Road Trip

Once upon a time ol' Hannie and I got the brilliant idea to drive to Seattle for New Years.

As you can see, the excitement levels were low.

Also once upon a time, Hanna met this ^ nerd named Tom. He let us take his car. Bless him.

This is me gettin my sexy face on in front of the diesel pump. (This was after my sexy face was rubbed off while trying in vain to get the gas cap off. We had to call Tom. He reminded us of the lefty-loosey trick). (This was also after 'Nah realized she left her camera battery in the charger at home. Yay for iPhone cameras!)

Hanna doesn't approve of my wallet, which is very hurtful. 

 A border!

Say what you will about driving through Idaho, but... we got bored. Thanks to Lasting Finish PRO, we were able to spice up our lives and get some beauty pumps. 

This is me trying to dry my fingernails on the heater vents and drive a stick and show off my double chin at the same time. I teach multi tasking classes mon-thurs. Reserve your spot today! 

I drove back to Seattle this time last year, and at this same spot in Idaho one year ago it was -5 degrees. Check my posts a year ago. I think I took a picture. Anyway, this makes global warming almost seem real. 

Hanna had the camera. I guess she wanted to show off her sweaty feet.

This is the Oregon sign. Nice pic, Han. 

 I'm guessing this is the Washington sign... We were too focused on not dying to get a prize-winning pic. Sorry I let you down. 

After driving 20 MPH through the snow for 60 miles with one headlight from Cle Elum to Issaquah, AND LIVING, we broke out the Mormon booze and celebrated our lives.

Aaahhhh my city :)

We spent the next day gallivanting around Seattle. (I'm not sure what the proper meaning of gallivanting is, but I'm hoping it is clean). This is Hanna posing in front of Gabe. (That is what we named Tom's car after he told us we couldn't call it Bonnie Tyler. It's short for gay beetle. We didn't tell him that part).

Mmmm Pike Place. Also note the blue sky. It was for real. 

This is Hanna using her amazing pinky muscles to hold up the Public Market sign. We are descendants of Chuck Norris. I looked it up on Family Search.

Instant hunger cure = BEECHERS. Amazing. (I mean instant after waiting 20 minutes in line, dodging all the beggars in the market, not getting hit by 3813019273 Prius', finding our way through the market, going down ten hundred flights of stairs, getting under the freeway, and finally making it to our picnic spot of choice...)

Pier 36! So creepy. So awesome. 

Ain't she a cutie?!

It was at this moment in time when we decided to take a picture of ourselves. Ha. Let's try again, maybe with different lighting...

Bad idea. Well since our faces are to blame for the horrendous pictures, lets just make the most of it. 

Done and done. 

We almost blew off the pier. So hot right now. 

 For dessert we visited the gum wall.

We continued our tour and finally found the Freemont Bridge Troll. It was under construction (since when has the city cared about the troll?), but the nice construction men allowed Hanna's lovely bubbly buns to rest upon his hand. Scandalous. 

The next day was New Years Eve! We slept all day, then at about 10pm we drug our butts out of bed and met up with good ol' Garret Bernal.

Garret took us to Karry Park to watch the fireworks.  Thank you Hanna for the wonderful picture.

HAPPY 2012!! It was a spectacular sight. The Space Needle exploded. 

 The next day was Sunday... We hung out with Seth and Amy all day :D Have I told you lately that I love them? 

The next day after that was the day we drove home. 

We U-ed the forbidden turn. I didn't want to go to Rexburg. For so many reasons. 

Also I found out that by turning into a ninja, I could sleep almost as well as our awesome Ukrainian friend in the back seat. She wanted a ride, and I was looking forward to picking her brain about growing up in another country, but we couldn't blame her for going unconscious. She really did sleep the whole way from Seattle to Utah. I did not. Hanna isn't the smoothest manual driver. But thanks for the nap, Han :)

In the end it was the most fantastic 4 day vaca we have ever had.  Thanks for being spontaneous with me, Hanna darling.

Dear Sister Christensen...

You have hereby been called to serve in the ITALY ROME MISSION!!!!!!!!!

(I added all the exclaimation points. But they might as well have been in the letter)

So... I'm going back to Italy! I'M GOING HOME! On a mission. With a purpose. And a smile. I leave March 28th. Until then, let's party like Mormons.

One step closer to figuring me out

One of the things that still amazes me is how much I crave this family.

I have the opportunity to be in Seattle for the next little while, and from the moment I got here, I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face.

Something inside me (that I deny daily) comes alive when I am around these silly little peeps. Waking up at all hours, making four different breakfasts, changing the poopoos, grocery shopping, conquering mountains of laundry, and turning off the TV to push them out the door ("pushing" aka not being able to open the door fast enough because they can't wait to get outside) just makes me feel so wonderful. It's the sweetest kind of exhaustion.

I don't think their parents truly realize how much I really do love the time I get to spend with all of these crazy munchkins.

Feeling like you are absolutely in the right place, at the right time, making little mistakes but always moving forward, is such an incredibly wonderful feeling.

Hey, I'm finally blogging about Italy... (insert clapping sounds here)... 

I took hundreds of pictures, but a lot of them wouldn't mean anything to you at all, so I'll just stick some of the more interesting parts on here. (You may clap again, if you so desire. Clapping is fun, don't let anyone make you feel weird about it).

Here we are, eating one of our first pizza meals. (Are you diggin the fake smiles? It's called Jetlag.)

I know I already put pictures of Mount Vesuvius on here, but it is just so cool to look at. I like.

Here we are night shopping in Stabbia.

Breakfast usually consists of a small pastry and coffee, but they make it all look so pretty. This hotel wasn't all that fantastic, but the breakfast room was AMAZING. I love pretty things.

Hanna and I found this hot guy, Salvatore, who seemed to like us even though we looked and smelled like traveling Americans. (He later professed his undying love to me, and is planning on moving here in a couple years. Oh crap.)

Did ya'll know my sister is stronger than Chuck Norris? She can hold up volcanos. It's kind of a big deal.

The guy that owns this teensie weensie caffetteria is somehow linked to the mofia (or at least claims he is) and he gives free drinks to the missionaries. (and their families, it turns out).

The awesome Amendolas

This is the road to one of our hotels... It wasn't wide enough to open the car doors, so the hotel manager opened the door to his hotel and we pulled up and opened our doors into the lobby. So classy.

I can't imagine how annoying it would be to travel with our family if you hadn't already spent many patient years with us. Most of the time we are laughing histerically at something incredibly stupid. Here we are walking out of an ancient ruin, laughing our jetlagged heads off. I think it had something to do with dad diagnosing me with "breath cancer".

This is what we do to Hanna when she won't shut up.

Amalfi coast

This is down on the southern tip of Italy, and the land across the water is the island of Sicily. I think dad and CJ are doing Yoga?

Asp Salute!

Hanna in a Fiat 500 (or Cinquecento)

Enjoying a sunny Sunday in Sciacca, Sicily

Is dad seriously smiling?

Some tasty restaurant on the coast in Sciacca

Hanna and I escaped to the beach

Twas a glorious occasion

Hanna celebrated by planking the ocean

No one was home

Us and the old ship captain in Sciacca

Skipping a lot of the more boring part of the trip... (driving across Sicily, feeling like we were going to get shot by the mafia in Corleone, taking an overnight ferry back up to Naples, then driving about 100mph up to Tuscany, shopping at the outlets, visiting a couple old friends, etc.) we made it back to Montepulciano and visited Hanna's old bestie Oerta. She is the coolest Albanian chica ever. 

(also I think no one will protest when I say this picture makes me look fat).

And finally I ate a crepe. And it was divine. And I really was fat after it.

What just happened?

Tuesday morning, 5am - Wake up in Rome, drive to the airport.
24 hours later (about 11pm) - Go to sleep in MY bed.
Wednesday morning, 5am - Wake up in Utah, can't sleep. Make bean burritos with Hanna. Go back to bed.


I promise I'll get around to blogging more than "day one" of that trip, but... Give me a minute. Thanks!