5. Airplane!

Welp, we made it all the way to the Big Apple! Don't worry - I remember everything that happened today so I can tell you all the great travel details.

Leg 1 - OKC to Dallas

Okay. So I got up at 6 this morning, got all ready, hopped in the car with my parents and headed to Will Rogers. The American Airlines counter was nice and empty and I went and placed my suitcase on the weigher and lo and behold - it was 68.8 lbs. Yes, 18.8 lbs over the limit. As soon as I got my ID out, i realized I had left my credit card AND my check card at home. Awesome. So my mom ran out the door, raced home, and got them for me (another perk of not growing up). Everything else went off without a hitch, except Hailey and I weren't given seats next to each other on our flight. When we got on the plane, she was sitting next to a woman and a 6 mo. old screaming child who apparently had the croup... Well, a lovely lady next to me offered to let Hailey sit in her seat so all was well. The 36 minute flight was uneventful, besides the whooping cough baby.

Leg 2 - Dallas to NYC

During our 1 hour layover at Dallas/FTW, we saw these adorable African-American children who were headed to Africa. They were very well-dressed and behaved so we raved about how great these kids were and how all other parents should take their cues from these parents. Well, of course we ended up behind these children on the plane and somewhere between the waiting area and boarding the plane, they were possessed by Satan. As soon as we sat down they just started screaming and talking and jumping and it was just insane. THen the flight attendant came by to tell them and their parents that all the bags needed to be off the floor and up in the baggage hold thing. So they put a bag up and sit back down. FLight attendant then comes back and tells them that ALL the bags must be up in the thing.. so they put a bag up there... and then she comes back, and well, you get the idea. I can't really explain the intensity with which my ovaries yelled at me to never have children after watching these kids on the plane. The octaves they were screaming at would have caused all the dogs in the surrounding area to freak out. Well, as if this show weren't enough, there was a lovely foreign man to my right who kept asking the flight attendants for "3 pieces of bread." They would look at him and show him the sandwich or the cheese/crackers he could choose from, yet he just looked so perplexed and said "3 pieces of bread?" So the foreign lady would lean over and repeat whatever the flight attendant said louder and in an accent "Sanweeech," etc. I should have paid for this show! It was hilarious. Of course, he decides he wants some cheese and crackers, but they don't take cash. So the flight attendant is saying "NO money!" but he doesnt understand... so he gets out what looks like an expired Simon gift card and it didn't run....

I don't feel like these stories are as funny to you without being there or hearing my and Hailey's accent impressions - they're legit.

Anyway, we got into NYC at about 4 local time and took a cab to Brooklyn, where her sister Kim lives. We walked about 5 miles tonight, looking at the sites of Brooklyn and eating at this delicious vegan restaurant! We're exhausted, but we have big plans for tomorrow!

Love! Love!

Mystery of 2010: How will i get everything in?

This is everything I have packed so far. I've been using Ziploc baggies to hold anything and everything and thanks to my days at Abercrombie, I've expertly folded everything neatly.

Yes, those are high heels on the top - we have two formal/fancy dinners we get to attend, so obviously heels were imperative. Yes, i know there are cobblestone walkways, blah blah blah... Yes, that is a Texas Rangers hat - I'm not taking a blowdryer or straightener, so let's be serious - anything that will divert attention from my hair is necessary!

You can't really tell, but there's one little square left that I can pack stuff in. Which is good, because I still have my toiletry bag and my makeup bag left to squeeze in. I know I have a lot of stuff, but I'll be there for 42 days for crying out loud!

Shoes are definitely the hardest to pack; I have a lot of outfits that require a certain pair of shoes, but I don't really wear them with a lot else... so there could be days where I have on a purple shirt, sea foam green jorts, and red flats... and you know what? I'm okay with that. I'll tell the Brits that I work for Vogue and I'm testing out colors for the new fall line... "London? Not ready..." (FRIENDS? anyone? anyone?)

I have this horrible fear that my suitcase is going to bust open in the cargo hold and when I get to the Motherland, I will only have a t-shirt and a formal dress to wear. Then what? I also fear that when I get to NYC and need to get stuff out, I'll never be able to get it to all fit back in.
I'm taking Supertote as my carry-on and she will be carrying my computer, a couple books, my passport and all my important documents, a cardigan, and maybe a pair of shoes depending on whether my suitcase zips.

Our flight from OKC - NYC leaves tomorrow morning at 845! If you're not already following me on Twitter, check it out bc it will be the easiest for me to update, but I'll try to blog when we get there!
Love Love!

3. Weekly Reader

These are the books I bought to take with me on Eurotrip 2010.

1. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I read this book junior year in high school, a mere 6 years ago, and I really didn't like it. I've decided that since I've gotten older and (hopefully) more mature, maybe if I read it again I'll appreciate it. It's one of my friend Hailey's favorite books, so I've decided to give it another chance.

2. LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave

The other day I was talking to one of my best friends, Jrob. She is an avid reader and we share a similar love and taste for books. She mentioned that she had just read this and I would enjoy it so I went ahead and bought it! I don't know anything about it, but I'm giving it a whirl.

3. CHELSEA CHELSEA BANG BANG by Chelsea Handler

There are few celebrities I love more than Chelsea Handler (Tina Fey and Steve Carrell for making Date Night for me and Bradley Cooper for his hottness). I love her spunky attitude, her fearless use of dirty words, and her constant judgment of others. Plus, I have actually met her!! Cori, Jrob and I traveled to Dallas one weekend in May of 2008 ( i moved about 4 final exams for this amazing opportunity) and went to a CH booksigning at a Barnes & Noble. Chelsea signed my "My Horizontal Life" with "Suck it Forward," which is my absolute favorite Chelsea-ism and then she signed "Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea" as "To my BFF." We got a great picture with her and it was truly a life-changing experience! Anyway, I got this book for my Easter present from my parents and it has absolutely killed me waiting this long to read it, but I know it will make my trans-Atlantic flight so enjoyable (but i bet my LOL-ing will not make others' flights enjoyable).

4. HEART OF THE MATTER by Emily Giffin

I absolutely love love Emily Giffin's books. If your'e looking for great, girly novels that will hold your attention for hours - check her out! I have all her other books, including Something Borrowed (which is being turned into a movie!), Something Blue, Baby Proof, and Love the One Your'e With. I'm looking forward to reading this book and adding it to my collection of brightly-colored novels.

5. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER by Jennifer Weiner

Okay, I realllllly love Jennifer Weiner. I randomly picked up a Weiner book several summers ago at Hastings because it was cheap and had a pretty cover. Goodnight Nobody is definitely my favorite Weiner work, but her others are soooo good too! I'm really looking forward to reading this one! They're great coming-of-age, female-driven novels and I definitely recommend any of her books if you're looking for a great summer read!

These are just the ones I've picked up so far; if you have any suggestions leave a comment! I'm always looking for great reads!

Love Love!

2. Mindless Musings

These are the kinds of shenanigans I was up to 2 years ago when I last went to Europe. I hope you are all bracing yourselves for what's to come in the next 6 weeks.

Since this post is completely random, i've decided to tell you some stories. Think of them as bedtime stories but in the morningtime, so morningtime stories if you will.

When I first started law school I was super tense and nervous. The first time I got called on in Torts, I literally broke out into a heat rash. Imagine a red jelly belly thrown into purple paint - that is what my face looked like. I leaned over to Hailey during a break from my interrogation and said "I feel hot; am i red?" Being the good friend she is, she said "No, no, you're doing great!" As we went to leave, I saw my reflection in the mirror and literally almost passed out. No wonder my face felt hot - it was bright red with purple splotches all over it and i had sweatstains on my cute "First Week of School" outfit.

But the best "Beginning of Law School" story has to be one of Hailey's. We were in the computer lab, which of course is completely silent because some people actually like to study/do homework at school. (Weird I know.) Well in between our bouts on Facebook, Hailey printed out a case brief and went to the front of the room to 3-hole punch it. When she got to the counter, there was a weird-looking machine... so she looked at the "helper" and said "Is this a hole punch?" The bored and annoyed looking girl kinda shrugged so Hailey put her paper in the machine, pushed the button, and as it grabbed her paper and made a horrible noise she yelled "It's a shredder!!!" but then, the machine let go of the paper, she pulled it out and she had 3 holes punched in her brief. So she looked up and said "Never mind, it's a hole punch." Annoyed Helper Girl just looked at her like she was crazy and she came back to our desk just laughing and laughing. That's when we knew law school might be harder than we thought - we barely knew how to hole punch papers. How would we ever know how to even write said papers?

Love Love!

1. I'll Give it a Whirl

So this is my first blog post and I must admit it took me about 10 years to figure out how to make it decent... that means I'm off to a great start, right?

I started this blog so I can chronicle my adventures this summer while I study abroad in Oxford. According to my dad, it will cost about a million dollars to call or text any of you, so I figured this would be the best way to stay in touch just short of a carrier pigeon. Hailey and I will be leaving for the Big Apple Tuesday morning and we will be there until Friday evening when we begin our trans-continental trip to England. We will be studying at Oxford for about 5 weeks and we'll also be doing weekend trips to other countries. So do enjoy the ride.

Tomorrow is my last day at the law firm I'm working at this summer. It's been pretty enjoyable and I've met some really great new friends! Plus, I have almost made it a full 6 weeks withou anyone realizing I don't know what I'm doing - I'd call that a successful summer!

I hope this blog doesn't turn out lame and that you can all enjoy it as much as I'm going to enjoy my trip (which is unlikely).

Love Love!