Home Is Wherever I'm With You

I'm BACK! and ready to take on the blogging world once again... this Christmas/NewYears/StartofSchool break was nice and all but trips are starting up again and I'm ready to start recapping the rest of this amazing year. I guess we should go back about a month ago... and start from there.

Finals suck, but you all know that. Luckily mine didn't seem to be too bad and it was time to live the last few days of glorious first semester bliss. First semester was such a dream. It was nothing that I imagined it would be like, it was everything you could dream it to be. Seriously though. Going into this year I had one good friend going with me to Italy, but I came out of this semester with so many new and amazing friends. There is something I can already tell about Florence friends, and everyone says so, there is just something special there. I think its because here all of us are thrown into such an unknown world and we have to make are way through it together. Sooo, we had three days left together to just LOVE Firenze, and that we did, well for two good days we did. And then it snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed. Seriously though, this was the most snow Florence has seen since the 80's and boy did the city shut down. The airport was closed, the train station was closed, the buses couldn't start, and even the taxis weren't taking passengers. We all went out to dinner together and watched as the snow fell, snowball fights followed, and tooo many pictures of the duomo in the snow were taken. Florence is even MORE beautiful in the snow, like that was even possible!

Luckily I managed to make it on a train the next morning (I was definitly a lucky one since everyones planes were cancelled and it took them days to get home/meet up with people) but it wasn't without its fair share of annoyances. I lugged all of my crap in Big Blue (my parents are probably shuttering at that utterance) to Santa Maria Novella in hopes of making it to Rome to meet up with the fam, only to find out that know trains were leaving from SMN to go to Rome. The rather unpleasent trainitalia worker told me to jump on the next train to Campo di Marte and then just get on any train to Rome. So I did that and got on a train South bound, I had no ticket thus no seat so I sat in a broken seat in the dining cart praying that they wouldn't get me for the no ticket issue -- they didn't thank god! I finally made it to Rome and met up with the fam at the hotel! Finally seeing everyone after 4 months in Italy was the perfect cherry on top to the perfect semester!

Rome is crazy, but everyone knows that! I don't think my brother, sister, and dad were quite ready for it. They seemed to be shell shocked by the Roman confusion. I think I can summarize Rome into three short words: Sightseeing, Papi, and Gypsys. Hands down one of the funniest moments of the trip happened to be one of the first. Seeing my dad get in a fight with a pushy gypsy was definitly something I had to see in my life. I put my money on the gypsy if they had brawled, they are a fiesty bunch of people! The fam was definitly jet lagged in the overwhelming city of Roma, so it was nice to sight see a bit and then have nice down time with them. I do loooove seeing the Vatican though. The Sistine Chapel is always awe inspiring.

Germany was the next destination on the itinerary and I don't think I can say it enough but I LOVE GERMANY. After living in Italia for the last five months, it is heaven to be in the super effecient Germany! Munich was the first stop and munich reallly is amazing! The Christmas Markets alone were enough to make a perfect trip! I loved being in the heart of Christmas! Another funniest moment nominee happened right when we checked into our hotel. Our new German friend with a creeeepy voice had to help us get into our super confusing door and talked to us like we were five. "Do you want to try?" is all he said but seriously the voice was too much to handle. We spent the day at the Hofbrauhaus and the markets. The next day we decided to go to Dachau and see the concentration camp. Both my mom and I had already been to one, but the experience always leaves you feeling a bit lost. It's so hard to imagine what actually happened at these places, yet you know that it did and that leaves you so lost and confused at the world. We came back and went to a movie to decompress!

The next stop was Garmisch which was a nice little ski town. We managed to make it to the top of Germany and walk over to Austria, all the while being stuck in a BLIZZARD. We made it to a "mass" which was in German, in a Luthern church, and not even a real masss. We listened to a German woman trying to pronounce oil... which wasn't working for her. It was nice little break from the usual. Christmas wasss hard. I really missed being home but just had to keep reminding myself its just one Christmas and all my family was here. Somehow I made it through.. haha.

Florence was the last stop of the European tour. It was seriously amazing to be back to the place that I know the most. We saw all the churches and spent a ton of time in the Markets, which are by far my favorite part of Florence. We managed to day trip to Venice. It was nice to be back to the farmiliar and experience it with the fam. I think they all really loved Flo. My mom was able to stay an extra week and we squeaked in tons of day trips and the like. We spent New Years in packkked Florence and even managed to stay up for midnight! We went to Cinque Terre on Sunday. Cinque Terre is actually amazing! The pesto pizza isn't bad either! The views ain't bad either! We spent Monday in Florence tying up odds and ends and she got to see school and where i live. We went to dinner at my roommate and I's favorite restraunt with my roommate and her mom. The next dy we day tripped to Siena which was amazing. I love Tuscan citys like that. The marble floor mosaics in their duomo are amazing! That night we went together to dinner with my roommate and her mom again! We went to Assisi the next day, which was sooo beautiful. Definitly a top Italian city! The next day was back to Rome so she could fly out.

Sooo tha was Christmas break! Now second semester has started which is crazy. I will be home in less than three months. That is absolutely crazy!

Music Guide: "Home' by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

Long Time GONE and I AM Coming Back Again!

I'm Sorrry I'm soooooryyy I'm sorrry.... mostly to my mother... but i have been soo busy and now cat flu'd to catch up on christmas break with the fam! I will try and write tomorrow about the gloriuousness that is Florence at Christmas.

Music Guide: "Long Time Gone" by The Dixie Chicks

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End.

I don't want this semester to end. Period. End of Story. This group is amaze. I'm not sure anything could ever top it. But everything has to end sometime. Watch out next semester because I'm not sure I'm done with Florence yet. The best is YET to come.

I'm in LOOOVE with it all. GIF Fall 2010

Music Guide: "Closing Time" by Semisonic

I'm in London Trick!

London was snowy! and FREEZING!

Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guards... in the frozen air. 

The Queens Personal guards... can I please get that outfit!

Trafalger square was frozen...

Typical Big Ben and a Phone Booth... HEY LONDON

Westminster Abbey in the Snow.. sooo pretty!

I love Christmas...

and so does London!

Seriously shopping in London is on another level...

apparently waist high boots are in

Harrods does Christmas right!

We'll Frolic and Play the Eskimo Way... Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Well... I went to London and made it back in the very same weekend... WHAT A SHOCKER! I was so nervous, even though I was beyooooond excited for this trip, because half of our school had been stuck in the UK since Sunday. But we flew into Stanstead which was still open and that went off without a hitch. What happened next was a little bit more what I expected... CRAZY! Stanstead is about an hour outside of London so we bought bus tickets to get into the city. We had to go through customs so we missed the first bus by 5 people, but we were told the next bus was coming in 10 minutes. We waited, waited, and waited... turns out that it was an hour and 10 minutes... So we were hungry and had seen a Burger King in the airport... so we headed up there. So with like 20 minutes to spare we headed to the Bus Park and were greeted by a monster line.. so being typical Americans we missed the second bus in order to chow on fast food. Luckily the next bus did only come 15 minutes later and we were on our way to LONDON! finally... but that was not the end of the story. When we got to our liverpool stop and were ready to hop off the bus, we found the bus to be completely surrounded by cops... probably 15 or so of them! All of the sudden two cops came on and were videotaping us and wiping down the seats for finger prints... So needless to say we were FREAKING OUT. Fifteen minutes of "Was it a murder?" "Is there a bomb?" agony later they finally came on the bus to tell us we were in the middle of a city wide search of buses due to an increase of drug trafficking on the buses and that we had to now put our bags through a scanner. Fine... but then I was in line and their drug dogs (who were way more cute than scary.. a springer spaniel is just not as menacing as a german shepard) sniffed my bags and "identified drugs." Seriously the "hard drug" I had in there was nyquil... so they had to search my bag and found nothing, but it was probably 15 degrees out and I was not in the mood. So it was an eventful start to the trip.

The next day was COLD. The UK is in the midst of an Arctic chill and all of London was covered in snow and 25 degrees. We went on a free walking tour through beautiful, snowy London. It was actually excellent, even though it was review for me. My friends had never seen it, so it was awesome to experience my FAVORITE city with people who are seeing it for the very first time. After the tour we were on a search for the Chipoltle. We literally looked for days in the freezing cold, and couldn't find it so we settled for a nice WARM restraunt to warm our bones. After that it was shoppping central. London seriously has the best shopping in the entire world! The boutiques are to die for and then there is the shops we know and love like Gap, H&M, and Nike. We wandered for probably three hours through the christmas decorated streets. seriously London was beyond decorated for the magical holiday. It was like walking in a winter/Christmas wonderland. So a couple of hours and a couple of starbucks later... we were freezing again and needed to eat dinner. We went to Wagamama which is seriously the best. My aunt and uncle took us there the last time we were in London and it is the asian kick we needed after the months of italian. Seriously the ramen was almost Pho. So good. We then headed back to the hostel and to a bar nearby which actually carded us.. first time in Europe I think... shocker!

My friend Katy and I didn't have much time in London the next day because we had to go home to write papers and well she hadnt been home for a week and a hald becuase of the UK Snow storm... so we had to go to possibly my favorite place in the entire world.. HARRODS! I could probably spend an entire day in that store. I am beyond obsessed. We started the day with starbucks and krispy kremes.., yum america! The stuff in that store is beyond unreal and so is the price. It is fun to look at all of the stuff that I can't buy yet... but its my goal in life to be a regular shopper in there! Sooo we soaked in the unreal prices and the Christmas decorations and hopped in a cab back to the hostel. We didn't know how we were going to get to the airport (Heathrow) and hopped in the right cab! Our driver was a nice old guy who offered us a sweet deal and the perfect ending to a nice little jaunt to London. That is a city that I could live in. It seriously is beyond my favorite city and I'm trying to go back as much as possible!

ANDDD can we talk about how fast the end of the semester is coming. I can't believe we have a week to go. This is unreal. My family will be here in a week and a half and christmas is two and a half... Weren't we JUST on opening tour!?!

Music Guide: "Winterwonderland" by Basically any artist that has ever had a Christmas cd

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