Dead Dad's Club

"There's a Dead Dad's Club and you can't join it until you do. I'm really sorry you had to join"

How could you not want to watch us grow up and be a part of our experiences and memories? How could you not want to protect me from the boys who would break my heart or to give your blessing when I met the man that wouldn't? How could you not want to play softball and lacrosse with Nate or to teach him how to shave and give him girl advice? How could you not want to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day or to be in the waiting room as your grandkids are delivered? How could you put us through this pain, change our lives forever because of your selfish decision? Your choice has left us empty, has left us crushed, has left our life in shambles that we have had to tirelessly rebuild. It's been a battle, it has left us with scars that may be unseen to the naked eye but that have forever formed who we are and will become. Your decision, your death, has evoked an emotion in me, that at first broke me and made me an ugly angry person. Now it makes me strong, empathetic, compassionate and determined. There are days that I wish that you were here and were able to see the woman I have become, to tell me that you are proud of me and dote on my achievements. There are other days I don't. Other days I know that your death has strengthened me in ways your presence never could. This tragedy made me reach down to my core for strength and wisdom and once I reached it, I came to this realization. Although there are days I hate you for what you did, there are days I thank you too. You leaving this earth in such a harsh and violent way has thickened my skin and now allows me to help others who are enduring my same pain. Although it took such a tragedy to unveil my true calling in life, without your choice I never would have found it. There are days I hate you and am glad you are gone and then there are days I would do anything to have you back. But, on this day, I reach down to the pit of my soul and pull out forgiveness. I forgive you for hurting us. I forgive you for crushing us and taking away our childhood. I forgive you for leaving us with complete mistrust for the world. I forgive you for making such a difficult, yet cowardly, decision and I thank you for making me who I am. I forgive you and I appreciate all you have given me because without you I wouldn't be me.

"I don't know how to exist in a world where he doesn't". "That part never really gets easier" Instead, you just learn to embrace your loss in order to cope and when you get strong enough you use your strength to help others who join the Dead Dad's Club. "You can't join the club until you do and I'm really sorry you had to join."

Poignant Thoughts

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

~George Carlin

It's as pure and simple as that...

I love you. It's not a weight you must carry around. It's not a box that holds you in. It's not a standard you have to bear. It's not a sacrifice I make. It's not a pedestal you are frozen upon. It's not an expectation of perfection. It's not my life's whole purpose (or your's). It's not to make you change. It's not even to make you love me. I love you. It's as pure and simple as that.

~Anonymous

This is what love is truly about.

Makes My Heart Happy!

So this week I have been spoiled with beautiful flowers. Mike brought me a wonderful arrangement on Monday so I have been welcomed to work everyday by the smell of lilies and gardenias. On Tuesday my mom dropped off a bouquet of gorgeous and tremendously fragrant pink peonies fresh-picked from The Sharing Place. They smell so amazing that I put them on my nightstand and have been waking up to their fantastic smell. I feel as though I am living in a garden. Then yesterday I was visiting my boss’ house and his wife cut me some of her stunning peonies for me to take to the office. I love the spring and all the fresh flowers it brings! I think I am going to try and plant some rose bushes and peonies this weekend so I can have fresh flowers all spring long!

100 things

I saw this in a blog recently and loved it so here are 100 random facts about me. Hope you enjoy!

1. I couldn't wait to change my last name and feel like Ricci suits me much better.

2. I buy wedding gifts as soon as I get an invitation so I have the best pick.

3. I am an awful driver but have only been in one car accident with a moving vehicle. The rest of the things I hit were stationary.

4. I love to cook things that others will enjoy, even if I don't. I tend to make things such as BBQed shrimp and never eat it.

5. Three things you will always find in my house: Coke, puffy cheetoes and ho-hos. That hasn't changed since I was a child.

6. If I find a shirt I like, I usually buy it in 4 different colors, two of those being black and white.

7. I wish I were an aunt and love that Sariah lets me treat Jonas, Cairo and Mesa as though they were my niece and nephews.

8. I text or email Mike baby names at least once a week.

9. I think lime makes everything taste better.

10. If a song gives me chills it instantly becomes my new favorite.

11. I think my mom is the smartest person I know. I call her for advice on EVERYTHING.

12. My favorite store in the whole world is Costco. I couldn't imagine not having one near-by.

13. I wear a black pencil skirt to work almost daily. I feel extremely casual wearing black slacks.

14. I hate my natural hair-color and probably will never go back to it.

15. I think wearing red shoes or a red purse show that I am feisty.

16. I never change my jewelry. I wear the same necklace, rings and earrings every day.

17. I have a star tattooed on my lower back with my dad's astrological sign in the middle.

18. I love telling people my name is Lauren Nicole Ricci. I feel it gives my name character :-)

19. I put a lot of thought into gifts and love to give them.

20. If I could afford it, I would go to Starbuck's every morning and get an extra hot grande caramel macchiato stirred with whipped cream.

21. I love that Mike is a Sigma Chi and believe it is an essential part of who he is.

22. Mike was the reason we used pink in our wedding. I wanted just a black and white wedding but am SO glad he talked me into using it.

23. I like to fill out surveys and then delete them. I think they teach me more about myself.

24. When I go shopping, I spend way more than I should knowing I will return half of it.

25. I love to look at wedding and baby registries. I feel it gives me a better sense of whom the registrants are.

26. I adore quotes and try to find one for every occasion.

27. I can watch TV for hours on end but have a hard time sitting through a movie.

28. I love weddings, everything about them.

29. I love stars and have since my dad died, hence the wish table at my wedding. I feel stars and wishes are my connection to him.

30. I was in 4-H for two years. Our emphasis was on cooking, but I still don't cook well.

31. Speaking of 4-H, our name was The Baking Babes, which I was adamantly against. I didn't want to be called a Babe.

32. I wear stilettos almost daily and can run quite well in them.

33. I am OCD. If someone is coming over, I have to do something productive in the kitchen until they get there so I can continually look out the window. Last week while waiting for Vilven, I scrubbed the whole kitchen, all the hardwood floors, and made coffee.

34. I only shop at stores with great return policies. Costco, Express, Nordstom, Bed Bath and Beyond…

35. I think things taste better cut up. Bananas, cheese, strawberries, pound cake, etc

36. I have been to Britney Spears in concert three times, twice in Vegas

37. I love the smell of spring. It makes my heart happy.

38. I am very proud of the fact that I worked full time while getting my Bachelors and graduated with a 3.9 GPA, even though I don’t use my degree for anything.

39. I pray my child doesn't have red hair. I think kids are vicious.

40. I don't really like chocolate unless it's a fruit truffle or full of nuts.

41. I think black and white are extremely classic and are my go-to colors.

42. I love, love, LOVE back ticklies.

43. I love to volunteer for organizations I have a personal connection to.

44. I have worked at my same job for 6 years and have wanted to quit for 3.

45. I can't stand twangy country music or gerber daisys.

46. Cairo and Mesa are my favorite names in the whole world. I love different names and when I have children, their names will not be ordinary.

47. When I ate my first Subway sandwich with vegetables I called my mom to tell her how proud she would be of me. I was 21.

48. Hannie has been doing my acrylic nails since I was 14 and was a bridesmaid in my wedding.

49. I don't like ice cream but I love sorbets and sherbets.

50. My dream-job would be a wedding planner.

51. If there is a chocolate fountain at a wedding, I load up on the dippers but don't dip them in the chocolate.

52. I don't really like to shop, it makes me depressed that I am not as stylish as I wish I were.

53. My ultimate goal in life is to be a wife and a mommy.

54. Mike and I bicker a lot but I believe we are truly perfect together and no one could complete me the way he does.

55. I hate carrying my cell phone and hardly ever do when I am with Mike.

56. If I find a song I like, I listen to it on repeat until I am sick of it.

57. I wish I had a job in marketing, I think advertising is extremely interesting.

58. I love roller coasters and thrill rides and would love to visit every theme park in the U.S.

59. I don't like fancy dinners because I think three hours is too long for one meal.

60. I love all Guess accessories even though they aren't very durable.

61. I don’t like things on my lips and usually wipe whatever it is off within 20 minutes.

62. I don't cry often but when I do, I am a mess.

63. I don't like to wear shorts and will wear jeans all summer long no matter how hot it gets.

64. I used to hate the color red because of my red hair. My mom used to tell me that redheads couldn't wear red because it clashed.

65. I don't like breakfast foods. If I do eat it's almost always a ho-ho and glass of milk or a donut.

66. I have a great memory when it comes to people and their personal lives.

67. I buy things for what they look like, not how well they function but then get mad when they aren’t working like I think they should.

68. My favorite grocery store is Harmon's because the owner's are some of the nicest guys I have ever met.

69. In 6th grade I bought boy JNCO's and wore them with boxer shorts. I thought I was so cool.

70. I am a very picky eater but feel like I am getting more of a grown up pallet.

71. I hate to vacuum but when I am in the mood, it's very therapeutic.

72. The only time I talk on my phone is when I am alone in my car. When I am home, I don't like to be bothered.

73. I love Wallflowers from Bath and Body Works and have one in every room in my house.
74. Cutting 6 inches off my hair was scary; dying my hair brown was even scarier but I love it short and brown!

75. People think I am mean but I am just really shy when you first meet me.

76. I love bread and always eat WAY more than I should.

77. I will make cookie dough, but never bake cookies.

78. I can't watch someone get hurt in a movie because I always feel so bad for them.

79. I graduated high school a year early because I hated it so much.

80. I love pocket tokens and take great pleasure in giving them to people.

81. If I designed a brand new house, it would look just like my mom's. I think she is an amazing decorator and I love her home.

82. Flowers and babies can always brighten my day.

83. It takes a lot for me to call someone a friend but when I do, I would do absolutely anything for them.

84. I believe I have the most amazing friends in the world and don't know how I got so lucky to have them in my life.

85. I always answer unknown numbers because the curiosity gets the best of me.

86. I am a hopeless romantic and need to realize life is not a fairy tale.

87. I think Mike is gorgeous but I was more attracted to his intelligence and personality than his looks.

88. I have a flower tattooed on my big toe and I hate it.

89. I think flip-flops are uncomfortable. I don't like things in between my toes.

90. I didn't notice how pretty Mike's eyes were until we had been dating for almost a month. That's usually the first thing people notice about him.

91. Since I went to night school and wasn't in a sorority I live vicariously through Mike's Sigma Chi stories.

92. I love little kid food, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, cheese pizza, plain cheeseburgers, etc. I don't think that will ever change.

93. I have always wanted to be made over on a makeover show.

94. The summer of 6th grade, my mom helped me dye my hair purple. Her hands were purple for weeks.

95. I am overly protective of Drew and am very hard on the girls he dates.

96. I could give up many things; a TV would not be one of them.

97. Whenever I make homemade rolls I always eat some raw dough dipped in melted butter. Gross I know.

98. If I could have any talent, I would be able to dance.

99. I am not interested in ever seeing China, India or Japan but would love to see every island in the Caribbean.

100. I secretly fear that I won't be as good of a mom as I want to be.

I tag Spears because I love ya!

Let's Eat Out...

Yesterday while at lunch, Mike and I were trying to rank our favorite restaurants. It was a lot of fun and was really hard to narrow it down to just 10. I finally decided I can have 11 favorite restaurants since 11 is my lucky number. In choosing my 11 favorite, I decided that the only reason these became my favorite is because of one or two things on their menu. I never venture out and try new things because I hate being disappointed when it doesn’t taste as good as what I normally would get. If I want to try something new, I just try Mike’s, and if I like it better, I eat his. :-)

I have listed my 11 favorite restaurants along with what I get at each. What are your fave restaurants and what do you usually get there? Maybe your favorites will inspire me to try some new places and dishes!

1. The Olive Garden
-Three cheese ravioli with marinara, salad (extra croutons and dressing), breadsticks and a boat of alfredo for dipping

2. Tsunami
-Don Juan roll, edamame and purple haze sake

3. Red Robin
- Spinach and Artichoke dip and either clucks and fries or the Baja Turkey Club

4. Noodles and Company
-Wisconsin Mac and Cheese with an extra side of parmesan

5. Café Rio
-Pork salad with extra meat and extra crunchies or roast beef quesadilla.

6. Crown Burger
-Cheeseburger with just ketchup, mustard and dressing and fries with lots of ketchup (I love condiments!)

7. Red Rock -Pita Burger no onions, fries and a pitcher of honey wheat.

8. Citris Grille
- Ham and Havarti sandwich with extra cranberry spread and either soup or fries

9. The Old Spaghetti Factory
-Manager’s favorite with mizithra and marinara, salad with pesto dressing (extra croutons and an extra side of dressing) and spumoni ice-cream.

10. Hamilton’s Steak and Seafood
- Stuffed potato spring rolls, wedge salad with Bleu Cheese dressing (of course with extra croutons and dressing), sirloin steak and a loaded baked potato

11. Village Baker
-Chicken Tortilla soup with an extra roll. So yummy but they only serve it on Monday’s :-(

Now I am getting really hungry!

06.16.08

Yesterday Mike and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. I can’t believe that a year has already flown by and how much has changed. I feel we have grown tremendously as a couple, as well as individuals and have become much stronger in the process.

Mike really made our first anniversary special, even though he was really sick. He woke me up to breakfast in bed (my favorite, a ho-ho and tall glass of milk) and then sent me off to work. At nine he surprised me with this beautiful arrangement he designed himself, along with a Starbuck’s (something I was in desperate need of).

He called around trying to find flowers that were in my bouquet (peonies, rununculus and hydrangea) but he had no such luck. I thought it was so sweet that he remembered my favorite flowers though and think the arrangement he came up with was perfect! He was very thoughtful while picking out the flowers, and each of them had a meaning to him.

Since Mike was sick, he had taken the day off work, which was great for me! He just hung out at my work with me until it was time for lunch. While he was here we bought a GPS unit as an anniversary gift to ourselves and I am really excited about it! Ever since coming back from Europe we have wanted one and I am stoked to start playing with it! It will be especially fun discovering new cites together and finding new places here in Salt Lake.

Finally it was lunchtime (we were both starving) so we headed off to Training Table. I can’t resist their cheese fries and I really love their Turkey Bacon sandwich. We had a great time at lunch and I was sad to see it end. It was really fun to spend so much time with him during the day and I couldn’t wait for the workday to end.

When I got home, I surprised him with an anniversary gift. The modern first year anniversary gift is clocks, so I really wanted to buy him a watch. I found this cool Seiko titanium watch that I thought he would really like because it was so techie, and Mike loves that sort of stuff. Such a nerd! I was right though; he loved how light it was and was very surprised too! He was very thoughtful and had picked out some stationary that mirrored our wedding colors, since the first year anniversary is paper (he did his research!) and had written me a beautiful card, along with a hand-written copy of his wedding vows to me. It was very sweet and I was touched. He also got me a massage, which I am super excited about as I have been in dire need!

After our present exchange, we ran down to the watch store to have his new watch sized. We were there way longer than expected, but by the time we left I was starving, so it worked out great! We went to Olive Garden, my absolute favorite place to eat and it was yummy as usual. We had brought the top tier of our wedding cake in with us, so after dinner we cut that and ate it for dessert. To our surprise it was still delicious! Apparently if you save the top of your cake and eat it on your first anniversary it’s supposed to bring you good luck and children so we will see. :-) I am crossing my fingers!

Following dinner we headed home and watched our wedding video. It’s really fun to reminisce about that day and hiring a wedding videographer was the best money I ever spent. Ours was truly amazing and I am so glad we decided to use him. He was able to capture the essence of the day perfectly and it's something we will have forever.

Overall I had a perfect anniversary with my wonderful husband and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other day.

Thanks Be for being so truly amazing, I love you more today than the day I married you.

I have caved...

I was at Costco yesterday and it just jumped out at me, I couldn't help it. I am preparing myself to get sucked in like everyone else has so I hope Mike is ok doing the dishes and conversing with the dogs because it sounds like I will be occupied for the next week. :-)

Under the Tuscan Sun

After a few days full of sightseeing, we headed off to our Villa in Tuscany. When we pulled up to our home for the next week, we were all in awe. It was exactly what we had imagined a Tuscan Villa to be like. It was made of beautiful stone and had views of vineyards and Tuscan countryside for miles. It was truly breathtaking.

Since we were all famished we headed off to the local COOP, to pick up some food for dinner. Well that was an experience! Have you ever tried to follow a recipe when the store doesn’t carry the same ingredients (like cold milk) and everything is in another language? Well it is definitely a challenge! To top it off, the store was packed and everyone in there knew exactly what he or she needed. I kept feeling as though I was constantly in someone’s way and I was surprised that I didn’t get knocked over by an impatient Italian. We were finally able to find most of what we needed and left as fast as we could.

That night my mom made her fabulous spaghetti sauce along with salad, gnocchi, garlic bread and wine. I always tell my mom I have yet to find a better spaghetti sauce, even in Italy, and what a good cook she is. She really can just throw stuff together and make it taste delicious. It was really nice to just sit down that evening, take in the scenery, eat some yummy food and drink some Italian wine. I think it was just what we needed to unwind from our past three days.

The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Music...

Austria was next on our list of places to see. Mike’s friend Andreas lives in this little town outside of Innsbruck called Kramsach and we had heard how absolutely beautiful it was. We were looking forward to seeing it for ourselves and catching up with Andreas. After eating a big German breakfast we were on our way.

The drive out of Germany and back into Austria was another pretty one. You can’t help but want to look out the window because it seems there is always something new to see. Being married to an engineer always makes me notice and appreciate things I wouldn’t have before. For example, Mike pointed out how many tunnels there were and how in America we tend to drive around things instead of through them. I thought that was pretty interesting and I can always count on him to teach me something new.

As we neared Innsbruck I began asking if we could find a mall so that I could buy a new converter to replace the two I had fried (earlier post). Mike found a shopping center on the trusty GPS system and we headed for it. As we were exiting the freeway they had set up a barricade and motioned for us to stop. Not knowing the language or what was going on, we pulled over. The officer came over to the car and asked where our sticker was. Apparently in order to drive on the autobahn in Austria you have to purchase a toll sticker, which we didn’t realize. Well that lack of knowledge cost my parents a whopping 120 Euro ($200.00), while the sticker is a measly 6 Euros. Welcome to Austria!

Following our encounter with the Austrian police, we headed over to the shopping mall. We looked around for a while trying to find a converter but they are actually pretty difficult to find in Europe. I guess not many Europeans are trying to convert U.S. electronics. Mike finally decided to buy me a flat iron with European plugs since we weren’t having any luck finding a converter. What a great husband huh?!? So, I am now the proud owner of a European flat iron! If any of you plan on traveling to Europe and need one, let me know. It works great and I would be glad to lend it to you! All this mess because I am vain! I also had to buy an American flat iron when I got home since I had fried mine. Good thing Costco started carrying Chis.

After leaving the mall, we headed to Kramsach. Andreas had to work for a few more hours so he gave us some ideas on where to hike. We settled into our hotel, drove to the local market, picked up some picnic food and went on our way. Kramsach is a gorgeous town and not touristy at all. You really feel as though you are in The Sound of Music, and I can understand why Andreas wanted to live there over Logan. If you ever make it to Austria, I really suggest stopping there.

The whole hike was beautiful and made me appreciate the outdoors and how stunning Austria is. I think Kramsach was my favorite place we went on our trip because it was truly breathtaking. Their way of life is so different and it made me wish that Americans took time to enjoy life and Mother Nature more.

By the time we were done with our hike, Andreas was off work, so he came and met us. He showed us around the city and then joined us for dinner. It was really fun to sit down and chat with him, and I feel really blessed that we had the opportunity to see where he is from. I always get a kick out of listening to stories of Mike and his days up at the Sigma Chi house, and that night was no exception.

Following dinner Andreas had to pick his girlfriend Christina up at the train station so Mike and I tagged along. After picking her up, we went and had drinks at the Tennis Club. I had a beer mixed with sprite, which I know sounds weird but it was really refreshing. If you drink, you should try it on a warm summer day, it’s pretty good.

Andreas and Christina are both really good kind-hearted people and we are excited to see them again in August when they come here to vacation. Thanks Andreas for showing us your beautiful hometown!

I could kill Mekah!

So I am getting my nails done last night, and I get a call from Mike. He informs me that our next-door neighbor saw Miss Mekah in the backyard of the neighbor’s who live behind us. This is quite scary as they have a Pit-bull and a Rottweiler who could easily swallow Mekah whole. After Mike learns of Mekah’s sneaky ways, he looks along the back fence and sure enough, there are two holes big enough for her to crawl under the fence. Apparently she just wanted to say hi to the other two dogs and see what was on the other side. Crazy dog! I guess we will be heading to Home Depot tonight to see what we can do to remedy this problem.

Our drive to Germany

The second day of our trip did not start out as well as our first day in Como had. Now me being the girly girl that I am, I knew that I would need to be able to blow dry and flat iron my hair in order to stay sane on this trip. So in knowing this about myself I had prepared accordingly by bringing an adapter and a converter for both my flat iron and blow dryer. Unfortunately the converter we brought did not work so I borrowed my mom’s. Well, I learned the hard way that even with a converter, flat irons are not capable of switching electrical currents. When I plugged my flat iron in, it started to smoke and smell of burning wires. I immediately pulled it out of the socket and in doing so, burned the top half of my middle finger so badly that it instantly bubbled up and you could see the lines of the converter burned into my skin. Well, being the blonde that I am, I decided to try the converter in a different socket (thinking somehow the electrical current would be different). Well much to my surprise, it wasn’t. After having the flat iron plugged in for only a few minutes, we heard a huge pop. Much to our dismay, the converter had blown up and had destroyed my beloved chi flat iron in the process. In only a day we had managed to ruin all of our converters, along with any hope of doing my hair! That was until we arrived in Austria (later post).

So after my not so fun experience with Italian electricity, we all piled in the car and headed for Germany. We started our trek through Switzerland and that was quite the drive! One road we took had about 50 STEEP switchbacks up the side of the mountain and so from the bottom it looked like huge stairs. As we were driving up we passed this 70-year-old or so man who was biking up. I was amazed because I don’t even think I could walk up that road, let alone bike up. When we finally got to the top we had a beautiful view of the Swiss Alps.

I have always wondered what determines the borders of a country and Mike’s theory is because of the terrain. It’s amazing how as soon as you drive into a new country the landscape is completely different. In Italy you have vineyards and rolling hills and then as soon as you pass into Switzerland steep mountains surround you.

On the way to Germany we stopped in St. Moritz, a ritzy little ski town in the Swiss Alps. A few years back my mom went on a ski trip with her good friends and she wanted to see the area she had skied again in the summer. It was a beautiful little town and I was glad we were able to stop and see it. I think Mike would have preferred to stay and ski instead of loading back up into the car for the long drive though!

After we spent a bit of time in St. Moritz, Mike took on the driving for the first time and drove us all the way through Switzerland and Austria and then into Germany. We had brought a GPS system along with us, which may have been the best thing EVER! It really helped us get around and I highly recommend investing in one if you ever plan on driving around Europe or anywhere unfamiliar. Unfortunately we had only purchased the maps for Italy and the surrounding countries so as soon as we drove into Germany we lost our trusty GPS system. It was quite the challenge to try and find Fussen without a map and without being able to speak German. I kept making fun of Mike about how useless his 4 years of German was to us. :-)

Finally after looking for a bit, we were able to find the town of Fussen and head up to the Neuschwanstein Castle. The Neuschwanstein Castle was built for Mad King Ludwig in 1869 but was left unfinished after his death in 1886. It opened for tourists in 1896 and then became the model for the Cinderella Castle in Disneyland, and I can see why Disney thought it encompassed everything a princess castle should. It has an amazing view of the German landscape and is incredibly massive. Although we really enjoyed seeing the exterior of the Castle, the interior tour was rather boring. I think the most interesting part of the tour was when my mom asked our timid German tour guide if King Ludwig and Richard Wagner were more than friends. You should have seen the tour guide’s face! Wagner was a German composer who Ludwig built the Castle as a retreat for, so it was common belief that they may have had a romantic relationship.

After our tour of the castle, we hiked up to Queen Mary’s Bridge, which is a wooden bridge that suspends 200 feet in the air over a deep gorge. Now I am not afraid of heights, but this did get my blood bubbling a bit, especially because each time I took a step I felt as though the wood was going to snap underneath me. If the scenery wasn’t so breathtaking, I don’t think I would have spent much time on that rickety bridge.

We ended our day by driving around looking for a place to stay. We were able to find a cute little bed and breakfast with a view of the Castle for a very reasonable price. After settling in to our rooms we headed out for some authentic German food and beer. I much prefer authentic Italian but it was nice to try something new and different. After finishing our dinner we retreated back to our B and B and while I prefer Italian food to German, I definitely think Germans make a much more comfortable bed. It was definitely a long day but we saw so many wonderful things and I am grateful we were able to experience so much in such a short time.

A single quote

As most of you know, I love love LOVE quotes. I think most of my experiences can be summed up with a single quote and I tend to use them quite frequently. Well last week I was in need of some advice and ran across this gem. Hope it helps you as much as it helped me.

"Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer but wish you didn't."

~Erica Jong

Walk MS 2008

This post is dedicated to all The Lucky 13s for the amazing job we did at Walk MS. This year we really hit the fundraising hard and boy did it pay off! We raised a whopping $14,202.63 to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, making us the second highest raising team in Utah. With everyone’s amazing generosity I was able to raise $2,814.16, something I couldn’t have done without all of your help.

I want to congratulate my bestest friend Laura. She is always such an inspiration and raised $2,570.08 all by herself! Thanks for always giving your all and coming to all the events with a smile on your face (except on morning mad days before you have gotten your coffee). Your willingness to make a difference in the lives of others is truly amazing. Love you Sum!

I also want to recognize Jess my wonderful friend and our fabulous team captain because without her we never would have accomplished so much. She alone raised $1,924.03 plus put together our charity poker tournament that brought our team $2,018.00! She is a very special person with a heart of gold and every day I am awe struck by her strength, love and ability to turn something so difficult into a positive experience. I don’t know how she does it but she does with grace and a smile on her face. You are absolutely incredible and I love ya girl!

Hats off to my dear friends and a huge thanks to everyone who participated and donated. We couldn’t have been so successful without each and every one of you and you will never know how much we truly appreciate all your love and support. Here are some fun pics from the day!

Laura and Naanes Katie and Steven
The bob mafia!
Drew and I
Rod and I

Mike, Jack, Seth and Drew
Marissa and Sum
The Lucky 13 boys
The Lucky 13 crew
We wear our 13 with pride

Our day in Lake Como

So after three weeks I have finally had a chance to sit down and go through the 1300 photos I took in Europe. We had a great time and saw SO much! Thanks Mom and Rod for including us on this family vacation and for showing us so many wonderful and new places.

Our first stop on our European adventure was Lake Como, Italy, which was absolutely breathtaking. This is where George Clooney has a house and I can see why! We arrived at around 10 am and although we were all exhausted, we decided to sight see so we could adjust to the time change. We found our hotel, which overlooked Bellagio, parked and went for a walk. Yes I said parked. Rod and Mike were both very brave and took on the task of driving the 9-passenger van we rented around Europe. It was definitely something I wouldn’t want to do! Italians are CRAZY drivers!

After walking for a bit, we found a little pizzeria that was just opening, so we decided to grab a bite to eat. I ordered a 4-cheese pizza, Mike ordered a calzone and even though we had decided not to order sodas when eating out (they were 4 Euros a bottle with no refills!) we both ordered a coke in order to stay awake! When our food finally arrived we were shocked at how big each portion was. My pizza alone was like eating a medium pizza and Mike’s calzone was ginormous! I tried to finish my food but as I learned, 4-cheese pizza in Europe tends to include Gorgonzola, and I can’t eat too much of it. I finally had to get Mike to eat the rest because in Europe they get offended if you don’t finish your meal because they think you don’t like what they made, even if you are just stuffed! Mike believes this is because restaurants there are family owned, not chains, and the recipes they use are usually passed down from generation to generation so they put much more of themselves into their food. I tend to agree with his theory and always tried to finish my meal.

After lunch we decided to take a drive around the hills of Lake Como to stay awake. It isn’t a very touristy destination so we really got to see how people live and what life is like in Italy. Although the scenery was beautiful, we were all so tired that we headed back to the hotel and took a three-hour long nap. That was the best nap of my life!


After our nap we took a ferry over to Bellagio and explored the town. We were all still pretty full from our lunch so we decided to just eat cheese, bread, and wine for dinner, and it was perfect. We sat on the shores of Lake Como enjoying our picnic and taking in the amazing views; if only life was always so serene! We ended our day with a gelato, and I was in heaven. As much as I love the little gelato place by my house, it’s not even close to real Italian gelato. Mike now understands why I have been on a quest to find the perfect gelato for the past 10 years. We then headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest!

Our day in Como was a great way to start our European Adventure and if you are ever in Italy, I definitely recommend stopping there! It's truly a beautiful sight to see.