where's waldo?????

i seriousy love how when i don't blog for a couple of days people are wondering where i am at. that gives me reassurance that you do in fact care about me ;)

i feel the need to back track a bit... staying at kelli and mark's was seriously soo great! i had so much fun relaxing with them. it rained the whole time i was there so i didn't really get out and see much of newry but i was fine with that since i wasn't really feeling good. i am feeling better now except i still have a nice cough. but i will probably have that till i get home.... no worries. it was great though because after just one day of knowing mark i got his sense of humor and it was fun to ribbing him ;) i mean, i must be at least 14% irish since my last name is jackson. shoot, trinket shops had coasters with my family crest on it and all.... ;) and kelli finished reading redeeming love while i was there which is mz all time favorite book so i was pumped for her because she loved it just as much as me!! one highlight was that upon lindsey's urging we ate dinner at Friar Tuck's which is a place that mark always talks about when he is in the states. it was soooo good! i had a chicken sandwich (the best one i have ever had) and chips (fries). yumtastic! too bad everything is fried there because its not so healthy but too hard to resist :) also, we went to belfast one night to have dinner with some of their friends which was really nice and a lot of fun. i was sad to go but nonetheless i had a flight to catch. so thanks kelli and mark for everything!! especially the scones and soda bread :) *has anyone noticed that the main highlights of my entire trip has been food.....oops*

anywho.... i got back into paris and had another long day of straight up travel. i took all forms of transportation - taxi, plane, bus, metro, train, foot. i was able to get a bunch of connecting trains to eventually end up in........ luzern, switzerland!!!! i met a nice italian guy on one of the trains who was coming back to luzern after a holiday in france to come back to work. and it was nice b-c one of our trains was cancelled and rerouted and i would have never known if he wouldnt have told me. and he even pointed me to a hotel, so that was so nice. thanks dario :) anyways, i figured since sarah and i meant to come here back on day 4 it was only right for me to actually make it :) and its perfect!! exactly what i was hoping for. the weather has been phenomenal!!! sunny, breezy, but warm enough for shorts. yay!! yesterday i walked around and took lots of pictures. and there are tons of shops and stuff. but since i am not really in the mood for "souvenirs" i didn't buy much. but i did buy a new pair of sunglasses because i crunched my other pair that i LOVED apparently one day when i used my bag as a pillow while reading on a bench. oops. but my new pair is even more ghetto and huge and a tribute to my childhood ;) just wait to see them... so yep, luzern has been good to me. today i am renting a bike and hopefully getting my bike on finally!!!! i've been wanting to for weeks now, so my dream will come true today :)

then tomorrow i am taking a train to riomaggiore, italy which is in cinque terre. i am really excited, even though i know sarah is gonna hate me forever now :) i just hope that it is still really hot there so that i can get some good sun before i come home :) and i think that there is a park/forresty area close to my hostel so i might be able to do some more biking or hiking too which will be fun. i will be there for 5 days so i don't know if i can just lay on the beach the whole time.... ;)

but speaking of coming home - i come home a week from tomorrow!!! whoo hoooooo!! i feel like i have been gone a whole semester without getting to come home at all for a visit, its ridiculous!!! so i can't wait to see everyone and actually TALK face to face!!! i have 3 more cards to open between now and then. can you believe that i actually spaced them all out and didn't open them all on the plane ride over here?!?!? i guess i really am growing up :)

ps. if anyone knows of anyone looking for some temporary work (for a few months till i leave for spanish school) let me know b-c i will be looking for some work once i get home.... i'm a real good worker i swear :)