15 Things You Should Do In Venice

Note: Do not go to Venice in the summertime. Everyone else does. It's crowded and smelly. Don't do it. Go in winter. It's chilly, but gorgeous, and you can do everything you can in summer, but without the crush of people. Oh, and buy a map from the public transportation people. It's a good map.


1. Go to the Bridge at Rialto. The view is worth it.

2. Shop for masks.

3. Find the only horse in Venice.

4. Eat something on the Grand Canal. Not necessarily dinner, but at least a snack. Try not to be too distracted by the lobsters staring at you from their icey beds of doom among dead fish with oranges in their toothy gaping mouths.

5. Step inside the Cathedral of San Giovanni. (hint, it's right next to the city's only horse)6. Ride a Gondola. (Practice your haggling skills beforehand, and be prepared to use them, remember every Italian sterotype from the movies) [disclaimer: this is still on our list to do]

7. Eat Spaghetti.

8. Eat gelatto in St. Mark's Square.9. Go to the Bridge of Sighs. If you can find it beneath the ads for the Opera's version of the History of Italy.

10. Wander the city. It's all gorgeous.
11. Shop more-but carefully. Remember that Venetian glass is heavy and fragile, and you have to get it home somehow. By plane.
12. Eat tiramisu.
13. Eat more tiramisu.

14. See a sunrise on the Grand Canal.

15. take lots of pictures.

Christmas, presents, and us

It's December 5th. I was not prepared for this.

I knew I was focused on wedding planning, but this wasn't something anyone warned me about. (Though, in all fairness, what are they going to say: "By the way, getting married this late in the year, you are going to totally get mugged by the holiday season. Might want to buy some mace"?)

It's Christmastime and I think for the first time in my life I am not mentally prepared.

The week before Thanksgiving both of our mothers asked us for Christmas ideas.

Christmas ideas? We just got a whole lot of presents. I mean, I love presents, I'm even on top of the thank you notes and just have 4 or 5 left. We also just bought a whole lot of stuff. I'm literally tired of spending money. (Not that I don't want more stuff...)

The funny thing is that ordinarily by the time Mom asks I've already made a list (partly because I keep a list of things I want...just for my own reference...and because I adore making lists) but this time my brain fizzed. List?

I recovered quickly.

It was the "family gifts" that presented a bit more of a problem. The registry was a fall back, but both of us were trying to think of things outside the registry scope. I figured there were still things around the house we wanted--though some of those you just can't ask for because you really have to pick them out yourselves...

Zorro was not enthused by the prospect of more housewares. There is a limit to the excitement a guy can get from home decor and supplies.

Naturally his ideas for fun gifts tended toward games and movies.

This was understandable, and not entirely unexpected (I did, after all, grow up with brothers, and have known this particular boy several years). It did present us with an amusing dichotomy of his and hers (with almost no [giftable] overlap) as we brainstormed for ideas (weeks after they were initially requested).

It's tough to think of Christmas gift ideas when you just bought more stuff in a month than you've ever dreamed of buying in that time period. There is nothing critical--at least not anything you'd want to get for Christmas--and other good first Christmas "fun" gifts we'd already gotten with wedding money. Perhaps that was an oversight on our part.

We did think of a few things. Eventually (and really, they are all good ideas).

Now it's time to turn my mind to Christmas shopping. Venice, here I come!

Moving

Something we've forgotten to mention here is that we have a house to rent. It's really quite exciting. House hunting was on the to-do list for August. We had started looking around generally at the various condos and apartments in the general area--made a list of what we were looking for in a place, and were becoming increasingly aware of how hard it was going to be to find time to go look at places. Nick has a 2 hour commute (each way) and class twice a week, which pretty much just left us with weekends.

And we certainly didn't have many weekends.

We tried not to stress about this, to pray that God would provide, and to start doing our best to fit everything in.

And then a house climbed into our laps and begged to stay. Almost literally. A friend was moving out because she and her housemates were in a time of transition, and transition was making the house a less than ideal spot to stay for them. She'd lived there 4 years and loved it. Did we want to come see it this weekend? Sure.

It's 2 stories tall and has a basement, there is also a tiny attic. It's so narrow that it looks like it escaped from a town house neighborhood, but it's a spacious 2000 sq ft (counting the basement, which is largely unfinished). It has a big beautiful kitchen, a deck, a little front porch and a postage stamp yard. It also has 2 full baths, and 2 half baths, and 3 bedrooms. : it has a driveway and no speed bumps. It's also in a great location, very close to the highway, so easy access for my commute and Nick's. It's all we wanted and more.

The rent was also extremely reasonable, and about what you would pay for a condo a third of the size.

So, we're moving Nick this weekend into the house that God plunked in our lap with a twinkle in His eye.

-the Lady

"Awake! arise! my love, and fearless be,
For o'er the southern moors I have a home for thee."
-John Keats, The Eve of St. Agnes

September Showers, pt 2

We have entered the season of wedding showers and falling leaves. Classes have started up again for Nick (we had just gotten used to having our choice of weeknights)

This was a shower held in the south, we got a lot of nifty presents.

Some particularly clever ones, too.

Look at that spread of goodies!

Just a few short weeks, and then D-Day!

September Showers, pt 1

We drove north over Labor Day weekend to get our marriage license and to attend the Engagement Party and Shower my parents threw for the friends in CT. This party was especially important because our destination wedding will be so small, we wanted to give dear folk a chance to meet and greet and congratulate.

Happy Guests Enjoying Dessert and Fellowship

Nick and I catching up with an old friend


Our audience

our new bedding set!

His and Hers Spatulas

Telling "our story"

It was a wonderful visit up north. The drive up after work was a bit grueling, but the trip itself was lovely, and the drive back was a lark. We are one step closer.

The Lady