Italy--Roma

Don't worry, we did go to Italy. I just get overwhelmed thinking about getting all my pictures ready to put on the blog. I have to export them all from I Photo to the desktop...anyway its very time consuming. But here we are. Italy was great, if you can imagine! We left SL on saturday morning, flew to Cincinnati and them to Rome. We got into Rome about 11 am sunday morning, lots of traveling! Fortunately we flew business class and got to sleep. Russ and Erica picked us up and we went straight to sightseeing in Rome! It was fantastic!!! Hot and humid, and we walked all over. Most of the touristy sights were within walking distance of each other so that was nice. we went to the Roman Forum which I believe used to be temples for different Roman Gods all in ruins now, but fascinating if you like that kind of stuff. I loved it! Sorry this blog is going to have lots of pictures it is hard to choose which ones to put in hopefully you enjoy I figured at least Caroline will like it! Here are some pic's of the Forum:





The inside of an arch, and some standing columns




Ryan drinking out of a city fountain, more Forum





Russ, Erica, Ryan and I at Forum, some government buildings





Here is a frieze on the arch at the Forum, me at a small fountain people were wading in, and a huge fountain with lots of sculptures it was beautiful!



Here is the pantheon the building with the hole in the middle, we didn't get to go in because it was closed by the time we got there, but here is the view from the outside, and Ryan and Russ inside the Peter and Paul's prison.




Here are some more columns still standing in the forum and now for the Colosseum pictures!






And here is the Vatican City. St. Peters we didn't get to go inside once again it was closed when we got there but the outside was cool. There is a spot you can stand and look at the 4 rows of columns and it looks like there is only one. we didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel either which is in the Vatican, closed, nor the Pope!




On to Elba island, that is right the island where Napoleon was exiled! Here is a view of the island, Napoleon's fortress, and Ryan and I on the boat. Elba is a very popular european vacation spot, I think we were the only American's on the island. We did walk around the fortress but we didn't go inside, expensive!




Our first day on the island we stayed on the beach below our campsite. Oh yes we camped the whole trip. It wasn't too bad actually they had pretty nice showers and the camp sites were flat and no rocks. To get to the beach you had to walk down a little cliff trial to a rocky beach. It literally was a rock beach, no sand but the water was nice.



Here I am at the top of the trial to the beach, some of the water we snorkeled in and a pic of the beautiful sunset.


Our second day on Elba we rented a boat and drove around the island and snorkeled in different places. Ryan even got stung by a little purple jelly fish, I was a little wary to get in the water after that. But he is fine.

It is kind of hard to see in this pic. but Ryan got stung on top of his foot, and it was swollen and red for awhile.

After our long car ride across and up Italy in a small European car which I unfortunately did not get a picture of, we went to Pordenone close to where Erica is from. Actually we got to her house ate at a delicious pizzeria and went to bed. The next morning we went to the airport, but Lufthansa airlines went on strike shortly after we arrived in Italy canceling their Trans-Altantic flight aka flights home for us and putting all their passengers on Delta flights, which means standby passengers such as our selves got the boot! Needless to say we did not make our flight Russ and Erica volunteered to stay and be put on a different flight but they wouldn't let them so we stayed and went back to Erica's house with her family. They were so very kind and hospitable. Erica's family was in town from all over and so her brother and his wife took us shopping in Pordenone. So here we are in the little shopping streets. And some of the buildings even had original paint(?) but most came off when the plague came through and they covered all the buildings with some kind of mortar ruining the old frescoes.




That night we went to a little beach town north of Venice with Erica's family



For dinner we had seafood of course. Erica's dad asked us if we liked fish we said yes and off we went. At the restaurant there was no fish on the menu. Her dad ordered for us a seafood sampler, and a seafood spaghetti plate. The sampler included: octapus, squid, shrimp, some kind of little lobster and some other things I have forgotten now. We tried them all and most of it was pretty good I have to admit although I don't think I would order them again for fear they aren't fresh and cooked well and are too rubbery! Our main course of spaghetti included clams which was my first time (well a first for all of this!) and they were really good, there was some lobster and squid and then there was a sea creature her dad called a scampi--I just couldn't do it. You had to break it open to get the meat, the whole creature was just laying in you spaghetti!!! Ryan was brave and tried it! So if you are in Italy and someone asks if you like fish just be aware that you are most likely not getting "Fish."


The next morning we went to the airport at 5:00 am because they had to take their son to the airport for a 6am flight ours wasn't until 11:00 so we spent a few hours in the Venice Marco Polo airport, sleeping on benches. We actually made that flight. By some miracle they let all the stand-by passengers on, probably to get rid of them some people had been trying to get home for 3 days!! We even got business class on the way back. I have never been so happy to get on a plane! Next to being able to get our of JFK! So we had a great trip!


Sorry this post is sooo long you might have to take a nap in the middle, but it is finally up and i am so happy!

Italy

So our next adventure begins on Saturday!!! We are going to Italy!!! Russ, Erica and Alice, we are so excited to come play with you guys!! Looking at your blog makes me so jealous! We fly to Cincinnati Saturday morning then that afternoon we fly into Rome!! I will definitely tell you all about it when we get back so that is where we will be for the next week. Actually we are also flying straight to Seattle for Ryan's family reunion, it will be a busy and very fun week!!

Maui Baby!

Here are a few pictures of us in Hawaii, on Maui, the rest I put into the slide show.

We finally made it to Hawaii!! I guess it was my birthday present and it was great. We almost didn't make it though. Our flight from SLC to LAX was 30 min late and when we got to LA we were pretty bummed. But it turns out there were other (paying) customers going to Maui as well and so they had a van waiting to take us across the terminal to our connection to Maui--it was amazing that we made it.
We got in about 7:30 pm got our rental car and drove to the beach and pitched our little tent. That is right we camped on the beach in Maui for 2 nights! The weather really was perfect not too hot or too humid and the water was nice. Sunday we went to the beach and got fried! my thighs burned and Ryan's back burned. Oh ya we did not go to Hawaii prepared to bare all we were so white, it was a little embarrassing! Oh well. After the beach we showered in our swimsuits at the beach showers, we were not the only beach-goers with that idea. We drove around a little bit then went to dinner at an amazing seafood restaurant! It was a little pricey but after all it was my birthday. But the food was sooo good I had fresh Opa, never had it before... and for dessert we had mango cobbler-it was amazing! If you ever go to Maui you should eat at Buzz's Wharf. Monday we did a little more exploring after breakfast, as we drove up this really narrow winding mountain road we saw some tour vans pulled over close to where we saw a waterfall so we decided to follow their trail. After putting our swimsuits on and a lot of sunscreen we walked down the path and found these beautiful waterfalls and ponds and people swimming in them! They were a bit cold but it was amazing!
Later that day I went on a helicopter tour it was pretty cool and my first time being in a helicopter. We get deals with one of the helicopter companies through Skywest but we once again fly standby and they only had one seat open, since Ryan had been on a few tours in Alaska he let me go. He is so sweet! We were supposed to fly up to a big crater, but it was covered in clouds so we didn't get to see it. We did see lots of waterfalls and an ancient Hawaiian temple where they used to make human sacrifices!
After the helicopter tour since we still had time on our hands, our flight didn't leave until 10:00 pm we decided what the heck we are in Hawaii we have to go to the beach even though we are still quite red. So we did and it was fun! So we had a great trip! On our way back to the airport the guy driving the shuttle asked us about our trip and we told him we camped on the beach and he was surprised and asked us if we had any trouble, apparently people occasionally get robbed out there. But we didn't have any problems and I am glad he told us that after we camped and not before because I would not have done it! It was also nice to have things be so familiar and in english so we could find our way around and askn people questions if we needed to. I slept the whole way home on the airplane I never do that, but it was much needed since we got into SL at 8:00 am and I had to be to work at 11:30 am! And the girl who sat next to us just thought Ryan was so good looking and she was flirting with him and making sure his plans for the future were solid, maybe she hoped he would make lots of money and come sweep her off her feet. Apparently she didn't take much notice of me and the fact that I am his wife. When we were waiting to deplane she asked if we were married and I smiled and said yes very nicely! It was kind of funny!

Vampire

My sister Leslie has turned into a Vampire!! The first picture is the transformation and the second the deal is done, hopefully she won't eat humans!!



We thought this was pretty darn funny!! I brought home some Nike contacts for Leslie to try and first of all she was spazing out trying to get them on! Once she got them on it was hilarious! We set one of the pictures as a background on their computer and I think it scared my dad when he turned on the computer! I think Leslie should wear those contacts when she camps out to see the movie!

Other than that our lives have been pretty boring! Ryan works 7 days a week and I have been working 6 days a week for the past 2 months! We are constantly living in a state of sleep deprivation! But we did hire someone at work and I hope she will work out because I am really looking forward to not working on saturdays! I just have to tell you how proud of myself I am. I have been going to the gym even though my gym partner took off to Spain for a month I went to Abs class and Cardio jam all by myself! And if your wondering Cardio Jam is an hour of intense jumping around and waving your arms and I am starting to feel old because I just don't have enough energy to do everything all out! But I am determined to tone up so I look half decent in a swimsuite by the end of July, that is my motivation, that and Ryan pushing me out the door! Other than that we have not been up to much, we watch a lot of movies...anyway I will hopefully come up with something fun to post about soon!

BRUXELLES

since we had such a long weekend over memorial day we decided to fly to Brussels Belgium! Actually we didn't have that long, but we are kind of crazy!! We were trying to find someplace to go and were thinking Mexico but all the flights were full so for fun Ryan looked up Europe and what do you know it was pretty open! Sunday morning we flew to Atlanta then on to Belgium. From Atlanta we flew business class!! I couldn't help just laughing as we took our recliner seats and the stewardess handed us menu's! It was amazing!! Ryan had to keep telling me to be quiet so people didn't think it was our first time, but pretty much everyone else in business class was older I am sure they didn't think we always flew business class. The flight was 9 hours so we definitely appreciated the nice seats! We ate lots of good food got to watch tv or movies or listen to music on our own little screens. They even gave us a little pack with socks and an eye mask, lotion, earplugs, toothbruth, toothpaste. I felt spoiled, but I liked it a lot. we got to Brussels at 8 am Monday morning and spent the day walking around looking at cathedrals and other buildings. It is a very dirty city and really you could do it in a few hours it is not a big city for touristy things. We even checked into our hostel at 1 and took a 6 hour nap, we were exhausted and then got up and went out again!! We really lucked out in the hostel there were only 2 other people in our room and guy from Ireland who was nice and could not get over the fact that we went to Europe for a day; and then a girl from France who didn't speak english. They weren't partiers like the other people in the hostel we could hear drinking and laughing. So it was nice. The weather was perfect not hot or cold and it didn't even raid, although it was humid and my hair doesn't do too well in humidity, oh well. Now I will show you some pics.




Here are some pictures of the Cathedral we went into, I don't know what it is called.







I thought the organ was pretty cool and the stained glass windows, very beautiful!
The next pictures are of the Grand' Place-Grote Markt,







I know you have all been waiting for these pictures: the famous Manneken Pis Yes they even dress him up for holidays and things. One story goes that a father was missing his child and made a declaration to the city that when he found him he would build a statue of him, doing whatever it was that he was doing. Thus, a statue of a litle boy peeing was created. The statue is also thought to represent the "irreverent spirit" of Brussels




we also found a statue of a little girl peeing. I am not sure of the significance of this statue. But is was down a remote alley the only reason we found it was because a tour group was there looking at it. But they spoke a different language and the the signs were in either french or dutch
Belgium is famous for its chocolate and you can find shops ALL over the place the other pics are of another old church I thought looked cool, but I like that kind of stuff, and us out on the town.




The way home is always an adventure in itself! We flew out of Belgium at 10 am on Tues morning. So we showed up to the airport and hour early and go to check in and they are all stern with us and tell us we are so late, they are already boarding!! So we checked in fast, ran to security, ran to customs, and had to run down the airport to get on the plane! I was dying! Luckily they didn't give our sweet seats away. The flight was good the way back took 9 1/2 hours. We got into atlanta and were going to fly to cincinnati then to salt lake since atlanta to slc is impossible! When we checked the flight before we left Belgium it looked great. But when we got to the airport in atl. the flight had 100 people on standby! so we had to pay to get on the internet and find an alternate route home, Ryan and to work at UPS at 10 that night!! we found 2 possibilities one of which the gate agent wouldn't even book us on, the other to Albuquerque NM looked good and there was a flight that left for SLC 15 minutes after we landed. Luckily alb is a small airport and the next gate was right next to the one we came in on! and we made it home!! We got home stopped and ate and Ryan changed and went to work. So that concludes our spontaneous day trip to Belgium!

May Days

Well school is over for the semester which is wonderful! Ryan did really well. He took a wheel pottery class and finally brought home all his finished products. I feel like a proud mom
Ryan also started working for UPS...good and bad. We will be getting health benefits in July yea!! and more money is always a plus but he works the graveyard shift, 10 pm until 3 am!! I really dislike going to bed by myself it is so lonely and cold! Sometimes he gets home between 2-2:30, whenever he comes home I always wake up. If you have seen our apt. you would probably know why it is amazingly small and squeaky! So needless to say we have both been pretty tired of late. But in June Ryan's Sky West shift will be later in the day which will be nice for him, then he can actually get some sleep. Right now he works M-F at UPS 10-3 and W-S 8-12! He is pretty amazing! And getting really nice tan arms that is more then I can say for myself! However I have been going to the gym the last week...after months of inactivity!
I got these shoes and I think they are so much fun I had to show Kelltie!!

Also we went and saw Leatherheads, which I saw with Kelltie in MN and I told Ryan how I thought it was cute and that we should go see it but he didn't want to see a "cute" show. But it was at the dollar theater so we went and he was laughing out loud! It reminded me of being with Kelltie we had a great time! Lots of things are reminding me of you lately Kelltie. Last Saturday I got to get my copy of the Host signed by Stephanie Meyer!! One of the girls at work had an extra ticket and invited me. I got a copy for me and my sister signed and my Twilight book signed. We were even in group 4 which was nice. It was pretty fun to see all the crazy people there! I have to admit I still haven't finished the book yet. But I am working on it. Hopefully we will be going someplace fun this weekend and I can read on the plane. I will update you next week (hopefully) on our exciting adventure but I can't spoil the surprise now. Just realize that we are pretty crazy! Well it is late and I have to work tomorrow :(