Italian Honeymoon, part II: Milano

Where was I? Oh yes, we just spent 3 relaxing wonderful days getting used to calling each other husband and wife, lazing on the beach and sipping wine in the hot tub.

We drove back to Chicago, and stayed in a hotel near O'Hare the night before our morning flight (free shuttle was a must!)
I couldn't sleep...I think E got sick of me singing "We are going to Italy TOMORROW!"

We flew American Airlines because we had earned one free round trip international flight--Thank you AAdvantage credit card!

We flew overnight (got some awful neck cramps and little sleep) and landed in Milan at 8am. Since it was too early to check in, we left our luggage with the hotel and decided to explore the city.
We had heard from seasoned travelers that there isn't much to do in Milan and within 3 hours of being there, we had to agree. The train system was easy to navigate, but the sites were unimpressive, and it was primarily an industrial city.

It wasn't all a loss though!
We found a lovely park that we wondered through: (I have many more pictures of Parco Sempione that I'll post in a separate post. Italy is beautiful all over!)



walked through a little market:



And ended up at the enormous Duomo (churches or cathedrals in italy are all referred to a duomo)

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an Italian guy with pockets full of corn, threw some into my hand so the pigeons would perch on me. I was shocked at his boldness and didn't know how to respond, so husband quickly pulled me away and said "No, Grazie" firmly to the guy. I think he was a little embarrassed at my touristy ignorance (they expect you to pay them...and the pigeons are really gross!)

Unfortunately, we didn't realize that women must be modestly dress before entering any cathedrals (covered shoulders and knees). So we wandered a bit more before walking back to the hotel. We made our way back later in the day.

Right next to the duomo is a large, open-air shopping center, Galleria Vittorio Emmaneule II. This is the entrance. (nothing like the malls at home!)



we walked through


not far from here (back near the park) are the ruins of Castello Sforzesco

Back at the Duomo before dinner:

E climbed up the tower and took this incredible shot halfway up!



I waited down below squinting my eyes up to see if I could find my speck of a hubby. I never found him, but he found me!



(I'm the one with my hand over my eyes, standing alone towards the top center)

After standing and looking for a good 30 minutes, I sat and waited on the steps below, hoping hubby would be able to find me!


Good night Milano! Day 1 in Italy complete.

psst! I'm fashionably modest...

Jenna (aka Mrs. Avocado and Jenna Cole) @ That Wife Blog featured me today in her Fashionably Modest series!

Go check it out!

The picture had to be taken with an automatic timer in my office, so it's not that great, but I'm glad I didn't wait for an alternative, as my camera broke shortly after the picture was taken!

Honeymoon I: Taking a break before Italy

One of our best decisions about the honeymoon was to leave for Italy four days after our wedding.

We were both thrilled to be going to Italy (and I can't wait to share that with you!)
But we needed some time to sleep, relax and enjoy each other before beginning our big trip. It was so worth it! We were able to stay in bed half the day (without feeling guilty that we were missing out on the sights of Italy), sip wine in the hot tub at our hotel, laze on the beach and read for a couple days before traveling. It was so wonderful!

Our first night was spent in Chicago. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency for an absolute steal (Thank you Priceline!). Our room was on the 31st floor and--we found out the next morning--had a great view of the river, Lake Michigan, and Navy Pier.







After a lazy morning (or should I say afternoon!), we headed up to a very familiar place to me and my family: Holland, MI...

me and my goofy husband. I was going for the kiss and he couldn't stop laughing.



the beach--a little cloudy, but still warm and relaxing.



(that little highlighted circle is the husband taking a stroll down the pier) :-)

I highly recommend if you're planning a busy European sightseeing honeymoon, to take a little mini moon (even if you just stay home) before leaving.
We definitely don't regret it!

edited to add:

oops! I amost forgot. we also got a chance to meet our good friends (and my bridesmaid) Cait and Wil for ice cream sundaes before we headed out to Italy. They got married just a few weeks after us.
Captain Sundae holds some memories for me and Cait and it's a classic Holland stop, so it was fun to visit with our boys. [and Eric and I couldn't resist going twice in two days :-)]

I'm going to be cutting out a little early in the blogging world this weekend. I've got lots to do!

Tonight we're having company over--two of E's friends from school. I'm kind of excited to have our first dinner party (we had a barbecue for Labor Day, but burgers in the backyard doesn't exactly count)...and I'm a little bit nervous even though they're two single guys probably eating frozen pizza 3 nights a week! We're having meatloaf, my special garlic feta mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. I'm still trying to think of a dessert...any ideas?

Also, I have been sitting on Anthropologie gift card since my birthday in May, and I'm hoping to head there with MIL over the weekend to shop. Confession: I've never actually been in an Anthropologie store, but I have a wish list a mile long on the website. How will I ever pick only one thing! (But do I have a cool MIL or what? ...she picked it out entirely on her own!)

Here are a few of the items I might be drooling over come Saturday:








It doesn't stop! *Sigh* Our budget commands "Only 1 item" so I have 1 1/2 days to find some self control.

any other suggestions?

what's next?

I apologize for the absence. I've been having a hard time getting together what I need to do a really good DIY post, and I am missing a lot of pictures of the "finished products" while I wait for my professional pictures. (No fun writing a DIY post without the results!)

I don't want to go without blogging for terribly long, so I'm going to fight my organized nature and start some recaps out of order!

Here's the question--do you guys want to hear about the Italian honeymoon



or the day before/rehearsal first?



Whichever you decide, I will start on Monday!


Thanks for being patient! here's another photo from our first look to keep you until then!

this photos makes me sigh with contentment every time I see. it. It's so hot, I can't believe it's E and I! I'm so blessed :)

great grandma

This is my great-grandmother, Hildred.
She was born in 1908.
She got married in the Great Depression.
She sent her sons off to WWII.
She lost a husband of 30 years to a heart attack.
She raised 4 children, and now her descendants number: 76--including 1(+1/2!) great-great-grandchildren
She married her elementary school sweetheart at the age of 69. (he found her after all those years and had never forgotten her!)

She has lived for the last 5 years only 5 minutes from my parents house (where I was living pre-wedding) I have been able to see her about once a week, and she is the most lovely person you will ever meet. I wish I had spent more time with her when I was younger.

Her century old body is shutting down bit by bit but she never complains. She is always thrilled to see her family. She tells stories of her two mischievous boys growing up in Chicago in the 40s (one of whom is my grandfather), her travel adventures with her sister after the death of her first husband, and life in Arkansas with her second husband.

But she recently turned 101, and I knew she wouldn't get to make it to the wedding. She can hardly get in and out of car anymore and the drive to our ceremony location would be 45 minutes. But I wanted to include her somehow. So after getting ready with the girls at my parents house, we packed up a little early and headed to her retirement home for a quick visit before the wedding.

I can't wait to share the rest of these photos in my recaps. She is the most precious person, and I'm so thankful for the time we've got to spend together. I don't know how many more days God has mapped out for her life, but she has lived a wonderful one.