hide and seek.

tonight, i was making dinner and still stumped as to where i will find the acid-yellow crocodile embossed fabric i need to make my versace knock-off dress for my latest assignment. frustrated, i decided to see if i could get in touch with the owner of fleur, a new richmond fabric shop, thinking maybe she could help.

in doing so, i stumbled upon the store's blog, and spent my mealtime absorbing the thoughts and adventures that have been brewing on robinson st... then i found, arguably, what i was looking for.

geocaching.

are you kidding me? a treasure hunt. a modern-day treasure hunt. my fingers could hardly keep up as i typed in '24060' in the zip code box... and BAM, up popped an entire list of hidden things within a 20-mile radius of the solar haus.

it's listed by coordinates. tempted, i typed in the coordinates at the top of my blog.

how convenient! geocaching in barcelona. all i need is a lucky scratcher and a plane ticket.

it's all happening.

this is one of the best movie clips, ever. it's just magic.

one of my best friends is going to morocco. and staying in the same small town where i stayed, in the same beach house where i spent countless hours on the rooftop terrace. exploring the same beaches i surfed, napped, and ran around laughing and feeling free. visiting the same shop around the corner where i bought her a souvenir, a charm i didn't get a chance to give her before she left for italy.

ironic? not if you knew us.

she's one of those people that if i asked her to come to morocco with me for one year, i wouldn't have to ask again.

if you are too, expect a call. soon.

sharp turns.

i was thinking about my arguably obscure title tea leaves and rooftops and what it means, exactly. i chose it when i started my blog, originally to document my semester abroad. in thinking about a glamorous 4 months in spain, i pictured afternoons sitting at outdoor cafe's enjoying conversation as well as sightseeing and incredible views from high places. and thus, tea leaves and rooftops became the contradictory combination that matches my life, on either side of the atlantic. my days are characterized by a series of simple, significant moments and big, unforgettable adventures. and i crave it all.




what i learned this weekend:
the thing about motorcycles is that if you close your eyes, you don't notice the sharp turn ahead signs. and if you're going fast enough, no one can hear you whispering oh shit i'm scared and mostly you just look cool. very cool. in your brown leather jacket, obviously.

park residents.

just before i left blacksburg for a glamorous week of spring-breaking in the river city, i checked my email to find my out-of-class assignment for the week: do something socially responsible.

the instructions really weren't much more complicated than that, with a few margin and font constraints and an enthusiastic have fun with this!

i began to think about it as i drove down main street, windows down and music at a justifiable windows-down level. three hours later my mood was slightly dampened and the only socially responsible thing on my mind was to speed down the median, laughing loudly at the other cars as i sat in stopped traffic barely 20 miles from blacksburg.

regardless, i did make it home eventually, and filled my weekend with a collage of cafediemtexasbeachmomlunchesoregonhillstickyrice and other things that teased me of a richmond summer. on my way through the city sunday i passed by monroe park... and found my cause.

i spent monday afternoon assembling a totebag worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and set off for my selfless act of social responsibility. i ended up on a bench in the middle of monroe park with my bag of sandwiches, my friend and his dog, and a poster that read "Free PBJ's! Just ask me!". it took a few minutes for the park residents' hunger to overcome their skepticism, and my first two patrons walked up. confused, i explained to them that i made some sandwiches. "do ya'll want one?" they smiled. and accepted. and reminded me that if there were any leftover, they'd be there a while.

within an hour i had handed out all of my sandwiches. one man came back for four, but i never refused him. i left monroe park, a place notoriously thought of as dangerous, with an empty totebag and a huge smile on my face. somehow my act of social responsibility ended up ironically personal.


<3.

duets.

something about the piano in fao schwartz always makes you feel like a kid.
or, if you are a kid, makes you charmingly photographable.

enjoy.






<3.

no need for frommer's.

one of my best friends is studying abroad in florence this semester. how we managed to miss each other by about 2 weeks in europe i still don't understand, but regardless, i've been living in her sporadic emails and pictures and losing myself in all of her experiences.

she emailed me about 2 weeks ago and all she said was,
I'm going to Barcelona from Feb. 24-27
We're staying at Barcelona Sound Hostel.
Tell me everything that you know.

i waited about a week to respond, not wanting to open my moleskin journal from last semester, shuffle through all of my scribbled addresses and jotted down memories. finally i resigned myself to write her the most honest account of the way i saw and felt the most amazing city i've ever lived in.

i sat outside on my porch in one of those random 70-degree-days-in-february we often see in virginia and wrote her a very personal 6-page travel guide, complete with directions, menu suggestions, bartender names, and anything else i could think of.

i cried through most of it, but when i was done i couldn't help but feel satisfied that i spent 4 months in barcelona and truly felt every part of the city.

if you find yourself traveling to spain anytime soon, or with some extra cash and a thirst for adventure, download my itinerary and enjoy.

pure impulse.

i've been craving a roadtrip.

my hunger for adventure has only grown since returning from spain... and considering there's no longer an availability of low-budget plane tickets flying me to weekends in parisflorenceibiza, my jeep has become the only sensible portal to continuing my exploration of the world.

i sit next to a freshman friend in one of my classes. i exposed my roadtrip fever to him the other day... i told him to choose a city.
"sure, texas is perfect!" i replied, imagining photographing dusty landscapes, 10-gallon hats, and seasoned saloons.
i told him we should just do it. we could charge our credit cards only with polaroid film, coffee, and road snacks. we'd each compile 25 hours worth of our favorite music and keep the windows down. we'll block the wind with our offensively large cheap sunglasses. we'd wipe the midwest dirt off the lenses and laugh.
when our parents asked, we'd say, "no, we don't really know each other, but it's fine; it's an adventure"

i explained to him- the only real adventures come from pure impulse.


he thinks i'm crazy... anyone interested in being by co-pilot?

¡viva americana!

... some photos to inspire an american feeling.