Think rich/Look poor: For this poor Americana/Who knows a little of your speech

Hello again!

Let me tell you about this 30th birthday trip though! Just like when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and like Beyonce's Lemonade album and visuals, this trip changed my life! Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to go to Venice. Not sure where this urge came from, what movie or tv show inspired this, but I have always wanted to go. From the moment I got my first "real" job, I had been meaning to get a passport and it took me 3 years, but I finally did and I headed straight for Italy. With two of my very best friends we planned and executed the best trip. Let me introduce you to the key players:

Shantel: Trip navigator de jour! Without her, we would have be hopelessly lost, because Lord knows I am terrible at directions. Literally went for a walk in my new neighborhood the other day and almost got lost.

JUST LOOK AT THIS LOVELY HUMAN BEING! I CAN'T HANDLE IT!

Lezlee: Planner of da gods! As soon as she found out we were going she did all the research and knew all the things. It was like having our own personal tour guide.

JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE! I JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT!

Me: Really just happy to be here and glad that I didn't get anyone kidnapped, because I'll definitely walk into sketchy situations without any questions.

YOUR GIRL IS THIRTY, FLIRTY, AND THRIVING!

First stop: Rome! I enjoyed Rome, but I'm glad it was the fist stop on our trip. If we had ended here, I think I would have been slightly disappointed. I just felt the trip kept building into better and better things. Lezlee and Shantel thought that Rome had the best food and I enjoyed the history of everything. Like, I thought America was old, but Rome is literally ancient! They'd be like, before Jesus showed up, and I'd be like, BEFORE JESUS?!

I felt like I was in a Wes Anderson movie! So many beautiful backgrounds!

Added stop: Naples and Capri! I would love to come back and spend some more time in Capri! It was so lovely and picturesque! Lezlee and Shantel didn't enjoy Naples, but I loved the gritty feel of it. And not to mention we had the wildest cab ride of our lives trying to get back to the train. Like, clearly we didn't die, but this is probably the closest to death I have ever been. It was mad exciting! Also, shout-out to all the trains in Italy, they are so efficient and fast! It's amazing : )

Capri!

Literally my only picture of Naples, but it least it's a castle!

Second stop: Florence and Tuscany! Yoo, when I die bury me inside an shoe store in Florence! When we were waiting for the boat to take us to Capri, a lady told us to watch out for our wallets in Florence and Tuscany. And we were like, oh yea, we've been being careful and keeping an eye out for our stuff and she was like no, I meant for the shopping. I think we all spent the majority of our money here on gifts and goods. I got a backpack and some shoes that I will treasure forever. In fact, bury both these items with me, they can belong to no one else! You heard it here first.

Also, on my birthday, we got to do a wine tour around Tuscany and stopped in all these cute little towns whose names I can't remember (ask Lezlee, she definitely knows!)

Third stop: Venice! I literally got off the train (shout-out to the trains again! This can't be said enough. They have wi-fi on them! Just #blessed) and cried. Not even out of the station and just had a total moment. And then I walked out of the station and saw that iconic city sitting on all that water and it's a feeling that I will never forget. It was the feeling of a dream coming true. I'm so happy that this was our last stop. I felt the most sense of community in Venice. We were staying very close to a school, so we saw a lot of kids. We were also staying close to a retirement home, so there were a lot of senior citizens. It was really cool to see the life of a city and how it moves. Venice, I love you.

Added stop: my fair Verona! Because I am a literature major and I of course needed to stop and see where Romeo and Juliet were hanging out. Verona surprise, surprise is gorgeous!

More added stops: Murano, Burano, and Torcello! We did a day tour of these three islands, which are so beautiful! Murano is known for it's glass-making, Burano for it's colorful buildings and lace, and Torcello, I believe Hemingway hung out here, got drunk, and wrote for awhile and, to top it all off, it's a popular spot for weddings.