Exploring Naples (& Eating Pizza)

What a way to end the year! We got up early this morning to hit the town. Our first stop was at a sfogliatella stand. We read that we had to try these babies and I'm so glad we did! They are super crispy and filled with a slightly citrus flavored ricotta filling. Paired with European hot chocolate, this was a delicious (and super healthy, obviously) breakfast!

The stand was in Galleria Umberto, which was built in the late 19th century and is so beautiful. We left out the back of it and found ourselves within walking distance of Castel Nuovo. We didn't pay to go in but enjoyed a quick stop to admire the free portions of it!

We read online that we'd need a reservation to be able to eat dinner out on New Year's Eve, so we decided to get ready to cook our own dinner. We stopped at a local grocery store to pick up some ingredients, which is always a fun experience! Bailey and I always enjoy hitting grocery stores while traveling because they're so fun and such a local experience. Plus you can find some tasty snacks.

After dropping our groceries off we went to lunch at a popular pizzeria. Best pizza ever! I actually don't love pizza normally, but I've really liked it in Italy so far! I got a 4 cheese pizza and I can't stop thinking about it.

A stop to get some gelato was also in order. We are in Italy, so why not?

Piazza del Plebiscito was our next stop, and we noticed that we could see the ocean from there. So we walked towards it! We stopped by to say hello to Mt Vesuvius of course.

The waterfront was gorgeous and we enjoyed hanging out there before starting the long journey back to our Airbnb.

Our Airbnb is so spacious! We are lucky to have the whole thing to ourselves, including the kitchen. After a nap we all woke up to cook a delicious New Year's Italian dinner. I was in charge of the caprese salad and I am so proud of how it turned out!

It was so much fun cooking all together and then enjoying our feast. We talked about our goals for the next year and also laughed a lot!

The original plan was to go back to Piazza del Plebiscito to watch a local concert and see the midnight fireworks, but we were so tired we all sat down to rest... And a few hours later were awakened by the craziest new year ruckus ever! Right at midnight people started throwing firecrackers and glass bottles off their balconies, aerial fireworks were going off on every direction, and in the street right below us our neighbors were lighting these fireworks that sounded like bombs going off! It seriously sounded like a warzone, I've never seen or heard anything like it. The air was thick with smoke and was making us all cough. We stood on our balcony to watch the mayhem and soon enough our whole apartment was full of smoke! The firework show was going strong until 1am, and then finally quieted down enough to sleep. Such a different new year's than I've ever experienced! In Utah there's maybe like a sparkler or two to celebrate the holiday, but man they know how to party/create a fire hazard here.

Bailey and I feel so lucky to be spending the last of 2019 doing what we love most - traveling together! It's been an amazing year of adventures and growth, and we can't wait to see what 2020 holds.

We Made it to Italy!

We were so excited to make it to Italy today! Bailey and I got super cheap tickets from Salt Lake City to Florence, and we were thrilled that our two layovers would only be a little less than an hour and a half each. We are used to really long layovers!

We've never had issues with delayed flights in the USA, and normally it wouldn't be a problem because of our typical long layovers. Well of course, the first time we have a short layover is the same time we have our first American delayed flight!! Our first flight took off an HOUR late. We weren't sure we would make it to our connection! The moment we got off the plane, we booked it to our next gate which was thankfully not too far away. Had it been much further we might not have made it, so we feel pretty lucky about that!

Anyway, our second layover was in Munich where we met up with none other than... Shey and Dillon!!!! We hadn't seen them since last October in Hawaii, so we couldn't wait to reunite. This is also when we met Anna and Matson, Shey's hometown friends. We all flew to Florence and met up with Jake, another one of their hometown friends. We have a group of 7! I feel like its ILP all over again!

Italian airplane snacks - I'm a fan.

We decided to grab some lunch in Florence before catching our train to Naples. Not before a quick look at the Duomo! Bailey and I will have the opportunity to come back and explore it more next week, but our friends won't be able to so we thought we'd take advantage of the opportunity.

We also enjoyed the sight of the Santa Maria Novella, and found a cute restaurant to eat at in the plaza.

The rest of the evening consisted of traveling by train to Naples and eating some delicious takeout pizza from a cute little restaurant nearby. We are exhausted but can't wait to explore this beautiful country!

October

What a fun month it has been!  Bailey and I have had a blast exploring nearby destinations (Boise and Denver).  I always want to plan big grand trip far away, and I forget how much the USA has to offer.  Heck, I forget how much Utah has to offer!  October is one of the months where Utah just shines.  There's always so many fun things to do.  We've had a great month!

The Downtown Farmer's Market in Salt Lake City is always a fun outing.  We usually go in the summer, but I really enjoyed seeing it in the fall this year.  It was definitely less hot!

For Seiji's birthday we went to our new favorite restaurant, Umami.  It is so delicious!  It's like a grill your own food buffet.  It makes me think of hot pot but with a grill instead of a boiling pot of soup.  And next door is Brooker's Founding Flavors Ice Cream which is the most hilarious and delicious stop!

I always love the Scarecrow Festival at the Ashton Gardens!  Warden was starstruck upon meeting his favorite celebrity.

I also enjoyed seeing David Bowie and having such a lovely stroll with my mom and Kylie!

I went on my first ever field trip as a teacher!  Was it worth the stress?  Well... I think so?!  Haha I never thought about how much work field trips are from a teachers perspective.  We went to the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple and learned so much!  Playing with the alpacas was definitely a hit.  I also tried yoga for the first time, had a bird sit on me, cringed through a guy testifying to all of my students that they must become vegetarian to truly fulfill the requirements of the Doctrine and Covenants(???), and ate a large Indian buffet.  Truly an interesting day!

I love living with my best friends!  One lovely autumnal Sunday this month my mom, Bailey, and I decided to go up to Sundance to enjoy the leaves.  We paid to go on the ski lift expecting a short little ride, but ended up on a several hour long journey up the mountain and back!  We enjoyed every minute of it!  At the top we ate a delicious lunch and admired the views.

Bailey took me on the most thoughtful surprise date!  He scheduled a ring making workshop for us in Salt Lake City.  We spent the day with another couple and an instructor making semi-matching rings.  Wearing my wedding ring to school has become a little sketchy considering how many times I've scratched it up against the firebrick in the kiln.  So I'm thrilled to have a special new, less delicate ring I can wear on weekdays instead!

My aunt Kim threw the most fun Halloween party - it was Harry Potter themed!  Bailey and I threw together poor excuses for Fleur and the Golden Snitch costumes.  Glad I didn't put too much work into them - Warden threw up all over me about a half hour in!  Haha!  I didn't let it halt my fun - my outfit evolved to include my cousin's pajama pants and Bailey's coat.  The party continued!

My family and I spent a fun evening at Cornbelly's eating junk food, playing in the corn pit, and riding around in the little tractor train.  Funny how much life changes with a toddler in tow, but it is so much more magical with little Warden in our lives!

I had big plans for a fabulous Mulan costume this year, but as you can see I've had a packed month.  So, toga from MORP 2015 it was for Halloween day!  None of my students dressed up, but I can always count on my fun coworkers to have some style.  A great way to end a great month!

Denver

Wow guys, what a time.

Upon deciding what to do for fall break we thought about the wonderful time we had in Boise.  We though "what other hidden gems are around here?"  I voted that we drive to LA, but Bailey voted to mix things up and hit Denver.  I went to Denver as a kid but Bailey has never been, so we decided to hop on over to see what's up!

It was quite the drive!  It doesn't seem like it should be that long of a drive, but we went up through Cheyenne and there is literally nothing on that drive.  So boring!  We eventually made it to Denver and were able to spend all of Friday and Saturday exploring!

We started off the trip right - with sweets!  When we went on our honeymoon in Portland we almost tried Voodoo doughnuts but didn't want to wait in line.  We don't actually like doughnuts that much so we've never really regretted it.  But, we saw their Denver location and decided it was time to see what the hype is about!  Turns out, they taste like doughnuts.  Disappointing but now we know!

We hopped on over to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  We like a good museum!  I must say that we got very grumpy, though, while trying to find parking.  Nothing special was going on that Friday but it was INSANE.  We drove around for a long time!  Was the museum worth the struggle parking?  I don't know guys.  We have been to some of the greatest museums in the world this year (I'm looking at you New York and London) so my standards are pretty high.  We enjoyed our time spent together though!

Being grumpy about parking.

Did you know that Bailey loves zoos?  We weren't ready to face the Denver traffic again after hitting the museum, so we walked next door to the Denver Zoo.  It was pretty fun!

We ended the evening at Larimer Square which was cute.  I loved all these hanging flags!

The next day we rose bright and early to hit what I was most excited about - the Denver Botanic Gardens!  Gosh I just love gardens!  It did not disappoint, I especially loved the Japanese section.  So many great ideas for our future dream garden!  I also love a good tropical botanic building.

Not as many friendly squirrels as in Boise, but still a few!

We then drove over to the Denver Art Museum because if you can't tell, I got to pick today's activities.  It was a great collection in an amazing building!

Our last stop for the day was the Downtown Aquarium.  Guys, we have a kick-butt aquarium in Salt Lake County, so not many can live up to ours at home.  Including the Denver aquarium.  But we had fun - we like fish!

We ended the evening with steak and reminiscing on our trip.  Was it that exciting of a location?  Not really.  But would we recommend the trip to others?  Well, no.  We endured some unfortunate traffic and parking situations and missed visiting historical sights.  Yeah museums and gardens are fun, but we love a good outing that is unique to our destination.  Maybe a city location isn't for us unless there's public transportation?  I don't know.  Did we miss something in Denver?

Although it may not have been a destination worth the long drive, I am grateful to have experienced what Denver has to offer.  I'm even more grateful to have spent a long weekend having fun with my best friend!

Boise

On our honeymoon many years ago, Bailey and I stopped in Boise Idaho on our way to Portland.  We ate at a magnificent restaurant and then drove around to find that everything fun had closed at 5pm haha.  We've laughed at it ever since for that reason, but have always remembered how charming and cute the city was!

This weekend Bailey had some business to attend to in Boise, so I decided to hop in the car with him and make it into a little weekend trip!

Of course we had to visit the restaurant we remembered from our honeymoon.  It was just as good as we had hoped!  If you're ever in Boise don't miss Fork!

Not too far away from Fork is what I now know is called Freak Alley.  I didn't know it was there, we just happened upon it on a walk and oh my gosh!  It is so cool!  So many talented artists had come together to make a whole outdoor gallery of murals.  We loved looking at all of them and getting some fun pictures!

We also went to Hyde Park which is more like a street and is so fun!  There's tons of cute little local shops and eateries there.  So cute.  Also tons of friendly squirrels??  I think I like Boise!

While Bailey was busy I visited the Boise Art Museum by myself.  I missed Bailey but a solo trip to an art museum was surprisingly luxurious!  I was able read all of the plaques and take exactly as much time as I wanted.  Which was a lot of time haha.

We spent the rest of the weekend at the Pizza Hut buffet and laying around reading in our Airbnb.  There's not tons to do here in Boise, but a relaxing little getaway is exactly what I needed.