Sometimes, you just need a cheeseburger.

Well hey there my little Mediterranean pizzas!

My life...

We got up early Sunday morning to go to church.  We were looking for an English church, but we ended up stumbling upon an Italian one.  We had some time before mass/service (it was Catholic... so mass, right?) so we decided to get some espresso at a bar down the street.  We were wide awake after that.  When we finished our espresso, we headed to church.  It was gorgeous inside.  The sunlight through the windows and the candles... so pretty.  The service was entirely in Italian.  We didn't really know what was going on.  We kept looking at Diane to tell us what to do next.  Even though we didn't understand most of it, it was a beautiful service and an amazing experience!  God is so big!!! He's even in ITALY! :) After that, we headed out in search of matching Italia hats.  We found them.  They are perfect.  With matching hats in hand, we headed back to the apartment to enjoy our lazy Sunday.

Inside of the church.

Our lazy Sunday was perfect.  We lounged around and enjoyed some much needed down time.  For dinner, we cooked some delicious pasta and made a huge, colorful salad.  We had our first family dinner on our rooftop terrace.  So much fun! The girls are hilarious.  I have loved getting to know them better.  I literally could not have asked for a better group of girls to share this experience with.  They are such blessings! After dinner, we hung out for a while before going to sleep.  The next day was our first day of classes!

Our little family dinner.

First day of school!!! Christin and I started our day at the little cafe a few steps from our apartment.  We had big, fresh, yummy salads for lunch and talked about how excited (... and nervous) we were for our classes! After lunch, we headed to our Pairing Food and Wine class.  Best.  Class.  Ever.  Our teacher is an Italian wine/food genius, and he is so nice and funny! He gave us an overview of the class and talked about some food and wine pairings... after about an hour, we got to cooking! We made a pasta in a creamy tomato sauce and a cookie, Nutella, raspberry dessert.  These two things were literally the BEST dishes I have had since I have been in Italy.  I cannot even begin to explain how good they were.  We had a blush wine with the pasta, and a sparkling red wine with the dessert.  Heaven.  After class, Christin and I headed to our next class.  We got lost along the way (as always... these streets don't make sense and they don't always match the map and some of the streets have multiple names), but we made it.  I am taking a history of Florence class.  My professor is so adorable! He is an older Italian man, and he is so passionate about history.  He's so funny! It's awesome because we talk about the history in the classroom, aaaand then we go see it!!! So cool.  I wish every history class could be like that.  After class, we went back home to get ready for another welcome dinner at a super fancy palace place! The food was okay... not as good as what I had in class earlier... who would've known.  Later that night, we all went out for Alycia's 21st birthday!!! It is so fun to meet new people from all over the world every night.  Then we got followed home by some creepy Italian men who were yelling gross things at us.  I am completely disgusted that this is a social norm here.  We were borderline terrified, but we were ready to kick some booty.  We were whispering to each other discussing a plan of action... as in... what we were going to do if they attacked us before we could reach our door.  I had my keys in my hand between my fingers ready to stab and my cell phone in the other hand about to call the police.  Christin had her shoes in her hand ready to hit them over the head... because that would have worked... ;) We laugh about it now, but seriously, I hate that about this place.  I don't think they would do anything, but who knows.  As Christin says, "It's cultural to be creepy."

BEST PASTA I HAVE EVER HAD.

BEST DESSERT IN ITALY RIGHT THERE.

Palace dinner!

It's bright, but it's cute. :)

We woke up today ready for another full day of classes.  I am in class from 1:15-6:45... it's definitely a bit long, but it's worth it.  Well.  I survived my first earthquake this morning! An earthquake hit north of here around 9:00am.  I was laying in bed and everything started shaking... it was the weirdest thing.  I have never felt an earthquake so I wasn't completely sure what it was at first.  When I lived by a rail road freshman year in cstat, sometimes the passing trains would make my room shake, but this was definitely stronger.  After a few seconds, I realized that it was a real life earthquake.  It didn't last long, and it really wasn't that strong, but when it was happening, I wasn't sure if was going to get stronger on not (it always does in the movies).  It went away in less than thirty seconds.  Christin was in the shower and didn't feel it.  Neither did Shannon or Diane (they were at the school).  So many adventures.  When we finished getting ready, Christin and I ate at a little pizzera for lunch.  It was pretty good.  We then headed to class.  In Food and Wine Pairing today, we were given an awesome tour of the central market.  Our teacher was telling us everything about what is good and what is gross.  We had a little cheese/meat tasting also.  I had some seriously delicious cheese with some yummy sauce.  We are probably going to go back tomorrowish to buy some.  Then we headed to a gelateria to sample the best gelato in town and watch it be made.  The guy that was working there invented a new way to make gelato - olive oil.  Crazy, right? But it was so good! He made a dessert for all of us.  It was olive oil gelato with bread crumbs, spices, and croutons - sounds weird, but wow.  So good.  We are definitely going back soon.  In history today, our professor walked us around part of Florence explaining all of the important buildings and pointing out things that we talked about in class.  It is crazy that I get to learn about stuff, then actually go see it.  AH! Love that.  After class... it was on like Donkey Kong.

Best gelato in Firenze!

SO GOOD!

Christin and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe.  That's right, folks.  I don't even care.  Say what you want, but this girl needed a cheeseburger.  I was over the whole pasta and pizza thing.  I wanted some ketchup and a sweet tea.  Sure it was overpriced.  But it was worth it.  Literally, top five burger.  My life got exponentially better after that exquisite moment of deliciousness.  I even have leftovers! WHAT?! Best.  Day.  Ever.  It's the little things.  :)

We are about to watch a Lifetime movie on YouTube.  We can't get any other videos anywhere else (like Hulu or ABC Family... NO PRETTY LITTLE LIARS!) because we are in Italy.  Goodness.  Bonding! :)

Fun Facts:

- The supermercato people make you bag your own groceries while stacking other people's groceries on your groceries.  This really bothers Christin.

- The M&M's taste different.

- Christin and I are seriously the same person...

- Stores are charged to run your debit/credit card - most places only take cash.  Also, they usually charge you a fee to use a card.

- Water isn't free.  You have to buy water at a restaurant.

- Stores and restaurants (not all, but a lot) close in the middle of the day for a few hours then open again later.

- All toilets here are different... seriously.  Flushing is different everywhere.

- Manners don't exist here.  Pushing, shoving, and ignoring people is totally normal.  So I started doing it.  The only people that get offended by it are Americans.

- Some bars serve Pringles? Well, if you insist...

Pringle ducks moment.

Da group.

Ciao ciao!