Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Summer has begun

Hello all! I have thoroughly enjoyed these first two days of summer. Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the beach with some great pals. We swam, we talked, we ate, and most of all we enjoyed each other's company. What a great way to begin summer.

Today was an even better day. I spent the day with my mom, sister, and her three kids. We played at the beach in the morning and made cookies in the afternoon. Such a blast. I made it my goal to really capture our  little time at the beach today. From the videos and pics I whipped up a video to accompany today's post. Go check it out by going to my channel.
Enjoy!


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Italy Part 4- Venice

And this my friends is the last post from my Italy journey. I can hardly believe that 2 months ago I was enjoying this amazing vacation. I now am a lover of travel and especially flying. I LOVE flying. And I am very excited that I get to hop on a plane again next week (more on that later :). Anyway, enjoy these last pictures.

Venice was out last stop, but on the way we stopped in Bologna. I am sure its a great city and all, but I felt so sick! We walked through this fish market and oh my word my stomach could not handle it. They had no pike's place. No way. The smell made me feel so so so sick. Bologna= not the place for a vegetarian. But there were some pretty parts of it too.

Like this cool old door.

This was in the NIKE there. My dad liked this quote.

Beautiful artwork in one of the schools.

Now onto Venice! I fell in love with Venice. It was so beautiful and peaceful.


Just cruisin' through the water

waving to our friends in the other boat



I bought this lovely keepsake at the Murano glass shop. It is made from glass blown beads. I love it so much. 


The bridge of sighs. We got to walk across it too.

Ha. I am sure you can tell I look thrilled about Venice. I really did love it, but when I was there I got this awful rash on my neck (hence the jacket) and I was in so much pain at the time of this pic.

Gelato! I had 2 every day. Before I went to Italy I had lost some weight and was on my way to my goal. I definitely gained a couple pounds over my trip, but I don't regret my gelato. I mean c'mon it was a one time experience. I couldn't just pass it up.

 View from the market.


The colors were so amazing.






Our last day we toured from under the umbrella.



Our last night there we had a farewell party with our tour group. So bittersweet. We met such great friends and it was hard to say goodbye.

This cute couple was from Carolina (i cant remember if it was north or south). They were like grandparents to me.


This was one fun couple. They were on their honeymoon. They originate from Australia and Indonesia (= fun mix of accents).

This is Leasa. She is from Baltimore. She had a nice DSLR like mine so we had fun taking pictures together. 

Antonio!!! Best tour guide ever. 

He was a good tour guide but he wasn't the best at keeping a straight face.

And that's Steve in the background- one cool dude.

Gettin there Antonio.

This is Priscilla. She was a favorite. She lives in New Jersey. I loved it when she would try to say something Italian with her accent. It was so awesome.

Steve and Roxanne. They are the sweetest couple. Just like another set of parents.

And that my friends is the end. The end of a great journey. I loved Italy. It was full of great memories I will never ever forget. I think this quote sums it up: "They say money can't buy happiness, but it can buy travel, which is basically the same thing." Traveling is something that you can never really forget. The memories last forever. I can't wait for the adventures that lie ahead of me.





Saturday, June 15, 2013

Italy Part 3- Florence (and Pisa)

Florence. Sigh. What a great place filled with beauty and art. Ready for some pics?

My first sight of the city. So stinking beautiful. Words really cannot describe it.

Hello Duomo!

My daddy rockin his Mariners hat in Italy.

I cannot tell you how very grateful I am for my parents. They are amazing!


The colors. The architecture. UH-MAZ-ING!


There was even a Disney store here :)

Ponte Vecchio!!! 

Gotta love the Italian men. Ha!


This was my view from Ponte Vecchio. Simply gorgeous.

This was the ceiling of the Duomo. Again. No words.

My Dad and I climbed the Duomo together while my mom shopped. The view from the top was so totally worth it. I was in heaven!




Pisa!

This little chocolate shop in Pisa has the best chocolate in the world. No seriously. Look at the awards it has. It was pretty darn good. Not your average Hershey's. No sirree. 

On our last night in Florence we had dinner at an oil estate. This was the view from our table. 

Doesn't it look almost fake. So amazing.

Florence was a pretty great city. I loved all of the art, color, and architecture. 

Tomorrow: Venice :)