Friday, November 30, 2012

High Five for Friday!!

1. Our Christmas Tree! I can't believe November is over already! 
2. The beautiful Cathedral on this gray day.
3. I cannot stop listening to MIKA's new album!! 
4. My new glasses :) Now I just need to get my prescription put in them! 
5. What a better to end my week/ start my weekend than with chocolate <3 Had a great Friday night with the girls: dinner, shopping, and chocolate! 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

New shoes for Europe!!


I am so thankful that one of my best friends, Holly, is studying abroad next semester too! Unfortunately, she will be in France and not in Rome with me but she will be close enough! Three times a week we have lunch together and all we do is talk about studying abroad (the ups, the downs, everything). I just keep imagining myself walking off my plane in Paris and amidst the crowds of people speaking French, I will see a familiar face :) 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Less than two months until Roma...

I have officially scheduled my classes for Rome!! AND got my visa!!

Everything is falling into place…finally. The past couple days have been pretty terrible. Scheduling classes is always the worst, but somehow scheduling for study abroad is even worse. I was supposed to be able to register for classes last night but the site went down and I couldn't call the school to see what was going on because it was an Italian phone number and didn't want to be charged. So, today I woke up with an email telling me to schedule today at a TBA time. Naturally I checked my email every five seconds and got myself all worked up. Finally around 15:00 (3pm) I got an email saying I could schedule at 18:00 (6pm). Then, right after that I got an email saying people had started scheduling. After many frustrating attempts, I gave up and emailed my program provider. They told me that it was a glitch in the system and that people shouldn't be able to schedule until 18:00. Finally, many hours later, I went to make my schedule online only to find that one of the classes I wanted to take was full. I went to plan B and used my backup schedule and thankfully got all of my classes!

 So, moral of the story is to be prepared to be frustrated while scheduling but it will all turn out okay in the end :)


Saturday, November 24, 2012

High Friday for Friday!!

1. One of the things I am most thankful for is having Molly and Sofie as my sisters :) 
2. Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of my favorite traditions and this year didn't disappoint! 
3. For Thanksgiving dinner, we went to my lovely sister and brother-in-law's house! 
4. I made the turkey!!!
5. One of the only Black Friday purchases I made was this awesome watch! I went to the mall at 10:30 pm on Thursday and waited in line until midnight for a watch…not on sale 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Cooking!


Outfit of the day!!

Jean Shirt: Walmart
Shirt: Gabriel Brothers
Pants: Marshalls
Shoes: Target

Light Up Night!



Annie and Ben treated us all to an amazing dinner at Osteria! I got gnocchi, it was delicious!


Our annual trip to Prantl's Bakery! 


We thought Santa was going to throw a fireball at the Christmas tree…we missed it :( But I did act it out quite awesomely (if I do say so myself) while an old man starred at me completely confused half smiling, half terrified! 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Movie Monday!!


For those who don't know me, I love movies!! So, I decided to start a 'Movie Monday' series! 

This week the movie is 'Warm Bodies' starring Nicholas Hoult! I want to see this so bad! Mostly because he is in it but also because it looks really quirky and good! 


Just remember...


Photo credit: Tumblr

Saturday, November 17, 2012

“Enjoy it. Because it's happening.”

This is such a simple quote from 'Perks of Being a Wallflower', but it is such a difficult one to live by.

Outfit of the day!!


Last weekend, I went to see an opera with my Italian Class. It was really nice to get dressed up and go downtown! I had such a good time with my classmates! We saw Don Giovanni. I enjoyed some parts and would be happy to go to see an opera again, but I wouldn't want to go every weekend. It was a bit difficult to understand what was going on because there were subtitles at the top of the stage but I wanted to look at the actors so I would miss lines on the screen. Comprehension aside, I loved the singing and the beautiful voices! 

High Five for Friday!!


1. Once again, a picture of one of my perfect puppies! They are just too photogenic not to take pictures! 
2. Tonight was Light Up Night downtown! It was a blast, my family and I went out to dinner and just had a great time being together! 
3. It is always a good week when I get to Skype with Tess :)
4. Light Up Night again!! I met up with my friends later in the evening and had more fun! Overall, it was just a fabulous night! 
5. This is my favorite outfit from this week :) I had a test that day and needed some extra confidence! 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Outfit of the Day!!



Shirt: Walmart
Sweater: Gabriel Brothers
Shorts and Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Forever 21

Lovely Finds!


I got these shoes at Shoe Carnival! I don't normally shop there, but they had a buy one, get one half off deal and I had a coupon so I couldn't pass them up!! 


I can't wait to wear these boots in Rome!! They are so comfortable! 


I love how neutral these are, I feel like I can wear them with a lot of different outfits! 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Roma here I come!

As I said in my 'High Five for Friday Post', it is less than two months until Roma! Lately, I have been posting about my nerves but for the past week or so I have been feeling pure excitement!

Here are some little things that have added to my excitement:

The other day I complained about how cold I was to my mom and then I realized I won't have to suffer through a bad winter here :) 

My study abroad mentor has been amazing to email and has given me a lot of good information and tips! 

I took an Italian test and feel like my writing has gotten better and sounds more like a middle schooler rather than a first grader haha! 

Lastly, yesterday I went to withdrawal from my on-campus housing contract and I thought it was going to be a difficult process but it was actually really easy and the lady that helped me was really nice! 

p.s. In less than a month I start my 30 x 30 outfit countdown until Rome!! 

High Five for Friday…a bit late

1. I just love this outfit because it is comfortable and makes me feel like it is really Autumn!
2. The amazing Cathedral of Learning!
3. My friend and I were quite excited when President Obama won the election!
4. Tuesday started the two month countdown until Rome!! I am so excited!
5. My perfect puppy and I last night before I went to dinner with my mom! I love going home! Also, I have started parting my hair down the middle, I feel very chic and British :) 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Wise Words for Wednesday

Everyone knows Wednesday is the worst day of the week, but if you can manage to get through it then it's pretty much Friday. So, I decided to post wise words every Wednesday to cheer us up -- or to make you think about something other than the fact that it is Wednesday :)

I love this quote because I believe that women are 100% equal to men. I found it appropriate for today because last night America chose a President who believes this too!

Photo Credit: Tumblr

President for the next four years.

Last night was surreal. It was the first time I got to vote and the candidate I voted for, for President actually won! My friends and I stayed up to see the results and the speeches -- it was amazing! President Obama's speech was so inspiring, and watching it made me proud to be an American. Knowing he is our President comforts me, and the fact that the people of the United States voted for him comforts me even more.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Outfit of the Day!

Pants and shirt: Forever 21
Sweater and shoes: Gabriel Brothers


1,000 views!

I would like to dedicate this post to all of my viewers! This blog has reached 1,000 views! I cannot wait to share my journey abroad over the next two years with you all! It means so much to me that you read my posts :) xx

Sunday, November 4, 2012

They know me.

Right when my thoughts start to dive into a world of worry and anxiety, my Italian family skypes me. Somehow, they always know…know the days I need to hear from them most. I hope that I am helping them as much as they help me. A few weeks ago, my great-uncle Peter passed away and they all are going through so much, and despite all of that we joked and laughed while on skype. They are truly amazing, and I cannot wait to spend four months with them! Here are some pictures to help me remember how amazing my family is from mine and my sister's trip to Rome two years ago!

Maria, me, Tony, and Annie! 

Keeping the Trevi Fountain a surprise! 

You can tell they are cousins, both fell asleep on a one hour car ride. Haha

Goofing around :) 

He is so proud of his city! I can't wait to go back and explore more of it with him! 


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Outfit of the day!


Sweater/Pants: Forever 21
Shoes: Express
Shirt: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Primark

I think it's okay for me to feel like this...

I am always hesitant to write posts like this one because I feel stupid and guilty that I am feeling nervous and scared to study in Rome.  But as I said before, I want this blog to represent every part of the experience and not just the excitement.

So today, I actually realized that I am going to be in Rome in two months. We did an activity in my Italian class about booking trains and it hit me that I could buy one of them and use it soon…that sounds like it should make me happy but it freaked me out a bit. The rest of the day I felt as though someone had punched me the stomach.

All week, different people in my life have been coming to this realization as well. My roommate keeps telling me how much she will miss me and how she keeps picturing herself sitting in our room alone…without me. My mom came over to drop something off yesterday and told me how much she is missing me lately and how she realized next semester she can't just get on the parkway and visit me. My sister is reading a blog about a girl in Rome and she realized that soon I will be doing those things and she won't be with me. Lastly, today I called my dad and he said how hard it is going to be having to count the minutes we talk on the phone while I am in Rome.

It all seems very real today. Like before it was just an idea in my head and it was fun to talk and dream about but now it is reality. I don't know if that is good or bad but I hope this feeling goes away soon.