I’m back to the grind after one of my best weekends, I’ve had in a long time! I headed to the Pittsburgh area to celebrate my 21stbirthday with many of my college friends.
I had the absolute time, it was such a good time that I didn’t take any pictures. Haha!
Heading to Pittsburgh to celebrate!
I headed out on early Saturday morning and got brunch with my friend Bailey before the festivities began. It was a cute breakfast cafe where we got the best breakfast tacos! YUM!
My friends and I spent the day hanging out by the pool, playing games, eating, and drinking and catching up. We all met and became friends through work, it’s amazing how one job can bring so many people together. It was so good just to relax and spend time together!
In the evening, we got dinner and went out for the night. It was so good to be with my friends and have a good time. The next morning, we got brunch and relaxed for the day before I headed back home.
Lots of memories were created during the weekend, it was so good to see all my friends and be together since we don’t see each other all the time. The weekend also showed me how important it is to stay in touch with friends and make an effort to see one another.
Me and my girls!!
My amazing friend Bailey hosted and helped plan the whole weekend which was the best gift I could ask for. We have been talking and planning this weekend for over a month and I’m so glad she made it happen. I’m so blessed to have her in my life and call her one of my best friends. There will definitely more memories made between us this summer and in years to come.
Huge shout out to this girl for planning a fantastic and memorable weekend!
Sorry for the shorter post, but sometimes it’s best to just be present in the moment and turn the phone off for a while, especially since my friends and I don’t get to see each other that often.
Moral of the story, pick up the phone and make plans with your friends whether they are near or far, you won’t regret it.
I hope your week is off to a great start. It has been so nice to settle into a new routine for the summer months. Every summer I try to set realistic goals for the summer months. They can be anything from activities, projects, trips, and small tasks. I start out with a basic list as summer begins and will add things if necessary as the months go on. At the end of the summer, I love to look back and see everything I accomplished and all the memories I created.
Summer 2019…you are just beginning…let’s take a look and see what my summer goals are:
Get license renewed
-A small but necessary task and I got it done right when I got home!
Work/Internship
Although summer is for relaxing, I plan to work through the summer. I like to stay busy and working through the summer will definitely keep me busy.
Make College photo album
Through my college years, I have been saving photos and organizing them into years. This summer, I want to get them all printed and organized since my time in college is coming to a close.
Celebrate 21
I’m really looking forward to celebrating my 21stbirthday this summer. I’m so lucky I get to be home to be with my family, but I’m looking forward to celebrating this milestone with my friends in Pittsburgh!
See friends from college and high school
Speaking of friends, I am making seeing my friends both from college and high school this summer, whether it’s coffee dates or day trips, friends are so important and I want to make them a priority this summer.
We didn’t even say goodbye at graduation because we knew we would be seeing each other through the summer
Portfolio (BLS)
Another requirement for school that I need to get done before school is back in session for 2019!
Work Study
This summer I will be working remotely for a job I hold back at school. There are a few projects that I will be working on that I am excited to get started on.
Read 12-15 books
I am an avid reader and I am really looking forward to reading a lot over the summer. I already made a stop to my local library to check out a few books to get a start on summer reading.
First book of the summer…
Download pictures to laptop
Again, another task, it won’t take long but I want to make sure I have all my photos from this past year saved to my laptop.
Spend time with family
Since this is my last summer home I want to make sure I soak up as much family time as I can, whether it is family dinners, soccer days, or pool days. I can’t wait to get some quality family time in.
Looking forward to a full summer with the fam!
Day Trips
I love taking day trips, whether it is to the city, in the country, or to see family and friends. I’m hoping to spend a few days going to new places this summer.
Start Healthier habits
I have gotten into good routines while I am at school and I want to continue those routines at home, whether it hitting the gym several days a week, eating healthier foods and meals, or just setting time aside to relax. Getting into a good routine is something I’m looking forward to this summer.
Go to a concert
I have a concert planned for September with one of my best friends, but I want to try and hit up another summer concert. Anyone with suggestions, please let me know.
Beach days
I may live close to the beach, but that doesn’t mean I spend all summer there. Last summer, I went to the beach on the last day I was home. I want to make more of an effort to go to the beach, whether it’s for the sunset, sunrise, or a day in the water.
Family Vacation
I have been reflective in the past few months with everything that has been changing and I’m looking forward to getting away with my family for a summer trip. Where and when that will be is still up in there air, but none the less, I’m looking forward to making some memories.
Find a new show to Binge watch
Every summer, I always am on the look for new shows to binge watch. I’m currently finishing up Dawson’s Creek-an oldie but a goodie! I’m now on the hunt to find a new show to watch this summer. Any good suggestions?
Take more walks outside
In an effort to spend more time outside, I want to take more walks, whether it is at sporting events, at the end of the day after work, or around lunch. I’m looking forward to enjoying the outdoors more.
Weekly facetime calls with friends
Back to the friends…can you tell I miss my college friends?! A few of my friends from school and I have suggested doing weekly facetime calls to keep each other in the loop with what’s going on. It’s a weird feeling going from seeing your BFF’s all the time to going weeks without seeing each other.
You mean I won’t be seeing my friends every day….thank gosh for FaceTime!
Try something new
Leaving this one up in the year. I want to try something new and pushed from my comfort zone. We will see what happens and what I try.
Try new recipes
I love to cook and bake. This summer I want to try some new recipes and even come up with a signature dish. I am into salads right now, so I have a feeling I will be making lots of different salad combinations this summer.
Entertain Friends/family
I love to host people at my home and I learned it all from my mom. In the summer, we love to have friends and family over and I’m looking forward to doing some entertaining this summer.
Do something spontaneous
This goes along with trying something new, even though I love my schedules and routines. I want to be spontaneous and more flexible. I’m hoping to accomplish that this summer.
Be Present
After a stressful and busy semester, I want to be present and just live this summer. There will always be things to do and tasks to accomplish, however, I want to make an effort to just be happy where I am at.
Made this my background for my phone to only focus on the positive things in life
That concludes my summer goals. It may seem like a lot, but overall, I think it is a good mix of realistic and mental goals. Overall, I want this summer to be one filled with happiness, love, laughter, friendship, purpose, and maybe even a dance.
Another year, another birthday, another milestone…tomorrow I am turning 21! I am very excited not only to celebrate another year on Earth but also to join the big kids club. Haha! I’m the youngest out of most of my friends, so I am looking forward to going out with them to celebrate. If we are being honest, I think they are more excited than me. LOL!
I’ll be heading to Pittsburgh in a few weeks to celebrate with my friends, but for tomorrow, I am celebrating with my family. Last year, I shared 20 things I learned in my 20 years of life, you can read it here. Today, I’m sharing 21 wishes I have for this next year of life.
Cheers to 21!
1. Surround myself with people who lift me up and motivate me to be the best version of myself.
2. Make every moment a memory.
3. Live in the moment and don’t get distracted.
4. Stop dwelling on what happened in the past, and focus on the future.
5. Graduate College.
6. Get a job in my field.
Always looking to the future
7. Be happy where I am at in life and not where I think I should be.
8. Travel somewhere new with friends.
9. Listen to more podcasts and learn from every opportunity I get.
10. Be spontaneous and try something I’ve never done. It’s okay to step out of your comfort zone.
11. Go to more concerts.
Finding the joy in the little things in life
12. Spend money on experiences, not material things. Those will create the real memories.
13. Truly enjoy and take advantage of my last semester as a college student.
14. Be more vulnerable when it comes to opening up to friends and family about things that are bothering me. If you listen to your friends, they will listen to you.
15. Forget the schedule/routine and just see what the day brings.
16. Be more intentional with my time spent with family and friends. Put down the phones!
17. Pick up a new hobby.
I know I’m where I’m meant to be
18. Have more conversations with people instead of just sending a text. Quality over quantity.
19. Turn my passions and dreams into realities.
20. Show more appreciation to the ones I love. If you love ’em, tell them you love ’em!
21. Be open to whatever the future holds for me.
A smile is the best accessory
Some are more realistic than others, some will get achieved while others will be things I’m constantly working on. At the end of the day, I want to make these days count. We often get caught in the day to day life that we forget to stop and appreciate the life we are living. Cheers to 21 and to living my best life!
I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! I’m going into my last week of classes and then it’s finals week! This semester has flown by, my finals week shouldn’t be too bad, so I’m hoping to soak up as much time with my friends before many of them graduate. I always feel that pack them most into the last few weeks of school since that’s when everything is winding down. Last year, I did a fun facts post and it was so fun to do. You can read it here. Today, I decided to update it and share 10 more fun facts about me. Who knows maybe you will learn something new!
I journal every day and when I am stressed out or overwhelmed or have a problem, I always turn to journaling. I have several journals filled with thoughts or multiple word documents with thinking things out. I feel best after I write out a problem or talk it out with someone.
Journaling is the best way for me to unwind and be intentional every day
My biggest pet peeve is when people cancel plans on me, I’m always understanding especially when something unexpected comes up and someone has to reschedule consistently but it still bothers me
I love anything British, whether it’s books, movies, music, actors, the culture. I love everything about Great Britian. London, England is on my list of top three places to visit. One of my best friends is going to London this summer and I’m super jealous, I’m making them take lots of pictures for me. Haha!
Speaking of music, I have no favorite type of music, my playlists are all over the place from Praise and Worship, to 70’s hits, 2010’s workout music, top 40’s pop music, even country music and movie scores, it’s a mess. Whenever, I am out with friends, I let them pick the music since my taste is all over the place.
Just a peak into my pandora playlist…my amazon playlist is even more different
If I wasn’t a Communication major I would probably be an Education major. When I was growing up I always wanted to be a teacher growing up, but ultimately decided communication was the right path for me and I’m so glad I did since I love what I’m learning and doing.
I always have a bottle of water and gum with me, whether it’s in the car, going to class or running errands. I drink a lot of water during the day and even through the night, I keep water by my bed and typically finish a bottle of water through the night.
I prefer sweet over savory, I would rather have a big dessert than a steak dinner. Chocolate is my weakness so I will always indulge in something sweet.
I would prefer this over a huge dinner any day
I love hanging out and doing activites with friends, my friends and I go bowling and have a ton of fun even though I am probably the worst bowler…no joke, last time I went I think my score was 33…yeah, not the best score but I have a ton of fun when I’m with my friends and that’s what matters right?!
Although, I spend more time texting, I prefer calls over texts/DM’s/ snap chats etc. I find calls to be more personally and I can express myself more over a phone call than a long text or a direct message.
I love the simple things in life, for example, flowers. I love having fresh cutflowers in my room or on my desk. I love how such a small gesture can change your mood. I love the scent they bring into a room and how they can make a space feel warm and inviting.
Fresh cut flowers are a favorite of mine
And there’s 10, I hope you found this fun and enjoyable to read. These are always my favorite posts to read on other blogs since everyone is so different and it’s always fun to learn different things about each other.
How many did you know? What’s one fun fact about yourself? Leave them in the comments below!
Happy, happy Thursday! I hope you all had a great week. It’s crazy how fast this week went by. I am headed home for the weekend to see my family since I haven’t seen them since coming back from Rome. It will be nice to relax for a bit since I have been going non-stop these past few weeks.
Last weekend, I went to a semi-formal dance with my friends from school. It was the last one for me and so many friends since they are graduating in May and I’ll be graduating in December. My good friend Bailey and I made a weekend out of it and had the best time. We started out with dinner, hung out with friends, went to the dance, and hit up the gym and breakfast the next day. It was by far one of my favorite weekends of the year. I wanted to share the details of my outfit for today’s look of the day. I can’t wait to share this more formal look with you all.
Starting out night out with the dance
I don’t know what I would do without this girl. Truly the best friend I could ask for!
My friend Danielle was also at the dance and we had a blast dancing the night away
Bailey and I along with our friend Olivia hit up the gym early the next morning
Followed by brunch, I love these girls to death, not sure what I’m going do without them next year.
I have been going to all my semi-formals in college and I haven’t bought one dress, I’ve reworn all the dresses from past homecomings or other formal occasions. I will admit, I look much better in the dresses in college than I do in high school, it’s amazing what a few years can do. HA! Here’s a look down memory lane…
Fall freshmen year
Spring freshmen year
Fall sophomore Year
Spring sophomore year
First, let’s start with the dress. I got this dress a few years back and I wore it for Christmas. I loved it when I wore it then and I was so excited to wear it again. The cream-colored dress was perfect for spring and the scalloped neckline was my favorite part of the dress, not to mention the unique material. I got this dress from Francesca’s Boutique.
All ready for a night out
Since the dress is very simple, I knew I needed a few pops of color, that came in the form of my red shoes, jewelry and makeup accents.
Up close of the dress
I got these red pumps from DSW last year and although they aren’t my go-to shoes, they are great to have to add a pop of color to an outfit. I got them last year to wear with my all black dress I wore for Christmas, you can see that outfit here. I always think it’s important to have a fun shoe to add a pop of color to a neutral outfit.
I also opted for a bit of colors in my jewelry. Since the neckline was unique, I didn’t want anything overpowering.
I also made the decision to wear more neutral make up but add a pop of color with my lip choice of a bright red. I wanted the accent color of red to stand out without being too over powering.
I always love the opportunity to dress up for a fun night out and last weekend was the best. After a busy week, I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. See you all on Tuesday!
Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a great start. This past weekend was so nice to catch up on school work and sleep from coming back from my time in Rome! Today, I’m recapping part 2 of my trip to Rome, Italy during Spring Break! To read my recap of the first half of the week, you can find it here.
We are picking up on Wednesday morning. It was Ash Wednesday so we were up bright and early for mass. During our time in Rome, we had mass in English, Italian, and Latin. It was interesting to hear all the variations. We went to mass at San Clemente. The church was a 20 minute walk from our hotel so it was a great way to start the day. After mass we were able to tour the Church, San Clemente is unique because it is three churches built on top of one another, the first a secret Church, the next one from several hundreds years later and the last one is the one still used today. It was so cool to be in a Church with so much history. Due to the history of the Church, we couldn’t take any photos. After we left San Clemente, we headed to St. Mary’s Major, one of the four major basilicas in the world, all of which in Rome. They include Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, St Peter’s Basilica, St Paul Outside the Walls, and Papal Basilica of St Mary Major. This one was by far my favorite, from the details, to the artwork, and all the history. Something else that was special about this Church, because myself along with others had the opportunity to go to Reconciliation in Rome on Ash Wednesday to start off Lent. How cool is that?! It was a highlight of my trip. I felt so connected to my faith even more on this day.
St. Mary’s
The manager at St. Mary’s
Gorgeous ceiling
Amazing ceiling, stunning
After we finished at St. Mary’s, myself along with a few friends went to do some shopping and see some other sites. We first went to the Trevi fountain to make a wish, three years ago, I made a wish to return to Rome and it came true, so let’s hope this next wish comes true.
The Trevi Fountain
Making a wish at the Trevi Fountain
Making wishes at the fountain
We then got lunch at a small Italian restaurant, after eating pasta for the past few days, we all opted for something lighter. I got a Caprese salad, which was perfect to snack on. I also got the most divine chocolate mousse.
We opted for lunch
And a sweet dessert-surprising not Tiramisu
After we had a nice lunch we went to see the Spanish steps and do some shopping. We then headed back to our hotel. The Pope was supposed to be saying mass at the Church right next to our hotel, we waiting outside to see if we could see him. We saw him arrive but didn’t get a look at him saying mass. We then went to discussion for the night and then went to dinner.
We had a delicious dinner with pasta and fish. Yum! We then called it a night to get some sleep before a day trip the next day.
Lots of delicious appetizers
Seafood pasta
Tiramisu
On Thursday morning we were up early and ate a quick breakfast before getting on a bus to head to Monte Cassino for the day. It was an hour and a half bus ride away. We had been going non-stop for the week so everyone slept on the ride down. We were all pretty tired. When we arrived in Monte Cassino, the view was incredible. It sits on top of a mountain so the drive up was beautiful. Monte Cassino is one of the places were St. Benedict lived and died and where he is buried. Since, I come from a Benedictine college, this was simply incredible to be here. The whole time we were in Rome, the weather was warm and in the 60’s, but being so high up in the mountains, the temperature dropped to the 40’s, it was such a drastic change. We were able to celebrate mass with a few monks and seminaries that travelled with us from school to Rome, which was incredible. We were also given a tour and then able to spend some time taking it all in. After spending the morning there, we boarded the bus back to Rome.
The view from Monte Cassino
The view of Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
In Monte Cassino, there are plaques of all the schools associated with St. Benedict and my school was up there
The original floor at Monte Cassino from when St. Benedict lived there
St. Benedict’s tomb at Monte Cassino
We stopped for lunch on the way back and had a delicious lunch of light appetizers, pasta, and a light fruit cake.
Unique appetizers of lunch meat and cheese
Pasta with a mushroom sauce
Fruit cake for dessert
Once we came back to Rome we made a stop to see a third major bascilica, St. John’s. It was more simple compared to St. Peter’s and St. Mary’s, but still beautiful.
The outside of St. John’s
St. John’s
We made our way back to the hotel where we were able to have some downtime to relax before we had an earlier dinner at 7:30 instead of 8:00. For dinner we had appetizers of different pizzas, a simple cheese pizza and an everything pizza. We then had a stuffed ravoili and pasta for our main dishes. For dessert we had a lemon sorbet shake. It was so light and perfect to finish off a big meal. We made it back to our hotels to get some rest for out last full day in Rome.
Pizza for an Appetizer
Stuffed Ravioli
Cheese Pasta
A Lemon Sorbet for dessert
Roof top views from our hotel at night
On Friday, we woke up and ate breakfast before making our way to the fourth and final major bascilica, St. Paul’s outside the Walls. I loved the gorgeous ceiling and how they have all the Popes in history’s displayed. I loved how this Church was quieter since it was outside the downtown of Rome.
St. Paul’s Outside the Walls
St. Paul’s…stunning
After we spent some time here, we boarded a bus to drive to Ostia Antica, about 45 minutes outside of Rome. Ostia Antica used to be a major port thousands of years ago. Ostia Antica was also the place that St. Augustine spent some of his time and it is where his mother, Monica died. This brought back lots of memories from reading Augustine’s Confessions in my First Philosophy class. We had about two hours to walk around and take it all in, it was huge and amazing to see all the ruins and how most are still standing.
Ostia Antica
Another view of Osta Antica
We LOVED Ostia Antica
After out morning there, we headed back to Rome. We stopped for lunch and shopping at Eataly. I had been to Eataly when I traveled to Chicago last spring, but it was so cool to be in the original one in Italy. For those you don’t know or haven’t been to Eataly, it is basically a four-story grocery store/market/shopping center with many small places to get a bite to eat or get drinks. It was incredible. We were able to get, shop, and hang out for the afternoon on our own just as long as we were back for discussion. It was so nice to have free time on our last day. My friend Olivia and I got some gelato and browsed before getting pizza for lunch, yes we both ordered full pizzas and ate the whole thing…when in Rome, right?! After we picked up some gifts and food to bring home we made our way back to our hotel. Now, comes story time, Eataly is located outside of the Roman ruins, so we were a little out of our element. Olivia and I had a GPS to make sure we got back to the hotel, we knew that once we were inside the walls of Rome, we would be good.
EATALY
I may or may not have eaten the whole pizza
These desserts were to die for
Look at all the foods covered in chocolate
After a slow and steady walk, we made it back inside the walls and did some window shopping and one last stop for gelato before we went back to our hotel room to freshen up before our last discussion and dinner. It was bittersweet knowing this would be our last time together in Rome. After a great last discussion and a few toasts we made our way to dinner. We had a large fish dinner about 30 minutes from our hotel. We had great appetizers, pasta with seafood, salmon and vegetables and a delicious cake for dessert. It was so fun to be all together and celebrate our last night in Rome. After a fun dinner we made our way back to our hotel to pack since we had an early flight the next day.
Bruschetta
Seafood Pasta
Salmon and Potatoes
Cream Pie
On Saturday we woke up bright and early, grabbed breakfast and headed to the airport. It was a bit stressful getting everyone from the hotel, to the airport, through TSA and security and ironically we weren’t all together until we were at the gate boarding our plane back to Newark. We took off at 10:00 am and had a 10 hour flight home. I kept myself occupied by journaling about my fantastic trip, getting some work done for school, and watching lots of movies, my friends and I sat near each other so we kept each other company and watched the same movies together. I watched A Star is Born, Book Club, Mamma Mia 2, and some episodes of Friends. The flight was long but we made it through.
A view of the Alps from the plane
Once we landed in Newark, we had to go through Customs, TSA, recheck our bags and security. It took a while but we made it. When all was said and done, our group knew we needed to eat, we all were craving some super unhealthy American food, so Wendy’s it was. Haha! Nothing says welcome back to America than fried food. Haha! We then boarded our plane from Newark to Pittsburgh, an hour and 10 minute flight was nothing compared to our last one. We grabbed our luggage drove back to campus, we got back around 9:30 and I was exhausted, I guess that’s what happens when you have been traveling for 22 hours! I went straight to bed when I got back to school.
My favorite ladies
My favorite travel buddy Olivia
Reflecting on the whole trip
A few of my favorite memories from Rome
My roomie and “exit buddy” Marion
Wow, that was a lot. For those of you who stuck with me, congratulations. I wish I could have taken you all with me to explore Rome and see all the sights, sounds, and tastes of the beautiful Italian lifestyle. This was by far one of the best trips I have ever been on, it was the perfect balance of academics, religion, leisure, fun and fellowship. I am forever connected to the people I travelled with. No matter where life takes us, “All Roads Lead to Rome”. Ciao Roma! You will always hold a special place in my heart!
It’s so good to be back to blogging. I got back late Saturday night from Rome, Italy where I was for Spring Break. I have been a part of a leadership program during my time at college. During the spring semester of our senior year, we travel to Rome to study abroad. Since I’m graduating early I went as a junior, I’m so glad I was able to go with this group since I have so many friends who are a year older than me, it made it so much more fun. There were 13 student that went with 2 professors and a few other chaperones, we had a great group. I had the absolute best time this past week. I can’t wait to get into all the things I did while I was abroad.
I was able to rest up on Sunday and get things done before starting back to reality yesterday. It’s been a busy few days but they have been so good. Instead of having a huge post all about my time abroad, I’m going to break it up into two posts. Part One will be today and Part Two will be up next Tuesday. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started.
Off to the airport
I left early Friday morning for Rome. After an early wake up call at 3:30, I think I got maybe three hours of sleep. We were off to the airport. We went from Pittsburgh to Newark and were in Newark by 10 am. We then had a long layover until 5:45 when we jetted off for Rome. During our layover my group and I hung out, grabbed lunch and did homework.
A look at my travel journey
We took off at 5:45 to take an overnight flight to Rome. It was about a 6 hour flight. During the flight I watched Crazy Stupid Love, ate dinner, and tried to get a few hours of sleep. ( I think I got maybe 2?) This lack of sleep is consistent through the whole trip. Haha! We got breakfast on the plane the next morning before we landed.
We landed at 8:00 am-super early. We were all pretty tired but we dropped off our bags, walked around the area near our hotel and enjoyed a mid morning coffee.
Landing in Rome
We stayed at Via San Pio, it was near a Church, San Anselmo, which became our base. We were staying in a more residential area, therefore it was much more quieter and not as touristy. We were 20 minutes away from the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. We walked everywhere on the trip. I think I averaged between 25,000-30,000 steps a day. Because we walked so much we became very familiar with this area, as long as I knew where the Colosseum was, I could get you to our hotel, the restaurants, and the shops.
The view of the city near our hotel
After a mid morning coffee break, we got lunch at San Anselmo’s and we were able to eat with the monks and priests that live there. After lunch, we were able to check into our hotel, freshen up, shower and unpack. My friend Olivia, who was also on this trip, and I grabbed some gelato and and took a walk around the neighborhood we were in.
Morning Tea
It’s amazing what dry shampoo, mascara, and lipstick can do…does it look like I got 5 hours of sleep in 2 days?!
San Anselmo’s…The Church we were staying near
First Gelato of the trip
Since this trip was with an academic, leadership program, every night we had discussions and assigned readings and toasts were given out. We went to our discussion then went to dinner at Bucatini, a delicious restaurant that was a 15 minute walk from the hotel. It was delicious.
Dinner night 1…Bucatini
In Italy, the biggest culture change besides the time difference (they are 6 hours ahead), was the meals. First, they eat much later, most days we didn’t eat dinner until 8:00 and there are many courses and it takes a while to eat. Most nights, there were four-five course (appetizer, pasta, meat, dessert) and we would be there for 2.5-3 hours eating. We weren’t getting back to our hotel until 10:30 or 11:00 and then going straight to bed since we had to be up early the next day. The days were long, I think I averaged between 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Long days and short nights, to put it in perspective, when I would be talking to people back home before I went to bed it would be dinner time back home, by the time I woke up, they were still awake. Crazy!
After delicious dinner, I came back to the room and went to bed, keep in mind I had slept about 5 hours in the past 2 days so I was very tired.
On Sunday, our first full official day in Rome, we were up early for Mass and then we took a walk as a group to see a few sites such as the Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Novena, and the Pantheon. It was so nice to see what a Sunday morning was like, by simply walking the streets, seeing the markets and the locals. After a nice morning walk we got lunch at a small Italian restaurant where we had the best pizza and bruschetta. After lunch we stopped for gelato. The orange and chocolate raspberry was a favorite for me. We then took a long walk back where we passed a few Churches, my favorite was Saint Maria Della Vitoria. It was absolutely stunning. I couldn’t get over the beauty and the detail of the art work. We also passed the Colosseum on our way back. We had some downtime before we had our discussion and dinner. We had a big dinner with five courses, the pasta was delicious and I tried everything that was offered. The Arch Abbot of our school was in Rome for a few days and he joined us for dinner too which was an honor. After a lively dinner, we all went back to the hotel to get some rest before the full week began.
Walking around the markets early Sunday
St. Maria’s
Lunch- Bruschetta
Pizza
150 flavors of Gelato
Gelato
First look
Dinner- Appetizers
Bread and cheese
Pasta
Pasta
Meat and Potatoes
Variety of Tiramisus and Desserts
On Monday, we woke up bright and early, grabbed some breakfast and were off to explore the Palentine Hill, Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The Palentine Hill was the residential area of Ancient Rome and the Roman Forum was the city area. We saw some amazing views from the Palentine Hill. The Roman Forum was quiet impressive as well, it’s amazing how well preserved everything is from hundreds of years ago. The pictures don’t do it justice. We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant were we were served Panchetta (an egg/cheese pasta) and veal along with Tiramisu. We ate these same meals often, but every place they were different. In the afternoon, we spent time in the Colosseum, exploring the ruins and just imagining what life was in Roman Times, once again the pictures don’t do it justice. We took a scenic walk back to our hotel and went straight to our discussion and dinner. For dinner, we had delicious thin crust pizza (I don’t know how I can go back to eating American pizza) and a mushroom pasta. It was such a fun time to eat together and share our favorite moments of the day. After a late dinner we went back to the hotel to get to sleep since we had a big day on Tuesday.
Views from Palentine Hill
My two buddies for the trip. My roomie Marion and my good friend Olivia. We had so much fun!
The Roman Forum
Recognize this place?!
Lunch- Panchetta Pasta
Veal and Vegetables
Tiramisu
The Roman Ruins
Dinner- Pizza for an Appetizer?! Yes Please!
Bread and cheese
Meat and Pasta
On Tuesday, we woke up very early and took a bus to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica where we had mass in the crypt next to St. Peter’s tomb, along next to where many of the other Pope’s in history lay. It was so amazing to be praying and have mass in St. Peter’s, it was one of my favorite moments. We had a fantastic tour guide of St. Peter’s and the Vatican. She was so knowledgeable and friendly. The artwork, the detail and the history behind this Bascilica was incredible. I was in awe the whole time even though I have been there before. I loved seeing the artwork and paintings and hearing how they all came to be. Without a doubt, the Sistine Chapel was phenomenal, no words can describe it. I could have spent hours there. After a full morning of touring, we went to lunch where we had Panchetta and Veal with Tiramisu. We then had the afternoon free to shop, see other sites around the Vatican and just relax. We spent most of our time shopping and getting gifts for people at the Vatican. We then made our way back to our hotel where we rested and got ready for discussion and dinner. We had dinner at one of my favorite places, we had a flavorful appetizer, delicious pasta and gourmet chicken. We decided after dinner to check out the Colosseum at night which was a must see in Rome. We then made our way back to the hotel very late and got some rest before the next day.
The Vatican
The Hall of Maps
Taking it all in
Pictures don’t do it justice
Looking out to the city
Stunning entrance
I was in awe the whole time
Some famous artwork you may recognize
Does this look familiar
So much detail
Lunch-Mushroom Pasta
Veal
Tiramisu
Dinner- Appetizers
Pasta
Meat and Vegetables
The Colosseum at night
We were a little excited to see it
Whew, that’s a lot, for those of you stuck with it, THANK YOU! Part 2 will be up next Tuesday. I hope your enjoyed part one of my Rome recap, it was truly the best trip I have ever been on, from organized tours, free time, good food, shopping and downtime. It was the best time. See you Thursday for a look of the day! See you then! xoxo
I hope your week is off to a great start. I just got back from a very restful and much needed break at home. It was so good to get home for a while and rejuvenate for a bit. This is a big week, not only is it the last week before midterms but I am also leaving on Friday to head off to Rome, Italy for Spring Break!!!
So, why am I going to Rome?! I have been a part of a leadership program since I’ve been in college and one of the last components of the program is to learn and apply everything we have learned these past three years for a week in Rome. I travelled to Italy when I was in high school and I can’t wait to go back and get a new experience for this second time. I’ll be sure to post updates of my time abroad as well as several blog posts in the upcoming future.
Now, moving on to today’s topic: we are talking all about things to do during a quiet weekend. Whether you are a college student like myself, a young working professional, or a parent with free little time to yourself, I hope this post gives you ideas on ways to relax or activities to do when you don’t have a lot to do on the weekends.
As a college student, I often find myself busy through the week with classes, meetings, and commitments. However, during the weekends, everything tends to slow down, people head home for the weekend, there is not as many things going on, and the weekends are generally quiet. During my time in college, I’ve found many ways to occupy myself when things are quiet, there is only so much homework you can do and you can only get so far ahead in classes. Here are my favorite things to do on the weekend.
Binge watch the latest show on Netflix– I’m currently watching American Crime Story “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”, I’m obsessed with it. I loved watching “The People vs. OJ Simpson” a few years ago and was so excited when they came out with a second season.
Such a good mini series
Pick up a book and escape to a new world for a few hours– Although it is hard to come across time to read in college, free time on the weekend gives me time to get ahead on reading and relaxing. I just finished Jessie James Decker’s book, “Just Jessie” and I loved it. It was so easy to read and a good escape from my college books. I’ll be posting my review of her book in the next few weeks.
Such a fun book
Call up that friend you haven’t talked to in forever and catch up.-This is something I have been trying to do more this semester, I have been doing my best to reconnect with old friends, whether they are high school friends or childhood friends. There is nothing better than facetiming with a friend, swapping stories and sharing memories.
Self Care Night– After a busy week, take some time for yourself, whether it’s running a bubble bath and reading, doing a facemask, or painting your nails, pamper yourself with something special and make sure you are putting your best self forward for a new week ahead.
Nothing makes me feel better than a fresh coat of polish. I wore this color for Valentine’s Day!
Take a walk or work out.-Not as relaxing but you will feel better after. Sometimes a walk outside is all we need to clear our heads and recharge our batteries. If a walk is not your thing then hit the gym and sweat the stress away. Get your blood pumping and heart racing and you will feel great after!
Do something productive– If you have checked all these things off your list of things to do, then tackle a project that has been needing your attention for a while, whether it is a junk drawer that needs cleaned out, a binder that needs organized, clothes than need laid out, or meal prepping for the week ahead, set time aside to get ahead for the week so you aren’t scrambling on Monday morning.
I hope this list gives you some examples of things to do on a quiet weekend, although sometimes we crave the quiet and just need silence, it can also get boring and mundane. What activities to do you like to do on those few quiet weekends?
Happy Tuesday. I hope you week is off to a great start. Classes started back yesterday so I am in the process of getting into a new routine for a new semester. This semester is going to be a busy one, but I have lots of fun things planned, I’m looking forward to what the semester has in store for me. I always love putting everything on my calendar and seeing what things I’ll be doing. There is no better feeling than a clean and organized calendar. You can see my system for organizing my calendar and planning here. One thing I try to do with this blog is be open, honest and real with you all. The good, the bad, and the real life stuff.
Although, the start of every semester is new and exciting I always experience a few days of transition between going from home life to back to school life. When I am at home, I am constantly on the go whether it is at work, running errands, carpooling, or spending time with family. Although, it may seem overwhelming and a lot to manage, I love it. I’ve always been used to a busy home life, so it seems natural to always be on the go and taking care of others and pitching in to help. After all, that’s the importance of family, always being there for each other. When I was home over break I got a lot of family time in which I love. But, when I come back to school after a long break it’s always weird to go from constantly being on the go and being surrounded by my family to just taking care of myself. It’s definitely a lot quieter and I have a lot more downtime. Although, this can be nice and relaxing, at the same time, I don’t always know what to do with all my free time before classes start. These days of transition are always interesting to navigate. Of course, I have commitments and meetings that keep me busy and I am catching up with friends, but these days are weird.
I was talking about the odd in between days with a friend and they felt the same way, they described it as the Sunday feeling, the feeling when you know you have a new week (or semester) in front of you and you have a lot to do and you want to get started, but at the same time you want to relax and not think about that long to do list. I was so happy to talk to someone who shared the same feeling as I did. It was encouraging to hear that my feelings and thoughts were shared with someone else.
I started this blog to share tips and tricks I had with organization, fashion, and fitness but also to share about life as a college student. The good, the bad, and the real-life stuff. I hope if you ever felt the same about the transition days between home and school you find comfort that you aren’t alone with your feelings. Now, that I am back into the swing of classes and a new routine, the in between days are behind me.
Always remember that there are so many adventures to be had, but there is truly no place like home. See you on Thursday for new wintery look of the day! Have a great week!
What a semester it has been. That has been my catch phrase these past few months. Finals are over, I am home for a well-deserved break and I’m taking the time to reflect on this past semester. I was excited for the new semester to start back in August, I had interesting classes lined up to take, I was looking forward to spending time with friends and last year, I really felt that I had found my place and I was looking forward to growing more. For the most part, all those things came through. I certainly grew more this semester. This semester definitely tested me, I took on a heavier course load (18 credits) , took on a few more leadership roles (with clubs and Honor Societies and leading meetings) , got more involved with my school, and started a new job (I both work study for a professor and tutor). However, I quickly learned a new balance with all the new stuff going on and I really managed to get into a good routine that worked for me, I also made sure to take care of myself too. I managed to get all my classes done, work in, and still managed to have a social life.
This was my reaction when I realized how much I took on…yep, I may have taken on too much.
A few highlights of this semester include lots of fun memories, from inside jokes with classmates in classes, late nights at work, dinners out with friends, early mornings at the gym followed by breakfast, movie nights, staff bonding events, nights out in the city, and so many more.
Staff photos with Sharon to kick off the semester
Early morning trips to the gym
An Ed Sheeran concert in the middle of the semester was much needed
This is how I spent most of this semester, work, work, work
Early morning walks to class
Trips to fall fests
Halloween Dances
More Halloween festivities
I seriously don’t know where I would be without this girl. We may have met through work but she has become one of my closest friends, and yes, I have no idea what I’m going to do once she graduates.
Another one of the many things I did this semester was help work on our news program at school
One of us was working and the other one was supposed to be doing homework…yet we still managed to hang out on a Friday night
Light Up Night in downtown with the best
I think this describes our friendship and semester in a nutshell
Well that wraps up my semester. I learned a lot, made so many memories, grew more confident as a person and with my decisions and really did my best to be social and step out of my comfort zone. Through my time in college, I have learned that it’s most important to take advantage of every opportunity, make memories, and step outside of your comfort zone. Next semester will be different as many of my friends will be graduating, studying abroad, or student teaching. It will be different but I am up for the challenge. I’ll have another look for you on Thursday, then I will be taking next Tuesday off for Christmas. Have a great weekend.
