Reminiscing of Italy - April 2005

My in-laws are currently traveling around Italy. Part of their voyage will take them to the stomping grounds of distant relatives....I'm interested to see if they will be able to track down the correct Bacciagaluppo (can you get more Italian than that?) family. I love learning about family history! We also have some friends who just returned from an Italian adventure, so all this talk of Italy has had me thinking of my whirl-wind trip there in 2005.

I would love to go back some day...there is something just so charming about Italy, it captures you! These are just a few of the photos I randomly found on my computer today.

This man practically begged us to take a photo with him, so after a few minutes, we obliged and then we started walking away. Bad move on our part...we heard yelling, so we turned around and saw him following us through the crows by the Trevi fountain...then we ran...we kept hearing, "you pay! you pay!" He somehow caught up to us and grabbed us, so we coughed up a few Euro and paid him, he was creepy.

The Spanish Steps...

The Trevi fountain is beautiful, and it really is romantic.

Aaaaah, Florence! It is the picture I had in my head of Italy.

What's a trip to Italy without the typical, "I'm holding up the leaning Tower of Pisa" picture?

Yes please! I will take a cappuccino and a croissant :-)

We were in Rome at the beginning of the trip and the end. The first time we were there was Easter Sunday and the crowds were crazy at the Vatican, so we didn't go in. We figured we would wait until the end of our to do that. Again, bad move. The day we got back was the day the Pope passed. The picture below was taken fairly early in the day, so all of the crowds had not arrive. The square was packed with people praying, chanting, and singing! So, I've been to Rome two separate times and have not seen the Sistine Chapel...maybe some day.

Pacific Grove and the Painted Lady

The day after my crazy summer school class was finished I headed down to Pacific Grove with one of my best friends, Lauren, for a night away. It was a much needed "school is done" night away for me and a "baby boy #2 is arriving soon" night away for her. It was so nice to have some quality friend time and some much needed relaxation!

Lauren's in-laws own a house right up the street from the infamous "Lover's Point," so our accomodations were fabulous! Most all of the houses in Pacific Grove have a name, and theirs is called the, "Painted Lady."

As you can tell, it happened to be nice and foggy the day we arrived, so we took full advantage of the less then perfect weather and totally vegged out. First, we got pedicures.

Baby boy #2 came along for the fun. We most definitely enjoyed the massage chairs and the opportunity to catch up on celebrity gossip.

We went for a very short stroll down to Lover's Point to check out the sites.

Then what better to do on an overcast day then put on some sweat pants and watch a movie, so we did. Have you seen, "A Good Year?" If not, you should, it's a good one, especially if you like France :-)

What came next? Take out Chinese food...YUM! I can't remember the last time I ordered Chinese food; it had been far too long. There really is something fun about it being cold outside and being bundled up in sweat pants, chowing on Chinese food, and talking with a girlfriend. I think it should be done more often!

The next day we were surprised to find that Pacific Grove treated us to something unusual...a bright sunny day! Here's the view from the Painted Lady...

Lorraine, I'm so glad that we were able to spend some quality time together...thanks for the invite! I find it amazing that we've been friends since we were born, and we're still going strong. I think we're staying pretty true to our promise and are gonna be "buddies til the end of the world..."

Whidbey Island School House

My sweet friend Ruthie got married on Whidbey Island (just Northwest of Seattle) last month, and I had the pleasure of attending. I flew up to Seattle a few days before the wedding to spend some time with her and our friend Angela. The three of us met while attending Capernwray Bible School in New Zealand back in 2003, and we were attached at the hip. I get to see Ruthie quite often, but I hadn't seen Ang in 5 years, so it was quite a treat for the 3 of us to be together...it was much needed girl time!

I have heaps of photos from the trip, which I will hopefully get around to posting. Ruth and Erfon got married outside the schoolhouse, which overlooked the water and was absolutely gorgeous. The inside of the schoolhouse was converted into an actual house with two beds, a large living area, bathroom, and full kitchen. It was so super cute!

That's all for now...back to work!

Better Late Then Never..."Southeast Asia - 2007"

We took this amazing trip two years ago now, and I have finally put together a photo book! Every once in a while Shutterfly will do a free 8x8 album, so I finally took advantage of it. They give you some restrictions, but even with those I think it turned out pretty good. I can't wait to get it in the mail! Now I just need to backtrack and catch up on albums from the past 3 years. All in good time...

Click here to view this photo book larger

Good Friends

Good friends...there's nothing like 'em! We were so fortunate to have lived next to some of our best friends for the past year and a half. Granted, we only live 3 minutes down the road now, but it seems far since we used to live 30 seconds away, by foot.

Brian has known Luke since high school. They didn't like each other their freshman year, then Luke moved away for their sophomore year, then something happened the summer between Junior and Senior year and they became inseparable! I'm glad their relationship took a turn for the best because the McLelan's are great people to have around.


They have done SO much for us the past 6 months since I have started school and since the house purchase/renovation/remodel. To name a few...they have fed us a countless number of times, cleaned out our hot tub so that it could be refilled (there may have been an alterior motive here, but that's just a guess :-), mowed our lawn, scrubbed our bathroom, painted, sanded, demolished, and have even folded our laundry! I mean really, who does that? We are so blessed to have them as friends! Good friends really are a gift from God.

Lake Trip '09

Yep, it's that time of year again. Lake trip time. This year was a record breaker...at one point there were 34 people on the trip. As always, it was beautiful with perfect weather, nice water, lots of friends, boating, tanning, fishing, card playing, and many other activities.

For Brian is was a little different this year. His day consisted of swimming (more like floating since he couldn't kick), fishing, and lots of dock sitting...not his typical lake trip. He was able to get some good quality time in with Pipe (Pat's dog) though since fishing is Pipe's favorite activity. Don't they look cute?

Ryan gets the prize for best fisherman. Not only did he catch the biggest lake trip fish ever, but he also caught a bluegill by using a Bud Light can, not bad. Oh, and Jordan caught his first fish, ever. This was definitely a record breaking trip!

There was also water paddle ball, skurfing (sp?) and an awesome rock slide...what more could you ask for?

Brian with his new favorite toy...his fishy flotation device. I had my doubts, but it worked out perfectly. It was a good accompaniment to the dolphin that Luke brought.


And the crew. As always a big thanks to Donna and Michael for hanging out with all of us "kids." We love having you guys around. And to Luke and AnnHelen, you guys did a great job shopping for 3 meals a day for 34 people, nice work!

Ryan & Jena's Wedding

Our friends Ryan and Jena were married a few weeks ago at a beautiful winery in Livermore, California.  We all had a great time at their wedding and are so happy for them!  I didn't get too many pictures from the night, but here is the happy couple dancing the night away and having a blast!  

Here are a  few more pictures from the night....

Brian and I.  For some of you this may your first time seeing his new look.  His new look being 

his long hair/beard/looking like a rock star type of look.  He loves it!

A few of the boys and some of the crew...

Jake, doing what he does at every wedding, catching the garter.  I'm so proud of this action shot!