The Stars, The Moon.

Today I was invited to a star gazing party by my friends Indira and Blake. Blake is a "nerd" and loves astronomy and telescopes and stuff and they found this party in the Aviano Classifieds. Just so you know Indira is pregnant and is due this week! Well anyways we went to this star gazing party and it was so fun! There was all these crazy telescopes and food!! We saw the sun through a special telescope, the moon, Jupiter, andromeda galaxy, and lots of other really cool things.It's crazy to think you are really seeing these things that are thousands of miles away. In my pictures not very many people were there yet, but once it got a bit later lots of people came and it was a great time! The people there were really smart and new lots of interesting things. It was kind of 'nerdy' (i put nerdy in quotations cause that's what Indira says Blake is haha) but i liked it :)

 We put the camera up to the telescope lens and took these pictures!

 Oh yum! Italian pizza! Mushrooms, artichokes, and ham!

Just Doin the Laundry

So I've lived here for three weeks now, and I have not done a stitch of laundry. Yesterday I noticed my pile of dirty clothes was increasing too high (but at least they are in a hamper not on the floor!) , and I decided I needed to do some laundry. Ok funny thing. Our washer machine is Italian, so I have not a clue in the world what it says so I had to be shown how to use the washer haha. The dryer is in German haha, but we don't even use the dryer cause it pulls so much energy and blows the electricity. In result all of my clothes hang outside. This is my first official day of my life doing laundry without any parental supervision (not that i've ever needed it, my mom just always helped cause she's the best mommy in the world). I was struggling sorting out my clothes haha, but don't worry I figured it out (who knew laundry was rocket science). While I've been here I have been really good about cleaning up after myself. My room is ALWAYS clean (real shocker I know), as well as the bathroom (SUPER SHOCKER). I also have been really good at just in general keeping everything clean (I know you are all thinking who is this impostor writing Ali's Blog). So far that is one skill I am very thankful for that I started to develop while here. I just wanna say I am so thankful for my momma. She is the best mommy in the whole world, and has done so much for me. I have learned so much from her, and I hope someday I can be just like her. I ♥ you mom!

Hangin out to dry. Look how beautiful those mountains are.

 Italian Washer. 

Forbidden German dryer.

Aren't you all so proud of me :) 

Gelato!!!

I love Gelato. So much. This kind right here is the Rasberry Cheesecake. It is oh so delicious. 

Gelato!!! YUM! 

Day Off

Today I was given the day off, so I got up and decided to explore more of my little town, Aviano. It is a very small town I have yet to find a grocery store/market. But I have found a bank, like 10 gelato shops (kill me), a Walgreens type store called il tulipano, some good cafes, and the library. I love to walk around and find out where stuff is and say ciao to every person I pass (I love it, I think it's so fun).  I needed to purchase some necessities today so I found that Walgreens type store and explored. Everything was in Italian, obviously. I look through everything and I could not figure out what was shampoo, what was conditioner, what was lotion, and what was body wash. I seriously was having the hardest time in the whole world I probably was in there for like an hour, I could not tell the difference. I finally asked a woman who worked there, and she spoke a wee bit of english. haha so I think I came out with some good stuff. I then saw a gelato place right next store and got rasberry cheesecake gelato with graham cracker crumbs. OH MY GOSH I ALMOST DIED. It seriously was so good. I have tested out a few gelato shops and this one is my favorite. I then went to my favorite place to eat (the only place i've eaten) and ordered a hot ham and cheese. Yum :) (it's the cheapest thing on the menu). I know i'm weird, dessert first? haha well Today started out swell. 

 hot ham and cheese? and some fry sauce? yummo!

 this is my favorite road in all  of Aviano. It is beautiful and silent. No one drives down it and i've never seen anyone walked down it either. I love it.

 street leading to my house.

my new italian shampoo :D

Venice.

Venice is an hour or so train ride from my little home in Aviano. It only cost 6 euro to get there. Wow. I seriously just went to VENICE ITALY and back for 12 euro. Ya. I feel So. Awesome. Ok. I'll tell you the whole Venice story. So. I decided I wanted to go to Venice and when I was at church I met a girl, named Danielle, who also wanted to go. We are great friends now. We asked the Senior Missionaries (they are seriously the coolest people and my best friends) if they could take us to the train station and they said yes. So today I woke up and left at 7:30 AM and rode the hour or so train ride to Venice. When I stepped off the train I seriously almost had a heart attack. It totally dawned on me. I am stinkin in Italy and I am in Venice. I tend to forget I live in  Italy cause i'm sort of in my own little bubble consisting of the family I nanny for, and this small town. Anyways. I stood there and It was SO AWESOME!!!!! Danielle and I were kind of freaking out. A lot. We walked for hours and hours looking at everything we could lay our eyes on. There is so much to see! Stores on every corner, people in costumes, gelato, paintings, beautiful buildings, famous churches, more gelato, museums, food, cafes, amazing shopping. GAH. It was all so overwhelming. I loved it all. [Side Note: I found a store that had the CUTEST black leather jacket. I bought it.]  After a few hours we were lost and found ourselves at the famous Piazza San Marco. [Fun Fact: When Napoleon waltzed into Venice in 1797, he was so taken with the square he dubbed it 'the finest drawing room in Europe']. There we found one of the worlds most opulent churches and symbol of the city, the Basilica di San Marco. When we began to enter I guess my legs were showing to much skin so I had to purchase a itchy shawl thing and wrap it around myself to show respect. All the paintings and architecture is absolutely amazing. I loved it (I wanna work in a museum or something of the sort so bad!). As we started our maze back to the trains, we found we could not retrace our footsteps and we got lost. It is so easy to get lost in Venice, there are so many little streets and alley ways. So anyways. We are lost and we find a water bus (it has a special name but that's what I call it) and we buy a ticket and ride the Grand Canal to the trains. This was one of my favorite parts of being in Venice haha. It was so fun. When we found our binaro and got on the train it was so flippin hot. Italians don't like a/c. It boggles my mind. It was so hot and humid. I have never sweated so much in my whole life. But hey. It was so fun anyways :D This was such a wonderful trip and the cool thing is I can do it whenever I stinkin want. Besides when i'm working of course ;) I am loving where I live. Life is good.

Italian fresh fruit and veggies market. It looked so so delicious. 

Venice is all about the masks. I would say 1/4 of the shops in Venice are full of masks.

Real Italian Pizza, 8 euro. Our small coke that I drank in one gulp, 5 euro. 

Danielle :)

Gucci?

Piazza San Marco. There was a lot of people there.

Haha this picture is so awkward and hilarious.

                      

I thought this was funny. It was really nice inside though!

Piazza San Marco

Basilica di San Marco.

After taking this picture I was FORCED to put some monies in the 'donation' jar...

Some important monument.. I forgot the name. 

Bridge over the Great Canal.

ohhh.. Venice..

This man was a creeper.

No a/c on train=no bueno. Also on the train there was some guys who were staring at me and making me feel super uncomfortable. So I moved over so they couldn't see me. Then I looked again a while later and they licked there lips and hissed at me. EWWW.

On our way home we got out of the car and there was this BEAUTIFUL sunset. I swear I saw angels..

Peanut Butter Cookies

Since I have no friends and today is my free day I decided I was going to take up a new hobbie. Baking. This clashed very much so with my plan to start exercising and eating healthy. Oh well. I also started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer which I think is absolutely hilarious. I found seasons 1-5 and I plan on watching them all :) Back to Baking. I made delicious peanut butter oatmeal cookies. (Recipe found here
 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oatmeal-peanut-butter-cookies/detail.aspx ) I made them in a microwave convectional oven. Since our oven is scary and you have to light it with a match over the gas to start it. First I was going to put them on a tin pan, but then it didn't fit (which is probably a good thing because it probably would have blown up). So i put the first batch on a plastic tray. Those cooked wonderfully, but mid-bake I was reminded plastic probably shouldn't be in 350 degrees. I ended up with a pie dish, both safe and it cooked the cookies swell. Yum yum yum yum. Delicioso!! Oh great too much Dora..