“Wandering down this road that we call life is what we’re doin’. It’s good to know I have friends that will always stand by me…when this Boy Meets World.” Admit it; you still know all of the words to the “Boy Meets World” intro song. 

I grew up in the halls of John Adams High, learned life’s biggest lessons from Mr. Feeny and learned about friendship from Corey and Shawn. From middle school up through college, the show grew with its viewers. While funny and quirky most of the time, “Boy Meets World” tackled serious issues as well, such as death and abandonment. 

They just don’t make shows like it anymore. Ten years later, I am still watching reruns of “Boy Meets World” every morning while I eat cereal. Somehow I cannot see “Hannah Montana” or “iCarly” reruns being shown 20 years from now. 

Michael Jacobs, the original creator signed a pilot deal for “Girl Meets World,” which would center around a teenage girl, and Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel may return as her parents, as was initially reported by TVLine. *update: it's offical...Disney picked up the show :)

Without Corey and Topanga, “Girl Meets World” would be doomed from the start. However, with their comic genius, the spin-off stands a chance of success. 

It would be interesting to see the gang all grown up, still getting into mischief. I especially want to know where Eric would be as a 30-something. In one episode he had some success as a weatherman; so maybe he would be predicting the forecast in Philly? Or perhaps he would move back to the “Home of the World’s Largest Yogurt Cup.” How many children would Corey and Topanga have? Would Shawn still be single? Would Mr. Feeny be teaching another generation of children? And what would happen to Morgan, the younger sister who only showed up in episodes sporadically? I think there are a lot of questions that could be answered. I am just not sure if I could fall in love with another cast of characters. 

Spin-off shows recently have not done as well as expected. “90210,” “Melrose Place” and “Dallas” all have been revamped with new casts and fresh plotlines within the last few years. They brought back one or two actors from the original cast, but the shows just are not the same. Even though Jacobs would produce “Girl Meets World,” I am skeptical about it living up to the original. 

While the specifics of “Girl Meets World” are ironed out, you could watch William Daniels (Mr. Feeny) in his role as an aging doctor on “Grey’s Anatomy.” No matter what role he plays, I will always see him as the wise schoolteacher in a sweater vest. (Spoiler alert: He has been killed off of Grey's.)

Until then, I will continue my morning ritual of watching Corey and Shawn’s antics over a bowl of Frosted Flakes.  

Did you grow up watching Boy Meets World?

Are you excited for the new show?

You know how at the beginning of every school year you tell yourself that it's going to be different, that you're not going to procrastinate anymore? Totally did that this year. 

And I nailed it. I worked on things before they were due, I read chapters before we discussed them in class, I took online quizzes days before they needed to be turned in.

My desk right now. Full of homework & snacks.

Unfortunately, this only lasted for about the first two weeks of classes... Whoops. So here we are at the end. I successfully put off doing any type of school work over Thanksgiving break (it seemed like a good idea at the time), and now I'm definitely paying the price for doing nothing for a whole week. I blame this on the fact that I've been in school for 15 years of my life. And I've got senioritis soooo bad, but I feel like this is justified because there's only 53 weeks until I graduate. 

The bane of my existence.

Somehow, I've got to find a way to buckle down these last 2 weeks and become motivated to finish this semester. However, this is much easier said than done. Wish Emily, Jess, and I good luck!

*sidenote- I stress-ate an entire bag of baby carrots last night. I mean, at least it wasn't Oreos...

Happy Finals, y'all!

-Samantha 

Welcome to the new 'Stamp In My Passport'
and by new i mean we got a face lift, a new look, a classy look!!!
We are in LOVE with the new design, so simple and elegant, we hope you like it too!

Currently in most areas of America there's a crisp chill in the air, the leaves are falling
and there's a jolly red man ho ho ho'ing at the malls....

it can only mean one thing....
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!! :) 

This is my favorite holiday ever, i can't even contain my excitement, i feel like it's creeping it's way into my everyday life and it's not even december yet....
I'm not mad about it!!! 

Last week was Thanksgiving and while we were giving thanks i couldn't help but think about Christmas, call me terrible, call me a Thanksgiving Grinch but i love my christmas!!!! 

On friday I spent the day with my family, trying to get to the Parade of lights in Downtown Ft. Worth.

What ended up happening was more like a huge disaster of events one right after another.

First we can't even get to the parade because we are stuck in downtown traffic...

After driving around downtown in a giant trafficky circle, we gave up and went to in n out burger, when we got there we couldn't find anywhere to sit and eat so we took our trays to the car and ate out there....i mean it seemed kind of strange at first but then i saw a bunch of people following in our footsteps...we started an eat in your car revolution!!!!

We ended up going back to downtown to see the Giant christmas tree and take some pictures, so it wasn't a completely wasted night, plus we were laughing the whole time...it was good family bonding!!

Fort Worth really is beautiful during this time of year :)

Here's something you might not know...I work at a Bakery...i worked there all this summer and now i'm working there during my time off when i'm home on breaks!

I get to work with these lovely cupcakes everyday and yes they are as tempting as they look.

The Bakery is called La Bella CupCakes...you can thank me for introducing you to these babies!!!

So now that the season is upon us it's time to decorate our little home aka dorm apartment...

considering what we're working with, this place is really starting to look festive...

here you be the judge....

So far so good, we're not done yet still have some lights to string all over the place...

I just love this time of the year so much, brings a tear to my eye!!! 

Not only is our dorm getting a Christmas makeover but so is our Universities Campus :) 

Every year at Christmas time the Front Lawn is covered in thousands of pretty Christmas lights to commemorate the season :) It's my absolute favorite time to be on campus!!!

Hope you are all having an amazing week so far!!!!

-Emily 

College students love free things. 

And by free, I mean when their parents pay for things. 

You learn to live without until you go home. 

Haircuts are one of the things most of us forgo. 

Let me tell you, unless you are traveling Europe, 

four months is way to long to go without a haircut.

Somehow messy parisian hair just doesn't look right in America.

Like Samantha, I had a lot  of few split ends trimmed up

and decided to return to my "zoe deschenel" look.

Before 

After

bangs circa 1995.

-Jess

One of the worst things about going to school where we do is the distance it is from home. In the grand scheme of things, a 7 hour drive isn't terrible, but it sure feels like it when it's a Sunday afternoon and all you want to do is nap. Anddd that's what happened yesterday. 

Where I wish I was headed.

Literally all I wanted to do was lay in bed and eat chips & guacamole, but it was just not meant to be. 

However, I've discovered that long car rides are some of the best times to find new music. Especially when you have 4G & your Pandora radio wants to work.

 Side note about Pandora- once, I pushed like on a Lady Gaga song on my "Top Hits" station, and from that moment on, that station only played Swedish techno music. I kid you not. Moral of the story: don't push like on the Lady Gaga song. 

But seriously, I've found some gems before. My song of choice yesterday though was something my sister introduced me to: Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It's Seattle hip hop AND the guy wears a onesie in the music video. I'll admit, the first time I heard it, I was really confused. Then, all of the sudden, my mind was blown and now I'm obsessed with the song. I listened to it probably 30 times yesterday. It's that good. So, take a minute. Listen to it (more than once. You'll think it's kinda weird the first time). And become obsessed. You're welcome. 

And just a PS, there is some naughty language, so just don't let your kids listen to it. Or whatever. 

-Samantha

{*Must link all pictures back to this site. kthanksbye.}

It happens every year. 

You and your family stuff yourselves to the brink of explosion,

yet you still have about 2 weeks worth of leftovers. 

You would think that after having the same meal

year after year you would know how much food to prepare. 

You ask yourself: What should I do with all of this 

turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce? 

Good news, I have the answer. 

You put it all into a sandwich, of course. 

(I think this might just be my college student solution to any culinary dilemma)

It's quite simple, really. 

You take two pieces of bread (a kaiser roll works best) and toast them. 

Then layer slices of turkey, stuffing/dressing and cranberry sauce. 

Enjoy. 

A family staple around this time of year is 
Williams-Sonoma Apple-Orange Cranberry relish. 

It really is the best for this sandwich.

Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.

Happy thanksgiving :) 

I hope everyone is stuffing their faces in the most dignified way possible.

Like so many others at this time of the year i find myself basking in thankfulness...

Tis the season to remember what you have and be appreciative of it.

I have SO many things to be thankful for like puppies and kites on a windy day, but those are just the small things...i created a little masterpiece of all of the things i'm thankful for this year..

I'm pretty proud of it...

1. My family :) I love them all so much and would not have anything on this list without them.

2. My little (taller) brother wesley, he's growing into an adult...its crazy!!! i love him so much :)

3. My older sister Megan, we used to fight like crazy but now were best friends, love her!!!!

4. My best friend Sam, wouldn't know what to do without her, she literally saved me from becoming a depressed mess in college :) I love her soooo much :) 

5. Aren, Alissia and Jack :) literally my best friends/family iv'e known Alissia since i was a wee little baby, and then she married aren and then had Jack and i love this little family more that i can say :)

6. So glad Sam and Jess are my best friends, they are the funniest people in my life, love you girls!!!

7. speculoos....nuff said :) it will change your life...

8. Petit Ecolier...i'm so thankful they sell these in AMERICA :) yummmm

9. My boarding pass to Paris...when i first got this i was a nervous mess...didn't know till it was over that it was the best decision i ever made!

10-12. This is my hip Family, i love each and every one of them so much, the Lynn's are like my best friends and you might recognize a familiar face in the blogging community Mrs. Lauren Knight. I love all of these people so much, best group ever!!!! HIP2012

13. I'm very thankful for the men and women who fight for our freedom. It was a somber visit to the American Cemetery in Normandy. Definitely an eye opener to what these amazing people do for us! 

14. Paris, i will forever be thankful for the way Paris opened my eyes and my heart to the world around me. Gave me so much passion and joy and made me grow into a new person!!!

15-16. I'm thankful for views like these, of castles and mountains from the french countryside to the beautiful lakes of switzerland. 

17. I'm thankful that this is my job :) 

18. I'm thankful for my education as much as i might hate and complain about it...i really am very blessed to have such an amazing school and amazing teachers to help me reach my goals.

19. I'm thankful for landmarks such as the Arc de triomphe!! I saw more landmarks in Europe than i can remember, just reminds me that this world is huge and there are so many adventures right outside your door. Take advantage of opportunities to travel the world, it strengthens your love for people and culture and food, it's the greatest gift you can ever give yourself.

20. There's not a picture but i'm thankful for God,
glad that he knows what he's doing :) Thankful i can put my faith and trust in him!

There you have it. Hope you have so many things you are thankful for this season :)

Now go eat that turkey and dressing ;)

-Emily 

Not an Attractive Pre-Teen

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

 Call me a brat, but I kind of get tired of hearing how thankful people are. You know you do too. Don't pretend like you don't. I especially get annoyed at those people that post something they're thankful for EVERY SINGLE DAY of November. I get it. You're thankful. Cool story, bro.

In order to mix things up, I thought I'd share things that I'm NOT thankful for:

1. The fact that it was so hot yesterday (83 degrees!) that I couldn't wear my new fur vest

I wanted to wear it so bad.

2. I painted my nails on Sunday & they are now terribly chipped

3. How exceptionally pale I am

4. Old home videos of me when I was 9. Woof. I was not an attractive pre-teen

5. Professors that give homework over the holiday. I mean, who even does that...?

6. The mall during the holiday season

7. Facebook

I'm just kidding guys! I have a lot to be thankful for; my family, my friends, school, PARIS. There's kind of a lot. But that list up there still stands (:

So incredibly thankful for this. 

I hope everyone has a safe & wonderful holiday!

-Samantha

So the other day i was flipping through page after page of pins on pinterest....which is normal for a female college student.

Since we now have an apartment with a kitchen, food has been

even more exciting. It’s so fun what you can do with a stove, i don’t know how i

survived previous semesters with just a microwave!!

Anyways i found this recipe for a cheesy penne pasta that is TO DIE FOR....no really, it’s so so good and i’m thinking since i love it so much i really should share it with the rest of you. Can’t keep something so good to myself, that would be sinful!! It’s literally the easiest dinner you will ever make!!

Prep time 10 minutes at the most

Set oven to 350 degrees

What you need:

1 box of Penne Noodles

1 can of Alfredo sauce

1 can of marinara sauce

Shredded Mozzarella

Parmesian cheese

Bake noodles the normal way, over the stove...add a dab of butter

to make sure they don’t stick together.

Mix your Alfredo and marinara in a large bowl and once noodles are done, throw them in with the sauce and

coat the noodles with the sauce,

then get out a 9X13 baking pan and pour the noodles and sauce into the pan, sprinkle Motzarella and parmesian on top and stick it in the oven to sizzle for 20-25 minutes.

Then VOILA you have the tastiest dinner ever made by a college student.

Here is what mine looked like cooking so scrumptiously!!!!!!

P.S. add chicken and it will be an even bigger hit!!!

P.S. P.S. it’s also really good as a leftover, you know how some foods don’t really flow well into day 2 and 3...well this one was still so tastey by day 4!!!!!

-Emily

You know in the movie "The Princess Diaries" when Anne Hathaway's character Mia gets a makeover? And her best friend Lilly says, "Hair. Hair grows." 

I mean, I've always wholeheartedly agreed with that. Butttt only in theory. For 99.9% of my life, I've had long hair. Like middle-of-the-back long hair. And while I always agree with Lilly that hair grows, I've never actually put my money where my mouth is. So I decided to do something about it.

Guys. It's crazy long.

Y'all, I'm cutting my hair! The catalyst for this most historic event was when my hair was too long for me to put in a sock bun. Like, how does that even happen...? I'm not like exceptionally attached to my hair, & it isn't my security blanket or anything. But I've just never cut it short before. I've had the same haircut for most of my life (minus the winter I had front bangs in 2nd grade. woof.) , and so, after 20 years, I've decided it's high time to mix things up. 

My hair inspiration.

I like to think of my new look as a "long bob" (is that an oxymoron?). See how short that is? Ok. It's not really that short. It's short for me. Honestly, I'm just looking forward to the fact that it won't take me 30 minutes to dry my hair anymore (which means more sleeping in. helloooo.). This is all going down Tuesday, but I wanted you to know about it before it happens. & to hold me accountable. I'm doing this. For real. It's happening. 

Anyone have any hilarious stories of haircuts gone wrong? I'd hate love to hear them!

-Samantha

We ended up being in Europe around the middle to end of Winter so we got to see some of the fabulous winter fashions Paris had to offer.

One thing i took away from the winter fashion is LONG jackets. Here in the states i notice our jackets are pretty short in comparison to European jackets.

I blame it on the fact that we are behind the times in fashion trends. Thankfully there is a store that is trying to bring fashion to America at an affordable rate.

Thanks you H&M...Thank you from the botton of my little heart!!!

We shopped at H&M so much when we were over in Europe,

 and now they are starting to pop up all over the United States.

YAY LONG LOVELY WINTER JACKETS.

They make my heart so happy!!!!

*All images are from http://www.hm.com/us/

-Emily

You know those annoying people that start playing Christmas music November 1st? 

I'm definitely one of those. I can't help it. The Christmas season just doesn't last long enough for me. I need more time! I've probably played Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" at least 3 times a day for the past 2 weeks. I think it's a shame that Christmas music is usually only played for one month. 

Christmas 2011 with Baby Watzles. We look like little babies.

My top 5 favorite Christmas songs (in no particular order):

1. "It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas" Bing Crosby

2. "White Christmas" The Drifters

3. "Feliz Navidad" Jose Feliciano

4. "Joyeux Noel" Yvette Giraud

5. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey. Obvs. 

Anndddddd I've also had my Christmas list made for a long time (we're talking 4 months here, people). It's harder to come up with gifts the older you get. I mean, I asked for a stand mixer this year.... I think I'm getting old. So there's that. Also on my Christmas list:

1. Barbour Flyweight Rose Beadnell Jacket in Olive

2. Essie Nail Polish in "Beyond Cozy"

3. KitchenAid 4.5 quart stand mixer

4. Minnetonka Calf Hi 3-layer fringe boot

5. Nike Pro Compression Sports Bra

6. Monogrammed Tervis Tumbler

I'm also asking for a European summer vacation, so we'll see how that goes. Haha. What's your favorite holiday song? I'm always looking to add more!

-Samantha

Here is an excerpt from my blog while studying abroad in Europe Spring 2012

Alright...those of you who know me really well know about my ski "incident" in Breckenridge, sophomore ski trip, super embarrassing...it involved a ski rack.....it involved me crashing into a ski rack and having 100's of people run to my rescue. Once rescued this giant man who pulled me out from under all the ski's asked me if i played football because it was so amazing that i had survived a crash like that...and i said no i don't play football...said this all while my goggles were fogging up because of my tears.....

All of this of course happened while all my best friends were watching....they remind me of it quite frequently...as they should...it keeps me humble.

It is indeed my most embarrassing moment to date...

so that was my first ski experience and after that incident i swore off skiing all together, never again....OH hey guess what were going skiing in the swiss alps....Surely i will be better in the swiss alps......the swiss alps....the mountains of switzerland..............

i mean in my head i was thinking to myself that today was going to be a disaster....maybe a few run's down the bunny hill then off to find somewhere to sit for the afternoon.....but that was not the case....no, no it was NOT....i was actually pretty good at it.....once i learned how to fall and get back up i started going down the bunny hill without falling or anything...it was easy!! 

so naturally i'm a competitive person...even with myself and i thought...you know what, why not try the next one...the next hill...WHY NOT....so i did!!! I went down the blue hill which is the easiest level but still...i made it past ski school...i was so proud...ALSO blue and easy don't really mean anything when your skiing in the swiss alps..we decided that the "blue" level in the alps was equal to the semi experienced level in colorado....this was not a baby hill it was a mountain and i was skiing down it...

I WAS SKIING DOWN A MOUNTAIN

You have no idea how proud i was of myself!! I went with Ali and Dillon, who were both first time skiers and they did really well....we all wiped out quite a few times but honestly is was so fun, i was slightly addicted to it for a while....then i slammed into a snow bank and thought i broke my knee and i was over it...i was done...finished....took my ski's off and walked down to the ski lift which was only a few feet off because i slammed into the snow bank at the bottom of the hill so i did indeed make it down part of the mountain. 

If your interested in seeing how our ski trip went, here is a video i made of the whole day!!

Tell us your best and most embarrassing ski stories below in the comments, maybe we had the same experience!!!

-Emily

I take things for granted. I'll admit that.

 One of the biggest things I took for granted while living in our Paris apartment was the freaking delicious breakfast that was provided for us. While the Fiap had many faults, it knew how to do a French  breakfast. And at the heart any French meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) is the flaky, buttery, hot pastry known as le croissant. 

Courtesy of

Given the opportunity, I could easily write an entire love letter dedicated to the wonder that is a croissant. Done right, these are absolutely life changing. However, here at home, it seems that most croissants are not up to their French standards. In fact, they fall very short. The mark of a true croissant is the way it falls into a million pieces the second you bite into it. The fact that most croissants I've come across recently can be sliced in half and used as a sandwich is highly alarming.

In order to abate our cravings, last weekend Emily & I decided to embark on a journey to create the perfect croissant. 

The final product

To be 100% honest, they didn't turn out quite like their French counterpart, but they still tasted amazing. Perhaps more practice is in order?

The recipe we used is here. And just in case you were wondering, yes. It does take 8 hours to make these. Totally worth it though. Anyone else have any croissant recipes they like?

-Samantha

I’m a foodie, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, it just means you and

food are friends, and i like to think i am BEST FRIENDS with food.

So i'm going to share something that may possibly change your life forever.

It's called Raclette.

We found it while free traveling in Switzerland and i havent stopped thinking about it since.
Here it is...melty cheesy deliciousness!!!!! 

In fact for my 22nd birthday i managed to buy myself a Raclette Grill...Yes they make grills for it!!!

Not exactly something you picture a 22 year old buying for herself,
i think that's when i realized it was an addiction. Which i'm ok with!

If you haven't heard of Raclette, now you have...Thanks to me, i'll give myself some credit on this one because i LOVE spreading food love to others. Especially European specialties!

So go to www.Amazon.com and buy yourself an inexpensive Raclette Grill and you will understand why i am so in love with mine!!!

Want to find Raclette?? Ive noticed it in many Whole food stores or Central Markets, Trader Joes...places like that, but don't let that stop you from checking out your local grocery store.

Be sure to make some food to dip in your melty cheesy oasis. We eat it with baby red potatoes,  onions, some pickles, some ham and a baguette....basically heaven on earth!!

-Emily

This past weekend was spent in Chicago. 

I'm on my school's newspaper staff and we 

attended the Associated Collegiate Press conference. 

But truth be told, the main reason I went

was to sight-see, shop and most importantly...eat. 

One of my favorite parts of the trip was 

visiting Google's Chicago office. 

Our adivser's cousin works there and 

gave us a tour. It's every creative person's dream.

Swings, video games, bean bag chairs, fully-stocked kitchens 

on every floor... I was in heaven.

We stayed in the North River area and were close 

to Millenium Park and Navy Pier. 

We were also close to the NBC building and the Chicago Tribune office, 

and since we were all communications majors we geeked out a little. 

And now for the part you've been waiting for:

a few eateries to sample the next time you're in Chicago.

XOCO
The first time we went to Xoco was to get hot chocolate 

(which was basically straight melted chocolate.) and churros.

All of their meat and vegetables are bought locally and

while you stand in line there is a sign telling a little bit about each 

of the farms they buy from. 

For lunch the next day I had the Cubana torta with Smoked Gunthorp pork loin and bacon, black beans, avocado, artisan Jack, chipotle mustard, Morita chiles, homemade cilantro crema.

Don't even get me started on their chips and guacamole. 

I could have made a meal off of them. 

Billy Goat Tavern 

When in Chicago, you have to eat at Billy Goat,

made famous by an SNL skit which you can watch here.

Order a doublecheese and coke. Chips if you want, 

but do not ask for fries. They only have chips. 

It's a little intimidating ordering. Everything is fast paced, 

but the burgers are greasy good.

My final recommendation is Quartino. 

It's classic family style Italian dining. 

Choose from a selection of antipastos, pastas, protein and (most importantly) dessert. 

Since we forgot to make a reservation on a Saturday night, 

we didn't sit down to eat until 9:45. 

By that time all I wanted was my own bowl of house-made pasta 

and I was not in the mood to share with anyone else. 

I had the tagliatelle bolognese. Oh man was it good. 

For dessert we ordered a selection of Coppa al Banana, Zeppole (Italian doughnuts) and 

Torta al Cioccolato.

Because our waiter loved us so much, he brought out nutella and biscotti. As if we needed more dessert :)

In case you are famished while shopping and walking around, 

Magnolia Bakery and Garrett Popcorn are also in the area. 

(try the Chicago mix: caramel and cheddar...it's like a flavor explosion in your mouth)

You better believe we sampled both within an hour of each other.

Now you never have to worry about being famished while walking around downtown Chicago.

-Jess

if you can't tell, i'm a little obsessed with instagram when i travel. 
follow me @jesskboyd