Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! Those who know me know it's absolutely my favorite holiday! I've had really mixed emotions this week - I'm happy thanksgiving is here, but I'm also sad not to be home. All of my friends keep telling me how nice it is to be home. While I want to be home with my family so bad, I refuse to wish away the time while I'm here. I have just about three weeks left and I'm going to make the most of it! Anyway, I'm so thankful for all my friends and family! I'm spending the day cooking a giant thanksgiving dinner with Chloe for our friends. I'm leaving tomorrow painfully early for a trip - if I can't be home this is my second choice! Happy Thanksgiving!

Midterms & milkshakes

Bacon cheeseburger

Chocolate milkshake

Vanilla milkshake

Bandinelli's Laocoon 

Ceiling of the Ufizi

Even though midterms are always a time of stress without exception, this week has been really fun besides all the studying! On Monday I took a study break to go get burgers and shakes with Grace, David and Chloe. The Diner (as I've mention here) is based on an American diner and has free milkshakes on Monday night. It was such a treat to spend the day studying only to be rewarded by delicious food I've been missing so much! I'll never go this long without a bacon cheeseburger again! Yesterday was also stressful and spent studying. For dinner Chloe made the box of mac and cheese my mom brought me from home for David and me. I've been saving it for a special time and decided that midterms week was when I needed it most. It's funny how when I'm stressed things from home are what relax me! Afterwards I was studied productively so I could go out (thanks Dad!). Olivia's father just visited and she had the hotel room for one more night. After my studying was done I went over to her hotel where I had so much fun wearing a bathrobe and rolling around in the king bed. There were five of us crammed into the bed at one point watching tv and pretending to be fancy. It was so much fun laughing and being silly! Today I took two of midterms and I think they went well! Probably because instead of stressing into the wee hours of the morning like I normally do, I just had fun! I have one more midterm tomorrow and then I don't have to think about them for a couple days! Pictures from the Ufizi which I went to on Tuesday with my drawing class. I drew the Laocoon, pictured above, which I also wrote about for one of my midterms today!

La mia famiglia

As happy as I am to be abroad, there are definitely aspects from home I miss, most importantly my family. I just wanted to take the time to thank my mom, dad and stepmom for all visiting me! I'm bummed my brother won't get to visit me in Italy, but I understand. Now that everyone is back in America, I realize how much I miss everyone and how much I cherished our time together. The time spent catching up went by in the blink of an eye. I was so happy to show the people most important to me my friends, my school, where I live and what I've learned. My life is inevitably changing and I'm happy that they can be part of it because they are my biggest supports! Thank you and I love you!