Our Italian Honeymoon: Villa Borghese Gardens, The Spanish Steps & The Trevi Fountain

Our plane landed in Rome around noon.  After we found our hotel and freshened up a bit, we went exploring.  First stop was to find a good piece of pizza.  Actually,  in Italy, a "piece" of pizza is an entire pizza.  But hey, I'm not complaining.  I love Margarita pizza and Italy did not disappoint.  After filling our stomachs, we walked to Villa Borghese Gardens which wasn't too far from our hotel.

The gardens are similar to Central Park in New York City, minus the Zoo.  There are walking trails, vendors renting out bicycles, scooters and trebachets.  There are also several museums within the gardens.

 This is an old home that now houses a modern art collection.  I love to picture the type of family that might have lived there.  Could you imagine the lives they must have led?  Before we went to Rome I had read the "Mark of the Lion" series by Francine Rivers.  It really brought the history of Rome to life for me.

Unfortunately we could not do as much walking around the gardens as we had hoped.  I have an old leg injury that loves the continually give me problems.  Flying makes it swell really badly and I was having a lot of pain from the swelling that day.

I convinced Jeremy to rent a trebachet to drive around the park.  How fun!  It was a blast getting to see the park this way.  Well... it was for me :)  Jeremy did all the peddling.

There were many temples throughout the gardens.  What a crazy world it must have been during a time when people openly worshiped multiple gods and built temples to honor them.  

 There are so many fountains around the city of Rome and honestly this is only one of two fountains that I saw people putting their feet in.  It's actually considered to be very disrespectful to put your feet into a fountain, so I'm assuming these are all tourists.

The Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are center of one of Rome's social scenes.  Locals and tourists alike gather to sit on the steps to people watch, or wonder through the alley's below full of high-end shopping.  It was about 2 miles from our Hotel, so Jeremy and I would often stroll by here during our stay.  

The alley's below house well known fashion icons such as Valentino, Gucci, Luis Vuitton and so on.  What amazes me is Italians LOVE designer brands.  Nearly every Italian I saw from the high class to low class carried a Luis Vuitton bag.  You would have thought they were exceptionally cheap in Italy, but they were even more expensive there than in the States.  

The Trevi Fountain

About 1/2 mile from the Spanish Steps is one of my favorite places in all of Rome.  The Trevi Fountain.  It is the largest fountain in the city.  Throwing a coin in the fountain is suppose to ensure you a safe trip back to Rome.  (However, we just realized we threw our coins over the wrong shoulder!  Oh well, hopefully we will return to Rome anyway!)

It is an excellent place for people watching.  It's amazing the different cultures you can observe while in Rome.  It's also peaceful to just listen to sounds of the fountain.

Around the Trevi are many alley's of food and local shops featuring wine, olive oils and other delicatessen.  The eateries are just what you would imagine.... little outdoor cafes with very entertaining waiters.  It was always hard to choose which place to stop at for dinner each night.

The area surrounding the Trevi also has some of the best gelato in the city.  Our favorite was at a shop called "San Crispino".  It was hard to find, but once we found it we realized that it came so highly recommended.  We tried several different flavors of gelato, but in our opinion, the limon (lemon) is the best.  We still crave it.  Most days we had gelato twice a day.  I think if we could go back Jeremy would eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It was THAT good.

Our Italian Honeymoon: Rome, The City

I'm not sure exactly what I envisioned in my mind when I thought of Rome.... sand and ruins maybe?  What I did not picture was a large city, but that's just what Rome is.... a HUGE city!  New buildings built directly next to old buildings, and in between sit ancient crumbling ruins, touched only by the wars that led to their demise.  Alleys that lead to more alleys with Piazzas (Plaza's) in between promoting local art, wine, olive oils, and of course Gelato :)

We could have spent weeks roaming the streets of Rome and still not touched most of the city.  We learned that in order to truly appreciate the value of the Italian life, you must do as the Italians do.  Sleep in late.... stroll through the city investing in whatever catches your attention, and then enjoy slow, conversation filled dinners.  Oh... and you must eat Gelato as often as possible.  The limon is the best, in our opinion :)

I thought the climate of Rome was very strange.  VERY hot.  So, So, So hot.  No need to wear makeup because you would sweat if off the moment you walked out of the hotel.  It was very rare to see an Italian woman dressed up like we do in the South.  They were very natural, no make-up, natural hair.... My hair stayed up in a bun practically every day.  I should have brought more headbands :)  Also, they have palm trees and other vegetation that you would expect to see near an ocean, yet they are still 2 hours from the coast.

 Many of the aqua ducts that once brought the entire city of Rome indoor plumbing still work and run through fountains throughout the city.  You just bring a water bottle and can have icy cold, clean water from the fountains all day long.  It was really neat and definitely needed with the hot weather!

Italians are CRAZY drivers!  Like... hold your breath and say a little prayer that you don't die kind of crazy.  I felt like our lives were at risk each time we stepped into a cab.  They don't obey the laws of traffic.  They don't stop at red lights, stop signs are non-existent, and I did not see a single speed limit sign in the entire city.  Another thing about Italian driving is they drive super-small cars, think Fiats, and they will park ANYWHERE they can!  When you walk next to the cars you can see that they are all banged up from trying to squeeze into so many tight parking "spots".  

Everything is Italy is small and compact.  Even the hotels.  It really made us realize how much luxury we have in America that we take for-granted.  Like big elevators....

Our Italian Honeymoon: Traveling

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would go to Italy on my honeymoon.  Traveling halfway across the world, to a country I had never been, experiencing things both of us had never experienced was a wonderful way to start our marriage and the Lord surely blessed us in allowing us the opportunity to go.  We are already planning our next trip overseas (which, will not be for a few more years, but hopefully not too long from now!)

The day after our wedding we woke up early and headed to the airport.  We flew to Chicago and had a layover there.  Just enough time to eat lunch and explore the airport a little bit.  I LOVE airports!  I love the people watching, all the good food, neat stores.... I just love them!  Jeremy thinks I'm weird, but I really would go to airports all the time if I could!  International airports I feel differently about, but more on that later.

(I just LOVE seeing a wedding ring on his finger!)

After our layover in Chicago we were headed across the pond :)  It was a long, 8 hour plane ride, but we had an awesome airplane to ride in.  It was my first long plane ride overseas, other than being a little cramped at times, it wasn't bad at all.  We landed in Madrid, Spain and just had one more quick flight before arriving in Rome.  As soon as we landed in Madrid, I could not wait to get something to eat.  I was STARVING and we all know how good airplane food is :)  Well..... little did I know, International Airports are nothing like American Airports.  Although we landed in Madrid around 7 am, nothing in the airport was open!  Not to mention, the plethora of restaurants that blankets American Airports was non-existant there.  All we could find were vending machines containing foreign snacks accepting a currency we had not yet exchanged.  Ignoring my grumbling stomach we boarded our flight to Rome anticipating the amazing Italian food we would eat when we arrived.

As soon as we landed in Rome we started praying that our luggage also landed with us.  I imagined the horrors of being on my honeymoon without everything I packed (that Jeremy insisted I was silly for bringing) "YES dear I am bringing my make-up, YES dear I DO need to pack 5 pairs of shoes....""  Soon though our luggage made it's appearance on the baggage carrel and we were on our way.  After we found a currency exhange.... and bought a coke....

Friday Confessions

It's a bittersweet kind of Friday because it's my last day of Winter Vacation before I return to teaching on Monday.  I have to admit, I am ready for a routine and sense of normalcy again... but I know in a couple of weeks when I am exhausted I will wish for a few more days of vacay.  Especially since with the lovely snow, we will not have a day off until Spring Break.  I know all of you who work in the corporate or any other field aside from education are rolling your eyes at me right now :)

Today I'm linking up with Leslie at A Blonde Ambition!

• I confess that I have spent entirely too much time on winter break watching Lifetime movies, Sex and the City re-runs, and reality television.  
• I confess that my husband and I just had a lunch date at Sam's.  Actually, this is one of our favorite lunch places.  Both of us eat for $4.64!  Who can beat that!

• I confess that until last Monday, I had not been to the gym since my wedding...5 months ago.  My soreness is making up for it!
• I confess that it is taking every ounce of self-control I have to stay away from all the sales at the mall right now!  I keep telling myself I don't need it.   I don't....right?

New Year 2014 Style

How can it already be another year?  Let me be cliche in joining the masses saying "Wasn't it just yesterday we were bringing in 2013?"  It is crazy to me to think how fast time flies.... sometimes I just wish it would slow down a little so I can enjoy everything better!

New Year's eve is always special to Jeremy and I because New Year's Eve 2011 was our 3rd date.  Jeremy had asked me to celebrate New Year's with him and his friends in Fayetteville and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to take a chance with him, or just stay back in Little Rock and enjoy being with my high school/college friends for the night.  My mom encouraged me to go back to Fayetteville and enjoy meeting new people and I'm SO glad I did!

(Our 1st New Year's Together)

We are so lucky to have a great group of friends to make memories with.  We went to dinner at Powerhouse (my fav), maybe consumed a few kilowatts (my fav) and just spent the night celebrating with each other.  We were so excited our friends Brittany and Steve announced they are expecting a baby this year!  This year will bring many changes for our little group but I look forward to it!

I was also excited that my best friend, Stephanie and her husband Kyle were able to come up to spend the night with us! We LOVE having company at our house, and I love it when they come up!

We ended the night at a little bar up the street and I couldn't think of a more perfect way to celebrate 2014.  I mentioned on Instagram that in 2012 Jeremy and I were engaged, 2013 we got married... now I'm just hoping for a quiet and restful 2014 :)

It wouldn't be a New Year's post without a few resolutions:
1.  I'm hoping to study the Bible more.
2.  Jeremy and I are committing to visit the gym more often.
3.  We are hoping to be more intentional with our friendships this year.  (Life can be SO busy, but we want to make more time to spend with friends this year!)

Happy New Year!!!

Our Wedding: The Party

When planning our wedding, mine and Jeremy's top priority was for everyone that attended to have an awesome time.  After the ceremony, we wanted a party!  I love looking at these pictures because that's just what we had!  

Our Wedding: The Details

I'll admit, I loved picking out all the details of our wedding.  From the cake to the flowers, although daunting at times, it was exciting to see my vision come to life.  I would say "our" vision... but let's be honest, Jeremy just said "Sure Baby" to every idea I had.

Make no mistake about it, weddings are not cheap.  For all the newly engaged girls out there, it is SO easy to get caught up into wanting the most expensive of everything for your wedding.  In the days of pinterest, facebook, and shows like "My Fair Wedding" and "Say Yes to the Dress" it's easy to think we are entitled to a $100,000 wedding, but let's be honest, most of us don't have those kind of budgets!

Not everything has to come from the most expensive vendor to still give you the dream wedding you hoped for, and I promise, at the end of the night, all that matters is that you're married!  I know, I know... cliche and that statement does not matter when you're stressing deciding between which color or coral should your roses be :)

I'm so lucky to have so many creative friends who helped me bring my vision to life!  I'm also grateful that my mother has amazing taste, I knew I could trust her to put everything together just how I wanted it so I could relax and enjoy the day.

Now... on to the details....

Renee, at NWA Florist, did the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres..  She was the sweetest woman and wonderful to work with.  She even sent me two different boutonnieres for Jeremy on the wedding day because she wanted me to be able to pick with one I liked the best.  Everything turned out just as I envisioned.

I loved Heelyn's flower ball.  We had bells put into the center so it would "jingle" as she walked down the aisle.  She was pretty enthralled with it as well.

My bouquet was a mixture of ranculus, cabbage roses, carnations, and other flowers to give it a fluffy, vintage feel.  It was wrapped in burlap with the stems showing at the bottom.  

My mom, my sisters and friends did all the table decorations and flower arrangements.  I loved how they turned out.  Very simple, yet girly and vintage.  I collect turquoise vases so those all came handy for table decorations.  We ordered the flowers wholesale and arranged them the day prior to the wedding.  My sister made all the painted mason jars for my bridal shower, and they ended up working perfectly on the patio for the reception.

I had seen pictures of the "Mrs." and "Mr." banners on pinterest and made them by buying the cutouts at Hobby Lobby, spray painting them and then gluing the letters on.   A friend cut out the letters for me using a cricut machine.  

I made this sign using fancy scrapbook paper and our printer at home.

I loved how our drink station turned out, never mind a huge fiasco which I'll mention later!  Dillard's carries those cute chalkboard signs and we still use them anytime we have a large group of people over and need a drink station.  I love getting to re-use wedding decor!

My mom and I found these bows to use on the end of the pews at a Christmas store back in early October before the wedding.  They looked so perfect.  I loved how simple we kept the chapel because it's so beautiful by itself already.  Now, I use a lot of these bows for decoration around the house at Christmas time.

Rick's bakery holds a sweet spot in both mind and Jeremy's hearts.  We've been known to make a trip to Fayetteville just to stop by and pick up a few cookies :)  For Jeremy's groom's cake table we had a desert table.  It was fabulous and I wish I had a picture of it!  It was Razorback themed and consisted of all of Jeremy's favorite deserts, Rick's cookies included.

Our cake was SO good!  Jeremy and I often talk about how good it was and we only got a bite of it!  We are going to order one similar for our 1st anniversary just so we can enjoy it!  Don't worry... we also have our freezer cake that I'm sure will take just wonderful (if you like the taste of freezer burn).  I ordered the cake topper off of Etzy in gold, then decided I wanted silver, so my best friend Tressa spray painted them for me.  She's a genius with a can of spray paint, seriously!

 Our champagne glasses... another Etsy find.  I'm telling you, Etsy and I are BFF's.

Picking out all the details for the wedding was so much fun, but I am so glad that part of the wedding process is over, and Jeremy is glad he has my full attention now :)