It's Just a Season Thing

To call me the worst blogger in the world would be an understatement. I was supposed to blog my Italy adventures. Fail. I was supposed to give a final update on the ol' summer adventure list. Big fail.

However, in the spirit of a new year of school, I figured I better give a brief update on my life and try really hard to be better about blogging regularly. By regularly I mean once a week. Tops.

Italy was everything I hoped for and so much more! It was truly the trip of a lifetime. I learned so much about myself, other people, and the world in general. I will forever treasure the memories made and the relationships that I formed while there. I could go on and on but rather, I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures.

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Canyoning in Northern Italy

Cinque Terre, Italy

Fields of beautiful sunflowers!



Since Italy, my life has been a whirlwind of change leading to personal growth like never before. My sweet Nana was diagnosed with cancer, I have met the guy of my dreams, and ultimately, it's time for me to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. These past few weeks, God has continually laid the following verse on my heart: "In the multitude of anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul!" (Psalm 94:19) Regardless of my anxieties, I delight in the fact that I have a wonderful family. I delight in the opportunities that God has given me to travel (the world!). I delight in the encouragement that my friends give me. I delight in the adventures that my sweet boyfriend and I have been able to experience together. I delight in the smell of the onset of fall, a kid's chocolate-smeared smile, and the touch of my Mountain Hardwear fleece. Big blessings and small, my life is FULL of God-given comforts.

In short, a new season or chapter is beginning in my life and I am anxious to see what it brings forth. I can confidently say that it will be the best yet.

A/C Por Favore!

It's day 3 in Arezzo and our first day of school. I am actually looking forward to class because it gives us somewhat of a routine to our day.

Again, Arezzo's perhaps the most charming little town that I have ever experienced. I love it here! Maybe this is an all-around Italian thing, but I really love the "relational vibes" that all of Italian people give off. The locals literally spend their evenings eating gelato together, strolling through the winding alleys, and playing games in the parks. People stay out until all hours of the night just chatting away. I know this because we hear them each night out of our window which (along with a lack air-conditioning) is contributing to very dark circles under my eyes. Oh, another fun fact about Italy is that all of the stores close shop from 2-4 every single day...to NAP! Mallory and I were seriously considering joining them until we discovered our class takes place each day during that time. Alas, the dark circles will remain.

However, I'm not complaining; I will sport dark circles and frizzy hair the entire trip if it means that I get to see and experience more of this beautiful country. Needless to say, I am having the time of my life! Rather than describing it, I'll show you some of my favorite pictures...

La Piazzo Grande and the market:




Our hotel (for mom and pops):



View from the park:





Me, the roommates, and the hotel manager celebrating the 4th of July:




Ciao!

I'm Across the Pond: A Lesson in the Lack of Luxury

I finally have internet so I thought I would type out a quick blog post updating everyone my experiences thus far.

First, let me just say that, for me, this whole "study abroad" adventure has been quite the lesson in surviving (and thriving!) in a land that lacks many of the luxuries we have in the U.S. I'll name a few...1) WiFi is either A) really hard to find, B) expensive, or C) spotty. 2) The showers are oh, about 12" x 12". Seriously. You practically have to dance the robot to shampoo. 3) There is little to no air conditioning. I eat in 90 degree weather, I shower in 90 degree, and I am definitely sleeping in 90 degree weather. Needless to say, Italia is certainly not as um, convenient, as the good ol' U.S. of A. but each day here I am learning more and more how to "live simply" and enjoy the small things. However, I will say that as today is the 4th, I have never felt so "proud to be an American"!!!

Arezzo is beautiful and oh so exciting! I have told several people this, but it reminds me of a college town. There are lots of cute coffee shops, boutique stores, great places to eat, and of course, yummy gelato!

I will definitely post more (and pictures) as soon as I have more accessible internet.

XOXO from Arezzo (If you say that, it rhymes!)

Pre-Departure Update

It's 1:58 PM.

I am 604,800 seconds, 168 hours, or 1 week away from sitting in O'Hare waiting for my plane to take me on my dream trip to Italy!

Tomorrow, I leave for Tuscan for a conference. As overwhelmed as I am feeling right now, I have to keep reminding myself how completely blessed I am to have these opportunities to do one of my favorite things in the world-travel!

Before I go, I figured I better give a brief update on the pre-departure adventures (cooking and biking) that I took on this summer.

I'll start with biking...

Free Wheel was a success and an overall memorable experience. We, Kelsey, Mallory, dad, and myself, left in high spirits around 6:00 AM to begin our 55 mile ride. The first half or so of the journey was quite enjoyable and fairly easy. We passed the time by cracking jokes--"who has three abreasts?"--and teasing my dad. However, let's just say the high spirits diminished over the course of the ride. About 15 miles from our final destination, we reached a stopping point and took a 30 minute break. Our legs were so sore and we had lost much of our motivation to continue. Nonetheless, we hopped back on our bikes and pressed on. At this point, all humor had ceased and we had spread out; Kels took the lead, Todd and Mal followed on the tandem, and I brought up the rear. With 6 miles to go, I ran out of water AND motivation to continue. I literally got off my bike and stood until a shade tree until a "Free Wheel truck" drove by, took pity on me, and gave me water. Eventually, the 4 of us, slowly but surely, made it to Pryor, America-our heaven on Earth! Kelsey's mom was there waiting with snacks; I'm not even exaggerating, food has NEVER tasted so good.

In short, I could not be more thrilled that I completed the adventure; however, I know that I couldn't have done it without my "biking buddies". At one rest stop they were interviewing people on the ride, asking "What would you tell people thinking about doing Free Wheel next year to bring with them on the journey?". Easy. Bring with you some encouraging friends and you'll be alright.







As for cooking...

I am not qualified to boast much on this adventure as I technically only cooked 2 meals this summer (not including my speciality quesadillas); however, I will say that the 2 meals I did cook were good. Darn good. The first was chicken parmesan (see below) and the other was the recipe for chicken nuggets that Jill left on my blog last time. I'm obviously still leaps and bounds away from being any kind of a cooking expert, but friends, I've come far from ramen noodles and canned soup.



Well, it's back to packing for me. In all likelihood, I won't blog again until I'm in Italy.

See you across the pond!

Ciao,

Adventures Update

Recap:

My 3 goals/adventures that I am taking on for the summer are: 1) to train for a marathon, 2) to lose inhibitions in Italy, and 3) to learn to cook. I blogged these goals to hold myself accountable for them; therefore, I should probably update the blogosphere on the progress (or lack thereof) I'm actually making.

1) Training for a marathon. This adventure has morphed into something slightly different but, never fear, it's still tied to exercise. : /

I can't believe I actually just used a" : / " face.

While training for a marathon at first seemed ideal, after some thought I realized it may not be entirely feasible. Um, hello Alex...the whole month of July you will be in a foreign country where it is probably unsafe to run alone. That's assuming I would even have the desire to run when I'm there, which is unlikely.

SO, two of my best friends (Mallory and Kelsey), my dad, and myself have taken on another adventure: Free Wheel 2010! This sounds/looks a lot more intense than it actually is because we are not doing the full distance. We will only be riding one day totaling 50 miles. Since my goal has shifted, I have been riding and running each day. I guess you call it cross-training. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's much more realistic for this summer.

2) Lose inhibitions in Italy. This goal is TBA with July posts!

3) Learn to cook.
I'm struggling with this one the most. Mainly because I do not have the desire to cook anything that doesn't sound or look delicious at the time of hearing the recipe. Thus, I have only made cake with fondant and homemade salsa and quesadillas so far.

Furthermore, I somehow have developed the idea that I am Tahlequah's very own food critic and have managed to eat at nearly every restaurant in the surrounding area this summer. I know the places that offer greasy fries, the best salsa, and the sweetest tea. Let's just say that this is not great for my pocketbook OR my tummy.

I need recipes or just some places to get recipes. Help?