Showing posts with label ROMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ROMA. Show all posts

Back From Roma :)

Monday, December 13, 2010


I'm back from Roma!
As you can tell, from my smile, I had a blast.
I saw some awesome things,
Ate some a lot of amazing food,
and took so many pictures.

I'm super behind on reading/commenting
(not to mention I need to finish the Vienna post)
and it's going to be a few days before I can do much.
I'm leaving for Christmas break tomorrow,
so it'll be at least two days before I'm back.

Hope the start(?) of your Holiday season is going well,
that you're ready for Christmas,
and that there is a whole lot of holly-jollying going on in your lives.

Italian Men (in Budapest)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

I'm sitting in the airport in Budapest
waiting for my flight to Rome to board
and I'm surrounded by a giant group of Italian men.

You might be asking yourselves
why this might be a problem.
Well, I had forgotten all about Italian men
since my last visit to Italy in 2006.

Italian men are:
LOUD
wildly moving their hands
obnoxious
LOUD

Ah, my reintroduction to Roman culture
is starting a little sooner than planned :)
And of course, I had to share.

Wednesday HodgePodge!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

More on Vienna later,
promise.
But I don't want to give it all away so quick!
Otherwise, what will I have to blog about?
Oh, Rome...
that's right ;)
Rome. Tomorrow.
YAYYYYYY!

But for now....


Wednesday HodgePodge with Joyce!
I love Wednesdays!

1. Have you ever been on a real sleigh/carriage ride?
I think I've done a few touristy carriage rides,
and maybe a few Christmastime sleigh rides
at Christmas tree farms, but none really stand out in my memory.
We have a sleigh in the garage,
that's older, and beautiful,
I love sleighs.

2. Chain Mail?
I don't like chain e-mail at all,
but my mom is the queen of sending it,
(I still love you mom!)
I'll read it, most of the time,
but, really?
Most of it just propagates a lot of false ideas,
but some of it's cute too, right?
Who doesn't love silly kittens on a Monday morning?

3. Favorite Christmas Movie Character?
This is a tough one!
I love Christmas movies,
as you can tell by this post.
But, I'll have to divide it 3 days:
Tim Allen as Santa Claus in the Santa Clause

Rudolph from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
and Hermey from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

4. A Favorite Quote?
I love quotes, so a favorite is tough for me.
Right now, I'm loving this:

God gave us memories so we might have roses in December
[J.M. Barrie]

5. Favorite Holiday Scent?
Christmas trees.
Nothing makes the house smell better.
This is why fake trees confuse me.

6. Does the Christmas Season Stress You out? How?
A little, shopping.
But I still really, really love the feeling of Christmas.
Being home, being with family and friends.
It all outweighs the stress in the end.

7. Best Thing About Life Right Now?
Going home on 14 December.
I love Christmas season over here,
but I am so ready to be surrounded by family and friends.

8. Random Thought:
But not without the trip to Rome
(tomorrow, in case you forgot)
This will be me, starting tomorrow:


With emphasis on the "Eat" part, of course.

Go link up with Joyce!


Also, Elizabeth Edwards passed away yesterday,
what a heartbreaking story, but what an amazing woman.
Living in NC during a lot of her "public" career,
I learned a lot about her:
her son, 16, dying in a car crash,
her husband's affair (and all that followed
and was playing out around my town),
her battle with breast cancer,
everything.
What a strong, strong woman.

I will leave you with a few of her quotes,
that I think we can all take something from:

"I do not know what the most important lesson is that I will ever teach my children…I do know that when they are older and telling their own children about their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way—and it surely has not—she adjusted her sails."

[Elizabeth Edwards]
"You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that, I am grateful."

[Elizabeth Edwards, from her Facebook days after the doctors told her nothing else could be done to treat her cancer]

Happiest Girl In The World (no, really)

Monday, November 29, 2010

Normally I frown on posting twice in one day
(hello grad school guilty conscious)

But I am SO excited,
and simply cannot bear to not share!

I have travel plans!
for my last two weeks of Europe '10!
(Europe '11 will hopefully be full too!)

So, this is what I will be doing:

4 December 2010
Vienna, Austria
- Christmas Markets
- Christmas Lights
- Other assorted awesomeness


9-12 December 2010
ROMA, ITALIA
what you probably don't know is:
Rome is my favorite place in the world
hands. down.
I lived there Summer '06
and have been dying to get back ever since.
And, thanks to the parentals,
(as part of my Christmas present,
yes, it should have been on my list yesterday)
I get to see CHRISTMAS IN ROME
or, well, pre-Christmas!

But still,
you will find me:
- eating (pizza, pasta, gelatto, etc)
- Christmas Markets
- eating (pizza, pasta, gelatto, etc)
- Vatican/St. Peters
- Colosseum
- Other historical stuff
- eating (pizza, pasta, gelatto, etc)




I am SO SO SO Excited
really, I've been dancing around my room
and smiling like an idiot for a few hours now.
EEEEE!
(thanks again mom & dad!)


(all images from Google Image Search: Google, you rock!)