An American girl in Paris

So I have really dropped the ball when it comes to my blogging. I am so behind! and I hate to say it but I am going to be putting it off just a bit longer. I have so to share with you about my latest adventures, however I am getting ready to leave for Paris at the moment! I have been looking forward to this trip for what feels like my entire life. I remember begging my aunt in 6th grade to take me Paris and now finally I am going to be able to see it. The girly girl in me is jumping out of my skin! I can't wait to sip on coffee, eat macaroons, and gaze at the effiel tower. So my darlings, I will be back on monday, ready to blog my little heart away. Have a blessed weekend! picture reblogged from design is mine.

currently missing

All these beautiful hearts. You all are my world and I can't wait to see you in a month. All my love.

Come thou fount

My entire life I have associated bodies of water with home.. Beaches, lakes, ponds, pools, you name it. Moving to Florence the theme of water has continued. Everyday I cross the Arno river to get to the other side of town. As I walk along the river, I am reminded that not only do these bodies of water serve as a sense of familiarity but they also serve as a sense of guidance. For those who know me well, understand that my sense of direction is well, less than par. As we explore this new city, getting lost comes naturally, so whenever I get lost I head for the water knowing that I am going to be ok. Thinking about this tool I am reminded about how the Lord is our living water. And when we are in the direction of the living water we are safe just like when I am headed towards the river.. As I stare at the beauty of this vase water, my heart overflows with knowing that the Lord will always be there serving as a place of rest, ease, and comfort knowing that I have made it home

photo by Stephanie Merryman

here comes the sun little darling

Last weekend was magical. The sun was out the entire weekend so we did our best soaking it in and enjoying spring in Florence. On Friday we were craving a little bit of home so a few of us headed to the Diner ( the american restaurant in florence) and we feasted on cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes..And maybe it was because I haven't had such a treat in awhile, but this cheeseburger was probably one of the best I've ever had. Then we spent the evening at Piazza Michaelaneglo to see our city with all it's lights and listen to some live music. On saturday, we packed up our backpacks filled with snacks, books, and blankets, and met the gang at this huge beautiful park on the other side of town. We laid in the grass for hours and hours, played soccer, and just enjoyed being with each other. And because that bit of sunshine wasn't enough, the girls and I woke up the next day to jump on a train to head to Laveno Italy, the nearest beach town. However it came as a bit of a shock when we stepped off the train and onto the water only to find there was no actual beach for us to lay on. And in true high sprits we laughed it off, got some gelato, and found a nice patch of grass for us to enjoy. Weekend you did us good, and we are very thankful for those three beautiful days in the sun and letting me live such a charmed life.

Spring Break

First off, I am extremely sorry for the delay. But ever since spring break I can't seem to catch my breath. Spring break was a whirl wind that consisted of two trips, 6 airplanes, 10 buses, 4 cabs, 1 town car, and 2 actual cars. We started the trip with traveling to Athens Greece, where we were graciously and warmly greeted by Lauren's family friends Aunt Manya, Uncle Paul, and their children. We feasted on the best greek food, had an amazing chocolate cake made by manya, and saw the sites. We were luckily enough to be able to stay at Manya's friends lovely apartment and have an enjoyable and relaxing time. After getting back to Florence and actually being in Florence for a total of 22 hours;Stephanie and I woke up at 3 in the morning to make our way to Pisa to eventually make our way to Dublin Ireland to visit my lovely cousins, Shaun, Lindsey, Phelim, and baby Luke. We had the most enjoyable three days in Dublin as one could possibly have. The sun was out and we were loving seeing all the green. We were able to meet up with Matt and Chris and explore down town, followed with the next day exploring the forest, and finally being able to go to the cutest little fisherman town before heading back to our beloved Florence. Overall I would have to say spring break was a 10 out of 10 and i wouldn't change it for the world.

two months and counting

Today is March 30, well actually it is past 12 so it is now the 31, which means we have been here in Italy for a little over two months. It is amazing at how fast times flies. I feel like just yesterday I was kissing my family goodbye and jumping on a plane. However at the same time, I feel like I have been here for years. We are finally adjusted to our lives here, and it is safe to say I am madly in love with it. I love our little family, our gelato shop, our neighborhood bar, tuesday traditions. I love walking, listening to the fast talking Italians, our apartment. I love getting fresh food from the stores, and how slow and enjoyable the Italians take their days. And although I am so excited to see my friends and family back home in the Sates in a month and a half, Italy has become apart of me and will always have my heart.

So in celebration of our two months and counting here are some random but enjoyable pictures of our time here thus far.

lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song.

I would like to dedicated this post to two of my most favorite boys in the whole wide world... Kyle Kounter and Colin Olsen, who last night sang me a beautiful and personal John Mayer song via skype. (it took me going to Italy to finally get them to sing to me, but it was worth it) You boys are wonderful and I miss you more and more everyday.

Thankful.

Today I received a special birthday package from my family containing party hats, horns, streamers, banners, candles and lovely cards all to make my birthday in Italy feel like home. Even though Italy is late with delivering mail since my birthday was a week ago, I still was very excited to open up this magical treat from the best family in the world, and it almost felt like my actual birthday all over again. So thank you mom, dad, Chad, and Erin for loving and supporting me. I could not ask for a better family. I love you.

Roman Holiday

First, I would start this post by apologizing for not posting in two weeks. Life in Florence has been crazier then ever, with sicknesses and midterms, there is barely anytime to breathe. So with that I will try my best to fill you in on the adventures that have been had. Last weekend we ventured off to Rome with our program. After waking up at 5 to get on the bus by 6:30 we finally arrived at Tivoli gardens located about an hour away from Rome. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, I have never seen so much green in one place in my entire life. And although I was excited to learn about the history, I think I perked up the most when I heard that some of the Lizzy McGuire movie was filmed there. After a filling lunch at a local olive oil farm we got back on the busses and were back on track for Rome. Now I can't quite describe the events that happened in Rome because it went by in the blink of an eye. We like to say we did Rome in a day. So after trying to get sleep on Friday we woke up Saturday morning ready for what Rome in a day looks like. Basically we went from the Colosseum to the Forum to the pantheon to the Trevi Fountain to the Vatican and a bunch of little stops in between all in pouring down rain. The coolest thing about Rome, is that the city is built around the history. Next to the Colosseum and ruins are apartments, stores, and restaurants. Its almost like the past and present are sharing time and sharing a city loved by all. Rome was a whirl wind but we loved every minute of it.

P.s. I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted because my camera has a mind of it's own and stopped working for me... but only for the day.

When the sun shines, we shine together.

Today I had the most loveliest surprise. I went to go check the mail, just incase there was a little something for me, and as i was flipping through all the W's I saw my name with a return addressed labeled Meredith. I about screamed for joy when I ripped open the envelope to unfold a piece of line paper with my best friends handwriting covering it. I got teary eyed as I walked down the streets of Florence letting Meredith's words fill my head. People probably thought I was crazy because i was smiling and laughing to myself as i read the sweet letter. Meredith has been my best friend for 6 wonderful years, and although we are at different schools, and currently in different countries, it still feels like we were those silly carefree 15 year olds dancing through the halls of high school. Meredith you are my better half and I love you. Thank you for making my day. ( and my life)

" you're the strangest person I ever met, she said and I said you too and we decided we'd know each other a long time. " - Brian Andreas

Venice, I love you.

this past weekend, we traveled to Venice, Italy for Carnivale. Carnivale is this huge Italian festival where people dress up in masks and costumes, throw confetti at each other, and basically have a huge party on the streets. As soon we stepped off the train and onto a boat ( since Venice doesn't have cars on the main land) my eyes went big from all the wonder. Venice is the most beautiful place I have ever been too, filled with color and life. I loved watching the children throw confetti on each other, letting the wind blow the colorful pieces all along the narrow streets, eventually making it hard to see an inch of cobblestone. We walked for hours and hours never getting tired because all we wanted to do was soak in as much as this wonderful place as we possibly could. We ate pizza for every meal, made friends on the train, and laughed and laughed and laughed some more for three days straight. Venice, I fell in love with you and I am so happy that you entered my life for those three magical days.

Photos By Evan Trine.

Lean with it, Rock with it.

On a rainy Sunday morning you will find me and my two roommates sitting around around our kitchen table, eating our eggs, talking about all the events that went on during our weekend. While we were in the process of this routine, I recieved a text from my friend Evan saying that we are leaving for Pisa in 30 minutes. We husseled as quickly as we could, ran to the train station, met up with the boys and 2 hours later we were standing in front of the leaning tower of Pisa. I enjoyed watching all the people hold their hands up as if they are holding the tower as much as I enjoyed the actual tower itself. After we did as many touristy things as we could, we headed back to the train station only to find that our train was leaving in a minute, and being the crazy kids we are, we sprinted ( like for real) down the tracks and jumped on the train as it was about to take off, laughing all the way to our seats.

Evan refused but I finally made him take a tourist photo.

Photos by the one and only Evan Trine.

Singing do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do

One of my favorite things to do in Florence is to put on my headphones, crank dem tunes up, and just walk. Its hard not to feel like you are on top of the world when you are struttin your stuff down the streets of Florence with some sweet music coursing through your veins. So I invite you to jump inside my ears and just enjoy the ride. This is my walkin playlist.

1. Adele- Rolling in the Deep

2. James Vincent McMorrow- If I had a boat

3. Die Alone- Ingrid Michaelson

4. Electric Feel- MGMT

5. Now My Feet Won't Touch the Ground- Coldplay

6. Sweet Darlin'- She and Him

7. Lisztomania-Phoenix

8 All Delighted People-.Sufjan Stevens

9. Dog days are over- Florence and the Machine

10. Ragged wood- Fleet foxes

11. Day tripper- The Beatles

12. You Ain't goin nowhere- Bob Dylan

13. First day of my life- bright eyes

14. The wind- Cat Stevens

15. Mrs. Potters Lullaby- Counting Crows

16. You and Me- Dave Matthews Band

17. Magic Words- Dusty Rhodes and The River Band

18. Om Nashi Me- Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

19. Two weeks- Grizzly Bear

20. Boy with the Coin- Iron and Wine

21. Okay- KaiserCartel

22. When I'm alone- Lissie

23. P.Y.T- Michael Jackson

24. Stay with me Tomorrow- Patrick Park

For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.

Yesterday was absolutely lovely. We anticipated the rain since it has been pouring the past couple of days, but we woke up to a lovely surprise of sunshine. We decided to venture around our neck of the woods and ended up and the Boboli gardens, which so happened to be breathtaking. The gardens are acres and acres of pure green and secret spots. We had so much fun just following the hidden paths and seeing where it lead us. We were seriously blessed with such a warm and wonderful day, and I look forward to many more of them.

in with the new, out with the old.

When it's midnight and you are starving because you have been studying so long, there is only one pick me up possible in San Diego. That being the famous Cali Burrito. For those of you have never heard of such a treat, it involves carne asada, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and french fries.. 1000 calories of pure goodness. So when we moved to Florence, we were troubled with the thought of not having the midnight snack run privilege, because other then clubs and bars everything shuts down around 9..Until one day we stumbled across the Kabob. And let me tell you, our world was rocked. So my darling readers I would like to introduce you to the Kabob. Open 24 hours filled with fresh yumminess from Istanbul, and get this the kabob is actually some what ok for you, at least thats what they tell me. So cali you are missed but I have moved on. And just like grey is the new black, and Justin Bieber is the new Joe Jonas. The Kabob is the New Cali.

and then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday

and I will send all my loving to you.

Leah Willis

cfo fua- Florence University of the Arts

Via Magliabechi, 1

50122-Firenze -Italia

I like twardles.....

and letters, and pen pals

I got all ma sistas with me.

I am very blessed having these two lovely ladies in my life. They keep me crazy, they keep me sane, and most of all we have fabulous dance parties in our living room. Thank you Lauren and Stephanie for being my Florence sisters.