Spring Break 2k13 Video

I put together a little video of my Spring Break and have decided

to share it on the blog. It covers all the good, the bad, and the ugly

but mostly the good. :)

Enjoy!

Happy Easter Weekend!

He is Risen!!!!

Easter is always a hard time for me to be away from my family. This is my second year 

not being with my family during Easter weekend and it doesn't make it any easier.

It also doesn't help that I haven't spoken to my mom in about a week (which is crazy

since we talk everyday) but she has been on a missions trip with my two younger 

sisters so I really can't whine about that. 

Being in Italy for Easter is unlike anything I've ever seen. There are chocolate eggs the

size of a microwave and treats everywhere your eyes wander. Today is Good Friday

and later tonight there is a candlelight procession through the streets. Tomorrow

there is a festival and then on Sunday there is mass at the Duomo. Oh, and then

Monday is a national holiday called Pasquetta where Italian families often go 

on picnics and spend time together. I am going to try and partake in as many Easter

festivities as possible. :)

What are your Easter plans?

Getting Ready for Spring

Who else is completely ready for warmer weather??? 

(I raise my hand enthusiastically) 

I am wanting all the above for my closet this Spring thinking

that perhaps the sun will see my enthusiastic display of color and florals

and decide to come out more often. ;)

What do you think? Valid idea? 

How are you preparing for Spring?

1. / 2. / 3. / 4. / 5. 

My First Tattoo!!!

"He says, "Be still and know that I am God; I will 

be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the Earth." 

-Psalm 46:10

I finally got the tattoo I have wanted for the past year and a half. Psalm 46:10 is 

one of my favorite Psalms and ultimately just the phrase "Be still" means so much to me. 

I am one of those people always on the go, my mind is always racing and 

planning my next to-do list that it takes a lot for me to just be still. 

Having the placement on my foot was a no brainer because your feet are

what transport you. At some point I would love to add a simple black

cross but I think I'll wait till my 21st. 

Honestly, it didn't even hurt and the only way that makes sense to me is that

it must be meant to be because this girl has very low pain tolerance. 

All my friends were waiting for me to scream or cry or do something and 

I just sat there totally calm. 

Do you have any tattoos? What's the significance behind yours?

Orvieto Life

These are the people I am studying abroad with. We are a mix of every type of

personality and background who all decided to come to Orvieto, Italy

to study for a semester. I love this photo because it looks like we are standing

with a backdrop behind us but truthfully, that is just Assisi for you. 

Italy has been a dream and when I think that I only have about a month left, it 

stresses me out a little bit! How am I supposed to fit in all the rest of my growing and 

becoming who I am in just a month?!? But then I think about all of the changes

I've gone through thus far and the maturing I've had to face head on and realize

that perhaps I've already done a majority of that growing. And perhaps, we just

continue to grow all our lives and this one semester is just a small piece. 

I'm going to miss small town life. Sure, where I live is not a big city by any means

but once you've seen tiny Orvieto, it'll be hard to acclimate to anything larger.
But I think I'll manage just fine. :)

(a few of us in Tivoli this past weekend)

{Going Places} Vienna

I had never gone to Austria before and let me tell you, Austria is stunning. 

It was unfortunate that this was the last leg of our quick 10 day, 3 country trip

because we were exhausted. We really tried to rally and see some of the sights but 

one day we saw two palaces (Belvedere-last photo and Schonbrunn-first photo) and that

completely whipped us out. We really enjoyed getting off the Underground at Stephansplatz

and just walking around the city center though. Lots of shopping and a beautiful church 

to look at? Set! 

Apparently I look a little Austrian since every time people would ask me questions they 

would go off in German (sorry, Austrian) and then look at me funny when my face

looked entirely confused. My great-great grandfather was from Austria so maybe that's

why. :) 

I fell in love with the buildings in Vienna as well. Shots of buildings were the majority

of my photos haha. Also, please notice how it seems like I'm wearing the same thing

in all these Spring Break posts all because I had to wear the poof (down comforter)

every. single. day. due to the weather. Oh, it also snowed in Vienna. Yay snow!

We also had a slight meltdown in Vienna with the place that we had booked on airbnb.
It wasn't anything we were expecting and basically, they had had a rager the night prior
and the place was trashed when we arrived in the late afternoon the next day.
We immediately left to find wifi and called up our parents for help. It was sad because
we had done so well with the planning thus far and were feeling very adult-like and then
this happened. But you know what? My mom is super mom and she booked us
the coziest place for the rest of our stay. Thank God for moms, amiright?

Have you been to Austria? These are the last of the Spring Break posts but I'm

going to post a little Paris guide sometime either this week or next week. :)

A Quote a Day

{via Tumblr}

I thought I'd break things up a little bit and throw in a quote to end the week.
Vienna post will be up on Monday and I'm also getting something done
that day that I'm very excited about. :)

{Going Place} Prague

Prague was beautiful. I am such a fan of the Disneyland-like architecture (or 

let's be real, Disneyland probably took some cues from Prague...) and 

the Czech people were so nice and accommodating considering I knew absolutely

no Czech whatsoever. 

We ate a traditional Czech meal which was delicious and walked around the winding

streets in our big oversized coats. Let me just say, this 'spring' break was the absolute

coldest one I've ever experienced. It didn't snow in Prague like it did in Paris,

but it was just freezing the entire time. 

On the first day we had a blue sky which was stunning but with the biting

wind, it was a struggle to look up when all you want to do is snuggle into your 

scarf. ;) Also, we had some of the best hot chocolate there (last picture)

and I would have never expected that! I love little surprises. 

Have you been to Prague? 

{Going Places} Paris

Paris is magical.

It almost goes without being said. There is something about the history and the 

fashionable appeal to so many of the monuments and buildings. Oh, the buildings!

I am so in love with Parisian architecture.

I ate my way through the city with macaroons, quiche, escargot, French onion soup,

and of course my fair share of pastries. (Is there any other way to travel through Paris?)

We stayed at an apartment I booked through AirBnB and it worked out wonderfully!

Our landlord was so nice and we had a comfortable place to rest without the hustle and bustle 

of a hotel or a hostel. (Not so much the case for Vienna...)

These pictures are from our first day exploring the city. I was very adament about seeing

the Eiffel Tower sparkle (many around me didn't believe me when I said it truly

sparkled!) and so we ate dinner at the cute place pictured, Le Champ de Mars,

and then crossed the street to the tower to watch the magnificent light display that
makes me feel like I'm 5 years old again filled with giddy excitement.

Paris is just perfect isn't it? Stay tuned...!

Also!!! A HUGE thank you to Haley at Dwell in Possibility for fancying up my
blog! I am obsessed with the new look. :) 

I'll Be Back

And I'm going to do just that. So this weekend I am off to Paris!

I'll be on a blogging hiatus for a little while since I won't have

my computer with me but I know I will have a lot of stories and pictures

to share when I get back. 

What I'm Loving...

Swoon.

Too perfect.

Would love to own this shirt.

These are a few of my favorite things... 

{Pinterest}/{Pinterest}/{Brandy Melville}/{Eiffel Tower shot}

Somedays...

so today was really hard. and it is difficult to write this down because yes, i

know i am in italy and should be eternally grateful and happy (and i am!!)

but somedays are just hard and you don't need to be reminded

you are in italy, you just need a hug. preferably from your mom. 

anyone that has studied abroad or lives abroad would understand.

somedays living in a different country is just a little much and you want 

some Taco Bell, and somedays your patience is tested so very much

and you feel you could burst, and somedays just somedays you

want those people around you who know the little things.

and yesterday was one of those days. but my golly, i had the best

panino of my life so that counts for something right?

{photo: Tumblr}

That Time at the Farm

"A good fragrance is really a powerful cocktail 

of memories and emotion."

-Jeffrey Stepakoff, The Orchard

Remember when I talked about going to this farm back in October?

My friend and roommate, Monica, developed the photos from her 

camera recently and she had taken some shots at the farm. 

I am obsessed with the lighting in each shot and each photo completely

brings me back to that perfect fall day when the air was crisp and clean and

leaves were crunching beneath my feet. As the quote says, a sniff of 

a certain type of fragrance can bring you back to a certain place so

very easily. 

A Quote a Day

{Tumblr}

“…I hear the sound of melting snow outside my window every night and with the first faint scent of spring, I remember life exits…”

-John Geddes, A Familiar Rain

I saw this photo on Tumblr recently and I thought it was one of the most beautiful photos

I've ever seen. There is something innocent and hopeful about the outstretched hand 

and the sun setting in the background. It reminds me of Spring coming- a new

life brought into each and every one of us. Warmer weather, less bundling, 

and more ice clicking away in glasses.

Going Places {Tarquinia}

 {Some ancient tombs} 

 {The cave painting I answered incorrectly on my Roman Art test. Pretty bitter about it}

{beautiful Orvieto in the distance}

Visiting Tarquinia was really cool. I am in a Roman Art class right now and being able

to see some of the works of art in my textbook is possibly one of the coolest

things. (Even if I answered what some of them were incorrectly...)

Tarquinia is known for their ancient tombs and since my 

professor is a well known archeologist in Europe, he knew quite a bit about all 

the tombs and shared his knowledge with us. Then we got some delicious pizza

(the classic lunch staple) and headed to the beach!

It was freezing and the beach was not the prettiest to look at with it being off season,

but it was so nice to just see the ocean and hear the waves. Then as we were driving home

we saw the prettiest view of Orvieto in the distance and it was so comforting to see.

That little town up on the hill with the duomo standing out above all else is home, 

and every time we leave I get so excited once we turn the bend and see home in site. :)

Also, my friend Shira wrote about me on College Fashionista! Check it out: here!

Hello March!

With this upcoming month, a lot of good things are coming my way. This is my last 

full month of school this semester and next semester will bring finals

and my parents coming to visit in Italia! But for March, I get to travel to the 

following places for Spring Break and I. Am. So. Excited.

{We are renting an apartment in Paris for 3 nights} 

 {Staying in Prague for another 3 nights}

 {And ending Spring Break with Vienna for another 3 nights}

I can't believe I get to experience these three countries and take in all the 

beautiful architecture, history and food! I am going with two girls I've met on the 

program and we plan on living up each place to the fullest.

Any recommendations? Oh, and happy March! 

{all photos from Tumblr}