Let the tears begin........

Ciao Ciao.

WELL….What to say in these last final blogs? I think I will start crying now…..

Well Saturday night I cooked an amazing dinner of chicken and veggies and then got ready and went out for a bit with the girls after skyping Stacey about coming here next semester (I am so jealous it’s not even legitly funny.) and finally talking to my cousin Ali! I can’t believe she is graduating high school………I am getting so old.

Anyways....... so then I came home and went to bed after chatting with Alexa for a bit.. Then I woke up Sunday morning and did laundry and met Haleigh down by the Arno to tan for a bit. Ughh it was SO hot and I swear I practically got more sun in those 2.5 hours than I did in Forte Dei Marmi last weekend. I brought my stuff to study but that was a fail…… Lauren eventually came and met us and Hal and I were like girl we won’t be here much longer, both of us were way too hot. So Hal and I left about 3:15 and went and got gelato! Best gelato ever! I found out my favorite gelato place actually has it’s “sister store” right by Santa Croce and is so much closer than the one across the river! Wish I would have known that all semester, but that means I would have gotten it more! Haha!! So then I came home and showered and then made my dinner of meat and veggies! It was DELICIOUS!!!!! Then I “began to study” for my Customer Relations and Special Events final. I swear I don’t even think a bottle of adderal could have helped me stay focused enough to study….. I have no attention span to study after how bad last semester was. I just kept wishing SEIGS was with me to help me procrastinate like normal. : (

Then I did benderball real quick and then went to Ainsley’s so her, Jenny, Hal, and I could study together for our Special Events final. I don’t think I would have studied anymore by myself than I did with them. We didn’t get as much done as we thought we would but all of us couldn’t help but procrastinate and get off topic! Haha! So finally, I was tired and Hal didn’t feel good so we all went home.

So then I came home, caught up with Alexa, then went to bed! This morning I woke up and studied again for my Special Events final and then went to class a bit early to study more. Then I finally took the final and wrote my dang brains out. It was horrible how much I had to write, but hopefully I did okay! We will see!! Then I met up with Hal again for Pino’s and got the amazing sandwich again! It’s just so good with the spinach and eggplant and pesto! I love it! Then I went to go try and buy my baking book…….they didn’t have it so I had to wait and hope the other place had it. SO then I went up to Italian and we reviewed for our final and then I went in search of the other place to find my baking book. Yes I haven’t bought my book yet! Haha! Val had it and so did Lola and I didn’t think I would ever need it, nor are the recipes in American cooking styles anyways….. It’s all in grams and Celsius temperatures so I didn’t think it was worth it to get it…..But I changed my mind and bought it. Luckily they had it! SO I bought that and then dropped my stuff off at home and went out for my run/walk before going to pick up my book once they had it copied and then came home to quickly stretch and book it back down to school to take my Customer Relations final. I thought I wrote a lot in Special Events this morning. That’s a joke…………… I wrote so freeking much!!!! It was all essays on this one, so hopefully I did okay! Again------we will have to see!

So then I went and got gelato at my new favorite place technically and then ate it in Santa Croce square since it was so pretty out. Then I was going to get a kebab, but it was only 4:30….. I thought I cooked my last dinner last night, but I decided to go to the grocery store and buy a chicken and other stuff. I bought my last container of fresh pesto today probs……..I could cry. SO then I came home, caught up with Alexa for a bit, and made pasta to use up my pasta and sauce…..Then I cut up the chicken and dipped it in KC MASTERPIECE. Umm DELICIOUS doesn’t even explain how freeking amazing it was!! It was soooooo good it’s not even funny!

So then I cleaned up my laundry and caught up with faceboook…..now I am writing this and about to study for Baking and Accounting in a bit if I can get myself to focus enough…….

SO other than all this……. Let the tears begin. I am going to be a freeking emotional wreck the next few days and I probably won’t even be able to see Friday and Saturday. I don’t know what I am going to do without seeing Sam, Ainsley, Chris, Hal, Amy, and B especially all the time! Grrrrrr that we all live so far apart! But I can’t wait to visit them soon enough!

I can’t even begin to explain how truly amazing the past 4 months have been and when everyone asks me how studying abroad was when I get home, I am not going to know what to say because there are no words to explain it.

I literally do feel like this is all still a dream though.. I feel like on January 24 my life stopped and then on May 14 my life will come back. It’s like I was in a coma the past 4 months and I was just dreaming all this up in my head because I still can’t believe I am in freeking Italy and I have been to over like 20 cities. It has to be a dream.

Freeking Ainsley is going to Hong Kong after she goes to London for a few days and JEALOUS doesn’t even begin to explain how I feel. I would LOVEEEEE to go to Hong Kong. : (

But really, I don’t have many regrets from this past semester trip wise….. I pretty much went at least somewhere each weekend I think besides before and after midterms…. But really the only other places I would have loved to go to was Amsterdam, Brighton to see Tricia, the Amalfi Coast, and maybe Prauge. But it’s okay! I really wish I could have made it to Brighton to see Trish, but the timing never worked out and it was super expensive. : ( Just all the more reason I will be coming back in the future!!!!!!

Also, Haleigh gave me some extra Crystal Light packets since she brought so many…..I had a fruit punch today and it was delicious of course. I am saving the wild strawberry ones for Thursday and Friday. But between having those and KC Masterpiece, can we talk about how much better my life is with those. But can we also talk about how much my life is going to suck when I don’t have fresh pesto to dip my carrots in, the best dried fruit ever to snack on, the best gelato of cookies and cheesecake, amazing cannoli, blood oranges and blood orange juice, amazing hummus to dip my carrots in, fresh pasta……….ughhhh I am rambling and wanting to tear up now.

Well, until tomorrow….Ciao Ciao. I am going to go cry now.

Love and Miss.

blah blah blah blah......blog.

Saturday May 7, 2011

Ciao.

Saturday May 7, 2011. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still remember telling everyone 1 week till I leave FOR Italy not 1 week till I leave FROM Italy! : ( This is my last weekend in Florence. NOT OKAY!

So anyways. I got internet back……Stupid I had to pay again for it. GRR internet here SUCKS.

Anyways what has been up since Wednesday.. Well Wednesday night of course I watched my SVU episode. SO GOOD and so glad it’s finally back!

Then Thursday I woke up and went for a run/walk down by the Arno, came back and then took a shower, and went and met Sam at the train station to go to Pisa.

So we got into Pisa and walked around the city for a bit. We came to the river and saw this really random church by the river. It was pretty cool looking though! So then we kept walking and finally got to basically one of the only sites to see in Pisa. Haha! Of course that would be the Leaning Tower. It was pretty crowded and hard to take photos of just us in the photo. It was so surreal to actually see the Leaning Tower though, I will be honest. I mean usually that’s just like see it on a postcard or see it on tv kind of thing! But NOPE! I saw it and got a photo with it! SO we took some photos and of course got the holding the tower up photo. It was so funny cause all of a sudden we looked over and a whole line of people were trying to do the same photo. So then we walked around for a bit. Their duomo and baptistery are right by the Leaning Tower as well, so we took a look at those and then went and took a cool looking jumping photo by the Leaning Tower. We then ended up chatting with these 2 American guys who asked us to take a photo of them. I find it so fun to find Americans to chat with and tell them where to go around Italy! After 4 months-- I obviously have some recommendations! Considering that is all you really can see in Pisa, we ended up walking back to the river, taking some photos, and then going to catch the train back to Florence. I looked at Sam on the train and was like that was a nice trip to Sicily! And she was like What?!? And I was like dude we were supposed to go after Sicily remember?? Haha! I wish we were just coming back from Sicily…… : (

So then we got home and I stopped and picked up a few things at the grocery store for dinner and then went and sat at school for a bit to use their internet. Then I came home and made my chicken, pasta, and veggie mix for dinner! It was so good! And then I finished the movie Beaches……If you ever want to cry…….watch that movie. I balled like a baby!

Then I got ready for…… a duhhhh! Cinco de Mayo with some of my favs! So then I went and met Ainsley, Chris, B, Amy, and Lauren to go to Tijuanas for margs! We were kind of worried it would be too crowded, but we were fine! Got a seat and got our margs! Then the crowd started showing up, so we got there at a good time. Of course I got a margarita…… Strawberry this time! So good. I highly doubt I will ever have a margarita like the ones they make again! So sad! Then we sat and chatted for a bit and then got ready to go the bar where Chris’s roommates were doing Karaoke! So then I came home after that and went to bed!

Then I woke up Friday and went for my run/walk by the Arno again and came home, cleaned the kitchen a bit, and then showered and got ready to celebrate International No Diet Day and National Nutella Crepe Day before having to go to the venue we had our farewell party at for FUA! So I met Sam and we walked down to MY nutella crepe place and for the 5^th freeking time they didn’t have crepes. I swear I was livid. I am done with them. I will give them one more try next week and if they don’t have them I am demanding free gelato. DONE. So then we went to the place Haleigh likes and got a nutella crepe. What a great day of holidays! Whoever put those 2 things on the same day, I thank them. : )

SO then I went to the market real quick and went over to meet my class to set up for the farewell party we helped plan in my Special Events class all semester. So we got there and set up for a bit and reviewed the plans since we were working it all night. Then we got a break for a half hour……Finnegan’s Irish Pub was right down the street. Of course my idea was followed by everyone and we all went and got a drink. HAHA! I am such a bad influence, but whatever everyone was happy! Haha SO then we went back and set up for a bit more and reviewed the time schedule of events and what our jobs were. So then we got a break again and my 2 friends and I came back to my apartment for a bit and got ready and then went back to start the night. I was in charge of raffle tickets and checking people in at the door. So I did that and then as for what went on at the party—we had a slideshow of photos my class brought in of the semester, a fashion show, raffle, food and drink, music, a rock show, farewell photos people could take, and speeches. After my door entry help, I was supposed to help with photos but that didn’t go as planned! Haha! The whole night went a whole lot better than we thought it would and a lot more students came then we expected and everyone pretty much followed the black and white dress code! We were pretty worried because we thought our teacher would be livid with us if not a lot of people came and would make our final horribly hard. But we ended up getting so many compliments that this is the best farewell party the school has ever had! SO we were happy! After helping put away chairs, we all got to go home thankfully!

So I came home and went to bed. I was supposed to go to Cinque Terre today again and lay out all day by the beach with Sam and Ainsley, but I woke up at 2 am this morning wanting to be sick. No I wasn’t hungover, but I felt like crap still when I woke up so I called Ainsely and told her I couldn’t come!

So then instead, I slept in and then got up, showered, and decided I am so behind on America and keeping in touch with everyone, I went and bought more internet. I swear the whole internet situation is such BS and I don’t even want to count up how much I have paid over the past 4 months. It is so ridiculous! But whatever, now I will have internet when I am sitting in the airport! Bahaha! SO then I ran to the store to pick up a few things and came home and chatted with Bess, Alexa, and Laura about the party and then made lunch and brought my computer up to the balcony with my lunch and ate and got on the internet and caught up with life at home and added photos! So then I was getting so hot, so I went shopping for a bit and then went and picked up some veggies for dinner. Then I came home and now I’m back on my balcony writing this and I am going to call people and try to skype with people from my balcony on this pretty day!

I am excited for my dinner tonight and then all us girls are meeting up tonight to go out when Sam and Ainsley get back!

Tomorrow I am laying out all day by the Arno with Haleigh and Ainsley to study for our finals!

So other than this……1 week I know. Dummmmmmmb.

Random fact, I am eating ice right now and I can’t explain how great it tastes and how much I wish I had some strawberry water to go with it. : ) haha!

I will say yes, I am excited to see everyone so soon, but it’s going to be super hard to leave. I know I will be back though. I already told my friends I could never do another semester here without them, they made the semester what it was and I don’t know what I would do without them! I can’t wait to go visit them, but I wish we all lived closer!

So I will leave it at this for now! Ciao Ciao until my next post!

Love and Miss!

wednesday's blog..

Ciao.

Well Happy Wednesday, Happy weekend to me! Happy no more classes for me too!

So quick update since I am going to Pisa tomorrow.

Well this morning I woke up and then practiced my Italian presentation that was going to be at noon! Then I ate lunch real quick and went to class a bit early to utilize the internet access! Then I went into class and the rest of us presented our speeches……I did okay I guess. I had like the longest presentation out of everyone because it was supposed to be about 3 minutes, but not everyone followed that! Haha! But whatevs, hopefully I did okay! Then we reviewed for our final!

Then I came home and did Cardio Max and stretched……my back pain I can already tell is going to get really bad again if I don’t watch what I am doing. SOO needless to say carrying around my probs 150+ pound luggages next weekend is going to be purely joyful. NOT.

So then I got ready real quick and went to school to utilize the internet again and add photos and yesterday’s blog. NEW episode of SVU finally! I was getting worried. Downloaded and about ready to watch it! Plus I sent my work the final : ( update and some more photos!

Then I came home and made dinner…..fresh ravioli and my pepper, zucchini, and chicken mix with my awesome pasta sauce! It was absolutely so good! You can’t get pasta like this in the states!

Then I started writing this thing!

Tomorrow Sam and I are going to take a quick trip over to Pisa before coming home to celebrate Cinco de Drinko, I mean Mayo………….with everyone! : ) I can’t wait! It’s going to be amazing with our awesome margaritas!

Friday is the going away party my Special Events class “helped” (NOT!) plan for the whole school. We are all less than thrilled and we are all already betting on how many fights we will get in with our teacher! It’s going to be ridiculous!

Don’t know the weekend plans yet.. But Sunday, at least Ainsley and I, maybe Haleigh, may go to a beach again or sit and lay out by the river and study for our exams. If we’re going to study, we mine as well do it in style! Haha!

Finals next week are going to kick my butt……literally……start praying for me now. Thanks! : )

Other than all this, got the email from my mom this morning of send me the grocery list…. I love that question. I told her don’t worry I will send it to her, but stock the fridge with OBVS KC Masterpiece and TONS of lunchmeat. Totally snacking on that all the time when I get back.

Well, I will leave it at this for now…… Big update to come after Pisa! Enjoy the rest of your day!

Love and Miss!

Well...................yesterday's blog.

Ciao.

Well hello my friends. Happy Tuesday. 1 class left of my semester and it’s time to study for these dreadful finals.

Well today was a normal Tuesday.. Woke up this morning and went to my LAST Hospitality Accounting class. Can you see the tears of happiness flowing when I say my LAST class? And so we discussed our final some more and went over exercises. He ended class early, so I stayed for a little bit and used the internet to catch up on American life. Gas prices supposedly going up to 5$ by summer? Thank you Italy for teaching me to LOVE to walk and yay for the fact I have a bike!

Well, then I came home and did benderball and went for my walk/run and then home to stretch. Well, no thanks to the running and walking so much on cobblestone, my backs acting up again. Joyful.

Then I went to the market and grocery store to buy some last few days type things and of course one of my last times getting dried fruit : ( !! I did buy some fresh gnocchi and fresh ravioli though and I was so excited for it! My new favorite staple in life is carrots….dipped in pesto or hummus. Thank you to Alexa for that lesson!

Well then I came home and got ready to go to my last baking class : (! Now that is like the only class I am sad to say is coming to an end! It’s going to be a hard goodbye to everyone in that class! I know in the beginning I was intimidated as heck, but Val and everyone else, as well as my chef, really taught me a lot and made me feel welcome considering I think I am like the only one who is doing a study abroad type thing. It’s def. going to be hard to say goodbye to Val considering she is moving here in September! Lucky girl!

So then I went to class and we finished up the cakes we have been in the process of making for the past 2 weeks. We made a dark chocolate glase (UMMMMM smelled like brownies. SMELLED DELICIOUS! I want some brownies….now.) to top the dark chocolate and cooked pastry cream type cake and a white chocolate with vanilla glase to top the yogurt and raspberry cake. Then we made some cool decorations to go on top- cooked apples and strawberries, cooked and rolled cocoa (chef’s recipe!), and then this cool clear stuff that we wrapped raspberries and hazelnuts in. I actually found out this clear stuff is what they use in the movies when people “break” through glass windows! I thought that was neat and ended up breaking one of the decorations trying to figure out how anyone can break through it! Haha SO I just ended up making a new one! And then we made this cooked sugar type thing rolled out with almonds and then baked in the oven and then cut and rolled into shapes, it was kind of like peanut brittle almost. So then we topped both cakes and the mini ones we made with everything and then tried them! I skipped the trying them because it was practically all creamy stuff and cake. SOOOO.. then we chatted about our final during class too and then he let us out a little early.

Then I sat with Amy at school and used the internet to check my flight that is coming up soon. (I love countdowns, yes. But I refuse to countdown for this! Hahahaha!)

Then I came home and made dinner! Yet another Tuesday I had to make dinner……So sad. I made my chicken, zucchini, and pepper mix and then mixed it with my fresh gnocchi and spicy tomato sauce! It was so good of course! I have to find this pasta sauce when I get home, it’s so good!

So then I cleaned up and started writing this thing! Wow, this one isn’t that long. Good job to me.

So 1 more class left, then finals, and then everyone, little miss Shelley Marie is going to be a SENIOR in college. Theoretically I am one now and should graduate in December, but the intern thing got in the way. SOOOOO one more semester left of classes. YES! I am getting so old. I still remember graduating Duchesne……..I guess that’s because that’s when I got the kitchen aid, so that made it pretty dang memorable. HAHA!

Well, other than that stuff I am going out again finally with all the girls tomorrow and then we’re celebrating Cinco de Drinko, I mean Mayo, on Thursday with the best of the best margaritas at our favorite Mexican restaurant Tiajuanas. : )!! Cannot wait!

I have a flight home booked, but now I just have to stalk the seat availability! I am dreading dealing with security now when I get back. It’s hard enough having a pacemaker, with my luck they’ll probs tell me my card is fake.

So what else……… I need a haircut. No one is probs going to see how long my hair has gotten besides my parents because first thing Sunday morning, its straight to get my hair cut, get it conditioned, and then dying it ASAP. Goodbye light brown and gray hair! Haha

Like I said in my status today, if there is any materialistic reasons I have that is making me anxious to come home—I call it HCGTLD. Haircut, RecPlex, Tan, Laundry with a dryer. : )!!

SO I will leave it at this for now. Until tomorrow. Ciao Ciao!

Love and Miss!

Over 5000 photos. I'm a champ.

Ciao………

MAY 2^ND WHAT THE HECKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!! This date is not okay. I remember being like January 24! I am leaving! BAHHHH!

HAPPY 21^st BIRTHDAY (+1 DAY) to one of my bestest friends Rachel Brown finally!! Can’t wait to get home to celebrate soon! Love and miss you of course!

Well kiddos.. It’s May 2^nd. I am not okay with this.

But what is new with little miss Shelley Marie…….

Yesterday Ainsley and I had a really rough day…. We laid on the beach all day and soaked up some serious sun. It was quite enjoyable obviously.

So we woke up bright and early and took the 7:47 am train to Forte Dei Marmi about 1.5 hours away from Florence. My friend from accounting had told us about the beach there when Ainsley came into my class on our break the one day. She had overheard us talking about going to a beach for a day trip if we didn’t do Sardania this past weekend and she recommended this one! She was SO right; I thanked her today in the other class I have with her!

So we got to the train station at about 9:30ish and asked how to get to the beach. Turns out the beach was like 4km away, which is like 2.5 miles away. Ainsley and I are champs at directions and decided to walk it instead of taking a taxi cause apparently it was go right at the church and then just keep walking straight. Easy enough we thought! So we did keep walking straight after the church and ran into several interesting things on the way- 1 was a huge statue of a rooster sitting on a giant walnut……..then some big dolphin statue, Conad City that looked trashy (which is the grocery store in Florence), and some run down house that we said was being renovated and we were going to move into it. Well after every quick turn or hill and then a bridge- we would be like okay around this turn, after this hill, after this bridge, there will be hope and so we would just keep walking and walking and it reminded us of Florida a lot……Then it changed from Welcome to Florida to Welcome to the Hamptons. It got to be the richest looking area ever…..Prada, Gucci, Dolce, Etc., as well as a bunch of other rich Italian stores. And then we saw their little Pier looking thing and the beach! The beach was GORGEOUS and the weather was FABULOUS! Multo Bene : ) !!

We really lucked out with the weather considering we thought on Thursday when we were looking at places to go, we thought that the rain percentages just kept going higher as the weekend progressed! But nope, not here! It was bright and sunny and hot!

So we first walked down the Pier and took photos and then decided it was time to beach it!

The beach was not very crowded, but we didn’t know if it was a public beach or what. The area was so rich looking with a ton of little club looking things of chairs and tables for people to sit on that you probs had to pay for. So we finally decided after going the one way to turn around and lay out in this area where others were laying!

So we laid out our towels, popped our iPods in, and tanned! Ainsley fell asleep pretty quickly and I just enjoyed the sun! I also started out by doing my budget for the next 2 ( :( !! ) weeks! Then I just enjoyed the nice sun rays I just love and worked on my tan!

But during our tanning time, the lovely people I deal with at the fleamarket who sell my purses also sell them here; they’re just not near as legit as the ones I buy. All these men kept coming up to us trying to sell clothes, jewelry, towels I think, and esp. purses. I can’t stand the people anymore because they do it so much in Florence, so I always flat out rudely say no. But I mean come on, yes it is HIGHLY illegal, but seriously if you’re going to try and sell me illegal purses- MAKE THEM LEGIT LOOKING! I mean seriously, the V on a Louis Vuitton being smaller than the L………You think I don’t notice that. I am a pro at shipping for this stuff.. I wish I knew their language so I could say THESE SUCK! I mean I don’t sell the stuff, but if I got caught and arrested like they could, at least I would want to get caught for selling legit looking stuff. HAHA!

Anyways, Ainsley and I both brought work to do, like I was going to write my oral presentation for Italian and she had stuff to study I think. FAILED.

We laid there for quite a while and then I was like okay maybe I should do something and got out Italian and then I was like I can’t write this and then I tried to read Eat. Pray. Love. SUCKS I couldn’t read that. Geez my attention span with a book SUCKS! I like the movie; the book just started out going so back and forth and everyone knows I don’t read books that have movies : ) !! So then I just decided my priority was just to enjoy the sun! : )

It got to be about 1:30ish and I looked at Ainsley like I need a beverage. Our waters were basically warm and we both agreed we wanted a nice pina colada or of course me, I wanted a nice cold frozen margarita. So we got up and were going to try and find a grocery store and just make some kind of drink, but the little town was just too rich, so there wasn’t much hope for finding one close. But we got up anyways and went on the hunt for one. Ainsley had gone to change earlier and said the little café at this club looking thing by where we were laying out may have had drinks but I was like ya probs EXPENSIVE! So then we got up and walked around the pretty little town. I have never been to the Hamptons, but I was like I have seen it on TV and the town reminded me of it!

So then we agreed a nice canoli or something cold would suffice since no grocery store was in sight and we finally saw people with gelato and found the bakery it was coming from. HELLO SHELLEY MARIE FINALLY GOT HER COOKIE SHE’S BEEN SEARCHING FOR! (The one I am obsessed with from San Gimnano!) Ainsley got gelato and I wasn’t enthused by anything, but I saw this cookie that looked like it had pine nuts on it, but I didn’t think it was my cookie since it wasn’t in the same thick shape. I was going to just try and find somewhere else for gelato, but I decided to risk it and try whatever cookie it was cause it looked so close to mine. So I got 4 little cookies and the lady told the cashier PINOLINI and I was like BAHHHH Ainsley it’s my COOKIE!!!!! Finally! I was so happy!

The cookies weren’t as good as the San Gimnano one, but it is because they weren’t in the same thick shape. However, obviously they were good and I was very pleased to finally be reunited with my dear cookie. : )

So then we decided it was just give up and time to go back and lay out esp. because like 2-4 I think is like prime time tanning time and everyone knows I can’t miss that. So we went back to the café place Ainsley had talked about earlier and we got waters and then decided a nice cold Diet Coke would suffice to split.

So we got that and took it back to the beach and laid our stuff out again and drank our Diet Coke and waters. Then we put our iPods in and started chatting about home again, ER stories, and other random stories. I explained to her the story of my feet and why I had surgery, it’s so weird to think that was so long ago. Haha! And then Ainsley as funny as she is had so many funny stories I just cracked up hearing! I swear I don’t know what I am going to do without her random faces, hilarious jokes, etc. in 2 weeks. Thank God for texting, phones, Facebook, and skype!! Oh ya and NEW YORK in November. : ) !!

We both went in and out of the water every so often since it was so hot, but neither of us swam. It was still kind of cold. SO then it got to be about 5:20 and we packed up our stuff and headed back for the train station to take the 6:20 train home. Ainsley was pretty burnt and I thought I was too, but I got a lot of color mainly. I wasn’t near as bad as Sicily though! SO we got dressed and headed back for the train station. We had originally agreed to getting a taxi back earlier when we were walking to the beach, but then decided the walk home shouldn’t take as long now that we knew what to expect. Ainsley and I esp. love little Italian children because they are so presh! There was this precious little child walking out in front of us and I swear I was like you are too freeking precious in those little green pants! Haha

So then we walked back to the train station and got our tickets for home! We don’t know why the ticket was so much cheaper, but we were fine with it! We then waited for the train after we almost thought we missed it and luckily we got on the train at the right time. The other beach we talked about going to, but have heard too many mixed reviews on is called Viareggio, which is like 1 or 2 stops before ours and when we got to that stop on the way home it was like a mad rush of people on the train. We had a hard time enough with finding seats, but then it became standing room only after Viareggio. At first, we were sitting across the aisle from each other, than the people sitting by me got off and Ainsley moved over and then the huge mass of people that got on made the train standing room only. We were both sweating from our sunburns and because it was SO hot in general!

So then people kept getting off at really random stops, but whatever, and then we finally made our way back to Florence at about 8ish! All the train rides now bring back memories because everytime I pass the stop for Firenze Compo, I think of Sam and I’s terrible train ride mess back from my beloved Sicily! Haha

So then we both agreed we didn’t want to cook, so we were debating kebabs or my sandwich place for pizza this time! I told Ainsley Saturday when we got my sandwich for the last time, I wanted to get pizza from there at least one more time too! So we decided on the pizza and if it looked bad, then kebabs instead! The pizza looked legit, so Ainsley got this huge sausage pizza I have been wanting to try ever since I had the sandwich the first time with Alexa and I got this procioutto and mushroom pizza. We bought different pizzas on purpose so we could share pieces with each other! Both pizzas were so good and the sausage on hers was DELICIOUS!! So then we took the pizzas and ate them on the steps of the Duomo. It was kind of chilly, so we ate real quick and just wanted to go home! So we both said Ciao and went back to our apartments to shower and then snuggle in our beds!!

So I got home, caught up with Alexa and Bess. Both of them were like dang girl, you got color!! Haha. We were discussing Cinque Terre because Alexa and I both have been, I may go again this weekend actually, and Bess wants to go- so she had questions. I went into the bathroom to actually see myself and I was like OMG you guys, I didn’t know I got this much color! I got so tan-- I loved it though : ) !! haha

So then I decided shower time, no matter how painful it would be-- I had sand all over me! It wasn’t too bad, but it was pretty painful. Lotion, Lotion, Lotion, Lotion for sure! Haha

So then I got into bed, checked facebook, and added like 575 photos from just the past 3 days. I am over 5000 obviously by now everyone! GO ME! Now it’s time to try for 6000 : ) !! haha

So then I did benderball, did more laundry, and went to bed!

This morning I woke up and it was bittersweet. I took some shots of expresso and went down to school to print my paper for Customer Relations and make sure my friend Johanna printed the last part due for our Special Events project! Saw Ainsley in the computer lab and we exchanged burntness stories. She is worse than me and on her legs, she has like 3 different skin tones! Haha

So then we walked over to our LAST Special Events class. Oh now now, we are not SAD! Are you kidding me? I wanted to go to a bar with everyone and cheer our drinks to the last class! Sucks we still have the midterm and party on Friday to set up for! But Ainsley and I missed Haleigh since she was still in London! So we discussed what we thought of the party project, our final, and the party details and then ended the class! Johanna and I had to go to another class, so we had to leave before getting to tell her our real opinions of the project and see how we were doing on everything. I swear this teacher annoys the living heck out of me. She has yet to ever return any parts of our project, so we have no idea how we have been doing, she keeps us over time every class pretty much, the whole party planning deal was stupid because they used like barely any of our idea, and so much other stuff! GRRRR.. Anyways that class is almost over. YES!

Then I walked up to Italian and we did some of the oral presentations and then did some review for our final! I give my presentation Wednesday, so we will see how it goes!

Then of course, bad part of the day number 2- I then, as always, tried to go to the gym after class because we had been told last week it would now reopen today instead of last Tuesday. NOPE! I went downstairs and the whole floor was like dug up and the lady told me it is closed indefinitely and the original gym would reopen next month (HELLO! I won’t be here : ( !!)……..So then I was just mad and dropped my stuff off at home and went out for my run/walk and then back home to do my stretches. I swear, when I get back to my RecPlex/Spartacus workouts………..It’s going to be rough. Cardio Max and my walk/runs can only do so much. GRRRR.

So then I booked it back down to school for my last Customer Relations class! : ) !! Got down there and we had to turn in our papers and then give a short presentation. We got that done and he explained some of the questions on our final and then he ended class early! It was only like 4, so I decided since I have no more internet at my apt. (I will explain that in a moment!) that I would stay and use school’s internet so I could write my Italian oral presentation and catch up on Facebook. I did add like over 500 more photos I think, so check them out. : ) !! SO I caught up with miss Tricia in London finally and then I was running out of computer battery and came home!

Of course, Shelley doesn’t check the weather and had no umbrealla all day! It was sunny earlier, then rained during Italian, then stopped, then started pouring in Customer Relations! Luckily I waited just long enough that it wasn’t raining anymore and so I walked home. One of the last times I have to do this Corso to Italian to the gym and back to Corso, then home routines! Kind of sad, but the walk has gotten annoying. There are only so many different new ways I can go and way too many tourists now. I went a new way today and almost got lost, but theoretically I knew where I was. Haha!

So then I came home, caught up with Alexa, and told her my stories of the day. Then I cooked dinner. I had spaghetti with my new spicey tomato sauce and chickpeas! Then I made my chicken, pepper, and zucchini stir fry type thing right and mixed it with KC MASTERPIECE instead of adding it to the pasta like the other night!! Haha! IT WAS SO GOOD! I just love me some KC Masterpiece!!

Then Alexa and I discussed her family coming and the whole Osama’s dead news! Thanks to my minfeed on Facebook, I found out that news pretty quick. I swear like EVERYONE’S statuses involved that news! Haha! But YAY for America! Now it’s time to get gas prices to go down and I may come home!

So then I took a shower and washed all the rain crap off my legs from my walk/run today, folded my laundry, and then started writing this!

So that is what is new day wise!

But here we go again for real this time everyone. Shelley Marie may be MIA for the next 2 weeks. I got the message today that my internet is almost out. I swear I wish I knew better Italian so I could say some seriously nice words to Vodafone and scream at them for how big of liars they are. I can’t stand them and they are such liars. I am nowhere near my 100 hours I bought, but yet I am almost out of internet. GRRRRRRR. I refuse to buy anymore since I only have 2 weeks left, plus I will not be at my apartment much anymore because we have big plans for this weekend and next week. So if you don’t hear from me, I am alive…..but just don’t have internet access. So check facebook and this for updates.

Like I told Alexa and Tricia today.. I think this whole gym being closed and no more internet is like God’s way of telling me to shut this “I don’t want to go home” crap up and prep to go home. However, I have lived without a LONG list of things I used to love in America…….so no more internet or gym? I think I can handle it if I get to stay here longer and not come home. BAHAHAHAHA! What a joke! Shelley without the gym and Shelley without being able to Facebook creep. What would my life be? Haha! I am just kidding, but no seriously this no internet and gym thing SUCKS.

So if you don’t hear from me, just expect the BACK IN THE STATES text next weekend. (I mean I would put my flight info of where I will be on here, but I have too many creepers! BAHAHAHAHA KIDDING! Just felt like writing that!)

So yes, this is long. Geez how do I do this! Why can’t I write papers like this!!!!!!! Haha

Hope everyone had a good weekend and until tomorrow! Ciao! 3 days till Cinco De Drinko………I mean Mayo! HAHA!

Miss and Love!