Taking Florence & The Globe!: November 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

I Hope You Know That I'm Thankful for the Blessings and the Lessons (PART 2)

So here it goes... Part due.. time to get down and dirty with the serious stuff!

WHAT IM MOST THANKFUL FOR (serious edition)

My family: I love love love my family, as crazzzzzy as they drive me sometimes, I actually really like being around them. This became extremely evident this week during the holidayz season. I'm so thankful that I have a family that loves and supports me unconditionaly. I can't wait till I get to see the main fam bam in less than 3 weeks and the rest of the fam bam just in time for Easter!

My friends: I loooove looove looove my friends as well. I miss the ones at home like crazy, you have no idea. I love this Carrie Bradshaw Quote

The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them, and others you don't. But, in the end, they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into and sometimes it's the one you make for yourself.

I think it ties in not only with the fam bam for reals, but also with my friends. My friends are seriously the best. They are my family and I don't know what I would do without them. I think I would just stop living. I miss the ones at home and love the ones here. The best thing about this trip is the amaze new friends I'm meeting. I don't discriminate: old, new, inbetween; I die for my friends.

Gonzaga: I am sooo sooo thankful to go to such an amazing, life changing school. If I didn't go to Gonzaga I would be a completely different person. I have changes astronomically since coming to GU and I absolutely looove the places I'm heading! I love me some Zaga.

GIF: I am so thankful to have been able to go on this trip and have the experience of a lifetime. I am seeing the world with some of my best friends. This is seriously not real life.

Poodsie: The best animal on the planet. I die for my favorite cuddle bug, who happens to not die so much for me. I miss irritating that creature with my voices and constant need to mess with him. I can't help that he is seriously to cute NOT to wrestle.

Music Guide: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson

I Hope You Know That I'm Thankful for the Blessings and the Lessons (PART 1)

So as I am sitting here on Thanksgiving Day in a country that could care less that I want to be home with my family I thought it would be beneficial to make a list of what I am MOST thankful for (OKK I did get the idea from reading Kim and Khloe's blogs... but I mean what a FAB idea.. I loveee those two!) SOOO i started thinking and TONS of things came to mind... so many in fact that I had to split this blog into 2 parts... one for the SERIOUS things I am thankful for and one for the fun SILLY things I love the most... so here is goes...

WHAT I AM MOST THANKFUL FOR (silly edition)

Starbucks: I would literally not survive (I am barely in Italy w/out it) without my daily Starbucks run. Iced Nonfat Chai Lattttttes for dayz. Its what gets me ready to rise and grind. Sooo thanks to starbucks for helping me get through each and every day!

Reality TV: I am an addict and I am not ashamed to admit it. The hilarity that reality tv brings to our living rooms each and every day is the best. I looove turning on my DVR and catching up with my favorite "real life" television programs. Special shoutout to those Kardashians, Rachel Zoe and those real housewives for making me laugh week in and week out.

Friends: Nope not my real ones, my favorite fake ones: Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe.This show can make me laugh no matter how many times I have seen each and every episode. I just pop in a disk of friends and my frown is turned upside down! No other show will ever come close to topping Friends epicness.

Showbizzzz: I am 1000% infatuated with the entertainment buisness and want to work in it. Sooo I'm thankful to those crazy celebs that need PR people... cause I need a job. Special shoutout to Jennifer Aniston, those krazy Kardashians, Lauren Graham, Sandra Bullock, and all my other millions of girlllls.

Seattle: Home is where the heart is and Seattle definitly has mine. I mean I have seen some reallly rad places in the last couple of months, but my little corner of the world takes the cake. I CAN'T wait to be back to my Mags.

Target: The best place EVER to waste time and spend money. Enough Said.

Christmas Music: Does any other kind of music make me this happy and excited when I listen to it... NOPE!

Gum: I cannot not be chewing gum. I am thankful to Orbit, Trident, ect for feeding my addiction.

My bed: Nothings better than spending the morning at home wrapped up in my the covers of my big bed. NOTHING.

P.S: SOOO I've had this done since the night before Thanks, but I completely forgot to post it! So better late than never.

Music Guide: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson

Saturday, November 20, 2010

I'm in Roma Trick!

Trevi Fountain... Make a Wish!

So full of Ranch.. When in Rome...

Jesu-What church!

Inside... Gorge!

Sunset over the Vatican!

On the roof of the Jes Res

Pantheon

Spanish Steps.. Where's Lizzie Mcguire??

At the top... Rome is maggggic

Roman Forum

Colloseum!

Inside... Wait Lizzie is performing here??

The tightest hallway in the world... Do you think Oprah walked hur??

Sistine Chapel.. SHHHH

St. Peters

The dome... magic

PAPA!!

When in Rome...

ra ra ahh ahh ahh ROMA ROMA ma

ROMA is AMAZING. I am obsessed with that city. I love that it is a big city, yet it has so much history. You've got the city atmosphere like Paris and the art/history that Florence has... it truly is Amaze. I want to go back there as much as possible because there is so much to see and it just has that vibe that I LOOOOVE... all they need to do is get a starbucks and you've got me sold.

Sooo the trip was nice and short... I def needed an extra night in Florence after Croatia and Barcelona two weekends in a row. We met at school at 8 am friday and took a 4 hour bus ride down to Roma. When we arrived at our hotel we had just enough time to drop our bags, change, and by metro tickets. Our first stop was group lunch at the HARD ROCK CAFE... it was just what we all needed. I think we all got burgers, fries, and all the RANCH you can eat... it was AMAZE. I am literally obsessed with ranch so its been something I def. miss from home. We all devouuuuured our burger or whatever else we ordered... sooo American of us, buts it def. what we all miss. The next trip was optional, but I'm pretty sure alll of us attended. Fr. Pham, our jesuit priest, lives in Rome during the week and gave us the Jes tour of Rome. We saw the Jesuit mothership Church, Gonzaga's tomb, the Jes Res with amaaaaze views of the Vatican at sunset, some other Jesuit Church, and Ignatious' bed room. We also hit up the Trevi fountain on the way. The tour was awesome to see, especially with our very own Jesuit leading the way. The next stop was a 3 hour night walking tour, after a 3 hour Jesuit walking tour... We saw the Trevi again, the Spanish Steps, every Piazza I swear in the city, ect. It was awesome, but we were soooo tired after it. A solid group of girls decided to catch the bus and head home since the metro was alot futher away. The bus was fulll of creeps so we were estatic to make it home. We all changed and then camped our on my bed to watch Kardash... we were in heaven... Our day was super complete... ranch dressing, trevi fountain, spanish steps, and Kimmie Kourt Khloe and Kris.

The next day was GO GO GO. We left at 745 AM to go to the Villa Borghese... The Museum was full of cool stuff... none of which i knew annnnything about... I def wished we had a guide for that trip. I did see the adam and eve painting in the opening of Desperate Housewives... I was stocked for that. My abroad trip is a constant search for anything and everything pop culture! After an hour in the museum we left to see the Colleseum before we had to meet at the Vatican. Six of us went with our student life guy Larry to see it, which was such a wise decision. Lar bear knew to go to the Roman Forum first to get tickets, instead of waiting in the HORRRIBLE line for the Col because you get entrance to both... So we saw both without waiting in an hour long line... and only paid 12 euro... our friends had to wait in line, then managed to get on a tour but for 18 euro... sooo if you ever go to Roma... follow Lar Bear's lead... the Roman Forum was awesome... totally old... but the Col was epic... so cool to see it.

The next stop was the Vatican Museum... oh my god... i love the Vatican... it is sooooo cool. The Museum is real cool, especially this one hallway which has an EPIIIIC ceiling... but the coolest part is def the Sistine Chapel. The guards are intense but I managed to snag some awesome pics... it is seriously amazing how it was done... totally mind blowing... next we went to St. Peters... that was probably the coolest thing i have seen to date... the dome is actually mind blowing...I felt like I was in such history... def top 3 thing I've seen abroad... probably number 1 even...

That night 40 of us went with Fr. Pham to an asian buffet (can you tell were a bit sick of italian food...) in like the ghetto... or actually we just drove through the ghetto... but to get there we had to take a bus... which was already packed before we got on... and then we shoved 40 extra people on... nooooone could move an inch... it was sooo intense... but we made it and it was amaze... it was a buffet and a grill where you pick your raw meat and veggies and they grill it up for you... all you can eat.... so worth it...

The next day was POPE time. We wanted to go see his blessing obvi. So like 8 of us got on a packed bus again to go see him. I was with 3 friends in a huddle basically getting violated by creepy old italian men... it was terrrrrrifying.. and sweaty gross... we were estatic to get off that. And we then got to see the Papa in all his glory which was such an amazing experience... he spoke like 20 languages.. it was amazing... We then just walked around that area, found a carousel... and then headed back to go home.

The bus ride home was even epic since we watched Toy Story 3... all of us were watching and enjoying this story of our childhood... we grew up with andy... its seriously the best. But now I'm back home in Flo for the weekend. Saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1 last night... oh my god sooo amazing... thats another story we literally grew up with... I can't believe its almost over... gahh. CIIIAO.

Music Guide: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga