Thanksgiving. Humanities. Christmas Decorations.

Guess which one was my favorite? THANKSGIVING. This whole past week I was in just a bad mood. We had this Humanities paper that I started on last weekend and finished actually on Thanksgiving night. We had a full week of classes because of finals coming up. Which meant I had HUMANITIES three times. Which was almost unbearable. But we all made it through. Thanksgiving was very bittersweet. I had so much fun with my new Florence family but it also made me realize how much I take "family time" for granted when I'm home. I missed them so much. But Sara mad us turkey, dressing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and cornbread. It was so yummy! And the next day we had leftovers. Which were so yummy. And on Friday I got to skype my family while they put up the christmas tree! And they are saving me a few ornaments to put on the tree when I get home in 6 days!!! I can't wait to be back in Nashville.

So pretty much that whole week I worked on my HUM paper and so that weekend I just mostly chilled. I helped people start their papers and get themseleves on track. I was more of a sounding board for people who just needed to talk. I ate Spera. Which is amazing! I was weekend coordinator. So I was in-charge of the house. Which was fun. Nothing too exciting to report. We watched ELF on Saturday night!!! I love that movie so much. It was all in all a chill weekend. I turned my paper in this past tuesday. And this week is "deadweek" so we are all starting to study for exams and finishing up things. I had my oral Italian exam this morning. And that means no class tomorrow. I only have Soc tomorrow. At 2pm! I don't have to wake up until lunch time!

Pizza, How I Met Your Mother and Humanities.

This week has been so crazy! Its just been really busy. I'm definitely ready for Christmas Break! Going home to good ole' NashVegas! The reason this week was so crazy was the fact I had a Humanities reading test. Which doesn't really sound that intimidating, but it really is. Leonardo, my humanities teacher, is crazy. He expects us to recount every detail of every event and person he asks about. Its crazy. So I spent my entire week studying for that. And this next week I will be working on a paper for his class. I hate it. But it's life and I will get through it. But this past weekend was just amazing. I had a blast. On Thursday night, someone put in the third season of How I Met Your Mother. Half the Villa sat down and watched it. It was hilarious. I had never seen an episode before. I loved it so much! The next morning, Friday, I woke up at 11am. I didn't get out of my bed until 12. I left the Villa at 1pm to go to the grocery store. When I got back, some people were watching Knocked Up, so I finished it with them. After the movie was over, we got to talking about How I Met Your Mother and my friend Brea was like, "I have the forth season in my room. Lets watch it!". So, everyone in the villa at this time (about 15 people) came into the student center and we watched 10 episodes from season four. Then we all went to Spera and HOPS. It was a great night. I came back after HOPS and played Monopoly until 3:30am. I didn't get to sleep until 5am. The next afternoon I woke up around 1pm. I did some school work and skyped G. Then I got another Pizza from Spera. This place is the most amazing in the whole wide world. I'm obsessed with their pizza. Which was evident when I walked in and the main cook looks at me and goes, "Pizza Margherita senza Basilico. Si?" I giggles and said yes. Its just too good! When I get back to the Villa people are sitting around eating so I join. And after we eat, we decide to watch more HIMYM. And we finish the whole fourth season. We watched the third and fourth season in one weekend. I was so proud of us! Then this morning I woke up at 12pm, showered and straightened my hair. Then I watched football for a couple hours and did some school work. Next I ate dinner and worked on some more things for school. After that I skyped my sister and dad. Then when my mom came back from the grocery store I skyped her while she cooked! It was so much fun. My night was full skype! After the family I talked to my friend Megan and lastly I talked to Kevin. It was so great to catch up with everyone. I miss people!

23 days and Counting!

This past week has been exhausting. And my patience and sanity are running thin. I've missed my home and family this week. As you know, I LOVE making lists. So to make myself feel better this week I did A LOT of window browsing on Tiffany and Co's website as well as make a list of all the fun things I get to do when I get back to the States! It will be CHRISTMAS when I get back! Which makes me very very happy! Here are the things that I want to do:

1. Opryland Hotel and ICE! For Christmas vibes

2. Go Christmas light trolling

3. Eat at Henpeck Market, Dumplins and Mellow Mushroom

4. SONIC! I miss crappy fast food!

5. Bake Christmas Cookies

6. Breakfast at The Mercantile, Cracker Barrel, Merridee's and Pancake Pantry

7. Go to the Movies!

8. Eat Lucky Charms. I miss them terribly

9. Pam's home cooking

10. Playing cards with the family

11. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

12. Pinkberry/ Sweet Cece's

13. STARBUCKS!

14. Lastly, I get to DRIVE!

London Calling!

The next Monday was crazy insane! Everyone was studying. Constantly. And Tuesday was stressful. We had to be done with our test right at 3:30pm so we could make our 3:57 train to the Pisa Airport so we could make our 6:20 gate meet for RyanAir to London Stansted. Luckily, we were on time the entire day. It was perfect. I was thrilled! It was our long weekend and I got to see my dad! That night we got to London and took a bus from Stansted to Victoria Station. We took the tube to Earl's Gate to our hotel. I love the London Tube! We checked into our hotel and went and grabbed some food. By the time we made it back to our hotel G. was almost there! It was so awesome to see my dad! I had been missing my family SO much! It was a great fix! The next day G. had business stuff to do. Anna and I went to the British Museum and had lunch with my friend Carly, who is studying in London. Then we got lost. Which was so much fun! That night Anna was going to see Les Mis with our faculty family who were also in London and I was meeting G. for dinner and a movie! So we went back to our hotel and got ready. We hit the Victoria and Albert Museum before we met up with everyone. It was amazing! That night G. and I went to this amazing burger place and saw The Social Network! I was so excited to finally see it! The next day Anna and I hit up Nottinghill and Portobello Road Markets. Then met G. for lunch at another burger place. I have bee missing cheeseburgers if you can't tell. After that we went to Harrod's and got Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! I was in heaven! Then we hopped on a plane to Dusseldorf Germany. Michael had a show to do there. I unfortunately had an allergic reaction and had to spend the majority of Friday in a German ER. NOT FUN! But thankfully all is good now. Then Saturday morning we headed back to Florence and pretty much chilled the rest of the weekend! All in all it was a great break. I'm so glad I got to see my dad! Best part for sure!

POMPEII!

I freaked out in Pompeii! I have never been that jazzed to go somewhere. As you know, I was in Greek and Roman art last semester. We studied Pompeii and the various styles of mural painting. It was so amazing to see and touch the ruins and murals! We also got to climb Mt. Vesuvius. Which was paradise compared to Mt. Etna. It was warm! Naples was a lot different than I expected. It was pretty outside the city but inside it was a tad on the dirty side of life. Friday night we took a ferry from Naples to Ischia. Which is an island of the coast of Naples. It was BEAUTIFUL! We spent all day saturday at Poseidon. Which is pretty much a water park for adults. There are all of these pools and spas that vary in temperature. You are supposed to go from the coldest ones the the hottest ones. They each vary in temperature. There is also a sauna and hot rocks for your feet! It was so nice to just relax and sit in water all day! It was nice after the crazy week I had. Then on Sunday we went back to Naples and went to the National Museum. Which has a lot of artifacts from Pompeii! Then it was back to Florence to Study for the next 36 hours!

The week full of Studying!

The next week, October 25-28, was full of studying. I had my Italian midterm that Thursday, Sociology Inquires due before we left that weekend and my Humanities midterm that next Tuesday! I spent every ounce of free time studying and writing. I ate meals in the library. I spent hours upon hours studying for these things! It was crazy! Wednesday night I had dinner with my Adopted Family! It was so much fun! We get there and My "mama" had prepared spaghetti con pomodori! Which is spaghetti and tomato. It was the best I have ever had! I was in heaven. For the second course we had rabbit. I had never had rabbit before. All I could think about was the fact I was eating Thumper. We had red wine with dinner and dessert wine with the flour-less chocolate cake she made for us! Which was beyond yummy! And to finish off the night we had Italian MoonShine made by my "papa". It was the strongest alcohol I have ever put in my mouth! It was an experience. I did well on my Italian midterm! And that weekend we went to Pompeii!

Half Way Mark.

The week after Sicily, October 17-23 mark our half way point in being here! It was a really fun week and weekend! Anna, my roommate/bestie, her family came to Florence to visit her! Which was fantastic for her, but nice for me too! I got to see her parents! Which was awesome because it was just really nice to see familiar faces! They were very kind and too me out to dinner with them one night! It was great just to be with people from Nashville! I miss my hometown! That weekend was just awesome! On Friday, a group of us went to the EuroChocolate Festival in Perugia, Italy! It was one of the coolest things I've done since being here! We spent the whole day tasting chocolate from around Europe. I had some really yummy hot chocolate. My new favorite chocolate is the Lindt Milk Chocolate Balls. Seriously, everything under the sun was covered in chocolate! I was in heaven! The other awesome thing about that day was the train ride back to Florence! The train we were on had four seat pods. So, in my pod it was Eunice, Bailey, Alexa and myself. We had a massive girl talk session! We pretty much planned out our weddings and talked about boys! It was the best train ride ever! I loved it! The next day we did a really fun thing at the train station. Lana, Brianna, Chelsey, Sam and myself got to the station and bought tickets for the next train that left the station; which was Pisa! We went to Pisa for the morning and took the really cheesy tourist pictures at the leaning tower and ate lunch! We also bought a bottle of Champagne at the supermarket. But that comes in later in the story. When we were done in Pisa we did the same thing at that train station. The next train leaving was to Lucca. Lucca is precious! There is a fantastic park! The leaves were changing and everything! Just delightful! We just sat and people watched. Then we got on a train heading to Florence. This is where the champagne comes in. Sam and I had bought it at the supermarket in Pisa and drank it the entire train ride from Lucca to Firenze. It was so much fun! It had always been on my bucket list to pop open a bottle and drink strait from it. Got to mark that off! And then that Sunday was just a chill day. I studied for Humanities and slept. It was fantastic.

Agrigento, Taormina and Mt. Etna! Sicily Part Two!

On Thursday, October 14th, we went to the Valley of the Temples! I was GEEKING out! OhMy! I took Greek and Roman art last semester. And The Valley of the Temples are old Greek and Roman ruins! I just LOVED it so much. The ruins were actually well preserved. I was just so neat to really be able to apply what I leaned last year and truly experience what I have studied. There were Temples of Hera, Zeus, and Concordia! Concordia is the best preserved. I was in love! That afternoon we took a bus ride to our next destination, which was Taormina. We stayed at a great beach resort! It was beautiful. The first night we were there, almost our whole group went out and drank wine on the beach! It was the craziest thing. I mean we were at a resort in Sicily, Italy, drinking wine! We were all just laughing. That was our life at the moment! The next morning we explored Taormina. There are a lot of Greek and Roman ruins there as well! The ancient theatre was fascinating! Then that afternoon we were allowed to do whatever we want. Either stay in Taormina or go back to the hotel and hit the beach and pool. I chose to g back t the hotel. And I took the most epic three hour nap! It was glorious! I just got to relax and chill and I got to read for fun! That night it was Joslin's birthday! SO Elizabeth rented out the club/discotecca that was at the hotel. And we danced ALL night! It was so much crazy fun! The perfect ending to the last night in Sicily. The next morning we woke up and went to Mt. Etna. Which is an active volcano in Sicily. Before we left Elizabeth had said that it was going to be chilly on top of Mt. Etna. Chilly for me is between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We get up on top of Mt. Etna, it is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit; with a wind chill below zero. It was also VERY windy with frozen rain and snow flying around. I was FREEZING! I only had a NorthFace and a sweatshirt on. And I was wearing tennis shoes with short ankle socks! I have never been that cold in my life. It honestly looked liked we were on another planet. It was so foggy and cold. It looked liked the moon! So, we quickly came back down and ate lunch. Then it was off to the airport and back to Florence!

Palermo, Cefalu and Castelbuono! Sicily Part One!

The first part of our EFT was spent in Palermo, the capitol of Sicily. Once we picked the rest of our group up from the airport, we went to the Capuchin Church. This church hold the remains of the Capuchin Monks. These monks are on display. It is the eeriest thing I have ever seen! There are skeletons just hanging there; in various forms of decomposition. As I was staring, I was just thinking WHY? I don't understand what possessed someone to do that? I was creeped out. The next morning, Tuesday, we visited Palermo. We saw the Norman Palace and Chapel. The chapel has some of the most amazing mosaics in the world! I was BLOWN AWAY! It was done in pure gold tiles and other stones. It was just breathtaking. The amount of skill that went into these churches is astonishing. We also got to see the Cathedral. Which surprisingly not as exciting as the Palatine Chapel. That afternoon we went to the Church at Monreale. Which is rumored to have the best mosaics in the world. Which I would have to say is true. I just stood there in awe. Mosaics just really astound me. The Jesus mosaic in this church was just spectacular. Words can't even describe the splendor of this church and its mosaics. Wednesday morning we left Palermo and traveled to Cefalu. Which is this adorable seaside village about an hour outside of Palermo. The beach was amazing and clear! It was a very relaxing day. We walked about the adorable town and had lunch and gelato! I love gelato so much! I was nice just to unwind. That afternoon we went to Castelbuono, which is near Cefalu. In Castelbuono, there is a church with a mural of Jesus being crucified. The tradition is that if you pray for something in front of that painting in the church then your prayer will come true. The catch is you must really believe in the powers of Jesus and this work. I, of course, prayed for something. So, I'll just have to wait and see if it comes true!

Project Serve!

The weekend before we started our EFT (Educational FieldTrip) in Sicily, those who wanted were able to give back to our "community" in Italy. We went and worked for an Anti-Mafia organization reclaim produce fields in Corleone, Sicily! We left form Bologna on Friday, October 8th and flew to Palermo, Sicily! Sicily is so different from mainland Italy. Even their dialect of Italian is different. That night we got to meet who we working with and ate dinner. The next morning, we woke up early and went to work on the fields. We spent from 7am to 1pm cleaning up the fields. We were working on grape fields. That afternoon and night we went and heard stories from people who fought the Mafia back in the day! It was very interesting. The next day we were supposed to work in the fields again but it rained the night before and the fields were very muddy. Instead, we visited the surrounding areas of Corleone. Its very beautiful. And that afternoon we went to the Anti-Mafia Museum in Corleone. It was very eye-opening. And we had some really good pizza! On Monday morning, we left Corleone to go back to Palermo to meet the rest of our group for our EFT! It was such a cool weekend; I enjoyed being able to give back!

Shortest week of my life.

This week has felt like it has flown by! Its been really busy. I had a test in Sociology and Italian this week. SO it was a lot of studying and reading. But it has been nice. Humanities was really interesting. We are learning about the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Which the nerd inside of me LOVES. I had the best Florence morning on Wednesday. I went to the Academia! I love seeing the David. I forget how massive that thing is. And it was carved out of ONE solid piece of marble. CRAZY! And then I went and got gelato and walked around the Duomo. It was fantastic. And this weekend I am going t Sicily and helping on farms that have been reclaimed from the Mafia. And then I'm spending all next week in Sicily with our group traveling. I am so excited!

Week of Hell to a Weekend of Heaven.

The week after Como was the worst week ever. It was good because it was short. Only 4 days. But we had our first Humanities reading test. Which I was dreading more that the SAT. Not really. I just hate to study really long periods of time for a test. And i studied A LOT for this one. It was 10 questions on the 4 chapters we had read so far. That doesn't sound that bad right. WRONGO! If you knew Leonardo, our Hum212 teacher, you would have so much pity on me right now. He is the kind of teacher who really wants to trick you. Its just awful. I mean you have 57 students all freaking out on Wednesday night trying to read and make 11 page study guides and drink more soda and espresso than should be legally allowed. It was harder than I thought it was going to be. But we all made it through! And I passed! But it was a rough week. I'm glad it is over. And then it is the weekend! And the weekend was great! On Friday we relaxed all day. I woke at 10:07am to the fire alarm going off. Which was not very nice, especially since it was a false alarm. At least I didn't have to go outside. So I got up and took a shower. Then Anna, Madi and myself all went to the grocery store and bought food. Mostly junk food. They have the BEST chocolate muffins at the supermercato! So I ate muffins and coke that morning. Oh and peaches. I love it. And all day we watched movies. We watched Roman Holiday, Sabrina and then finished it off with The Holiday! It was the best movie day ever! Then for dinner we had Spera. Which is a super yummy pizza place! I ate a whole pizza. All by myself. After I had snacked all day. I feel like such a fatty when I eat in Florence. But for my gym class I'm in I have to go to the gym 22 times this semester. And we are walking everywhere. So I'm getting my exercise. The next day we went to Assisi! Which is absolutely beautiful! The word beautiful doesn't even really do it justice. Its breathtaking. The church that is there, Saint Francis of Assisi, is ginormous and just wonderful. I just adore Roman architecture and the frescos are amazing! The colors that are used are so vivid. It was a perfect day trip. Sunday was another crazy day in the life of Kate Ham. I got up and went to the gym. On my way to the gym I thought I would have a pastry at Cafe Lib. So I ate breakfast and went to the gym. Halfway through my workout I had an allergic reaction. The gym is a 20 minute walk from the Villa and I didn't have any benedryl. So I got back to the house. I'm crying on the phone with Pam trying to figure out what to do. My throat was tight and I my tongue was tingly and wasn't sure what to do. So i get back to the villa take 2 bendryl and pass out for FOUR hours. Then I did some homework and fell asleep for another 8 hours. I woke up and it was Monday.

My first real week in Firenze!

My first real week in Florence was a full five days of classes and a crazy weekend in Lake Como! My first week of classes were crazy and stressful! My Italian teacher is AMAZING! I love him so much. He is hilarious. My sociology teacher is great. But his class is just not my forte. Humanities 212 will be the death of me. My teacher is kind of a snob. He has a very elitist attitude. But that is life. And my Humanities 295 class, enriching Italian culture, is going to be so much fun! Elizabeth, the program director is just the sweetest person in the whole world. And the class is quite interesting. So the week was one of the three long week we have each semester. SO we had class on Friday and only had Saturday and Sunday to travel that weekend. So Anna, Bud and I picked somewhere close. Lake Como! This place is so beautiful! It like the French Rivera, Hong Kong and Germany all rolled into one! You have palm trees and the Italian Alps in the same place. It is just so quaint and precious. We only spent about 27 hours there, but it was so nice. In this weekend we went on 4 trains, 2 buses and 3 ferries. Just splendid. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to relax. There isn't a whole lot to do. But there is great food and wine. The perfect place to relax after a hard week. Unfortunately on the way back we got onto the wrong train from Milan to Florence. And we were charged 100 euro because they thought we were trying to stowaway. This train went from Milan to Florence but was a bullet train. So faster=more expensive. I will never make that mistake again. But we got home safe and sound and all in all it was a fantastic weekend.

Grapes Galore!

After that fantastic fashion show, Pepperdine took us out for pizza! And I ate about 8 slices. It was so amazing. I had about 5 different kinds. So yummy. After all of that pizza, some friends and I went to the local pub. And we had some fun. Here in Italy they put an average of three shots in any cocktail. Mine had four shots. And I had two. Then I came back and skyped my parents. It was interesting. I think i played it pretty cool. The next morning all who wanted to got to go grape picking! It was SO much fun! We actually got to eat some of the grapes we picked and we each get a bottle of wine using the grapes we picked! I am so excited. It was a lot of hard work but quite delightful! After a full morning of grape picking we had lunch at the vineyard and then came back to the villa for a rest. That night I went to my first SOCCER MATCH! Firenze played Lazio. We lost which was sad. But I had a BLAST! The fans are so amusing. I enjoyed every minute. The match lasted until about 8:30 or 9. So when we got back to the villa we were starving! We literally walked around for 45 minutes looking for a place to eat. We ended up at Cafe Deluxee because it was the only place open and without a wait. Its so yummy! They out the cheeseburgers on bagels! I love it. And the guys that work there are so sweet. After that fun filled day I went back to the villa and crashed. Until 11am the next morning. There was a BBQ at Elizabeth's house. Some BBQ. It was a FIVE course meal. The best food I have ever had! It was just amazing. Her house is precious. We had bruchetta and perciutto for the appetizer. Then we had pasta (pesto and meatsauce)! Then a pizza course, a meat course and then finally dessert. Which was strawberry cheesecake! I about died! We spent almost all day at her house. It was so nice and relaxing. It was just a great Italian weekend!

Intensive Italian. TANTO TANTO TANTO.

This pass week we had Intensive Italian. Which is us, the students, sitting in a classroom learning about the italian language and then going out with guides to use what we just learned in real life situations. It was the most intense week of my life. We were always just going and going. Speaking Italian. I remembered more Italian than I thought I would. But I hit a wall on Thursday. I felt like everyone was just talking at me in gibberish. I had no idea what to do. But we all made it through.

The time of the day where we went out and applied our learning was called Uscita. Which translated means "to go out". The uscitas we went on were the music store, bookstore, a farmers market, supermarket, post office, bar/cafe, and pharmacy. The things we learned were very helpful and applicable for our time in Florence. My favorite uscita was to the Farmer's Market and Supermarket, in Italian, Mercato e Supermercato. I love food. So it was really interesting to me to learn all about their food and how they buy it. The mercato was a lot like any other farmer's market. There were venders with their yummy and beautiful fruit. My partner and I ended up getting ginormous grapes, apples and peaches. Funny Story: At the mercato I was trying to order a half kilo of peaches, which in Italian is un mezzo chilo di pesche. However, I ordered un mezzo chilo do pesce. Which translates to a half a kilo of fish. The man was very nice and told me(in italian) that they were peaches and not fish. We all giggled and he was very sweet about it, but i was so embarrassed. I was trying so hard to speak their language and I butchered it.

Our last Uscita on Friday was to go to a department store and our group of three had to put together an outfit, we all had to dress up like an Italian stereotype. Our group had "B-Boy" which is dressing ghetto, like a rapper. My group consisted of Jody, Cody and Myself. I was the one who got to dress up. So I wore all of Cody's clothes and the accessories we got at the store. Not to toot my own horn but I would be a sexy rapper! It was really funny and a great way to let loose after the week we all had.

Six long days and Five restless nights to fall in love.

It actually only took one restless night to fall in love with Firenze. One look at the Duomo from the Piazzale di Michelangelo. But the days feel long here. But in the good way. If they were any shorter I wouldn't be able to soak it all in. But the nights are restless. I still can't sleep through the night. But it will come. It took me 30 hours to get from doorstep to doorstep. A little too long for my taste. But totally worth it. It still hasn't sunk in that I live here now. It hits me at different times and i just giggle.

The first full day which was Thursday, we had a walking tour of our neighborhood and orientation things. Also that night we got Gelato and walked around the Duomo, which gives me chill bumps every time I see it. The size and beauty is unparalleled.

On Friday we had our first day of classes! I cannot wait for Humanities 212. I'm such a nerd. But it's all about the Renaissance and other things in that time period. Italian will/is giving me panic attacks. But it will come back to me. That night we went to Cafe Liberta. Which is where we eat breakfast on the weekends. The creme puffs are unreal! I was in heaven. And after Cafe Lib we hit up HOPS which is a pub not too far from our villa.

Saturday morning we had our last bit of Orientation. And that afternoon we went to Piazzle di Michelangelo! I had yummy gelato at VIP's Bar. Which was recommended to me by a friend. And I would recommend it to you. After that we went to see an ancient Etruscan village and roman ruins at Fiesole. My inner Art Historian and Nerd was geeking out. I was in love. I got to touch Roman Ruins! Things that existed before the time of Christ! I'm still freaking out.

Yesterday, Sunday, We took a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano! Which were beautiful. The pictures don't do it justice. The city of Siena is definitely in my top 10 favorite cities. I felt a connection. I had some really yummy pizza as well. I love the Italian food! OhMy! In Siena we got to see where the major horse races go on and the Duomo in Siena. The Tuscan countryside is just breathtaking. It makes me want to drop out of school and own a vineyard. I think I could be content. Well. That's all for right now. BigHugs!

K.

Oh, the places you will go

I have had the craziest past 3 weeks! I had midterm week. Then it was spring break. And then this past week has been crazy busy. Just trying to get back into the swing of everything. I've made some pretty big academic decisions in the past few days. I have had SO much fun. I just love what is going on in my life right now.

1. Spring break was AMAZING. I got to do almost everything on my list. I got to eat at all the yummy places in Franklin/Brentwood/Nashville. I got to see a lot of my friends, which was so nice. I really did miss that place a lot. I also went to that symphony. Oh and I did some vegan baking for the first time. And it was actually really yummy.

2. I have become OBSESSED with The West Wing and fell in love with Sam Seabourne.

3. I have decided to become a Art History and Political Science double major. And I am going to go to law school!! I want to become a CIA/FBI agent or work at the White House. Or work at a museum in DC. Washington DC is like my city. I am obsessed with it. It feels like I'm home when I land. Its just amazing.

4. I went to Disneyland Midterm Week and this past week. I love it there. My absolute happy place!!!

5. I really want to go to Vegas this week.

6. Today Sloane, Anna and I went to American Apparel, Target and a yummy Deli. We just drove around with either the top down, or the windows down. Its so nice outside. And the music was just perfect. I am in LOVE with today.

Ten Days until Tenn :)

My Spring Break starts in 10 days!!! I am going back to my hometown of Franklin TN!!! And this is what I am going to do and eat over break :)

1) Dumplin's, which is one of my yummy lunch place :)

2) Mellow Mushroom, the best pizza place

3) My Mom's Spaghetti!!!

4) GiGi's Cupcakes

5) 9 Fruits, aka my weakness

6) Henpeck Market

7) Puckett's, best cheeseburger in Franklin

8) The Franklin Farmer's Market

9) The Mercentile, my favorite breakfast spot

10) The Loveless Cafe, best southern food in the Nashville Area

11) Daylight Donuts, best local donuts

12) Merridee's, best cafe :)

I will of course also go shopping, go to the movies, work with my kiddies, and hang out with friends. I am so excited!!!

First Short Film!!!

This weekend I worked on my first short film!!! It was so much fun. I've never worked so hard in my life...I was on my feet for 18 hours strait. I was an Art Dept. Assistant. Which means after each take I would go to the set and make sure each prop was in its correct place and that the set looked perfect. I had a blast!!! Oh my word. I just loved being behind the scenes the whole time. It was so exciting. Everyone was so nice and helpful. And I'll have an IMBD credit for my resume. Which is SUPER great. I'm a freshman and already have an IMBD credit. Ahhhh LA is amazing.

Oh, how I LOVE the Grammy's

I was a VIP Seat Filler at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. And it was one of the most AMAZING nights of my life.

1) My first seat was in the middle section about four rows back. Ciara was right in front of my. Jamie Foxx was beside her. LL Cool J was at the beginning of my row. And Chris O'Donnell was beside him. And Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow were behind me. I think I was is Keri Hilson's seat.

2) I pretty much saw every celebrity that was there. Fergie, Josh Duhamel, The Jo Bros', Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Rihanna, P!INK, Jennifer Hudson, Stephen Colbert, Heidi Klum, Katy Perry, and Russell Brand.

3)Lady Gaga was AMAZING as an opener, Especially with Elton John. Oh my she is SO fabulous. I was so close to her I could have grabbed her. Ahhhh I was freaking out on the inside a little.

4) Then I took The Zac Brown Band's seats after they won. Which were to the right of the stage about seven rows back. That is where I stayed the rest of the night.

5) This was an amazing spot. Dave Matthews' was in front of me. We talked. Like had a mini conversation. It was crazy. Jeff Bridges was two rows behind me. Justin Bieber was right behind me and kept talking to me. I swear he was hitting on me...All these FABULOUS people kept walking by. It was just so much fun to people watch. I love award shows.

6) My friend Loren was on TV!!!!

7)We went to In-N-Out on the way back to campus. which was the perfect ending to the night.

DISNEYLAND!!!

So wednesday I went to Disneyland with my friends Anna and Sloane. We had the best time EVER!!! It was the most beautiful day of my life. The sun was out. Not a single cloud in the sky. And we were just driving down the 5 with no traffic and the windows down singing our little hearts out. We rode almost every ride at the park. It was amazing. There were NO lines, Seriously the longest line we waited in was 20 minutes. Amazing. And I got to go on the Matterhorn and Soarin' TWICE :) AND i got to meet PLUTO :) I love him. He is my favorite. It was the best SoCal day.

I Love Surprises!!!

Today, my dad surprised me by coming to visit me! He was in Vegas and then just hopped on over to Malibu. I was watching a movie with my roommate, and then all of a sudden my DAD walks in...I was FREAKING out. I was so surprised. He had been planning it for months. So he took my roommate and I out to lunch. And then him and I went to LA and hang out. We went to The Four Seasons for drinks. No celeb spottings though. And then we went to Maestro's for dinner. It was the BEST steak of my life. And then we finished the night with some Malibu Yo. It was the best fix ever. He brought a little home with him. It was the best 9 hours. :)

My Obsessions at the Moment!!!

1) In-N-Out Burger. Best fast food EVER!!!!

2) Diddy Riese. BEST ice cream sandwhiches in the world. AND its super cheep.

3) 24. Jack Bauer is amazing

4) Spotted: Billy Crystal and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

5) The fact that the HAWC is now open until 2am.

6) My Roomie!!! I love her SO much :)

7) Star Trek (the new movie)

8) The Princess Bride

9) Loren Brock.

Best Day Ever!!!

1) Woke up this morning VERY well rested. I had a great night of sleep the night before.

2) I love ALL of my friday classes; Genetic Biology, Greek and Roman Art, and Humanities

3) I wasn't homesick at all.

4) Did my first loads of college laundry

5) Watched a bit of Pretty Woman during dinner.

6) Looked hot for date night!

7) Went to Crumbs Bakery. Best Cupcakes in Malibu!

8) Played "Loaded Question" until 1am with Lily, Sharon, Daniel, Andre, and Andrew.

9) Tomorrow is Saturday!

Ways to Combat Homesickness

1) Make your space you. Put up pictures of friends and family, make it colorful, make it you.

2) Watch Reality TV. If your reality sucks, watch someone else's.

3) Eat pizza. Because it is just awesome.

4) Read C.S. Lewis' "Learning During War-Time"

5) Watch a good movie. Baby Mama is my poison.

6) Dance it out

7) If all else fails, cry. It helps

Things I love about college!!!!

1) How if you don't have a car you will ask total strangers if you can have a ride to places like Ralphs, the movies, Malibu Yo, and CVS

2) You start your night thinking it will go one way, and then you end the night driving around Malibu in a car with people who were total strangers 3 hours ago, but who are now your friends.

3) I got onto the Study abroad program. Which means I am spending my Sophmore year in Florence Italy.

4) NO CLASSES on WEDNESDAYS!!!!

5) In college you will do things you would NEVER do at home. Like take rides from strangers. Charge $2 on your debit card. Or drink Jamba Juice.

I started this blog because I thought I would have things to say. I thought I would say things that are significant, but it turns out that I really don't...So this blog may not be significant or change anyones life but it is me. I am going to write what is on my mind. And it may be movie quotes, song lyrics, something I did that day, or total randomness. So, here is what is on my mind today.

1) I am FREAKING excited about 24 starting a week from tonight.

I love me some Jack Bauer

2) Today I am OBSESSED with the new John Mayer CD.

I love the song Edge of Desire. It is so raw and true

3) I have been dying to watch The American President. I left my copy at home in Nashville and I can't find it in Malibu. It is an amazing movie.

4) I cannot wait for classes to start. I have the best schedule.

Officially Official

I am a Pepperdine student and I have my own dorm room!!! I am official!!! This place is amazing. It is SO beautiful...I saw the best sunrise and sunset. I am so excited to see what this city has to offer.

We've been on the run Driving in the sun Looking out for number one California here we come Right back where we started from  Hustlers grab your guns Your shadow weighs a ton Driving down the 101 California here we come Right back where we started from  California Here we come  On the stereo Listen as we go Nothing's gonna stop me now California here we come Right back where we started from  Pedal to the floor Thinking of the roar Gotta get us to the shore California here we come Right back where we started from  California Here we come  California California Here we come Oh oh oh  California California Here we come  California California Here we come  California California Here we come  California California Here we come

Last Chance

Tomorrow is my last day in Nashville...

I'm freaking out...Everything I have ever known as familiar is going out the window.

I have to say goodbye to people. I hate saying goodbye. I'm not very good at it. And it is going to kill me to say goodbye to a certain few. And somethings I have been waiting months for and finally falling into place. It is so frustrating. Timing is a funny thing. It is always off. But, I have about 36 hours left. and I am going to spend the time I have left having fun! Then it is off to Pepperdine for an ADVENTURE!!!

Twists of Life

Complications always seem to find me. And in some twisted way I enjoy complicated things. I love films that make you think, politics, Time magazine, problems, world issues, 24, House. I love solving problems! Especially problems others cannot solve. I love watching a movie and figuring out all the twists before the end. I love tragedy. I love getting lost and then finding my way back. But I hate feeling lost. I also hate packing. And tomorrow I have to pack up almost everything I own and move it cross country. It is annoying. And what else is annoying is meeting a cute guy 3 days before I move myself and all the crap I packed cross country. But these little complications and twists make life interesting. So it is worth it.

Zazzy!

So I am counting down the days I have left here. I have three days left before the big move. And since I only have three days left, I have to start saying goodbye to people. And last night I said goodbye to one of my best girlfriends Grace. We went to Cafe CoCo which is our FAVORITE spot. It is the best place to people watch. And then we drove around Nashville for about an hour. It was so much fun. Yesterday I also ate the the Loveless Cafe! Which is by far the yummiest place in the Nashville Area. It was a great day.

New Year. New Start.

This is my first time to blog. Today is New Years Day. And one of my resolutions is to blog for the next year. I am leaving my hometown in 5 days. I am off to Pepperdine University. I am so excited!!! I am going to major in Art History and Film Studies with a minor in Political Science. I am a nerd at heart...