Viva Las Vegas

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I creeped over to the United States last weekend.

I went to Las Vegas for four days, primarily for business (more on that, later). Yet, I also got to have some fun.

I got in late Thursday night, and I chose to stay at a hotel farther up the Strip. I actually had a view of the famous Stratosphere from my room.

Stratosphere

On Friday morning, I tended to some business. But, I then found myself by the pool. 

Cheers!

My brother, Ben, lives in California. He came in to spend the day with me for some sibling bonding! 

We soaked up the sunshine before heading out to see the casinos. We rode the roller coaster at New York, New York...which I do believe I passed out due to being so afraid.  We took in the Dueling Pianos Bar, caught the fountain show at the Bellagio, and just had a lot of fun catching up! 

Ben and Me

Ben left the next morning which meant I got to decide how to spend my last full day in Nevada. I started out by grabbing a pedicure. Post traveling around Europe, it was much needed.

From there, I went on a Hoover Dam Tour! I have always wanted to see the Hoover Dam in person being a history nerd. It was an incredible tour, and I don't say that lightly. One of the best day tours that combined the normal tour of the generators inside the Dam. 

Lake Mead

At the Hoover Dam

Generators 

Hoover Dam

Returning to Las Vegas, I took a night-time tour to see all the light shows, casinos lit up, and to learn more about the history of the City. 

We started at the famous Las Vegas sign!

Viva Las Vegas

Then, we stopped at the Golden Nugget and Freemont Street! What an experience!

Golden Nugget

Freemont Street

World's Largest Golden Nugget

And, finally, we got to see the volcano show at the Mirage and the fountain show at the Bellagio! 

Volcano Show at the Mirage

Bellagio Water Show 

I left fairly early on Sunday for the airport as I had a 10 hour flight back to London. It was a quick, fun, and exciting weekend! I hadn't been to Vegas in 10 years, so it was nice to go back.

And, stay tuned...I'll let you in on another secret on why I was in Las Vegas! 

2 Years Later...

Today officially marks my second anniversary of being a Syracuse University alumna!

I'm not entirely sure where the last two years have gone, but I know I've been enjoying the ride. 

As I spend part of my day looking through old albums, I leave you with the commencement address that Aaron Sorkin gave to my graduation class.

Wrapping up Spring Break

I'm about three days from the end of what is very much likely to be my last spring break, ever! 

Tomorrow, I head to Newark to spend the night to catch a 7am flight to London on Saturday. Talk about an early wake-up call on Saturday! 

I'm excited to be getting back to finish up my last semester at LSE. The first week back is going to be crazy due to a lot of assignments being due, interviews, a showcase event, a few parties, and a potential tube strike.  Not too excited about that last one...

Once the first week is over, I'll only have one more essay to finish and two exams. My exams are not till the middle of June. That leaves plenty of cushion time to relax for a few days before diving into the books.

Spring break was full of relaxation, seeing old friends I hadn't seen in years, spending time with my parents and animals, and just enjoying the last few weeks of freedom!

Stay tuned! 

One Year Ago...

I can hardly believe that one year ago, today, my Dad landed in London, and we began our two and a half week Eurotrip! 

Crazy how time flies!

Over those two weeks, we traveled to London, Dublin, Berlin, and Paris. At each destination we took in a few day trips as well to see other cities and the countryside.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip!

2013 Recap

With another year drawing to a close in the next few days, it's time for my yearly recap of what I've been up to, what I've learned, where I went, etc. It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone so quickly. I literally feel as if I was just sitting in my econometrics lecture post Christmas 2012. 

Albeit, time does fly, and 2013 was a year of growth and struggle. This year pushed me to new heights, changed me personally, academically, and professionally, and allowed me to see more of the world. I gained close friends along the way and said goodbye to those who were not meant to be part of my life. I traveled to numerous new cities and countries in search of a better understanding of the world, the view of the United States, and to get to know myself better.  

In January, after a month home in the States for a break, I started my second term at the London School of Economics. In January, I attended the Democrats Abroad Inaugural Ball with my friend, Zaina.  In the midst of schoolwork and travel plans, I also lent a hand during the SU London Center's orientation where I was reunited with friends from over the years. 

February was a busy month as I traveled to Princeton for the reading weekend of the Journal of Public and International Affairs. Within a few days of getting back from a weekend in the States, I headed to Dublin for a friend's birthday/girls' weekend.  In line with my goals of doing more tourist activities in London, I took a day trip to Oxford, a walking tour of St. Paul's/The City, and saw several musicals. 

March is my favorite month of the year, and this year was no different. At the start of March, I traveled to Amsterdam and Prague. March is also my birthday month. Turning 23 in London was an absolute blast! Following the completion of the Lent Term, the MPA held its annual ball before we headed off for a five-week break.  At the end of March, my Dad and I started our Father-Daughter Eurotrip that we had already dreamed about taking!

March quickly turned into April when my Dad and I were on our Eurotrip. We traveled to Ireland, Germany, and France in the first week or so. I took a solo trip to Scotland before venturing to Italy with my friend, Nicole. The last week of April was spent back in London preparing for one of the hardest periods of my life: exams. 

May was a rough month in my life this year. If you read through past posts, it's because of the way the UK higher education system is set up. Studying for six weeks straight was horrible. I did take a few breaks during this month.

June was exam month. Three exams in three days. One was a 100% of my grade. The other exam took place a week after.  The first two weeks of June combined with May were very long and stressful. Thankfully, I was rewarded with being able to spend the summer at home. The day I traveled home, my brother and his family also arrived home.  Oh, and I also went to the Sound for Change Concert and saw some of my favorite musicians perform including Queen Bey and Jay-Z!

July was a month of celebrations as I got word that I was officially advancing to the second year of the MPA. I was also reunited with one of my best friends from college for a weekend. We toured Seneca Falls, took a trip to CUSE, and laughed for hours. 

August was a slow month in terms of blog activity. But, I was busy celebrating my parents' birthdays, reading, reuniting with friends, and preparing to return to London. 

September was my last month of summer vacation. I started the month off in CT/NYC visiting some of my closest friends  and sightseeing. I was also able to run into one of my closest mentors and friends in the first week. The rest of the month was spent visiting Syracuse to see friends that are still undergrads or grad students, running errands to get ready to go back to London, and enjoying my last few days of freedom. 

October was my first month back in London after my summer in the States. It was also the month I started interning with the US Embassy as well as the month I started my second year at LSE. I was selected to be a part of the G4S Capstone group and elected to write a policy paper for the year instead of a dissertation.  As it could be my final year in London for a period of my life, I also elected to be a tourist as much as possible.  The MPA program kicked off the year with several parties including the annual boat party and retreat!

November  was the month I got wanderlust. I traveled to Romania, Luxembourg, and Germany throughout the month. Luxembourg was my second solo trip of the year.  I also attended the J.Crew London Store Opening, celebrated a few birthdays, explored more of the city, and did attempt to do schoolwork. 

And, the last month of the year…December.  I finished another term at LSE minus some homework over the winter break. I also finished my internship with the US Embassy. As the holiday season was in full bloom, I attended a few holiday parties, a couple of concerts, and took a trip to Bristol to see the city and the Christmas market.  Back stateside for a few weeks, I'm planning on seeing a few friends before the new year surfaced and getting my fair share of snow. 

Thanks for reading my 2013 recap. I'm happy and sad to see another year draw to a close. Yet, I'm also looking forward to a new year!! 

What were your favorite memories of 2013?

Summer at Home

It's been a little more than a month since I've been home. Crazy, huh?

On Tuesday, I got my grades which confirmed that I will officially be a second year in October. I have news to announce in the near future about my fall internship, and I've already started to revise my various resumes as this will be the year I apply to "big-girl" jobs. 

Yet, it is good to stop and smell the roses.

When I arrived home back in June, my brother and his family were visiting from California. 

My niece and me 

My brother and me 

This past week, I got to meet up with a friend from high school. It's crazy that it has been five years since I graduated high school!

Megan and me

I also got to go up to Syracuse and meet up with my friend Jess. We were Remembrance Scholars together, so we grabbed a quick lunch! She just graduated from SU with her Master's, and she is headed off into the world to do amazing things.

Hall of Languages

Stay tuned for more updates! 

One Year.

I'm sitting here with a box of tissues.

I cannot believe that it has been a year since I graduated from Syracuse University.  It was a year ago that I graduated from the honors program, my home college, and walked at Commencement.  

A lot can change in a year. Looking back on this last year, I grew a lot, both personally and professionally. Moving to a foreign country (again) and deciding to pursue a graduate degree that is heavily math-based was a huge decision that I am so glad I made. Understanding that some friendships and relationships do not always last is part of growing up as well. And, it is something that I experienced this year. 

I sometimes feel like I'm a new person than I was on May 13, 2012. Yet, I know I just changed and grew up (to use that phrase lightly). I still love playing and dancing to "Call me Maybe." 

So, I'll leave you with the video of Aaron Sorkin's Commencement address and some of my favorite photos from graduation weekend. Here's to another year post undergrad. Heck, next year this time, I'll essentially be done with grad school. 

#orangenation

Returning to Londontown...

Well, break is over at home at least. 

I enjoyed my time home with my family. 

I caught up on a lot of sleep, made plenty of study guides, caught up on some television, and even got to read for pleasure. If you know me, I don't already watch a lot of television, so it was a big deal for those episodes that I did miss...

I'm off to London today. Typical journey begins. Flying out of Syracuse, a layover in NYC, and then landing in London early GMT. 

Stay tuned for my news once I return to my favorite city.

Image Source

Father- Daughter Eurotrip!! It's BOOKED!

Excitement!

I can officially say that the epic father-daughter eurotrip has been booked! 

My Dad will be arriving in London a couple days after my Lent Term finishes, and then we're off to explore! Some of you have heard me mention this trip as I was putting the final touches on the planning- searching for flights, tours, hotels, and great restaurants. Well, now, it is all essentially booked minus some last minute details as we get closer!

So, you want to know where we are headed? 

We're spending four days in London. This includes a day trip up to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath. I've never been to Bath, so I'm looking forward to it! Highlights of this leg of the trip will also include: the London Eye, the Shard, High Tea at Harrods, and showing Dad the Crown Jewels.

From there, we're off to spend four days in Dublin. We are spending the first day taking in the main sights including some that I did not get to see in 2010. We will then be taking three day trips! The first is a day trip to Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Burren, and Galway. The second and third trips have us heading to Cork, the Blarney Stone/Castle, Belfast, and the Giants' Causeway.

And, then we are off to a country where both Dad and I have never been to. We're going to Berlin for four days! We're going to be taking in the sights from the Cold War and viewing the memorials for World War II.  And, what is a trip to Berlin without a day trip to Dresden and another one to Potsdam! 

To finish the Euro-trip, we will head off to Paris! It will be five years to the day that I went to Paris for the first time when Dad and I arrive. We're going to take in the sights, eat some macaroons, and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. On one day, we are taking a day trip to Normandy and the D-Day Beaches. And, before we leave, we will head off to Versailles and Giverny! 

It's going to be an epic couple of weeks, but my Dad and I are so excited for this! We've talked about traveling around Europe since I can remember, and now it's official. We're headed to our homelands of Ireland and England, exploiting our love of Cold War history in Berlin, and indulging in sweets in Paris.

Counting down the days already!! 

Merry Christmas!

Over the Ocean...

Jack Daniels' Barrel Tree in Covent Garden

At this moment, I'm somewhere over the ocean on my way home for the holidays. I left London around  1 PM GMT, and I'll land in New York around 5pm EST. From there, I'll have a bit of a layover, but then I'll land in Syracuse right before midnight.

Looking forward to seeing my parents, my dog, and all the animals at home! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!