Unexpected fun

So my sister and I went grocery shopping for Mom today in order to prepare for the next few days and it turned out to be quite an adventure. We are both sort of grocery shopping challenged so we never looked down the list to see if there was anything else we could get in the area where we were. This meant a lot of walking back and forth, even with us walking down EVERY aisle. We had several check-up calls with both Mom and Dad just to make sure we wouldn't screw anything up. Apparently, neither of us is real great at stacking things in a grocery cart because we both kind of prefer organized chaos, but with this particular epic of a grocery list this was not a good plan. Of course we ended up with 2 carts by the end of the trip, many many strange looks from other shoppers, even more muffled laughter from employees and co-shoppers, and several good laughs from both Val and I. I love how you can have fun doing the most mundane things.

Val - I bet the fish and meat market will recognize you whenever you go in that store again! I'm so glad I was with you to help start this relationship...hehehe

In the days after Christmas

Christmas was a full day thing for our family. Emma didn't feel well, Zeb had to work for a couple hours (YUCK), and it took us literally all day to open up the presents at odd times. I believe we finally finished the stockings at 9:00 pm. It was a weird Christmas, but everyone sort of went with the flow. Instead of having our "cookie day" this year, we made gingerbread houses a couple days before Christmas. (Of course we still ended up baking about 5 different batches of cookies because that's just how we roll...:) ) I forgot to post pictures of the houses so some will be included in this post.
I have still been having fun hanging out with friends, but I am enjoying the lazy days with my family playing games and watching television shows or movies we got for Christmas. There are times where I feel like I should be back in Austin, but there is so much more holding me here at this point. I am excited to see my godparents who are coming in town for New Years. The last time I saw them was in June and I always enjoy spending time with them. They might just be some of my favorite people in the world, so New Years will definitely be a time for celebration. The days are going by slowly, but I know time will begin to slip through my fingers the closer it comes to when I have to return to my adult life and job.

Iphone

I decided to buy a Christmas present for myself. I needed a new phone and this seemed like the way to go. It's so pretty!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

This little girl is the light of my life. I don't really have a choice, she practically forces me to smile no matter what. She is like a personal cheerleader. I love you Emma.

A World of Ice

I have been back in Plano since Saturday and I realized how lucky I am to have the kind of family I do. Everyone gets along, truly enjoys spending time with one another, and shows support and love in any way we can. I am looking forward to the time spent with all of you during this break.

On Saturday as part of Jason's birthday celebration, the family went to this "ice world" at some resort in Grapevine. Everything in the exhibit was made out of ice and they have to give you parkas because it is only 9 degrees! At the end (if you choose), you can actually slide down a slide made of ice. My fingers were numb by the time we finished even with all the layers I was wearing, but it was worth it to see everything. I will add pictures once I put them on my computer so it will be easier to see what I'm talking about!

I know, I know

I know it has been a while since I have last updated. Thanksgiving break was fabulous. There was a lot of delicious food and even better company to go along with it. We went to the aquarium with Emma (hence the penguin picture) and I had a lot of hang-time with my favorite niece. I think she senses that her Aunt Steph is only home for a limited time so she clung to me a lot...no complaints here! :)
During Thanksgiving break I also got a chance to meet Tyler's family. There was a lot of people to meet all at once, but I felt very welcomed by all. I had a chance to spend this last weekend celebrating Christmas with the same crowd and it was a pleasure to be included. What a great bunch of people! **Thank you, Dad, for having such a big family because I don't think anything can overwhelm me now!
I have 3 school days left until the winter break. It is unbelievable. My kids are crazy and I cannot imagine trying to calm them down to get anything done. I am lucky if I get in one valid lesson a day. I am looking forward to Christmas more and more...only 10 more days! Tyler and I decorated a Christmas tree at his place and it is just more jolly with Christmas lights and a tree. Yep, I used the word jolly in a sentence. The holiday season is just so fun. Hope all of you are enjoying it!

How can so much happen in such a short time?

Let's see...
I went trick-or-treating with my niece on Halloween (just focus on the little adorable "pumpkin witch" in the picture). I took a personal day to spend time with my family who I had not seen in a couple months. Little did I know I would soon be spending a whole week with them.
I saw my sisters less than a week later as we packed to travel to Canada for my grandmamma's funeral. I am sad I was not able to see her before she passed, but I am relieved that my mother and uncle were able to stand by her side and hold her when she did. We were in Canada for a week, which was completely where I needed to be especially to support my mom. However, a week and 2 days is a heck of a long time for 3rd graders. They gave me flowers, cards, and pictures on my first day back today, not to mention several large hugs! It is overwhelming to think of the things I have missed and things I have to catch up on. I am trying to focus on one thing at a time so I don't go crazy...
On a happier note, I happen to have a new man in my life. For as much as I have cried over the past couple weeks, he has made me smile and laugh at any other possible moment. I am happier than I have been in a while and having fun in this blossoming relationship. :)

Field trip!

Quick follow-up on the concert... It was awesome! Loved it. He is so freaking talented.

So we have gone on 2 field trips in the past 2 weeks. One was only a couple hours out of the classroom and the other was the whole day. The whole day is the one I have pictures of! The place was beautiful and the kids, parents, and I got to have a bit of a hike looking at the plant life, limestone, natural waterfall, and a cave with stalactites and stalagmites. Field trips really take it out of you though! Ours was on a Monday so it was a hectic start to the week. Then Halloween is on Friday so that will definitely be a hectic end to the week.

My kid quotes for this time are from our field trip. When we were looking at a breathtaking view of trees covering a vast expanse of hillside from an observation deck, one child busts out with "I like to call this a broccoli garden." The guide had no idea what to say to that.
Then we were looking at an old bald cypress tree with its roots intertwined with the creek bed and another kid says "OOO, a frog resort!" and proceeds to ribbit until given the teacher look. Cute, loud, endearing, and annoying all at the same time! :)

School Schmool

It is so easy to forget I have this thing. When I spend most of my time grading, planning, organizing, doing paperwork, sleeping, and having a life when I get chance...it is easy to let this slide! Well my first 9 weeks are done! Report cards went home, conferences are done, and my kids are showing their true colors. They are still sweet, but they already seem to be getting on each other's nerves. We had a field trip this week that was only an hour out of school and now we have another one this Monday for the entire day! Then Halloween is on Friday so if you know I won't be able to get anything productive done that day. I have live crayfish being delivered on Wednesday, but we are still in the middle of soil and plant life.
On a more exciting note, I am going to see Jason Mraz tomorrow in concert! Go ahead and be jealous because it is rare I get to have such grown-up fun!

Conferences and more...

So this weekend was fabulous. Zeb and I did a lot of grading, had some sushi, played some games, and acted like complete lazy nerds. I love you Zeb! I welcome visitors! *hint, hint*
On another note, I started conferences this week. 5 down, 17 to go. They are going well so far (knock on wood) because I have such great kids! I don't really have a quote, but my kids are completely in awe when I sing the 50 states song. Apparently, I'm cool because I can sing the 50 states in alphabetical order. Seriously, they want me to type it out for them. Ain't (Wow, it's hard even typing that word...I wanted to type isn't, but it just doesn't have the same effect) that cute?

Another Update...

Man did I have a day today. When I woke up, I just wanted to go back to sleep and skip that whole school thing. Turns out that's not so easy to do when you are a teacher instead of a student! The kids actually noticed how much I was yawning and kicking myself awake! Even though I probably could have found a couple hours worth of work after a meeting, I got myself out of there real quick to sleep and relax! I know everyone one of you has had one of those days. Has it happened anytime recently??

New quote from a student:
*We were stretching and doing some exercises for their "WOW" time and one little girl stopped and said...
"Ms. Lisee, you're really stretchable!" (I'm thinking she meant flexible, but oh so cute!)

Classroom view

So I have an awesome view from my classroom! I have one large window and you can see downtown from it! On a clear day, you can even see the UT tower. These pictures weren't really taken on the best day, but they do show that I have an awesome location! I am realizing how exhausting teaching can be. I have actually started drinking soda in order to get a pick-me-up to help me through the exceptionally long days. It doesn't help that I haven't really been sleeping that well either. I am in the process of scheduling parent teacher conferences which I am Oh so excited for. However, I am very excited that Zeb will be visiting her dear old sister in just a couple weeks! Can't wait Zebba! To end this post I will put a response that one of my students said after another student asked "What is a Democrat?"

Response: "A democrat is a black man and a republican is a white man running against him"

Me: "Well, I can see why you might think that, but that's not really the definition for every democrat and republican....etc"

Doesn't this make you wonder what kinds of things children hear and think?

3 weeks down...a whole lot more to go

Wow, I cannot believe it has been 3 weeks of teaching. I have been sick for about 2 of those. I finally went to the doctor believing I had Strep, but apparently it was just a wicked virus combined with some pretty heavy chest congestion. The medicine is helping tremendously so I'm thinking it might have been bacterial as well. It was weird going to the doctor with my own personal medical insurance (and I think I have way better than you do, Mom!) I have had "Back to School Night" or "Open House" as some call it. The parents of my students are just as awesome as all my kids are. The actual teaching is not stressing me out. The organization, time management, and sickness are what stresses me out. I loved having the chance to go home to visit family after my first week, but I don't think I will make it back again until Thanksgiving. I try to have a life on weekends at least, but usually I spend one night just sleeping to catch up on what I've lost over the week. I have been told I will be sick for this whole first year, but if you are reading this, please pray that I will be the exception to that rule for first year teachers! I miss everyone and hope you are doing well!

First Day Jitters

Well, I had my first day today! I did get my first literal "fruit" apple today, Dad! One of the boys in my class brought me a red apple first thing in the morning! My kids are really sweet. We got a lot done in the morning and not as much in the afternoon because my schedule is kind of choppy due to lunch and special areas. I loved getting more information on the kids. As much as I'm nervous for the upcoming year (for being responsible for 22 young lives), I want to do as much as I can to benefit these children. It's inspiring, which is a good thing to feel at this point! I got hugs at the end of the day and even throughout the day. It actually went by pretty fast, so I can't wait too see what tomorrow holds. There is a link to the book that I read aloud today, First Day Jitters, in the title of my post. The book is so cute and absolutely perfect for a new teacher. I am so lucky to be at the school I am at, work with the teachers on my team, and try to touch the kids who no doubt will brighten my life!

Classroom!

Here are some pictures from my classroom. I added the kids names next to the brown sheets of paper on the bulletin board under "knowledge is power". It looks a lot better with the names next to each sheet. I got to meet most of my kids tonight and their parents because it was "Meet the teacher" night where they get to come in, unload their supplies, and meet me! Out of the 22 in my class, only 3 did not show up! It sounds like I have some great kids along with some equally great parents! I'm so excited and a little less terrified than I have been! We will see how this week goes! I still have to plan everything I am doing my first week because I have so many ideas! If anyone has a suggestion or idea for what I should read aloud to the kids on the first day or just general ideas for the classroom, please feel free to post!

P.S. - I owe a belated thank you to my cuz, Andre! I loved the birthday thing and I miss you!

Here I go...

Well, I start new teacher orientation tomorrow morning bright and early. I have heard from pretty much every person I have talked to that it is quite possibly the most boring and pointless week I will experience. Yea for me! I will post pictures of my classroom soon. Mom was nice enough to drive down to Austin and stay for like 3 days helping me! I have decided I will be the Lisee Lions next year! It's all happening so fast that it still sort of feels surreal. I'm sure all of you will get a panicked, incoherent phone call from me sometime in the next month. Congratulations to Zeb for fielding the first call already! I will try to keep this updated as best as I can!

Long time...no blog

So it has been forever since I last blogged, but I was kind of boring. A lot of the time was spent sun tanning, playing games, hanging out with family, and shopping. I am now moved back to Austin and living in my new apartment by myself! It is also my birthday today! Yea! I get to have a lazy morning, then hang out with friends in the afternoon, go to a comedy performance, and then downtown with friends! I will try to keep up with the blogging from now on!

Home Sweet Home

I traveled back to Texas on Saturday night. On Friday night I was thoroughly surprised with a surprise graduation party thrown by my relatives. What a night. It was awesome chatting and laughing with family until the wee hours. Thank you so much to everyone who was involved in this endeavor. I love you all!! What a fabulous way to end my 3 week vacation. I miss everyone already! Unfortunately, I left my camera in Connecticut so there will be a lack of posted pictures for a while. Once I get it back, I will try to add pictures from that wicked party! I was thankful that Sunday was father's day because I immediately got to see everyone in my immediate family, including Andrew, Jason, and Emma! All I have planned for the next 2 weeks is going to Austin at some point to sign my teaching contract, preparing for the move in July and teaching in August, and relaxing by the pool. It will definitely not be as exciting as Italy, Greece, or even Connecticut, but I am going to enjoy this stress-free time! It looks like everyone chose Italy on the poll. Both are excellent choices but I would love if some of you left comments as to why you chose it over Greece! There will be a new poll soon!

Connecticut Chapter

So I have been chilling in Connecticut since Saturday night. Our flight out of Athens was delayed 3 hours and I was able to get a later flight out of Philadelphia, but my mom was forced to stay the night and catch the next morning flight to Dallas. Sunday was a very relaxing day at Jacques and Kathy's hanging with Jacques, Kathy, Lisa, and her girls. Monday I hung out with Lisa, Imani, and Sahi all during the day. On Tuesday, I went out to lunch with Lisa and the girls. Then, I went to the pool with Robin, Jacob, Charlie, Maya, and Eve followed by dinner at Paul and Robins. Today I got to hang out by the river with a bunch of little kids so of course I was having a ball. I also got to have dinner with Uncle Pierre, Aunt Jackie, Andre, and Olivia. My schedule for the rest of the week is pretty much full and I am excited for it all. I can't tell you how much fun I have been having hanging out with my little and big cousins. It's great being around family...

Shopping Galore

Feel free to vote on the poll I added to the blog! I was curious! Well, Mom and I played it pretty easy today. We took our time getting ready and just made breakfast at the hotel before they closed shop. Our favorite addition to this Greek breakfast was yogurt with fruit and honey! Yum! Soon after breakfast, we walked to the National Gardens and explored for an hour or two. We were able to catch a view of the changing of the guards by the Parliament. They wear funny clothes and move almost robot-like so it was amusing. We snapped some pictures and we even stepped into a forbidden area without knowing it until we were yelled at by an officer. Next, we stumbled upon the original Olympic arena, which of course Mom loved. After snapping even more pictures, we made our way to the Plaka for a leisurely lunch at a cafe that we bumped into many times upon our multiple journeys searching for the frommer's restaurants. This was the first time that we actually enjoyed sitting for a couple of hours over lunch. We felt like we were actually living the Greek way! They had these fabulous dried black olives that are unlike any other olives I've tasted. Following our long lunch, we continued shopping around the Plaka and our favorite street, Adrianou. We have strolled up and down this street at least 10 times in the past 2 days. Mom even knows how to read it in Greek! It is actually lovely because it is pretty much closed to traffic besides the occasional motorcycle or crazy car, and just filled with all kinds of different shops and cafes. The local shop-keepers can speak so many different languages in order to keep up with the frequent tourists and pretty much everyone knows English. It is amazing to think about how many miles each day we have walked. Mom regrets not bringing her pedometer and I think that would have been a great idea. So far today we have made friends with a couple from Finland and we hope to meet more! It is 6:30 now and we will probably be having dinner on the rooftop restaurant of our hotel to catch the nighttime view of Athens. Upon review of our last experience with the crowded metro, unending stairs, and heavy luggage, I made the decision to pay for a cab to the airport. Thank you Paul and Robin. This is definitely a treat for myself! See you soon!

Back to Athens

First of all, Congratulations Eric!! I'm happy for you! This morning, we started shopping for ourselves and others right after breakfast. It did not take us too long since we basically knew what we wanted to get. We ended up taking a cab to the airport, but still had to lug the bags up the endless flight of stairs at our hotel to get to the street where the cab was already waiting. We met some really nice Aussies who were on the same flight. Meeting other tourists has been so much fun throughout our trip. The flight to Athens was 40 minutes long compared to the 8 hour ferry trip we took to get to Santorini. Thankfully, Mom and I both got our luggage still in good condition. Taking the metro afterwards to get to our next hotel in Athens was absolutely hysterical. We had to switch metro lines and it was when the train was crowded with people from work. Imagine Mom and I lugging our large suitcases along with 2 carry-ons each on a crowded subway. Yikes. Then, when we finally reached our destination, we had to walk up 3 flights of stairs with all our stuff. Needless to say we are both pretty sore and tired from our long day yesterday and our luggage struggles with stairs today. We worked it off by walking for an hour to get to our dinner destination, which actually turned out to be one of the restaurants that we couldn't find the other day. It turns out there were fairly simple directions written in fine print in our Frommer's guide. Yup, we're smart. Dinner and dessert were delicious. Mom thought about taking the metro back to the hotel minus bags, but decided to huff it once again. The walk back only took about 30 minutes! We just had a glass of wine on the roof top bar at our hotel which had a view of the Acropolis and all of Athens all lit up at night. It's now 10:30 pm and we are ready for bed. Tomorrow is our last full day in Athens. We miss Santorini and we miss all of you!

Santorini Boat Tour

Last night's dinner was absolutely marvelous. The drinks were made perfectly, the food was delicious, and the ambiance was romantic, but nice! :) I even managed to find a gelato place here after dinner in honor of Italy. Today we went on a boat tour. The boat that we went on looked like a huge wooden sailboat, but it actually had a motor. Dad, it was gorgeous and I think you would have loved it. We went to the volcano island and walked to the 3 different craters, which pretty much was like climbing a mini mountain (and we had worn flip-flops, haha!). You could smell the sulfur on the rocks. We actually felt the earth that was warmer underground than the earth above it because the tour guide said the lava was actually underground. It was bizarre. After we stopped about 25 meters away from the hot springs by an active volcano. Those who chose to could swim through the very cold 25 meters to get to the "bath water" hot springs. I actually did it and it was well worth it. The boat brought us to the small port of Thirassia for a lingering lunch and Mom and I finally got our gyros. The tour continued to Oia, which is the Santorini town famous for its sunset and blue domes. Instead of walking up the steep and winding pathway up to the village of Oia, Mom and I actually rode donkeys. Man do those donkeys have road rage. They did not want any other donkey to pass them. It was a funny, interesting, and kind of scary ride at times. We had to finish the trek uphill on foot, but the scenery and sunset afterwards made all this well worth it. We found a tucked away restaurant that is famous for its sunset view. We sat for a few hours enjoying drinks and dinner, while watching the breathtaking sight before us. We actually invited 2 ladies from London to join us at our table, which made the conversation flow easily and there was no lack of things to chat about. Now, I cannot wait to go to London! Hehe! Before going back to the hotel, I had to stop and buy new luggage since I discovered mine had been rather marred by its long journey. Time for bed now and then tomorrow afternoon we fly back to Athens.

Santorini, My Love

It is impossible to go anywhere in Santorini that is not beautiful. After breakfast and my previous post this morning, we meandered to the bus stop in Fira. It took about a half hour before a bus was leaving that we wanted to get onto to go to the black sand beach of Piressa. I got a chance to go into the Aegean as well! I could not go farther in than what is shown in the picture because I was afraid my hives on my upper body would become more aggravated. The water was gorgeous and the sand was definitely hot. It was a perfect day for the beach and sun tanning because there was always a breeze going. We had lunch by the beach and thought we ordered Gyros when really we ordered a "gyro portion" so basically they give you way too much meat with the fixings and pita on the side. We took a pretty rockin' boat ride after lunch to another beach, Kamari, on the other side of basically a huge rocky mountain. It was sort of like a roller coaster on water with splashes included. We then took another bus back to Fira, then got on a different one to go to the red sand beach of Akrotiri. One of the pictures is showing me with the red lava rocks behind. We then waited for a long time for the bus to take back to Fira and what are the odds that I actually got bitten by a fire ant! Mom and I are going to get all gussied up for a fancy restaurant along the cliff with yet another lovely view. Hence the title...Santorini, my love.

Ferry to Santorini

Yeah, about that luggage thing. It did not make it there before 5 am. When I checked, they said my luggage was on the way to Santorini. Mom and I woke up at 5:30 am to get ready to catch the metro that would take us to the Athens port. After we checked out of the hotel and went outside, we ran into an interesting taxi driver who cajoled us into sharing his cab with 2 other people on the way to the port, which turned out to save us a lot of time and aggravation! We got seats on the ferry inside at first, but after a few hours we moved outside to enjoy the beautiful ocean scenery all around us. This ferry looked more like a small cruise ship than a ferry. Ticket options for the ferry were business class, airline seats, or economy. We chose the economy and had plenty of comfy seats to choose from. It was an 8 hour excursion, but totally worth it. We took another interesting cab ride (praying for our lives) to our hotel in Fira, Santorini. Apparently my luggage had arrived before I did and was sent back to the Santorini airport...oh the irony. The clerk said the airport was closed or something and not answering the phone until like 6:30. Meanwhile I had broken out into wicked hives all day so Mom and I walked to the pharmacy and different shops along the way. Amazingly enough, benedryl does not exist in Greece. YEA FOR ME! On our way back, we stumbled upon cafes and bars on the cliff that showed a sight too breathtaking to explain. I will include pictures to try to show you all. Before we left for dinner, we were promised by the hotel clerk and the airport personnel that my luggage would be arriving in an hour. You can guess how optimistic we were when we left for dinner at a hole in the wall authentic Greek restaurant. The food was delicious and we met 2 girls who had just graduated as well. My first baklava experience was mind-blowing. My luggage was here after dinner as promised and I had my first excellent night's sleep with earplugs. My hives are regressing now and we are getting ready to head out to see the black and red sand beaches of Santorini. More news to come...

Greece...dundundaaaaaaaa

Well getting to Greece was...a challenge. First of all, the reception dinner was so much fun with all of the tour group having cocktails and chatting together at the hotel in Venice. We all got a copy of the group photo we took in front of the Colosseum and it is gorgeous! One of the young girls actually said she was going to miss me and her parents said I would make a fabulous teacher. I told them I was kind of like the comic relief of the tour, but it was really nice to hear. 5am rolled around pretty early. The flight to Rome went very smoothly. I had an over 2 hour layover in Rome to catch my flight to Greece which was on a different airline. After many gate changes, freak-outs, calls to Dad at 2 something in the morning, calls to Mom at the airport in Greece waiting, I finally managed to get to the right gate and they printed my boarding "card" right there 2 minutes before I boarded. Unfortunately, my luggage did not make it to Athens with me. They were not sure really where it was for over 24 hours. The good news was Mom was ready and waiting to welcome my crying, tired self to Athens. The bad news is I've now been wearing the same clothes for almost 2 full days, and just now got to brush my teeth at 6:00pm on Sunday. The first day after checking into the hotel, Mom and I walked to the Acropolis and had dinner at an outside restaurant with a view of the Acropolis. We turned in early because we were both exhausted, but I did manage to wake up at midnight and walk the 2 flights down just to check and see if my luggage appeared. This morning we had breakfast at the Cecil Hotel and walked to the National Archaeological Museum. We stayed there for a few hours, then walked around Athens looking for these darn restaurants in our Frommer's guide that we are now convinced DO NOT EXIST. Out of sheer hunger, we picked a restaurant next to a cathedral just because we saw it was crowded and thought it would be good. We both had greek salads (YUM) and split yogurt with fruit and honey for dessert. We walked up to the Acropolis through like people's back yards. It was bizarre. Then, we paid for a tour guide to show us the Acropolis, Parthenon, Theatre of Dionysus, and an ancient auditorium where famous people have performed such as Maria Calais, Frank Sinatra, Yanni, and etc. Just standing on the ground where the Apostle Paul preached and where ancient people walked in thousands of years before Christ was too amazing for words. We just found out my luggage has been found and should be here sometime before 5am, which is good since we leave our hotel at 6am. I do not have my camera cord so pictures will have to wait. Next time you hear from us, we will be sunning ourselves in the beautiful sun and scenery of Santorini. Yeah baby.

Venice

Okay so Yesterday we took an early train that took 3 hours to get to Venice. We had to take a water taxi to get to a hotel in Venice Proper where we had lunch and locked up our carry-ons. We visited Doges' Palace, Bridge of Sighs, the prison, and St. Mark's Square with the working clock/bell tower. We rode on a gondola while musicians serenaded the whole group in a large break in the narrow canals. Val, you would have freaked at the birds in St. Mark's Square. They were flying onto people's arms, shoulders, backs, legs, and even heads. I took a picture of a random guy so that you could see what I was talking about. I told Jacques and Kathy that you probably wouldn't even be able to walk through the square, but only walk around. Hahaha! We are actually staying at a very nice hotel on the island of Lido so we had to get our carry-ons from the other hotel and take another water taxi to get to our beach resort. Kathy was not too pleased about all the boat riding, but she has been a great sport!! Our hotel is right on the water so Jacques, Kathy, and I went for a dip in the Adriatic before a casual dinner at yet another sinfully delicious restaurant. I had Gilthead (a kind of fish), which was extremely salty, but I wanted to try something new! Jacques ordered donkey (yes I said donkey) meat with noodles, which was nothing compared to when he ordered tripe (a cow's 4th stomach). We took the free shuttle boat from our hotel to Venice Proper in order to see St. Mark's Square lit up at night and hear the competing musicians at restaurants from both sides of the square. We had world famous bellini's at Harry's bar, and traveled back to our beautiful hotel for some sleep. This morning, Kathy and I took the first shuttle boat out to Venice to do some shopping and have drinks in St. Marks Square. Jacques went to Murano at one of the glass making factories and had a fabulous time. Jacques, Kathy, and I ended up on the same shuttle boat back to our hotel and went to a casual eatery on the beach for lunch. We walked along the beach, hung out by the pool, and ate even more gelato. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner at 7 pm with the rest of the tour group and I have to leave at 5am tomorrow morning in order to get on a water taxi to Venice and catch my flight to Rome. My flight to Greece should make it there by 2pm tomorrow, where I will meet up with Mom. If Greece is as good as Italy, I might just stay! Haha! I will miss traveling with Jacques and Kathy because we have had a blast and yes, Paul, they are cool.

Last Day in Florence

Yesterday I decided I wanted to climb to the very top of the famous dome in Florence. Jacques, Kathy, and I got there at 8:00 to ensure to be one of the first in line when it opened at 8:30. It was 463 steps, but we all made it and boy was it worth it! The view was spectacular and I will be posting only one of the pictures that I took. I walked around in the circle at the top trying to capture every angle on film. The pictures don't really translate the beauty. This morning we went to the Uffizi Gallery, which is a famous museum with works of Botticello, Da vinci, Michelangelo, and many others. My favorite was Venus on the half shell telling the story of how she was born (painted by Botticello). I was not allowed to take any pictures once again. Our tour guide, Tanya, was so knowledgeable, engaging, and funny. She is definitely one of my favorites so far. We also went to and walked along the famed bridge, Ponte Vecchio, which has gold shops all along it. The other picture is of this bridge. Kathy and I did a little shopping in the afternoon for others and ourselves while Jacques decided to do a little laundry at a local laundromat. Tonight we got to go to a local Pizzeria by Sante Croce and see the chefs making our pizzas before devouring them. I got the eggplant pizza with mozzarella and parmesan. Yum! We walked to a gelato place and on to our hotel where we ended with sitting out on the roof terrace with others from the tour group just chatting and enjoying one another's company. What a pleasant way to spend the evening. I love Italy.

Florence & Pisa

Well this morning we started off with an art history presentation at our hotel by a young college professor who teaches at Syracruse. He was funny, engaging, andyou could definitely tell that he taught college kids (made me happy!). After we went on a walking tour with a guide around Florence. We saw town hall, the cupola, the cathedral (the duomo), and other historical or really really old buildings. We got to go to the Galleria dell'Academia and see David. He took my breath away. Amazing. We had a delicious light lunch at a small Italian restaurant down one of the many small streets, followed by some ridiculously delicious white chocolate gelato from Perche No. After lunch, we took a little over an hour bus ride to Pisa to see the famous Leaning Tower, Baptistry, and Church. We had a local guide who provided us with humor and all the nitty-gritty details. I swear she looked and sounded just like Mom's cousin, Denise, in Canada!! It worked out well for me because I had no problem understanding anything she said :) We ended with a late dinner at a different Florentine ristorante, which was authentic and fun. It's now around 10:00 pm and my guess is we will take a nice walk and hit the sack to start another day...

P.S. - I hope all is well with you readers!

Rome and on to Florence!

Today, we started out at the Vatican. Wow. Seriously. The Sistine Chapel is b-r-e-a-t-h-t-a-k-i-n-g!!!!! The ceiling and the Last Judgment...man, too bad you cannot take any pictures. It was kind of funny because the guards were telling all the people in english not to take pictures. Guess it is all the stupid Americans...(I totally tried to sneak a picture and one turned out blurry and the next resulted in a chew-out from the guard!) The church was amazing too and just the whole area. We then took a high speed train to Florence, which provided pretty scenery on our way. I tried to take pictures and I will post one, but there will be a glare since it was taken through a window going at high speed! Then, Kathy and I walked around the Florence neighborhood a bit, and joined with Jacques for an Italian dinner at the hotel. This hotel is not as elegant, but is soooo worth it for the location. We are right in the heart of Florence. AMAZING! We are set to go see an art presentation tomorrow, David, a walking tour, Pisa, and more! Thanks for all the comments. I love reading them! Ciao!

When in Rome...

Okay, so we just went out to dinner at this restaurant on the hotel's recommendation. We got a waiter that would have fit in perfectly in New York; along with flirting, sarcasm, basically ordering for us, and directing me the wrong way to the "TOILET" (loud enough for everyone to hear), just to see what I would do. Then, on the way back to the hotel a bird pooped on me. Who thinks this is good luck??

Day 1...Continued

We saw so much today! We started out driving through some of Rome on a motor coach seeing some things along the way to the Forum and Coliseum. It was great to be part of a tour group (ours is like 28 people) because you get to buy group tickets and pretty much just cut through the rest of the lines. We got this ear pieces and battery packs and our tour guide, Barbara, had one with a microphone so we could hear what she said no matter where she was. I learned so much history and took so many pictures that I cannot even remember half of it! The Coliseum is actually called the Flavian Amphitheatre by Romans. They also did not kill Christians here, but in the Circus Maximus. It was crazy hearing all the history of things built and done in 4th century and 6th century BC. We went back to the hotel by motorcoach and then this afternoon Jacques, Kathy, and I went off on our own to recreate what I missed yesterday. We walked down the 132 Spanish Steps (which are actually French steps??!!) and yes, we counted. We walked through the little side streets of Rome and ate a light lunch at a outside bar on a random street. We threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, ate gelato, saw the Pantheon, went inside the Pantheon, laughed at the King's guard, and then walked back to and up the 132 Spanish Steps. We walked through a park that contains the Bourgeoisie Museum to get back to our elegant hotel. It is about 5:30 now and we are taking some rest time before dinner. It was a busy day and we walked several miles, but is was absolutely worth every minute of it!

Day 1 - Rome

Well, the trip sort of started out rough. Our flight from Philadelphia to Rome was miserable for me. I was very sick and had to spend the rest of the afternoon and night sleeping when we finally got to Rome. I missed the afternoon tour, welcome reception, and dinner, but we will make up for it today. The good news is…it can only get better from here!

P.S. - Our hotel is absolutely fabulous!

Baby Love

For those of you who have not met this little beauty, Sahai, you are missing out! I have had so much fun this last day and a half in Connecticut hanging out with my little cousins. I've seen Jacob, Charlie, Maya, Eve, Imani, and Sahai. When I come back from my excursion, I will post more pictures of all!

Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a college graduate named Stephanie. As part of a graduation celebration, Stephanie will travel across the big pond to far off lands with her beloved godparents and un-wicked mother. The strange lands of Italy and Greece seem appealing to the innocent, curious young woman. Tomorrow morn she will begin the first leg of her journey and fly to Connecticut to meet up with her beloved Godparents...Please keep checking for further updates.

*footnote: There is no way I will continue writing in 3rd person but I thought it would be fun for chapter one!