where's waldo?

or, where am i?

{but seriously, can you see me?}

you may not be able to find me today.

well, okay, you'll physically be able to see me-  

but, mentally i have checked out. 

i've escaped to a land that doesn't involve reality.

you know, a world without....

 the demand for studying, 

bruised toenails {from ballet}, 

the requirement of eating vegetables, 

being sick with this annoying cold,

having your alarm go off before the sun rises,

dry and cracked hands,

{thanks to being a germ freak; aka washing my hands too often}

and freezing cold mornings that make taking the dog out dreadful. 

i'm not being ungrateful or unhappy in the slightest;

i just need a small break from life.

doesn't everyone though?

i'm taking my break today.

p.s. don't worry- i still plan on reading all of your blog posts;

they make me smile, laugh and feel inspired. 

take me back.

take me back to italy.

take me back to waking up with nothing to do but explore.

take me back to cups and cones of gelato. sometimes twice a day.

take me back hotel hoping and train traveling.

take me back to not a worry in the world.

take me back to plates of pasta and pizza. {yumminess that's out of this world}

take me back to colored houses, romantic canals and cobblestone streets.

take me back to history and art; plenty of it, mind you.

simply just take me back.

{i guess, i should say us- because i wouldn't dare, nor want to, go back without lovebird.} 

what inspired this random post?

well, you see- 

it seems that everyone around me either has travel fever,

is out exploring somewhere exotic

or has been blogging about their dream vacation.

i'm convinced it must be this time of year.

this busy time of year, 

where we feel so tied down to all of our responsibilities.

this time of year, when holidays are at the tips of our fingers, 

therefore we're surely anticipating those blessed days off.

or perhaps, it's the change of cold weather that suddenly 

leaves us begging to feel the hot sun that just seemed to have left us. 

regardless, we are all allowed to dream of a vacation, right?

if you could go anywhere tomorrow, 

where would you pick to go?

meanwhile, since we are all "stuck" here in "normal" life-

let's dwell on our memories from vacations in the past

and dream of those that are hopefully in our near futures.

maybe then, our dreams of traveling will magical drift into reality.

my fingers are crossed. 

take a boat into venice.

venice

this is where we started our lovely trip in italy.

venice in ten:

1.arrived and got completely lost; two hours lost.

2.first on the itinerary: straight to st. mark's square.

3.oredered our first margarita pizza and bought a painting from a local.

4.took a long nap. trust me, it was needed. 

5.first "real" italian dinner: 

i ordered the traditional pasta with mushrooms. lovebird ordered an italian steak. 

6.onto our first taste of authentic gelato! {grom}

7.enjoyed a {very} romantic stroll along the canals.

8.breakfast at the hotel while chatting with sweet english women.

9.last stop: the famous rialto bridge.

10.a gorgeous city; 

the atmosphere was so italian and nearly impossible to put into words. 

{the humidity was a little much, i'll admit that.}

just a taste.

here's a little taste of venice. 

i am still sorting through the ba-jillion pictures we managed to snap.

if only it was a quick and easy job to sort, edit and post pictures.

part of me has needed a vacation from my vacation. {if that makes any sense}.

i've been taking things slow:  

running errands, slowly getting back into work,

visiting with friends, laying by the pool and cleaning my home 

that seemed to have collected an inch of dust while we were gone.

{what a nice welcome home gift, right?}

so, please bare with me-

i do promise to eventually post pictures from italy. 

meanwhile, it's back to dance i go.

today is going to be ruff.

 tomorrow my muscles will be screaming.

wednesday, they will want  to kill me.

thursday they'll still be paying for the consequences 

of not me not staying in shape over the summer.

friday they may finally be used to the pain

and saturday they'll be rejoicing in a day off.

my reply to the pain will simply be:

sorry that i'm not sorry, because italy was well worth it; 

every last second of it.

life seems to suddenly be starting back up again at full force.

where did summer go?

is it really already over?

at least we have one last destination wedding to look forward too-

oh, and our anniversary too!

it's not quite over, and believe me- 

i'm holding out for every last second of summer i can get. 

life in links.

 i thought i'd fill you in on my life via links:

have you heard the big news? exciting, if you ask me.
so happy i splurged on these clearance mugs at anthro. 

we went here yesterday. oh, how lovely it was.

these, are my newest addiction. 

i'm just going to have to make all three of these .

if only i could have brought this place home from italy. 

please tell me you've heard of this.
have you entered this giveaway? trust me, you'll want to.  

your turn:

leave me a link below.

goodbye italy. hello america.

home again home again jiggity jog.

{lovebird grew up saying jig, i grew up saying jog. to this day we "argue" over which one's right.}

{the classic airport picture: going to italy, then leaving it all behind.}

hello lovely readers.
 it's been quite awhile- wouldn't you say?

oddly enough, i've slightly missed the blogging world;

mainly catching up with your fun lives, envying your fashion,
trying your diy's and craving your recipes. 

i am back now and have every intention of staying put for a little while. 

where do i even begin?

maybe by sorting though the thousands {literally} of photos i took,

counting the calories i consumed from pasta and bread,

organizing my memories into words to post,

or reflect upon the "important" things to share with you.

all of which seem a little overwhelming at the moment.

you can thank a heavy case of jet lag for that.

i'm anxious to share our adventures amidst the beautiful country of italy.

i now know why roma {rome, in english} spelled backwards is amor. 

not only did i fall in love with everything in sight,

i fell in love with lovebird all over again.

italy has my heart.

i'm convinced i left it there.

thank goodness for throwing a coin in the trevi fountain-

legend has it, i'll return to rome one day and can then reunite with my heart. 

until then, i'll reminisce and share the details with you.

stay tuned. 

i promise to post those details as soon as i can. 

xoxo 

bon voyage!

we've been awfully busy:

attending weddings, catching up with family, playing with friends, 

eating out too much, shopping more than lovebird approves,

and getting ready for our big adventure.

it's been such a delightful vacation already, 

i'm actually in awe we still have another three weeks of vacation ahead of us.

we are counting our blessings, and feel oh-so-lucky.

we leave for italy today!

{or as lovebird calls it, "the country of love"}

we are both so eager to get there, explore the beauty, 

taste the gelato and eat homemade pasta.

but, we are most excited to just be with one another.

just the two of us.

we've been begging for time alone with one another

after such a hectic, crazy and long ballet season and school year.

that time starts in less than 24 hours...

and you better believe that we are both counting down the seconds.

{at this point, even our nine hour layover sounds delightful. i'm slightly joking.}

while we are gone, i thought i would treat you all to a little something.

since, clearly, i can't fit you all in my suitcase and take you with me.

for the next three weeks, i have some lovely bloggers featured on my blog.

i hope they keep you entrained by their beauty, fun ideas, tutorials and so much more.

it's always a treat to discover a new blog....

so enjoy them and send them some love by visiting their blogs!

italy and lovebird will carry my heart for the next little while.

i'm simply elated about that.

i'll miss you dearly while i'm away 

and look forward to catching up on your blogs when i return.

happy summer. 

xoxo

"save me a bite".

one thing is for certain:

we had our fair share of dessert this weekend.

actually, it's safe to say solely ice-cream, gelato and frozen yogurt.

what is it with us?

or maybe i should ask, 

what is it with our desire for a cold treat every night at about 9:00?

it's slightly pathetic, but utterly delicious.

we were spoiled by san francisco's finest this past weekend.

 which, if in the area, you must go treat yourself!

{and yes, it's okay to visit all three. we sure did- all within 24 hours of one another.}

1. smitten

unique and tasty ice-cream in hayes valley. 

they literally pour the ingredients in a nifty ice-cream maker right in front of you,

then whip up your individual serving right before your eyes.

flavors change daily due to the ingredients being organic! yum.

{make sure you click the link above- it's fun to watch.} 

2. swensen's

a tradition and classic of san francisco. 

plus, it sits in one of my favorite neighborhoods to shop. 

two things you can't go wrong with.

go for the toasted almond if you're taking a stroll down hyde. 

3. yogorino

certainly the fanciest way of displaying gelato i've ever seen.

arguably, the tastiest gelato i've had up to date. 

{i can't imagine i'll be saying that much longer- italy is just around the corner. yay!}

their frozen yogurt is to die for too-

a necessary treat if you are on chestnut! 

obviously, we have turned into ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt connoisseurs. 

perfect timing, considering we arrive in the
land of gelato {italy} in just two weeks. 

some may say it's weird that i'm already anxious to take 

my first bite of pistachio gelato on the streets of florence...

but, what can i say? it's that simple: gelato in florence, italy. 

if only i could bring back a taste for each of you.

as my mom would say, "save me a bite".

"oh, the places you go."

time for an announcement:

we have a little trip planned.

okay, i lie... it's kind of a big trip.

we are going to italy!

i repeat, italy. 

i'll let you in on a deep secret of mine:

traveling to italy has been a big hope, dream and fantasy of mine.

in fact, lovebird originally booked our honeymoon there,

but i vetoed {quite literally, canceled} that grand plan back in the days.

shocking right? 

you see, back then i wanted to enjoy being newlyweds-  we were just barely mr. and mrs.

i wanted my new hubby all to myself as we relaxed on a beach after a crazy summer of wedding planning.

now however, i'm ready for the thrill of italy.

i no longer want to sit and relax on a beach with lovebird-

but rather walk the streets of italy until our feet hurt,

eat gelato until our bellies ache, 

and visit the historical museums, monuments and churches.

i want to eat pasta like lady and the tramp,

travel by train with backpacks making many stops,

and spend every waking minute laughing and exploring with lovebird.

obviously, i am still in the honeymoon/newlywed stage of life.

but, i'm completely okay with that.

what better way to spend our days being madly in love 

than in the romantic cities of italy.

we are beyond excited.

so now, let the recommendations and suggestions begin:

we are looking to anything and everything!

i'd love to hear about your trips, experiences and knowledge of italy!

or if you know of any lovely italian bloggers, please leave the link below! 

xoxo