Happy 2007!! I don’t know if there is sugar in the air, but everyone I talk to seems to think that this year will be sweeter than the last, and I can only agree! Not that traversing across 5 continents hasn’t been extremely exuberating, because it has been superior to that, but I believe that each year SHOULD be better than the last. Right?? So, here is to wishing you many loving blessings and a year filled with all the mushy stuff! That said, let me bring you up to date on all the excitement 2007 has already brought my way! [View Full Entry]

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I think this is the 3rd time I have sat down to write this blog…and it’s not that I don’t want to write it, I DO…it’s just that there is SO much to write about, that between you and me…I don’t know where to begin! My trepidation is that if I just start listing all the wonderful things I have done over the last month, I may simply lose you…and because I would HATE to do that, I’m going to do my best to keep it interesting and hopefully keep your attention! Here it goes… The last month has been more [View Full Entry]

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Buenos dias amigos!! Estoy en Starbucks ahora...si, si, yo, se, STARBUCKS...entiendes Starbucks...heehee! Ok...so, yes, I am sitting in Starbucks right now…and I know what you are thinking, STARBUCKS...you are in Spain for heaven's sake!?! Well, it's Saturday and my local café is CLOSED! I walked by, leaned my forehead on the window, peered around with hopes that maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but they were not! Chairs were upside down on tables, lights were off, and I just felt so silly…as if everyone got the memo, EXCEPT for me. How embarrassing (wink, wink)!? In fact, th [View Full Entry]

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Believe it or not, its already been a month that we've been in Barcelona, and seriously, it feels like a WEEK! It’s true…time FLIES when you're having FUN…and we've had a LOT of HELP having FUN these last few weeks. Let me explain… We got to Barcelona on September 10th; found an ADORBALE 3-bedroom apartment on the 11th; interviewed roomies, chose a solid bloke from Holland (Sven), and moved in on the 12th! I suppose you could say, when we put our minds to something, we get it done! I think it's also safe to say, settling down did NOT mean [View Full Entry]

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And so the story is told… As many of you know, Team America's initial plan was to travel the entire globe before heading back to our beloved homeland. New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Dubai, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Morocco, Portugal, The Rest of Europe, Back down through Africa, South America, Central America, and last, BUT NOT least, North America. Well, you know that saying…Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?? In our case (Dawn and I at least), we realized our intention was bigger than our desire! Now, don’t get me wron [View Full Entry]

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Ok, I have to skip the backpacker segways right now because I am so excited to tell you about our time in Portugal with our best friend, Catherine. Catherine Conway...how does one put into words how truly incredible this chicita is!?! It is hard, but I will give it a shot! I met Catherine on the first day of Freshman year at U of I, and let's just say...after that moment, I was certain that 'love at first sight' was indeed, a true sentiment...heehee! Catherine's genuine energy for life and compassion for people is evident upon meeting her. She illuminates a [View Full Entry]

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Ok, so I am actually writing you from our new city, Barcelona! Believe it or not, we have a front door, and our OWN beds, in our OWN apartment (Spain blogs to come, I promise!). So technically I am not a backpacker anymore...but I can still taste my backpacker life, so here it goes... You know you are a backpacker when... -Having a front door and your OWN bed, in your OWN apartment is SO exciting! -Having access to a DVD player is a HIGHLIGHT of your day (read below for more info). After a fulfilling trip around Egypt, we jet-setted [View Full Entry]

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To walk on the land of the Pharaohs is an enchanting feeling, and the sensation of revisiting history that dates back to times of B.C. is nothing short of magical! Egypt was AWESOME! So...you know you are a backpacker when... -Having somebody pick you up from an airport with a sign reading YOUR name makes you feel like a CELEBRITY! -Home-cooked meals are much more a NOVELTY than eating out! -After traveling India, trains in Cairo are "no biggie!" We arrived to Cairo from Greece, ready to explore the land of the Sphinx! We had planned to meet our good friend, [View Full Entry]

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You know you are a backpacker when: -You think..."maybe if I write a book about my travels, I will become financially free, and continue my exploration of the world!" I think this is every backpacker's dream! Ok, so yes, Greece was about 3 months ago, but I can still recall it vividly because it was just THAT INCREDIBLE! I have been fortunate to visit many visually striking countries, and I am happy to announce that Greece has successfully made the cut! It is MAGNIFICENT! We arrived to Athens around midnight and had a 6-hour layover before our flight to Santorini the [View Full Entry]

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We bid farewell to the luxurious land of Dubai, put on our Easter dresses, and set forth for Turkey. Well in my imagination we put on our Easter dresses, but the fact of the matter is that they would just get extremely wrinkled in our small travel backpacks! Needless to say, we made it to Istanbul! Wow, either we had no expectations of Istanbul, or Istanbul is just a PHENOMENAL city...I am leaning towards the latter. Istanbul blew us away with its cleanliness, its elegance, its charm, and its unique blend of European and Asian attributes. If you weren't aware, Istanbul [View Full Entry]

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