Italiano?

Buona notte!! I am trying to learn Italiano so that when I meet my family in Sicily, I can converse with them! Plus, I love learning new languages!! As I'm going through the Italian Rosetta Stone, I'm just so happy to be speaking a new language!! It hurts my jaw though because different languages use different parts of the mouth and jaw apparently! I'm really excited, though! A phrase I learned today is: Un bambino sotto un aereo. The boy is under the airplane. Haha! I love it! I love Italy so much. I can't wait to return again!

Speaking of trips to foreign countries, I told Steve how I'd like to visit somewhere besides Lincoln, Cheltenham, and Cornwall, and so he's organizing (oh my gosh, I just wrote organising, and had to delete that spelling!!) a trip somewhere as a surprise!! I'm so excited!! I also picked out my Valentine's Day gift, which is the picture below this paragraph! It's the first earring, and it's an X with a diamond underneath, so it's like XO! In case you don't know, Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday ever! I love it way more than Christmas or Thanksgiving! It's all about love! And, well, I absolutely love love. I don't just mean relationship love, I mean the world too. Okay look at my earrings!

So I scored an A+ in my exam that I took before Christmas! I'm so so happy! It was on Social and Biology Psychology! I studied a lot for it, finished the 90 questions in about 25 minutes, and got such an amazing grade. I am so proud of myself!! Now that I've set that standard, I hope to maintain it throughout school!

It's starting to get warmer here, so I'm thinking I'm going to start going on walks since I boycott running!! It will not only clear my mind and put me in a good mood, I will get fit too!! I'll let you know if my plan works...

Steve and I are off to see some wedding venues soon! I think we know where we want anyway, but we'll look at these places anyway so we don't completely write them off!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well!! Enjoy life and everyone and everything in it!! Love love love!! <3

Ciao!

All You Need Is...Friendship!

I love it when I'm down and being irrational, and a good friend can just lift me back up again and put me back into place. I'm so thankful I have friends like that in my life. Few, but at least I have them!

Hello, 2011!!

I haven't updated in awhile, mostly because there has been so much going on during this Christmas break! Then again, I've been lazy. It's been nice to lounge around and sleep in!

We went to Cornwall to see Steve's family during Christmas and Boxing Day. The difference in the Christmas meal is crazy compared to the US. We're used to the turkey (or tofurkey, in my case), yams, cranberry, green beans, mashed potatoes, and then some pumpkin pie or other types of pie. In England, it's also a turkey, roast potatoes, nice vegetables, then Christmas Pudding, which is a dried fruit dessert made with brandy. Definitely different. The whole experience made me miss my family and spending the holidays with them because I hadn't in so long. Maybe one year I'll make it there. Or I could make something here! I don't know.

We also got to look at some wedding venues! We saw a bunch of them, but we had to book an appointment for all of them except for 1. The 1 we did go see is called the Carbis Bay hotel-and it is AMAZING. We were greeted and offered to be shown around, and it was such a beautiful site! We were even talking to the owner (we think!) of the hotel, and he told us that if we get married there, we can come back a year later and have a free meal on him! Everyone was so friendly, and the prices are really good. The view is absolutely amazing too, and it's their own private beach! Here's a picture!

We're going to be returning to Cornwall soon to look at the other 2 venues we're interested in! I am really looking forward to it! All of them are gorgeous, but it's all about the service, isn't it? For one of them, the event planner guy wasn't very helpful at all, and won't be there to show us around. He said one of the staff can take us around though. For the other hotel, the woman sent me so much information on it and set up an appointment with us. So, we shall see! I'll keep you updated!

Anyway, back to the holiday-we came home and went to our friends' house for a New Years party! It was nice-I didn't really know anyone, though, but they were really nice to me. We also got to release Chinese Sky Lanterns-I had never heard of them, but now I want to do them at our wedding!! Have a look...

Sooo pretty...I've been trying to plan more and more of the wedding. Nothing has been official because we pretty much need to get a venue and set a date, but I'm just thinking of the little things, like the reception! I want the tables to have vintage china teacups with roses as the centerpieces, rose petals all over the table, and possibly votive candles. The favors will be mini wine bottles with a personalized label so they can take them home! I don't want too much, you know? I just want some simple flowers, nothing extravagant. I really think we're going to save so much money, at least I hope! I don't plan on having a lot of flowers. I only plan on having 1 bridesmaid. The favors are cheap. We'll have under 90 people.

Steve wants to have a live band as well as a DJ. We'll have to calculate that and see how much it costs. One thing I absolutely have to have is a string quartet for when I walk down the aisle. So we have to calculate that too! Haha most of our money is going to music!! Good thing it's our favorite, and it's what brought us together!

Oh! And for my hen night/bachelorette party, I'd like to do something fun, like taking a bollywood class, where you get to dress up, learn how to dance, and take pictures and all of that!! I think that'd be fun! I'm not up for getting drunk since I'm not a big drinker.

I've been watching Bridezilla lately-hopefully I won't become those! They seem so unhappy on their actual wedding day cause they are stressing out and yelling about everything. I did get a good tip though! To cut out/save pictures you like from weddings so you can show potential photographers! I think that's an awesome idea! I've been cutting out lots of things I like in magazines and saving them on the computer as well. I think I may be starting a little early? The wedding isn't for another year and a half. Oh well, by the time I'm "supposed" to know, I'll be all prepared!! Oh! I also want to frame pictures from some of our family members weddings, and put them around the guest book. What do you think?

One thing I really want to do is get engagement photos done, as well as place an announcement in my parents' local newspaper. You only (usually) get engaged once, and I'd like to have it documented and do all the things that people do or used to do, you know? It's a nice keepsake to show your children and grandchildren. I know Steve doesn't like pictures, but I don't care. I'm not going pictureless for the rest of my life cause he doesn't like pictures!!! He doesn't have to look at them! :) I mean, what about the wedding, then when we have kids? Pictures must be taken! 

Any suggestions to save money for the wedding? Or even cute, romantic ideas for it?

Woot Woot Friday!!!

1. Today I have started my Christmas Break!! It is the first "free" break since I was in High School! I turned in my 2 papers, my seminar portfolio, and took my 2 exams, and now it's time to relax! For a little bit anyway, because I have some work to do over the break. 

2. Steve also has off! So we are heading down to his family's house for a few days! We'll also look at a wedding venue that I'm very interested in! I'm excited about that! I'll also make my famous pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!! Yummmm! 

3. I started writing in my journal again. I know that I am able to express my feelings more in it, which helps me not bottle them up so much. So we will see how long that lasts!!

4. I don't really have 7 things to say. Hmm...my brother is heading home for the holidays! I'm going to webcam with my family on Christmas Day since I won't be able to call. That should be nice!! 

5. We went to the Farmer's Market today! We usually don't walk around, but today we did! So we got some ciabatta bread, basil-infused olive oil, cheese I had never heard of but it was so good, and these rice balls stuffed with amazingness that we'll have for dinner!! I seriously should go there all the time!

6. I hope that everyone has an amazing holiday full of love and gratefulness!! I'm grateful for my family and my friends being in my life! I hope you all are too :) 

7. Michelle out! :)

*Sigh*

I don't really have a reason to feel this way, but lately I've been feeling pretty lonely. Actually, for the last year or so I have been feeling that way. Ever since I left Lincoln. I made some amazing friends there that lived close to me. Then I moved to Florida and had to make new friends, but I distanced myself because I knew I'd be leaving. I have friends here, but I know it takes time to get really close. I also feel like I don't relate to many people here anyway. Not that I've met everyone at school or anything. I usually become good friends with people that are older than me, so it's a big change not having that.

Steve is also away during the week. I know Christmas Break is coming up, and that'll help. I guess I miss my family too. I don't know. I feel distanced from everyone. Disconnected.

I shouldn't complain, really. I have an amazing life. I live in the country that I love, I am going to school for something I love, and I have an amazing fiance and an amazing family in my life. I just get down sometimes because I miss everyone!

Anyway, I got a job at a new Cafe a few weeks ago, and ended up hating it. I was on my feet for 5-8 hours a day, 3 days a week, and it was taking its toll on my schoolwork and my body. I couldn't walk for 2 days after working. And I was too exhausted to work. It wasn't worth it, I had to quit. The boss was the most annoying and frustrating man too. So now I'm thankful to have my days off again, especially my weekends since it's the only time I see Steve, and they were having me work Saturday and Sunday all day. Thank goodness for the money from the VA coming through!!

Next week is the end of term! I can't believe it! I have one more paper to write and an exam to study for, which I've already started anyway. I love to write research papers if it's something I'm interested in. I also just dedicate one day to writing it, because I can't do it over a course of a few days. I don't take breaks either, I just get them done in a few hours. If I take a proper break, then I will get writer's block easily. I got a B on my assignment for Education!! Woo! I think their B's equal A's for America though, because a D is still an average score. Who knows, really!

I got my ear pierced yesterday! My tragus one didn't work out, so I got 2 piercings, and I want to get a few more going along the outside of my ear. It's pretty!!

We want to go to Germany before Christmas for the Christmas Markets!! We've been talking about it for awhile, and now it's totally doable! I've never been, and I loooved the Lincoln Christmas Market the two times I went. I need a trip, badly. I love living in Europe because of the easy travel! Honestly, an airline ticket and a hotel for a few nights is equivalent to the price of flying from New Jersey to California!!!

I was just talking to my friend, Charlotte, about wedding plans! She got me all excited and recommended so much!! I'll be turning to her a lot, I think, for the planning, since I have no idea what I'm doing. We won't start planning til January though. It's scary and exciting!! I love this dress, but only if it comes in ivory! And shows no cleavage.

Christmas is going to be spent in Cornwall this year with Steve's family. They always treat me like family, it's really nice. And I looove Cornwall. I haven't been to my own home for Christmas since 2007 I think. It made me sad thinking about it the other day.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely December so far!! These months are going by so fast. Enjoy them! <3

Quick Takes Friday!!

1. Happy Late Thanksgiving, everyone!! There is so much to be thankful for! I am especially thankful for my family and friends being in my life!! That's all I could ever hope for!! To celebrate, I went to school for 5 hours, then I made myself a nice pasta bake. Steve wasn't around so I didn't actually celebrate the holiday with food. I did end up getting kind of lonely because it's a holiday for families, isn't it? But in the end, I'm just thankful to HAVE a family.

2. Our couches are heeere! Well, not in our house until Wednesday. It would have been nice to have them here this weekend buuut we've waited this long, so I guess it doesn't matter.

3. I'm really enjoying school and learning about Psychology, especially when I get to talk about it with my uncle Scott since he's been through all of this! I am going to start being more disciplined and reading 1 journal article a week to improve both my knowledge and writing.

4. It is fuhreeeezing here!!! Oh my gosh, I just checked the temp and it's 25 degrees out!! Brrrr! When I walk to school, I'm ice cold. But since it's an uphill walk, I start sweating as I near the end of it, and when I walk into my classes, I'm sweating like crazy. It's sooo embarrassing, but at least it's a workout.

5. Speaking of workouts, Steve said my 3 workout DVDs have arrived!! I got a Bellydancing one, a regular dance one, and a Bollywood one!! I'm soooo excited! It's cheaper than joining a gym at this point. Plus I like to go there for the classes, not for the equipment. Working out should be fun, no? ;)

6. Oh! I got a job. It's in this brand new coffee shop that just opened up Wednesday. It's sooo cute there! I start tomorrow alllll day, and then Sunday for most of the day. It kind of upsets me because the only time I see Steve now is during the weekends, and now I'll be at work for those. So I'm thinking hard of what I want to do, especially if the VA pays me soon, which they said the should! Fingers crossed!

7. Finally, please keep praying for my wonderful cousin, Frankie. I haven't talked to him in awhile, so I'll try again next week to see how he's doing. He means so much to me and I don't want to lose him. We've already lost so many from his family, we don't want to lose him too. I love you, Frankie!


I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and week next week!! <3

Quick Takes Friiiiiday!

1. We're engaaaaged! Woooo!! It's crazy to actually think that I'm all grown up now. It still feels surreal! I can't believe that we're going to be planning a wedding! The best part is that it'll be with the man of my dreams! It happened on the eve of our 2 year anniversary because he was leaving for school and wasn't going to be with me on the actual anniversary. Sooo it was Halloween! Haha! He tells me know he was going to whisk (not the utensil!) me away to Paris or somewhere like that, but we had a visitor :)

2. I'm thinking that I want to do the Romantic themed wedding-with antique pink roses and candles everywhere! Then we're going to put "Love" in different languages on a card on each table! I know, minor details, we still need to set a date and all of that, but it's fun to look around!! 

3. I finally have Beauty and the Beast!! My faaavorite movie of all time! I watched it last night for the first time in aaages, and I was crying! It was so sad and so sweet all at the same time! I love Belle and Lumiere! Awww aaaand the beast is ginger, just like Steve! And Belle, of course, is brunette! It's meant to be! ;)

4. I bought some fun sprinkles so I can bake cupcakes! Buuut I'm missing the baking powder...no biggie! This amazing recipe I bought has so many awesome looking cupcakes! But I want to create my own...I'm going to try to bake them with Bailey's Pouring Cream, and then later I'll bake some with almond. I want to decorate them all pretty-like!

5. Still no couches. But we don't mind sitting on camper chairs in the mean-time!

6. Yesterday was Veteran's Day! It's wierd to think I'm out of the military now and that I'm not longer associated with it. Happy Late Veteran's Day to all who served and all who are still serving, like my brother!!

7. As you can tell, I don't have much to say. Sorry!! I'll take pictures of my cupcakes if they look cute enough!! Have a great weekend everyone!