Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Italy Part 1 (Rome)

If you follow me on FB or Instagram, you would've noticed that Ty & I went on a 15 day European vacation.  We had free data/texting for part of the trip, so I uploaded a few pictures during our adventure.  Today, I uploaded all of our pictures from the trip, and we had a little bit more than 2,000 pictures between the 2 of us.  We were a little camera crazy :) 

To start off, Tyler's mom and Shawn invited us on a European cruise they were going on with Lisa's sister and husband, Ken & Cynthia, and their son Greg, and his wife, Jacqueline.  We were thrilled with the invitation, and arranged for the cruise to take place during Tyler's one week off.  After trying to get an extra week off, so just Tyler and I could explore Italy, on our own (since we'd already be all the way over there), Tyler was successful, and we booked our flights for a week before the cruise started.  We started in Rome, and eventually made our way to Venice, where the boat was taking out of.  We had such a blast, and Tyler did such a phenomenal job planning the trip.  I'm so grateful for all he did to make it so wonderful.  
In the airport, and then in the train station in Rome (we met up with L&S for about 30 min before we all went our own ways :)

As soon as we got to Rome (we got in around noon), we hit the ground running, and tried to see as much as possible, and tried to stay awake as long as possible :)

First stop: The Colosseum 

Next: The Roman Forum...this was one of my favorite places that we visited in Rome.  It was right across the street from the Colosseum, and it was so much less crowded, and there was so much space to just walk around, and plenty of spots that had great views. 

Taking public transportation around (all apart of our Roma Pass)

Next on the list: Spanish Steps (we walked around, got dinner, and ate on the steps)

Last Stop for the Night: We did part of the Rome walking trail, starting with the Trevi Fountain, which was completely empty, and under construction.

Day 2: Started with the Vatican (we reserved our tickets beforehand, thankfully!)

Hiking up to the top of the dome (about 550 steps!)
About halfway up
Made it to the top!
St. Peter's Chapel
The guards
Sent ourselves a postcard

After the Vatican, we walked across the street to our hotel, and took a quick nap (feeling the jet lag), and then finished the Rome walk we started the night before. 
First stop for the night: Piazza del Popolo (another dried up fountain)
After leaving Popolo, we saw a Gap, so, naturally, I had to take a picture, and buy an "Italy" Gap shirt!
Second Stop: The Pantheon (we stopped by the night before, but it was closed)
Next up: Piazza Navona & Four Rivers
 Made our way back to our hotel, and stopped at Castel Sant'Angelo, walked through Vatican City once more, and got gelato.

More in between things...

We were pretty busy the week before our trip, with work (I had a few trainings) and school, but here are a few things we were up to.
 Lincoln sitting on a tiny little toy (at FHE)
Went and saw "Fault in Our Stars" finally! I read the book for book club, so I was super excited about the movie! Cried quite a bit, but really liked the movie.  
 Free Pzookie day at BJs, and my cute hubby :)

Getting packed and ready for our trip.  Packing cubes saved our butts!  If you haven't tried them, I would highly recommend them!

Hanging out in Utah

Once my parents got back home, I had a few days left, so I went to the Parade of Homes, boating with Alma & Audrey (and a few other of their friends), babysat Melissa's boys, hung out with Rick/Arlene/Melissa, attended Andie's bridal shower, celebrated Father's Day with my dad, and just hung out a lot.


A few of my favorites from Parade of Homes
The bathtub and shower were all behind the same door!  It was pretty cool!
Pebble ice machine next to the sink...so awesome!
This looked like a normal cabinet, but it was actually a huge walk in closet!
Indoor basketball court
 Harry Potter themed movie room
Rock wall that connected 2 boys rooms
A secret hidden room, with a small soccer area
I took this for Ty...we'll eventually have one of these in our house :)
2 huge TVs right next to each other (perfect for sports!) 
Indoor hot tub
Brick oven in the kitchen
 Another Harry Potter themed movie room (this one was over the top awesome!)

Boating at Pine with Alma & Audrey

Went to breakfast with Caroline, and this was the only picture I got, and it was only because she insisted on snapping it as I was driving away.  I love driving big cars!
The boys all went riding while the girls went to the shower
Lillee made friends with one of Andie's brother's girlfriend, and sat with her for quite a while.
The delicious sugar cookie from the shower.