Sunday, December 02, 2012

Rome, Italy, October 25th, 2012

My first night in Rome, Italy!!!!

I was very excited to see one particular fountain, and so Crystal and I made a bee-line for it to make sure we didn't miss it. Can you tell I'm excited?

Legend has it that you must throw a coin from the right hand over the left shoulder (or was it the left hand over the right shoulder???)  and your wish will be granted, or you will return to Rome. Just to be safe, I threw one from each hand over each shoulder, and kissed it just to be sure. I used American coins and Euros, just because I was not sure which would grant my wish, and I wasn't taking chances!

Then, suddenly, there was the Pantheon! It turns out that there are a lot of things in Italy, and if I had taken any time to research this stuff, it would not have been such a fun surprise, so I am glad I hadn't!

Then there was one of the many plazas, and this one I especially enjoyed.
I simply love fountains, even when you are not allowed to swim in them!
But Mermen were abundant and I was in good company.
What else for lunch but PizzA!!!! The point of the slice shows where we ate.
There were so many beautiful things to see, and so many beautiful colors.
Yup, I was a happy girl!
It was so exciting to be wandering through streets, then stumble upon ruins!
Crystal's big "I wanna see that!" was the Colosseum. Check!!!!
I could just imagine what the people came to see, and what they wore, and the laughter and good and sad times here.
It was so big! I wondered which pictures my grandparents had taken here.
Yeah, I had to get up and be my own statue!
So interesting!
So Italy!
We had so much fun wandering around!
One tip that someone had told us was to drink the water from the fountains. I was SOOOOO glad I did!
I don't think I have ever had such fantastic water! I would not have tried it if someone had not told me, and we had a blast refilling our water bottles with this amazing water.
So picturesque! More to come....

Friday, October 05, 2012

Just another Third Thursday

 This month our monthly oncology meet was held at Donov@ns. Mmmm/ Steak!!!
 I wish Carlin wasn't moving to Virginia next year. The Navy can be so cruel!
Meloddie and I...she's our current Program Chair!

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

1st weekend Oktoberfest 2012

 The best part of October starting!!!! Oktoberfest in El Cajon...
 The band, from Germany played all the traditional songs, complete with this thing!

 I got to eat my own German lunch with a cup of beer...


 And, really, who can resist the chicken dance? Especially when you have the hat to go with it???

 Some of the dancers I knew from when I was just a kiddo and my grandparents danced with them.  They welcomed me with open arms!
The crowd go into the music as the musicians got even onto the tables! It was a fantastic time!

Monday, October 01, 2012

Girls Movie Night 9.27.12

 Girl's Movie Night was hosted at my house this month. The theme: Italian!
 The menu: 
Homemade Rustic Italian bread
Chicken Parmigiana
Fig and goat cheese salad
Bow tie pasta
Dessert: brownies with raspberry compote and ice cream
 The salad turned out fantastic!
 I have a bad habit of not entirely reading the directions, as I have mentioned in the past. I was proud of myself for gathering the ingredients BEFORE starting to make the bread. Step 1: combine ingredients. Check. Step 2: Put into bread-maker. Dang!!! I really have to read ALL the directions. I don't have a bread maker. The bread was tasty, but entirely heavy, requiring a big gulp of water after each bite. 

The compote, well, it burned. The chicken Parmesan? It was good!...once you took off the burned mozzarella cheese.. Sigh.
The movie? Well, it was absolutely delightful! The company was pleasant, and overall, I would say the night was a success!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Waiting for the Twins: 9.22.12

 This one has to be my favorite of the shoot; it's just happy and romantic!
 Despite not having had a nap, this little kiddo did great during the shoot!
 From family of 3 to 5 (yes, there are twin girls in there...) coming soon...they are due in October.
 Until they arrive, the journey and waiting continues...
It felt good to get behind the camera again :)

Monday, September 24, 2012

Sunset


Sometimes sunsets are the best part of my day. :)

Monday, September 17, 2012

How nice!

 I was cleaning out boxes and came across this!
How precious!!! Bessie loved me! Ooooooodles!