Lucca, Siena, Chianti, Florence, Amsterdam, Atlanta, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, NEW YORK CITY, and Charleston

You're probably wondering what all of these places have in common!?!?!? Well, you'll just have to read the rest of the blog to find out! ;)

Today was a good day! I woke up before my alarm clock and worked on some things online. Then i got dressed, etc. etc. For breakfast I had a chocolate chip muffin again, but today I was thankful for it...as opposed to the other. It was pretty much my normal morning, except that I left the apartment later than usual! I was however, excited to wear my colorful tobogan from Old Navy. If you have known me for any length of time (or during any winter) you have definitely seen it! IT'S MY FAVORITE...I love, love, love it...and it only cost me like $5 a few years ago!! Love! So I left for school...and there wasn't anything too special on the walk to school either. Wait,that is a total lie...as I got close to the school, there was a group of people walking down the street with a protest sign...I took a picture...but have no clue what they were actually protesting and who was meant to see them...they were loud though! I got there with like 2 minutes to spare, but luckily Maria is always late.

So we had our test...it was fine. I could complain about Maria a bit here, but I wont... I'll just let it be and move on! After the test, we had our break. Fiona and I went to the bar so she could get some coffee. I got this granola bar with orange filling and it was really good! :) After this I ran upstairs and emailed/facebooked before class started back. Fiona and I had discussed what we might be doing next...our thoughts were Condizionale...but we were wrong! :( We did prepositions...BORING!! However, AT LEAST it was something I understand and already knew from UA (though I did learn a few new things...so yay! ). The end of class was the BEST because Maria told us that she wasn't going to be able to come to school tomorrow and that we would just be with the level one students. **Also, the Maria who teaches the torturous Art History class hadn't been there for a few days, but she definitely showed up just in time for our class! :( ** So, because regular Maria said we would just be reviewing what we did today with the first levels, and I was already considering skipping art history again...I DECIDED TO SKIP SCHOOL!!! Yes people, ME...IIIII decided to skip school...willingly! This might be a first...ever!

So I made the plan (in my head...didn't share with anyone) that I was going to take the train to Lucca tomorrow and the bus to Siena on Saturday. I had asked Fiona about taking the bus and she told me she bought her ticket at the train station, so I figured it was best to just ask at the train station tomorrow when I went for Lucca. Before I left school I found out that we were supposed to meet in front of the school Sunday at 11:30 for the Chianti trip. THerfore, I felt NO NEED WHATSOEVER to go to class tomorrow! I was SO excited!!!

The Art History class was as boring as ever today...so I took that time to finish writing and addressing post cards! After this class, I asked Tamsin if she wanted to show me where it was she always got the wraps she was telling me about...she said she had her heart set on pizza, but told me the street and a general area. I had NO desire for pizza, so I went in search of the wraps! However, I first went and bought the stamps for the post cards, sat in Piazza della Repubblica and put the stamps on, walked to the post office and mailed them, and THEN I was off in search of food.

I never found the place that Tamsin described...I was so bummed. I ended up in this place that had some hot food because I was not feeling like a sandwich. So I ended up with "Crepe alla Florentina". It was a crepe with spinach and ricotta in it, in this sauce stuff. I went and sat in San Marco to eat it, but decided it needed some salt, so I started walking home where I had packets of salt (thanks to my momma in the ATL airport). When I got home I sat and ate my lunch (most of it...), uploaded pics to SHutterfly because it was FINALLY working right, called Mrs. Malissa about my graduation announcement (wanted to make sure I had the right thing), and relaxed some! I just sat at the window and enjoyed the sunlight and worked on things. I also called my momma and discussed my weekend plans with her!! I also found out that there IS a train to Sienna, so I dont have to navigate the bus situation! :) yay!!! I'm so excited to be marking two good places off of my "must-see" list.

Saw this on my way home and thought it was funny/strange/slightly inappropriate?!?!? Am I just looking at it the wrong way?????

THEN....the best thing of all happened. My momma emailed me to say how CHEAP flights were to LaGuardia a few days before my birthday (even cheaper than from Atlanta) and that if I wanted to go she would give me that as a birthday present!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG....YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we double checked to make sure it was true. Also, I had been planning to call Fran using skype because I think about my NYC family all the time, but especially since I've been here in Italy!!! I talked to her and am so excited that I can spend time/the night with them! YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!! I'll be so so so so so excited to see all of my new york loves!!!! It was SO good to hear Fran's voice and know that I will be seeing her (and all of them) so soon! I miss them so much!

SO then I booked my flight!!! That was the most impulsive flight booking I've ever done...but if I had waited the price would have SKYROCKETED on me, as it always does!!! I was BEYOND ecstatic!! I saw Neal online and he told me that he wasn't leaving NYC until January 19th and so ill definitely get to see him!!!!!! yay!!! I think December will be 2 years since I have seen him!!! And Jen said she wants to see me...yay!!! And I'll definitely have to see Ashley (and hopefully stay a night or two with her....yay!!!). And potentially see my new friend Zim!!! I LOVE New York City...in case none of you knew that!!! OMG OMG OMG NEW YORK!!!!!

Theeeeeeeeennnnn after New York...I MUST go spend AT LEAST a week in Charleston with the greatest and bestest Erin in the ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!! It was such an exciting few hours...I love to travel..and I will be doing so much of it...have been doing so much of it...I feel like the most blessed girl in the world!! I prayed that God would lift me from my funk from yesterday and OH MY GOODNESS did He!! I prayed for peace and acceptance of being "alone" though I am never truly ever alone...He is always with me! I think that this is the primary lesson of my time in Italy...that while I may feel physically alone (none of my friends/family/comforts), I am NEVER EVER EVER alone. I think He is showing me that it is okay to be alone...and I have never been physically alone. Even when I was separated from Mike...he was always there and a part of me. I think I am seeing that it is okay not to have that...not to have it in any way, shape, or form (as I think having my close group of friends/professors/adults filled that void and now they are all far away as well). While it really got me down yesterday...I am feeling today like it is just a time for me to learn this and enjoy where I am and enjoy the fact that God blessed me with such an amazing location as my classroom! So, I shouldn't call myself a "lucky" girl, as there really is no such thing as luck; I am a BLESSED girl...who knows it and appreciates it!!

So after all of this, I decided to go for a short walk! I decided I needed to walk around a few minutes in the neighborhood and see what I saw. I realized that we are really close to some train tracks and I was wondering which ones...are they the ones I saw from the trains I was on?!? Hmm...I dont know! I also saw a beautiful sky (from the sunset) and a building that I had been curious about, which I found out was a Russian church. When I walked through the park near the apartment I saw little boys playing soccer...and I also saw a little girl walking down the street in a houndstooth skirt and red tights (Roll Tide to that), and I saw a little shop that works on the motorcycles that EVERYONE rides here, and I went in a tiny little grocery store type place, and it was just a nice (though COOOOOLLLLLD) walk around the neighborhood. This was always one of my favorite things to do in NYC...so I really enjoyed it.

Matilde was here when I got home (earlier and still when i came back from my walk). I got to play with her a little bit (I will get a picture soon...my daddy got to see her on skype though). I was able to have some tea (in my room) and talk to my daddy for a while on skype! It was great...I was so excited today that it was just the perfect day after a crappy afternoon yesterday. I am so grateful to have so many people who love me and so many people to love. I told APril that I would probably tackle/jump on/jump into arms of all of you when i see you!!! She said that she love how enthusiastically I love people! Let me just say, when I love...I REALLY love...and it can get you into trouble...but I love having so many people in my life that I can truly say, "I love you" to! I think if we just have 1 then we are fortunate...so what must I be?!?!? Fortuate times at least 20...

I spent the rest of the evening ordering free shutterfly prints, graduation announcements, working on blogs, talking to April, etc.

Dinner was good: Started with penne with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Then when they brought the meat they were saying something about Rabbit and I had this horrified look on my face and they said, "ooh no this is chicken!" Ughh what a relief...though it wasn't quite like our chicken..I think it was supposed to be a chicken breast (with bone) or something..It was good, but their meat doesn't taste as...hmm..how do I say this...clean as ours! THere is a "gamey" taste to all of it! However, the sauteed veggies were good (thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, and poatoes...adn some red and yellow peppers...but I didn't eat that!). I was able to talk a little bit, but I am just struggling. They speak so quickly to me and I cannot even catch the gist of what is being said to me! I also get this feeling that they say things about me when I'm sitting there and because they KNOW I wont understand...it doesn't matter. I cannot fully explain this feeling...but trust me...I think it might be true! I just have this feeling that they dont really like me because I am shy Elyse with them (primarily because we can't communicate).

Anyway, so then I took a shower and am now getting ready for bed/my day trip to Lucca! P.S. Also am planning to have dinner with friends from the train (ooh wait...I haven't finished Rome...well...dinner with friends from the train...see Rome blog when it is updated...hopefully tomorrow...though no promises)!

Ahh random thought about this morning. When i was sitting in the kitchen with Signora Gabriella this morning we saw Lorenzo come out of Guenda's room IN GUENDA'S ROBE...now, this was just awkward for me, but Signora Gabriella just said, "Fa la doccia? Poi vuoi caffe?" Meaning, "are you taking a shower? then would you like starbucks on crack?" Soooo bizarre to me...

Anyway, moral of the story for today: I'M GOING TO NEW YORK CITY FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!

OOoh and also, when I talked to Fran earlier she said that when she was little and her mom brought them to Italy, Nonna walked around singing "God Bless America". Nonna was born and raised in Italy...and she loves the U.S.; therefore, I dont feel so bad for missing certain amenities of home: i.e. central heating!

LUCCA TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh wait...I never fully explained the blog title. Okay, here goes: Tomorrow I am going to Lucca; Saturday (ughh) I am going to Siena; Sunday I am going to Chianti with the school (I think it's just me and Fiona...and the directors of course); next Saturday I will fly through Amsterdam on my way to Atlanta; then I'll come to Birmingham (hooooome) to first watch the Iron Bowl and then just be at home; then the week before graduation (which is Dec. 17th) I will go to Tuscaloosa and see my loves there); then I'll come back to Birmingham for Christmas, etc. etc.; THEN Ill go to New York City on Jan. 7th and come back to Birmingham on the 12th; THEN I want to go to Charleston for my birthday...with Erin, whom I miss so much and want to hear your voice!! So there you have it...I love to travel!