Chapter 2: Day 77: 8 April 2019

Today was a nice day around the house working on homework, doing laundry from the weekend and recovering. I spent most of the day working on homework and answering emails. For part of my internship I have to take a document and make it more reader friendly so I was able to go around the house and take some photos of the rooms to show the variety of options we have here. Later on in the day I sad down with Malachi and we planned and booked our flight to Italy to visit Wendy and we also made a plan for when Ellie and Casey come to visit. It was a long process, but we eventually got everything planned!

After that we were hungry, so Malachi, Sarah and I went downstairs to get some food. We all warmed up leftovers and then found hot chocolate mix, so we attempted to make some of that, but we all ended up putting way to much chocolate powder in it so they were a bit strong. Once we were done with food we called it a night.

Chapter 2: Day 78: 9 April 2019

KYLE’S BIRTHDAY!! Today started out as a normal day with class and work in the morning. After class and lunch I asked Riley if he wanted to go to the store with me so I could get some snacks and stuff. While there we walked past the bakery and I saw a delicious cake and knew I had to get it for Kyle. We picked him up the cake and some balloons and headed back to the house to set up. I had not blown up a balloon in a while and ended up getting real light headed, but we managed! I had thought that there were candles at the house, but I could not find any so I told Sarah to stall Kyle for a bit more while we went to find candles. We found candles at Day to Day and wanted to grab a treat at the bakery so we scurried over there quick. While we were walking over there we ran into Kyle and Sara, but luckily I had the candles tucked away, so they did not see anything. Once we got the doughnuts we headed back to the house to finish setting up! When it was set up I told Sarah to come back and got Lauren, so she could be with us for the surprise.

When he got back he was very surprised and happy with everything! To no surprise we ended up playing with the balloons for a long time. We were hitting them up into the air and trying to not let them hit the ground. At one point we had 6 balloons going between the five of us and we managed for a bit but eventually all of them fell to the ground.

At 4:30p I had to go down for dinner duty. Since the school ended up hiring extra workers all we had to do was clean a bit and then we ate and were done for the night. It was nice to have the extra time off to socialize with everyone. Oliver and Jo (professors kids) ended up sitting at the table with us and we giggled the whole time. Before dinner was over Dan came in and said that Sarah was in bed because her ankle was really hurting, so I went up with him and a plate of food to check on her. Her ankle was very swollen and sore so I got her an ice pack and some athletic tape to wrap it up. Since it is Kyle’s birthday we were planning to go into the city to a few pubs and were worried that Sarah was not going to make it, but since I knew how stubborn she was I knew we were going to make it. So, we got ready and all headed into the city.

Our first stop was Frankenstein’s where we hung out for a bit before going to Pilgrims and eventually ending the night at Three Sisters. While we were at Pilgrims we requested that they play Happy Birthday so we could since to him. It was a fun night out with friends and bonding with people I did not think I would be able to. After we were done at the pubs we headed to get some pizza and catch a taxi home. Once we got home Malachi had some homework to do so I sat up with him while he worked. When he was done we said goodnight and went to bed.

Chapter 2: Day 79: 10 April 2019

This morning I got the nice surprise of Sarah not having class so I got my friend for the morning! We decided to have a lazy morning watching movies and doing some homework. Today I had lunch duty and dinner duty so I had to stay around the estate. We had a very lazy day and it was fantastic to just relax and catch up on sleep from the weekend. After dinner duty Andrew, Riley, Melissa and I all went on a two hour walk around the estate. We got to see some horsies and explore some more trails that we had not been on. Once we got back to the estate I went down to the servery to make some food and ended up finding Malachi and April (professor). We all talked for a while before splitting up and calling it a night.

Chapter 2: Day 80: 11 April 2019

Today was a fun and active day! I started with packing for our trip to Italy, watching Reba and talking with Sarah. When it was time for lunch we headed down and ate and afterwards ended up playing with Oliver and Jo for a while inside before deciding to go outside. We ended up playing with a kite, a ball and playing in the woods. It was so much fun to get out and play in the sun and not have to worry about school or life for a while. After a few hours it started to get colder, so we packed up and headed in. I wanted to go to the store for a few things so Melissa and I went to get some things. Once we were done there we headed back to the house met up with Sarah and hung out for a while before dinner.

When we were done with dinner Melissa, Sarah and I decided to go down to classroom 7, journal and watch a movie for a while before calling it a night.

Chapter 2: Day 81: 12 April 2019

This morning Malachi and I left for Venice, Italy! We ended up having a flight at the same time at Kate, so we all caught the bus together. When we were waiting for the bus it ended up being 5 minutes late and we all panicked a bit, but just before we were going to call a cab the bus showed up and we were on our way! Once we got to the airport we checked in, and were headed through security. The line was massive and we were scared that we were big going go make it through, but the Edinburgh airport is very well set up and we got through in a breeze. When we got through we got some food at Eat. before we found out what our gate was.

On our plane there Malachi and I were not sitting next to each other. I was in row 33 (very last row) and he was in 7, but I ended up sitting next to a very lovely gal who I got to talk to for most of the flight. Malachi had texted me to come sit by him because there was an open seat, but I was too deep in conversation to see it. The plane ride was quick between a nap and conversation.

When we landed in Italy we met up with Wendy and headed back to her house. Before stopping at home we went to get some food. We needed up getting Pasta Carbonara and it was delicious. It was our first meal here and I already know that if I lived here I would be so fat from all the food foods. With our bellies full we headed to base and got to see where Wendy worked and lived for a while. Even though it was an Italian Base it hosted Italian and American Air Force and they had an American Grocery store. Malachi and I were like kids in a candy store when we saw everything American. We ended up getting stuck gum, Scooby Doo fruit snacks, cosmic brownies, salsa, frosting and real dill pickles! There was so much more that we wanted, but somehow we managed to get out without spending too much.

Once we got our food that we were making for dinner we headed back to her house. When we got back to her house we relaxed for a while talking, watching movies and indulging in what Italy is most known for, Vino. After a bit Malachi and I started to make dinner as a thank you to Wendy for hosting us this weekend. On the menu tonight was hamburgers, potatoes and asparagus. Since they have a grill here we prepped everything and stuck it on the grill. The temperature is warmer here and with grilling out it really started to feel like spring. While we were cooking we kept watching movies and Malachi registers for classes. When everything was done we sat down with Black Cherry soda, pickles and salads and dug in. The food was delicious and felt like good home cooking! Once we were done with dinner we snuggled back in and had a relaxing night watching movies. It was so much fun to just relax the night away and not have a super busy day since tomorrow we will spend the whole day in Venice.

Chapter 2: Day 82: 13 April 2019

This morning we got up at about 8 and made some delicious breakfast! Wendy put crescent rolls in a muffin tin and then filled them up with scrambled eggs, browned sausage and cheese topped with cheese and garlic powder. They were very easy to make and nice for on the go. Once we got some food in our bellies we were on our way to Venice! Since Wendy lives here we get the luxury of having her drive us around which we are very thankful for. Venice is about an hour away from where she lives so we had a nice drive.

When we got to Venice we found parking and headed to the main city center. On our way there we saw so many cute shops, restaurants and picturesque alleyways and canals. We had a destination but were happy to take our time and wander our way there. One thing that both Malachi and I wanted to do was a gondola ride through the canals and we were lucky to find one our way that we were able to do. It was crazy to see how close the boats got to each other and to the sides of the canals. It was a great experience and I am very happy that we were able to do it.

After the ride we continued our walk towards St. Michaels Square. On our way there we ran into a fish market and a fresh produce market. It was very smelly, but interesting to experience and see all of the fish being filleted right in the square. A few blocks after the market we reached the square. There were massive crowds of tourists, so we snapped a few photos and decided to duck back into the alleyways to find some lunch. We had originally stopped at a place that seemed interesting, but after a closer look at the menu we decided to choose somewhere else. After wandering for a while longer we found a pizza place and decided to eat there. When we were done with food we started to make our way back to the main area where we parked. While we were walking back we got some gelato and did a bit of shopping.

Once we got back to the main area we got to the car and headed back out of the city. I am so glad that got to experience Venice with the best company! On our way back Wendy decided to stop in a cute little down for dinner. We got out of the car and walked around for a while before sitting down to dinner. We ate at a great chicken restaurant called, BEFeD. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was so fun! When we were done with dinner we piled back into the car and headed back towards home for the night. On our way we decided to make a pit stop on base again to buy some ingredients to make cookies. After we got everything we headed home, made cookies and called it a night.

Chapter 2: Day 83: 14 April 2019

Today was our last day in Italy, but luckily we did not have to fly out until later in the evening. When we got up we had some breakfast, packed and were on our way to Lake Barcis. The lake and view was absolutely stunning. We walked around there for a while and then drove a bit more into the mountains and hiked a bit down by the water and across a bridge. After a bit we piled back into the car and drove back down the maintain to find a bit of food before stopping at Wendy’s house to change vehicles and sadly head to the airport.

With a few quick and sad see you later’s we went into the airport and waited for our flight. It was an amazing weekend in Aviano with Wendy I never wanted it to end. Once we got back to the house we made a bit of food and called it a night.