Two Truths and a Lie

Anyone ever play two truths and a lie? We used to play it in college as an icebreaker at the start of the year.

Care to play with me? Ok, I'll start. Guess which are the truth and which is the lie.

1. I was voted best smile my senior year of high school

2. I broke into a local baseball stadium to take pictures and run around the bases

3. I bought my wedding dress for $75.00

Date Night Attire

So....thanks for all the comments yesterday about friends. I know I do posts like that every few months, but I just HATE not making friends. Makes me feel like a big 26-year-old loser and that is not a good feeling.

Also, thanks for the scrapbook site suggestions. I've already favorited the sites you suggested and also ordered a few...ok a lot of items.

In a couple of weeks Sean's company is having a couple's night out at a local Vicenza restaurant. I don't think it's mandatory, but it's mandatory. If you know the military then you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I'm searching my Forever 21 laden closet to find something to wear.

The front runner right now is this:



I like the black and white with the contrasting red shoes. What do you think? Also what should I do with my hair with a dress like that? I put it in a braid simply to get it out of my way, but was thinking perhaps a loose bun. That is if I can pull off the loose bun. I suck at doing my own hair.

(To forewarn you, if you click the pic and make it big, then please excuse my slightly sunburned nose and farmer's tan. Thanks)

How to Win Friends and Influence People

I think I need to read this book. Seriously.

I need a refresher course on how to make female friends.



I don't know what the problem is since I've become married and been moving around, but I have the hardest time making female friends. I've met a couple of awesome ladies (Lindsay and Sara) and unfortunately they don't live anywhere close to me at the present.

Some of the problem right now stems from the fact that I'm being very selfish with my time. If I'm not working then I want to spend time with Sean since I know he's deploying later in the year. I don't know if many of you know this, but I can be extremely shy. Usually the shyness comes out amoung women. Don't ask me why, it just does. Other than that though it's like I don't know the steps to go through to meet or even make new friends.

Have any of you ever struggled with this?

I Love My Job

Any job that allows me to do this:



Or This:



While I'm at work is OK in my book.

(Don't worry...my boss thanked me for the laugh)

P.S. I scared the crap out of some soldiers in the XBox room

Scrapbookin' Fiend

I've been working on my college scrapbook off and on for the past few days.

Yes I graduated from college three years ago. No I still do not have my scrapbook done. I'm just now getting done with freshman year.

Do you guys have any suggestions on good places to order scrapbook supplies? I know Hobby Lobby does sell some sort online, but I'd like some other suggestions as well.

Does anyone watch Big Brother? Normally I hate that show, but there's nothing else on AFN tonight, so I'm stuck watching it. Can I just say I can't stand Jessie? Men like that drive me insane. Men who think they are the hottest thing ever when they really don't have a brain in their head are so irritating! Argh! What an asshat he is.

I think there is going to be a mutiny here on post soon. Reason behind that? Our post is now almost completely out of all tobacco products. Dip and cigarettes both. The next shipment is not supposed to come in until the end of August. I have a feeling it's going to get ugly.

All Things Vintage

Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade. Do any of you ever feel that way? My parents are convinced I should have lived in the 70's as I love all things from that time.

I bought this shirt today:



Not from Forever 21 actually. Surprised?

I'm a huge fan of Saturday Night Fever. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that on here before, but it's pretty much the best movie and soundtrack ever. So what's a fan without her vintage Saturday Night Fever shirt?

I also love this one, but have yet to buy it.



I was browsing TV shows on Amazon today and it took me back to the TV shows I used to love to watch when I was younger. (These are of the non-cartoon variety)

Little House on the Prairie, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Designing Women, WRKP In Cincinnati, Cheers.

What were some of your faves?

Well I've Never Been to Spain.....

So I'm currently in the works of planning a trip to Spain. I'm not sure when I'm going, I just know I want to go this fall sometime. I know I want to see Seville, Madrid, Barcelona and some of the smaller towns. I may not see them all this time, but eventually I do want to see all those places.



This is where you guys come in. Who's been to Spain? Who has good recommendations for me? It can be on hotels, restaurants, places to see, etc. You can either leave me a comment or feel free to email me. The email address is in my sidebar.

Apparently I'm also going to Oktoberfest. I was informed of that last night by some of Sean's friends. I guess they are trying to get a group of us together to go. Should be interesting. We all know that Army guys + alcohol= either fun or disaster. Any suggestions for that let me know as well.

Enjoy your Friday!

Facebook Friends?

So...last night I took some pictures with my new 50mm lens. The picture were of myself, since I consider it to be more of a "portrait" lens. I added a few to my Facebook and MySpace and in turn changed my default pics. No big deal right?

Wrong.

I checked my e-mail and noticed I had a few comments on the new pictures so I went over to Facebook to check them out. One of the comments was from a guy I went to high school with. His comment? " Stop....enough already!" As in I shouldn't have put these pictures up.

Excuse me? I didn't force a gun to your head to make you look at my pictures! Geeze...just ignore the fact that I added them. I don't understand the need for people to be rude about insignificant things. I made my way over to his page though and left this message:

"I hope for your sake that the comment you left was a joke"

Some people!

I had something kind of weird happen to me on post today. I was walking from the commissary to the USO (Sean had the car) and an older lady stopped her car and asked me if I needed a ride. Since I was close to the USO I politely declined and said thank you, but then across the street walking with groceries I noticed an very obviously pregnant lady and her husband. I had to wonder why she didn't stop and ask them if they needed a ride.

I have tomorrow off. Woo hoo! I'm thinking of soaking up some sun at the Villagio pool. My pale skin is in desperate need of some tanning.

Commissary Woes and Stripper Poles

Got you with the title didn't I? I knew that'd get your attention.

Anywho...I went to the commissary today and was sorely disappointed. I went to get some items for these delish cookie/brownies that I saw on Brown Eyed Baker(check my sidebar for the link). The recipe called for bittersweet chocolate (which the commissary did not have) Nor did they have pitas that I looked for OR spinach that I needed to make a Green Monster. At first glance this isn't a bad commissary, but then when you start looking for things it's obvious there is a lot lacking. I think I'm going to have to make a list and then go to the commissary manager to have her order what I want.



On to the stripper poles. As discussed in a previous post I mentioned I wanted a stripper pole for exercise purposes. Yes, I do mean exercise purposes and not that I'm practicing for amateur night. I'm still thinking of getting one, but I'm wondering if you guys have heard which ones are the best? I have Shelia Kelley's S Factor workout and in turn she also sells poles, but I know there are a lot of other brands out there too. So....if you've heard anything then let me know.

Tuesday Tidbits

So I finished the last Twilight series bok yesterday. Survey says? Twilight was ok, but I have to say I prefer Harry Potter. It just seemed like Twlight got redundant after awhile and I thought the last book, Breaking Dawn was way out there. I'm sure there are a ton of people who disagree with me, but that's just my two cents.

Next up? I Love a Man in Uniform by Lily Burana. She's a journalist who used to be an exotic dancer and married an Army officer. It looks to be a good read.

Can I just say I love this shirt? Plus it's totally appropriate for the country I live in.



Don't even ask where I found it, because if you know me then you already know.

So...Sean and I are trying to eat healthier, which means lots of salads for us. Any great salad suggestions?

One last thing, go check out Steph's giveaway. You won't be disappointed.

Question of the Day

Today at work I had no Internet the entire time I was there. I may or may not have gone through withdrawls. It's scary how much I rely on the Internet for amusement. Don't get me wrong, I have other things that occupy my time, but it's so satisfying to check my email or to read your blogs.

Now on to the question of the day:

Do you have any tattoos? If so, what do they mean and what are they? If you don't have any, is there a reason that you don't?


(Photo courtsey of Tattoos from the Soul)

I have no tattoos. Quite honestly there is nothing that I like/love that much to put on my body. That doesn't mean I don't find tattoos on others interesting, I just don't have any myself.

Indiana Jones?

Sean and I did go to Venice yesterday for a few hours and I got a couple of pictures. Nothing too fascinating though. We decided to eat a Hard Rock and although I didn't have high expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. Sean and I shared some loaded nachos (complete with sour cream and guacamole) I haven't had guacamole in FOREVER and it was seriously heaven on earth.

While at Hard Rock I had the opportunity of seeing Indiana Jones.



Harrison Ford you ask? Nope, just some random dude dressed like Indiana Jones complete with whip. I have NO idea why he was dressed like that because the people with him were dressed normally. I told Sean I'd give him ten bucks if went up and asked him if he'd found the Temple of Doom yet.

Speaking of dresses...I have no idea why women, European and American alike, think it's a good idea to wear light colored clothing with colored underwear underneath. White dress with blue panties? Not ok. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this in the last month.

Oh..and a big thanks to everyone who gave me drink suggestions the other day. I'm going to write some of them down and try them. You gave me a ton of new ideas for the next time I go out.

It's Like Sex and the City

This post is at least. Only without the sex and it's all about the cocktails/mixed drinks.

What are your faves? Least favorites? Any drinks you've made up that you'd like to share?

My faves?

Spicy Bloody Marys and Mojitos.



No place makes Bloody Marys like Louisana and even then you have to be careful when you order them. Not all Bloody Marys are created equal. Trust me.

Thursday Tidbits

Thanks everyone for your feedback yesterday, I'm sure I'll be asking you plenty of more questions in the future.

Boomer has been cracking me up lately. We have tons of lizards around here and he is intent on catching one. He's come close a copule of times, but has yet to nab one. Watching him go after them is priceless.

Go visit Kebi over at Hanging By a Thread! She's giving away some awesome Sanuk sandals and you don't want to miss out!

I started watching the first season of True Blood last night. I'm already hooked and I've seriously seen one episode. Sean has watched more of the first season and told me he wasn't sure I would like it. Wrong! Love it. Although Anna Paquin's attempt at a Southern accent could be better.

Sean and I went out to dinner last night and midway through dinner he started breaking out in hives. We're pretty positive it was the pink sauce (salsa rosa) they served with the shrimp, because he is not allergic to shellfish, but has had that happen while eating Thousand Island dressing before. He apologized for making it a short dinner experience, but you can't really blame him for that. It's not like he tried to get hives. Besides, I still got to enjoy my shrimp risotto.

We are considering a short trip to Venice on Saturday. I have a few things I want to pick up there. 1. An animal Carnival mask 2. An item or two for my upcoming giveaway and 3. Sean still wants to eat at Hard Rock. Sometimes it feels weird to say, "Hey, let's go to Venice for a few hours."

Not a Full Effort

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to my life and what direction I'm headed in. As I was doing this I had the realization that I've been doing things "halfway" for too long.

Let me elaborate a bit, growing up I didn't really try hard in school. Mainly because I didn't have to. It just came easily to me. Once I got in high school I had problems with math, but that was about it. I still made good grades in everything else by not giving 100% of what I could have given.

That attitude in college burned me big time. If I have any regrets in my life, college is it. I didn't try like I should have and my GPA from college, although not bad, isn't as good as it could be either.

The last couple years post college I haven't let this attitude get to me as much. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do as a career and now that I've narrowed it down to two choices I can concentrate on what I'm doing. I realized yesterday talking to Sean that I've kind of been half-trying at photography as well. I'm just sort of doing it, without really planning or putting anything into other than taking the pictures and editing them.

Now I've sort of drawn-up (well at least in my head) a plan for going further with this photography dream. I wanted your opinions yesterday so I could sort of gauge the interest level in my photography. One of these days (hopefully soon) I'd like to have a website up where you can order prints from me. I'm looking into a flash site for my photography too. Anyone have any experience with Photobiz? I'd like to know your opinions if you have.

I think it's time I gave it my full effort.

Chatty Cathy

Today I'm going to be a bit of a Chatty Cathy. I've got a lot on my mind.

1. Thanks for the birthday comments yesterday. They made my day!

2. I got my Forever 21 order in today. Nothing like new clothes to brighten my day.

3. This is totally random, but I love vintage or vintage-esque shirts. I ordered one with this last clothing order and it's so cute.



4. My boss is leaving for a similiar position in Germany. I've decided to give it some time here and see how I like the person who replaces her. Then depending on that and if I start my Masters I may or may not continue to work here. Don't get me wrong, I like it here, I like the money and I feel grateful to have a job overseas BUT sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on the whole overseas experience.

5. Megan starting her own business has encouraged me to work some more on starting my own photography business. Currently I'm researching some more lenses/lighting equipment. What I want my website to look like and I'm still working on the name for my business.

I do have a question for you out there and please be honest. Would you purchase photography prints of the subjects that I shoot? Such as travel, landscape, etc. Eventually I want to photograph children, families, etc, but I also want to continue to do other forms of photography.

Today is a Special Day!

I might be a little biased about it being a special day, but it's my birthday! More specifically it's my 26th birthday!



Sean and I are going out to dinner tonight, but I already have my presents. He got me a much needed external hard drive to store all my pictures on and the 2nd and 3rd season of Big Love. The third season isn't released yet, but I can't wait to watch the 2nd.

Do you guys have any birthday traditions? Growing up my Mom always made me my cake. I always chose strawberry cake as the base of it though. She also always let me plan my birthday dinner. I loved being able to choose what I wanted to eat for my birthday. That's probably a tradition I'll continue with my own children one of these days.

Oh and FYI, I'm planning a giveaway in honor of my birthday, BUT I need to get a few more things for it, so look for that within the week.

Just a Taste

Here's a few pics from the weekend. More should follow in the next couple of days.

Can I just say I think Italy hates us? Let me explain.

Wherever we go in Italy we always have some sort of trouble. Gas strikes, heavy traffic and this weekend? Train strike. We drove, but in Cinque Terre we overheard some people talking about a train strike. No big deal, we thought it started at midnight. Uh no. It started at 9:00 p.m. By some miracle we caught the last train to La Spezia. I'm so glad we did, because when I heard we might be stuck in the the next to farthest town from where we were staying I almost started to cry. No joke.

First up: The cheesy Pisa picture.



Next up is the non-cheesy picture. I was going for the 50's vintage postcard vibe



This was probably the most Tuscan picture I got. I think the best "typical" Tuscan views were south of Siena and we didn't go that far.



I loved the color of this Vespa



Our first seafood platter of the weekend. It may not look like it, but it was delish!



Monterosso (one of the Cinque Terre towns)

Tote Bag Wanted

Does anyone have any good suggestions for tote bags? I'm looking for one that is sturdy, cute and fairly large. It doesn't have to be monogrammed though. I thought about the standard ones from LL Bean, but I want something cuter. I do however, what something the size of the large LL Bean bag.

Any suggestions?

Tour of Tuscany

Originally Sean and I had planned on leaving for Tuscany this morning, but Italy had other plans for us. Currently there is a gas strike going on in Italy and all gas stations have been shut down since Wednesday night. They are not due to open until Friday at 10a.m. We have about 1/2 tank of gas, which in my careful mind is not enough to get to where we want to go and then search for a hotel if need be.

So....we are leaving early tomorrow morning. We plan on staying in Lucca, which is easy striking distance to Pisa and a few of the Tuscan hill towns we plan on visiting tomorrow. Saturday will be Cinque Terre and I'm finally going to get to swim there too!

Early Sunday morning we're going to drive back to Vicenza so I can work. I'm a little disappointed we aren't leaving today as originally planned, but in reality we are only a couple of hours from Tuscany so I figure this will be one of many visits.

Look for cheesy pics of me holding up the Leaning Tower when I get back!

Ciao!

Austria in Pictures

Here are a lot more of the pics I took while on the trip. I still don't have them all edited, but these are some of my faves.



Boomer enjoying the room



The decorations in our bathroom



The random no camping sign down from our hotel. I thought it was kind of random.



I loved the mountains around us. So beautiful!



This was one of the more famous landmarks in Innsbruck, supposedly the emperor used to sit out underneath it and watch the people below.



Kebabs. Sean and I probably had three of these while in Innsbruck. So delish!



One of the pubs we visited.



Sean modeling the local hats



My baked potato with parmesean, tomatoes and rucola.



No joke that this was five minutes later. I was STARVING!



A bar we passed. I thought it's sign looked like the one in the Cocktail movie.



One of the main streets in the historic center



Lamborghini I spotted from our hotel window



I love the style of the churches



Odd display in one of the windows



My amazing Chicken Shai Korma at the Indian restaurant



I showed you guys a pic of this church the other day, but here's a shot of it with my wide angle lens.



This was the beautiful organ in the back of the church



The interior of the church.



More mountains...couldn't get enough of them



My first attempt at a panorma with this camera. It still needs to be tweaked a bit.