Day #23: January 31, 2013

 SPOTTED:  ELPHABA at EUSA (our school)!  Well, not exactly Elphie, but I literally about fell over when I saw this lady's green tights and green skirt.  Almost asked to get a picture with her but figured it'd be too hard to explain my fascination of Elphaba if she had never seen Wicked.  

After lunch, Cristina whipped out this little massage gadget...

 Went to Plaza de España after class.  So thankful for Emily who captures everything with her SUPER NICE camera!!!

 Loving life on the bridge!!!

 We look a little ghostly...

2nd night in a row at O'Neill's to watch a soccer "fútbol" game!!!

Day #22: January 30, 2013

Took a little excursion to the grocery store to purchase some snack items...
(Somehow, I was able to sneak this pic without a local spotting me!!!)

 Gotta love Special K Red Berries (shoutout to the Breakfast Nook!!!), and I also got a chocolatey cereal!! Plus some nutella and peanut butter!!! "Just a spoonful of nutella/peanut butter makes a day in Spain better"...to the tune of "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" from the one and only Mary Poppins!!! 

 Before lunch, I headed over to the park near our house to do some homework!!!

 Chilling at EUSA after class!!! (This cafe is kind of like our "Alpine" here!)

 Sevici station aka our favorite place!!!

 Got a little post class treat in El Centro!!!

 Crepeaway???!! Flashback to DC!!!

 Chloe and Maggie enjoyed some awesome frozen yogurt!!!
(Unfortunately, I had already eaten my treat, so I decided to hold off.  Who believes that??!! LOL)

 After dinner, we went to a local bar, O'Neill's, to watch a big soccer match.
Barcelona and Madrid tied.

Maggie and I always meet Chloe and Emily at this corner near our house, so we had to take a "corner pic."  This corner is home to a lot of our late night chats...

When we got back tonight, Cristina was anxiously awaiting us in her shades....
Well, it wasn't exactly sunny inside, but she claims that it's easier to watch TV with her sunglasses on because her eyes are sensitive to light!  She never ceases to amaze me with her humor and tendencies!!!

Day #21: January 29, 2013

 Maggie and I went shopping today after class!  While we were in the basement of what we thought was a cute boutique, we came across this dentist office chair.  WHATTT???!!  Not too sure why it was there, but at least it was a reason for a funny pic...

 Passed by this store (sadly didn't go in) while walking around at the mall, and it reminded me of the one and only ZANY BRAINY!!!!

 I can hear Dad right now, "Mary Carr, that looks like an accident waiting to happen..."

Yep, that's right, I had my backpack in the front basket of my bike, and my Carolina blue water bottle took a tumble...almost into this intersection.  It didn't get crushed, thank goodness, but I just don't think MCA + bicycle + backpack = a smart idea!!! 

 And then two seconds later, these sweet Spanish girls (probably around 19-20 years old) stopped me to let me know that my sweater was caught in my back wheel.  WOW...can't you see it now...my sweater unraveling completely over the 20-minute course of my bike ride across town.  I was so appreciative of the girls...and sure enough, I tied my sweater around my stomach...so it looked like one of those shirts DJ used to wear in "Full House." 

The Lord is so good!!! What a special time I had this afternoon with these friends:  Bekah, Mackenzie, and Meredith.  And somehow the Starbucks here in Sevilla still has RED CUPS!!! A taste of Christmas!!!  Just wish I could have ordered a peppermint mocha...

 Cristina was sporting a new sweater this afternoon when I got back from class.  And then she wanted to show me her other new black sweater that she bought this week. 

 HEY CARSON!!!

Can never get too many pictures with this hilarious lady...

Day #20: January 28, 2013

 Went as a UNC group to the Alcázar Gardens in Sevilla.  Saw my first peacock!!!

 It was truly magical...

 Typical mosaic wall inside one of the palace buildings in the garden!

 Love all the architecture!!!

 Group pic (this is half of the UNC group...the other half is touring the gardens on Tuesday)

 Eric, Chloe, and I went with our sweet teacher, Coro, to a little cafe after class.  She told us a lot about her life outside of teaching...she danced for 25 years as a ballerina.  How impressive!!!

 She is such a doll!!!

 Went on a post-dinner walk with Cristina...and her sweet little tennis shoes were cracking me up!!!

Self timer at its best...

Caught up with CARO!!!! Gruesome Twosome reunited via Facetime!!!

Day #19: January 27, 2013

Not a very pretty picture...that's for sure.  But Cristina got the biggest kick out of my towel wrapped around my head...so I let her take a picture (more like I encouraged her to take a picture so I could have the "memory" of her laughing).  And as I was looking for pictures to upload for today, I thought this had a special meaning:  the importance of rest.  What does it mean to rest...to take time for myself....and to rest in the Lord?  I am thankful that I am getting a taste of TRUE REST here in Sevilla.

It is in my nature to GO GO GO!!!  Why is it that I find a sense of accomplishment when I have "gotten a lot of things done"???!  I'm that girl who packs a zillion things in my backpack (and my friends can attest) just in case I have a spare second to check one more thing off my to-do list.  But hello, Mary Carr, that is not the purpose of life!!!  Thank goodness, I am finally realizing that I do NOT need to measure my value in the things I do, but rather WHO I AM in Christ.  This lifestyle here in Spain has helped me figure out how to relax, and I have learned now more than ever before that my identity is in Christ, rather than my accomplishments.  I still have mountains to climb, but I am thankful that He is continuing to reveal His true character to me by teaching me how to REST IN HIM. 

"Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.  But OUR citizenship is in HEAVEN. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Philippians 3:19-20

Day #18: January 26, 2013

Brace yourselves....LOTS OF PICTURES TODAY!!! We took a group trip to Córdoba (about 1.5 hours away), and we saw the famous Cathedral/Mosque and the Synagogue.  Then we saw a huge garden with lots of orange trees and fountains.  History isn't really "my thing," but it was interesting learning about Córdoba's past.  Definitely one of the best days so far!!!

 Sat next to this sweet friend, Shoshanna.  She is SUCH a dear...and we had some great bonding while sitting next to each other both ways.  

 As you can tell, the day started out a little cloudy, but after lunch, the sun came out!!!

 Inside the cathedral...there are tons of columns inside. 

 The ceiling!!!

 Sitting on the pews.

 Lots of double arcs as part of the architecture of this era.

 GROUP SHOT of all the UNC in Sevilla students.  I felt like such a mom, but I was like "Okay, y'all, can we please get a group picture?  I promise it'll be worth it!" Surprisingly, everyone was quite cooperative.  These people already know me a little too well...

 Maggie, Julia, Shoshanna, Chloe, and me.

 My ice cream buddies...we stopped to get some Dulce de Leche ice cream, and it was literally the best ice cream I have ever put in my mouth.  Tasted like Werther's Originals with extra caramel swirls!!! DQ needs to have this as their flavor of the month!!! 

 The beautiful gardens!!!

 Chloe, Julia, Emily, Shoshanna, and me.

 At the top of this "castle" tower!!! (Just now realizing that my hands are a little awkward...)

Once we got back to Sevilla, a group of us went to get tapas!!! It was a beautiful afternoon, and it was so nice to be outside enjoying yummy food with fun friends!!!

Day #17: January 25, 2013

 Another rainy day in Sevilla, so Maggie and I had a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen party!! Watched some old "Two of a Kind" episodes, followed by "Our Lips are Sealed."  I facetimed with my dear friend, Becca, and that was SUCH A BLESSING.  So thankful for my family and friends back at home...and also grateful to be making such special friends here in Spain!

MOST I HAVE LAUGHED WHILE IN SPAIN:  Cristina went out around 4pm to grab coffee with her friend, Marisol, so Maggie and I scurried into the kitchen to grab a little snack (kind of like when the parents leave while you're babysitting and you get to raid the kitchen)!  I was grabbing a cup of dry cereal and she was getting some leftovers out of the fridge...and then we heard the door squeak open!! AHHH CAUGHT RED HANDED.  Well, not quite....it was Cristina's son, Michealangelo, and he could have cared less!!! We BURSTED OUT IN LAUGHTER and have been laughing about the whole incident the whole night.

 A group of us went to dinner across the bridge at a Mexican place.

 Loving life in Spain!!!

 The restaurant was straight up called "Tex-Mex."

Selfie while crossing the bridge!!! (Chloe, Emily, Maggie, and me)