European travels pt. 1

Our travels began in Venice last weekend, where we finished our program. It was an anticlimactic end to 3 months together as slowly in 1's and 2's, our group fizzled away. I loved our group. We had so much fun and pretty much no drama for 3 months. Props to a group of incredibly down to earth girls with their heads screwed on right. There are definitely a few people who I am missing a lot, one of which is Kate "Gatto" Clark (who also happens to have the best blog out of the lot of us... if you care to read, which you should, click here). She was my roommate, confidant, and wingman! I couldn't have been paired with a better match of a roommate for me!

Jumping on the bed pictures... shh... don't tell Pazit.

This is a picture of the 4 of us roomies, Pazit, and Dr. Bonomi, the director of our school. Little did we know that Pazit would turn out to be a ton of fun, and also sometimes really scary. I learned quickly to lie low and fly under the radar.
Anyway, back to our travels. We stayed an extra day in Venice, and then went to Verona. I left my camera battery at the B&B that day, so I don't have pictures. After Verona we stopped by Milan and then continued on to Lucerne, Switzerland. I loved it there. It was gorgeous.

We took a cablecar up near the top of an Alp, Mt. Pilatus. Then we hiked the 3 or 4 hikes that take you to the tops of different peaks of the mountain. It was amazing.

It was nonstop amazing. I loved it there.
(more pictures of all of this coming later, once I get my ducks in a row)
Now we are in Paris. So far, it's kinda lame. I'll write again later elaborating on if my feelings change. Cheers until then!

Too Good

Click here for the best thing you've seen all year.

Italy Picture Update: ROME

After arriving in Italy, we lived in Rome for a few weeks. It was beautiful, and so big and busy. Here are some highlights!

The Power Trio 

(Kate aka Gatto, me, Lucy aka Looch)

View from the Spanish Steps

First Italian pastry and we've been hooked ever since!

Colosseum, anyone?

St. Peter's is my favorite thus far...

The fam :)

Power Stances

LOVE me some Bernini

Another fav... Laocoon

I try to blend in with my surroundings... I think I do fairly well!

Coming soon... Siena, pt. 1

Last week

Last week was “2 months til I get home”. It was getting a warning for buying chocolate at a gas station. It was running trails through the Italian Alps. It was venting for hours about poor leadership and social awkwardness. It was eating wild boar pasta at a tiny local Italian restaurant. Last week was getting 100% on my first Italian oral exam. It was a realization that mountains mean more to me than old churches, and another realization of how much we miss positive interaction with adults. It was finding leather journals for affordable prices in Florence. Last week was scaring ourselves in an ancient monastery enough to make my friend pee her pants, even if it was just a little.

Italia

I live in Siena, Italy. To keep things simple, here are a few lists of things I love about Italy, or miss about home...

Things I love:
The FOOD. Everyday is filled with the most delicious food ever. So fresh. So filling. So delicious.

The SIGHTS. Italy is straight up beautiful, in every way.

The HISTORY. Everything here is so old. It is so different than America.

Things I miss (aside from the obvious people):

Making/having friends. The people here aren't really interested in meeting new people, and if they are, it is just to hook up with them. So... that's fun.

American delicacies, like Taco Bell, Root Beer, and Skittles.

Being comfortable, and alone.

Grantley

This summer has been eventful to say the least, and I haven't blogged about any of it, but at this point I'm going to write about what actually matters right now.

Last weekend I went camping with Marci and some of her family and friends. Friday afternoon there was a tragic accident and Grant, her closest brother, drowned in the lake at Flaming Gorge where we were camping. It has been an incredibly difficult struggle in the days since, and I can only imagine how the Anderson family is feeling. Losing Grant has made me think a lot about things that I often take for granted. He was an amazing little man. He was the kind of person that was good friends with everyone he met. He made everyone feel welcome, and was always SO happy. There is so much I have learned and continue to learn from him. He was the only person I could really let loose and flirt with because he was such a tease with his perfect little body, long eyelashes, charming smile, and smooth talking skills... not to mention his little giggle, and the way he said "chit balls". Grant was so freaking fun. It has been such a blessing to get to spend time with him through the past few years. I love you Grantley!

One of his favorite quotes: "Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity to heal." - (A course in miracles)

 His obituary: http://www.premierfuneral.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1243805&fh_id=12144#.TlUUiPs8ikV.facebook

News clip: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=16922099

Jackson Hole

I live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
I work at the Jackson Hole Adventure Center.
I love this place.