Monday, February 28, 2011

as promised...carnevale!


i got my mask
i got my chocolate
i got my wine
and 
i got you
my friend
pictures!
although 
i must admit
i am highly disappointed
kenneth begged me not to take 
our canon t2i
fearing i would get mugged 
due 
to the rumored crowd
i should have taken it
it was crowded
yes
but not as bad as we thought
and
 there were nicer cameras than my t2i
so i am going back next weekend 
with the t2i
and
the hubs.
so 
today
brief view of carnevale
from
the lens of a 
cannon p&s
(point and shoot)
venice, i see you!
and you are as pretty as i pictured
simply breathtaking.

because i took 
a lot
and i mean alot
of pictures
i am going to attempt
to 
streamline this post
this is just an attempt
i tend to digress
first
the masks
the costumes
the flair of carnevale!
lovely ladies!
what my hips will look like
after four years of living in italy
a headpiece

even the brits 
came to carnevale!
queen elizabeth
i believe....
they sparkled.
even the kids dressed up!
there were costumes of all sorts!
and masks every where!
she was simply 
stunning
his head piece lit up
and 
he was so serious
so this isn't a mask
i promise
i just thought this puppy was adorable
and 
so well behaved!
told you i digress...

second
the architecture
the buildings
the 'awe' of venice
st. mark's
the architecture was gorgeous
looking down one of the many canals.
those italians
they are brutally honest.
bell tower at st. mark's
because kenneth couldn't join us
mission first
i took a picture of the bell tower
at st.mark's
it's in the game assassin's creed
he loves that game
i also brought him home goodies
like food
so he was quite happy with a picture and food
simple man, love him
back to the streamlined blogging...
third 
i would like to take a moment
to 
pay tribute 
to the fashion
of venice
i am so glad i did not bring my credit card
loved this dress!
i was tempted to pretend to be
 a mannequin 
repairman
to take this darling outfit home
but i can't say that in italian
so i'm working on it 
for next time... hehe
she just screams
"wear me"
"walk all over venice with me"
"please take me home!"
can't you hear her!

so 
as the sun set
the crowd disbursed
and we said goodnight
to venice
the 'crowded' 
streets of venice
at eight o'clock at night
so peaceful

carnevale was grand
she was everything i expected
and so much more

next weekend i will return
and yearly after that
for more pictures
masks
food
and 
wine

love from aviano!

Friday, February 25, 2011

friday fun fact:masks of Carnevale di Venezia

tomorrow 
i am 
going to venice
for carnevale!
this is my birthday gift to myself
i am so excited
in honor of
carnevale
and
friday fun fact
i decided 
to dedicate 
this friday
to the masks
of 
carnevale
i found 
a few different types of masks
via 
google and wikipedia
first 
the bauta
it is a full faced mask
and 
historically was used
during political events
when citizens
were suppose to be
anonymous 
like voting
a prettier bauta

the second mask i found
is
moretta

the moretta
is an oval mask of black velvet
worn by women 
when they visit convents
the french invented the mask
and the italians
made it look more feminine 
i like the italian spin on it!

and finally
the 
columbina mask
my favorite!



 tomorrow
i will spend a day
amid a millions of masked people
and 
as creepy as it sounds
i will be loving every minute of it!



information for this blog 
was pieced together from 
{here} & {here}






thankful thursday:staying connected

i needed it
i wanted it
and
i got it
which is usually the case 
kenneth spoils me
i can not lie
my iphone
and 
i've done 
everything i can
to protect her
she lives in 
an {otterbox}
which isn't the most attractive case
but
it keeps her snug as a bug
and scratch free
she was my right hand gal in the states
now
that we are 5142 miles
give or take 10-15 miles
from oklahoma
she has been 
promoted to my right arm
ok that wasn't funny
but i use her more than ever!
her apps
keep me connected
for instance
i heart radio app
yes i can listen to the morning traffic conditions
at one in the afternoon italian time!
 not all my favorite radio stations
are on i heart radio
and shame on them!
but some are
and that keeps me 
connected.
and there is 
the house fm app
love this app!
the music brings me a sense of calm
while navigating the crazy italian roads
and these two apps:
 a must!
text plus lets me text my stateside friends
and 
the whatsapp does the same
but i mainly use it to text people here
so i don't have to pay to text 

of course 
there is the weather app
 seeing the weather in oklahoma
either makes me want to go home
or stay right where i am 
especially if oklahoma is having
 a blizzard, 
tornado,
 or any other freak weather
and
i love
my daily email 
from
the transcripts 
keep me 
in the "know"
of the norman gossip
and we have all heard of

and the wonders of facebook!

i found an app
called 
google translate

it makes my life easier!
i can write or speak in english
and it will translate
to italian
and speak back to you in italian

ok back to being connected
i also have a few local news apps
like
and with push alerts turned on
i randomly get
"alerts" 
such as high speed chases,
wild fires,
you get the idea

and 
finally
words app

because
i like to be reminded
how bad 
mimi
can beat me at words
yes, my grandmother
kicks my butt 
at words

so 
there you have it
why 
my iphone
has become so much more to me
than just a phone
she keeps me connected
with my 
family
friends
my 
"old" life
and 
lets me share my new life 
and connect with new friends
like
&

thank you
mr. jobs
for 
making such a fine device
it is what the doctor ordered
to help 
alleviate homesickness.

how do you stay connected 
when you are away?




Thursday, February 24, 2011

thankful thursday...shellac nail polish!

before we left the states
i wanted 
to make sure my nails looked nice
for awhile
you know 
just in case i met someone very important
mimi
told me 
about shellac nail polish
it's supposed to last for weeks!
so 
why not try it
week one:

at this point 
i'm still a skeptic!
but they look good!

week two
and no longer stateside!
 
a little growth

you can start to see some chipping
a close up of the chipping...

start of week three:

major growth!
and some chipping...

there is no week four
mid way through week three
the nail polish peeled off
yes folks 
it peeled off
but 
i am quite impressed
at three and a half weeks
of decent 
presentable 
nails

so 
today
i am thankful
for 
shellac nail polish
now if i could just find a nail salon 
in aviano 
that had it....

happy thursday from aviano!