My Family Visits!!!

Kelsi: So after the Czech experience we were able to take a little breather from all the traveling. Mary Shannon's mom was coming the next weekend which was spring break and then that next weekend my family was going to come. We were really excited to see everyone. Mary Shannon's mom came first and they had a blast from what they told me. I went out to eat with them a couple of times and we ate good let me tell ya!! When parents come you can always count on a good meal. :) I just hung around at the apartment from a couple of days while Mary Shannon and her mom were traveling and doing their thing in Florence. Ok so I will say that everyone was gone from the apartment except me and so that was the first time that I had to stay the night by myself. Yea it was a little creepy I never really like staying by myself anyways because I usually always find a way to scare myself. Well so I walked around the apartment with my pocket knife in my hands at all time literally.... haha I told you I scare myself. At night well let's just say I didn't fall asleep really easy because our walls are so thin and so you can hear everything and I would hear someone on the stairs and think that they were in our kitchen so I would get up and go look and of course nothing was there!! I did that for awhile and then I just let it go and thought to myself that if anyone does break in I would probally be able to take them because Italian men aren't big men at all. haha so I figured I could handle anything that came my way! haha I thought the days couldn't go by any slower until my family got here. I was so anxious and exicted I didn't know what to do with myself to pass the time until they arrived. Finally Friday came and was I excited!! I got up early because I wanted to get to the airport an hour ahead of time just in case got dressed and was on my way. I got a taxi to the airport and waited and waited and waited.... their plane was suppose to land at 12:50 so I figured it would be about 1:15 or so until they came out because they would have to get their luggage and all so when it got to be that time I anxiously waited at the doors making sure that I was the first face they would see as soon as they opened the doors. I even was trying to figure out who I would hug first haha I couldn't choose so I settled with the first person that came out and sue enough it was Nick. I have never in my life been more excited to see my family. I mean don't get me wrong its absolutely amazing over here but your family is your family and I was bursting with excitement when I saw them come through those doors!! I ran up to them and gave them all the biggest hugs and crowded the exit way of course and so everyone was having to wait as we got all out emotions out and then once we did were were off to the hotel. I was so excited about them seeing their hotel because it was located in an amazing spot overlooking Piazza Republica. Now let me remind you that my family has never been out of the country so this was all a new experience for them. We got into the taxi and headed off. Ok so the taxi's over here drive like they have gone mad!! They honk they swurve in and out and around other vehicles with a heavy foot so it can kind of make you motion sickness or so me and Mary Shannon think. They were freaking once we got into the main part of Florence our driver was scaring them to death. They were also in just full astonishment at all the mopads and bicycles that were in Florence. It was so cool to witness all of this that I forget about seeing that I have been here for so long it was making me think of how that was exactly how I felt once I got here. We arrived at the hotel and got to our room and they were loving it but I will say I was loving it because I was going to get to stay with them all week and enjoy a hot shower and a big bed!!!! Yes mom was kind enough to let me enjoy the big bed one night while she slept in one of the twin beds. I love my mom!! Everyone was so tired once we got there so we kind of chilled out for a little bit. My parents brought me a bag full of summer clothes so I was going through those when my dad said hey open up that other bag and see what is in there. So I go to open up the other bad and what do I see a DREAM COME TRUE..... two 12 packs of Dr. Pepper!! Ok you don't understand me and Mary Shannon have said all along if we could have a Dr. Pepper we would be set. Europe only has coke and I am ok with that but Mary Shannon doesn't like coke and I prefer Dr. Pepper as well. So I quickly called Mary Shannon and told her to sit down and then I gave her the news haha you would have thought we just won the lottery!!! Needless to say 2 weeks later and they are all gone! After all that excitement we were ready to see the city. I took them to my apartment first and showed them all around and gave them all their presents that I got for them from when I traveled and they were really excited about that. We then went to Friends and got a glass of wine. I wanted to show them all the places I usually go to and Friends is definately one of them. Nick is 17 but over here he is legal to drink and he wanted so bad to buy something... Comon what teenager wouldn't want to be able to say that they were able to buy alcohol legally. So mom and dad let him buy our drinks and boy was he smiling from ear to ear. After that we went to eat now I am not going to go into all detail about where we ate and all that but let me say I told them when they got here that the culture is different so they need to prepare themselves. I told them that nothing is free and you don't tip and nobody says they are sorry over here which they don't and to not expect anything especially in restaurant. You see my dad has this thing for getting the waiters name and asking suggestions and all that stuff and I told him to not do that because their english is not that good they can only speak the basics. Ok so did I put my foot in my mouth or what.... everywhere we went they loved my dad. So I told you that Italian men were small and if you know my dad you would know that he is anything but small and he has a shaved head and usually wears black sunglasses and a black coat are you getting any hints..... Mafia look alike!! So when we would walk in the owners would come out and shake his hand and even bring us a free desert wine!! At Borgo Antico which is my favorite restaurant we went in and by the time the night was over we got a free bottle of wine, a free lemoncello for all of us, and I got offered a job!!!! Are you kidding me!! My dad had not only met the owners but the kitchen staff, the waiters, and bus boys I mean you name it and they were there crowded around him just loving him!!! They kept calling him grande (big) man and just in amazement of my dad and his accent and size. Me and mom and Nick just laughed and I sat there in shock thinking this has never happened to us!!! So everyone thought he was in the Mafia we definately got the hook up!! haha Well my family didn't really want to do the museum thing unless they needed to so I had them booked up solid for the week something different every day. We went to Rome on Sat. saw the Colosseum, Vatican City and went into the Vatican Museum. Oh yes and I can't forget to tell you about the train experience. So we got there early Sat. morning because I wanted to make sure everything was in order and we were on time!! At the train station they always have the destination up and the time however they usually never have the bin number up where the train will be. You usually have about 15 different bins so when it gets close to the time for departure you usually see everyone running in every direction trying to make it to their bin. So of course... my luck.... we got our tickets and were waiting patiently for the bin number to pop up. Mom and Nick went to McDonalds to get breakfast and they got me an orange juice which I was so excited about drinking because I hadn't drank one of those in awhile either and they came back. In the meantime I saw a bin number and started walking to the train. We got on the train and realized nobody was on this train!! OMG! Not again I thought!! Well then I hear Nick say they made a change and its on this track. Ok so now we have less than 2 minutes to get to that track. We take off in a dead sprint all of us even dad!!! We jumped onto the train and I promise 20 seconds later the train was moving!! Ok we made it I thought as I turn around to see dad sweating, mom panting, and Nick just laughing. Dad was without my orange juice too!!!! I hadn't even got to take a sip of it and he said I chunked it while I was running!!! Man oh man!!! oh well we got to our seats and we started laughing and Dad said what the heck was all that about and I said I didn't realize they made a change with the bin numbers. We shook it off and headed to Rome. We had so much fun in Rome although it was raining and we waited in line for 3 hours to see the Vatican Museum. Once we got in they said that it was closing in a hour and a half. We took off in a speed walk to the Sistine Chapel. We saw that and it was absolutely beautiful!! After doing the whole site seeing we got on the metro and headed back to the station to catch the train back. I was praying that our bin number would be up sooner then 2 minutes before departure. Well we waited and waited and this time it wasn't the bin number that got us off but the place of arrival that through us. I kept looking and looking and never saw anything that said to Florence. We just kept waiting and then about 15 minutes before we have to leave and it is still not up and I am thinking what in the world this isn't right it should at least have our arrival and departure place up. Dad asked what the train number was and I happened to look on the ticket and told him what the number was and then we still couldn't find the train. Well 5 minutes until our departure and then 2 minutes and I am freaking out once again!!! Something told me to look again at the train number and when I did I saw that it said to Bologna and it had our matching train number so I was like Let's Go!!!! And we are off again!!! This time the conductor was already on the train and the doors were closing and I threw my hand in between the doors and it opened back up and wow was that conductor yelling at me!! I was screaming at the rest of the bunch and dad jumped on and stood in front of the door as we waited for mom and Nick and haha that conductor couldn't say much to him!! He wasn't moving!!! After they got on she was all mad and asking for our tickets and I showed her and then there was these other 2 guys who were trying to jump on and she said no and locked the door shut and the train started moving. Now this time it was about 5 seconds and the train was gone!! Ok this has got to quit happening!!! haha My dad was like yall are killing me!! So for the Rome adventure the train part was probally the most exciting and memorable part!!! When we got back we went to eat and then went to bed after I took a long hot bath that was so amazing!!! Sunday I said we were just going to hang around Florence and then go visit Fiesole which is about 10 minutes from the city and overlooks all of Florence. Well the time thing was throwing everyone off so we slept until about 2 in the afternoon!! We got up and headed to Fiesole. Ok so we got on a bus and took off. Well I was told to get off at the Fiesole stop well I didn't realize that there was more than one stop and so we got off at the first stop. haha we got off a little to soon. We had to walk down the highway with no sidewalks literally just the highway up a couple of miles to get to the top to see the view of Florence. haha picture us me and mom with an umbrella, dad with a bright yellow umbrella that we made him carry because we didn't want to and Nick just getting soaked. We get to the top take a couple of pictures and then caught the bus back. Yes I know alot of walking to see the view but it was so worth it because it was absolutely beautiful. We got back to Florence and then went to church in the Duomo. Mass was in Italian and it was in the Duomo so I think everyone enjoyed that, it was pretty cool. Monday came and I had to go to class yuck!! I went to one class and then came back and went to sleep and then we got up and headed out again. This time we were looking for Armani because dad wanted to get a suit there. We found one and wow did he make one good investment. He got this black Armani suit this is absolutely amazing. It's sleek and elegant and just an awesome suit. He then went and bought himself some shoes and he also got this really cool leather jacket. haha it sounds like dad was the quite the shopper this trip!! Mom also got this beautiful jacket and they got me a white leather jacket made for me for my birthday!! We had an awesome time shopping let me tell ya!! :) Mom also got this really cute leather purse. Nick didn't think that they had very good shopping for his age guys which is kind of true because guy clothes over here are very metro and different from what the guys would wear in the states. But that was ok with him because he was loving the fact that he was legal and could buy!! That occupied him most of the time. We ate at Yellow Bar that night which is moms favorite place ever, talked all night and went to bed. This night was a great night because when we got the hotel dad turned on the tv and I was in heaven!!! I took another bath and when I got out what did hear??? Is that an english channel!!!!!! OMG it was the CNN in ENGLISH!!!! I was soooo excited we even had to sleep with it on!!! hehe The next day we were headed to Venice. I was so excited about this trip because I knew they would love it!! Our bin number was up and we made the train ON TIME!! Once we got to Venice we spent the day just walking around and enjoying the wonderful atmosphere. Once the day was over we were worn smooth out. We all fell asleep on the train. Wednesday came and it was Mary Shannon's 21st!! At midnight my family and I called her and sang her Happy Birthday and acted really cheezy of course but she got a kick out of it!! We were all going to go out and celebrate that night!! Her family got her flowers and I sat them on her bed so that when she got back from class she would see them. I then surprised my family with a wine tour that I had set up. They were so excited we went and toured the Chianti region and visited 2 castles at which the wine is produced. We got to go in the vineyards and get the low down on how wine is harvested and even got to taste the different wine at each place. It was an awesome day and they had so much fun. Once we got back we got ready and were headed to go out for Mary Shannon's birthday. Nick and I went and met Kellen and were off to the restaurant to meet Mary Shannon and Kate. Of course we get lost and end up having to go somewhere else to eat!! Yea me and Kellen aren't good with directions!!! We went and ate at Yellow Bar and had a fabulous time!! Her dad treated us to the wonderful dinner so we were very appreciative. We then headed to Astor to celebrate which is an American bar by the way. Once we got there my parents called and Mary Shannon said I want to see them so tell them to come! So they met up with us and bought us drinks and we hung out there all night. We had sooooo much fun!! MSD was having an awesome birthday and she never quit smiling which was exactly what I was hoping for!! We ended the night rather late and then all went back and went to sleep.... yea I know but we had class the next morning so we had to. Thursday came around and I was getting ready to leave for Sicily. You see my family wasn't leaving until Friday morning but me and MSD signed up for a field trip with the school to Sicily and the train was leaving at 8 that night. But it was ok because mom and dad had talked and they thought it would be easier for them to see me off rather me seeing them off seeing that I am so freaking emotional about everything! haha so I was kind of sad all day and they helped me pack and I was going through all my clothes and giving them the winter clothes to take home. Yes of course I cried every now and again which is no surprise but I was just having so much fun with them and eating such good meals I didn't want them to leave yet. However it came time and I learned to be ok with that. We had an amazing time and I enjoyed their company more than they will ever know!! They got to experience Europe for the first time and I was able to be apart of that which was so awesome. I was able to share with them the way I live and act over here along with pointing out the differences in living here and living in the states. They made it home safely and I made it to Sicily safe with the comforting thought that I will soon see them again in May.