First I want to apologize if you see two of the same post in your reader. For some reason, the first post messed up every time I posted it so I deleted and reposted it. Just read the newest one! Again, I apologize!

I feel like I dove into this blog and while I have enjoyed the first couple of weeks, I wanted to get more in depth in my posts as I slowly get more time to do so. Enter in: A little more introduction. My new series. Not sure how long this will continue, but a few times a week or more I will introduce you to parts of my life, people/things I love. I would love for you to feel as if you know me a little better. I also have wanted to post things many times but realize it would require some explanation so this should do the trick.

So here we go!

A Little More Introduction: Part 1- Italy

It started back in December 2006. The ministry I am a part of on campus announced their annual missions trip to Salerno, Italy in the spring during break. At first I wanted to go for all of the wrong reasons. At one point I had finally decided to not go. Well, right before the deadline they mentioned having a couple spots open. I wasn’t sure if that’s where I was supposed to go and I really didn’t want to just go for selfish reasons. I kept praying that maybe a pizza box would fall from the sky or something so that I would know I was really supposed to go. I know, sounds silly to ask for signs but I was scared and knew that this would be a huge step of faith. Well, the same night I thought that I was going bowling to meet some friends and when I walked in the entire place had Italy themed wall-paper. It was then I knew I had to go. I literally turned to my friend and said “Wow, so I guess I am going to Italy.” I know it’s silly to think wallpaper got me to Italy, but it turned out to be the best decision of my life. I still remember flying into Italy for the first time, I almost cried. A good part of my family is from Southern Italy, this was part of my history.

Salerno was our main stay each time I went. It’s about an hour south of Naples and the southern tip of Amalfi coast. The food is some of the best you will get in all of Italy. If you are every in southern Italy please get to Salerno, and ask me for a list of places to eat!

Ahh, Salerno.

My first time at the Colosseum. Just feeling so amazed. You literally walk out of the “subway” station and there it is..

Ross & Lindsey were there too!

Waking up at 4 AM in Florence to catch the sunrise near the Ponte Vecchio.

I went back a second time and posed at the Colosseum..in sepia tone.

Ate one of the greatest gyros ever at Mythos in Salerno..gosh how I wish I was a food blogger at this point!

Oh..and if two spring break trips weren’t enough, I went on a “summer project” which is a five week stay to work on the campus in Salerno and travel the last week. It was the best summer of my life, my third time there!

This was also the first time Adam and I were in Italy together while dating!

Adam had actually been there the first time I went to visit, he was on the team that lived there for an entire year when we headed over for spring break. At that point we were already friends but we didn’t start dating until right before my second trip a year later which he was not on. But he was a part of the leadership team that summer.

We had a day off during our stay in Florence so we took a bus to Sienna on our four month “anniversary”, it’s an amazing city!

On the Ponte Vechhio in Florence.

Pictures in Pompeii.

Traveling with 25 people = a lot of luggage!

We really do!

Sandwiches along the Amalfi coast.

This was in Capri, you head to Ana Capri and take a solo gondola up to the top of the mountain. If you are afraid of heights, this is not the thing for you.

I am in the yellow in both pictures. Funny story about this gondola ride. As I am riding, right around when this picture (below) was taken, I was eating a panino and a nice british lady looks over at me and says “Confident in taking yah lunch?”. Then a few minutes later an old man was singing some old irish bar song and everyone was laughing and he says “Usually it takes half a bottle for me to start sing, this time it only took 3 beers!”. It was the most interesting part of the day to say the least. I just remember laughing a lot. But this was one of the coolest experiences.

Colosseum take three:

One day we had the choice of going to Paestum or a buffalo mozzarella farm. Well, I obviously chose the food. For what was equivalent of a $20 meal, we feasted on bread, meats and lots of mozzarella di bufala! So worth it. So delicious. Che bella! Again, wish I had pictures of the actual food..

I have been to Italy three times and I absolutely love it. It holds a very special piece of my heart and so do the people. I am hoping we’ll be able to return next year sometime for a trip! We shall see. Their are so many great pictures from all three of my trips so hopefully they will grace more entries.

Ci vediamo dopo!(See you later)

Katy