Euro Trip 2011: Part 3

Today we decided to head back to Vatican City to climb the hundreds of steps to the top of the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica and were shocked at the line wrapping all the way around St. Peter's Square.  We were a bit disappointed because the view would have been amazing but we just kept saying well we will do it next time we are in Rome, we will be back soon. :)  We decided gelato would make us feel better and Trip Advisor had Le Gelateria Frigidarium as the number one restaurant in Rome so we had to try.  Although it was delicious, I say Old Bridge still is number one on my list.  Scott got Frigidarium's house flavor though and it was amazing.  I guess we can have more than one favorite gelato place in Rome.  While we were walking around town, near the capital there were tons of people from the Italian Military with their tanks parked with people taking pictures in them, we decided to join in.  We had a couple outdoor plazas and market places circled on our map we hadn't visited so we moseyed through some of them on our way to dinner at the number two place in Rome on Trip Advisor, an Indian Restaurant called Krishna 13.  It was fantastic, the best Indian food we have ever had!  We ended the night with a little more gelato on our way home.   

Euro Trip 2011: Part 2

Every morning we have a delicious breakfast made by Laura and enjoy the company of the other house guests, I love B&Bs!  Yesterday after breakfast we began our day on a walking tour by Rick Steve in a beautiful area near the river called Trastevere.  The walking tour really allowed us to get a real feel of the beauty and character of the area.  After our tour we had lunch in the area at a quaint little restaurant which had the Italian classics.  

After lunch we headed up to Vatican City with reservations for the  Vatican Museum, thanks to Scott we skipped the long line in the heat.  We walked through the museum which ends at the Sistine Chapel and enjoyed the beauty of Michelangelo's work.  Right outside Vatican City there is the best gelato (thanks Addie for the recommendation) at a little shop called Old Bridge Gelatoria. The line was quite long but totally worth the wait.  After our delicious gelatos we went into St. Peter's Basilica and walked down to the crypts below the cathedral.  After admiring all the art and history of the Vatican we headed over near the Patheon for dinner at a little Italian Pub which was quite interesting.  During dinner an older Italian man came out of the back yelling at everyone to cheer while he served a girl a plate with a pretty explicit meal while everyone yelled and laughed.  We couldn't stop laughing and asked our waiter, although he didn't speak much English what this was all about and he just said "we do it all the time".  I love all the funny, interesting, unforgettable experiences of traveling.  We ended the night walking home in the rain and laughing about our funny, fantastic day.  

Euro Trip 2011: Part 1

We are in Rome, Italy!

After arriving yesterday afternoon, throughly exhausted from our flight, we were thrilled to be greeted at our bed and breakfast by Laura the owner of Aldebaran B&B where we are staying.  Laura is very friendly and really makes us feel right at home, she even refers to it as our home.  We took a nap after getting situated in our room and then woke up in time to go out on the town to see the concert for May Day (Labor Day for Italy) and the celebrations being held in honor of Pope John Paul II being declared blessed.  There were tons of people here for the ceremonies which made for interesting people watching.  We walked around downtown for a while, bought our Roma Pass (best decision ever), ate some Italian Pizza, had my first Cola Light of the trip and ended the night with some delicious gelato.  It was a perfect first day in Rome!

We had a good night sleep and woke up today to some delicious breakfast made by Laura and were joined by other couples staying in the house for some enjoyable morning company, one couple from Spain and the other from England.  After breakfast we were off for a full day of sightseeing.  Thanks to Scott's preparation and Rick Steve's advice our day was wonderful.  

We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Piazza Venezia, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps.  Although the sites were very busy due to all the visitors in the city for the Pope, we didn't wait in any lines and had guided tours without paying a dime.  How you might ask?  Well Scott was on top of it and had us get a Roma Pass which includes all these sites without lines and we downloaded Rick Steve's Audio Tours on our phones, directions and pictures included to give you a free all inclusive tour of all the sites.  Also Rick recommended an inexpensive, delicious place to get lunch which made the day enjoyable and in the budget.  Our day was fantastic and well worth every step on the cobble stone roads.  

I also added my map reading skills and memories of last time I was in Rome to help us get around.

By the end of the day we were ready to get home fast so we hopped on the metro and a couple stops later we were back at Manzoni, our metro stop to our home in Rome.

Stay tuned for the Vatican City and more tomorrow!

XBOX KINECT

Scott has been wanting a XBOX for a while.  I wasn't too excited about the idea.  I might have even returned one he had purchased a while back, even though I agreed to the purchase.  So my sister being the most thoughtful person you will ever know, decided Scott deserves a XBOX no matter what I thought.  So for Scott's graduation she got my whole side of the family together to get him a XBOX.  We have been playing Kinect Sports and besides getting a little work-out, I have to say it is a great deal of fun, especially with friends.

Tonight our friends Drew and Tiffany were over for a little Kinect action and man did they get it.

Thanks for the fun times guys.  Let's have a rematch soon.  If anyone else is up for the Varley Challenge just let us know!

Graduation

Scott is officially a BYU graduate and I couldn't be more proud.  He has worked so hard and landed the perfect job for our little family.  Although we are sad to leave our college life, especially all the amazing friends we have made, we are thrilled to begin the next chapter of our lives in Salt Lake City.  Scott and I are so blessed to have so much love and support from our family and we enjoyed having so many of them here for Scott's graduation.  Thanks again for all of you who sent your love and congratulations from near and far, we really appreciate it! 

Dently Bruce

On Friday morning Scott and I were thrilled to welcome another nephew in our family.  My sister Natalie and brother-in-law Danny had an adorable little boy named Dently Bruce and we were lucky enough to go to the hospital and hold him when he was only a few hours old.

We already love you so much Dently!

Last Day of Class

Although Scott doesn't look too happy (he has a hard time functioning in the morning) he was ecstatic that today was his last day of class at BYU as an undergrad.  I have to say I'm pretty thrilled myself to have a soon-to-be graduated hubby.  

To celebrate we got to attend the last Jazz game of the season, thanks to our friend Nate who provided the tickets.  It was a perfect reward to all Scott's hard work.  

Some of my friends from work were there too so they came and sat next to us, love these ladies!

The Jazz won which always makes for a fun game and then we left in the pouring rain.  Scott didn't have a coat and we parked pretty far away to avoid paying for parking so we ran all the way to our car laughing the whole time.  We were completely soaked when we got there.  It was a perfect end to the last day of class. 

Go Jazz!