Lover of the Light.

Dear Family and Friends.

I want to share with you not only a song by my one of my favorite bands, but an amazing music video that they made from their latest album.  I really like it so I thought I'd share it with you.

Please enjoy.

Love Always,
Angela

"Lover of the Light" by Mumford and Sons

In the Quiet, In the Crowd.

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

I have been here in Sevilla for 6 days and I feel as if I have been here forever.  There is so much that I can tell you, but I will spare you (and your time) and just get straight to the point.

I am loving my host family.  I may not be able to communicate with them a lot, but I do try really hard and just laugh because I talk like a child.  They laugh too, so at least I know they have a sense of humor.

This past weekend my friends from the ISA/Veritas program and I walked all around the city on Saturday.  We walked around 9-10 miles exploring Sevilla.  We went to one of my favorite places in the city (so far); Plaza de Espana.  Oh my word, this place is absolutely gorgeous.  I took a ton of pictures for you all to see.  There is a mini river thing that goes all around the front where people are able to take canoe rides.  So, sorry for the amount of pictures of this place.  By the way, the blue tiles that cover this place are called "azulejos".  :)

So, that's that.  Now onto something different.

Some of you may know that I live pretty far from the school, but luckily the walk is absolutely gorgeous so it makes the walk enjoyable.  I live in a neighborhood called Triana and to get to the center of town where my school is, I have to pass over a bridge that goes over the Guadalquivir River.  The bridge is called the Triana Bridge and it has quite the story.

If you walk onto the bridge, you will see many locks (that I will show you in a minute) that are locked onto the bridge.  The story behind them goes like this.  A couple, who is in love with one another, will purchase a lock and write their names/initials on it.  They will then lock the lock onto the bridge and then throw the key into the river.  It is a symbol of their never-ending love because it cannot be broken or unlocked.  So, here are some pictures of the bridge and the locks.  Just to let you know, I found a lock with my name, it isn't mine.   Just throwing that out there.

Isn't that such a nice walk to school?  I think so.  :)

On Sunday we all went to the last bull fight of the season, and it was so interesting!  It has so much history and culture behind it.  I enjoyed it even though it is animal cruelty.  I was just so fascinated by everything; the crowd, the matadors, and the rules of it all.  People would yell ole and suddenly get completely silent.  At any rate, here are some photos for ya.

Although the stories are nice, there is a reason why I am in Spain and that is to go to school.  We started on Monday and I thought I would show you some pictures of the school and what not.

 Not super fancy, but hey.  There ya go.

So that's all that I have been up to.  I have been exploring the city and getting to know my surroundings.  It is such a beautiful place with amazing people in it.  It is so relaxing and great.  I have been making some friends who are really fun to explore with.  That is always a plus.  :) 

Now I shall leave you with a couple things:

1) Here are a couple of photos that I really like from this past week that I want to share just because I can.

2) I want to encourage everyone to listen to the new Mumford and Sons album "Babel" because it is awesome.

3) I encourage you to walk around where you are with a new perspective.  Whether you are in Oklahoma, Texas, or Alaska, try to be observant of things that you may take advantage of because you are so used to it.  The Lord made a beautiful world and when we get so comfortable with a place because of getting busy or because of the length of time we have lived there, we tend to ignore the small little details the Lord placed in our hometowns.  Find the beauty in the quiet and in the crowd.  Just try it.  I dare you.

Love and miss you all!

Love,

Ang

We Must Be Somewhere in London.

Dear Family and Friends.

This week has gone by so fast and the day has come for me to hop on a plane and take Europe on by storm.  It is a strange feeling to feel like you are waiting forever and then suddenly you don't have to wait anymore.  The time has come, and boy am I ready.  My bags are packed.  My room is clean.  And my traveling gnome is more than ready to make this journey.

The past couple of weeks I have been begging my dad to cook my birthday meal and birthday cake, since my birthday is in October and all.  In my family, it has been a tradition where the birthday boy/girl  gets to decide what meal is cooked that evening.  It has also been a tradition for me to have my dad bake me banana cake.  Because let's be honest, it is the best cake in the entire world.  So, because I was going to be abroad in October, I decided that I would highly suggest to my dad to make me my birthday meal.  I didn't need presents or a big shabang, I just wanted some comfort food.  And comfort food is what I got.  I got the best BBQ brisket ever and probably the best banana cake he has made yet.  MMM.  I am salivating as I type.  But I must continue to tell the story.  So, for dinner, we had some rockin' good food, and not only was my family there to enjoy the deliciousness, some friends that live in the neighborhood came over and delighted their bellies with the goodness.  It was an awesome time of fellowship and good eatin'.  Man, my dad can cook.  My mom chose well.

For my last night at home, my dad had to go to an important meeting in San Antonio, so it was just us girls at home.  Our friends across the street decided that we should have a tea party, and that we did.  We have had one before, but this needed to be a proper tea party.  And let me say, it was awesome.  We brought our tea cups and saucers and we even had sweets to go with it all.  It was a great time.  Here's proof.

After the tea party, we had some more friends from the neighborhood come by and say goodbye.  We just sat and talked while I painted my nails and my mom was being crafty.

It has also been nice to be able to catch up with friends during the week via phone, skype, or whatever mode of communication that was available.  Geez, technology is awesome.

I just sit here and am so thankful for those in my life and the opportunities I have been gien.  I am excited to embark on this journey and I am just beyond blessed to have such amazing friends and family in my life.  Clapping for everyone!

As I travel to London, I can't help but think of The National's song "England".  Here is an awesome cover of the song.  It has a banjo and all.  You knew I had to plug in folk music.

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend and the next time I write, I will be in another country.  No big deal.

Sincerely,

Ang

I Will Wait.

Hello Fellow Reader,

So, the count down is still very much under way.  I have exactly 13 days now until my Euro Adventure begins and I cannot tell you how excited I am for this crazy awesome opportunity I have to study abroad.

To begin this post, you should listen to this song by one of my all-time favorite bands.  It may express a little more of what I am going to say.

"I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons

This trip is not only going to be way fun, I honestly believe that this trip is going to be a life changing experience.  I firmly believe the Lord is going to do amazing work while I am there, and that just excites me to no end.  Until then, I Will Wait.

But to be real honest with you, I am so giddy that I just can't wait to get going.  As part of our program, we are going to be working with missionaries in the area to help us get plugged into a local church and join a ministry of some sort.  It is going to be great to not only go to school but to get involved in a church there.  So, I see it as a win-win situation really.  School and ministry in Europe?  Yeah.  Definitely a win-win.

But for now, I am going to begin to organize and pack for my European Adventure.  Well let's be real, without my sisters and parents pushing me to organize, it wouldn't get done until the night before or morning of my departure.  We all know that I tend to procrastinate, so here I am, trying to get ahead of the game.

That's all for now.  Have a great Sunday, friend.

Sincerely,
Ang