where i was a year ago

one year ago

i was in logan utah

walking that stage at the spectrum

--college graduation--

family & close friends were in attendance

may .2. 2009

my how a year flies by

i can’t even believe it

{365} days

while i was sitting among the students at graduation

they told us to chase our dreams & enjoy life’s moments

i would say i have done a good job at that in the past year

it was a {dream} of mine to live in europe

when asked by someone why?

i answered every time that it was just something i had to do

& here i am

call me d.r.e.a.m chaser

i miss utah state dearly

so many memories will forever be in my heart from that place

long lasting friend.ships

logan was home

.aggies. -----> all the way

but a year later i'm still happy with my life

new things have come along

& i am learning to embrace change

-------------------------------------

{graduation} is only a concept.

in real life every day you graduate.

graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life.

if you can grasp that

you'll make a difference.

xoxo with love from europe

{p.s} bloggers stay t-u-n-e-d---> my pope post will come tomorrow

a .picnic.

a picnic.

can be {defined} as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake, or with an interesting view. and usually in summer.

:: at a park --- check

:: by the lake --- check

:: in summer.. well spring is close enough --- check

yesterday evening

{nine} of of us showed up

.four. from america

.two. from austria

.one. from canadia

.one. from iceland

.one. from the uk

my life is great

this i know by now

combining good food. company. fresh air. & sunshine.

i just love picnics --- the make me .happy.

makes for {1} great night in geneva switzerland

that is all

a .surprise. in my ordinary day

this {adds} to my top moments in switzerland

:: story.time ::
this is what life is all about
i made a friend today
---------------------------
i was on the bus
riding downtown to run errands
i had a list of things to do
i had a {plan}
---------------------------
at this one stop
a lot of people got on the bus
i moved over to share my seat with an elderly man
i smiled
assuming we didn't speak the same language
-----> and we didn't
BUT
{one} S-M-I-L-E says a hundred things
this is the truth
--------------------------------
he asked me if i spoke espanol
i said ... "me hablo un poquito de espanol"
A.K.A ---> i speak little
he smiled back
i asked if he spoke english
& he shook his head no
-------------------------------
we continuted to ride
for the most part in {silence}
he commented on the lovely day we were having
i told him i agreed & that i love the sun
{all} in spanish
-------------------------------
i know {everyone} reading this had no idea that i could speak spanish
well ----> neither did i really
the family i'm currently living with speaks spanish as their mother tongue so mine has improved ..very slightly..
& i took 2 years in high school
-------------------------------
i was able to understand that he was saying i was so polite
[mom-- you would be proud]
he then asked me if i would like to join him for coffee
{in my head} i thought oh i have lots to do
& i thought.... i don't know this guy
but
then without anymore hesitation
i said ----- "si senor, vamos"
{yes sir, let us go}
we stopped at the next stop
a very populated area
we went to this nice cafe on the rooftop of a building
overlooking downtown geneva

{everyone} at this place knew him (all the employees)

he was "muy populaire"

he goes there every day

mon-fri & he even has a punch card

-----------------------------------
we were able to have conversations in SPANISH
SPANISH
i stuttered & was slow at times
we sat there -- him with his coffee & me with my smoothie
THAT HE TREATED ME TO
how n.i.c.e. of him
we laughed lots
chatted
& had a great time
i think he just l-o-v-e-d the company
----------------------------------
here is what i got from our convos:
- his name is Juan
- he is {76} years old
- he has lived in geneva for 30 years
- originally from madrid, spain
- before geneva he lived in paris for 1 year
- he loves cooking meals from spain
- he speaks spanish, some french, and no english
- he has 4 kids dispersed all over the world
- he has 1 younger sister sho lives in barcelona
- he suggested i take a vacation to malaga to lay on the beach
---------------------------------------
after an {hour} went by
i had to inform him that my students (the kids)
would be getting home soon & that i needed to go tutor them
i graciously thanked him
& he kissed my cheeks just like my grandpas would
he then thanked me & said
keep smiling
then we went our seperate ways
---------------------------------------
as i walked off
i reflected on what had just happened
i just sat down with a {76} year old man
and just talked about life
his life. my life.
strangers that came together
for no other reason but to enjoy a {friend}
(readers, don't forget it was ALL in spanish)
and it was idyllic
i couldn't wipe the smile from my face
this. is. what. life. is. all. about.
what an experience to have on an ordianary day
-----------------------------------------
i may never see {76} year old Juan again
BUT i will know where to find him if i want to
same cafe
monday through friday

if i were to meet the pope

this weekend
i am going back to italia
northern italia that is
to see a very special shrine
it is only opened every .ten. years
{2} million people have already visited it
since april 10th

on the day we are going

guess who else is...

the POPE

so i'm sure i will be among hundreds of thousands of people

we have tickets to listen to him speak

ahhhhh

i had a dream i got to meet him

so i need to be {prepared} if i do get that slim chance

he was born in germany

so maybe i will go with

-----> guten tag (hello)

and give him a good ol' american hug

when climbing a fence

i think there is a method to {fence} jumping
not that i have hopped a lot of fences or mastered it
but
there is a .right. & .wrong. way to do it
usually it's e-a-s-y
climb up. hoist yourself over. just jump down
----> right
----> um wrong
what if your hands are occupied
-----------------------------------------------------
here is the story... {long} version

on saturday night i went to a friend's to play monopoly
it was midnight by the time we finished
----- time to walk to the bus -----
it was dark
in the middle of a grassy pasture
we had to walk through it
& jump (well more like step) over a fence before we reached the bus stop
this was a little chicken wire fence about {4} feet high
---easy---
when i arrived earlier that night it gave me no problems
---now---

i wasn't heavily loaded. i just had my shoulder purse
& i took on a cup of wine to carry for a friend
that she didn't {ever} benifit from...
forshadow for ya

so we left
as we were approaching the lil' fence i thought nothing of it
everything intact
i was .confident. of my footing on the other side
so i stuck one foot through the fence
swung my leg up & over
my first leg passed over the fence without touching it & without problem
then i positioned that heel in the fence
as i shifted the weight from back leg to front leg
that was when my {fatal} mistake occured
i chose to use no hands (remember one had a glass of wine & the other my bag)
"your foot may snag the fence chels"
was what i thought in my head at that moment

gravity was {not} my friend
because of the floppy fence.. the shift in weight sent me plummiting forward
while my heel & leg shot back through the fence
face first.. nothing to stop me.. i slammed into the ground
we are talking ----> sprawled out in the mud
like a starfish on sand
nothing to catch my fall as i went down
the glass of wine went sailing into the air & conveniently landed all over my shirt, hair & face
i was a wet cat
i screamed a loud high pitched yelp
{so pathetic}
& i heard a roar of laughter
the 2 girls before me had successfully climbed the fence
& the only reason they would hear a scream is if i hadn't made it over

there i was
bloody toe, wine spilled on my shirt and hair, little dirt on my cheeks, bruise the size of a papaya on my calf (still unaware of how that got there)


and i laughed hard
but still had to get up & run to the bus stop
--------------------------------------
so for anyone thinking of climbing a fence soon.. some tips for you:

some shoes are better for climbing fences then others
make sure you know what is on the other side of the fence
you are guaranteed a better performance if you are well balanced
never have any baggy clothing or obstructive objects in your hands.. this {can} cause embarrassment


fence 1 chelsea 0
until we meet again

earth day.

happy earth day

.this. day

designed to inspire awareness

& appreciation for the earth's environment

it's earth day today

& it {should} be everyday

{but} it isn't

i .love. our earth

i .love. exploring it

i .love. its beauty

at the park by my house

there were {25} globes

all different forms of art

some painted

some sculpted

some made from recycled goods

i decided to take a few pictures of my day

from this {side} of the earth

of my enviornment

that {i see}

oh. geneve.

usage of "micro vibrant" on my camera

spring-flowers

nature makes me

s-m-i-l-e

just a challenge:

today do your part

maybe all of us {can't} go plant a tree

(i wanted to)

-BUT-

maybe walk to a friends house instead of driving

or pick up one piece of trash you see lying on the ground

or turn off one extra light

or ride your bike

for fun

----> why not

xoxo

8 x 7

today.

my {8} week mark

it feels like it should be longer

but then again time has flown by

8 weeks

i put together {8} things that i -love-

about my life here thus far

{one} traveling to new places & visiting beautiful cities

the lucky duck i am

{two} meeting a new family

who i have grown to love

{three} meeting new friends from all over this world

i had no clue estonia existed

{four} disney paris.

enough said

{five} the food....

of course another shout out to the food

{six} finding myself. it is my world. it is my adventure

{seven} realization that my future is borderless

i always "knew" that but now i fully understand it

{eight} i get to see something new everyday

it is part of the great european adventure

so far----> so good

xoxo

with love from europe

one.

a sister is a gift to the heart
a friend to the spirit
a golden thread to the meaning of life

in {one} month from tomorrow
guess who is coming to visit
>>>> you've had a hint
my sister

for -16- sixteen -16- days
we'll .be. together in europe
*what a blast
*what an adventure
our {big} trip will be to
ireland
for an entire week

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
i can't rate my level of excitement
its outta this world

a sister is a forever friend
& i've got the best one that exists

part 2. sing glee-fully

my night -part 2-

another great part of my night
g.l.e.e.
has returned to television
(after its long break)
i finally found a website that i can watch american tv on
my first show in {7 weeks} people
...: unbelievable :...
i have not even watched the news

last night i got to lay in my bed & watch glee
i .love. this show
probably because it's a musical
& we all know i {wish} my life was a musical
perfect end to a day

xoxo
with love from europe

part 1. he thought i was a local

my night -part 1-
call me lo-CAL


on the bus yesterday evening
i got mistaken for a local....
i don't mean {mistaken} as a bad thing
usually i am the one that sticks out
i just look {american}
so i'm told
-and-
this was my {first} experience when someone finally thought
that i could be from here



week -7-
oh yea starting to blend in
{woop woop}

i look like i know what i am doing

i acted as a good samaritan last night on that bus

>>>> "those who choose to aid others"

{yep} that's me

this british man got on the bus

he totally had no clue

<> where to pay

<> where the bus was going

<> if it was even going to the train station

<> or what the heck he was doing

i {knew} he was not a local

i {knew} through his awkward body language that he had no clue what was going on

i {knew} that as his eyes skimmed the bus for a map he felt that pit of ohhhh $#!+, when he didnt see one

i {knew} the signs

all-of-them

he .caught. my eye

i .smiled. politely

his english stuttered out of his mouth like vomit

which he knows :: perfectly :: well

but was probably nervous to speak it

knowing {french} is our language here

he asked

----------------------------------------
u.k.- where do we pay
me- ahhhhh i said

(we all remember my "no bus ticket" fiasco from week 4)

me- when you got on there was a ticket box at the stop

you buy a ticket before you get on

u.k.- so now what

me- well just ride and hope you dont get caught

u.k.- if i get caught, will i go to jail

me- yes, with no mercy

u.k.- (wide eyed) what

me- haha just kidding you only get a ticket

u.k.- ok well i will take my chance

me- you should be fine

u.k.- so you've lived here a while then

me- no not really, i'm from the states

u.k.- oh you look like you know what's going on. well thanks for being so nice you american girl

me- you are very welcome u.k. guy

--------------------------------------

& with that our convo was over

i have a .pen. pal

double post day
{2} blog posts for you to enjoy
happy wed-nes-day

f-i-r-s-t:
i decided to post {nine} photos
for you
of the italian beauty i witnessed
windows. buildings. doors. streets.
just {nine} photos of my hundreds
that i .love.

i had a fun time changing them to
sepia color
i figured it gave more of a rustic ambiance
...:: enjoy ::...


by our villa in caslano


tiny lake village
& {no} one was around


just your random window

bellagio italia. my favorite ally

lugano boats. i love the lake

arches of como, italia

{i love that i took this photo}

flower boxes

can you say... quaint entry-way

l.o.v.e it
----------------------------------------------

{pen pal}

-noun

a person who regularly writes you

via -postal mail-

a.k.a letters

- no i didn't meet my pen pal online

- no she is not from a different country, she was born in the usa

- yes i know what she looks like

- yes our friendship still grows with all the miles in between us

miss ashley pawlak

she sends the greatest letters

{always} colorful envelopes

{always} cute cards

{always} a nice hello

{always} brings a s.m.i.l.e to this face of mine

we are {official}

pen pals

& we have an exchange of letters goin' on

i.love. it

& her

xoxo

with love form europe

it's ok to miss home

spring in logan, ut
home to utah state university
& home to me for {4 1/2 years}
go aggies
since i no longer call this place {home}
i realized today that i genuinly miss it


one of the best times of the year is spring
it is 50 or 60 degrees at first
& it is "bring out the shorts and sandals" for all students


the transition to summer
always was the {best} time
days laying on the quad are still fresh in my mind

recently
<> i have talked to many friends from home
<> sent post cards to many logan addresses
<> had skype dates with fellow aggies
& i can't help but think of the 84321

so i have got to say
i miss that place lots
& the good times & memories it brought me
to all of you fellow aggies that are reading this post
i know you are thinking i am missing nothing
and you may be right
--but--
that place has a special spot in my heart

i am having the adventure of a life time
here in swiss.land
but that doesn't mean i don't ever think about home

& i realized that it's ok to miss your home
xoxo

my visit to the top of the {boot}

for {4} days
we rented a villa in a little villiage in northern it.
it. ---> italy

we had a blast

it was -70- degrees

just what i needed

shorts. check

sandals. check

sun glasses. check

this was my first time in northern italy

and lets just say that

i loved it

we went to many towns while we were there

in lugano

we took a boat on the lake

a {paddle} boat though

& it takes two to paddle

the dad. me. 3 little kids

of course i got stuck paddling the entire time

i was exhausted

"chelsea go there..."

"chelsea go to that side..."

"chelsea go to that fountain..."

"chelsea paddle to that side of the lake..."

but all in great .f.u.n.

--------------------------------------------

then we hit the road and drove to our destination of

-como, italy-

it's a beautiful lake side city

we spent the day there

<> eating gelato

<> sipping coffee

<> eating fresh pasta

.... that is right ---> fresh pasta noodles, just made

there is something about being {free} of america's gigantic stores

it was so nice not to see brands like:

kraft. oscar meyer. sara lee

everything was

FRESH

again we jumped in the car

we were spending the evening in bellagio

not like the vegas hotel we are all so {fond} of

but the real place that is is designed after

the streets of italy were all so amazing

i think i took {over}100 photos of

streets, window sills, buildings, etc.

this photo of the kids says a lot

they were troopers the whole trip

but they did get tired as all little kids do

i think by the time the last day hit

they repeated the phrase "no more pictures"

a LOT

----------------------------------------------

we also paid the city of

milano

a visit

we didn't stay long

we attended mass at this gothic style cathedral

i have NEVER seen anything like it

& it was probably good that we didn't stay long

milano is {famous} for its shopping

i witnessed this

i loved it all

if we would have stayed longer

my entire life savings would have been blown in {one} shopping trip

trust me, i COULD do it

so it was a great mini vay-cay

{4} days filled with

- site seeing

- good times

- great company

- good. delicious. food

- city tours

- warm weather

- sun. sun. sun.

oh & we will meet again soon

the gelato festival is being held in florence

it is coming up

i checked the date

um i am positive i need

to make an apperance

xoxo

with love from europe

ciao

extra pounds... not spare change

dear silhouette fitness center:

i joined you
i'm a member of your gym
you & i are going to become best friends in the next {2} months
i should visit you
& hang out with you
----multiple times per week----
& i {will}
that is a promise

love,
chelsea

-----------------------------
i have recently been looking through my euro photos
i found that a lot have {1} thing in common
FOOD
whether i'm posing in front of a restaurant sign
caught in action taking a bite
taking a photo of presentation
trying some "cultural" food as i describe italian gelato
of just plain stuffing my face


{food} is ruling my life here
this would not be a problem
----> except for the fact that i may be packing on some new .lbs.
a.k.a ....... pounds


now... if i lived in london
where {pounds} are their money currency
packing on the pounds would be slang for "making money"
and we'd all be happy
BUT
no. not in my case
i am not in the u.k.


so therefore this habit of mine needs to change
i've got to cut back on
{not cut out}
-cheese (of all types)
-baugettes and bread
-croissants
-swiss chocolate


bloggers
enjoy .ten. photos of me eating
& trust me there {were} more
ohhhhh man
to the gym i go

but trust me

i did enjoy every bite