God Bless America

   I just returned from a trip to Naples where we had a basketball game on the military base. I had a fun time with my girls and shared many laughs. One of the highlights for this expat was visiting the commissary. I walked over with a few of my players and they told me I wouldn't be able to get in without a proper ID. I told them I would try. So I flashed my passport and my smile and was granted instant access. Holla!!!
   It was a beautiful sight. I felt like I had just walked into Safeway back at home. American brands, prices in dollars...it was wonderful. At home, never had I been excited to see a pack of Fritos but yesterday, it was as if those corn chips were a long, lost friend.
   I started in the baking aisle. Brown sugar! Chocolate chips! Peanut Butter! They even had Goober Grape! Goober Grape is an important part of my childhood and serves as punchlines to many inside jokes between my brother and me. I then continued on and found...Tapatio! Kraft Macaroni and Cheese! Cheddar Cheese! Hot and Spicy Cheez-Its! Peanut Butter M&M's!
   Needless to say, I stocked up and spent about $75.00. I even lucked out at the check-out line and didn't have the proper ID but gave my SSN and I was good to go. It was meant to be.
   Funny thing is, in the states, I rarely bought this stuff...but you don't know what you've got til' it's gone right? And this homesick girl is momentarily feasting on hydrogenated oils and yellow 5 and loving it.
  

Super Bowl Sunday

   This is the first time in years I won't be watching the Super Bowl. I think the only other time I've missed it is when I was in Australia back in 2001. So, how does one American expat spend Super Bowl Sunday here in Rome? By going to a museum. I'm trading my wing dip and guacamole for images of Monet and Van Gogh.
   I met up with a couple friends at the Galeria Nazionale Roma. We spent a good two hours walking around. We saw paintings, sculptures and even a death star. We had fun interpreting some of the more "interesting" pieces...I swear one piece was made of bubble gum.
  While it was a good afternoon, a part of me wishes I was hanging out in my friends' kitchen cheering on the Broncos with my people. I'm there in spirit.....GO BRONCOS! (For you Lizzy!) 

Italian Inch

    There aren't too many things I'm incredibly particular about. However, like most women, one thing I'm pretty picky about is my hair. Leaving Brittany, my hairdresser in California, was a sad day for me. She has been cutting my hair for quite a few years. Not only does she know my life story but she knows exactly what I like and dislike about my hair.
     I inherited naturally wavy/curly hair from my mother and maintaining it has always been a struggle-particularly in rainy/humid places. For example, ROME.
   Going to a new salon is always intimidating but even more so when you don't speak the same language. My first time getting my haircut here, my friend came with me and translated what I wanted done. He did a really good job. Phew...my anxieties about my hair were relieved. Little did I know...

   So last week, I decided to go back as my hair was in desperate need of a trim. A TRIM. This time, my friend couldn't come with me so I went to our secretary and had her type out exactly what I wanted done. I was very specific about what I wanted.

• No more than an inch (3 centimeters) taken off
• Internal layering in the back so you can't see the layers but some of the weight is gone (I have pretty thick hair)
• Bang trim
• Some layers around the face

   I didn't get the same guy as last time, but gave him my list of what I wanted and with the limited Italian I knew, communicated what I wanted. I'm pretty sure he read my list of things but in his mind, didn't like what I had written so decided to do what he wanted instead. About 2 inches got chopped off, he LAYERED the back (I can't stand layers in the back), he didn't do anything in the front. The only thing he did on my list was trim my bangs. Plus, he finished cutting within 5 minutes and someone else came over to blow dry.

   I couldn't help but think of that scene from Troop Beverly Hills when Shelley Long's character is sharing her "scary story," with her troop. Always thinking it was slightly ridiculous that all the girls screamed after she gives her punchline, "He PERMED me," I, for the first time, empathized with her character.

   The next day, I was sharing this story with some coworkers and they all said that most Italian hairdressers tend to ignore what you want and do what they want. Ummm.....what the heck??? Where is Yelp when you need it????

  So, *sniffle, sniffle* I'm now stuck with this choppy haircut which I hate, nearly cry every morning when I'm getting ready for work and miss Brittany more than ever. Sorry, no pictures for this entry...

Bring It On....

Basketball has always been one of my favorite sports to play. As many of you know, I took on the job as assistant coach for our high school girls' basketball team. I share the position with my friend Andy. Now, I'm having a great time finding my groove with this whole coaching thing...getting to know the girls, running plays and drills etc. However, it REALLY makes me want to play. It's hard standing there, watching a scrimmage or a game and NOT being able to jump in and play. In order to remedy that, we organized a faculty vs. girls game which took place last night. There were 7 of us all together. Not once did we practice but.....we WON! It was so much fun and we're hoping we get to play again soon. Oh and it was good practice for our girls too. ;)

Here's a link to watch our game...we didn't know they were going to livestream this game...lots of laughs ensued watching it later on that evening. My friend Jess and I are in agreement that we run like dorks.

http://new.livestream.com/aosronline/events/2698519

Team Faculty: Caitlin, Andy, Robin, Ethan, Me, Jess and Katie

Holidays

  I kicked off the holidays by enjoying Thanksgiving here in Rome with some friends. We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veggies and we even had cranberry sauce! The next day, my friend Lauren and I headed to Lucca which is in Tuscany. Lucca is a beautiful little walled city and we enjoyed the food and weather! It was cold, but clear with the fall colors prominent. We rented bikes and rode around the city. It was a great weekend and nice to get away.  Christmas in Rome was beautiful. The lights and decorations were fantastic. My friend and I went to Christmas eve mass at St. Peter's. It was so beautiful! It was surreal being there. The next morning we went to Rome Baptist Church for their Christmas Day service. After that we ran over to St. Peter's to hear the Pope's Blessing. It was a great Christmas! :)
  For New Years, I took the train up to Milan for the night and then continued on to Paris where I met up with some friends from California. It was so good to see them! We walked all over Paris, enjoyed crepes and rung in the new year in front of Notre Dame.
  It was difficult being away from my family during the holidays but am grateful I was surrounded by good friends. I am truly blessed and am looking forward to an awesome 2014!

Lucca, Italy

Alps!

Lauren, Fritz and Me

Bryan, Erin and Me in front of Eiffel

Happy New Year!