Shoes in ATL {dulce el amor shoetique}

While in Spain, I have seen many fabulous things...including amazing shoes! There are shoe stores everywhere here with the trendiest heels, flats, and sandals. Have no fear, they are also available in ATL. Dulce el Amor Shoetique is "an online women's boutique that specializes in bringing fashionable and affordable shoes to every shoenista." Love it!

Big Slick 2 Tone Platform Pump

Their site is so much fun to browse and shoes are always a perfect gift for your favorite lady! Check out some of my favorite zapatos (shoes) <3!

Monaco

Andrea

Socialite Yellow

Still Sweet {SLMag}

Sweet Lemon Magazine Issue No. 5 is now LIVE and it's another work of art! The magazine was founded and is created by young women from all over {including ATL}. It's a beautiful publication and I am honored to have been able to contribute for past issues. 

Check out this issue and more at www.sweetlemonmag.com <3!

The weekend line up {7/12-7/15}

Getting closer to the weekend! Here are some fun options in the city this weekend. Feel free to comment with more great events happening in ATL! <3

THURSDAY 

• National Black Arts Summer Festival - Centennial Olympic Park
• Scream It Like You Mean It Tour - The Masquerade
• "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" - Rialto Center for the Arts
• Cocktails & Urban Entertainment - Barley's Sports Bar and Lounge
• Exposure Open Mic - Apache Cafe
• Salsa Underground - Dance 101
• Cocktails & a Fashion Stylist - Marriott Buckhead
• Chastain Summer Movie Series 

FRIDAY

• "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" - Rialto Center for the Arts
• Miranda Lambert: On Fire Tour - Aaron's Lakewood Ampitheatre
• Braves vs. New York Mets & Fireworks - Turner Field
• Peachtree Battle (Comedy) - Ansley Park Playhouse
• Automatic Improv - Relapse Theater 
• Decatur Ghost Tour - Decatur
• Atlanta Music and Startup Festival - 255 Tapas Lounge

SATURDAY

• "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" - Rialto Center for the Arts
• Braves vs. New York Mets - Turner Field
• African Carnival Hair Show Competition - Candler Park
• BB&T Atlanta Open - Atlantic Station 
• Que School with Fox Bros. BBQ
• 2012 Rock Climbing Championship - Atlanta Rocks  
• Street Snacks Party - Takorea 

SUNDAY 

• "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" - Rialto Center for the Arts
• Braves vs. New York Mets, Kids Run Bases - Turner Field
• BB&T Atlanta Open - Atlantic Station 
• Unplugged in the Park - Park Tavern
• Free CPR Classes - Atlanta CPR
• Lowdown Lobster Boil Sundays at SOHO
• Tree Climbing in the Park - Blackburn Park

Flamenco {dancing in ATL}

Hola! I'm feeling good after just taking a Flamenco dance lesson with my classmates through our study abroad program! It was so much fun and a great workout (without actually feeling like a workout), and it was a new activity! I can't wait to show my friends and family my new moves and incorporate these dances into what I already know. Our teacher told me how there are lots of 

great instructors in America - perfecto!

With our dance instructor (in all black)

Calo Gitano is a Flamenco Dance Company & Academy located in Atlanta, and they know their stuff!

 They offer classes (in both English and Spanish) for people of all ages and skill levels. They also perform at weddings, parties, and other events - fiesta! I will be taking a few more classes when I get back to Atlanta so that I can perfect the Flamenco. Enjoy! <3

Grazie {Italy}

Grazie (thank you), Italy, for a wonderful weekend! I was a little hesitant to travel outside of Spain after such an interesting experience in Paris. But, Italy was simply amazing. We went to Milan, Italy - it was the cheapest option and seemed promising. Besides the expected activities (shopping & eating), we also did some sight seeing and enjoyed the culture and people of Italia. I can't wait to return and visit other cities in this beautiful country!

The mannequins had lots of attitude

Cute shorts!

Super cute shoes!

Very cute

Just models walking down the street...normal

Graphic t-shirts

I saw lots of people wearing these

Love these colored pants

Cute clutches

Love these colored heels

Metallic swim suits

So many great scarves in Italia!

Cheetah/leaopord print everything

Ties, made in Italy!

Ham and cream sauce with pasta

Posing with Marteki on the streets of Milan

I loved the buildings!

Pizza! It was delicious 

Beautiful building just for shopping & eating

Outside of the Bank of Milan

Pasta

Lasagna 

Yum, carbohydrates

What's your ATL IQ?

ATL IQ Test

1. The Atlanta state capitol building is layered with 43 ounces of pure _______?

2. The world's largest 10K race that is held in Atlanta is called _____________?

3. ATL is home to what 2 Nobel Peace Prize Winners?

4. ITP and OTP stand for what?

5. The oldest ballet company in the world is called ___________?

6. One of the largest single masses of exposed granite in the world is _____________?

7. The full name of the ATL airport is __________________?

8. Our current mayor is ___________?

9. The tallest building in Georgia is _____________?

10. What ATL restaurant/landmark opened in 1928?

11. What does MARTA stand for?

12. What campaign was created in 1996 to reduce pollution in ATL?

13. ATL hosted the Summer Olympic Games in _____?

14. The official name for a resident of Atlanta is an _________?

ANSWERS

1. Gold

2. Peachtree Road Race

3. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jimmy Carter

4. Inside the Perimeter; Outside of the Perimeter

5. Atlanta Ballet Company

6. Stone Mountain

7. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

8. Kasim Reed

9. Bank of America Plaza

10. The Varsity (The world's largest drive-in)

11. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

12. The Clean Air Campaign

12. 1996

14. Atlantan

0-3 correct answers: Tourist status - you know about as much as someone visiting the A for the first time!

4-7 correct answers: ATLien in training - you're still learning about this great city!

8-11 correct answers: ATL survivor - you know just enough to get by!

12-14 correct answers: True ATLien - congrats, you know & love your city!

Leave a comment with your ATL IQ! <3

Proud Citizens {USA & España}

Happy 4th of July!

It's not quite the 4th in America yet, but start celebrating our wonderful country's birthday! This is the first time in my life that I've spent the 4th of July outside of America...it's strange. I haven't heard any fireworks here in Spain...seen any crazy outfits combining different shades of red, white, and blue...or heard any patriotic songs. Missing the U.S.A!

I was there!!!

However, I was able to celebrate a very special occasion here in Spain - Spain winning the Euro 2012! Spain's futbol (soccer) team beat Italy 4-0 in the championship game on Sunday night and it was a HUGE deal here. Sunday night was quite a celebration with people cheering, running, dancing, screaming, and hugging in the streets of Madrid. But Monday night was the real spectacle. The soccer players took a bus tour through Madrid as thousands of fans filled the streets. I've never seen anything like it. People of all ages covered the streets of Madrid from about 3pm until at least midnight. 

I went out to see the madness with a few other students around 8:45pm and we walked out onto Madrid's main street just in time to see the players' bus pass by. We also moved closer to the city plaza where the celebration and presentation would later take place. People were packed in the street like sardines, but could not complain because their soccer team had just won the championship. They too were champions.

As I tried to breathe and secure my purse, I soaked in everything happening around me...so much pride for a nation. Spain is currently facing one of the worst economic crises that they have ever seen, yet everyone around me was beaming with happiness and pride as they screamed in unison, "YO SOY ESPANOL, ESPANOL, ESPANOL" (I am from Spain/I am Spanish). The people of Spain have already taught me so much, including that money does not buy happiness nor pride in oneself or one's country.

I am proud to be an American and proud to represent our country while I am here in Spain. 

VIVA AMERICA!

Beat the heat {ATL frozen treats}

I was dreading coming to Spain just a little after hearing about their 100+ degree weather and unfamiliarity with the phenomenon of air conditioning. Imagine my happiness when I arrived and it hasn't really been above 100 degrees, and the air in our residence is similar to the Arctic! :) Hallelujah!

But I have heard from many sources how miserable, unbearable, and painfully hot it has been in ATL recently and I honestly feel your pain. Even after living in Georgia for over 20 years, I'm still not used to, nor do I appreciate our summer weather. When you get the strength to brave those sun rays, head to one of these spots to cool down and enjoy your day!

Frozen Yogurt

Yogli Mogli - We have one on campus and it is always a good idea! They have great toppings and great flavors - I love mixing the French Vanilla, Raspberry, and Georgia Peach!

Yoforia - During the school year, I make frequent visits to Yoforia, and it's also a great place to meet up with people. I really love their Taro flavor, it's difficult to describe. But it tastes really really refreshing!

Popsicles

King of Pops - The best thing about KoP is how many crazy and delicious flavors they have! Coconut Lemongrass, Mexican Chocolate, Arnold Palmer, Apple Spinich Ginger, Blackberry Mojito...the list goes on and on!!!

Ice Cream

Kilwin's - I'm not a huge sweets fan, but whenever I walk into Kilwin's at Atlantic Station, I reconsider. It's a candy, chocolate, sweets, and ice cream wonderland. Besides their freshly made candy apples and white chocolate pretzels/rice krispies/oreos (my favorites!), they also have really delicious ice cream. Great place to go when the yogurt isn't enough!

Italian Ice

Rita's - Everything on their menu is worth trying at least once! They have frozen custard, gelatin, cream ice, sugar free Italian ice, and just regular Italian ice. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Stay cool, ATL! <3

Paris {the good, the food, the bad, & the typical}

Paris was...an experience.

The good

Getting ready to board our flight to Paris, we got there early!
Which was great because with RyanAir, it's first come, first serve. (It's as unorganized as it sounds).

I did appreciate their emergency/safety
instructions being attached to the seats - saving paper! Not as many germs.

About to take off to Paris! It was a great and fast flight.

Getting off the plane in Paris (channeling my inner Michelle Obama).

The food

France's first and only Chipotle! Erin, Brandon, and I are true Chipotle fans - we were very happy for the French.

Had to try a hamburger and french fries - pretty delicious. 

Chicken, always a win.

Chicken with bacon and mushrooms - so good!

Expressos were cheaper than water & I needed the energy to deal with lots of rude French people!

Creme brule, best thing I had in France!

Duck steak with potatoes.

Salmon with potatoes.

Olives with a BBQ-like sauce...no thanks.

Eating dinner after escaping from the dark side of Paris. Why so many glasses??

The bad 

After a crazy first day in the city, a waitress spilled Jasmine's drink all over her
shoe & let Jasmine be responsible for cleaning up the mess. So sweet!

DAY ONE DISASTER: We arrived in Paris at 9:30am. Took a bus for 1.5 hours to the inner city of  Paris. Our original hotel was in Malakoff, southern Paris. After riding the Metro (subway) for about 45 min., we got off at Malakoff to find our hotel. No luck. But we did find: windows with gun shots, many homeless people, sketchy old men, people who thought we were prostitutes, and very rude locals. No one really spoke English (uh oh) and when we did find a woman who spoke English she warned us to "leave...just go...not safe for Americans...abductions...rape." And, we listened. I used an emergency call to call my parents who we hadn't been able to contact since landing because Wifi in Paris is rare.  They agreed with our decision to move to a hotel closer to tourist attractions...and other Americans. CRAZY day of power walking and metro riding in heels, but it turned out to be a great night and great story!

The typical

Posing with models at the Paris Abercrombie & Fitch store, nice!

Mercedes Benz store...beautiful & full of my dream cars.
My dad would be so proud (and jealous).

This is an ATM machine, way cooler than the ones in America.

How beautiful is this?! Typical France streets, buildings, sky - amazing.

This is real life.

Outside of the Lourve with Brandon. Such a HUGE place - I got
tired at the thought of looking at all of that art.

Oh, Mona. We had to aggressively work our ways to the front of a very international crowd in order to see this painting trapped behind glass, from about ten feet away. It's the only thing we really looked at in the museum, so luckily, we got in for free! Thanks, Nicole!

This is how they board planes in France.

It's breathtaking to see in real life. Just imagining how someone built something so large and powerful. I love seeing new places and new things because it makes me feel so small & helps me remember how life is made up of so many great little things.

Practicing jumping & ignoring the gypsies trying to con me!

Jasmine and I met up with 3 Tech students/friends studying
abroad in Metz, France. Here's Nicole with her cafe!

Last meal in France..at 11:54pm. I wore a Falcons t-shirt and Nike shorts. Sorry, I'm American!

Everyone should experience Paris for themselves. It's a beautiful place.