Jules: August 2010

This Summer has been amazing and I have not wanted it to end. I have been extremely blessed and I feel so lucky to be able to do and see all that I have these past few months. London, Paris and Rome were absolutely amazing and I officially want to live there. Preferably Italy :) After my Europe adventure my family and I went on our annual beach trip to Oceanside California and it was awesome. Why is being at the beach so much better than anything else? I think that their should be a beach in every state. Anyone agree? After the beach I got to spend some more time in Mesa which is always fun. I love being home.

This next week is kind of a big deal for me. I am officially going back to college!! It has been about 3 years since I have been in school, if you don't count massage school and I am actually really excited for it. I am going to Utah Valley University and I am majoring in PHOTOGRAPHY :) I have never taken any kind of photography class so I am extremely excited to learn more about something I love. I hope everyone else had a good summer and whoever is starting school up again, I hope you have a great semester!

say hello to my little friend :) (there were tons of squirrels by our beach house)

Our final stop on our Europe adventure is the amazing Rome. Italy :) Just talking about it is making me smile. I still can't believe that we went! So we first went to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. So cool! Even though it was 106 degrees and humid bleeeeh. Thank goodness our hotel had air conditioning! I would like to give a hug to whoever invented a/c. That evening we went to see the Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. LOVED them both. The Trevi Fountain was one of the sights I was most excited to see and it definitely did not disappoint. Seriously breathtaking :) The next day we went to the Vatican and it was pretty unbelievable. We got to see the Sistine Chapel and I may have snuck a few pics. The guards inside were yelling NO CAMERA, NO VIDEO and everyone continued to take pictures ha ha. That night we got to go on a bus tour called "Rome at Night" and we went to the Colosseum again, the Vatican, the Military museum and a few other stops. I was so glad we got to see everything again at night because it was slightly cooler outside. After our tour we went to find some amazing Italian food and holy heck did we find it! This little adorable restuarant we found stayed open for us and was run by the sweetest woman and her mother. Everything was made from scratch and it was amazing. Italian food won't ever be the same here in America ha ha.

On our last day, Chels and I finished the sights on our list of what we wanted to see and took our time enjoying everything and taking it all in. So before we came to Europe, everyone would tell me to be careful in Rome with the men because they are very friendly. Chels and I went to eat at this place by the Pantheon and out waiter was really nice. He talked to us for a little bit and tried to bring us free wine and kept looking at me from the kitchen. Well we finished eating and went downstairs to use the bathroom. It was very small and the sink area did not have a door, just open to where the stairs are. As I'm washing my hands our waiter comes up behind me and tells me that I'm beautiful and that he wants to see me again. I started laughing partly because I thought he was joking and partly because I was slightly scared. He takes my hand and kisses it asking me my name and then inches closer to me. I backed up into the sink and he leans in and kisses my cheek at the last second. Keep in mind that no one was down there and he was a slightly husky and tall. So yeah funny, awkward and random story for you ha. On our last night in Rome, our group had a farewell dinner at a restaurant at the highest point in Rome. It was beautiful!! Rome was amazing and I still can't believe we got to go.