Rachael's 100

1. I love to try new recipes (cooking and eating)
2. I want to finish my formal education
3. I am the oldest of 4
4. I love to travel
5. I want to learn many languages
6. Peanut Butter is a new favorite for me (I really did not like it until 6 years ago)
7. I enjoy driving
8. I love taking pictures and wish I was better at it
9. I love making things! Clothes, cards, crafts- everything
10. I love reading a good book and hate feeling dissapointed by an ending
11.I like to eat octopus in the summer
12. I am afraid of fish bitting my toes
13. Sometimes I have a phobia of talking on the phone (I know it's weird)
14. I have a cell number for Italy and USA
15. I would love to live on the east coast USA
16. I am often lazy
17. I rarely excersize (that explains the extra weight)
18. I love music- I miss american radio
19. I love to shop for a good deal
20. I rarely buy something NOT on sale
21. I love my family (I love to spend time with them)
22. I collect journals, or blank books
23.I like to write down quotes, famous sayings or encouraging phrases
24. I am a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
25. I served a 18 months mission for my church in northern Italy
26. I love make-up
27. It's so lovely to see others smile
28. I never thought I would marry an Italian
29. But how glad I did (correction... a sicilian)
30.I don't want to live in Italy my whole life
31. Italian hospitals scare me (as well as all the medical system here)
32. I love fresh flowers
33. When I was yonger I wrote poetry
34. I also played the flute when I was younger
35. I can wake board but not water ski (maybe its time to try again)
36. I don't like white rice much
37. I want to get my pilot certifcation
38. I have been sky diving and would love to go again
39. Chamelons are my favorite animal(nn I have owned 2)
40. I love gelato
41. I like dogs and wish our life style would allow us one
42. I don't like to be wrong
43. I like to give more then receive
44. I don't like to be board
45.Indesiveness in people is a quality I dislike
46. I don't know how to take a compilment
47. I like to explore new places
48. I know how to pack fast and pretty well (Gio thinks I love it)
49. I like camping, but not the smell of camp fires
50. I love to see Giovanni happy
51. I hate to feel that I am wasting money
52.I speak Italian, but my writting skills are not great... and my grammar needs help
53. I like meeting new people
54. I think of myself as outgoing, but often am more shy in Italy- I guess I have 2 personalites
55. I am often naive
56. I love surprises
57. I like shoes
58. I would rather be cold then hot (you can always add layers)
59. I love to have my back tickled
60. I think I am creative
61. I love to take baths (wish I had a tub)
62.My eyes change color (thanks dad)
63.I love fresh fruit, veggies and spices
64. I enjoy laughing
65. I learn better by watching and asking questions
66.My toenails are always painted
67. I once co-owned a pet chicken, Goldie.... she ran away
68.I had braces twice (2 years when I was 14 and for 1 year when I was 23)
69. I had jaw surgery to fix my overbite 2 weeks before I stared highschool
70. I have vivid dreams and I often remember them
71. I experience de ja vu all the time
72.I will have 3 new nephews/neices before July
73.My birthday sometimes falls on American Thanksgiving
74.I am a night person
75. I had ONE stitch as a result of a bike accident (its the only stitchI have ever had besides my jaw surgery)
76. I have NEVER broken a bone
77.I am a bad speller
78. I always wash my face before going to bed
79. I like to Iron (kinda have to with no dryer)
80. I designed my wedding ring
81. I love to watch travel shows
82. I am bad at math
83. I love the smell of earth after rain
84.I enjoy mowing the lawn
85. I love it when people are sincere
86. I like to hear my realtives talk about how they fell in love or other special stories to them
87.I like to pluck Giovanni's eyebrows
88.When I watch movies in Italian I need the Italian subtitles
89. I love Utah and explaining to people what it's like
90.I am excited to be a mom some day
91. I love sunday naps
92.All the Italian holidays get on my nerves (why do so many saints have holidays anyway?)
93. I loved sharing Italy with first my parents, then my sister (Bex), my bro and sis in law(Jr and Kristi)... can't wait for Rory and Jennine to come some day!
94.I love having meaningful conversations
95.I enjoy blogging (even though I may not write so often, sure wish I knew more about HTML codes)
96.I love technology- even though I don't always understand it
97.I love to boat, lake powell and pineview are my Utah favs
98.I like to sing, although I am no good
99.I love quality time with anyone, or myself
100. I love my husband

Just so you all know Giovanni is working on his list too! He is about half way!
I tag Megan and Kristi!

a few rome pix

Here are a few pictures: Gio and I at the reception, check out that view, the bride and groom (Claudia and Mauro).

Rome

As you know we headed to Rome this weekend. It was a fast trip that we were hoping to make a little longer then the weekend since Gio had to be in Rome today (Tuesday). We left Milan Saturday morning and arrived in Rome about an hour before the wedding that we went to attend. All was great! The ceremony and reception were nice!The reception was held near Villa Borgese for those of you who know Rome.. and for those of you who don't it was on a hill overlooking Rome! Beautiful View! We made new friends and ate well! After the reception Massimo (Gio's brother) picked us up and took us to his house where we spent the night and went to church with them Sunday. Sunday evening we were to take the train... but we were visiting with some friends and Massimo fam. To make a long story short we could not get on the last train heading to Milan it was booked, I did not want to pay Extra for a flight... so our only other option was taking a night train back to Milan. We really did not sleep much and Poor Giovanni had to go to work Monday when we got back. We could not stay in Rome Monday because he needed to move offices (see last post). Here we are Tuesday and Gio is once again in Rome. It is another "quick" trip he will be back tomorrow and go straight to the office! We are however looking forward to this weekend. April 25th and May 1st are holidays here... Gio has 10days off and we are trying to figure out what to do! I would really love to go see the tulips in bloom up in Holland, but we also have invites to head south with some family friends to Capri or Sicily to see Gio's fam! I am not sure yet what we will do! (I do have pictures, but Gio has the camera.. pictures to come)!
P.S. My sister tagged me for my 100... I am still thinking also this to come!

News!!!!

Hey guys! (this is my first post, I am not sure what to say here in the beginning)
First of all I got a new job offer. You know that we won the EXPO, right?!? well, the mayor of Milan offered me to work for the International Relations Department of the new organizing committee for EXPO (this is still in VERY early stages of development). This means basically I do the same thing I did for the City of Milan but now I will be doing it specifically for EXPO. We are happy for a little change and will understand in the next few months just what this exactly means... in the meantime we are not closing doors to any other possibilities that may come our way. We are so thankful for so many of your comments and words of support and love!
Second of all we are headed to Rome this weekend for a wedding as well as for some work meetings for me early in the week!
I promise to try and be more present on the BLOG! Ciao belli!
(giovanni)

a lift

Today I decided to take the last 3 (more black then yellow) bananas in the fruit dish along with the fresh blueberries I bought last week and make banana-blueberry bread! Nothing can lift you like the sweet, savory trail of fresh cooking bread! Yum! Can't wait for Gio to get home and share a slice with me!
recipe:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed ripe bananas (abt 3)
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 teasp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 teasp. baking soda
1 teasp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts OR (fresh or frozen) blueberries
Cream together sugar and butter, add eggs, bananas,buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Pour batter into greased loaf pans bake at 350F° for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool and ENJOY!

Pieces

Giovanni and I are back in Milan and trying desperatly to figure out what direction our life should take us now! Living in Europe from the outside can seem like a dream or something out of a film... and to tell you the truth there are times that it really is like that, but not everyday. We still have the same struggles as the rest of you and often I find small things take so long (post office, drycleaning, dinner.... we are talking 3 or so hours!) but it is better to embrace the differences instead of making them more of a problem.
This post is mostly me just blowing some steam and also to help you all know that our life is not PERFECT (its good, fun, but not perfect)!
I am not really sure what else to say! We are healthy and well, just not sure what to do next. Gio is going to send out his resume to see what other opportunities are out there! We could stay here with him working at the City of Milan till 2011, but we both feel change is in the air, just not sure where it is blowing us yet! If any of you know of any job openings in International PR have any ideas let us know! Half of our block is knowing exactly where to look for oportunities!
In the meantime we are just getting back to normal life here!

VICTORY MILANO!!!

Our adventures in Paris will end around 9pm tomorrow night. Our time here has been unpredictable, amusing, pleasing, stressful, crazy, tiring.... but in the end a pleasureful success! Yesterday while Giovanni was busy at work with meetings and the presentation of Milan's theme for Expo 2015 vs Izmir Turkey (and their presentation) I went to a flee market and the Père Lachaise cemetry to see some famous grave sites.... the whole while very anxious to hear from Gio, (at this point it would be fun to hear his version of the day, but he is currently taking a well deserved nap). He called about 6pm to tell me Milan won 86 votes to Izmir's 65!!!! YEA!!!! all his hard work and a little of my patience paid off! We are not really sure what this means for us as of yet, but happy to be returning to Milan with a victory! for more on Milano and EXPO 2015 see the link below! Today is full of packing and napping! Tomorrow a little sight seeing and then back home to relax! Pictures include: Mayor Letizia Morattia "dancing queen" to win votes, ad for EXPO 2015 IZMIR, Cemetry, Oscar Wilde tomb, Jim Morrison tomb, Fred Chopin, Molière.

Random PAris

Here are a few pictures from the past week or so. Quick pix recap: Napolean's tomb (he really is in there along with 5 other layers or so, why would one need so many caskets?), Gio and I in front of Invalides (the church where N. is at rest),A cook taking a quick break, jars full of sweet yummy toppings for crepes! Amalia with us- it was so great to have her here! Mulin Rouge, Another windmill (this area of Paris use to be full of them), Amalia eating a butter crossiant (the straight ones are made with butter, cresent ones with margarine- same amount of fat), our good friends Richard and Elaine Shurtleff, Creme Brulee, french fire hydrant, Me with some friends (Clarissa, Jonathan and little Julis Alva) at Fountin Blue hunting lodge, La Dèfence (Grande Arche), Silver pieces and buttons at flee market, shoes at flee market.