The Gila Returns

I'm back, bitches! The last 12 days are kind of a blur, not to mention the last 36 hours, in which I got up at 3:15 am in Salzburg and got on a bus to Munich, flew nine hours to Newark where our six hour layover turned into eight hours and we finally got to bed at 12:30 am Columbus time. Oof - that's a lot of numbers, even for me. I'm so happy I took today off, and I've never looked so forward to doing laundry in my life.

I had all these great intentions of scheduling posts for while I was gone, but given my procrastinating nature, that didn't happen, except for my two fabulous guests, Erin and Steph (click on their names to read their posts if you missed them).

I promise that I will recap our trip, with lots of pictures, but obviously that's going to take a while (and I "only" took 566 photos). So for today I give you:

The Top 10 List of Things To Do During a Long-Ass Layover in Newark

10. Drink - Our group was split into three groups on the flights between Columbus and Newark, and we were then on the same flights flying to and from Europe. Aaron and I were in the group which had the longest layover both times, so you know there were some adult beverages consumed.

9. Read - I downloaded several books to read on the trip but truthfully I didn't finish any of them. We were so busy that most times I tried to read I just fell asleep. But I did start this one:

8. Eat - And try not to leave a carry on bag in an airport restaurant. We did get it back, and then promptly left it on the parking lot shuttle bus in Columbus, causing Aaron to drive BACK to the airport at 11:30 last night. And we got it back again. Whew.

7. Shop - I personally did not do this, but a dear friend who shall remain nameless may or may not have bought four bottles of cologne in the duty free shop. In Newark. BEFORE getting to Europe. And number 10 may or may not have contributed to said shopping. (Love you, DFH!)

6. Go into Manhattan - Some of us had talked about doing this, but ultimately decided not to (though given the two hour delay getting back yesterday, I kind of wish we had).

5. Drink more

4. Sleep

I don't know how Kat does this, but you know, she used to be a gymnast. (xoxo, Kat!)

3. Charge devices - Unfortunately, our chargers were packed in our checked bags, so my phone eventually died yesterday, but you should have seen the crowded charging stations in our terminal yesterday, especially because we weren't the only flight delayed.

2. Massage - I took advantage of this on the way to Europe and again, wish I had done it again yesterday. My body is stiff and sore.

And the Number One Thing To Do During a Long-Ass Layover in Newark:

1. Keep Drinking

Back in the USA - 2 Blue Moons and 3 Miller Lights

OK, time to start the laundry, pick up mail at the post office, go to the grocery store and catch up on TV. ;)

It was the summer of 1963, when everybody called me Baby and it didn't occur to me to mind

Happy Friday, peeps! Yes, I'm still on vacation but today I have a special treat for you. If you've been a reader of mine for any significant amount of time, you know that one of my real-life friends also has a blog (if you don't know who she is, you should read my birthday tribute to her) and I begged/asked her nicely to do a guest post. And here she is!!

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Hello Confessions of a Gila Monster readers! I’m Steph from Life According to Steph, and I’m grateful to Gwen for giving me the opportunity to have a seat at her blog while she’s away on her European tour.

Gwen and I have been friends for over 10 years, and during our girls’ weekends we often spend a day hung over, eating chips and dip, and watching movies.

I love movies. I also love quoting movies. Today I’m going to give you five of my favorite chick flicks in no particular order.

The Legally Blonde Franchise

If you don’t know how to do the bend and snap, you’re simply not living, friends. These are movies Gwen, me, and our friends frequently watch together. 

Best line from either, for no other reason aside from the fact that I adore Paulette, hot dogs, and the Fourth:
“You look like the Fourth of July! Makes me want a hot dog real bad.” 

Shag

This is one of my favorites from my college days. I can’t recall how many times my roommates and  I watched this movie. It’s full of quotable lines and Carolina beach music. It even inspired my Pandora station named Carolina Beach Music. 

And I love Carson’s sentiment at the end:

Luanne, why don't we just go up there and say, "This was our last weekend together, and we didn't feel like going to Fort Sumter and touring goddamn colonial homes. We wanted to go to the beach and meet boys and go to wild parties and dance." I mean why can't we tell them the truth?

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Another frequently viewed movie on girls’ weekends. I love Bridget. Just as she is. I also love the Bridget Jones books, which I read first. It’s rare that I love both the book AND movie, but in this case, it happened twice. V.good.

Bridget at her best: “I choose vodka. And Chaka Khan.”

Heathers

These girls were mean girls before Mean Girls was a spark in Tina Fey’s eye. The Heathers are the ultimate in fashion and complete bitchiness. This movie is dark, and Winona and Christian Slater are amazing.

You haven’t seen this? What’s your damage, Heather?

Dirty Dancing

If you read my blog, you know that Dirty Dancing is my life. Nobody puts Baby in a corner! Robbie the creep! Etc. etc. This is my favorite movie of all time. I reference it often enough for it to annoy others, and I don’t care. 

Because I’ve had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you.

Thanks to Gwen for lending me some space. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Make sure to visit me at Life According to Steph, Facebook, and Instagram.

Peace.

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Thank YOU, Steph! I'll see all y'all next week when I'm back in the USA!

A Gwensday Guest Post from Erin

Today I'm traveling from Dresden to Prague and I've asked Erin to pinch hit for me!


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Hello, friends of Gwen!! Thank you so much for letting me stop in and introduce myself. I'm Erin and I blog over at Love, Fun & Football.

Certified Disney nerds :)

If you stop over at LFF anytime soon, you'll soon see I'm a little bit crazy, but a lotta bit friendly---- I promise :) Most pictures you see of me are going to look more like this...

...because, let's be honest. That is way easier to pull off than any other pose I know! Plus, I had to include this photo because I'm at one of Gwen's favorite places on earth... and my LEAST favorite. The dreaded Pittsburgh Steelers football field. You gotta admit, Gwen must really think I'm cool if she'll let a Bengals fan like me over here today ;) Thanks, again!


Not only do I LOVE football, but I also work in the football world too. I may already be counting down the days until the first Bengals game of the season!

I got married in May 2011 to another crazy football fan. I accidentally stole his hoody in college which is how we ultimately met and started dating ;)

You'll find I blog a lot about my obsession with Mexican food, and how I'm currently trying to get back on the whole 'running thing' to make up for how much I eat it. I love to write on my blog, but I'm also working on a memoir right now! Being a published author is the ultimate dream goal of mine.


Last random fact about me? I held a baby lion while on our honeymoon in Mexico. Seriously.... best.day.ever.

I would love to meet you other fabulous ladies out there- so please stop by Love, Fun & Football or follow me on twitter! :)


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Thanks, Erin! Anyone who's known me since at least college days knows of my love for lions so of course I adore that last picture. Also, even though she's a Bengals girl, you should totally read the story of how Erin got engaged.

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane

OK, I think I'm ready. Among other checklist items:

Nails painted. Check.

(Sorry for the close up of my foot.)

Bags packed. Check.

(That nerf golf ball was put there by one of the cats.)

Re-watch Amadeus. Check.

(Fun fact: The Vienna scenes in Amadeus were filmed in Prague.)

Passports ready. Check.

(Yes, my passport cover has shoes on it.)

Secure "childcare." Check.

(I don't think they want us to leave them.)

I'll be gone for over a week, but I do have a couple guest posters for next week, so please check back. Auf Wiedersehen!

Gwensday Tunes from Way Back

Last night on The Voice, Amber and Danielle performed "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles. This brought back a great memory. After I graduated from college, my brother John Mark and I were driving back to Pennsylvania and this song came on and we just belted the hell out of it. To this day, I think of him when I hear it.



You already know that music means a lot to Aaron and me, but John Mark and I also have a musical bond. Several years ago he made me a "mix tape" (really a CD) of songs that totally take us back to childhood/adolescence. I still have it on my iPod and now I share it with you. I tried to get all the same versions that he used but may have missed a couple.




One that didn't make the cut but also always reminds me of my brother is Heart's "Dog and Butterfly," in which we decided that they were trying to say that "the dog and the butter fly" and we would crack up every time, imagining sticks of butter with wings.



Happy Gwensday and happy listening!




PS - Please send "dry up" vibes to Germany, Prague and Austria (where we are traveling in just a couple days) as they are experiencing major flooding right now.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

I didn't manage to do a weekend recap post, but let's just say it was full of friends, fun and fermented beverages. Sunday night we had our "home concert" to kick off our European tour.

I've been dropping hints about this trip on the blog, but for those of you who don't know, here's the skinny. Our church choir is going on tour starting this Friday June 7th and returning Monday the 17th. We're traveling to Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Salzburg. Some highlights:

6/9 - Singing at the Berlin Cathedral for their Sunday morning service.

6/10 - Day trip to Leipzig and we'll sing at Thomaskirche, where Bach once worked and is buried.

6/11 - In Dresden, singing for Evensong at Frauenkirche (they originally said we could do two anthems but after hearing us they programmed four anthems). Then we go to Kreuzkirche to perform a formal concert.

6/13 - In Prague, informal singing at St. Vitus Cathedral, formal concert at Our Lady Before Tyn.

6/16 - In Salzburg, we'll do the Mozart Missa Longa during Mass at the Salzburg Cathedral (where Mozart was baptized and where he performed when he was a court musician until he got pissed at the Archbishop and quit.) That afternoon we'll also give a concert at the Cathedral.

Now that I've typed that out, it's feeling even more real and the best part is that I get to experience this with Aaron and with some of our closest friends.

As I said, we gave a concert Sunday night to preview a lot of the music we'll be singing. And guess what? You can watch said concert here: http://fcchurch.com/farewell-concert/. I certainly don't expect you to watch all 2+ hours but here are several songs I highly recommend.

In Part One at the 25 minute mark: Biebl Ave Maria - it's a good thing this is men only because I was crying during this piece. Right after that is Eric Whitacre's Lux Aurumque - imagine what this will sound like in the cathedrals. Then Praise to the Lord by Christansen - when you hear the women split into 4 parts and you're thinking "wow, the low altos rock," one of those is me.

In Part Two at 20:30: Precious Lord, Take My Hand by Howard Helvey, a Cincinnati composer and friend of the choir who was at our concert. This arrangement is just freaking gorgeous (you might have to turn up the volume). Also, toward the end there's an extended close up shot of me and I don't look too terrible (unlike most of the time on camera).

Enjoy!

Monthly Measures #5

Yeah, so that squat challenge that I was going to do last month? Didn't happen. Rather, it started but I didn't finish it. I always have the best intentions when starting some fitness challenge and then, well you know what the say about good intentions.

BUT I do have some good news to report. In May I saw a number on the scale that I haven't seen in probably five years, and I finally got to put the new charm on my bracelet! I'm down about 20 pounds; I was hoping to have lost 30 before going to Europe, but I'll take it! We leave this Friday and will be gone 11 days. I don't plan to deprive myself of any food or drink, but we'll be walking a lot too so I'm just hoping for a wash, weight-wise. Tune in next month to see how this worked out for me. Oh, but then when we get back it's Festival time in Columbus so there's another challenge.

I don't have a lot for this month's entry, so I must leave you with this:

(Not really, but I do love the idea.)