Broken

Everything is breaking. Last week it was weird, un-heard of companies stealing $$ from me (yes, they really did and I'm the one who has to jump through hoops to make it right). Sunday morning - my espresso machine, Sunday evening - my camera. The espresso machine...I don't know. It pulled shots for my mom's latte, but then it wouldn't for mine. I haven't tried it since. My camera - in a hand-off to someone, they dropped it, and now it no longer works. Out of all of those, right now I'm upset about the camera because I've dealt with the $$ issue, and the espresso machine...well, it's not as upsetting as the camera. I CAN live without daily lattes. I wasn't even using it regularly anyways. The camera, however, goes (went) everywhere with me just like my phone does (did). Memories - I love making them, and the best way to capture them is now gone. I'm such the drama queen, but really, how annoying is it that I'll have to find a new one? So does the external turmoil reveal inner distress? Blahaha. I'm not that deep.

Firenze II

Enter the gardens...where by the way, we somehow attained VIP status. People were ever-so jealous when we got to skip the security line celebrity-style. It's too bad we didn't get a picture of that moment.


A lady asked us to take a picture of her between these to stats, and she was very adamant about making sure we got the entire statues, including their heads, in the shot. Upon returning the favor, however, she forgot the heads in our picture.


A moment of relaxation.


Then we saw this guy, and it was down hill from there.



And then we settle down and walk more streets in Firenze. This is by far one of my favorite photos from Italy. It speaks so much.


You'll never taste pizza like this anywhere else in the world...


...or Italian gelato...

(not frowning because of the gelato. something weird going on in the streets)


And the fruit...


Taking a much-needed break at the hostel.

Firenze

Florence is the home of the ever-famous David, the Pitti palace, and the Boboli Gardens. The River Arno runs through the city, and the city is surprisingly pretty cool altogether. That wasn't my first opinion of the city. The walk from the train station to our hostel upon our arrival reminded me of Mexico somewhat. Not that I don't love my native country, but I just wanted to see something different. Our first evening did just that.

Hostel sweetness.


At the park, mapping out and preparing for Florence.


The most amazing tiramisu...


...at our favorite Italian ristorante (this go around anyway), Zio Gigi...


View from our hostel rooftop.


La iglesia.


Streets of Florence.


As the sun rose.






More Florence to come.

Because I'm tired of H&C tonight...

Randomness because I'm tired of the news this hour. So, you get to know me better.

Where is the person you miss most?​
Kansas...but headed to Dallas soon.

Whats your current problem?
LOL. Seriously?

Do you keep grudges,or can you let them go easily?
I used to be terrible at letting things go. I'm a little more like butter now.

Could you go a day without eating?
Once in a while.

Who was the last person to smoke a cigarette in your presence?
I don't remember. If I'm out and someone lights up, I typically walk away...unless it's a friend, then I pull it out and smoke it myself. Just kidding!

Is there a high chance of you going out to the movies soon?
What is soon? In the next 2 weeks, prolly not.

What sport do you enjoy watching?
Football. So glad it's football season.

Do you find tattoos attractive?
Only if they cover your entire body. lol.

Could you go the rest of your life without smoking a cigarette?
With Nicorette (is that what it's called?). And what's with all these smoking questions?

Where's the last place you went?
Outside. Quick walk with the mom.

Last thing you ate?
Microwaved wanna-be Chinese. I hate the microwave.

Last game you played?
Game...hmmm...I don't think I've played a game this entire year. How terrible.

How good is coca-cola?
Though it typically doesn't fit in my lifestyle, I can't resist a CHERRY Coke with some popcorn at the movies.

Who was the last person you were in a car with?
ugh? My momma.

Do you think a lot of people think bad things about you?
I don't know.

What were you doing at midnight last night​?
Watching the craziness.

Do you fight with your parents often​?
No way. My mom's way too AWESOME for that.

How many texts are in your inbox​?​
Don't know. I'm working with this Wal-Mart phone that I still can't operate. Can't wait to get my G1.

Are you excited for anything?
Living with my husband again.

What's the greatest thing that you did today​?
Lol. Umm...took a shower...???

Tell me about the shirt you're wearing?
Gray. I love gray clothing. It could take over my closet...I mean, my suitcases. Oh, and there's a yellow bird on it.

What do you currently hear?
Joe, the plumber, on H&C.


When was the last time you had your hair cut?
September. It's already grown like 2 inches. This is what stinks about short cuts on me.

When were you last outside?
A couple of hours ago.

Does your head hurt?
Nope.

Are you happy right now?
Sure.

Do you wish someone was with you right now?
Are you kidding me?

Is someone on your mind right now?
Uh, actually lots of someones.


Do you need to say anything to someone?
Most of them know.

When was the last time you were disappointed?
"Disappointment is a lover's word..." (The Interpreter.)
Um, prolly not a good question for me to answer.

What was something you disliked about your day?
The ridiculous emails with ridiculous comments about our new Pres-Elect. Opinions is one thing; rude stuff is another.

How does your hair look?
Crazy.

Is there anyone you would like to get things straight with?
Like Jess, I think I'm 'straight' with everyone.

Are you sleepy?
Not yet.

Anything you need to do?
Exercise. Eat well. Stop the laziness. Read a little. Grow a backbone.

If you were in the hospital would your family come see you?
I'm pretty sure. Ya.

Hows your heart been lately?
Sedentary.

Did you ever see the movie Pearl Harbor?
Yep.

Can you say all 50 states in alphabetic order​?
Oh yeah. I learned this song in 4th grade that will stay with me forever.

How many hours of sleep did you get last night​?
About 6 I think.

Are you loud?​
If you ask Nathan, yes.

History

What a day and what a night, hey? Today I didn't care if I was like everyone else. I watched the drama unfold most of the day, except when I took my mom to vote and when my aunt brought over the best strawberry cupcakes with pink icing. They were huge, and I ate my entire cupcake. I love cupcakes because there's just something about enjoying your own delicacy rather than a slice from a big cake.

So you know what I was annoyed with today? Dumb emails from people trying to persuade me to vote one way or the other. Seriously? If an email is going to change my mind at this point in time, then we're in worse shape than I thought. And trying to tell me that I should vote this way because I believe in God or that way for the same reason is pretty annoying as well. We will always disagree on something. I mean, there are how many religions out there?? Even in Christianity, there are so many denominations - why? Because people disagree on something or other. Just my thoughts.

But you know what? I am glad that people are showing enough concern, and 10 years ago I might have been one of those emailers. Not only that, but I really do enjoy hearing different points of view. I've said it before, I love our differences because it's what makes the world go round. Hopefully, we can all be mature enough to look past those differences and love each other when it's all said and done. Love all.

You know what else was annoying? The ignorant comments people are making about either candidate.

So we have a winner, folks. And I'm still up listening to these anchors.

Back to the Motherland

To update on my mom - she's doing much better than last week. She's been eating pretty well and has since gained more and more strength every day. She looks good.

Her appointment with the surgeon today went very well. As soon as she feels strong enough, he's released her to return to Greenville for her job. I know she's not ready yet, so we'll wait a week or two still.

Nathan & I will be relocating to Dallas within the next month, and we'll only be about a 40 minute drive from my mom. So much happening.

Venice

This is what we saw when we came out of the train station in Venice. We arrived in the evening, and it was just beautiful. It's really better than what you see in the movies. We didn't have trouble finding our hostel even though we were a bit confused that they considered some of the one-person alleyways streets. After dropping off our luggage at our feels-like-home hostel, we meandered through a few canals here and there looking for what would be our first Italian pizza.

The view upon our arrival.


What was crazy about Venice is that most places closed by 10 or 10:30 PM. I know you're wondering what in the world we'd want to do at that time anyway. Well, like some Latin countries, we'd heard that people are just out eating and hanging out with their families pretty late. Not so in Venice. So after our delish pizza, we headed back to the hostel to get a little rest before our early morning.

Our hostel.


Jeri & I are both pretty much Type A's and didn't want to waste a single moment sleeping when we could be out experiencing Italy, so we were out gallivanting by 6 almost every morning. Venice sunrises are beautiful.







Rialto Bridge



St. Mark's Square




At the park.


Wandering through Venice.



Up next: Florence