My Travel Disclaimer: 22 Things You Should Know

I've been travelling with people I haven't traveled with before, and decided to write a little disclaimer for my crazy. I forget how OCD/Type A I can be when travelling. Please note, anyone who knows me already knows I'm neurotic and will think things are quite sensible, because I have clever friends. Nevertheless, don't say I never told you; consider this a warning, list of expectations, disclaimer, or whatever makes you comfortable. 

Free piece of travel advice: if you cannot take good pictures, you're pretty much a worthless travel buddy to anyone who is going to want their photo taken. Take it at flattering angles where you can see the person's face and learn how to zoom on cameras and on different camera phones. If you are a dot in the photo, but you have the giant building in the background, you did it incorrectly. Have the subject of your photo step forward. 

I've traveled with many friends, and the best part about traveling with friends, is you already like them. You are trying to compromise and make sure one another has a great memorable time. There has only been one disastrous trip where at the end, the girl and I were very obviously never to be friends again. (Points 6 and 20 have been added because of this). This is more of a "you're going to discover this anyways, so I might as well tell you up front". 

Saryah's #1 Rule of Travelling: Bring Snacks. 

These guys are serious powerhouse travelers! I love them!!!

1. Don't whine. You can complain about or say something negative once to let people know, but saying something negative more than once gets annoying, unless you're trying to be funny, but even then, there is a thin line. On the other side of the spectrum, not complaining a little can be problematic. If you're travelling with a bunch of people who don't complain, sometimes, at the end of the day everyone is about to die. You push each other so hard, because no one wanted to be the first to say they were tired. (P.S. this is still pretty fun even when you're dying. A bonus is, you begin to be able to read the "tells" of your friends on when they're tired and hungry)

2. You will walk...a lot. I walk faster than some, slower than others. We'll find out how you compare when we travel, but try to keep up. Please keep in mind, the only time I can't keep up with someone is if they have freakishly long legs, like Marijn. :) Since my natural walk may be faster than yours, I will turn around to check you are still behind me. Don't get offended. I just really don't want to lose you. There is just so much to see in new places and so little time. Because of this feeling, I don't like to take breaks every half hour or hour. We will not take a break after every thing we do, especially if the tour has only taken an hour and there is a site to see, not even 100 feet away. (the only way this happens is if I'm completely overruled by a majority)

3. Expect to get no more than eight hours of sleep each night, unless we have previously decided on a lazy vacation. You can sleep when you're dead. If you expect less than eight, you will be happy if I let you get eight full hours of sleep or more. You are only on vacation for a limited amount of time, and so I want to use every moment for fun. Just to be clear, you will be tired, and you will sleep better because you are tired. 

4. Wear comfortable shoes. Seriously. You can think if this as words of wisdom, speaking from experience. Blisters are very terrible on vacations. Same goes for sunburns. They have the potential to ruin trips. 

5. Don't dress like a tourist with me. I will hurt you.

-No white tennis shoes.

-No baseball caps. (for outside of America only)

-No shirts with American flags. (Texas shirts are acceptable).

-There are nice tshirts, and there are the tshirts that you get for free from events and you wear them at the gym or to be lazy running errands or laying around the house...don't bring the latter. 

6. Respect. Respect the cultural differences, the towns, or whatever. Don't be a snob. "When in Rome, do ask the Romans." Don't expect the Romans to cater to your American whims. You say thank you, and don't be a git. I traveled with this one person and the whole entire time she acted like she was better than everyone and corrected how people did things and acted like a stereotypical American tourist. Then again, I use to complain about how much I hated the NYC metro, until a friend recently explained it to me. I kept on getting lost. Granted, it's confusing, but I shouldn't have complained so much. 

Valencia: We all almost starved to death. We only had a pack of cookies
to sustain us as we tried to find a place open for dinner.
We hadn't eaten for hours, and everyone was hangry.

7. I sometimes forget to feed you because we have so much to do and see. If you're hungry, let me know! We will get food, even if it's a snack or something.

8. I get grumpy when I don't eat. If I start getting grumpy, let me know, or give me a candy bar. Don't worry, I sometimes don't realize why I'm getting upset until you remind me I haven't eaten. If you remind me, I like to buy snacks for the day, just in case. I might not even get grumpy, but after a while, you'll be able to tell there's been a change in temperament. 

9. Please tell me of any preexisting conditions you have. Bring ankle braces if you have weak ankles, knee brace for weak knees, snacks for hypoglycemia, etc. I can and will be considerate and accommodate plans accordingly. 

10. If you injure yourself on the trip, it's not complaining to let me know. I brought bad shoes on a trip and had horrible blisters for the rest of a vacation. Had I said something earlier, I could have bought shoe inserts before it became a problem. OR, for example, if you roll your ankle, say something. Your silence is only further hurting yourself.

11. Have an opinion. Part 1: I always create large to do lists for vacation. It is mainly a list of ideas for us to talk about or decide later, just so we have a rough idea of what we are doing.  If you want to sight see, or if you want to be lazy, let me know.  These are not permanent plans; they are open to interpretation, revisions, and suggestions. Don't be afraid to say you want to do something else. I will let you know if something on my list is a must do or just something I thought we could do if we had time.

12. Have an opinion. Part 2: if I say, do you want to do this or this, make a choice. I really want to know what your preference is. I am NOT saying "don't be flexible and easy-going". You don't always have to have an opinion, but if you never make a choice 100% of the time, I will kill you.

13. Try and know where we are. I acknowledge that 95% of the time, I will be the one reading maps and telling everyone where to go. (The other 5% is when I'm with Lukas...OR you are guiding us because you think you know where we are; I'll be quiet and jump in if you get us too lost) However, please be aware of where we are. I don't mind feeling like a tour guide, but I don't want to feel like a babysitter. Please note: you may think I know my way around everywhere, but I have to look at maps and use my phone's GPS. I only seem like I know exactly where we are because I have a great sense of direction and memory. 

Pavia, Italia. 2009.

14. There is one word you will never find me trying to claim: ladylike. Nope. Not me. I may not dress like a tomboy, but I'm really not a girlie-girl. I won't be eating dainty food; give me a steak over a salad any day. I have some manners, so you can take me places in public. However, if you're with me 24/7, you will see me yanking at my tights in public, not showering everyday, and spilling food and crumbs all over myself. #toolegittoquit #sexyandiknowit

15. On tours, I like to be in the front near the tour guide. Just a personal preference. 

16. Seven out of ten times if you give me the choice between a museum and something else, I will choose something else. I just get bored looking at things for hours and hours in a building. If there is a tour guide involved, the stories always entertain me. Also, I like looking for all the weird and silly things in museums. However, I love going through old homes. Some may say museums and old homes are similar, but I don't think so. 

17. If I'm following you, I may make a wrong turn without you. In my head, I think we are going one way, but really, we aren't. If I'm following you, I may fall behind a bit, but you will not lose me. Let me re-phrase, you *cannot* lose me, even if you tried. I'm an excellent stalker ;)

18. I have bad hearing. I will ask you to repeat yourself a lot. Don't feel self conscious. It's not you, it's me.

19. I will threaten you with bodily harm or death at least once during our time together. Don't be alarmed. This is just how I express myself. 

20. Passive aggressive behavior will ruin our friendship. If I'm doing something that's bugging you, let me know. I'm not a mind reader. Respect, guys. Respect. 

21. Don't try to throw me off docks into water. I will be openly upset. 

22. I love adventures! Adventure trips. Once-in-a-lifetime activities. All of it. As Dumbledore once said:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/111868154/harry-potter-quote-let-us-step-into-the

Harry Potter Taught Me to Read

3 Facts of My Life.

1. I love reading.
2. I love Harry Potter.
3. I used to hate reading and refused to read Harry Potter for a very long time. 

This is at Universal Studios Florida

 I was surfing the net the other day and came across this article about Harry Potter books.  There were a few points which made me fall in love with in the article.

1. "Initially, I was determined not to read them, convinced that something so popular couldn't possibly be good."
2. "...there was something about growing up with the series that will forever define my generation. We are a group of people who believe in the impossible, in the power of love’s ability to protect and create, in silly things like jelly beans that taste like dirt and earwax, in bravery wrought through friendship and the need for a few basic spells to ease our way through daily life."
3. "Every controversy Potter created made it stronger, particularly because no one could refute one incredible truth; it was getting children to read."

Can I just say: I've had a theory for the past few years, which was: knowing a person has read Harry Potter, tells you a lot about that person. I'm always terrible at explaining it, and have offended a few people when explaining it. I think point two sums it up perfectly.

At the end of the article, she starts talking about how intense the Harry Potter fandom world became, creating midnight *book* releases, theme parks, movies, etc. It got me really excited. I think the last point rang most true to me. I went searching to see if there was any proof to back up that statement. I came across this article in my Googling. Really, I don't think there is a study or anything to back up whether or not Harry Potter "created a generation of readers", but I can say....it taught me how to read. Well....to clarify...it taught me to love to read.

Let me tell you my story of how Harry Potter taught me to enjoy reading again. When I was little, I liked to read. I read Madeline books, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Amelia Bedelia, The Boxcar Children, etc. In the 4th grade, I attempted to read the all the books on the Texas Bluebonnet Award List. I do not recall if I accomplished this goal or not, but I did enjoy reading. Then I went into middle school. This began my period of not reading. I attribute this literary dark period of my life to required school reading. I think I forgot that reading could be fun. Middle School had us reading really boring books, like The Old Man and The Sea. I remember having to read this diary of a girl living in the conflict of Yugoslavia, which had been compared to The Diary of Anne Frank in regards to the idea that it's a young girl's diary during a time of war in the area. Goodness, for a 12 year old, who wants to read that kind of stuff? I stopped reading. Or maybe I stopped reading in 5th grade, when popularity was a concept that became important to me. (side note: it's sad that 10 and 11 year olds care about being "popular", is it not?)

My siblings loved to read. Everyone in my family reads. I did not. Maybe that also contributed to it. Everyone did it, and I wanted to be different. Who knows? Harry Potter was first introduced into my life in 1999. I remember walking past the Scholastic book fair in the library of Middle School with girls in my class, and someone mentioned that the 3rd Harry Potter book was out, and they wanted to buy it. Ok. Whatever. Later that year, Saryah got the first 2 Harry Potter books for her birthday. This is how Harry Potter first entered our house. No one had read it in the family yet, as far as I know. Who was the girl inadvertently change my life forever? I have no idea. In 2000, I remember a girl at church, Brette, talking about it. I didn't understand how someone could like a book so much. I thought it was weird. To be honest, I was a little judgmental. Now sometime between Book 4's release date, July 8th 2000, and the release date for Quidditch Through The Ages March 1st 2001, I read the first Harry Potter book. 

Saryah had been the first in the family to read Harry Potter. My parents read Harry Potter. Everyone in my family read Harry Potter. Everyone tried to get me to read Harry Potter. I refused. #stubborn This had been an on-going process. To be honest, I probably should have wrote in my journal the day I read the first Harry Potter book, because it was life changing. I didn't. I was a tween and didn't do stuff like that. #regret

Hogwarts at Universal Studios in Florida

Needless to say, I read it and loved it. I caught up on all the HP books. Reading became fun. It wasn't a teacher in school telling me what to read, when to read, and how to read. It was a story that you could get lost in. I went to midnight book releases and midnight movie releases. I will never forget the nights having drinks and snacks next to my bed in preparation to lock myself in my room and read Harry Potter after leaving the Barnes & Noble midnight release. I will forever remember the exhaustion that came from going to a midnight movie showing after standing in line for hours to get a good seat, and still having to wake up early to go to work or school the next day. 

The moral of the story is I hated reading...but because of Harry Potter, I'm obsessed. Like this buzzfeed, especially #1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 15, 17, 19. Okay, So I wanted to just choose a few, but all of them are 100% true. So I only chose a few. This was an accomplishment in and of itself. Congratulations me!

My name is Natasha, and I am a reader. 

I learn something new every day!

This is just a list of things I have learned/discovered over the past week:

Work bestie, charles, is my bestie for sure. Why?
1. I just downloaded the GasBuddy app, and it said that Sam's Club had the cheapest gas....so he let me borrow his sams club card!
2. He wanted to buy me a Panera cookie because he was there getting breakfast, but when he saw the cookies they said things like "I love you" and "Be mine". He decided that wasn't the best kind of cookie to be giving at work and didnt want HR problems. lol #istillwantedacookie #itsthethoughtthatcounts

I hate SnapChat!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's stupid. why dont people just sent picture texts like the old days? #tradionalist

Sword umbrellas exist

glamping is the only kind of camping  you will ever see me particiate in. #glamper

"The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside ... we ALL believe that we are above average drivers!"
- Dave Barry, 'Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn'

I've decided to not text or talk on the phone when I am driving: Surprisingly, using a hands-free device is no safer than holding a phone. Either way, the accident statistics are the same. Why? It has to do with the human brain. Humans can't think of more than one thing at a time. We can switch back and forth between thoughts, or focus on one and monitor another.

Catch Me If You Can, the musical is really funny. And it makes me think of Neal Caffery and makes me want to be a con-man #idbetoonervoustobearealconman

Holly can pull off a fannypak :)  @Galveston

It turns out Galveston Marti Gras (Carnival, for all the Europeans out there) during the day isn't as iniquitous as one would think. I went with Holly and Ryan, where I also learned that Ryan carries a dagger on him at all times. Ok, so maybe like a Swiss army knife, but it seems so much cooler when you say *dagger*. I also learned that no knifes are allowed in the Marti Gras area of Galveston. We got beads and it was a lot of fun. Luckily, no flashing was required for these beads, and it was fun.

If you wear a lot of beads....you get neck pains. #beadsaresuprisinglyheavyinlargequantities

It also turns out I'm super old because i had no energy after Marti Gras to go to Seth's masquerade. I was sooooo sad I missed it and passed out on my bed. Really, it was probably the better decision. I'm pretty sure I would have crashed if I had driven.

I love ginger kids. I've only known 3 ginger kids. The first 2 were twins, a boy and a girl. Saryah and I would call them Fred and Georg-ina. (because calling a little girl George, is just asking for all kinds of problems). Now I have know the 3rd, and we call him Ron. Why do I like ginger babies? Because they all look like Weasleys!

Weasley is our King :)

I bribed little Nathan with Reese's to wear my Gryffindor scarf and James flew him around on a broomstick as we took pictures. He is sooo adorable! And he's my new bff.

Saryah is really funny to watch when little kids try to
climb all over her. #notamomyet

Child labor is wrong, but can be adorable

When life gives you lemons, you cannot make lemonade by squeezing all the lemons at once. You do it one by one. I was having a terrible day on Monday and was feeling overwhelmed. But I started looking at my problems one by one, and they didn't seem so bad when you separate them.

My ex-bff is preggers and I had to find out via facebook. If I ever see him again, I plan on smacking him in the face. That's a promise. ps. im not smacking him just because of *this*

I can eat fast food for lunch, talk to Erica on the phone, take a shower, look fabulous, and drive to get a Panera cookie, and make it back to work in less than an hour. and yes. I believe Panera cookies heal your soul :) #addictedtopaneracookies

Also, it's hard to be having a bad day when little kids are around and being super loving. Especially when little Nathan (aka Ron) asks to help you make cookies saying "I've never made heart shaped cookies before". It would even make the Grinch's heart grow.

Do not buy colored icing that can be mistaken for colored caulking. Some boys find it strange and are reluctant to use it to decorate cookies.

Learning German

So Monday night at FHE (Family Home Evening) Jaime and I were trying to guess what the guys were saying in German. We guessed one sentence correctly. Then they decided to have a new conversation while Jamie and I "translated". It was an epic arguement over Oreos...but when it ended it turns out they were discussing the colors in a rainbow. (Not as cool as our interpretation).

Lindsay and I were practising our German on Tuesday. I felt super proud of myself and decided to send Lukas a note of a phrase I learned: "Viel Glück". His response, "Danke! Aber wofür?" So I felt clever because I made a sentence in German in my head without having to look it up and responded, "Für huete". Really, I felt like a genius for making a sentence in German all on my own...until he wrote back, "You mean 'heute'? Because huete means 'hats' and today I'm not wearing any! :) Where are you learning German?" Dang. #EpicFail.  But it's okay because I learned how to say 10 other words/phrases that day. WIN!

I booked tickets to Prague with Lindsay for this weekend on Tuesday.  WOOT!

my work family

Thursday we had a work party. Not just any work party...but a Par-tay (aka Summer Fest)! We went to our site in Memmingen, and there was a bus that was going to take us at 1:30, but I had a conference call at 2:30, which I had to do. In the end, I went with a co-worker whose name is Thorsten...like Thor! I was excited! We got there and I was put in a conference room. However, the music from the Summer Fest was coming through the windows and could be heard. It was pretty funny. So I said there was a party going on next door and put my phone on mute during the phone conference.

potato sack racing #epicfailjarrett

During the phone conference, Steve was saying, "Betsy, I think Natasha should come up for a few days to talk about XXX" and Besty said, "Yeah. Natasha, do you think you'll be able to go to England for a few days?" My response? "I think I can make it happen" My first thoughts? "YAY! I can buy more cookies! I have like 5 left! Woohoo!" Really, it's the simple things in life we have to appreciate. And if I can find a post office, maybe I'll mail some cookies and chocolate home for the fam, but more than likely everything will be closed before I get out of work.

Lindsay and I got 2nd place in the women's division

Friday, I left/dropped my black cardigan on U-Bahn on the way to work :( sad. Then we forgot to get my orange juice for breakfast. I'm hoping this is not a bad omen for our Prague weekend.




But a good thing is...it's payday! And we're planning a trip to Croatia next weekend. Life is good. Really. Cue Theme Song!!!