True Blood = Obsession

Ok...it's no secret I'm obsessed with True Blood. I've read all the Sookie Stackhouse books and right now I'm trying to catch up on Season 3 of True Blood so I can finally get to Season 4.

Evidently I'm not the only one who's got a thing for True Blood, as Sesame Street (yes, you heard that right) did a parody of it last week. 




Although I think the number one reason why I'm so obsessed with True Blood is this:

Seriously Sookie, why would you choose Bill over that? Not to mention that Alcide is pretty easy on the eyes as well.

Anyone else out there a True Blood fan?

Etsy Love

I've been browsing around a lot on Etsy these days and I've found some awesome stuff on there that I thought might be fun to share with my readers.

First up are these awesome canvas wall hangings from WestEggStudios.  They have wall hangings with words and locations to describe your favorite cities. Just so happen, they have the nearest big city to where Sean and I grew up.

I LOVE these necklaces. Every state is available and what better way to show pride in your home state? Check out Truche's shop to browse. (She is on vacation right now, but promises she'll be back in August)

Elgarbo has the cutest, retro-inspired prints! I feel like I'm taking a road-trip just by looking through the shop. Check out this awesome Tiki print.

Ok...I am not even sure what this art is called, but if you've ever see art by the artist Shag...then you know what I'm talking about. I'm OBSESSED with this print and cannot wait to save enough money to buy it. I loved Louisana and I want this in my house! You can find this print and others at MatteArt's shop.

Do you have any Etsy favorites you'd love to share?



Roman Holiday

Run..don't walk to Ciampini if you're ever in Rome. Seriously...best gelato EVER. If you go to Rome, ask me how to get there, I'll gladly point you in the right direction.

Sticking my hand in the Mouth of Truth

Inside St. Peter's Basilica. Seeing the sunbeams inside always give me goosebumps.

Old School Rome!

Tuscany: Pics and Commentary

This post has been a long time coming! For some reason I've just not been doing a lot of editing or photography stuff lately, so that's put me way behind on editing pictures from when my family was here visiting.

The first place we ventured to while my family was here was Tuscany. My Mom really wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and although I've been there before, I didn't mind going back. Besides Tuscany we were planning on staying in Montalcino and then driving over to Montepulciano the next day before our return back to Northern Italy.

First up? The infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa!

Of course I had to get the holding up the Tower shot.

I know, I know...another shot of the Tower? I liked the angle on this one though.

This is inside the Duomo at Pisa. The ceiling (and the Duomo itself) were gorgeous!

It seems like whenever I go to a touristy location I always happen upon a couple who is getting married taking pictures there!



This is where we stayed outside Montalcino.  It was called Villa Le Prata and supposedly used to be a hunting lodge.  I thought it was a nice place, the owner spoke absolutley no English, so I had to get by on my limited Italian, but we made it work.  I was not a fan of the breakfast though. Italian breakfasts are normally pretty skimpy to begin with and this breakfast consisted of juice, coffee and a plate full of hard cookies. Not really my style.



Our plan for the second day was to see another hill town. Because we saw some of Montalcino the night before we decided to head on out towards Montepulciano with plans to stop and enjoy the typical Tuscan views on the way to Montepulciano via the town of Pienza.

This is looking back at the town of Montalcino

Hay harvest on the way to Pienza. This stretch of road had so many beautiful views

This ended up being one of my favorite pictures from the Tuscany trip. I just loved the fields, the sky and the old building. Such a typical Tuscan view.

Another scenic view on the way to Pienza. We were stopping A LOT to take pictures.

I've always wanted to get a picture of the amazing poppy fields around Italy and I had yet to catch them at a good time. Luckily for me, there were fields FULL of poppies on our drive and I got the chance to take many, many pictures of these lovely flowers.

This is in the town of Montepulciano. To be honest, I didn't take a lot of pictures while I was here. Sometimes I find the small Italian towns start looking repetative and I stop taking pictures. I know, I know....not a smart thing to do.

This is Montepulciano, I was a little disappointed that the clouds had started rolling in when we got here and so I didn't get any lovely, sunny shots. Montepulciano was a cute hill town. I think my favorite hill town is still Volterra, but if you're ever in the region you should check out Montepulciano as well.

Overall our trip to Tuscany was great. I got to see a few more towns, eat delish food and take some great pictures.

30 Before 30

I've seen quite a few fellow bloggers doing the 30 Before 30 on their blog and since I turned 28 a couple of days ago, I thought it was time for me to start my 30 Before 30. I have to admit that I was inspired by a few items on other's list and so they've shown up on my own list, but for the most part I tried to do original tasks for myself.  In the near future I'll make a tab for the top of my blog so I can chart my progress and anyone who is interested can keep up.

Melissa's 30 Before 30

1. Have a baby
2. Upgrade my camera (hopefully to a Canon 5D Mark II)
3. Become fluent in another language
4. Assist my Mom in collecting on audio/video my Grandparents' memories/stories
5. Make 5 recipes out of Mastering the Art of French cooking
6. Make a T-shirt quilt
7. Buy a house
8. Fully decorate said house
9. Complete 2 scrapbooks (College and Year of Being Single)
10. Take 30 portraits of people (clients, family, friends)
11. Read 100 books (10 of which must be classics)
12. Make 3 articles of clothing and wear them
13. Have portraits taken of me each year
14. Have a logo, portfolio and website for my photography business
15. Go parasailing
16. Send a card, postcard or letter each month to my best friends, parents and grandparents
17. Become Scuba certified
18. Take a photography/Photoshop class
19. Go whitewater rafting
20. Start and maintain a small garden
21. Hike part (or all) of the Appalachian Trail
22. Drive part (or all) of Route 66
23. Take a picture of Monument Valley
24. Print and organize all of our digital photos
25. Get one of my photos published in a Travel magazine
26. Buy 3 prints from someone who's photography I admire
27. Start and complete a 365 Photo Project
28. Take a dance class
29. Attend an opera performance
30. Attend a ballet performance

My Newest Obsession

So...as usual I'm the last to jump on the latest trends. I still don't have an iPhone or any kind of smart phone for that matter, but I have joined Pinterest and I am OBSESSED.

When I was younger I used to cut pictures out of magazines and save them, well Pinterest is kind of like that, but with no cutting and is so much more fun!

So far I have boards for photography poses, Christmas, travel and home inspiration.  It's so much fun to look and see what your friends are pinning and getting inspiration from others.

Are you on Pinterest? If so, add me! Here's the link to my page: My Pinterest.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Join in over at Wife of a Sailor!

1.Does your Significant Other read your blog? Why is this a good or a bad thing?
He used to read it a lot, now he seems to stay away from reading it. For one, he's too busy with work, plus I think once the novelty of me having a blog wore off he lost interest.

2.What is one item in your house that holds the most sentimental value and why?
My picture albums/scrapbooks. I'd be devestated if I ever lost those memories.

3.When it comes to water fun in the summer do you prefer the beach, the pool, a lake, or the sprinklers?
I prefer the pool. I'm not a fan of being in water that I can't see what is around me. It freaks me out.

4.What is the one special thing that you do for yourself to get you through the first week of a deployment/separation?
Chocolate, wine and girl movies. Lots of them.

5.What is your biggest guilty pleasure website?
Texts from Last Night, my friends and I have this thing where we go through the texts and then copy and paste them to each other's Facebook pages. Hilarious. I'm also obsessed with Pinterest.

A Birthday Poster

Ya'll gotta check out the birthday poster I made for Sean. I plan on putting this on Facebook on his birthday. I can't wait until he sees it. (Also...might I add to please ignore the cigarette in his mouth, he normally doesn't smoke, but I thought this picture was too perfect not to put on there.)


The original poster:

The poster I made:

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

1.Have you (spouse) ever considered joining the military and what do you think of dual military couples?
I've never thought of it, but Sean keeps wanting me to go through OCS and become an officer. However, I zero interest in being in the military. As far as dual-military couples, if you can do it, kudos to you. I'm not sure I could do it and be married. I would think it would put a lot of strain on your marriage.


2.What is your idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon?
Sun, swimming and family. Oh..and some tasty food too.

3.What do you usually do for the 4th of July holiday?
Fourth of July just happens to be Sean's birthday and the next day is our anniversary, so the last few years we've gone on trips. This year however, I think it's going to be low-key. We'll probably grill and just hang out and enjoy the day.

4.If they could make an Olympic event JUST for you that you know you’d medal in, what would it be?
Wine drinking? Maybe marathon reading?

5.What have you been doing to get yourself bathing suit ready for the summer?
Every year I say I'm going to be bikini body ready and I never am. This year though I'm doing Crossfit three times a week. Today I'm also adding in some yoga. I'm hoping by the end of the summer my body looks bangin'.