Ciao, Firenze

Tomorrow I take off for the D-F-Dub.

I probably won't be posting for the rest of 2007, so see you next year!

xoxox

C'era l'arentina!

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of having MC visit us here in la Bella Firenze. It was a fun-filled with weekend that involved eating and shopping and more eating and was topped off with laughter and dancing. What more can two girls ask for?

We have sooo many of these pictures! But

we can always use just 1 more.

MC wasn't the onlyBay Area resident visiting that

weekend. L was visiting K & KS

After all 4 of us quickly got to know one another,

we started showing off our moves on the dance floor.

I must say we all had some pretty impressive moves.

(Look, there's D.B on the right, the awesome D.J who also

D.J'd our wedding in May!)

This lucky guy in the middle happily accompanied

our shopping sprees all weekend and even waited

in the rain while we searched for Kelly green Pashmina's.

What a gem!

I bet you've never seen one of these photos..

What about this one?

Needless to say, it was a great weekend..

If you were a part of it, thanks for sharing it with me! XXO

I Heart British Airways

In less than 48 hours, I will be aboard my
favorite airlines from London to Dallas. (I will not, however, be wearing what his chick is wearing to my right.) I'm not sure what she is doing or where she is coming from, but the look on her face colorfully expresses the same feeling I'll boast when I step off the plane, too!

Can't wait to see you there!!

A Little Piece of Germany in Florence

Every December, Chris and I look forward to the Heidelberg Christmas fair
that takes place practically in our backyard, in Piazza Santa Croce. It's a fun-filled little festival that offers everything from music, a carousel, and wurstel sandwiches to strudels.. to cheese from Holland to spiced wine, and even... (gasp).. crepes! Guess where I'm going tonight?

Chicken, anyone?

C was a brave soul and ordered chicken neck from a local restaurant on Saturday night. Cibreo didn't forget to dress the plate by throwing the actual head of the chicken on the plate. Gotta love it! Needless to say, the dish was... chewy...

Italians on Strike? What? Why, I never...!

Every person living in Italy is used to the infamous Italian strikes. Every month or so, bus drivers, airlines, and trains go on strike. But this week, instead of a transportation strike, it's the truck drivers who are striking. Which means supermarkets and warehouses all over the country are not receiving food and other goods! Click here to read about the latest "sciopero," or strike.

C just got back from a grocery store run and said that it was bare. He got enough for the rest of the week. If the strike is still going on by the end of the week, it looks like we'll be eating out all weekend until the strike ends!

According to IHT, "The protest left many supermarket shelves empty as perishable goods ran out and new stocks went undelivered."

Lucky Seven

Seven is the number of days until I'm home. I've made a quick list of some of the things I am looking forward to. Don't get me wrong- I love living in Florence. But let's face it. Since we come home only twice a year (well- this year, 3), it's especially nice to look forward to certain things that you can only find at Home. The below is a list, in no particular order, of particular moments that I treasure in which I only get to experience a few times a year:

Seeing my family at the airport!
Giving my cat Toby a big squeeze.
Eating garlic bread and tortellini siciliano at Luigi's.
Seeing all my friends in one place-i.e- JM's birthday party
and cocktails at JS's & Sushi on the 22nd!
Lunch with KS, JM, AL, & JS
Hearing some hip hop and rap that I haven't
already heard on MTV Italia. (!)
Shopping & Christmas sales.
Seeing LS's new pottery.
Long drives and hikes in Big Sur.
In & Out & R.G's cheeseburgers!
Fresh sushi that's not ridiculously expensive.
San Francisco with SA & MC & RB.
Laughing a lot and catching up with SA.
Casanova in Carmel.
Showing C's hometown to my family.
NYE in Sacramento.
Spending my First Christmas Eve & Day with My Hubby. XO.

It's always nice to come home for Christmas. I can't wait to see you, DS, FS, SA, KS, DS, JM, JS, LS, AL, RB, MC, KK, GL, D & G W., and everyone else who I can't think of right now! xoxoxo

Now That's My Cup of Tea!

What's YOUR favorite kind of tea? I LOVE tea in the winter and can never decide which one I want to dip into my steamy mug of hot water. Camomille, lemon, English Breakfast... they're all so good! This past weekend, not only did I spend a lot of time shopping and hanging out with MC, but we also drank a lot of tea. It was a cold, rainy, weekend, and it was the only way we could stay warm. Tea + Scrabble + Christmas music = Good times!

Thanksgiving #2- London 11/22-24

I've finally posted some Thanksgiving photos from our second Turkey Meal. This time, we were staying with RC and JG in Buckinghamshire, outside of London for the weekend. The food was "delish," and the egg nog was even better! The highlight of the trip was meeting little WC, the new addition to the family.

The Stars at Night...

.. are big and bright.. (clap,clap, clap, clap).. Deep in the Heart.. of Te-xas! Yee-Haw! :)
Just a little sing-along so have an idea of my current mood. In less than a week, I'll be flying Florence-London-Houston-Dallas. I arrive next Monday night and will be spending 9 nights and 8 days in the Lone Star State. After C and I get our feel of barbeque and friends (sushi, too!) we are off to California, where we'll spend Christmas Day with family and New Year's with friends. There, we will yet again eat more sushi (and fish tacos..yum!), and get together with a lot of our friends from the East Coast, plus my cousin and family. We can't wait! We're looking forward to seeing all of you, whether it be in one state or the other.

Crank dat Soulja Boy

Is the whole country "Crankin' it?" Apparently, so. A recent glimpse at You Tube proves that Soulja Boy's hit song has influenced people of all ages to take part in this fun and catchy dance. The moves are made up of a few hops, leans, and the famous SuperMan dive-move that has caused Americans from East to West to "bust a move." (Oh, wait.. that's from the 90's..oops).

Hampton Roads TV reports "Soulja Boy's 'Crank Dat' became a huge hit after instructions for the dance hit the web. Since then, thousands have put their own spin on the dance causing a viral video dance-storm."

Am I the only one who doesn't know this dance? I think it's so fly! I "You Tubed" the dance and found hundreds of home-made videos. From kids to teenagers to adults, everyone's Crankin' Dat! The links below are my favorite 8 videos I found of people Crankin Dat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1whKQBcnLiQ- A must-see! Child ballerinas Crankin' It in a ballet studio. Make sure you watch the boy up close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZE2OzguWHo- Goofy White Preps Crank It in their living room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51rwzPsxdo4 - Cheerleaders crank it. This one's funny!

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=13803536 -Even pop star Beyonce cranks it at her concert in Ft. Lauderdale!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUYQxXLygTU- This video wins the "Most Awkward Award." Poor kids are trying really hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvguZ0v52HM -5 Year old Girls Crank It. I wish I had that kind of rythym!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRImidXAQ5U -Teenage white boys from Kansas Crank it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brRPauBohr8 -These 10 year old kids are decked out in accessories and all, including dark black sunglasses! Cute.

Thanksiving #1- Florence- 11/18

Last Sunday, Thanksgiving #1 was celebrated by 11 people at our house in Florence. The gobblers consisted of 9 Americans, 1 Italiano, and 1 Scottish girl. I've posted some photos of a step-by-step process of what goes down in a Team C-L dinner party... Enjoy & buon appetito!

First, you let the turkey broth cook all day long! Under

all these tasty vegetables is the chicken carcass. Mmm, mmm, good.

These, my friend, are the personalized place cards that

were later finalized with guest's names. They must be

strategically placed on your table in order to create

positive energy among your guests!

Next, you must hang a turkey over your terrace and make

a funny face for good luck.

10 minutes before guests arrive, candles
are lit, and last-minute touches are made so that
a warm and cozy ambience !

Lastly, EAT! Everyone piles their plates high with turkey,
cranberries, mashed potatoes, and
"all the fixin's," and eats their hearts out!

I bet you didn't know ex-pats in Italy

even celebrated Thanksgiving! (Note the walnut,

please. This was a key part of my table arrangement).

After dinner, we move on to entertainment, which

this year consisted of catching up on the latest

music and dance moves in the States. I am so grateful

to my #1 Reader and fellow "hip" American, MC, who provided

me with the wonderful "How To Crank Dat" by Soulja Boy video

in the first place. Without her, I wouldn't even know what is is!

I'm already practicing for Christmas time.

(If you don't know what I'm talking about, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLGLum5SyKQ)

Last but not least, the night was topped off with

the Scottish girl, of all people, actually attempting to "Crank Dat Soulja Boy."

Don't you just LOVE Thanksgiving!!!!???

Just Click and Pay

Being abroad + Christmas shopping doesn't always = easy and convenient. Worrying about luggage restrictions and pesky weight limitations, ex-pats coming home for Christmas must skillfully manage their pre-departure shopping routines.

The first two Christmas's here, it was easy-peesy to find wonderful presents for folks back home. I found that "Ciao Bella" t-shirts, Pashmina scarfs, wine, olive oil and limoncello were a hit! But that can really only go so far. I mean, how much olive oil can one really want?

So, I've decided to catch up with the rest of the Western world this year and do most of my shopping online. Avoiding the agony of parking, crowded malls, and grumpy sales clerks sounds like a great way to spend my holiday in the U.S! Plus, I get everything out of the way before even landing. So, here are a few ideas for gifts I've found especially helpful this year:

~Magazines.com has every kind of magazine imaginable. Have the magazines sent directly to your friends' home.

~Amazon.com is a classic choice for just about anything. I especially like to go there to order books for gifts.

~Outblush.com is tons of fun for those original, quirky, and "girlie" gifts.

~Barnesandnoble.com is another great website for books. And they don't charge for shipping if you spend over $25.

RyanAir, Biscuits, & Tea, Oh No!

CA was delayed four hours on his Pisa-London flight today. Four! As much as I love Ryan Air's cheap flights around Europe, occasionally they can be "rubbish." How do you like that, eh? I'm practicing for my "holiday" in England this weekend, dahling.... Let's just hope that Ryan Air steps it up for my flight tomorrow up to London!

I'm Thankful for.....

So, as you can see, last weekend was a busy one with the wine tasting, PLUS the Thanksgiving we had at our house on Sunday. I will post pictures from the dinner as soon as I get a free minute to do so. As for now, today we are celebrating CH's 30th birthday, in addition to Thanksgiving! I still have to call home later to wish the fam Happy Turkey Day and to list all of the things I am thankful for. (ha, ha!)
For my actual Thanksgiving dinner tonight, I am going to eat at Acqua al Due (Italian food) with MZ and her family who is in town. Not a very traditional Thanksgiving, but hey, at least I'll be with someone's family!
CA took off today for London. I am meeting him there tomorrow, where we will have yet ANOTHER Thanksgiving dinner with our friends RC and JG in Buckinghamshire, 30 minutes outside of London, on Saturday.
And now.. for my cheeziness of the day... I am thankful for... my wonderful husband, my amazing family, my great friends, my job that has become a dream come true for so long, and the oppportunity to live in this great city!

Wine Tasting in Chianti

This will be a quick post...
On Saturday, I spent the day with about 40 students in Greve in Chianti at a winery called Castello di Verrazzano. Our tour guide, Gino, was a hit! In addition to the wine tour, we not only tasted some great olio nuovo, (new olive oil- supposedly it was only 10 days old), but we had a huge lunch, too. The vineyard is only about a 45 minute drive from Florence. I've posted a few pics..












"Guided tours..."

Our tour guide Gino

The energetic Gino..

Lo staff..

Castello di Verrazzano from afar

Our Weekend Getaway to Torino

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, C and I took advantage of a free weekend and got away to Torino last weekend. Torino was more beautiful than expected, but definitely a LOT colder, too!

Trying to stay warm...

but thanks to these delicious chocolate Bicerin coffees...

and yummy bombollone....

plus C next to me.......

I managed to stay warm....

Goodbye, Torino!

Woo, Woo, Turkey Head...

Chef Cristof ordered our turkey today from the Mercato Centrale for Thanksgiving this year, which we will be celebrating next Sunday, the 18th. Now, if I can only find 12 cute matching placemats to go with my harvest theme! I'm "over" last year's green and orange theme... I want a little more "umf," a little more "jazz"" this year on my dinner table. I'm thinking purple and gold!? And yes.. I already have the name plates picked out! Yay fun!!

Andiamo a Torino Questo Weekend..

Andiamo a Torino questo weekend! (We're going to Turin this

weekend). Chris and I decided to take advantage of having

this weekend free and take a little trip up north. Torino is the

capital of the region of Piemonte, the region that is in the most northwestern part of Italy, bordering a part of Switzerland AND France. We are looking forward to trying the different types

of foods and wines in this particular area of Italia. Not to mention, we'll be in the Alps, which is always a nice way to begin the winter season. We'll post pictures next week, vi giuro.

Let The Countdown Begin...

25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

Twenty five more days until MC comes to visit us in La Bella
Firenze! I'm getting ready for a picture takin', US Weekly flippin', aperitivin', fake telephonin', Sette Secolin', Volpi-in', movie watchin', laughin', FUN time with her!!!!

Six Months..

Yesterday was our six month anniversary!
I look forward to many, many, many more six month

anniversaries with my honey. XOXOX

Filipino Prison Thriller Remake

Wow. Real-life Filippine prisoners perform a dance routine to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Now that's what I call a real "team building" strategy. Awesome!

Check it out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o5nZcFIf3qc

Halloween--Firenze Style Part II

Here are some more photos from last night.