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!