I have not had a day all to myself to do whatever I please since sometime in December. And so I vowed to make today as glorious as possible. :)
I woke up from my Tyan Gosling dream (in which we made out and then he told me it wasn't going to work out - to which I slapped him, before realizing he was right and he really wasn't my type, either) around noon and lounged in bed for a few minutes, enjoying the fuzziness of my amazing blanket and Wellington's snuggles. I turned on some Jack Johnson music and just laid there, blissfully content. :) When Abby came in, she jumped onto her bed and we both sat cross legged, sharing our dreams all giddy, like we used to. :)
Lazily, I got out of bed and put something on. I was on a mission, but a mission I didn't really want to go on. See, I had put off defuzzing for WEEKS, but I knew I couldn't last any longer. I'd been to two places in Alcalá, but they'd both since shut down, so I'd had to find a new one. The hardest part of defuzzing in a foreign country is the initial contact, because it is just so awkward. But the result was more than worth it.
My eyebrows have LITERALLY never looked so dashing in my whole life!! The woman worked magic on them! She only waxed for six or seven strips, and then plucked it all like a machine (!). I almost teared up at one point (oww) - but when it was all over and she gave me the mirror... DAMN!
You never think the shape of your eyebrows can dramatically change your attractiveness level (and, thus, self-confidence level) until you have a genius do them for you. Seriously. No exaggeration.
When I told her I loved them, she smiled and told me my eyebrows had a beautiful shape to them. :) Aestheticians in America say that to me all the time, but nobody in Spain ever has! I laughed and thanked her, but told her it really takes a lot of work to find that shape. Haha. She smiled and said, "But look at them now!"
I am ALWAYS going back to that lady! And she's just a few blocks from my house, too! ^_^ Yay!
After a quick trip back home, I was off again to my favorite breakfast croissant cafe in Alcalá for a little Saturday brunch. :) A chocolate croissant and HUGE glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (with a packet of sugar stirred in - man I love Spain!) later, I was feeling great.
Back at home it was time for a shower before embarking on my late afternoon journey to Madrid. Abby always makes our shower mixes, but since in discovered Grooveshark (thanks to a certain Brazilian or two), I realized I could start making shower playlists, too! A long, hot shower with Beats Antique, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Juanes was exactly what we needed for an extravagant Saturday afternoon. :)
It took me forever to get ready and out the door, but when I did, I was dressed adorably (and very American) in my new sugar skull sweatshirt top, Sprinkles LA tank, PINK yoga pants, Betsey Johnson sweets socks and pink and gold sequence Chucks. ^_^ With my newly darkened hair and my dashing eyebrows, I was ready to go!
I'm sure this is hard to understand for anybody who has never lived outside of America, but giving yourself permission to dress like an American for just one day is a BIG DEAL. When I go out, I either try to dress European (leather boots, skinny jeans, top, leather jacket and scarf) or acknowledge I'm just going to wear my Uggs and crazy coat and know I will receive weird stares and feel a little guilty about it... So when I proclaim, "Eff it! I will dress like an American and in will take great pleasure in it!"... It just feels so liberating! ^_^
So is having freshly washed dark hair blow dried, brushed and down... But that is something that takes a significant amount of time and is only done for special occasions, like today. ;)
When I got into Madrid I began my search for jeans that actually fit. See, when I moved here I was significantly bigger than I currently (and usually) am. Significantly, as in two and a half jean sizes bigger. At this point, I'm lucky if I can get through a day without my pants threatening to fall off my butt completely. And so I've been searching for new jeans for the past few weeks - but it's been utterly fruitless. Jeans just aren't cute here. Sheesh.
But today I finally found the perfect pair. At long last. I can't do boring jeans. I just can't. And so I found some at my favorite store with little sugar skulls I them! And they fit my butt! ^_^ OMG YAY!
I celebrated my long-awaited purchase with a trip to my favorite cookie store in the Letters District. I got ten mini dark and white chocolate chip raspberry ones and gobbled them up in no time. I love that the owners there are French people living in Spain who speak English. Such an international couple! ^_^ Can't say I'd mind opening a bakery in a foreign country with a foreign husband someday. ;)
I was headed back to Sol when I saw people lining up along the street. I had no idea what was going on, so I walked slower, trying to eavesdrop on people's conversations. Eventually I figured out the Carnival parade was about to begin. I walked in circles for awhile, trying to decide if I wanted to stay, but ultimately I did and it was totally adorable! People on stilts, people juggling fire, crazy costumes, glitter being thrown everywhere! For randomly walking into it, it was beyond awesome! :)
And that leads me to where I am now. I walked up to Gran Via and down Fuencarral (with a stop at Kiko for some new nail polish) and to Malasaña to go to my new favorite spot in all of Madrid. ^_^ The vibe here is so alternative/cozy/chic... I am obsessed. Any guy that introduces me to a place like it his deserves a little of my respect. ;) It's like cafe meets bar with cake, tostas, a bar and coffees (and, even better, alcoholic coffees, too!). I've been here for the past hour or two drinking, eating and blogging. Can't think of a better way to spend my free Saturday night in one of Europe's coolest capitals. ;) I'm pretty sure I used to day dream of sitting in a quaint but popular cafe/bar writing and having a couple of drinks after a day of friends, cafes, beauty, culture and shopping!!
It's times like these that I remember just how cool I am and how grateful I am to get to be me! <3 Days like today are why I always wanted to move to Europe, and be jetset and wanderlust, and just take risks. :) In this moment, I can't say I'm the happiest I've ever been, but I can say that I feel an incredible sense of peace and contentment at this moment. Sometimes it hits me and it is just ridiculous to realize I'm just a girl from Colorado who found her way to Madrid, Spain and is living the life she always dreamed of! It makes me feel proud, brave and content... But it also makes me realize if I could accomplish this - something which years ago seemed like nothing more than a dreamy fairytale - what kinds of amazing things can I accomplish in the future!? And so I'm reminded of the quote, "Don't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."
Oh, I'm not. But how much more enchanted feeling can things get?!
XOXO
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