Don't Cry for me Argentina!

On February 7, Kevin and I flew from Panama City to Buenos Aires! This was the first time either Kevin or I had been to Buenos Aires so we had lots to see and do! We arrived late on Monday evening so we went straight to the hotel and crashed. On Tuesday, we went out and explored the area around the hotel. Our first destination was Avenida 9 de Julio - a 12 lane street that runs in the middle of town. This road is similar to the Champs Elysees in Paris. The road is lined with shops, restaurants, and well-known landmarks. We saw the "Obelisco" which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the Capitol's founding, and then we went over to the Teatro Colon. The "Colon Theatre" is the main opera house in Buenos Aires and is very similar to the opera house in Paris (the city seems to be similar to Paris in many ways). The theatre was completed in 1908 and has become one of the top five opera houses in the world. The interior was absolutely spectacular!! Unfortunately, we were unable to take any photos of the inside of the theatre, but if you click here, you can get the "general" idea! After our tour of the opera house, we walked over to Plaza de Mayo. Plaza de Mayo is a large space opposite of Casa Rosada - the building that holds the executive government offices, including the office of the Argentinian President. Casa Rosada is also the building in which Eva Peron stood on the balcony and gave her famous speech (Don't Cry for Me Argentina)! We did a little shopping on Florida Street before heading back in for the night.

Over looking Avenida 9 de Julio

On the Grand Staircase in Teatro Colon

Stained glass on the roof of the theatre.

Outside the main entrance into the theatre

The view of the theatre from Avenida 9 de Julio

Casa Rosada

And again!

Wednesday was the day we worked on the ship, and we had a heck of a time getting on the ship! We probably spent about 2 hours trying to find our way! Every person we asked had a different answer, and the language barrier sure wasn't helpful, although Kevin spoke as much Spanish as he could. We finally found someone who escorted us to where we needed to be, and everything else was smooth sailing. We sure know better for next time! We took a brief nap after working, and then went out for an incredible dinner! We went to a restaurant called Desnival and had phenomenal steak! This restaurant was recommended to us by my 6th grade teacher, and now great friend, Lynn Sommers! Thanks Lynn for the recommendation!! We walked back to the hotel by way of Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada. 

Our delicious bottle of Malbec with dinner.

Just us. It was such a nice date!

Outside the restaurant.

Casa Rosada all lit up!

We flew out late Thursday night, so we decided to make the best of our day! The first stop of our day was a bookstore called El Ateneo. This is the largest bookstore located in South America, and it is located in what used to be an old theatre. It was exquisite! Unfortunately there were not many English books, but I did find one! The next stop of the day was to the Recoleta Cemetery. This is the cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, so it seemed to be a must on our trip. The graves and mausoleums were so elaborate and beautiful! I am so glad we took some time to see this attraction. We spent the rest of the day eating, shopping, and packing to board our flight home at 10:30pm. It was a great trip and I look forward to exploring more of Buenos Aires in the future! 

Such and incredible bookshop! It was huge and beautiful!

One of the very few English books in the store :)

The entrance into the Recoleta Cemetery

Looking down one of the many, many rows of mausoleums. 

This one was HUGE!! 

Such beautiful designs and sculptures!

The line to see the grave of Eva Peron.

Familia Duarte Mausoleum. 

Eva Peron's Grave.

Proveletta - grilled provolone cheese! YUM!!

Panama City, Panama

February 5-7, Kevin and I were in Panama City, Panama. We got in pretty late on Saturday evening, so we went straight to the hotel. We drove about an hour and a half to the Port of Colon to work on Sunday, and got back into town around 2pm. Kevin's friend Rachel, picked us up and took us to this great little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for Empanadas! They were delicious! We spent some time with Rachel and her family, and then went to the Hard Rock Cafe to meet up with one of my good friends from high school, Lindsay, and watch the Super Bowl. I know this seems "Americanized," but we thought of all the places in Panama, this would be a great place to see the game in English.....Wrong! The only part of the game we could understand, was half-time! Lindsay and her husband had been living in Costa Rica for a few months, and it just so happened that they traveled to Panama City the same weekend we were there! It is such a small world, and it was so fun to catch up with her! It also seemed appropriate to watch the Super Bowl together, because we cheered together in high school! We went back to the hotel after the game, and got up early on Monday for our flight to Buenos Aires! It was a quick trip to Panama, but a memorable one!

The welcome sign, outside the port.

All of these ships are waiting for their turn to go through the canal...it takes each ship about 8 hours to get through the length of the canal!

On the way back to the city, we passed the Panama Canal....this photo is very blurry, but proof that we saw it! Check here to see other photos of the canal from our trip in 2010!

This is outside a mall in Panama, in which Rachel owns a restaurant. I just liked the look of this Palm Tree...not something you typically see in COLORADO!!

Hard Rock Cafe - Panama City. 

Lindsay and I at the Hard Rock, watching the Steelers and the Packers in the Super Bowl XLV!

Linsday's husband Dan, Lindsay, Me and Kevin! We had a blast! I am so glad we were able to meet up!

Down Under Again

In January, Kevin and I went down under to Sydney, Australia. We were there for 6 days and instead of running ourselves into the ground bouncing from one attraction to another, we spent some time at the beach! Unfortunately, on the 2nd beach day, I got a little crispy and we had to fill the rest of our time avoiding the sun as much as possible! We spent some time shopping, listening to the Sydney Symphony, and learning about some of Australia's deadliest snakes! It was a great trip! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

After the 15 hour flight, I decided to go for a run in Darling Harbour

Bondi Beach

They were filming for the T.V show Bondi Rescue

The currents were really bad and the lifeguards had to make a few rescues - nothing serious! Great for the show! 

Trying to be artsy 

The annual Sydney Festival was going on while we were there. We went to see the Sydney Symphony in the Domain: Midsummer Shakespeare. 

I don't remember the name of this snake, but I think it was pretty deadly/poisonous!

This is the at the Snake Pit in La Perouse. We went to learn how to throw a boomerang, but instead got a lesson on "snake safety."

Again, I don't remember what snake this is, but you wouldn't want to encounter it in the "bush."

I decided to go for a run around Sydney Harbour the morning we flew home. 

The scenery on this run was spectacular! 

We had the privilege of flying home on the new A380! It is a full double decker plane and is the largest passenger plane in the world! 

Valentine's Day

Kevin was up in Boulder this year for Valentine's Day, so I took a little road trip up to see him! I subbed during the day, and then left Colorado Springs around 6:30pm to drive to Boulder. I got to Boulder around 8:30pm and we went out to a sandwich restaurant called Snarf's for dinner. It was not anything fancy, but it sure was delicious!! We got back to the house around 9:30pm, watched about 30 minutes of Criminal Minds, and fell asleep. Our evening was very laid back, but it was the perfect way for us to celebrate the holiday!

My gift to Kevin was this box full of home made puzzles.

Kevin concentrating hard on the puzzle!

The final product.

Puzzle number 1

Puzzle number 2

Puzzle number 3

Each puzzle got better than the one before, through the process of trial and error! It was a fun and easy project! Happy Valentine's Day Kevin!!

Christmas Re-Cap

Again, I apologize for such a late post, but I still wanted to document all of the exciting things that happened over the holiday season!

First of all, I finished a 3 week long-term sub job in a fifth grade classroom. The teacher was out on maternity leave and I had the wonderful opportunity of taking over her class while she was out! The best thing about this job, was that it was at the same school my mom teaches at! It was so nice to have a routine and truly get a feel for what it will be like when I have my own class!

After school let out, I went to Vegas with the ladies.

Then, on December 23, Kevin took me on a surprise date to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra! We have some friends that go every year and Kevin made arrangements with them (unbeknownst to me) to see the show this year. It was such an awesome show!

Kevin and I waiting for the show to start!

This is a clip from the concert. The song is called "A Mad Russian's Christmas":

I apologize the videos aren't the best quality, but it definitely gives you an idea of how awesome the concert was! This next one is called " Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" also known to most as "Carol of the Bells":

On Christmas Eve, Kevin and I finished some last minute shopping and then celebrated at my mom's house. We had lamb and ham for dinner and it was delicious! The evening was concluded with traditional Christmas Crackers from England, and these fashionable crowns were in every cracker. 

Christmas Day followed our annual tradition - open gifts at Kevin's Parent's house, and then go have turkey lunch with friends of the family's. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a great day none the less. 

UNFORTUNATELY NO PHOTOS FROM CHRISTMAS DAY :(

On December 26, my dad and I went to the Bronco's game! It was my first Bronco's game in 15 years of living in Colorado, and it was a great game! As most of you know, the Bronco's had a horrible season, but this was one of the few games they actually won! It was a blast, especially being there with my dad!

Dad and I in front of Invesco Stadium.

We went into the tailgating tent for some good food and entertainment. 

TEBOW!

Dancing Santa's at half time.

Dad and I overlooking the field!

Bronco's win 24-23!

Such a great game and day!

I also had the opportunity over the holiday to get together with some friends from high school. It was like no time had passed! We played the game iMAgiNiff and had a blast reminiscing about old high school memories! 

Nick, Bre, Greg, Mandy, Nate, Myself, and Gent - always great to catch up!

On December 28th, I officially signed the contract to host our wedding at the Cliff House in Manitou Springs! It was so difficult to make the financial commitment to host our wedding somewhere, but we finally did it, exactly one year and 3 days after our engagement! 

While I was in Vegas, I got a phone call that my wedding dress, that wasn't supposed to come in until March, had arrived early and I needed to come in for a fitting! So I picked up my dress and signed up for a membership to 24 hour fitness to get into shape! Things are looking up!

It was a great holiday!!