEglhMEM4tQJU_r942I0xDD7xoXINkdVC7TF6CLOtoX0f3GcL1W8-8/s320/IMG_6374.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">locals (very special ones) have a place to store their personal biersteins in the hofbrahaus</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MT_RHCdNYJG0hNqsl6Hgp0fV33ALuuMCMHG-xtOWRXMftDhiNi1JPGj-KY8k6xEyM8nZjyDe9bedItwVnxfOSjkbSkoqzpPYYts719F_cxCIi-YhvZwsWoPf-JhmId3ySfwtf9y4gOo/s1600/IMG_6315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MT_RHCdNYJG0hNqsl6Hgp0fV33ALuuMCMHG-xtOWRXMftDhiNi1JPGj-KY8k6xEyM8nZjyDe9bedItwVnxfOSjkbSkoqzpPYYts719F_cxCIi-YhvZwsWoPf-JhmId3ySfwtf9y4gOo/s320/IMG_6315.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">church that wasn't bombed</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsyHaAsOJ-DmhQrrON8UPW0EDnBcF73OJBZaBMO28evaX9eio-C79N26pNUKDmftOvrXsCc31qJSg_eKa972-5F-mAuD8JxF02WX2r58Lf5r6Cg2-Y0qGbKOMiyfen1Xs69QhuIcXS3Q/s1600/IMG_6400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsyHaAsOJ-DmhQrrON8UPW0EDnBcF73OJBZaBMO28evaX9eio-C79N26pNUKDmftOvrXsCc31qJSg_eKa972-5F-mAuD8JxF02WX2r58Lf5r6Cg2-Y0qGbKOMiyfen1Xs69QhuIcXS3Q/s320/IMG_6400.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">standing wave that is known world wide. there are always people surfing on it</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUn7Za5VcpD4oTZoGmzYpETgp0oqVf8F5qgyfcnNCNw1ne_-F3x7DokvGYoO8wN3PgjW66B5IHf4kOU2OVg28b1Ks2meqqJYr-nBq1VjfAW8yG_5ugGzNccCDHLBiThtAdTiT8S7v5vk/s1600/IMG_6406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUn7Za5VcpD4oTZoGmzYpETgp0oqVf8F5qgyfcnNCNw1ne_-F3x7DokvGYoO8wN3PgjW66B5IHf4kOU2OVg28b1Ks2meqqJYr-nBq1VjfAW8yG_5ugGzNccCDHLBiThtAdTiT8S7v5vk/s320/IMG_6406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLK_bbhX4L8hfMFmouSb05ZOZV9uYzOL5iVN3po6fY4ogMfSIcL3TgKBIg8NhpEUH874uyvYaw_s0MlLvuUWNoIJBRVUCtqaub4FfzyPpKkDlffqMSo0ETicAbYdlGZzAEH2eSDSD7nM/s1600/IMG_6413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLK_bbhX4L8hfMFmouSb05ZOZV9uYzOL5iVN3po6fY4ogMfSIcL3TgKBIg8NhpEUH874uyvYaw_s0MlLvuUWNoIJBRVUCtqaub4FfzyPpKkDlffqMSo0ETicAbYdlGZzAEH2eSDSD7nM/s320/IMG_6413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">walk through the Englischer garten</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsq3VhxviJjR0S3-SD-YybKpi1sePbswf0Evorub4w1kX6cvOD9iOsaHFmRw-HqwtvgE-3IDzn1iXk1WqSxbz6Wzpfx5Kn_QYRwnoX-CMeM16ZdIydRCJtIZYRZuuEAhpwqpx2uaWemRI/s1600/IMG_6422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsq3VhxviJjR0S3-SD-YybKpi1sePbswf0Evorub4w1kX6cvOD9iOsaHFmRw-HqwtvgE-3IDzn1iXk1WqSxbz6Wzpfx5Kn_QYRwnoX-CMeM16ZdIydRCJtIZYRZuuEAhpwqpx2uaWemRI/s320/IMG_6422.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSbuXgASn0ITVBK-FP_Q_N8AtNmXG7lWxU6J_bSQ-lQHFoc3qurl_V0Fw9z7HOuR9DvW-PWv81TL_HGt_NSv7gvrCtsohRDBgfDsAaLDPydpPyYiNbfRKauqQ0BTXxh6hLkLaZAhrlpg/s1600/IMG_6428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSbuXgASn0ITVBK-FP_Q_N8AtNmXG7lWxU6J_bSQ-lQHFoc3qurl_V0Fw9z7HOuR9DvW-PWv81TL_HGt_NSv7gvrCtsohRDBgfDsAaLDPydpPyYiNbfRKauqQ0BTXxh6hLkLaZAhrlpg/s320/IMG_6428.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">surprise snow on Easter morning</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPl0XF8KI6nA6Ik5bma-ykLxFlwWG7oJVX6jKQyLdQhXqcDwgxDHIbYg45Y0oGFUsqc5JXipVskA0kQ-wCmMwJvq2l_HkUsxTtB3dER8Ay77tollapnbuO0oLiQWe4Cx8KJ1zx01PaFpE/s1600/IMG_6431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPl0XF8KI6nA6Ik5bma-ykLxFlwWG7oJVX6jKQyLdQhXqcDwgxDHIbYg45Y0oGFUsqc5JXipVskA0kQ-wCmMwJvq2l_HkUsxTtB3dER8Ay77tollapnbuO0oLiQWe4Cx8KJ1zx01PaFpE/s320/IMG_6431.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZESEYW1IVF8DyOKPQyZRZdmBswTE5a0jJwoMBSvuMBc4mLa-g6KOe0PDwT_YfcRyCM99e9MyjXlyfJwkYQVv2L3DTB6_ZGBWyLCXTzCn5CvmgUW0RRGV77V99e2WWu6KAiCeYzjXYGBQ/s1600/IMG_6432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZESEYW1IVF8DyOKPQyZRZdmBswTE5a0jJwoMBSvuMBc4mLa-g6KOe0PDwT_YfcRyCM99e9MyjXlyfJwkYQVv2L3DTB6_ZGBWyLCXTzCn5CvmgUW0RRGV77V99e2WWu6KAiCeYzjXYGBQ/s320/IMG_6432.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqex0_buyh6AZEEndZMjpc6XL52XbtCy8oOiWIVLALVz2yBWd63Z6oz7uGpz0LyJ5cZNFXoZmJdt0z-C9EflkPUf5cfwKo90Dll6bCG-DiKgGwcy000n8AeynlP2EFdkexmI7n3uSXl0/s1600/IMG_6442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqex0_buyh6AZEEndZMjpc6XL52XbtCy8oOiWIVLALVz2yBWd63Z6oz7uGpz0LyJ5cZNFXoZmJdt0z-C9EflkPUf5cfwKo90Dll6bCG-DiKgGwcy000n8AeynlP2EFdkexmI7n3uSXl0/s320/IMG_6442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">walk through the Olympic Park from '72</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_C9WhFgkuMkKjDedYYFrPj9hiMAk5uKezeylbA0-HE0SfGobUedVdxpjeUByjXQiMN2cNesPaFg9lOoVz5lD4wPvPjlpKnfzvSh_nMVJVJTLRWPsffphLvRc_B-9Lf0eFoRbjxzpHDg/s1600/IMG_6446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_C9WhFgkuMkKjDedYYFrPj9hiMAk5uKezeylbA0-HE0SfGobUedVdxpjeUByjXQiMN2cNesPaFg9lOoVz5lD4wPvPjlpKnfzvSh_nMVJVJTLRWPsffphLvRc_B-9Lf0eFoRbjxzpHDg/s320/IMG_6446.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we got let into some of the training facilities to use the bathroom by what we are only assuming to be a German olympian of some kind..</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVoT2Dpyv05M6XWgVup-5cSqMIdtFwQWxAhYWLniu12We_I0sVYCUfmA3N_DhvfVQ2RdvZ6lLwA9Z4fz-7G0pNZ5lr8Sizi9vqPWp5u4UZ9xVak5oQ_mly_19PhyphenhyphenVcCL_y2m8K_r64dg/s1600/IMG_6449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVoT2Dpyv05M6XWgVup-5cSqMIdtFwQWxAhYWLniu12We_I0sVYCUfmA3N_DhvfVQ2RdvZ6lLwA9Z4fz-7G0pNZ5lr8Sizi9vqPWp5u4UZ9xVak5oQ_mly_19PhyphenhyphenVcCL_y2m8K_r64dg/s320/IMG_6449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisNyijKOVnIvNZMT8EIvPfEbS9AeEaJFRCfUGsNAzDj4DeS2GVi6YYiWF62l13gNrQTV8QnpqB0DwohSPlycPyDgX02_cAjdAPRW0GzNy4p_l5Geb7sFBM0GKelju7ssTk0cT0pf6uAA/s1600/IMG_6460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisNyijKOVnIvNZMT8EIvPfEbS9AeEaJFRCfUGsNAzDj4DeS2GVi6YYiWF62l13gNrQTV8QnpqB0DwohSPlycPyDgX02_cAjdAPRW0GzNy4p_l5Geb7sFBM0GKelju7ssTk0cT0pf6uAA/s320/IMG_6460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">so awesome. and very very cold</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo49g26wZ2ZQsTy1Etv9CWqc87MQ-WhFoaQErhd4eoxYSq4ykxceIwL7kvBoRKLsVpWpmYjiDk2UpcE_6wnIZ4IG31EZLWGgEF1LqpctZ-C9-S71-9lzdGyN7shd1kmSJgQ6ViKqWZp4/s1600/IMG_6468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo49g26wZ2ZQsTy1Etv9CWqc87MQ-WhFoaQErhd4eoxYSq4ykxceIwL7kvBoRKLsVpWpmYjiDk2UpcE_6wnIZ4IG31EZLWGgEF1LqpctZ-C9-S71-9lzdGyN7shd1kmSJgQ6ViKqWZp4/s320/IMG_6468.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">really cool hang out spot</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSM_sMMhN8X6B4MEdEqjI7PMKqMm7D727ekEv2AKzAftoJuLlyYBjcUYIRmZGIXoaHir3jFOxNTQ4col4LGyHHdrDvU92f3kjLCPkW74bFgnWNYFZCMzGEcRaRQoHGbEZooCOHAePQn4/s1600/IMG_6475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSM_sMMhN8X6B4MEdEqjI7PMKqMm7D727ekEv2AKzAftoJuLlyYBjcUYIRmZGIXoaHir3jFOxNTQ4col4LGyHHdrDvU92f3kjLCPkW74bFgnWNYFZCMzGEcRaRQoHGbEZooCOHAePQn4/s320/IMG_6475.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Granada from the sky</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Now I am back in Granada awaiting the arrival of my family on May 26. Seriously cannot wait to see them 9 months is a long time..</span></div>But for now, I am enjoying the time I have left here knowing that it will be gone before I know it.Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-49483952335232562112012-04-12T11:09:00.001-04:002012-04-12T11:13:21.827-04:00PraguePrague, Czech Republic. Honestly I'm not even sure. We were only there 2 days and it was so different than anything I had seen so far I don't think I was fully able to grasp the city and country. We arrived by train and the first night we were there, we met a guy and a girl from Mexico and a guy from Costa Rica and went to eat Mexican food with them. Sounds completely bizarre but turned out to be amazing. They spoke spanish with us a lot so we were able to keep our spanish speaking skills sharp both days we were there. We also took a walking tour of Prague in Spanish with them. The whole experience was pretty surreal. The city is very beautiful and old. We even witnessed a bunny race. yes, you read that right. A bunny race. Happy Easter. Spent a lot of time in the Jewish quarter of Prague and walking across the famous Charle's Bridge.<br />
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We spent 1.5 days wondering through the streets of Prague in awe of all of the detailed buildings and the castle on the hill. The 2nd day it rained all day and was about 35 degrees outside so we went back to the hostel to relax.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8Mrd31E-iZ7c9MGPa0pGWapMGTOLmtrFg7y0NXYFXWSm5L8uBG-296QiZyHPFRrJoOU5r1rdqe5FDyos1zw-2csQ4C5E3d7oFLBMb6uNvndUmmlnK0C3S-OV-KVBArOF1aB09kH_4IM/s1600/IMG_6011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8Mrd31E-iZ7c9MGPa0pGWapMGTOLmtrFg7y0NXYFXWSm5L8uBG-296QiZyHPFRrJoOU5r1rdqe5FDyos1zw-2csQ4C5E3d7oFLBMb6uNvndUmmlnK0C3S-OV-KVBArOF1aB09kH_4IM/s320/IMG_6011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">main drag leading to the city center</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG10hIJOCbTdSsUjZdLXFVNFkQ0T1-kAtvXgY4DVyoS-QUBgMXWCKu1Y1Tc7NhhtVuRY2sDjzD35YGNOrNkvDYbuB_Bcy0wbEm-5C8cVmSJTYiOF5j7wOlqUhYVBNXyjluJLn43SCwE8/s1600/IMG_6018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG10hIJOCbTdSsUjZdLXFVNFkQ0T1-kAtvXgY4DVyoS-QUBgMXWCKu1Y1Tc7NhhtVuRY2sDjzD35YGNOrNkvDYbuB_Bcy0wbEm-5C8cVmSJTYiOF5j7wOlqUhYVBNXyjluJLn43SCwE8/s320/IMG_6018.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">crazy clock</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fEk6uLShOHmeaKZ_cGoNoFN_E7nSWB2fUHOFFec3zMZrNY2dpF-M9_zkFAJjXl_pFZaVAFmbq8VBlv6mvaqGQhId-fkvsrNSDKzkgtO6RK2qCYgZj8cmQqLbC_1uXr1_Y37vk9zzxRk/s1600/IMG_6044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fEk6uLShOHmeaKZ_cGoNoFN_E7nSWB2fUHOFFec3zMZrNY2dpF-M9_zkFAJjXl_pFZaVAFmbq8VBlv6mvaqGQhId-fkvsrNSDKzkgtO6RK2qCYgZj8cmQqLbC_1uXr1_Y37vk9zzxRk/s320/IMG_6044.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Franz Kafka. He wrote Metamorphosis</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8J3Y2dTGvWHuatRz1LyVBf8VjYb_7bBDA2VOeJajcIIYuYEVadWNsHIaYrnchTx9ENPP3PcH8QjAQRhv5UU_89U4qtY4s91fVBH6tvDkYFhnXxlC_xeblhrFwBsS10xc_3Ct6V93a2E/s1600/IMG_6057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8J3Y2dTGvWHuatRz1LyVBf8VjYb_7bBDA2VOeJajcIIYuYEVadWNsHIaYrnchTx9ENPP3PcH8QjAQRhv5UU_89U4qtY4s91fVBH6tvDkYFhnXxlC_xeblhrFwBsS10xc_3Ct6V93a2E/s320/IMG_6057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Czech Koruna 18= 1 US dollar</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmyKx9ILKzq6jDtY6Bw96TkYYCchjNILQtxqkpLzTNeRU1O2vxmHRL4MMQ5fpBcHCBXy16m9ekMmI1kmnse6g6CEydIofiPbre88CjDp48rPl53W1HTOMk6H_n5qpFuYbpeSmF3rght8/s1600/IMG_6063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmyKx9ILKzq6jDtY6Bw96TkYYCchjNILQtxqkpLzTNeRU1O2vxmHRL4MMQ5fpBcHCBXy16m9ekMmI1kmnse6g6CEydIofiPbre88CjDp48rPl53W1HTOMk6H_n5qpFuYbpeSmF3rght8/s320/IMG_6063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTGuCaDKgRoGtWFc78s1BzdDlVGnUM3oKHn3HWsr_MQTCMzg26Rwt5XaKSjD-P_wnD2LwBKWbuWXvJywQ4M0Qt3n3tUqqD7svFR9OpF2STI40dvjb3iN0DzyIaXNJ1ZYWzmJjEi3PItI/s1600/IMG_6070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTGuCaDKgRoGtWFc78s1BzdDlVGnUM3oKHn3HWsr_MQTCMzg26Rwt5XaKSjD-P_wnD2LwBKWbuWXvJywQ4M0Qt3n3tUqqD7svFR9OpF2STI40dvjb3iN0DzyIaXNJ1ZYWzmJjEi3PItI/s320/IMG_6070.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">my little buddies. i have 12 of them in NC..thanks Nana!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOsaSBMHEawibXxQYeK1zZzTSCzkPqA6954BTJRV_I_XMCqzAroB8zravTLpUalMUBL2exmVOHdmHjARa5lCVlu5vU_BnD9IXNsHNNT4Yr2HWeWDvKcHRNjTNdT55o-V3PIKFno7jVbc/s1600/IMG_6089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOsaSBMHEawibXxQYeK1zZzTSCzkPqA6954BTJRV_I_XMCqzAroB8zravTLpUalMUBL2exmVOHdmHjARa5lCVlu5vU_BnD9IXNsHNNT4Yr2HWeWDvKcHRNjTNdT55o-V3PIKFno7jVbc/s320/IMG_6089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bunny Races</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzseubxZO-ZTigSEWTLCildVu2nVwWx86mnZuAu20wCgtZeOwBnwGzNIyC1YT6o6wcY4AqRjfBn0ja4gJFk2JUGt02TLz4LjIsoGM9rag9O0cU5sCBUB9jvYdMNiEIDQGgBFxgXS9wpj4/s1600/IMG_6101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzseubxZO-ZTigSEWTLCildVu2nVwWx86mnZuAu20wCgtZeOwBnwGzNIyC1YT6o6wcY4AqRjfBn0ja4gJFk2JUGt02TLz4LjIsoGM9rag9O0cU5sCBUB9jvYdMNiEIDQGgBFxgXS9wpj4/s320/IMG_6101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fairy Tale</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYngj8gFP9iRQrslGxdwWGg51EcaUVXMTMI6oX0dBnSXqTfjD0w2gcGSLwBWSA_i-46VfCGuLmh4rra91JB3h72maVn6eMtscGskWTWxqERaVjI3O2R8wNejiP4xpcX4y7SxgSo79EP90/s1600/IMG_6108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYngj8gFP9iRQrslGxdwWGg51EcaUVXMTMI6oX0dBnSXqTfjD0w2gcGSLwBWSA_i-46VfCGuLmh4rra91JB3h72maVn6eMtscGskWTWxqERaVjI3O2R8wNejiP4xpcX4y7SxgSo79EP90/s320/IMG_6108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Charles Bridge</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAlHBRT8ZvIgmzwJY_jAKOMjJCyQi9qBKDlnEbA4jDGt1uWJMBJ_kzn76arfPSWGpNin-w8tWjLLPca2Z6fTUGV3dbGPwQjK4YcMPMLF3x6GR8TJGd3ancwDlkBTARy0opvcMzxQ0inw/s1600/IMG_6132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAlHBRT8ZvIgmzwJY_jAKOMjJCyQi9qBKDlnEbA4jDGt1uWJMBJ_kzn76arfPSWGpNin-w8tWjLLPca2Z6fTUGV3dbGPwQjK4YcMPMLF3x6GR8TJGd3ancwDlkBTARy0opvcMzxQ0inw/s320/IMG_6132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolC6MqNu7EYxSn_t-Tj_9eXyMUB2N_Xeh7ZFJGRoqst-V03koz33IWYwlww-OcRjNm6_Mz-DwkeXPYhia4sgVACfTOoaAIFfEn_OHIkYrC7slF4KocdynEweMJwinGZ7VHI9ov3PaztE/s1600/IMG_6135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolC6MqNu7EYxSn_t-Tj_9eXyMUB2N_Xeh7ZFJGRoqst-V03koz33IWYwlww-OcRjNm6_Mz-DwkeXPYhia4sgVACfTOoaAIFfEn_OHIkYrC7slF4KocdynEweMJwinGZ7VHI9ov3PaztE/s320/IMG_6135.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After you have a burger and eat some 'desert' you can have a free wife...i just wanted WiFi</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemcfzFJs_P5LWlJiK5mK9watG6YjwdDma5mgR3mrvrb4g-XogxixP7FyZoaYMbn3xX4PkzAksSDxTbQ4XzpXeekHYaGWdx__5FUW3PivXEPlJyoein2uOPFy9G2BDRxBgrv6qVFy7Km0/s1600/IMG_6137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemcfzFJs_P5LWlJiK5mK9watG6YjwdDma5mgR3mrvrb4g-XogxixP7FyZoaYMbn3xX4PkzAksSDxTbQ4XzpXeekHYaGWdx__5FUW3PivXEPlJyoein2uOPFy9G2BDRxBgrv6qVFy7Km0/s320/IMG_6137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the 'WifeFree' place</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVByeaVFqHnlXj6HefgFJHTfBfu3nztJraCkbSsxptPGz70iJPsS_mYlBfp8Qs8sSTIjjLBN8DTKBimlc9vONUZ4RH-c7pNuVZFrLyHb998P4Ik2gk9GzjUIE0U6qOi0YxWVBxWiC0ON8/s1600/IMG_6140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVByeaVFqHnlXj6HefgFJHTfBfu3nztJraCkbSsxptPGz70iJPsS_mYlBfp8Qs8sSTIjjLBN8DTKBimlc9vONUZ4RH-c7pNuVZFrLyHb998P4Ik2gk9GzjUIE0U6qOi0YxWVBxWiC0ON8/s320/IMG_6140.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4tGW-mtkzaHPa2PxfkngyrBQ_vFDUsplgIL6v9WPvlBRu7BYPJZZ9V0gOrWz8U79IThr12G1kUBNnv3yyz3qZJ8EQOLVo-wIGm8_ewxtMF1SHvDFjGFyoFlzAPLYLaJ56MdpfU8enFg/s1600/IMG_6152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4tGW-mtkzaHPa2PxfkngyrBQ_vFDUsplgIL6v9WPvlBRu7BYPJZZ9V0gOrWz8U79IThr12G1kUBNnv3yyz3qZJ8EQOLVo-wIGm8_ewxtMF1SHvDFjGFyoFlzAPLYLaJ56MdpfU8enFg/s320/IMG_6152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_QdrbE9L_lBiHSpRJlnmPh_dAC8TlmqvDq6uwqIuKrzaKl9JCCb7xqAy1zLic0iuWSrtz6k2fBQpwcXPtuA7EZwjYE-b5a-g39v9w7Ad0F_akJMa58ABw37sbDsBEg6n0M6Avzrxdgw/s1600/IMG_6159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_QdrbE9L_lBiHSpRJlnmPh_dAC8TlmqvDq6uwqIuKrzaKl9JCCb7xqAy1zLic0iuWSrtz6k2fBQpwcXPtuA7EZwjYE-b5a-g39v9w7Ad0F_akJMa58ABw37sbDsBEg6n0M6Avzrxdgw/s320/IMG_6159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">awesome cathedral</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBBEVLzMXg-1rhLzrq4zDWMcaXLltS5TWxlAdpcnqzrYpceUEJYussvbifiAXrQfLA9EUzKy9eqxMHo_h_7ck1i7CXEmb9q2KD55UGK6y36ej50RgAmU7ZD4LeVfcNzQ7NbJQi1aUTOQ/s1600/IMG_6162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBBEVLzMXg-1rhLzrq4zDWMcaXLltS5TWxlAdpcnqzrYpceUEJYussvbifiAXrQfLA9EUzKy9eqxMHo_h_7ck1i7CXEmb9q2KD55UGK6y36ej50RgAmU7ZD4LeVfcNzQ7NbJQi1aUTOQ/s320/IMG_6162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkmPb2AYjn2YGCqyOn8VogDHpKCWfZ-5a6glj16sPyeLUAq2MPLf4cFPp8dOWyhbQTO2RMhyphenhyphenMW5sNtXb2A6hQW1fBuo5nIeD9LY6net2rodWH_zfpbeKszxXZLDVLvU1bntk3BfZQXbk/s1600/IMG_6177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkmPb2AYjn2YGCqyOn8VogDHpKCWfZ-5a6glj16sPyeLUAq2MPLf4cFPp8dOWyhbQTO2RMhyphenhyphenMW5sNtXb2A6hQW1fBuo5nIeD9LY6net2rodWH_zfpbeKszxXZLDVLvU1bntk3BfZQXbk/s320/IMG_6177.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODYuJw8FoalVNmsLFWVNDtulgZ5VIR8z6bp4xIJzseqR-6n3hYcvcrWMz1v96I-9_N7WrTgalvtmJucHqrNuzU81b1Mue9Fvgrk_umn7U4INKW9EB6xY0xwwJjHEqcG5n8v8cfY2Sr0s/s1600/IMG_6188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODYuJw8FoalVNmsLFWVNDtulgZ5VIR8z6bp4xIJzseqR-6n3hYcvcrWMz1v96I-9_N7WrTgalvtmJucHqrNuzU81b1Mue9Fvgrk_umn7U4INKW9EB6xY0xwwJjHEqcG5n8v8cfY2Sr0s/s320/IMG_6188.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">fantastic views</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wF79jncJUWJTJqOBdV8eZfunRizEUJsjKam9EVYZNQZU4G1cCUA4SWWQdS-u2Rw9qkjaqQEolpBgrWTnek0hmlyRTzOR6GbkprOGcTqqBGyCqH5T9j53BouVx-f-FT2e2L3HLwnqYhY/s1600/IMG_6193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wF79jncJUWJTJqOBdV8eZfunRizEUJsjKam9EVYZNQZU4G1cCUA4SWWQdS-u2Rw9qkjaqQEolpBgrWTnek0hmlyRTzOR6GbkprOGcTqqBGyCqH5T9j53BouVx-f-FT2e2L3HLwnqYhY/s320/IMG_6193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">DR. PEPPER!!! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhusMLCy-gaMJr5lA8XusCSoiUWhPLBzhTehC8YXpbFc30YPnAfoxsj6Zkish3kQEqVZyDZ9kfwqncsNmfEIEnLgeMru_KSovan1qeX5zFSYXnY4HEiTTFuHc8tQxtHAXKWxAB3kiWRQ/s1600/IMG_6213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhusMLCy-gaMJr5lA8XusCSoiUWhPLBzhTehC8YXpbFc30YPnAfoxsj6Zkish3kQEqVZyDZ9kfwqncsNmfEIEnLgeMru_KSovan1qeX5zFSYXnY4HEiTTFuHc8tQxtHAXKWxAB3kiWRQ/s320/IMG_6213.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Charles Bridge</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_xP9bzbKGg2acm9ACd6qV6x4LgPoR4kxVQotqTk4wNUAnQrpSGXVGce5N_7hFCOK7EKBE6jpEBaa4qmfB2klKi7wtY51CexB8f8-skLxpV8e3j-LZamd1KX6hmP1OcJUVUsyA8vHfp8/s1600/IMG_6237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_xP9bzbKGg2acm9ACd6qV6x4LgPoR4kxVQotqTk4wNUAnQrpSGXVGce5N_7hFCOK7EKBE6jpEBaa4qmfB2klKi7wtY51CexB8f8-skLxpV8e3j-LZamd1KX6hmP1OcJUVUsyA8vHfp8/s320/IMG_6237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Dancing Building</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpL_dyoLEBxpdywpPgt1bX2xCQRw1Ss8C-qHdWPd0Q20qaOEtGKv8w21Y-KKvclAdp_DIhyphenhyphenIoLDz786nr0j4rDAZQOi8q2mN9SzqytpOg2ojn1e9gAptGSOF2fnD4D89nPZEFyvnBzwo/s1600/IMG_6245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpL_dyoLEBxpdywpPgt1bX2xCQRw1Ss8C-qHdWPd0Q20qaOEtGKv8w21Y-KKvclAdp_DIhyphenhyphenIoLDz786nr0j4rDAZQOi8q2mN9SzqytpOg2ojn1e9gAptGSOF2fnD4D89nPZEFyvnBzwo/s320/IMG_6245.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">what a language</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_A4d4gIQRtYjovyJHnx4lAZCDXeu9n_Q_3MW5UelCN6F8-e3-_uAmLrBm9J6ANCtBZpDh7u0btaHuSpxT7fQY-ekj_eli-EoyotLwICAsnmkdtzqwzcFtjxV47AWCl9gGVd0Zu7kqWk/s1600/IMG_6278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_A4d4gIQRtYjovyJHnx4lAZCDXeu9n_Q_3MW5UelCN6F8-e3-_uAmLrBm9J6ANCtBZpDh7u0btaHuSpxT7fQY-ekj_eli-EoyotLwICAsnmkdtzqwzcFtjxV47AWCl9gGVd0Zu7kqWk/s320/IMG_6278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prague train station. we took our bus to Munich from there.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKl52uJHyxykuUqQ1BMTjCcP7Clfkvp4Hcol45L0QJprNtFvkQmwhniWEicWtyPe3edUn6VkPolthO-JXSsQdAOlECGvFsTdLi-aJQo7C_D1DyiRHag7EP6PtOyX-mfnknzlKdY4ncQo/s1600/IMG_6280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKl52uJHyxykuUqQ1BMTjCcP7Clfkvp4Hcol45L0QJprNtFvkQmwhniWEicWtyPe3edUn6VkPolthO-JXSsQdAOlECGvFsTdLi-aJQo7C_D1DyiRHag7EP6PtOyX-mfnknzlKdY4ncQo/s320/IMG_6280.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcvfCh64usvch85OGcS6OuineIXMYdn0qexWDY9BFVVobuiH7WrwHcO__XjQfDLgUDThNlsYGD-AOzPG_eYXLRPHQgrFE_j8FqdIRipaHE8viHtl1Z6YZmxNd3wLE4bTMBGzF18ey874/s1600/IMG_6282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcvfCh64usvch85OGcS6OuineIXMYdn0qexWDY9BFVVobuiH7WrwHcO__XjQfDLgUDThNlsYGD-AOzPG_eYXLRPHQgrFE_j8FqdIRipaHE8viHtl1Z6YZmxNd3wLE4bTMBGzF18ey874/s320/IMG_6282.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZcxfWnmNO0INHWHdKVeWLdd40Cbd4dRNGIwush0hL_MWxMcKdcC8pETp2xB7Pe-HVNs8nqduz8xtf1uwglYcNJkM57fC1u9YsOD69WY7Bm4V5diyU6S12V4rMUkCcVeTYxGGcIdJAQM/s1600/IMG_6295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZcxfWnmNO0INHWHdKVeWLdd40Cbd4dRNGIwush0hL_MWxMcKdcC8pETp2xB7Pe-HVNs8nqduz8xtf1uwglYcNJkM57fC1u9YsOD69WY7Bm4V5diyU6S12V4rMUkCcVeTYxGGcIdJAQM/s320/IMG_6295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">What a beautiful place! So glad we made it a part of our trip. </div><div><br />
</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-25077712697108162262012-04-12T10:36:00.000-04:002012-04-12T10:36:17.091-04:00BerlinSo Holy Week is a very big deal in Spain. There are somber processions and fiestas and stores close and people don't work. It is apparently crazy. I say apparently because I left the country for Holy Week. I ended up not missing out on much because it rained a lot in Granada and so there really weren't any processions. Instead, I went with my roommate, Becky, to Berlin, Prague and Munich. I really don't know why I picked any of these places but it ended up being one of my favorite trips I have taken since arriving in Europe at the end of August last year. Whoah. those words look weird..<br />
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First stop was Berlin. What a city. Absolutely incredible. The city is very modern due to the fact it was pretty much completely destroyed during WWII but I found the mix of history and new beginnings so interesting. I was literally in a walking history book. I used to not give history a second thought but when you are standing in front of stuff you have only seen in history books or heard stories about it's hard to ignore it.<br />
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We spent 3.5 days walking through the streets of Berlin and enjoying the night life and the relative safeness of the city. We stayed in a hostel that had at one point been an old warehouse. It was literally around the corner from the East Side Gallery, the part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. I wish I could describe the feeling standing next to the wall. We made friends with a guy named Jack from England and he showed us around a bit. He was interviewing for an architecture job in the city which he ended up getting while we were there. What a cool guy.<br />
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Since returning to Spain I can't stop talking about Berlin. All of it. One night somebody staying in our hostel just took Becky, Jack, and I for a midnight drive around the city. Talk about incredible.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3U1v_ksb1UJGTf28rw0Pp0ec8picFE6dOVbKeocNguXTzz79PpjpeXAeOMEQBTSsyRNCXqKUcDzn4HtPb_ff6FLXtiNtWXkbXfSWGHhoV7EiVenBdZARpYNzWqMGrb9xCijcind38nuo/s1600/IMG_5571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3U1v_ksb1UJGTf28rw0Pp0ec8picFE6dOVbKeocNguXTzz79PpjpeXAeOMEQBTSsyRNCXqKUcDzn4HtPb_ff6FLXtiNtWXkbXfSWGHhoV7EiVenBdZARpYNzWqMGrb9xCijcind38nuo/s320/IMG_5571.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pyrenees Mountains</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_fxcIf8D2R7-mNw0lahyphenhyphenjUMGhYrg1xzpZPlbFoSXh9CvmKQUgalYzUM6B-hR8Vwl_LYU85fWbz-Ksa_NXA9g79zu0lb53f-r3LbiC11kUvyt6sPYmc0nMwS-14VHJ1WV6UIMiJnyl5M/s1600/IMG_5577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_fxcIf8D2R7-mNw0lahyphenhyphenjUMGhYrg1xzpZPlbFoSXh9CvmKQUgalYzUM6B-hR8Vwl_LYU85fWbz-Ksa_NXA9g79zu0lb53f-r3LbiC11kUvyt6sPYmc0nMwS-14VHJ1WV6UIMiJnyl5M/s320/IMG_5577.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Berlin wall-now an art gallery</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsNJBKuXnxk906_JZR3xM3fiRRmGIMV2GCtkgJxwcTmAvu3OJpNq2WFGl_z-z6l_HMdEtmdUHPQ3iAQTN7Xs7fvNUqVoqwCJNGCxPqa_kaJxQrBjBb_xnLbTi4FZn3umglZjqaZfa5p8/s1600/IMG_5586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsNJBKuXnxk906_JZR3xM3fiRRmGIMV2GCtkgJxwcTmAvu3OJpNq2WFGl_z-z6l_HMdEtmdUHPQ3iAQTN7Xs7fvNUqVoqwCJNGCxPqa_kaJxQrBjBb_xnLbTi4FZn3umglZjqaZfa5p8/s320/IMG_5586.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowBmx_B8B-ezN5Inp5c0ztu6ZPORYkQdSt6wR7O8O_qiK3PHOMWKj-03frzEaadmG_F1XuMlSWQcx3hUwOIHV5nJouLBR73n6M66smTKIrIt8zt45haYvMO6x7uhEFJkL6qrMjTqUQNM/s1600/IMG_5591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowBmx_B8B-ezN5Inp5c0ztu6ZPORYkQdSt6wR7O8O_qiK3PHOMWKj-03frzEaadmG_F1XuMlSWQcx3hUwOIHV5nJouLBR73n6M66smTKIrIt8zt45haYvMO6x7uhEFJkL6qrMjTqUQNM/s320/IMG_5591.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0t0mpGAHkJYs2q5QgRsXj_pa0YXxT6E5BTuH0rf2wfQBLUNrkBZNQ0K437uqqVz33JfqyzaPB0peajsLxXHPzS1QsWhH_73I5N7FO9SztGY7lxJoixEqhFwvyMuJNL5Uo3BBRFYysnQ/s1600/IMG_5598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0t0mpGAHkJYs2q5QgRsXj_pa0YXxT6E5BTuH0rf2wfQBLUNrkBZNQ0K437uqqVz33JfqyzaPB0peajsLxXHPzS1QsWhH_73I5N7FO9SztGY7lxJoixEqhFwvyMuJNL5Uo3BBRFYysnQ/s320/IMG_5598.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Berlin Wall-what's still standing as an art gallery</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRkNPcweeouTWUVxevSh-ifvAxPVpRoJYqFbsyAT10oEjZlfopDZYzPgddB-EaG7Go4hrBjVXzQ2u6qTuZ-e7iBYgb0cVysy2GNcj3kQaDAT9J_r8gngFiiF_aWK1OHRjNeAeqGOOEdA/s1600/IMG_5615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRkNPcweeouTWUVxevSh-ifvAxPVpRoJYqFbsyAT10oEjZlfopDZYzPgddB-EaG7Go4hrBjVXzQ2u6qTuZ-e7iBYgb0cVysy2GNcj3kQaDAT9J_r8gngFiiF_aWK1OHRjNeAeqGOOEdA/s320/IMG_5615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWu6WA66aDQJl5kl2yGAg98ZKgRICVlL0Qb6oPdLLU-NVu_k7QIw-b_XudDiYJL020tAuPTIZrCURpN17C620nJq_3C7oAA_Li0AFUwK4mV5Q7rpJ4KRWqc-dcq5PBB9EOQEVmo5vxrA/s1600/IMG_5626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWu6WA66aDQJl5kl2yGAg98ZKgRICVlL0Qb6oPdLLU-NVu_k7QIw-b_XudDiYJL020tAuPTIZrCURpN17C620nJq_3C7oAA_Li0AFUwK4mV5Q7rpJ4KRWqc-dcq5PBB9EOQEVmo5vxrA/s320/IMG_5626.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Brandenburger Tor</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuosfeeX0bwGjqo8DlKk0M_N3vIPT52RahdAKS2p9qxn1B8bN1bqo6b-baUkPz-WcYy01FbCr2Eb5SsVxTN0GVTSdNTQWlnttYxaX2LzuIgtAMdnltgjhMDnJQUmwm2pAvDnxIdz8xEqk/s1600/IMG_5656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuosfeeX0bwGjqo8DlKk0M_N3vIPT52RahdAKS2p9qxn1B8bN1bqo6b-baUkPz-WcYy01FbCr2Eb5SsVxTN0GVTSdNTQWlnttYxaX2LzuIgtAMdnltgjhMDnJQUmwm2pAvDnxIdz8xEqk/s320/IMG_5656.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">before the storm</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPV4Ul_Uh7T710gRn_nRD9c46_qz-0_RhXDqFlChMjTrcsGEAjKFst4YKtfa_fsADoVknEXEgti6zXxPS8juAcvQMBRrWq1VJ9L0WuMv38Vd3bT4r7r4v9DTfadpM0LGp8tZ59r8AeU3w/s1600/IMG_5663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPV4Ul_Uh7T710gRn_nRD9c46_qz-0_RhXDqFlChMjTrcsGEAjKFst4YKtfa_fsADoVknEXEgti6zXxPS8juAcvQMBRrWq1VJ9L0WuMv38Vd3bT4r7r4v9DTfadpM0LGp8tZ59r8AeU3w/s320/IMG_5663.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">plaza where the book burnings took place</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhrmm9fMEXRMkYheV-xjEY89ZFE55kQwp4hnrY5hGA532mQgPFYItCHUBg6aZL1ZPmScP8vqhsjedXTEzpYO_fhYiP6YSvGGN3wEJxgi3PardG6kQYXI1gUDDH8kXvxpT8Du74yhDuGQ/s1600/IMG_5672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhrmm9fMEXRMkYheV-xjEY89ZFE55kQwp4hnrY5hGA532mQgPFYItCHUBg6aZL1ZPmScP8vqhsjedXTEzpYO_fhYiP6YSvGGN3wEJxgi3PardG6kQYXI1gUDDH8kXvxpT8Du74yhDuGQ/s320/IMG_5672.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">it snowed, sleeted, rained and hailed on us</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LFGLneL_AH3kuP3JBSD_fY49zKxXsn0TsQNxbUQweRCAvWnJ2aYP0B_IBYZ5nqHf89PacfZmTFdI1ow1LtIHKv2XA6lc1xlXKHQY0XJZdzkhMKzmL2fq8LUwepWVS2nPMHhg58Sw2GQ/s1600/IMG_5683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LFGLneL_AH3kuP3JBSD_fY49zKxXsn0TsQNxbUQweRCAvWnJ2aYP0B_IBYZ5nqHf89PacfZmTFdI1ow1LtIHKv2XA6lc1xlXKHQY0XJZdzkhMKzmL2fq8LUwepWVS2nPMHhg58Sw2GQ/s320/IMG_5683.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">TV tower</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGAmHtxTddqiNtu_Bqd6vQvULcmPba27qD-9KT_Xg93fDOxvDwyZralJfkydZI-riOhVPm2FltZ08Z0AXyb5PPdpugt2xU1uqb0ffC_Ds7c8iB4Tg1HvJ7loXsUWqyS_tuyA9XGr4hUo/s1600/IMG_5752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGAmHtxTddqiNtu_Bqd6vQvULcmPba27qD-9KT_Xg93fDOxvDwyZralJfkydZI-riOhVPm2FltZ08Z0AXyb5PPdpugt2xU1uqb0ffC_Ds7c8iB4Tg1HvJ7loXsUWqyS_tuyA9XGr4hUo/s320/IMG_5752.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxZWgt2F0GI2aDGZl9T3Zh2uI5WNSJM-LA49eeIzRUp9a-liDly9EcLBO1-2E3SsFGZWTcE56nMYkl-8TLYnlmnqKE8wXC02I2kRFOlTYPj81ivcDQHXUkDgBZwqLxshdivT0-DL2UnQ/s1600/IMG_5784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxZWgt2F0GI2aDGZl9T3Zh2uI5WNSJM-LA49eeIzRUp9a-liDly9EcLBO1-2E3SsFGZWTcE56nMYkl-8TLYnlmnqKE8wXC02I2kRFOlTYPj81ivcDQHXUkDgBZwqLxshdivT0-DL2UnQ/s320/IMG_5784.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">SPRING!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe0L8rBq7J3T83Sp9rv8M3BTpZWvBwLSxN6-vh64ljHzy4X1w4Q4T-mO0VHMvRDbqJu5LZhc09Gn_cD5fU7MEkrFteljJvmEzXSuvtbaXuuvpRUcFMMInn2n43QZzWrrCZWue_uIDFHs/s1600/IMG_5802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe0L8rBq7J3T83Sp9rv8M3BTpZWvBwLSxN6-vh64ljHzy4X1w4Q4T-mO0VHMvRDbqJu5LZhc09Gn_cD5fU7MEkrFteljJvmEzXSuvtbaXuuvpRUcFMMInn2n43QZzWrrCZWue_uIDFHs/s320/IMG_5802.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sony Center (modeled after Mt. Fuji</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLVOpJpRvMUyc8rjAMf_c7E1LCm-0vhJRrKToZQ-C0AzcMX-qMwaOQfNweKh6rVnwl6a6vlOVKsAVxojE-9jaHJKCLIzBfrofromXF_hMaujsjhYXD_HKf3Sm3g69Vqc_hAENbbRVjGM/s1600/IMG_5816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLVOpJpRvMUyc8rjAMf_c7E1LCm-0vhJRrKToZQ-C0AzcMX-qMwaOQfNweKh6rVnwl6a6vlOVKsAVxojE-9jaHJKCLIzBfrofromXF_hMaujsjhYXD_HKf3Sm3g69Vqc_hAENbbRVjGM/s320/IMG_5816.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">view from above</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCx_y_mmEIbE8FQ8deRQFvJLdPhNx8iWSl4FSSHsuyZ53_ZO8Ua69rxPAUPDUg-lIhToEoRybq5Ez4KRoxlzPvrXa2HW-FRSWn462FlDyk8Ujkns0C8wA0CdSSTg83YwoO60LhFlszzPM/s1600/IMG_5817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCx_y_mmEIbE8FQ8deRQFvJLdPhNx8iWSl4FSSHsuyZ53_ZO8Ua69rxPAUPDUg-lIhToEoRybq5Ez4KRoxlzPvrXa2HW-FRSWn462FlDyk8Ujkns0C8wA0CdSSTg83YwoO60LhFlszzPM/s320/IMG_5817.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">view from above </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_E5tXEBfMa3XjW2U2R-G8Q34O-H4M0JWbKJJIChSq7np-7ir67-OMTiHJkdERXD2E1hiXQiwfjdV7eAaEgWj-1JUDaPg8wv55kjUeKAH-ZoJb3HZmAXzxv7aHOQmCvSU0-1O1kInZW0/s1600/IMG_5873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_E5tXEBfMa3XjW2U2R-G8Q34O-H4M0JWbKJJIChSq7np-7ir67-OMTiHJkdERXD2E1hiXQiwfjdV7eAaEgWj-1JUDaPg8wv55kjUeKAH-ZoJb3HZmAXzxv7aHOQmCvSU0-1O1kInZW0/s320/IMG_5873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">near our hostel</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDpLrDsWGpDLvc719JDCFOj7BSIdzujG2qreLfon_Gzy0bH46GPyRRxK8dhNaQwu5loSC9vlx8k2ogafVzw-PntYTbtgNsvIHCbyuXe_IMkKA8Rn4Qc9qlFEtSyObybQRB7Wd-Ohn_g0/s1600/IMG_5876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDpLrDsWGpDLvc719JDCFOj7BSIdzujG2qreLfon_Gzy0bH46GPyRRxK8dhNaQwu5loSC9vlx8k2ogafVzw-PntYTbtgNsvIHCbyuXe_IMkKA8Rn4Qc9qlFEtSyObybQRB7Wd-Ohn_g0/s320/IMG_5876.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBYLsvaOqqQy5eFxancFpKvW4ZxaG2dS666S-pcgmsMk_71x5RNBEyQDOHvV3yV87dzaSwcH8gh7tdreHcJfaB9H5lFrfYpt0xjy3xIahvWsJc-kcVKCdUe-1xZ4zU7oDCVqOXXs1dQs/s1600/IMG_5880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBYLsvaOqqQy5eFxancFpKvW4ZxaG2dS666S-pcgmsMk_71x5RNBEyQDOHvV3yV87dzaSwcH8gh7tdreHcJfaB9H5lFrfYpt0xjy3xIahvWsJc-kcVKCdUe-1xZ4zU7oDCVqOXXs1dQs/s320/IMG_5880.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bullet holes from WWII</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoy6Gqrt3JAdpMrBeH_oIHWhJ41JUlMGk0Mpeh7BdBuNlBL4uFybIX56wCGR15ucmw5PVSNBLQpo5I__dquPMTOL1xFAEhUgtjdoVkg29KLybC2SjELAiFr10aGYhnFvT7ho78QulNkH8/s1600/IMG_5883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoy6Gqrt3JAdpMrBeH_oIHWhJ41JUlMGk0Mpeh7BdBuNlBL4uFybIX56wCGR15ucmw5PVSNBLQpo5I__dquPMTOL1xFAEhUgtjdoVkg29KLybC2SjELAiFr10aGYhnFvT7ho78QulNkH8/s320/IMG_5883.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Berlin Cathedral</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y8gewikER1Juu4deGZvlE4Ilr7gp9hRFQGn7oTnqCmkXM-uBLin4llVCbGxChGg8Mzie0jL6gl7LZHHnTuR88FVGCAlParcz2hsuuTQJOcbHLvoSQ8QC-izKmxwRzhdb_FncOySpwLU/s1600/IMG_5929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y8gewikER1Juu4deGZvlE4Ilr7gp9hRFQGn7oTnqCmkXM-uBLin4llVCbGxChGg8Mzie0jL6gl7LZHHnTuR88FVGCAlParcz2hsuuTQJOcbHLvoSQ8QC-izKmxwRzhdb_FncOySpwLU/s320/IMG_5929.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Holocaust memorial piece in the Jewish museum. you had to walk across a room of iron faces</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2gLpl6DiE0vWUvoSTb4x4n3hPcWSvQIHvRtikQOdOIIrdPfZWNdPx7GDO6JvrIhQbwkhNRmgF-6FlUnP4JnwDZsreftpR7Aj9fx0y6Xw1_aATq5q059LWLV7Pk9DkCLzo-8js_Xz-vU/s1600/IMG_5970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2gLpl6DiE0vWUvoSTb4x4n3hPcWSvQIHvRtikQOdOIIrdPfZWNdPx7GDO6JvrIhQbwkhNRmgF-6FlUnP4JnwDZsreftpR7Aj9fx0y6Xw1_aATq5q059LWLV7Pk9DkCLzo-8js_Xz-vU/s320/IMG_5970.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw977FYEcWgwHAC7HokeAroHq1Axve1As2UcNOKN9YtMGSZpzzP5D-7p9K7vmW-ZW0VX_XVllMGGqa9z3oGr92w_VfZGUqGhlDofIqXyWtFe4TrvDj5yt0Xc1JDmyyGJeUSfFWStGAKY/s1600/IMG_5981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw977FYEcWgwHAC7HokeAroHq1Axve1As2UcNOKN9YtMGSZpzzP5D-7p9K7vmW-ZW0VX_XVllMGGqa9z3oGr92w_VfZGUqGhlDofIqXyWtFe4TrvDj5yt0Xc1JDmyyGJeUSfFWStGAKY/s320/IMG_5981.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jack!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbyx3YVzZcUCdrGVsmNLTKv5Tbg2clmKuhwNcbXvalUw_USr-1DNuKJeAGDoBooOF1oF6WSxDky5qhBXP7tHlybwXBm53Rv_WeMkgbeA6e2fcMCePsellHOr1-GfOTUkFTAqUg6jJVRM/s1600/IMG_5989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbyx3YVzZcUCdrGVsmNLTKv5Tbg2clmKuhwNcbXvalUw_USr-1DNuKJeAGDoBooOF1oF6WSxDky5qhBXP7tHlybwXBm53Rv_WeMkgbeA6e2fcMCePsellHOr1-GfOTUkFTAqUg6jJVRM/s320/IMG_5989.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Reichstag </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsD5p3cPG98WirSePhRmd4BZ9B77tREX9NV9uVTGVOOU4GB6eoyJyxNbqt3GAMKpGTgHEPmM2iMHUClaE_G3Ei1uXQjAZZHqhQbSwyK5jVlFKL5a8TEBmJtYP4wYT9qMywAKiA5jOUMY/s1600/IMG_5999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsD5p3cPG98WirSePhRmd4BZ9B77tREX9NV9uVTGVOOU4GB6eoyJyxNbqt3GAMKpGTgHEPmM2iMHUClaE_G3Ei1uXQjAZZHqhQbSwyK5jVlFKL5a8TEBmJtYP4wYT9qMywAKiA5jOUMY/s320/IMG_5999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Haptbahnhof</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An unbelievable city that I hope to revisit someday..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-10459864150102458902012-03-27T11:29:00.000-04:002012-03-27T11:29:49.189-04:0042.2 kilometers (26.2miles)Well. The day I have been training for since the end of October 2011 came. and went. Barcelona Marathon 2012 was a huge success! I can't believe it's over. This is, I can't believe it until I stand up or walk somewhere and my legs remind me. Georgia and I completed the marathon together in 4 hours and 4 minutes. Not to bad for a first marathon. Something like a steady 9:20 mile pace which is faster than I expected. I couldn't be happier with my time but more importantly, that I got to the starting line AND finished. The whole experience was so incredible.<br />
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Georgia and I had 4 friends come with us to Barcelona for moral support and to do some sight seeing. We left Granada early Friday morning and arrived in Barcelona by early afternoon. We arrived at the hostel and were greeted by some of the nicest staff I have ever met in a hostel since being herein Europe. John and Valerio were super accommodating, cooked dinner for the entire hostel every night and gave the 7 or so marathon runners free breakfast and lunch the day of the marathon. I literally paid for no food the entire weekend and was very well fed. We were about a 15 minute walk from the start line and the night before the race we met 3 German guys, two of which were running the next day. They were super fun and we ended up walking to the start with them and then later that night I went out and celebrated with them (as much as you can celebrate when you are as tired as we were). It was fun to share the experience with other runners.<br />
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Barcelona is an incredible city that I will have to revisit. So much distinct architecture and a mix of cultures. The marathon course took us through the entire city, by the beach and around most of the major land marks. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with perfect weather. I didn't get many good pictures but my friend Katelin took some great ones.<br />
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The day of the race we woke up at 6am Barcelona time to eat breakfast (12am EST/ 11pm CST) with the Germans. The hilarious part was that the night before the race was daylight savings time here in Spain and everyone was freaked out about missing their alarms..but we made it.<br />
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Then we got suited up and headed for the start line around 8am in Barcelona time. I actually wasn't nervous until breakfast the morning of. When we reached the starting line we then had to find our 'box' to start the race from. They divide the start line into colors according to the time you think you will finish in so they can stagger start the race. We were looking for the blue box. Well, somehow we ended up in the very front of the blue box. As in security guards pushing you backwards front of the race. I still have no idea how that happened. It was the craziest feeling to be standing in front with the open road before me. When they finally let us go I had to keep myself from sprinting out because I was so excited. The next four hours were filled with lots and lots of running, hydrating, gel packs and encouraging words. Georgia and I lost each other at the end for a little while. The last 2k were up hill and it was the most mentally challenging thing I've done in a while. People were stopping and walking like crazy which was so tough because at that point you are so close to the finish line. But I made it, without walking or stopping. After crossing the finish line I thought I was going to pass out. Couldn't breath b/c I was crying/laughing so much. Then they had us wait in line to cut our timing chips off our shoes and then another line to get our medals. It was a terrible waiting process but I survived. Totally worth every bit of pain. Training was so fun. I hope that this won't be my last marathon. Here are, as always, a few pics from the weekend!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxUleZloqNEJbbJzuM7Lil1s45YYIecfwc6EvNcnTO6U4-VMejRVhyphenhyphenUdz0Wv_fxWQPk-PLUdOOLqOFk_N8I83PTxouu7gYzasBMQKw4gComtkTCE_DDDFuE4cS8Yp34ZLgz4QP-2jQFY/s1600/IMG_5512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxUleZloqNEJbbJzuM7Lil1s45YYIecfwc6EvNcnTO6U4-VMejRVhyphenhyphenUdz0Wv_fxWQPk-PLUdOOLqOFk_N8I83PTxouu7gYzasBMQKw4gComtkTCE_DDDFuE4cS8Yp34ZLgz4QP-2jQFY/s400/IMG_5512.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The signs that John and Valerio put up for us</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4I0qAYl7hJ5FxyZqovJbQppmABFfZAr42dMeMpnUMggWkquC8nVGzv8NSV5DJzjZfpdJqO94k-s-UCSkMg8-hQLukRSjMhR2xllXLNsHlExyCcXHcgCZCSihi0PrslrfRnKarkmi6FE/s1600/IMG_5517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4I0qAYl7hJ5FxyZqovJbQppmABFfZAr42dMeMpnUMggWkquC8nVGzv8NSV5DJzjZfpdJqO94k-s-UCSkMg8-hQLukRSjMhR2xllXLNsHlExyCcXHcgCZCSihi0PrslrfRnKarkmi6FE/s400/IMG_5517.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">before</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-C15GIo5HYW3yzWwd7_YesG02rih8AbESz9ECSh9ybIxu6ryWLW-_ImuX97moeOA3rINRnGlT-3AsmFkii2K1jqFydaiHAnZp6i_y2pZzkr_Lmcfv2-_VCZpcEJ0Lt_fQ2TfO_B9wMI/s1600/IMG_5516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-C15GIo5HYW3yzWwd7_YesG02rih8AbESz9ECSh9ybIxu6ryWLW-_ImuX97moeOA3rINRnGlT-3AsmFkii2K1jqFydaiHAnZp6i_y2pZzkr_Lmcfv2-_VCZpcEJ0Lt_fQ2TfO_B9wMI/s400/IMG_5516.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">my 'i'm-about-to-run-a-marathon face'</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJMFNJAMATzdkaW3B500V7S9lOk2Ru2a3SLskZAkj6eD8c2I0TQkhK9R4M6JGj0vbESq3s-VdaZqcLEtwuWFXbOBiOz_zLTl-_F0eHiczLMtfaO1XHP2811ZCVqDH6GqJTqs6MW2xn3M/s1600/IMG_5520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJMFNJAMATzdkaW3B500V7S9lOk2Ru2a3SLskZAkj6eD8c2I0TQkhK9R4M6JGj0vbESq3s-VdaZqcLEtwuWFXbOBiOz_zLTl-_F0eHiczLMtfaO1XHP2811ZCVqDH6GqJTqs6MW2xn3M/s400/IMG_5520.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">still waiting...</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3K1jKzhshbrYoPxJDAL7ZdZKfdMS37j-ogf1ydbp6wlzMDq9hdV4iBhyhWRkh-YRjGyKpQRLReh3BECu-9mkWjMk9uiZKVFgNdupAwfAPFUFqq2usnA0mpi5U-1yMuV-0nAxw6bc3GE/s1600/IMG_5507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3K1jKzhshbrYoPxJDAL7ZdZKfdMS37j-ogf1ydbp6wlzMDq9hdV4iBhyhWRkh-YRjGyKpQRLReh3BECu-9mkWjMk9uiZKVFgNdupAwfAPFUFqq2usnA0mpi5U-1yMuV-0nAxw6bc3GE/s400/IMG_5507.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the start...on Saturday before the race</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegeNMY62-6cQJxLeiOA2KyofvmeSSyn1jlXGhUb82l9T1WJr3wpO3cjkh9fudkvTwWwCZjkHQ-76Os3jCzqQNEqIXj8xlUFk7M2Rjjeenn-AVGam6M1-S7mQWy7RPjgkracj4RpqbpfU/s1600/marathonnn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegeNMY62-6cQJxLeiOA2KyofvmeSSyn1jlXGhUb82l9T1WJr3wpO3cjkh9fudkvTwWwCZjkHQ-76Os3jCzqQNEqIXj8xlUFk7M2Rjjeenn-AVGam6M1-S7mQWy7RPjgkracj4RpqbpfU/s400/marathonnn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">me, Georgia, Roland and Jean-Marie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcd0GhhxgPJs2IsjmeMl5ndIGVTAPDcgVgUOKS06gjJT-i-4ZBWHZCUrytOtxQs5tolElfIXh87m8zrAHxsRAp3MV4L1VJXHrrWfb0YsIcW9ov8mt5p7d82ZeVJsC7bf_T97Wz1P327k/s1600/marathonbest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcd0GhhxgPJs2IsjmeMl5ndIGVTAPDcgVgUOKS06gjJT-i-4ZBWHZCUrytOtxQs5tolElfIXh87m8zrAHxsRAp3MV4L1VJXHrrWfb0YsIcW9ov8mt5p7d82ZeVJsC7bf_T97Wz1P327k/s400/marathonbest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BEST. PIC. EVER. thanks Katelin (beginning of the marathon)</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-C15GIo5HYW3yzWwd7_YesG02rih8AbESz9ECSh9ybIxu6ryWLW-_ImuX97moeOA3rINRnGlT-3AsmFkii2K1jqFydaiHAnZp6i_y2pZzkr_Lmcfv2-_VCZpcEJ0Lt_fQ2TfO_B9wMI/s1600/IMG_5516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_y17jF8l2OuNpaKbolljpItoJtEPgps0N221IWX7nmFn57Sk6n-TjGbIWLOMyvIVYovV6bCRZjcq1HOPMVkjL9rBIQ8TMvES2ZVqcSJ5ZYeXQigf0DjinW_sifSljZCmRqswVo7Twxhc/s1600/marathon+4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_y17jF8l2OuNpaKbolljpItoJtEPgps0N221IWX7nmFn57Sk6n-TjGbIWLOMyvIVYovV6bCRZjcq1HOPMVkjL9rBIQ8TMvES2ZVqcSJ5ZYeXQigf0DjinW_sifSljZCmRqswVo7Twxhc/s400/marathon+4.jpeg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">last 100 meters. I think. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQhdH6kh1QlxFzbshr_wHiqeuF3QPaJGn2Zdpsq606I_jkf6Ql1tDRAONH_xYJ-QBC40vvwmiUZuqc_KbMBe5y9oGxqfrvk8X9LM99j7t-Fu5Ac3ZaapeXZR2Cs_XyqbQTP2TAVevEBg/s1600/marathon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQhdH6kh1QlxFzbshr_wHiqeuF3QPaJGn2Zdpsq606I_jkf6Ql1tDRAONH_xYJ-QBC40vvwmiUZuqc_KbMBe5y9oGxqfrvk8X9LM99j7t-Fu5Ac3ZaapeXZR2Cs_XyqbQTP2TAVevEBg/s400/marathon.jpeg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">fist pumping. finish line</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5kJyqogt8TShKrIKtnSw0o7xqP8gX-x2KfN071kAFZQ2yNmll0ITAKovPmOUtTXB-tTUkO0Tp_0BktUPoHmUJcLUxvBcIbbv62J1VEI-AdQg7qkEqlnmZOOTjNX3ZasMb1SxjTOjpsU/s1600/IMG_5529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5kJyqogt8TShKrIKtnSw0o7xqP8gX-x2KfN071kAFZQ2yNmll0ITAKovPmOUtTXB-tTUkO0Tp_0BktUPoHmUJcLUxvBcIbbv62J1VEI-AdQg7qkEqlnmZOOTjNX3ZasMb1SxjTOjpsU/s400/IMG_5529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">after it was all said and done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9dNFRLCf36oE3gMOuhQOfQMsrbl8qMakid2nTdRy3LcqH-bUOdsdlQLc9FfweGhcDm5iTH7xU8_nCla36Me_5CQ2Dmrx37WF5WXmgbo-pdyeEh9Uq2HzFGpw5cLpeZrVNjVMW00yZso/s1600/IMG_5532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9dNFRLCf36oE3gMOuhQOfQMsrbl8qMakid2nTdRy3LcqH-bUOdsdlQLc9FfweGhcDm5iTH7xU8_nCla36Me_5CQ2Dmrx37WF5WXmgbo-pdyeEh9Uq2HzFGpw5cLpeZrVNjVMW00yZso/s400/IMG_5532.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this is what i wanted to do right after..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZ45XsvhAVusBE2Pd7rIid0Kj8wPbBY6iTaKCe5xqX6CHEAod73qGAUwlPeOeWG6fpmslhgrYmlpeldmN-jJ7zIFb12fTtjf1If0bfSMNhVif_yuvpGvinIbfOVTm3Erw71CK_ri89eE/s1600/IMG_5540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZ45XsvhAVusBE2Pd7rIid0Kj8wPbBY6iTaKCe5xqX6CHEAod73qGAUwlPeOeWG6fpmslhgrYmlpeldmN-jJ7zIFb12fTtjf1If0bfSMNhVif_yuvpGvinIbfOVTm3Erw71CK_ri89eE/s400/IMG_5540.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valerio! he had a surprise lunch ready for us at the hostel after the race.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcfGxY-u6Q72R5qc-mzeDbvJz2RpX4eqA37RubeKbIdv4emo6-9B6QBaU0pPeOC2pL-wMg4tcA4s7F2wG6k4zBUB6bnpPAvck10idSA67XWQY3kDQFcL-bN7RzHkgt18Vu0rpNTP3x_U/s1600/IMG_5440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcfGxY-u6Q72R5qc-mzeDbvJz2RpX4eqA37RubeKbIdv4emo6-9B6QBaU0pPeOC2pL-wMg4tcA4s7F2wG6k4zBUB6bnpPAvck10idSA67XWQY3kDQFcL-bN7RzHkgt18Vu0rpNTP3x_U/s400/IMG_5440.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">magic fountain (that's the name). light show accompanied with disney movie soundtrack</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-on23WTUlAmJ3yjSUlg39ucIp4LvsGtEPylCVix3vhxR9lmfP8lEElJYRqSRhK0fJcQk7VsKWpdI7hjrDQqKgg90mWba5lZaZySwolj8OFP-jl-_QTFa0OtMy7qmgKuaFSEgo4O4-Uc/s1600/IMG_5449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-on23WTUlAmJ3yjSUlg39ucIp4LvsGtEPylCVix3vhxR9lmfP8lEElJYRqSRhK0fJcQk7VsKWpdI7hjrDQqKgg90mWba5lZaZySwolj8OFP-jl-_QTFa0OtMy7qmgKuaFSEgo4O4-Uc/s400/IMG_5449.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Park Güell in Barcelona. Entrance looked like Candy Land.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjswF2ki0KEII2Z8fk3dvkiUdULoIg9NkfxJzxhBwTSlQY4LrdMB2fXxpF0eL0_Pg0ATYSfSnVx0roaKHs3xVEhYwmWqgCHJCNtbPnQETIVIKcBe-S8AhVXrJ8aNik-FX7C4qx__a2pQ8/s1600/IMG_5457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjswF2ki0KEII2Z8fk3dvkiUdULoIg9NkfxJzxhBwTSlQY4LrdMB2fXxpF0eL0_Pg0ATYSfSnVx0roaKHs3xVEhYwmWqgCHJCNtbPnQETIVIKcBe-S8AhVXrJ8aNik-FX7C4qx__a2pQ8/s400/IMG_5457.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xlzUkgFWLIjd7K6KJCOXwXmFBhestWEfCbEHAGcPefg1b0_ij2u_b9XVkXtj4y3vVr8946ttPIjvUHa-xlhbtoTqDCE9al_8F_JCugmwx-L_g4QfdjZ1Y4esgrrHviD4U0SrZlg7f8Q/s1600/IMG_5464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xlzUkgFWLIjd7K6KJCOXwXmFBhestWEfCbEHAGcPefg1b0_ij2u_b9XVkXtj4y3vVr8946ttPIjvUHa-xlhbtoTqDCE9al_8F_JCugmwx-L_g4QfdjZ1Y4esgrrHviD4U0SrZlg7f8Q/s400/IMG_5464.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guadi's house</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKalY_9KLoDDaEqPd7P_yl99yDW7TTa-42J3jLs7_AgjbthEaa0ePjP1Py4oEFAguzIMwUdwEbI4fnabLjQHUeW9N4yPdSCpzCK5iJTb8ZIRk-eU6PtYEReAboAfrlYHpK7Y1OrvLvyeg/s1600/IMG_5471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKalY_9KLoDDaEqPd7P_yl99yDW7TTa-42J3jLs7_AgjbthEaa0ePjP1Py4oEFAguzIMwUdwEbI4fnabLjQHUeW9N4yPdSCpzCK5iJTb8ZIRk-eU6PtYEReAboAfrlYHpK7Y1OrvLvyeg/s400/IMG_5471.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4sU5sCIovMlDNE4Vfk_sQ63HCCP0YfhGTvEBHRsoRY_zDBDtxlbnlgYQ3X1_WTtbhySMhrJ11gWsU9Trf4fUtHADnjP9iOQcWeGVHTDWWdH7jcxAojX8M2cMahD0NLJltuhIMUxdcmY/s1600/IMG_5480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4sU5sCIovMlDNE4Vfk_sQ63HCCP0YfhGTvEBHRsoRY_zDBDtxlbnlgYQ3X1_WTtbhySMhrJ11gWsU9Trf4fUtHADnjP9iOQcWeGVHTDWWdH7jcxAojX8M2cMahD0NLJltuhIMUxdcmY/s400/IMG_5480.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sam! I didn't have a group pic</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj0CRPt9PGQpXmdEntCqKlYkxnA4-a2XrKdfEISFv2rcGM8GNoPD9CRuu4ggST8wsNYftjim3a4M-zYzkiocRPWIZzzwzYZszzFDVWSxd3o8MJykz84pQzi-mokZICigHIRx1s07Tpg8/s1600/IMG_5487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj0CRPt9PGQpXmdEntCqKlYkxnA4-a2XrKdfEISFv2rcGM8GNoPD9CRuu4ggST8wsNYftjim3a4M-zYzkiocRPWIZzzwzYZszzFDVWSxd3o8MJykz84pQzi-mokZICigHIRx1s07Tpg8/s400/IMG_5487.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> a very magical looking place</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This weekend was one that I will indeed never forget as long as I live. What an experience it was to train for the marathon and then to finally get to run it. And to run it in Barcelona. What a gift. So thankful for everyone who high fived me today, wrote on my facebook wall, sent me emails, and supported me the whole way. Even though my legs feel like they have a thousand tiny knives in them i'm walking (ok waddling) around Granada grinning ear to ear. What a incredible feeling. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Also..in 3 days I'm off to Germany/Prague for 10 days.. What an incredible time in life!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-50595502319255763882012-03-12T12:42:00.000-04:002012-03-12T12:42:25.829-04:00One of Those DaysYesterday I read a short story by a man who is studying abroad in Granada. His name is Mark and his life story is pretty crazy. I am unsure of his exact age but he went back to school to get a degree and decided that he should study abroad. His semester has turned into a year and he plans to stay for the summer. He gets a lot of strange looks from students at my school because he sticks out among a couple hundred 20 yr olds. But he is a pretty cool guy. He is a writer and up until yesterday I had not read anything by him. He wrote a story called "The Bridge" about losing his second wife to cancer and by the time I was done reading it, tears were streaming down my face uncontrollably. The premise of the story was he was with his granddaughter walking over a bridge and he looked down at the water and remembered his wife and then proceeded to tell their story. It 's a pretty crazy story with a lot of crazy things but the essence of it for me was this line about remembering people who were so dear to us and now they are gone: <br />
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<i>"Moments happen in our lives that defy the laws of nature, when whole pieces of our past can slip into a backward moving stream and crash vividly into our awareness. In this entanglement of time, we are back to where it all began." -</i>mark stanley<br />
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This happens to me in regards to my brother John more than I care to admit. Almost everyday I see something and think "John would have loved that." or laugh about some story from the past with John in it. And the funny thing is, I used to do that when he was alive. The only difference is now, I can't tell him about it.<br />
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The other day when I was in Ronda, Kelli and I walked past a store that was selling giant highly decorated knives. I immediately thought of John and how he would have begged to go in the store and check out the weaponry. He had a little knife collection. One of the like 7 things he did have..<br />
And I smiled a bit and then realized that it had been a long time since I had really thought about him. And by a long time, I mean a few months. Here, there is hardly anything to remind me of him. No pictures, people, or places to be reminded of. There are only my thoughts and memories.<br />
And it was in that moment that it really hit me how much I missed him and miss talking about him. I think people think i'm crazy here b/c i've been telling crazy stories about my brother all week. I just can't seem to help myself.<br />
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Like stories of all of the practical jokes John used to love. He was never very good at the surprise element of the jokes but non the less it was hilarious. He owned a hand buzzer, electric gum and a pen that shocked you when you tried to use it. I was remembering the other day how I was with him when he bought the pen. It actually looked and seemed like a normal pen. And we spent 3 days trying to get anyone and everyone to use it. That was in 2007 before I graduated high school. When I moved away I forgot about the pen and those moments we had together. And then that terribly rotten day when we were cleaning out his room after he died I opened his desk drawer and took out the 3 pencils and 2 pens he had (once again, the boy owned nothing). I really like writing utensils and so I decided to test the pens to see if they still wrote. And wouldn't you know it, I picked up the shock pen, clicked it, and thought my arm was going to fall off. I cursed so loudly and terribly. And then started laughing and crying at the same time b/c I couldn't believe John finally got me with that dumb 'ol pen.<br />
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I can still hear his laugh, see his smile, and listen to him arguing with my parents over the ways of the world. I sometimes here his off key singing of all my favorite songs (which i once hated..) and whistling which he used to do incessantly.<br />
I'll never forget how he used to greet me at the door when I came home from college and carry my bags to my room. Whose 16yr old brother does that? mine did.<br />
And how he always wanted to hang out with me and practice baseball and basketball with me.<br />
He was such a life force in our family growing up that when we are all together, the silence is almost deafening sometimes.<br />
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The family I live with here in Spain lost a member of the house in June 2011. They lost a son and brother. And one time the whole family got back together in January 2012 and my host mom couldn't stop crying. My heart hurt so bad for them b/c I know what it is like to have an echoing missing presence, one you don't really feel until the pieces are all back together. except one.<br />
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And so I miss my brother. And I always will. And there will always be things that remind me of him. everyday. And somedays will will be sadder than others. And unfortunately, I will never quite understand why he is gone. But, above all,I am very thankful for is how many good, wonderful, and cherished memories my family and I shared with him. It is just a shame there won't be anymore...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyNJMidCKAZOwWL3gaMDMbHB3clpMub3gGRCvZ2PkTJcKkwoJqON6HIDW1cnWhfaUVVwX_4qlCt7cMdGLvRo6tXo_dhrOeiRHCKASgpIDwC2muPnLzJUJ1dmkMvr8tIz5uxEYI-Lgyjk/s1600/DSC07562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyNJMidCKAZOwWL3gaMDMbHB3clpMub3gGRCvZ2PkTJcKkwoJqON6HIDW1cnWhfaUVVwX_4qlCt7cMdGLvRo6tXo_dhrOeiRHCKASgpIDwC2muPnLzJUJ1dmkMvr8tIz5uxEYI-Lgyjk/s400/DSC07562.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You are still missed John Noll. and you always will be. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-91618706532243763582012-03-02T08:05:00.000-05:002012-03-02T08:05:50.233-05:00RondaThis past weekend I had a 5 day weekend followed by only 2 days of class. The reason being that there was a holiday (fiesta) on Tuesday for all of Andalusia, the autonomous community in which Granada is located. So of course we were given monday AND tuesday off. This is a very common practice among spaniards. One, that as a student, I fully support. So I had five days to relax and do whatever I wanted. Friday I spent almost the entire day in bed, sleeping, reading, eating, watching TV. Let me tell you, I'm soaking up every one of those days I can get. Saturday I spent running and then my new friend Kelli asked me if I wanted to go to Ronda, Spain with her. I said sure not really knowing exactly what Ronda was or where it was or what we could do there. So i Googled it and found out that it was a pretty famous Spanish place. It is home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain, there are some pretty cool bridges there, and the town has heavy moorish influence. Which is great if you are in a Islamic Culture in Spain class like I am. Really makes class not so boring when you can have some hands on experience. So we went. by train. which is spain is not too common. The trains are usually expensive and it is far better to take a bus. But the train ended up being the best, most direct option.<br />
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Kelli and I spent the better part of almost 3 days touring the town, sitting on top of ancient city walls, exploring, talking, sleeping, and staring at mountains. Just what I had needed. The place was gorgeous and i wish I could have spent more time there just wondering around. Anyways, here are a few pics from the weekend.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEcCIoHW_GRHcsVa3k1xHAgnYLSgRCRaJFaEsH9CXQIPNgQFU8C_mViNw6KK-nubJRF_Xx7BDScb0ssrV1Pha-tvL8hUFBWrbvET_WcuTPKciByw4LoVdWllIvi4wcQKYi8Z_qP6t7Zw/s1600/IMG_5020_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEcCIoHW_GRHcsVa3k1xHAgnYLSgRCRaJFaEsH9CXQIPNgQFU8C_mViNw6KK-nubJRF_Xx7BDScb0ssrV1Pha-tvL8hUFBWrbvET_WcuTPKciByw4LoVdWllIvi4wcQKYi8Z_qP6t7Zw/s400/IMG_5020_1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd6ZrmNAcMZQSuGRDKyaNREPA2CGi8sBZNmsqyoEHbGB-Wj0qeP5hCKFB2vNPAuhvJW5KP2AZnSyRdYj8OMSzfMsUh9vUW4R3F1vcx4UcxDQL-opPJUW82P54FWxZWT8IajcSyHhxTww/s1600/IMG_5027_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRd6ZrmNAcMZQSuGRDKyaNREPA2CGi8sBZNmsqyoEHbGB-Wj0qeP5hCKFB2vNPAuhvJW5KP2AZnSyRdYj8OMSzfMsUh9vUW4R3F1vcx4UcxDQL-opPJUW82P54FWxZWT8IajcSyHhxTww/s400/IMG_5027_1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">not bad..</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX6ejR_awkN7mj87f-jJ87lWssIQGal00GvwJyw-iJN4YWnX3saZxybNHW3qRymUwhlWUldxY3r8VM1nbqLiORUWzHLog7uD1dNJ9l62jvJryruL7yjJWN8hHR2C-WhaNaIQhCwu0H1M/s1600/IMG_5033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX6ejR_awkN7mj87f-jJ87lWssIQGal00GvwJyw-iJN4YWnX3saZxybNHW3qRymUwhlWUldxY3r8VM1nbqLiORUWzHLog7uD1dNJ9l62jvJryruL7yjJWN8hHR2C-WhaNaIQhCwu0H1M/s400/IMG_5033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeoN3c3vAtosHNaq1ME_8oKqYVEJtzaZeCo2obTjJ_SG8vEu40wfzQ2NOY1gAldNJRIJWGFc58ipB2RYT0qFxJnCpiTKXg0GoMEUhEZ9y-GLPjiAB9J8EU4ciKcScGBSAhYj9ZJFEClk/s1600/IMG_5041_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeoN3c3vAtosHNaq1ME_8oKqYVEJtzaZeCo2obTjJ_SG8vEu40wfzQ2NOY1gAldNJRIJWGFc58ipB2RYT0qFxJnCpiTKXg0GoMEUhEZ9y-GLPjiAB9J8EU4ciKcScGBSAhYj9ZJFEClk/s400/IMG_5041_1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">i took 35 pictures of this bridge</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGyMl_w1x9lKl5qdT8G3uXg3XXPJKhr95459i1XjyZ-po4LW1KVa-YppgmRamfLS1tGSFrr_TZYD6U48lEL8G3wt37MZG63GoJ9l_0HTOXC24Tr1WR0U7bunZLZFnb_FJvdGe01u8TtY/s1600/IMG_5070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGyMl_w1x9lKl5qdT8G3uXg3XXPJKhr95459i1XjyZ-po4LW1KVa-YppgmRamfLS1tGSFrr_TZYD6U48lEL8G3wt37MZG63GoJ9l_0HTOXC24Tr1WR0U7bunZLZFnb_FJvdGe01u8TtY/s400/IMG_5070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ronda</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffohsMtTaMtHKBxAbMce1Saynz9A7uwAa7cQjm4YOKrOo3N4Qf9RDCHDZXFA3M9t3-dekeoek8Bse7UyvB-D7wOqBPgOe88gV1zOSHvsCFf_QbYSXKNtyDcHPWoA88rRD-icAwYML9bg/s1600/IMG_5074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffohsMtTaMtHKBxAbMce1Saynz9A7uwAa7cQjm4YOKrOo3N4Qf9RDCHDZXFA3M9t3-dekeoek8Bse7UyvB-D7wOqBPgOe88gV1zOSHvsCFf_QbYSXKNtyDcHPWoA88rRD-icAwYML9bg/s400/IMG_5074.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kelli and I</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGrQ5aqZ8t9-YY2XGKi6gTz3raByhn-hfKsH_xPjelpfdpnmLN4Q3VaSUWHO8COe6MXIxDOpWHs6YS4GgxBEj0fThXyNJ25OFLlDatlaArnwLAdjCBJ9Hcue_uLvITuL2DqUxkD0Np8E/s1600/IMG_5080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGrQ5aqZ8t9-YY2XGKi6gTz3raByhn-hfKsH_xPjelpfdpnmLN4Q3VaSUWHO8COe6MXIxDOpWHs6YS4GgxBEj0fThXyNJ25OFLlDatlaArnwLAdjCBJ9Hcue_uLvITuL2DqUxkD0Np8E/s400/IMG_5080.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8KsgQ7MwcqqZPG60K9Y8jb9Kf1BFNA7EZrTNYQ-1EA_O2cw0iAhnZU1bGXMaHn8n4kmxq3nGTZCgXPgs2og-h0hZ_RrCgD9nQDN63KsLqmYSHTLuWuBNWiaLk54t68ukj-a70JSj8rs/s1600/IMG_5106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8KsgQ7MwcqqZPG60K9Y8jb9Kf1BFNA7EZrTNYQ-1EA_O2cw0iAhnZU1bGXMaHn8n4kmxq3nGTZCgXPgs2og-h0hZ_RrCgD9nQDN63KsLqmYSHTLuWuBNWiaLk54t68ukj-a70JSj8rs/s400/IMG_5106.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">bullfighting ring </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkz3kjo5C94_YiqntDes6YAubb9X9KWmOhYGNmfBdj31Ai5QeNSb_Bq2ewrfzoOf9Rmxidf1WSOCBSjp9xwWJgIUShfuu8G6gLxV14yjYdDABsIkymJY2OH7KRPVUMxi_LyYmDaRQ-3w/s1600/IMG_5107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkz3kjo5C94_YiqntDes6YAubb9X9KWmOhYGNmfBdj31Ai5QeNSb_Bq2ewrfzoOf9Rmxidf1WSOCBSjp9xwWJgIUShfuu8G6gLxV14yjYdDABsIkymJY2OH7KRPVUMxi_LyYmDaRQ-3w/s400/IMG_5107.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">my best matador impression. Kelli happened to catch it on camera.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBBaXhq756_Z_YDePi4tm8bsgcjuFOVNXoMpKF8UwiCb6xoCLyQ624-JpxL4jBtNlDq2xA3iICtoMJUJ90PB5EaQurv3fKg3Ek42EZpDC-ABKGEgEhmDj2Se-vVyRrgV7aV0UQt74TEs/s1600/IMG_5118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBBaXhq756_Z_YDePi4tm8bsgcjuFOVNXoMpKF8UwiCb6xoCLyQ624-JpxL4jBtNlDq2xA3iICtoMJUJ90PB5EaQurv3fKg3Ek42EZpDC-ABKGEgEhmDj2Se-vVyRrgV7aV0UQt74TEs/s400/IMG_5118.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this is a little wall that the guys who help the matador run and hide behind when the bull starts chasing them. kind of like a rodeo clown..</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7DpBoJ7NeVSStB6ytyPSCVzD83Lro1TuMv_NP6ErnWImQ1kCmbDLbTAcq32rpYmsSSwL6S0Q76SD8LrcrBP_k-u5rd8kR5yOijB6pbQGQ73d0C1QVTcMCj2_15uaZIx2mJ1AdfEC23E/s1600/IMG_5123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7DpBoJ7NeVSStB6ytyPSCVzD83Lro1TuMv_NP6ErnWImQ1kCmbDLbTAcq32rpYmsSSwL6S0Q76SD8LrcrBP_k-u5rd8kR5yOijB6pbQGQ73d0C1QVTcMCj2_15uaZIx2mJ1AdfEC23E/s400/IMG_5123.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kelli trying to be a bull</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH1p0uNZhlnLJmbtGRYDRLYchwG543mMfIr8-PAe83XxEAOa9X2Q8ppKE2_fASWRovkPsFestSsFqOXa2DCzFuk0s7jkd4WXpRDijUTicjfCOWjPjnyqLSiR-WieuXHcDtIakhC7XKa4/s1600/IMG_5186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH1p0uNZhlnLJmbtGRYDRLYchwG543mMfIr8-PAe83XxEAOa9X2Q8ppKE2_fASWRovkPsFestSsFqOXa2DCzFuk0s7jkd4WXpRDijUTicjfCOWjPjnyqLSiR-WieuXHcDtIakhC7XKa4/s400/IMG_5186.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziwM-ohZiWShsPy66Vo4FjFbEDtfQOUKwVmbUxzMq8LuCuSZCQlsP6WG_HNuTsqQiGcLE1xCMklujn5BeG1eu6XLSLNsnMQQFAJtxNoztHhsvLqykrgU1fC8HY9F0pM2JKkl3h6KXVEw/s1600/IMG_5229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziwM-ohZiWShsPy66Vo4FjFbEDtfQOUKwVmbUxzMq8LuCuSZCQlsP6WG_HNuTsqQiGcLE1xCMklujn5BeG1eu6XLSLNsnMQQFAJtxNoztHhsvLqykrgU1fC8HY9F0pM2JKkl3h6KXVEw/s400/IMG_5229.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we took a hike to the bottom of the gorge. so beautiful</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfReuKTwOasXZ2sR2yFStvO5PTSqbcTdEbCq0I_HYVpfO355jtDHgMuQGn1dsScnR1wdruZJdw0Pyew_9oxJXbXWOOfG0j1AskPNeIndM4VmsPPu8PrYj6Z4ddypDXPF5XOdQ_dmqP1U/s1600/IMG_5275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfReuKTwOasXZ2sR2yFStvO5PTSqbcTdEbCq0I_HYVpfO355jtDHgMuQGn1dsScnR1wdruZJdw0Pyew_9oxJXbXWOOfG0j1AskPNeIndM4VmsPPu8PrYj6Z4ddypDXPF5XOdQ_dmqP1U/s400/IMG_5275.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">so many abandoned buildings</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9td9m8JahLPINpDf9nSc2oe4Qm6R_N7GxP6miUgPoiTGFYa-9TYbvHvGSE6TBkG__SZjCG9IWb5TMmbsjsqVrGh1x1jljViH4WTNgzpniveP0X4Mp5SFAJqLWapPTgQ8gloetdDHcX0/s1600/IMG_5339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9td9m8JahLPINpDf9nSc2oe4Qm6R_N7GxP6miUgPoiTGFYa-9TYbvHvGSE6TBkG__SZjCG9IWb5TMmbsjsqVrGh1x1jljViH4WTNgzpniveP0X4Mp5SFAJqLWapPTgQ8gloetdDHcX0/s400/IMG_5339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">amazing views</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWRveKGF37auWZf1pDodByLWJVrjRBEWGUY3QrnfqdswCMBYqaSu_5Wi33xJLVHBzPYRpLFbLwRg6Q2cauIZtvGE9qwXcmM7CZO7W3nw5-pcbW_-6wMmsmqzPG4Bn7_nJx_3blM4ztNY/s1600/IMG_5342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWRveKGF37auWZf1pDodByLWJVrjRBEWGUY3QrnfqdswCMBYqaSu_5Wi33xJLVHBzPYRpLFbLwRg6Q2cauIZtvGE9qwXcmM7CZO7W3nw5-pcbW_-6wMmsmqzPG4Bn7_nJx_3blM4ztNY/s400/IMG_5342.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">there was also a Vespa convention. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4brInbwzscLxynYej6B_E3rMdR9p7pipVp8hyphenhyphenL0PhAoDOF5_k01ayh4vrU3VdA6C-bE77IXlki7BWoAFwgNbQXNiHJNtqC5DbBNfqAKmF40YvRcb5HHulCqmAmx3zssGpYpmAtk30CEw/s1600/IMG_5354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4brInbwzscLxynYej6B_E3rMdR9p7pipVp8hyphenhyphenL0PhAoDOF5_k01ayh4vrU3VdA6C-bE77IXlki7BWoAFwgNbQXNiHJNtqC5DbBNfqAKmF40YvRcb5HHulCqmAmx3zssGpYpmAtk30CEw/s400/IMG_5354.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">train ride home</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5qSV4xG0sXtM5chbicL6UcG7RdgEUky9kGKXLpR783kDSYOPk-60TjJ3sVirnHqaP0KbJrHSF_YHw9z6DXK-w7rC3_nQjjhphEK8eCZCuo-i5kNOJjwa7EL58ee4hyphenhyphenhyK0tddXtUEfc/s1600/IMG_5358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5qSV4xG0sXtM5chbicL6UcG7RdgEUky9kGKXLpR783kDSYOPk-60TjJ3sVirnHqaP0KbJrHSF_YHw9z6DXK-w7rC3_nQjjhphEK8eCZCuo-i5kNOJjwa7EL58ee4hyphenhyphenhyK0tddXtUEfc/s400/IMG_5358.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">super blurry but it if I didn't know any better i would have thought i was in south Texas for about 5 minutes of the train ride</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiD12rniSzkh_8jJYJsctaHKRQvj3EsWKddT5IPnI17pK-51pyoCW6E9FfGBI1MjaxpAUUYcg-sS9Vu11bvp8f-5STlSWJlOn1j8GbweMblGqJOvES3e1RUBnaMHiuPMZwt0G-S8w2sbA/s1600/IMG_5367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiD12rniSzkh_8jJYJsctaHKRQvj3EsWKddT5IPnI17pK-51pyoCW6E9FfGBI1MjaxpAUUYcg-sS9Vu11bvp8f-5STlSWJlOn1j8GbweMblGqJOvES3e1RUBnaMHiuPMZwt0G-S8w2sbA/s400/IMG_5367.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">train station in Granada. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So great to get away outside of the city. It is March now. This means I have 3 months left here. I absolutely can not believe how quickly the time has passed. so crazy! hoping to make the most out of my time left here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-59962924865564851942012-02-13T17:28:00.000-05:002012-02-13T17:28:33.266-05:00Marathon Training<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvzD4GVdK1AFAKnBYSPzXId3ve8cc4YV4QmcNNzCp6QV_nGzBDTyN5chajnvu3aUvzWodq3LSL9qBN-kP0gNzyjZnckPfs8whWOVxxT2_7a9fFFtAYIQAY3hujkvMCevS4piNvA5AKKQ/s1600/Barcelona-Marathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvzD4GVdK1AFAKnBYSPzXId3ve8cc4YV4QmcNNzCp6QV_nGzBDTyN5chajnvu3aUvzWodq3LSL9qBN-kP0gNzyjZnckPfs8whWOVxxT2_7a9fFFtAYIQAY3hujkvMCevS4piNvA5AKKQ/s320/Barcelona-Marathon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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So it's official. On March 25, 2012 at 8:30am I will be standing on the starting line for a marathon in Barcelona, Spain. I know, super crazy. Some of you already knew this but others maybe not. I've not really made a big deal about it because up until a few weeks ago I hadn't registered or bought plane tickets. But as of today I officially purchased my tickets and made hotel reservations. It is quite a crazy feeling. I have always thought about running a marathon. And to be honest, I secretly, since I was 18 I wanted my first marathon to be with my brother, John. He and I always shared the same love for running and I knew that when we got older he would train and run one with me. But unfortunately that will never happen and since he past away a few years ago the thought of actually running a marathon hadn't appealed to me that strongly. And then I came to Spain. And I had a ton of time on my hands and got tired of sitting in my room. And then I met my friend Georgia and her goal was to run a marathon in Europe while we were here for 10 months. So I thought about it and decided that I would train.<br />
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I've been training since October and the experience of the training itself has been incredible. Granada has actually proved itself to be a perfect place to train and I have been able to explore parts inside and outside of the city I doubt I would have ever found. And as painful as it is to wake up early on Saturday mornings to go for my long run, once i'm out the door it is all totally worth it! I have listened to many pump up music playlists, This American Life podcasts, and spent hours in discussion and story telling with Georgia. The set up for training couldn't have been any more perfect. I have all the time in the world to train and motivation to do so. And although I didn't think i was going to be running a marathon anytime soon, much less in Spain of all places, I am so glad I made the choice to train.<br />
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Also, check out this starting line/finish line... unbelievable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Csif1oLiyyQZXXDloUwg9LynTfF6Nmr7s6OXV5bV42v_xRa89wJNuI8sIvlNTYmUzWvM1xPci8_nSb7H45cw_S06-YcNMzkSc1v_TL9Bmyqq-DvqwaxGGgSg2zCsPgmyqG1FQmTb5l8/s1600/marathon+start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Csif1oLiyyQZXXDloUwg9LynTfF6Nmr7s6OXV5bV42v_xRa89wJNuI8sIvlNTYmUzWvM1xPci8_nSb7H45cw_S06-YcNMzkSc1v_TL9Bmyqq-DvqwaxGGgSg2zCsPgmyqG1FQmTb5l8/s640/marathon+start.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this is the Magic Fountain. that is it's real name, in english.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and check out this <a href="http://www.zurichmaratobarcelona.es/files/mapa.pdf" target="_blank">course map</a>. It runs you right past all of the awesome spots in Barcelona. And the course is relatively flat. The fun part about doing this race in Europe, besides just all of it, is that the race will be measured in Kilometers which means instead of running 26.2 miles i'm running 42.195 kilometers. Haven't figured out if this is a good or bad thing. I guess we shall see. I've been training in miles only because i have no idea what my 'kilometer pace' is or let alone what my 5k time. Basically my goal is to cross the finish line. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can't wait. 4 of Georgia and I's friends are coming with us to cheer us on. Now all I have to do is stay injury free. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So. Fired. Up</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="goog_244309193"></span><span id="goog_244309194"></span></div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-53163124631129130852012-02-13T17:02:00.001-05:002012-02-13T17:03:01.969-05:00Climbed Some Rocks. And It Was FunLast week was my first full week back to classes and the start of my SECOND semester in Spain. Unbelievable. It was one of the longest weeks I have had since being here. But I did get to go rock climbing on Saturday. Of course, I got to go after completing a 14 mile run. Let's just say getting out of bed on Sunday was quite the chore but so incredibly worth it. Forgive how I look in these pictures. i forgot bobby bins to pin back my hair so i resorted to a hat to keeping all of my hairs in their place.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJAAa75FzD-oZko9Hx53dx0eku-IYzPxxd_0opcnwAo7eOGi2cWhIbnFHfkSlZERFQytT_QL9OxHC5EApVGgoDCLKycj-MOkQaRKdG6YODfZZxc08r4wQ4A4DI9IykEPyEwn3pM72EuM/s1600/IMG_4821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJAAa75FzD-oZko9Hx53dx0eku-IYzPxxd_0opcnwAo7eOGi2cWhIbnFHfkSlZERFQytT_QL9OxHC5EApVGgoDCLKycj-MOkQaRKdG6YODfZZxc08r4wQ4A4DI9IykEPyEwn3pM72EuM/s400/IMG_4821.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this was my view. all day.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOp_H_cvD1eFePWWdlQxbD80ew85hsbaTGERsoBh2hzAI1IVQW5nh20kmsiRWgx6ssqLGyCd7EgY_rKVVimfM9etFlZi3n44w5RUCByh_-zN6Cas27a4aH56UF_16u16ZneJoX-pzLvo/s1600/IMG_4830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOp_H_cvD1eFePWWdlQxbD80ew85hsbaTGERsoBh2hzAI1IVQW5nh20kmsiRWgx6ssqLGyCd7EgY_rKVVimfM9etFlZi3n44w5RUCByh_-zN6Cas27a4aH56UF_16u16ZneJoX-pzLvo/s400/IMG_4830.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">i love these pics. total butt shots</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdqLkKhc4bti5Zhyphenhyphen11Yt5cVhjUTEmu2CWMGTq10iYf-HUfuvaz5_ZpMzW_TOKw19O9hyz2QwFGgBLJDvksKvzt9io9SZMuwnGaQXb9ZLfZj28nAWJJDu1jZ9LAPoLTgLzQ2Cl4cm-orc/s1600/IMG_4839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdqLkKhc4bti5Zhyphenhyphen11Yt5cVhjUTEmu2CWMGTq10iYf-HUfuvaz5_ZpMzW_TOKw19O9hyz2QwFGgBLJDvksKvzt9io9SZMuwnGaQXb9ZLfZj28nAWJJDu1jZ9LAPoLTgLzQ2Cl4cm-orc/s400/IMG_4839.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nRBWJfa2rdJp5ZFZEiraKRtBGRsftJO3lOnAzZCoQB0OOzBHGlUKZWF8clh5PrsKaKVpfS6pr04fwhaWNZE1xx4G3C_ZTS_PejSqTrA19QUrGjmAqj9yey4xjUQpJck2njYBtnhw2H8/s1600/IMG_4865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nRBWJfa2rdJp5ZFZEiraKRtBGRsftJO3lOnAzZCoQB0OOzBHGlUKZWF8clh5PrsKaKVpfS6pr04fwhaWNZE1xx4G3C_ZTS_PejSqTrA19QUrGjmAqj9yey4xjUQpJck2njYBtnhw2H8/s400/IMG_4865.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Granada is at the foot of those mountains. i'm so lucky.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRsnpDLN7LK7_eydAN-DfsnlrnEVPp7xTrSWoIBOt9DZ8XKPkDcSUL3ql-LdQ0FE0nV5RDqqh4EMyAAzchCZ8Cf2ky69RdcAmbDGHNPf-TuyDlIYD7-jqSyeziZmye9dJl8mh8KMYiTY/s1600/rock+climbing4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRsnpDLN7LK7_eydAN-DfsnlrnEVPp7xTrSWoIBOt9DZ8XKPkDcSUL3ql-LdQ0FE0nV5RDqqh4EMyAAzchCZ8Cf2ky69RdcAmbDGHNPf-TuyDlIYD7-jqSyeziZmye9dJl8mh8KMYiTY/s400/rock+climbing4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAltUDs7rQQtOa8Osb562ktO03nZcyFmnakdqEd1XYWsekOy7PwuI_Y8FzcAKpFJBSWwS_IZHKTRYoxGGg4v0oZFqO9vkZd67YQjT1iRXh6s9eF3UGz7qTRNsKU_LxyPGS87Y8VgcIlk/s1600/rock+climbing5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAltUDs7rQQtOa8Osb562ktO03nZcyFmnakdqEd1XYWsekOy7PwuI_Y8FzcAKpFJBSWwS_IZHKTRYoxGGg4v0oZFqO9vkZd67YQjT1iRXh6s9eF3UGz7qTRNsKU_LxyPGS87Y8VgcIlk/s400/rock+climbing5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the best one of them all...bwahaha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An incredible day. so nice to get out of the city after a long first week of classes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069142820372708.post-92174999307657764142012-02-02T06:58:00.000-05:002012-02-02T06:58:12.135-05:00A Breath of Fresh Air<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Yesterday I started out February the right way by skiing in the Sierra Nevadas just outside of Granada with about 8 friends. I am terrible about taking people pictures so I don't even have a group photo. I always forget, especially if I am distracted by my surroundings. My program director and one of his friends drove us up for the day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> As you can tell by the pics below there wasn't much snow but they had done a great job of making snow all season and so almost the whole mountain was open. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My favorite part of any ski resort is the view from the highest point. And yesterday did not disappoint. A few of my friends had never skied before so I took them to the Bunny hill and gave them a few lessons. But after about an hour or so I was itching to head to the top. So 4 of us left the beginners to practice their technique and headed onward. We got to the very top and we could see the ocean and Morocco. It was insane. I couldn't stop staring at the view. And on the other side was Granada and smaller mountain peaks as far as the eye could see. It seriously felt like a National Geographic special.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The day ended up being pretty expensive but it definitely worth it. It is unbelievable how perfect Granada has been. I love being outdoors and here, the ocean, mountains, hiking, and fantastic views are only minutes away. I am so thankful for my time here and can't believe I still have 4 months to go! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs6YPtuwXHmtEJ2F4PNQ6gjhf1CraHLJcTeUeXxKAH-x_10fTPpEalCI6HiqMr0gSVrA3oEXqz_SK1EiWlKVDiehuICqtGfu5PQG_gkAvXRsVsj7KKWv_cK_ekjcoOhkUvpixzJG2CWo/s1600/IMG_4765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs6YPtuwXHmtEJ2F4PNQ6gjhf1CraHLJcTeUeXxKAH-x_10fTPpEalCI6HiqMr0gSVrA3oEXqz_SK1EiWlKVDiehuICqtGfu5PQG_gkAvXRsVsj7KKWv_cK_ekjcoOhkUvpixzJG2CWo/s400/IMG_4765.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BvT4X50xacQgKvTRKLoLZuy78mcm8EDB-S6jMYXrSod998qwzRTuNuLllmUjRMuouGHACyrvjeB6pZGU0PL047MD0U4lx9MUJXe-dK17OJRaqZitF_-xUDS5iiDPaqS0GZVkNy6SfPY/s1600/IMG_4776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BvT4X50xacQgKvTRKLoLZuy78mcm8EDB-S6jMYXrSod998qwzRTuNuLllmUjRMuouGHACyrvjeB6pZGU0PL047MD0U4lx9MUJXe-dK17OJRaqZitF_-xUDS5iiDPaqS0GZVkNy6SfPY/s400/IMG_4776.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark, Georgia, Zach</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzdc1wis17YOIeF4KlusT5Ns-GgM4pH8Uyf1GgQQ9xqh0szaZ_aJSDq5UMc_PSk93NKPcx2yWn_isbTA2r61XybyPZwUz-Xk6SouXOVIbg4Wi4uE7Yz4piNLqFvaBbj7h2J_Km8AVGJ8/s1600/IMG_4780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzdc1wis17YOIeF4KlusT5Ns-GgM4pH8Uyf1GgQQ9xqh0szaZ_aJSDq5UMc_PSk93NKPcx2yWn_isbTA2r61XybyPZwUz-Xk6SouXOVIbg4Wi4uE7Yz4piNLqFvaBbj7h2J_Km8AVGJ8/s400/IMG_4780.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and Zach at the top of the World</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhUjP7V7PEx016bWVNxjCsfINop5FOUQYW2wTlxeF_XppOrd5ZHbTtZwak586lNCMAgNDSiPhjzwNN5QDo6X9M6Leg3GjyKUgB1z5CKX8h5CxNYdh1J4vAM94GhhrHwzxSxWwCFRg1vQ/s1600/IMG_4792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhUjP7V7PEx016bWVNxjCsfINop5FOUQYW2wTlxeF_XppOrd5ZHbTtZwak586lNCMAgNDSiPhjzwNN5QDo6X9M6Leg3GjyKUgB1z5CKX8h5CxNYdh1J4vAM94GhhrHwzxSxWwCFRg1vQ/s400/IMG_4792.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">it really was a perfect day</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4n2p6N72iOgiqUSaeKSKTxFJSG9d4EdXqb8DEyR9IYNf96oHmnmGv_YPUQ7saEkQMxan3vJlpwCZvQzOErqfuAd4FbdEjjrbXqkL783ryP4S07zbJCGHTSo9t3F1mSUeCAm52LUxyY1s/s1600/IMG_4794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4n2p6N72iOgiqUSaeKSKTxFJSG9d4EdXqb8DEyR9IYNf96oHmnmGv_YPUQ7saEkQMxan3vJlpwCZvQzOErqfuAd4FbdEjjrbXqkL783ryP4S07zbJCGHTSo9t3F1mSUeCAm52LUxyY1s/s400/IMG_4794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">just staring at Africa. no big deal</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5XokBcdK7a-02KIrfKn5C7Eqt_htFQ1RQFnhFLMteYHY67jlEQJy4T89KsgFUqR7rypt4DKYLSKxV5We6y7AS3P7Dvti1aLh_MBVKvyytlq_8dUarNVuFU-sO1FnlB1MxL3qnvDAvRs/s1600/IMG_4801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5XokBcdK7a-02KIrfKn5C7Eqt_htFQ1RQFnhFLMteYHY67jlEQJy4T89KsgFUqR7rypt4DKYLSKxV5We6y7AS3P7Dvti1aLh_MBVKvyytlq_8dUarNVuFU-sO1FnlB1MxL3qnvDAvRs/s400/IMG_4801.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">research center</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOH_REM0Tzi9vp653WFrisZcGwriiVayogJmBsrJ0OD7UK_v-B-3ulwQ6lVybXu0QjS_xHYoGV5v4Gg5WCwntXfvy-omqz7aZ2us1PNNTCeSn7O5dTacb4Ocs_wObrAoaD1msdFDkNiw/s1600/IMG_4805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOH_REM0Tzi9vp653WFrisZcGwriiVayogJmBsrJ0OD7UK_v-B-3ulwQ6lVybXu0QjS_xHYoGV5v4Gg5WCwntXfvy-omqz7aZ2us1PNNTCeSn7O5dTacb4Ocs_wObrAoaD1msdFDkNiw/s400/IMG_4805.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApIylrKsniDcpJSw7bXFZbEm25A2sf1PWgmcHXUnECuGOYek5sI0izxRzQDLmVs8fUDROWRyEinucpzV5epWc-f_dT4Vd2NNAhsO9s67GYNUM_xWCmdMVLBdlcfctW36bnwoHnNpERfI/s1600/IMG_4809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApIylrKsniDcpJSw7bXFZbEm25A2sf1PWgmcHXUnECuGOYek5sI0izxRzQDLmVs8fUDROWRyEinucpzV5epWc-f_dT4Vd2NNAhsO9s67GYNUM_xWCmdMVLBdlcfctW36bnwoHnNpERfI/s400/IMG_4809.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Look closely. the shiny part in the middle is the ocean, and beyond if you look really hard you can see mountain peaks in Morocco. no joke.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Amy Nollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06076869146407385059noreply@blogger.com0