Tips for Traveling

Why, hello! It’s been so long that I forgot my password…and the name of the site I use to blog. But I am back for my once a 6 month post. And today’s post is dedicated to traveling. My husband and I just returned from a two-week vacation (more like tour) of Italy, and just one year ago we were on our two-week vacation/tour of Hawaii. Now I’ve been a few places in my life. My parents tried to do a vacation for us every summer to places like Michigan (to visit family), Florida (to visit family…and Mickey Mouse), sometimes local places like Shelter Island…sometimes cruises to the Caribbean. We always had a great time, no matter where we went, and I am so thankful for those memories with my family…but as I got older, I realized there was so much more to the world that I wanted to see. The cool thing about being an adult is you get to make your own decisions, such as, deciding where to travel to!

The past two trips that I have taken happen to be the biggest two trips of my whole life. When we announced that we were taking these trips, family and friends tended to scoff. These were not *cheap* trips per say, and maybe we weren’t in the greatest financial position to go on these trips but our thoughts were, we want to do this while we’re young and to us, it was worth the money. It’s funny to me that nobody blinks when you say you’re going to college, or going back to school to pursue another degree, etc…but people get pretty judgmental when you say you want to travel. I can honestly say I learned way more traveling then I did in college and grad school combined. But that’s another story I guess.

Anyways, back to the heart of this post, tips for traveling. Here are my tips for the having the best travel experience you can get…

1. Start Early

The earlier you can plan your trip, the better! Early planning means cheaper prices. The only reason we could even afford Hawaii and Italy was because we got amazing deals on airfare. We booked both trips 6 months in advance. Another tip is book your airfare on a Tuesday morning. For some reason, flights are cheaper when you book them that day. If you can be flexible with dates, that is also a big plus! If you’re going the hotel route, booking early also is a great idea because 1 – you may get unbelievable deals (like we did for our botique hotel in Maui, which we definitely wouldn’t have been able to afford if it weren’t for booking early) and 2 – you have time to keep checking the rates. For example, if you book a hotel room at $130 a night initially, and you check a month later and see it dropped to $115 a night, you can call and they have to honor the new rate. Of course, that takes a little work but it’s worth it. Think about it, the money you save by doing that can be a potential dinner or excursion while you’re on vacation. The best thing about booking early is it allows you plenty of time to plan, which brings me to my next tip…

2. Do Your Research

Today, we are blessed with a plethora of resources that were not available back in the day. The first thing I do when I decide on a place to go is buy a book about the destination. I read that thing cover to cover with a highlighter and post-it notes in hand. Lonely Planet and Frommer’s are both good resources. Pin everything on Pinterest!!! I have a board for each place that I visit and it is so helpful! I can honestly say that I have found amazing advice on Pinterest, that has led to some epic adventures. We also like to watch some shows (Travel Channel, documentaries, etc) before going anywhere. We watched Anthony Bordain’s “The Layover” before heading to Rome and it got us so pumped for the food and led us to some great places that were off the beaten path.

Wouldn’t have known about Waimea Canyon in Kauai, without Pinterest!

3. Talk to Someone Who Has Been There

Or even lived there! You can’t beat advice from someone who has been to the places you’re about to go. Especially, if they have lived there or know someone who lived there. Of course, everyone has different taste so try to be specific when asking questions. If you don’t want to end up at the Hawaiian version of Applebee’s, let them know you’re more interested in authentic/non-touristy spots.  I usually ask people to email me advice and then I make one big document that I bring with me on the trip, that way I have options and ideas. Also, when you do get to your destination, talk to the locals!!! They know best and they will always lead you in the right direction.

Road to Hana – best day in Hawaii!

4. Air B&B All The Way!

Air B&B is my new favorite thing. I wish we knew about it for Hawaii but unfortunately, we just learned about it this year. Everywhere we stayed in Italy, was an Air B&B and the experience you get cannot be matched by a hotel! First of all, it is a way smarter financial option. We had amazing apartments for as cheap as $60 a night!!! Second of all, you get to meet locals who are extremely helpful. The apartment we stayed at in Florence was gorgeous and the host was so nice! He sat with us for about twenty minutes and explained the apartment, the area, and gave us amazing recommendations for dinner and things to do. You just get more of an authentic feel of the place you’re staying and for a few nights you feel like you live there! One of the most memorable moments for me, was being able to cook in Florence. We went to the market and spend 15€ for ingredients and had a romantic dinner in our apartment. It was truly an amazing experience. I just feel like it’s more comfortable and you have a lot more privacy. Yea, maybe you have to make the bed yourself…but so what? It’s worth it!

Cooking in Firenze!

5. Have An Open Itinerary and Mind

I’ve been on vacations where every single second is planned out for me and it was miserable. The best adventures are the ones that are spontaneous. For Hawaii and Italy, I had an itinerary and of course, the big things like visiting the Vatican or Pearl Harbor were planned but I also left days wide open. Those were the “whatever happens happens” days and those days always end up being the most fun! You never know what’s going to happen, or how you’re going to feel when you wake up each morning, so it’s important to leave some open time in your itinerary. When we went to Venice, we woke up one day and said “Let’s hop on a ferry” so we did and we ended up seeing the coolest little island I’ve ever seen, Burano. Looking back that day was probably one of my favorites and it was totally spontaneous. Same thing with meals, we didn’t have any dinner reservations when we went, which I’m sure makes some people super nervous, but it worked out in our favor. In Hawaii, the best food we had was from local dives and food trucks. In Italy, small family run restaurants (where we had the most amazing, fresh food).

As far as having an open mind, I think that goes without saying but it is so important! When you’re traveling, the best thing to do is to throw yourself into the culture and learn as much as you can while you’re there. Every time I go somewhere new, I’m in awe of how different things are outside of my little world. It’s amazing to see how others live! I try to soak it all in and take back a little piece of that mentality home with me. Like I said before, I learned more in my collective four weeks of BIG travel then I did in college (which cost much more!). Be sure to truly enjoy every second that you have. Get off the phone, get off the internet, put your camera down and take it all in!!!

Burano, Italy 

*BONUS TIP – Spend a little more money on flying into one place and out of another!

Let me explain. The biggest mistake we made (TWICE) was booking our flights in and out of the same place, knowing that we were going to be traveling to other areas. Our last day in Italy was literally spent getting to the airport – a car service from the Amalfi Coast to Naples, a train from Naples to Rome, and another train from Rome to the airport. So dumb! If we just booked our flight out of Naples we could have woke up at a decent time, had a nice breakfast and headed to the airport at a leisurely pace. Instead we spent all day on the move, and had crappy airport food for our last meal in Italy. The amount of money we ended up spending getting back to Rome would have evened out in the end. Same thing with Hawaii.

So, those are my tips for planning an awesome trip. Now I know I haven’t been to a lot of places – there are a lot more places on my bucket list but I would say we’re off to a pretty good start. My last piece of advice is decide what kind of trip you want before going. Our last trip was by no means, relaxing, but we knew that going in. We wanted to see as much as we could while we were there. If you want relaxing, stick to all-inclusive 🙂

Happy Travels,

Kristina

Our Wedding Day

Hello friends. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would finally do a post dedicated to our wedding day, which was over six months ago already!!! Everyone said that it would fly by, and it really did…but I can honestly say that we enjoyed every single second!!! We had so much fun!

Leading up to the wedding, all I kept saying to everyone was “I have a vision” and my family thought I was crazy! But I really knew the vibe that I wanted and Rob and I made it happen. When we walked into the reception for the first time we were so incredibly happy because our “vision” came to life. It took my breath away. Even my dad commented and said “now I get why you were being so crazy – I see the vision”.

The best thing is, we really did almost everything ourselves and I would recommend that to anyone getting married. It saved us a ton of money and it really was fun to do these little projects. It’s also so rewarding when the wedding day arrives and everything comes together. So this post, I just figured I’d share some pictures, ala Pinterest, and hopefully maybe inspire some brides out there to DIY!

 

Don’t call it a comeback…

Well friends, it’s been a long, long time. I believe my last post was in April of 2015. It is now January of 2016. A lot has happened in that span of time. I got married. I went to Hawaii. I turned 30. I celebrated the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. And so on, and so on. So why haven’t I posted you ask? Well, there are two reasons why. Number 1 – I’ve been busy as you can see. But I really don’t think that is a good enough excuse not to write. I should make time. Number 2 – I lost my motivation. This is the biggest reason. I guess I’ve been feeling a little blue these days. That probably sounds crazy because of all the wonderful things that have happened in that span of time but it’s true. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly happy with my life and feel very fortunate for the good things I have. However, I’m the type of person who always has and always will question my life and my choices, particularly when it comes to my career. I guess I had been so preoccupied with planning a wedding that I really didn’t put too much thought into my unhappiness with my job. But now that the wedding is over I’ve been constantly thinking about if teaching is the right career path for me. I also feel like the world that we live in is so incredibly messed up lately that it makes me sad. I just didn’t want to bring that negativity on here. To be honest, I almost deleted the blog but then I figured if I keep it, even if I go away for a while, I can always go back and write.

Basically, I need a positive outlet in my life. I miss working out and singing and dancing and doing things for me but because of time restraints, as well as, exhaustion because of my job and commute, I don’t really do anything for me anymore. I come home; cook, clean, lesson plan and then plop myself on the couch for as long as I can keep my eyes open. It’s not healthy and it makes me even more blue. Anyway, writing always makes me feel better so I want to start it up again. And I don’t want to just come on here and complain. That isn’t why I started this thing.

I have a few ideas for a few blog posts that I want to write soon. I need to do a re-cap of my wedding day because honestly, it was the BEST day of my entire life. I also need to do a tribute to Hawaii because I absolutely fell in love with that place when we went on our honeymoon. And besides that, well…you’ll just have to come back to find out what I’m up to!

Hope to see you soon…unless I don’t write for another year…in that case, have a happy 2016 😉

An Ode to Bailey

Hello virtual friends! I know I have been MIA for quite sometime now…turns out juggling wedding planning and a full time teaching job doesn’t leave much room for blogging. But since I have a few extra seconds to breathe at the moment, I figured it’s about time for a post. And a pretty important one at that. At least to me it is…

Recently, I lost a pet. Now, I know for some it’s very hard to comprehend why this would even deserve a post but if you have pets, especially in the form of dogs, I’m sure you get it. So I wanted to pay tribute to one of my best friends for the past 13 years, my dog Bailey.

An Ode to Bailey

About six months ago, we realized that our family pet, Bailey, was rapidly aging. Looking back now, it seems like he changed over night. One day he was the happy, funny, energetic “puppy” that was still full of so much youth and life and the next day…well, not so much. He began developing little health problems every day. One day we noticed a lump on his leg, the next an issue with his eye, the day after a problem with his walking. And for the next few months, he just didn’t seem right. He wasn’t himself. Being the person that I am, I tried my best to turn a blind eye to it. I was hopeful. A miracle would occur and he would soon come out of this funk as the Bailey we used to know – the happy, funny, energetic “puppy”. My parents would say things like “this might be it” or “we should begin to say our goodbyes”. I would ignore them. Thinking to myself, they are being negative. This can’t be the end. Bailey is our family. This is just not it! He will be around for my wedding. He’s going to make it to next year. He’ll be around next Christmas. This just cannot be the end.

But they were right. Things just getting worse and worse for poor old Bailey. No longer a puppy, but a tired, sick old dog. He would lay in the same spot all day. He would fall down every time he moved. You could see the pain in his eyes. It wasn’t easy to watch. It wasn’t easy to accept. I kept praying for a miracle but then it happened. I came home one chilly rainy afternoon in April to find my mother and sister outside in the backyard with Bailey. He fell down and would not move. No matter what they tried to do, he would not budge. They tried moving him themselves but every time they touched him, he would cry. We worked together to get Bailey onto a blanket and into the house. Once we got him inside the house, he stayed there and still would not move. A call to the vet was made..and the recommendation came that it was time. He is old, he is sick, he is in pain…13 years is a good amount of time for a dog…he will be in a better place…All the things that are told to you when someone you love passes away were told to us that night. I guess it is meant to be comforting. I didn’t feel comforted. I felt angry. I felt sad. What right do we have to decide this? But I knew, deep down, it was the right thing to do.

We stayed with Bailey to the very end. It was hard to witness. Looking back, I guess that’s why I took it as hard as I did…because I saw it, and it’s not an easy thing to see. But I’m glad that we were there for him. He looked calm. He looked peaceful. He looked like he didn’t feel any more pain. We said our goodbyes and quietly went our separate ways. I cried for two days straight. I felt heartbroken. I felt lost. I felt like there was a piece of me missing. As the weeks went on, it got easier. It’s still weird going home and not having him greet me at the door. It’s still weird not having him come sit next to me at dinner, hoping I’ll pass him some food under the table. I think it will always be a little strange, a little too quiet without him but I know he had a happy life because we made sure of it.

Every day with Bailey was a happy one. He was a good dog. He made us laugh. He was ALWAYS there for us. He was a member of the family – like a canine brother! I will always cherish the memories that our family had with him and I look forward to making memories with a new family pet in the future.

Some people aren’t “animal people”. They will never have a pet and I guess that’s okay. But I think they’re missing out. I encourage everyone to get a dog at some point in their life. You can not imagine the joy and happiness these little furry friends bring to you. When the world turns their back on you – you can bet that your dog will be by your side. Bailey was always by my side. And I will always be grateful to him for that.

Rest In Peace Bailey. We will miss you more than you know!

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Hey ya’ll…

Yea, I don’t know why I said that. Okay so Super Bowl Sunday is coming up! And besides the football, everyone thinks about one other thing…BUFFALO WINGS! Well, two things I guess…beer too. Anyways, I’ve been craving wings all week just thinking about the Super Bowl and it gave me an idea for dinner last night. I made Buffalo Chicken Burgers and they were delish!!! And best of all, they were definitely a healthier alternative to fried buffalo wings. You want the recipe? Here it is…

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Ingredients: 

Chicken Chop Meat (1 lb)

Onion (Half of an onion, grated)

Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

Salt and pepper (To taste)

Butter (About two tablespoons, for a healthier alternative use olive oil)

Hot Sauce (1/2 cup, more if you like it hotter)

Carrots, Celery, and Lettuce (For garnish)

Blue Cheese (To taste)

Directions:

1. Mix chicken chop meat, onions, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Use your judgement -if you want bigger burgers, roll out bigger burgers…if you want sliders (like me), shape your meat mixture into smaller slider burgers.

3. THIS IS OPTIONAL – I took a little blue cheese and placed it in the middle of the burger to give it a “stuffed burger” effect. Totally up to you whether or not you want the stuffed burgers!

4. Place the burgers on a non-stick baking tray. Drizzle some olive oil on top of each burger. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip the burgers over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on how your burgers look!

5. While your burgers are cooking, start on your sauce. Melt your butter (or let your olive oil get warm) and whisk in the hot sauce. Let that cook for about 5 minutes and then shut off the heat.

6. Once your burgers are done place them in the pot with the sauce. Cook about a minute or two on each side.

7. Plate your burgers and pour all extra sauce on top.

8. Take those burgers and do what you want with them! I poured a little extra blue cheese dressing on top of mine and ate it in a lettuce wrap. If you’re feeling fancy you can even make a carrot/celery slaw and put it right on top! If you don’t want the cheese…I’m looking at you paleo people…you can top it with some avocado so you still get that smooth, creamy taste. AND it will help with some of the heat from the hot sauce!

9. As always…ENJOY!

Happy Super Bowl guys!!!  Go Seahawks!!!

Healthy Chicken Parm

I haven’t done a recipe in a while but I made a pretty good one today and I wanted to share…

So when I say “healthy”, the only thing that some people may consider unhealthy is the parmesean cheese, obviously you can omit that if you like, it will still be delicious. But I’m a cheese kind of girl so I added the cheese. Sorry to my paleo friends…but I just can’t do without the cheese. End of cheese rant.

Anyways, here is the recipe for this delicious twist on a classic. I hope you enjoy!!

Healthy Chicken Parmigiana 

Ingredients:

Chicken breast, sliced thin (1 – 1 1/2 lbs)

Grape tomatoes (1 package)

Garlic (2 cloves)

Basil (A few leaves will do)

Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese for my non-Italian friends – 1/2 cup)

Olive Oil (use as needed)

Spaghetti Squash (1)

Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

Directions:

I need a better camera! P.S. Do you see my dessert back there? Kind of negates the healthy, huh? 🙂

1. Like so many meals that I try to make healthier, I served this over Spaghetti Squash. Before you do anything you want to get that spaghetti squash in the oven. If you don’t know how to cook a Spaghetti Squash click on this link for directions from a previous Lost Girl Post! Spaghetti Squash Directions

2. Once that’s in the oven and cooking, you can make your fresh marinara sauce. Cut up your garlic, tomatoes, and basil. Sauté the garlic in olive oil for about a minute and then add your tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and some Italian seasoning if you have it. Let that cook until it starts to look saucy (aka about five minutes). Add basil and cook for another few minutes. Once that is done set it to the side and begin working on your chicken.

3. I don’t like just throwing chicken in the oven because I always feel like it comes out kind of blah. I like to sauté my chicken in a pan with some olive oil and garlic first – it’s nice to get that golden brown color on the chicken. Before you sauté it, season it with a little bit of salt and pepper.

4. Once your chicken is cooked, place it on a baking sheet. Take your sauce and pour a little bit on each chicken. Then add your cheese.

5. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

6. Serve over spaghetti squash. Add more basil for a nice garnish!

Simple, right? And it was so delicious!!!

Buon Appetito!

Dear Justin Timberlake, I am obsessed!

Every girl at some point in her life (usually around the age of 13-18), will briefly find herself obsessed with a entertainer/celebrity of some sort. In most cases, such as mine, that celeb is a part of a boy band. When *Nsync came out back in the mid 90’s I was in middle school and I fell in love with them. I saw them in concert a million times, I had the tshirts, the magazines, the books, the dolls (yes, the dolls), I knew every word to every song by heart, I knew every dance move to every song by heart, my walls were covered in pictures of *Nsync…I literally could not think of anything else. When Justin Timberlake decided to go solo, I was in my senior year of high school. I was ready to let go of my teenybopper ways. I never thought that Justin going solo would turn into a whole new era of obsession for me. Needless to say, it has. It has big time.

Well I am now 29 and I can honestly say my obsession is probably at its all time high right now. Justin has just finished his world tour for The 20/20 Experience (absolutely the best record he ever put out) which I have seen 4 times. I actually feel knots in my stomach because I don’t know when he will be back with more music. Maybe he won’t. Who knows? But if we are all lucky he will grace us with new music sometime in the near future.

Why am I so obsessed you ask? Well, in true Lost Girl fashion, I have compiled a list of the reasons why JT is the greatest entertainer of our time!

The music. The reason why Justin’s music speaks to so many people, guys and girls alike, of all different walks of life, is because his music is GOOD. His lyrics are good. The beats, the rhythms, everything about it is good. His albums are the kind that you can listen to from beginning to end without skipping over songs. That’s a rare thing to find these days. He is respected in all different genres of music; pop, hip hop, r&b, rap, country…I have heard one of his songs on each of these type of radio stations. That’s pretty rare these days. His voice is amazing. He doesn’t need autotune or any of that, he is naturally talented. He can and will sing his heart out every single time.

He entertains. Have you ever been to a JT concert? If you haven’t you are truly missing out. He will have you dancing on your feet the whole entire time. He puts on an amazing show! He performs so much of his music that he actually takes an intermission and comes back for a whole second set. How many entertainers do that these days? You usually see an opening act, they set up the stage, and then the person you paid to see sings for an hour/hour and a half tops. Not Justin. He hits the ground running and does not stop! The man can dance his ass off! Seriously. And every concert truly is an experience of its own.

He’s versatile. Like I said before, Justin is respected in so many different genres. His music cannot be placed into just one category, it stretches out across the board. Also, something that is unique about JT, every time he puts out a new album it has a TOTALLY different feel from the one before. I remember hearing each and every first single that he released from each and every album he put out. I said the same thing each time “this is so different then everything that is out right now, this is so different then the stuff he has done before”. To reinvent yourself over and over like he has truly takes an artist. Not only is he well respected in the music scene, he also is respected in the acting community. He has been in some major movies with some major actors and definitely holds his own.

He doesn’t take himself too seriously. Celebs these days. They can’t laugh at themselves. Most of them seem too serious. It’s super annoying. But Justin…I mean, you’ve seen him on SNL. The dude is hilarious! There’s a reason why him and Jimmy Fallon get along so well. They are both so hysterical that it just works! There are not too many entertainers that can step out of their comfort zone the way that he can. And every time he does he knocks it out of the park!

He is freaking gorgeous. Okay, so I know this shouldn’t matter but it’s just an added bonus. Justin is absolutely gorge! He has a sense of style, he is confident, and well…just look at him! I could die! It’s too bad he’s happily married. Sigh.

So thank you Mr. JT. Thank you for years of entertainment, thank you for years of obsession and I do hope there are many more to come. And thank you for looking the way that you do. Because well, it’s nice. Very nice.

❤

Hello 2015, it’s great to meet you!

Well, we drank the champagne, we counted down to midnight, and danced the night away…2015 is officially here! And for once, I feel pretty good on this New Year’s Day. I have to say normally, New Year’s Day is my least favorite holiday. It’s just so blah. You’ve been celebrating the holidays since November and then after partying New Year’s Eve, you wake up and realize everything is over and it’s time for winter. No celebrations until Spring. Terrible, right? Well, not so much this time.

2015 has the potential to be the greatest year of my life! Big things are happening this year and I am so excited to soak in every ounce of happiness that it brings.  Here’s what’s coming up for this Lost Girl…

Three Big Things Happening in 2015:

1. I’m getting married! It’s sort of surreal that my wedding is going to be here in six months. I mean you dream of your wedding all your life. Even if you’re not wedding obsessed (I never really was), every girl does think about the day…the dress…the guy…and all the little details in between. It’s almost like a fantasy and then all of the sudden, the plans are in motion and the countdown is on. That’s where I’m at right now. July is coming up fast and I still cannot believe it! I don’t think I will believe it until I’m looking at the pictures after the fact.

It’s funny, I am not a fan of change. It scares the hell out of me. And I will admit there are somethings that every once in a while cross my mind that gives me a little teeny tiny panic attack and then I get over it just as quick as it came on (like changing my name…it’s so strange to me that I am one name all of my life and then all of the sudden I am someone else!). But for the most part, I have no fears. I am ready for the next chapter in my life, in our life.

2. Hawaii! I may be more excited for our honeymoon then I am for the wedding! We just booked our flights to Hawaii. I guess it’s kind of typical to go to Hawaii after you get married and so many people were trying to steer us away from going there because it is expensive…but we have been researching, and planning, and I think the way we are doing everything is perfect for us. We like to explore, and to be active, and experience the culture of wherever we go, so it’s not going to be a typical laying-around-on-the-resort type of honeymoon. We will be running around exploring every island we visit and there is really no one else in the world I would rather do this with, then my soon-to-be hubby!

3. The big 3-0! Well, in November of this year I will be saying goodbye to my 20’s and saying hello to my 30’s. Not gonna lie, I am a tad freaked out about this but I plan on enjoying my “dirty 30” thoroughly…there will be a whole post dedicated to just this topic so stay tuned.

So those are the three big things happening for me. I am so excited for this year!

Bring it on 2015!!!

Italian Wedding Craziness

Hello friends, happy Wednesday! So as most of you know, I am getting married this summer. I had planned on it being a laid back enjoyable experience with little to no stress. I planned on being “the cool bride” who didn’t care too much about small little details that in the end wont matter. Boy, was I wrong. So very wrong! Now let me start by saying, everything started off smooth. My fiance and I decided to take our time planning to avoid the stress you usually associate with planning a wedding. It was going well for a while. Then we hit the one year mark. And things started to get crazy. For one reason and one reason only, my crazy Italian family! What is with Italians and weddings? Why must it be such a crazy experience to plan a wedding in an Italian family? I should tell you that I am the first in my family to get married. I am the oldest cousin on both sides. So yea, I get it, it’s a big deal. But madone everything that I decide on seems to be a problem with these people. The politics of who gets invited…”you can’t invite Cousin Anthony without inviting Cousin Marie”…”how are you not going to invite Jack and Lisa, they’ve been our friends for so many years”…”why are you inviting this guy? I don’t know him! I never met him”. Has the whole idea that the wedding should be about two people who are actually getting married gone totally out the window?

Now look, I’m not trying to be selfish. I want to please everyone but some things that are happening with my family…I feel like these things should have been established from the start. We decided on a smaller place for two reasons 1) we wanted a more intimate/rustic feel and 2) it’s a lot less expensive. Okay great! Everyone was on board…125-150 people max! What the hell happened? We’re at 160 right now and the list keeps on growing. Pretty soon our wedding will feel like a clown car where everyone is stuffed in to a space that is way too small. I wanted to avoid that at all costs!

Italians are crazy!!! They get offended over the silliest things. Who is going to be in the wedding party? Who is doing the readings? Who is walking Nanny down the aisle? If it were up to my family my whole entire family would be in the wedding party. I’m sure everyone else would love to sit through 60 people walking down the aisle at church. I mean by the time I walked down the aisle nobody would even care! I’m told that this is very normal. I’m trying to have patience but it is wearing thin!!!

Part of the problem is me. My fiance knows enough to just yes everyone to death and then we just do what we want. Smart man! Here’s the twist guys…my crazy Italian-ness makes me such a stubborn human being that I literally don’t know how to shut my mouth. So in the end, I’m just as crazy as they are. Isn’t that wonderful?

So I guess the moral of the story is Italians are crazy!!! I love my family but they are beyond NUTS! And so am I! Good luck to my fiance on marrying into this!

November!

Okay guys, first of all, I must apologize. I’ve been a really bad blogger. My last post was exceptionally bitter and angry and I thought about taking it down but you know what? That’s how I felt at that moment in time so it stays. Anyway, the reason I have not been keeping up with this blog is because I have been insanely busy. Haven’t really had much time to write, let alone breathe. Hopefully things will slow down a little bit sometime soon and I can get back to it. Because of the busyness and craziness at work, I’ve been what you call a “Negative Nancy”…another reason why I haven’t been updating this. I don’t want this blog to turn into a series of Kristina rants so I’m trying to spare you.

So, now you know where I’ve been and how cranky I have been BUT there is some good news…it is my favorite month of the year (besides July) NOVEMBER! It is birthday month (yes that’s a thing…I get it from my Mom) and it’s the month of my favorite holiday Thanksgiving. I looooove Thanksgiving! Probably because I am obsessed with food (my Dad is an awesome cook) and I actually really enjoy my family. It’s just such a nice holiday. I love waking up and watching the parade. I love getting excited when Santa shows up in his sleigh (and then the Christmas season is allowed to begin). I love getting ready and heading over to my parents house. I love the way the house smells when you walk in. I love how every year at the end of the meal we say “that was way too much food, next year we have to cut down a course” but we never do. I love how every year my Dad threatens to have it catered because he doesn’t want to deal with all the work but he never gets it catered, he loves cooking too much. I love everything pumpkin (call me basic for that, I don’t care…it’s delicious and you know it!). I love every single second of Thanksgiving from beginning to end.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas too but it’s just so commercialized now. The meaning of Christmas is lost on so many people. They are playing Christmas music and commercials already and we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet. It’s ridiculous. They skip right over Thanksgiving (I’ve always been a fan of the underdog). I like the anticipation of Christmas. I like putting up the tree and wrapping presents and making cookies but I like it AFTER Thanksgiving.

Anyway, Happy November everybody! Enjoy this nice Fall weather before it turns into…snow (ugggh not looking forward to that).

Until next time…