Important:CHANGE IN BLOG SITE!!

 http://laura-in-uganda.blogspot.com/

Friends and family interested in my trip to Uganda, please refer to the above site for now.  I am currently testing out different sites because Xanga is not quite what I'm looking for....sorry for any confusion!  Thanks for visiting!

Starbucks

                                                          "Here's a little secret that Starbucks doesn't want you to know: They will serve you a better, stronger cappuccino if you want one, and they will charge you less for it. Ask for it in any Starbucks and the barista will comply without batting an eye. The puzzle is to work out why."

I found the following article about Starbucks intersting...and I'm sure my frugal friends will be intersted about saving some $ at Starbucks! 

http://www.slate.com/id/2133754/?nav=fo

Take my quiz and see how many random facts you know about me!

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/yourquiz.php?quizname=060109214242-247522

To start of 2006, I thought that maybe I would try to make more of an effort to post on my site.  Since I've only posted once last year, it shouldn't be too hard to improve this year!  Tonight I spent well over 2 hours trying to post my Istanbul pictures on a website.  I have given up on trying to do it on my computer.  It has very low memory, "Paint" program somehow got deleted, and it has really inefficient software.  Someday I'm gonna have a really awesome website for pictures....until then, Xanga will suffice!  Enjoy!

Happy New Year!  We had a little shin-dig at the ATL Farmwood House....so here's me, our new roomie Kristin, and Tori, my friend who teaches Pre-K right across the hall from me!

Me, Suzie, and Erica!I went back home to Melbourne for a few days, this is one of my fav pix from my lil vay-cay.....

Over Thanksgiving break I went to Turkey with my friend Medina...we met some nice German dudes, Manfred and Sebastian,  in ATL before our takeoff. We saw them again when we got off the plane so they treated us to cappuccinos during our layover in Paris.  While we were walking through the airport Sebastian kept oddly referring to his pal as "My friend". Finally I asked Medina why she thought he didn't just say his name.  Medina clarified the issue and explained that if I was listening more carefully I probably would have heard him saying "Manfred".  lol....

We flew from Paris to Istanbul and finally got to our hotel around midnight.  This is a pic of us in the hotel lobby getting ready for our first day in Istanbul.

There were many restaurants within walking distance from our hotel.  We had breakfast at this place on the right-we soon called it "Mom and Dad's" because they treated us so much like family.  Within a half an hour the owner was treating us to his favorite snacks, telling us his life story, and told us that if we needed any kind of help just to let us know.  Needless to say, we went there again!

Medina took great pics of all of the drinks and food!  Turkish coffee was quickly a staple in our diet.  Notice how beautiful the tile on the table is!

Our hotel was located in the historical area of Istanbul.  The people that work here take great pride in how well everything is kept-from constantly cleaning the streets and taking great care of their restaurants and shops. 

To be continued........ 

My roommates (Erica and Lauren) and I decided to do a "how well do you know your friends" session as my first blog entry. So..here is their list of interesting characteristics about me that Erica and Lauren have written.

1. She (Laura) frequently showers with her pet bird.
2. Finding a place to sleep is never a dilemma; anything flat will do.
3. She's always running out the door to get to work. (Wouldn't want her car to leave drive off without her).
4. Finding a bargain is of the utmost importance to her. From the cold desolate mountains of Mongolia to the backyards in your neighborhood, if it's available on eBay or at a garage sale (for a good price) - she'll find it.
5. She takes her teaching job very seriously (and often home with her) . Ms. Fieg's roommates hear about her day at work at the same decibel level that her 60 students do.
6. She likes "Home Stow Wunnow" (Home Star Runner)
7. Never a high electricity bill with Laura around. Her team of drying racks puts the dryer out of business when she's doing laundry.
8. She is a stellar coupon clipper (and avid user).
9. She can't stand the Shrek (Dreamworks) movies.
10. A wine connoisseur.
11. She prefers thoughtful gifts--not those given just for the sake of being given.
12. Nothing interrupts her sleep. Squawking birds, blaring alarms (set on fuzzy foreign stations) - only the knock of a sleepy and disgruntled roommate will awaken this Sleeping Beauty.