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Things I'm currently Loving...

I go through phases, as I'm sure everyone does. Some weeks I start eating abnormal amounts of a certain food, and I'll say, "Man I've been on a banana/milk kick lately." I only mentally document the "food kicks" that are healthy....because let's face it I'm always on a chocolate kick. Anyway, as of late I've been participating in some new summer habits that I've really been enjoying:

1) Blogging more regularly, some months I'll fall into blog slumps and ask myself, "What really do I have to put out there that's actually interesting?" I guess I've just become a little more creative with post ideas or I just don't care if they're interesting or not. Blogging makes me feel accomplished and hopefully I can keep this trend going :-)

2) Listening to new music, i.e. the newest Coldplay album, "Viva la Vida." I'd been waiting for it to come out, rather patiently because I'm not the hugest of CP fans. But now that it has I'm really digging it. At first listen I was a little disappointed, I deemed it to be "too much of the same." But while listening to it all a second time through yesterday while working I became more impressed. It's very easy to fall into a relaxed meditative state while listening and zone out......I'm great at zoning out!



3) Watching my new found favorite sitcom, "Arrested Development." Alex and I had been hearing about how great it was for months. He bought all three seasons before we left for Italy and we started watching while in Naples and into our few days in Rome. It's funny, the show reminds me of Italy now because that's where we started watching it. Although I've just now started falling in love with it and I can't seem to get enough. We watch one episode a night and laugh uncontrollably at our fav characters. Alex prefers "Tobias" while I love "Gob" and "Buster."



4) Celebrating with California couples that it is now legal for same sex couples to get married and receive proper documentation there. The fact that this hasn't happened sooner and in every 50 state is mind boggling. When uber, ignorant Conservatives start rambling about how this "threatens the sanctity of marriage between man and woman" I want to hurl. Why can't people just shut up and let others be happy?......I mean seriously people.....back off!



5) Gardening, or watching Alex garden rather. He recently went to the local nursery and bought some great new plants that now adorn our outside patio. We'd had some from the previous year but some had died and others were a bit pathetic looking. Now when I look up at our patio from below it looks like a lush, green oasis.

6) Cooking meals that last for days and days in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. Alex had given me my bright orange Dutch oven for Christmas this year and I've just started cooking regularly in it. It's so practical and such a great tool to have. It heats so evenly and holds so much....if you're into cooking large meals on a regular basis I highly recommend it!



7) Watching "So You Think You Can Dance," it's no secret that I enjoy watching pretty much every dance show that is on TV at any given time. You can always count on me to know the latest scoop from "Dancing with the Stars," "America's Best Dance Crew," or "SYTYCD." I get so hyped for it to come on every wednesday night...plus we usually have friends over that night to watch it with us which makes it extra fun. I have a lot of favorite dancers this season and can't wait to watch who wins. I'm very guilty of getting goose bumps at least once every show.



8) Casually swimming and calling it a "work out." Every year when the weather is warm enough to have heated the apartment pool through.....usually by mid-May, I suit up and dive in. It's a great release especially after a full day of being stuck in the office. I swear I was born with gills, ever since I was a little girl you can't keep me away from the water. When we were in Positano all I wanted to do was swim, swim and swim in the clear water. It's a given that I'll make a trip down to the pool at least three times a week and swim, tread, float, and twirl around. It's so perfect :-)

9) Sleeping later than normal. I guess it started when I was sick for 10 days two weeks ago. I fell into a habit of just relaxing and sleeping. It's really hard for me to just relax still....but now I'm not as hard on myself as before for not cleaning up the apartment or getting stuff done. It's so nice to just sleep and do nothing. zzzzzzzz

10) Talking to family more often. It clicked the other day that my family and friends are so important to me and I'm not going to have them all around forever. So I've made it a habit to call the ones I love more often.....to just let them know that, "Hey, I'm thinking about you!" It's so important to realize what you have when you have it and make the most of it!

Happy Weekend All.....hope you all fall into habits of doing things that you truly enjoy!

Happy Birthday Pop Pop :-)

Today is my grandfather's (Pop pop's) birthday!. If he were still living he'd be 83. We lost him October 13, 1995 to cancer at the age of 70. He was a man known for fishing, a hearty appetite, and consistent church going :-) Rarely did I hear him speak negatively, but knew him however, for his sarcasm and big closed mouth smile :-)




Miss you Pop Pop!

Weekend Events...

In the midst of finishing up with posting about our recent wedding/honeymoon in Italy I had forgotten to post about how much fun we had last week at Alex's annual company picnic. Last year it was at a huge ranch north of Austin, this year it was at Volente Beach on nearby Lake Travis. Basically a small, very kid friendly water park with four large slides, a lazy river, various pools, and a fake sand beach on the lake. We went with my brother and his girlfriend as well and all enjoyed a day in the sun. The water slides brought me right back to when I was younger and used to wish that I had one in my backyard so I would never have to wait in the lines. For lunch we scarfed hamburgers...way too quickly on my part since Jin and I went on crazy raft ride no more than 20 minutes later, oy!

Fast forward to this past weekend, I surprised Alex with tickets to "Love, Janis" for Friday night. His 28th birthday was this past Wednesday and I wanted to do something special for him. The play was based off the book "Love, Janis" that her sister Laura wrote and was performed downtown at the new and fantastic Long Center. There were a lot of "original Austinites" in the crowd (with their gray dreads and peace signs) as well as Austin yuppies and even a few younger folks like ourselves. The play was very introspective, thoughtful, and completely amazing :-) The actress/singer that played the "performing, Rock Janis" was so dead on in all likenesses. Alex and I agreed that it was as if we were at an actual Janis Joplin concert back in the late 60s.

Saturday we went to our first Farmer's Market experience in Austin with the fam. It was in South Austin at the Sunset Valley Market...the experience was very "Keep Austin Weird"....and organic/farm fresh! We all enjoyed fresh pastries both savory and sweet, fresh lemonades and teas, and live folk music. We split up at one point to carouse the individual market stalls and I was drawn in by a tent giving away "free massages."

"Ok," I thought....."why not?" We sat in the massive tent's shade and were offered free vegan cake that was delicious and were greeted with overly friendly men and women. When it was my turn for the massage I laid face down and was "rubbed" not massaged, it was very strange in that her hands offered no pressure or release to my hopeful joints and muscles. I was also constantly being asked to keep flipping over which took all of the relaxation out of it.

While i was being "rubbed" I listened in to the conversation Alex was having with the others in the tent. It was strange how they were introducing him to person after person and acting like he was a member of their family. I started thinking...."this is all very cultish." After the "rub down" the lady asked me how it all felt.....I lied of course and she proceeded to try to sell me a $5 pamphlet on how to perform what she had just done to me....."um no thanks" I said.

I also noticed that Alex was behind me snapping pictures all of a sudden (see pic of me trying to be polite and listen).....weird! Then another lady subtly hands me a Scientology DVD and says, "...it's just information." As in "don't freak out" just watch it....

AHHH, I should have known! Anyway, besides that we had a great time at the market. We ended up with a enormous yellow squash and zucchini, plenty of fresh peaches (my fav fruit), some outstanding basil pesto, and a small ceramic cup that I deemed too adorable to not buy :-)

For lunch we ventured over to Flip Happy Crepes that I had been obsessing over since the previous weekend. Our only mistake is that we brought my dad with us who complained about having to sit outside to eat in the heat the entire walk there. Upon getting there there was a long line and all the picnic tables were filled. Boo, but we found an empty table and upon making our way to the front of the line were told that we had to wait an additional 45 min. after ordering for our crepes to even receive them. My dad was already huffing so we sadly walked to Shady Grove where I ate a lackluster Green Chili Burger....yeah I wasn't bitter at all. Alex promised that we would be back to Flip Happy soon and that we'd have a great experience as well :-)

Father's Day was nice and quiet, just spent time with my dad. He was just happy to order Rudy's Barbecue and watch the Yankees slam the Astros 13-0 :-)

My Mosaic :-)

I'd been seeing this very clever mosaic being posted on some of my favorite blogs. Being a very visual.....and curious person I decided to create my own. The directions are below as well as my answers and Flickr Mosaic!

- Type your answer to the following questions into Flickr Search
- Choose an image you like best from the first page of options
- Copy and paste the URL for each into the Mosaic Maker

Questions:

1. What is your first name? :: Eryn.....although I changed it at age 7 from "Erin"
2. What is your favorite food? :: authentic Italian
3. What high school did you go to? :: Westwood Highschool
4. What is your favorite color? :: aqua
5. Who is your celebrity crush? :: Derek Jeter...I've had many more since. But he was one of my first crushes as an adolescent. I apparently like men with a little hue in their complexions :-)
6. Favorite drink? :: I have so many....but a peach bellini came to mind at first
7. Dream vacation? :: Thailand......Fiji would be nice too!
8. Favorite dessert? :: all my closest friends and family know that I'm obsessed with NUTELLA!
9. What you want to be when you grow up? :: dolphin trainer... I love the water and I love dolphins :-)
10. What do you love most in life? :: Alex.....awwwwww
11. One word to describe you. :: fickle
12. Your Flickr name. :: .....although I changed this last one to: What is your married name? :: Chandler :-)



1. ERYN, 2. Love XOXO, 3. sweetest thing, 4. Floating in paradise, 5. Derek Jeter, 6. Bellini - Color of Venice, 7. My secret blue paradise :), 8. [ La mia Dolce metà ], 9. A dream come true. . .almost., 10. chairs, green, revolving, 11. The Summer Wind, 12. A fine ending to a fine day

Back to Florence.....and then Farewell Italia

We left Rome mid morning on a Thursday and hopped onto a train to Florence. When we studied in Florence for a semester and were away for 3 or more days I always remember how we'd get so excited when the train would slow and the Duomo would come into view. It just spoke of how much we loved Florence and how it really was our home for those four months.

The same thing happened when we were pulling into the Santa Maria Novella train station for the last time on our three week stint in Italy. After two weeks of not knowing our way around we were once again back in a city where no maps were required and it didn't take twice as long to get somewhere because we'd get lost. We were back. It was bittersweet in a way though because I knew the next day we'd be waking up at an unGodly hour to fly back to the States.

We quickly found our hotel on via Nazionale....after staying in such great accommodations everywhere else we were stunned by how well...crappy this last hotel was. We knew it wasn't going to be all grand and majestic but we were spoiled by now and not having air conditioning on the top floor of the hotel was brutal. We did have a great view out our window though of the magical red rooftops of Florence and out our front door we could see the rolling hills of Fiesole.

It had gotten noticeably warmer since we were there two weeks prior and we decided to make the most out of our last full day. First we trekked through the San Lorenzo markets (one of my most hated areas bc of all the tourists and foot traffic) to buy a few tshirts. Then we went to Eby's a burrito place we frequented during our semester in Florence. The burritos weren't as great as we remembered but it was a welcome change from all the Italian food we'd been eating.

Afterwards we crossed the river to take one more hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo while the sun was out. On the way through the San Niccolo neighborhood we stumbled upon a Rose Garden that I was sad we had never discovered before. The flowers within the walled garden were beautiful but I couldn't help but think of how hot I was in my 3/4 length shirt and jeans. Once at the top of Piazzale Michelangelo we sat and took in our city one last time.
We talked about when we would make it back....since our next International adventure will more than likely include other countries we've yet to explore. Speaking of not seeing Italy for so long made me sad and even short of breath :-(

On the way back to our hotel we stopped at Chiesa Santa Felicita so we could see my most favorite Renaissance painting! It's Pontormo's "Deposition," and I first fell in love with the painting four years ago when we visited the small unassuming church on an art history field trip. I love that the church isn't well known and that there are never lines or tourists that you have to fight through. It makes me feel special, like we know a secret that most don't :-) The colors are vivid pastels that resonate well with me. I love bright colors....they draw me in!

That evening we met Erin from "The Olive Notes" and her husband Chris. I'd been speaking to her via the blogosphere for just about a year and was excited that we were actually able to meet up. We met in Piazza di San Marco and chatted and walked to the Sant' Ambrogio neighborhood where they introduced us to a great little restaurant where we enjoyed wine and aperitivos. I was even able to sample tartufo for the first time!

Afterwards we waltzed to ChiaroScuro (I was so excited to try this place) which had a wonderful ambiance and so many java combinations to try. I was a little overwhelmed with the options so I opted for the frozen cappuccino that I saw featured on the outdoor sign. It was delicious and I was glad to be able to finally try this place after drooling all over their webpage.

It was the very first time that I had actually met someone in person that I've only spoken to online prior. The experience of doing so was great and it was nice to just pick up where we left off on one another's blogs.

That night we ventured to our favorite gelateria in all of Italy on via Faenza and I ordered "sad gelato" one last time. Cookies and amarena to be exact :-) Alex of course consumed yet another Margherita pizza and we enjoyed a sleepless night of tossing and turning since we knew we had to wake at 5am for an entire 24 hours of international travel.

The trip home was very reminiscent of our first trip home from Italy in '04. We were greeted in the Florentine airport by hoards of American students returning home........lovely. And I had instant deja vu' of what a nightmare that had been for us. With our bags being too heavy and getting charged astronomical fees for it......ugh. We made it through and fought our way through the Charles de Gaulle airport once in Paris. Sprinting through an airport is never fun....it wipes me out emotionally and physically.

In any case we made it home......as Mr. and Mrs. Alex and Eryn Chandler. Looking back at our wedding photos I know that if given the chance we would do it all over again!

It was perfect

"Hey, I put some new shoes on..."

...and suddenly everything's right!" I'm a dork but I couldn't help but announce to the blogosphere that I just purchased what are going down in history as the cutest shoes ever. Or at least for this week! After stuffing myself with delicious Greek food for lunch I took a walk in retail heaven to attempt to walk off some of the spanakopita and hummus.

And into DSW Shoe Warehouse I walked, promising myself along the way that I was just there to happily browse and try on every pair of shoes that I deemed too cute not to. I'm blessed with a size 7 foot and therefore can usually always fit my foot into the display size.......convenient, fun, and very dangerous!

I was almost done browsing the many many aisles when a pair struck me and as soon as I stuck my foot in the appropriate size I fell in shoe love. They were beautiful and quirky and fit oh so well. Dang they were comfy! Right then and there I decided I was leaving......with the shoes. I even decided to wear them out and as I turned the first corner a sassy older woman said, "work it girl!"

How perfect........I'm still coming down from my shoe high, please forgive me! And for what it's worth I know Carrie would approve!

CrepeHappy for Flip Happy!

Ever since my Crepe con Nutella experience in Rome I haven't been able to get them off my mind. A good friend came over and made them for us a few weeks ago......he made perfect tasting crepes with a caramel apple filling. They were divine.

A while ago I was told about a Creperie in Austin that made sweet AND savory crepes. Since it was before "the experience" mentioned above I didn't give it too much thought.......Until it was featured on the Food Network tonight! That's right, Bobby Flay's Throwdown came down to Austin to challenge Flip Happy's owners Nessa and Andrea. I was overjoyed! Their savory crepes like the "Cuban" (pulled pork, pickles, gruyere, and tobasco) for example sound so amazing and so delightfully different. And then they of course rock the free world with their sweet crepes as well...........I saw Nutella mentioned more than once on their website :-)

I've been scouring their schedule to see just when they'll be open (they operate out of a airstream trailer), and if it's anything like THIS place....well then I know they'll be excellent! I'll be sure to report back with an honest, and hopefully overjoyed critique!

Roma

We left Naples early on a Monday morning and arrived in Rome around lunchtime. It felt great to be back and on our own schedule. The first time we were in Rome it was on a three day art history field trip....and it was a whirlwind of Renaissance history and walking some 30 miles. Now we were back and were able to pick and choose exactly what we wanted to see.

We stayed in a great apartment around Campo de' Fiori on via Vico Savelli. Our street was too narrow for cars which was great for sleeping and our building even had Roman columns built into the facade! The neighborhood was definitely an artisan area....every shop was either a painting studio, ceramics studio, glass shop, or antique gallery, we loved it!

Our days were filled with lots of walking, I always forget how much larger Rome is than Florence, and eating great Roman specialties. Some of the sites we saw throughout our three days were the Trevi Fountain (where we each threw in a few euro coins), The Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, The Castle of Angels, Colosseum, Roman Forum, La Bocca della Verita, Capitoline Hill, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. We also went into almost every church we happened upon. I just love to walk through them, they're always so peaceful and it's just so nice to quietly observe in a silent sanctuary juxtaposed against a bustling city!

Another highlight of our trip was exploring the Trastevere area. We first wandered over there to find Pizzeria da Vittorio which was featured in the guidebook I had brought along. The pizza was paper thin and wonderful, we also enjoyed carciofi alla Romana (Roman artichokes)! We were also so pleasantly surprised by the lush, somewhat lazy neighborhood that was Trastevere. It definitely felt more residential than other areas of the city and a true Roman gem. We also ate dinner there the following night at Da Enzo, I saw that Erin from "The Olive Notes" had eaten there before and we thought we'd give it a shot as well. Oh, and I was very proud when I called the ristorante the night before and made the reservation completely in Italian....what excited me the most was that I was asked a few questions about the reservation in Italian and was actually able to answer back, what a concept!

Rome was also the setting of my first Crepe con Nutella experience. It was 4 euro and worth every cent! We watched the lady make it fresh and then I devoured it at a nearby fountain in Campo de Fiori! It was one of the best things I've ever been a part of.....pure bliss and oh so sinful!

We really enjoyed our time in Rome, it was a completely different experience from our first visit and much more "our style." We left Rome the following Thursday morning and arrived in Florence for our last full day...

Oh Napoli

Alright.....so yes, Napoli. Naples was a lot of very different things; scary at first, robust, passionate, and YUMMY! After we survived our third trip on the Circumvesuviana we had arrived in Naples again. But this time it wasn't just a stop while in transit...we were going to actually stay there for two days.

If you had asked me while in the States what part of the trip I was most excited about I would of course talk about the wedding first but I was really really excited to see and experience Naples. We'd heard that while it's one of the most challenging cities in all of Europe to travel within that it's also filled with so many rewarding features. Like.....HELLO, the birthplace of pizza (the margherita to be more exact), passionate, beautiful people, tons of history, and the beautiful Bay of Naples. However, once in Italy we were hearing people speak so terribly of Naples, "don't wear any jewelry," "my passport was stolen there," "there is trash EVERYWHERE!" I started to become a little weary...as did Alex!

But c'mon don't you have to have your wits about you in most larger cities in Italy? Aren't there pickpocketers all over Europe? And to be fair...the city center has been clear of trash for probably a few months. However, unfortunately, the outskirts were still piled high with trash in a lot of places (as we saw from the train).

We were told by an information desk at the train station that we could use our Circumvesuviana tickets for the tram that would take us to a piazza close to the Hotel Vesuvio which is right on the bay. "Ok, great we thought"....until we got outside and were met with heat, hoards of people, crazy traffic, and dozens of trams (none with our destination displayed on them). So we just grabbed a cab. I noticed that the driver was really driving EXTRA slow.....trying to milk us for all we were worth. Then once we got off he swindled us for an extra 3 euro because he said he helped us with our bags. Um What? He was old and couldn't lift any of it so Alex did all of that. And I hate when you have no small change, so when you hand them 30 euro because the meter says 26.84 euro you end up getting no change back. UGH.

But now we were at the hotel and it was divine on the inside. There were many many pictures of the royalty, celebrities, and politicians that have stayed there over the years! We cleaned ourselves up and headed out to Brandi. A pizzeria about half a mile from the hotel that claims to have the best Margherita in the city, they should though, they were the first pizzeria to ever make it in 1889 for Queen Margherita! We found it not too far after we set out and enjoyed ourselves at an outdoor table.....just watching the Neopolitans walk by. I even had my picture taken with the pizza maker :-) Now we ate more pizza in the South of Italy than we've ever eaten before, they were all great.....but this was even better! I can't even describe why it was THE BEST, it just was! We really enjoyed the meal. Afterwards we walked back towards the hotel and meandered around Piazza di Plebiscito (my fav piazza in Naples) the church at the one end was just so grand and majestic!


We also realized that the pastries here in Naples appeared to be on par if not better than the ones in Positano and Sorrento. It really was like the city of sfogliatella and nutella. Both amazing things. While in Piazza Plebscito I enjoyed an enormous Bomba con Nutella. I ate the one in the back right :-) And after the lady heated it up in the microwave it was molten paradise!

That night we enjoyed Turkish food, the concierge told us about. The place was soo close to the hotel and it was ultra chic on the outside and inside. We had a little trouble with the menu. I do well with Italian menus in Italian restaurants because I know the majority of the dishes. However, when a menu is in Italian describing Turkish food (the other half was in Turkish) I have a few problems. The waitor was really nice and while he only spoke Italian we were able to figure most everything out. I think I enjoyed the food a little more than Alex did but we both walked out full and satisfied!

Stayed tuned for our last day in Naples and our three day trip to Roma!

Positano (honeymoon Part I)

Friday after the wedding was spent showing my parents around some other areas of Florence, purchasing train tickets with my brother and his girlfriend for our upcoming trip to Positano.

Saturday morning we woke up early and caught our early train to Naples. From Naples (heaps of trash abound) we caught the worst train ever, the Circumvesuviana, to Sorrento). Once in Sorrento our plan was to take a SITA bus to Positano but the ticket window was close. Soon after we met an Australian couple on an 8 week tour of Europe who offered to split a 60 euro cab with us to Positano.

The cab took about a quarter of the time, and while it was pricey, it was just so much more comfortable. We were dropped off at our teeny, tiny little alley way of a street that dropped straight down by way of hundreds of steps. I was surprised the cab driver didn't pass it up it was so unassuming. I still have no idea how we got all of our 5 VERY heavy bags down those stairs.

The apartment was absolutely gorgeous, we still can't stop talking about how perfect it was. We got to enjoy two large terraces with the best view of Positano I encountered on the entire trip, a spacious kitchen with granite counter tops, an adorable (all blue) bathroom, and a bedroom loft. We really enjoyed all of the time we spent there. *The pictures I've posted to this post of the ocean and Santa Maria Assunta were all taken from our apartment :-)

While is Positano we really were just looking forward to unwinding after our very hectic week in Florence. Days were spent eating lots of pasta (like spaghetti con vongole) and the best pastries we had encountered thus far on the trip. We also spent large quantities of time laying on the beach, swimming, window shopping, hiking, taking WAY too many pictures of the beautiful town and people watching. One of our favorite activities was to take a late afternoon passegiatta down to the beach, eat cannoli Siciliana, and chat amongst ourselves about passerbys. So entertaining for some reason! Oh, and for the first time we participated in siesta, which we dubbed "Napsitano" (we're dorks)!

My brother and his girlfriend were staying in nearby Sorrento for the first three days we were there. So they met us in Positano one evening, we showed off our apartment, watched "Superbad" (of course), and enjoyed a great meal away from the touristy beach areas. The next day they set off to Roma!

We also partook in a lot of day trips outside of Pos during our week. Venturing out to Amalfi and visiting the amazing cathedral there, exploring quiet and peaceful, nearby Atrani, and finally making our way to the bustling city of Sorrento that had great shopping and the best gelateria I've ever been a part of. First off, when you walk in you can't help but notice at least the 6 different nutella flavors.....plus many other mouth watering combos. Then you take notice to the thousands of pictures posted all over the walls and ceilings of the many celebs that have enjoyed gelati there....including the Pope. The place rocked!

Our last full day in Positano was also the warmest of the entire trip. We took full advantage and trekked to a more remote, much smaller, beach that we had discovered a few days prior. It was almost like knowing about a secret that a lot of the other travelers were unaware of. This beach had no sand........all pebbles that really hurt my feel after exiting the very cold water. However, I didn't let the icy temps get to me TOO much....I came there to swim and swim is exactly what I did. There were many others in the water as well. I just couldn't get over how clear and turquoise the water was. I just had to be in it, as much as humanly possible. One moment I won't forget is when I swam along the shore and discovered a very small beach that no one else was on and the small "grotti" (caves) that the water lapped against. It was so perfect, and the sea was so calm, it was very similar to swimming in a lake. I couldn't have enjoyed myself more :-)

We left Positano the following Saturday after exactly a week. On the cab ride to Sorrento I tried to soak up as much of the scenery as possible as I don't know when I'll see it again! On the way to Naples we stopped off in Pompei to enjoy the ruins. We're both really glad we stopped as it's just something you need to see when you're in the area. Although, it was quite hot and very dusty while we were there...and we missed the memo stating that Pompei is apparently the size of Rhode Island. It was huge....and after awhile we started to see a lot of the same. But all in all, very interesting and something that we'll probably never seen again! A few hours later we made it to crazy Napoli.....stay tuned!

The Big Day (aka The Big Amalgamation)

So it came.....Thursday, April 24th finally came! Alex and I (and our wedding planner Helga) had been planning this day for a entire a year). An entire year of talking about how great and amazing it would be with friends and family....one friend in particular :-)

I woke up around 8ish on Thursday (and surprisingly had the best night's sleep I had had since being in Italy). I made my way over to my parent's, brother's and his girlfriend's apartment on Borgo dei Greci (a few blocks away from Palazzo Vecchio) and got myself ready. We started with the hair, which was a bit stressful for Jin (my bro's girlfriend) because the flat iron had shorted out the night before while she was practicing on my hair. EEK. Good thing my mom packed the curling iron. Towards the end we were running short on time so my bro had to jump in and help as well. By then Alec and Rachel (amazing friends) had arrived to change into their dresses as well.

The dress was put on, the silk orchid placed in my hair, blue garter that was my grandmother's placed on my thigh, makeup was applied and we were set to go. I knew there would be somewhat of a reaction as I stepped outside of the apartment but was not prepared for how excited people got when they saw us walking towards the Piazza. We were getting standing ovations, people smiling and shouting, "Auguri, Auguri!" It was great, the emotions started pouring in about then and I started tearing up because of the heartfelt responses complete strangers were having towards me. Soon after we all met up with the other group (the groom group:-) Alex looked so handsome in his CK pin strip suit!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how beautiful my bouquet was that was delivered by GianLuca (the florist) a few hours prior to the apartment we were getting ready in. I wanted all Tuscan colors, it included white tulips, orange and yellow roses, and orange-red berries. Alex's boutnier was an orange rose with the berries included.

Helga met us there where I handed over the rings and our witness's passports (my good friend Shauna and brother Ryan acted as witnesses). The photographer, Paolo, was there already as well right when we showed up and immediately started snapping away and photo directing. It was so crazy having so many pictures taken of us, neither one of us are used to being the center of attention....but we have to admit that we felt like rockstars!

We entered Palazzo Vecchio and headed towards the Sala Rossa (Red Hall) where we were to be married. Kearney, my friend and coworker, was the videographer and did a great job of capturing everything on film for us! There was another wedding ahead of us so we sort of milled around for about 15 minutes until it was through.

Then everyone entered and sat while my dad and I waited so walk in arm in arm! Then the violinist (Lorenzo) started playing "Ave Maria" and it was our cue to walk in. My dad was so proud and I tried hard not to cry. The ceremony was short and sweet and soon after we were pronounced man and wife. We had our first kiss as husband and wife and then proceeded to sign our wedding documents along with our witnesses! Then we exchanged vows to eachother...I was nervous beforehand that I would start weeping and people wouldn't be able to understand me, but I somehow made it through :-)

We took pictures with the official that married us and it was time to go outside and go on a "photo tour" with Paolo. We were told that he would take about 200 pictures, print the best 50, and send us the rest on a disk. About 3/4 of the way through he showed us both that he had taken over 600 already. He was workin' hard! People continued to cheer and clap for us and we took pictures in Piazza di Signoria, The Loggia dei Lanzi in the same piazza, the Boat Club on the banks of the Arno, and then finally on the Ponte Vecchio. About halfway through my feet started to resent me because of the heels I made them wear....anything for beauty right.....I guess!?!?!

After the photo tour we walked over to SACI to have a small reunion with the professors and staff from the school that had brought us to Florence in the first place. It was so great being back and seeing some of the familiar faces. They were all super excited for us and took a lot of pictures of us for their newsletter and website. Towards the end of our reunion at SACI I started getting a little grumpy, mostly because my feet were hurting sooo bad.

So we decided to just hightail it back to our apartment that was very closeby at this point. Kearney got the footage of Alex carrying me over the threshold, which was a challenge because our "hobbit hole" of a door was about 4 feet tall and maybe 2 feet wide. It was a trip. We changed, ate lunch, and met friends at the Boboli Gardens for a perfect end to the afternoon. It was still so amazingly sunny outside and just beautiful. Afterwards we went back to the apartment to get ready for the wedding dinner at La Terrazza del Principe near Piazzale Michelangelo.

The restaurant was so beautiful. It had a backyard like setting with a terrace that had a great view of the Boboli Gardens where we were earlier and the majestic Tuscan hills. They had champagne and aperitivos for us to snack on while all the guests arrived. We moved inside for dinner as some people were cold and enjoyed a very delicious 5 course Sicilian meal (we were told by our cab driver that the food was typical Sicilian cuisine). Everything tasted so fresh and great, I love good Italian food :-) Alex and I even had an Italian wedding torte with kiwi and strawberries to cut and feed eachother.

Afterwards we bid our guests farewell as we filled each grouping into a separate cab. We had such a wonderful wedding day, it was picture perfect, and we couldn't have asked for anything more!

Florence Part II (more events leading up to the wedding)

After Monday (the 21st) we had two more full days before the Big Day :-) These days were spent dodging rain showers and downpours, showing family and friends all over Florence, eating lots of gelato, window shopping, and shreaking with glee!

Some of the highlights include showing our parents and friends Piazzale Michelangelo (some of the best views of the city) and San Miniato. Neither Alex nor I had ever been to this amazing Florentine church before, and I could kick myself for it. It has topped the list of my favorite churches in all of Italy. The gardens and cemetery surrounding the church were all so beautiful to begin with....and then once you enter the dark yet peaceful cathedral (which is free btw) you can't help but be awestruck. If I'm not mistaken the church was resurrected in 1081 A.D. and all other churches in Florence were modeled after it.

On Tuesday Alex and I met with our wedding planner, Helga Marcks to finish up the rest of our paperwork so we could legally get married in Italy and for it to be recognized everywhere else. We started at the American Consulate, then hightailed it to another office clear on the other side of town, and finally ended at Palazzo Vecchio where we were to be married just two days later. Helga was a dream, we fell in love with her, just so sweet and genuine. We'll be sure to stay in touch with her for many years to come :-)

Soon after we had the second Bufa reunion since we left Florence in Fall 2004 with Alec (my "Best Woman") and Rachel! To those not in the know let me explain the term "Bufa" real quick. Alex and his other 6 rommates lived on Via Bufalini......thus was born the "Bufa" name! We all met on Ponte Vecchio in a squealing fashion. I was so excited about it and overwhelmed that I even shed a few tears. For lunch we enjoyed ourselves at Il Rifrullo, which was recommended by Erin from the "Olive Notes." The appetizer we shared was fantastic!

That night we enjoyed the meal of our lives. All families and guests met at Il Latini, a restaurant I've heard so much about ever since before my first trip to Italy, compliments of Rachel Ray and many others. We were able to find it thanks to mapquest and waited outside for maybe 15 minutes before being ushered inside. May I add that while we waited we were served HUGE wedges of pecorino cheese and great vino bianco (white wine). Right as we say down the food just started rolling out, hard and fast :-) It's one of those places where you don't even dare to open your mouth and refuse.....and menus?!?!? Who needs them??? First came huge "pornographic" (as my twin says) amounts of proscuitto. Then came pastas and soups. Alex and I both couldn't stop talking about the penne con bolognese! It was like a dream! Then came the meat, I tried rabbit for the first time and couldn't get over how moist and how much it was like....well....chicken! So many other things came before the delectable and lucious (mmmm lucious) desserts. There were so many alcoholic beverages crowding the tables, liquors, house wines, sweet wines, limoncello, you name it it was there. I don't think anyone will forget the epic meal that was Il Latini, I highly HIGHLY recommend the place!

Wednesday was spent like many of the previous days. Sightseeing with friends and family. We revisited the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo and oooed and awwed over some more works of MIchelangelo's. We also made a visit to Mercato Centrale and did some shopping for our apartment. I just love walking around there and speaking with the shop keepers. It's so fun and everything is so unbelievable fresh!

My good friend and old roommate Shauna and her friend A.J. arrived in Florence Wednesday afternoon as well. We met them in a piazza and bee lined it to Sad Gelato Man on Via Faenza. While there we took some unforgetable pictures and ate some unforgetable gelato. Then it was off to Art Bar to drink and eat fruity, smoothie like alcoholic beverages.....we spent our last night as single people perfectly!