Who knew Italy wasn't just beautiful men and spaghetti?

 A few weeks ago I went on the trip of a lifetime to Italy, home of pasta, art, and beautiful men. At least that's all I thought it was before I took a 12 hour flight to Florence with my mom to meet my sister, Kenna, who is studying abroad there for 4 months. I'm going to be perfectly honest, I hate sitting in the same spot for 12 hours. I absolutely hate it. It seems the struggle between my hate of ridiculously long flights and my ever present wanderlust has made itself known. Anyway flying in to Florence from Paris we passed over the Alps, so of course I whipped out my camera for a picture of these snow covered beauties.

After landing we jumped in a taxi and sped(I'm being honest when I say sped, the rules of the road are...well...nonexistent) through the streets of Florence, the cuore of Italian art and culture(in my opinion anyway). The first thing we saw was the magnificent Duomo, only a short jont from our hotel. 

Made of marble, the Duomo was began in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and finished in 1436 by Filippo Brunelleschi after a contest between him and Lorenzo Ghiberti to design and build the dome of the cathedral. Seeing the cathedral leaves you breathless and continously wondering how they built the structure. Trust me, I walked by it over 15 times while I was there and every time I looked up, I was amazed.

My sister had in her head that once we got to Florence we would be dog-tired and want to head straight to bed. However, not only did we somehow skip jet-lag but we were so worked up on an OHMYGOSHIMINITALY- adrenaline rush we had to get out and see the city. So we took a stroll to Piazza della Signoria-a.k.a my soon to be favorite Piazza in Florence(and there's a lot of them) and home of fake David.

Fake David- I would later see the real David- it's amazing if you were wondering.

'Hercules and Cacus' by Baccio Bandinelli

'The Rape of the Sabine Woman' by Giambologna

'Fountain of Neptune' by Bartolomeo Ammanati

Italy has this wonderful "It's beautiful, let people look at it' policy so Piazza della Signoria is partially made up of Loggia dei Lanzi- an outdoor gallery that holds renaissance art, that you can look at and sit next to and take pictures of and the best part is...it's free! I knew there was a reason I loved Piazza della Signoria...between the art and the atmosphere you have happiness and it's only a short walk to a tasty gelato shop.(I went to seven cities and tried gelato in all seven, no that's not a record but it should be).

The next day, we headed over to the River Arno to take a look at the Ponte Vecchio(literally Old Bridge) which is famous for being lined with shops. We would later find out the whole of the bridge is filled with gold and silver shops, but apparently there is a hotel somewhere on the seemingly stable overhangs.

If someone could clarify what these row boats are called that would be great.

'Kenna, stand there and take a picture of me please'

How is this legal- oh wait it's probably not but we're in Italy

What are this? What type of ornamental doorway decoration is this?

My first few days in Florence were amazing and already filled with fun! The next day we would lay our scene in fair Verona and become sisters of the lovely Juliet before heading to Venice for some gondola-filled fun. But just to keep you intrigued here's a picture of mom and Kenna on the morning before our train ride to these amazing places(there train system is the best. Ever.) Jewel.

Sometimes...

Earlier this week I read This Star Won't Go Out, a book containing the early writings of a girl named Esther Grace Earl who was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer at 12 and passed away at 16 and the memoirs and writings from the people she left behind. There are some books that are written slowly and must be read quickly, this is one of those golden books that play on people's heartstrings and make them questions themselves and the people around them considerably. Now I'm not going to write a book review other then that it was great and you should read it and that is all I am saying; if you want to find out if you like it well go read it yourself, ya lazy bum! My friends and sister are going to question why I did not post my humorous dialogue on the finding of the singing pretzel card but somethings are more important.
I'm a teenager and I'm kind of self-centered and I can be mean and I can say things I shouldn't. Sometimes I make stupid decisions and feel guilty over stupid things and not guilty about the things that I should feel guilty about.(my english teacher would call that sentence a run on) Sometimes I laugh to loud and sing too much and my sarcasm gets me in trouble. Sometimes I'm irrational and I cry when I'm mad or when I'm sad or just because I have tear ducts and I want to use them. Sometimes I feel powerless and other times, like there is nothing I cannot do because the world is at my finger tips.Sometimes I want to curl up in my onesie under my quilt with some tea and re-watch all three seasons of BBC's Sherlock(cough cough Benedict Cumberbatch). Sometimes I'm immature and others I convince myself I'm horrendously independent. Some days I don't think anybody understands and others I am in harmony with everyone I meet. Sometimes I don't think before I speak or the say things that I meant to. Some days I question myself about what I'm doing and what I've done. Sometimes I judge too quickly and hate people. Sometimes I'm funny and quirky and absolutely insane, while sometimes I'm moody and snarky and angry. Some days I feel hated. Most days I feel loved. Sometimes I have great self-esteem and other I don't. Sometimes I know my dreams will come true, sometimes I falter. Sometimes...I think MY star will go out.
Esther Earl lived her life through her computer. Not because she wanted to but because she had to. She influenced great, good people like John Green and tried not to judge but only to love. I am not Esther Earl, but I can strive to be like her.  I question myself because I'm not sure I'm  a person my friends can look up to, but as a teenager I've been lucky enough to find friends with passion for what they have and do and dreams that I'm sure they can achieve...I've found friends I can look up to. I look up to celebrities and actresses and long-dead people. I don't do this because I have to, but because I need to. I'm a teenager and I need role models. Little did Esther realize that she was going impact the life's of so many people, but boy did she want to. That's a dream to me. To be able to look through the face of death and say, "I'm going to try to get through you but if I can't, I can say I tried and impacted people on my way."
That's really all I have to say today. Basically just an insight on teenagers(or..um...at least kind of me...ermm I guess) really. I promise no more philosophical blogs for awhile! Definitely try to get your hands on a copy of This Star Won't Go Out as soon as you can and of course, R.I.P Esther Grace Earl. Thank you for being awesome and reminding me that if your star can shine bright so can mine. Jewel.

I'll Stand by You.

Hey Guys! Yoo-Hoo! I'm back! Let's not talk about the fact I haven't blogged   since...well...um...forever...let's focus on the future!(Ok, I've been lazy, sick, busy, not busy, lazy about this blog but the second tries the charm right?)
I guess I can give you a quick life update...so here it goes:
             My sister Kenna, who I love to share crazy adventures with, has gone to Florence, Italy for five months to study abroad. I'm gonna admit it now, tears were shed, however they were partnered with a jealous excitement.....and then just excitement when I found out that my mom and I are going to visit her in April! Basically 12 days(without traveling included) of sorprendente(amazing) Italia! Meanwhile, coming back to the present I've been over flowing with school work, music lessons, Sherlock marathons(my new FAVORITE show), a Swing Dance,the return home of my best friend Madison Crider, and a million other activities and day to days of course! That's basically the quickest update I can give you before I go on!
             Anyway, over the last two months I've been really appreciating and noticing the love of my friends and also observing 'acts of friendship'(not to be cliche) among the people around me. In an age where social networking rules a teenager's life and the Instagram feed has to be looked at at least every two hours, we forget about what are friends do for us. I can say I'm guilty as charged, I spend way to much time on my phone whereas I should be talking to people that are physically in front of me...can it be a late new year's revolution to change that?
 I have a group of friends that I can honestly say that I am not only a better person with them, but that I'm the person I am because of them. Now sit down. Don't take that in the way I know you will, in the way where you think, "Teenagers have to be their own person, learn and grow on their own and not be under peer influence." I think you have to stop right there. As a teenager I see people being influenced by everyone in every manner, in clothes, the way they talk, the jokes they make, the limits they set for themselves, and the paths they choose; it's just human nature. Who better to set as a role model than someone you know you can be right now because they are standing right next to you? I'm lucky enough to have great friends that influence me positively, but I find myself not in anyway against the teens who aren't following a "good path" because although it's their decision to make, it's influenced by the people they surround themselves with and  the people they grew up with.
Friends are one of the hardest things about high school. The arrows point that basically someone isn't going to like what you do, they're not going to like what you have to say, they're not going to like how you dress, who your friends are, or what your dreams are. Yet that's something beautiful and scary and all together confusing about high school, YOU have the chance to choose because it's your only true time to experiment and fall and experiment and fall until you get it right or you don't. Your parents might not like your friends and what they represent, I think that's ok because they are your friends not theirs. That girl doesn't like your shirt, it's a good thing she didn't buy it then, right? There comes a time when you have to stop listening to the hum of what other people think and listen to the steady beat that is your own decision, especially as a teenager.
I'm not writing this to say, "Go defy your parents, your teachers, and everybody else's opinions and rules." I'm writing this because I'm just now realizing this for myself and that was partially through the guidance of my friends and family. This is a thank you to the friends who have stood by through everything I've put them through and for everything that is to come. This is to the parents that I turned to earlier this year and said, "I want to be an actress." and although my mom went, "Can't you please pick something else that is soooo hard. That is such a hard thing for a parent to hear," I found myself in a acting class about two weeks later. This is to the friends who tell me I'm funny and beautiful and make me laugh so hard I can't breath and I start clapping my hands together and making a noise somewhere between a wheeze and a dolphin. This is to the friends who when I say, "I want to be remembered and I want to be an actress," didn't just reply with a "good luck to that" they said, "I know you can do it if you try, it might take you a long time, maybe even ten years, but if you try I know you can succeed...and when you do don't forget about me." This can be to so many different people because they haven't controlled my path but they've influenced it and now it's up to me to make something of it. Stay magnifico!(splendid in Italian...yah I'm brushing up on the Italiano!) Jewel.

LET IT SNOW! Oh, wait it did...

"Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people's legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.” - Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen 
"“When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.” -Alice Hoffman
        On Friday night, most people had plans but the weather seemed to have other ideas. Jack Frost swooped over my town and most of Northern California with only a grace and dignity he can uphold,and blew puffy gray snow clouds our direction. These soot-stained clouds made the weather drop considerably three days before the real fun and left everyone with rosy cheeks and way too many layers. Although the calm before the storm left the air chilly and full of static and every radio and weather channel told everyone the snow was coming there was still absolute panic. 
        "OH NO! We are going to be snowed in for less than 24 hours! We need to stockpile- TO THE STORE!" I'm pretty sure that this was the overall consensus of my small town, as when I went grocery shopping Friday evening the shelves were clean and cart traffic jams were happening left and right. Funny how a change in the weather leaves everyone panicked as if they would lose all connection with the outside world once that fluffy frozen water started coming down...and come down it did. I happened to brave the cold at about 10:00 to snap some pictures:

       Surprise, surprise the weather channel was right and I woke up Saturday morning to 5 inches of glorious, glorious snow. I pulled open my blind and what did I see? A world awash in white, sparkling at me like a freshly painted fence.(funny how we have to compare natural things to man-made creations and vice versa isn't it?) 

We're walkin' in a Winter Wonderland!

I think my favorite part of the snow is how it looks on the trees...

I think someone has some cold coffee... ya you're right that wasn't funny.

       I quickly got up and threw on the warmest outfit I could put on and set off with my Dad to drive around and see the snow! Unfortunately, our old car broke down at the gas station...so why we waited for someone to jumpstart us and the snow started to fall again and much harder then it had the night before...

I amused myself with an icicle and picture taking of course!

Lucky for us within five minutes someone pulled in and helped out and we were back on our way... we drove all the way up a small mountain and wound our way back down to do some errands before heading home.

SNOW! SNOW EVERYWHERE!

 Once home I armed myself with my camera and set out to do the one thing you are never too old to do...build a snowman. I don't want to hear that I am 15 years old and shouldn't be building snowmen because I don't even care.

His name is Howard(courtesy of Maddie and her mom) and he is adorable.

I happened to catch my cat, Olive,(yes, her mother's name is Pizza) tromping through the snow, snow-leopard style.

WARNING: Snow angels make you ridiculously cold.

Rattlesnake Creek was a sight to see and made me fall in love with Winter a little more...

I hope everyone stayed warm(wherever you are) and that you are able to enjoy the snow as much as I have! It is officially starting to feel like the holiday season!(my favorite time of the year) I can't wait for Christmas and hopefully more snow(not likely)as of now all that snow has turned to ice and I'm pretty sure the high for today was 38(I suggest layering, a lot of layering). I would love to hear your snow-covered experiences!(these parentheses are just for fun because I have a whole bunch in this paragraph). Jewel. 

Turkey Day...YAY!

Is that the smell of sweet potatoes, Pillsbury rolls, and a turkey cooking? Yep, you guessed it, that's the smell of a good old fashioned Thanksgiving! Personally, Thanksgiving has never been one of my favorite holidays, just something that just came and went as a small bump on the Peppermint Lane to ChristmasLand. However, this year I was really looking forward to the annual giving of Thanks and was not disappointed! The food was good, the family nice, and the tranquil peace of thankfulness settled over all of us...after our 5K run. Ok, you caught me, 5K walk......trot?

     
 This year I joined my sister and her friend, Brooke, on the eighth annual Michael Bratton II Turkey Trot, a 5K to raise money for suicide awareness and prevention in our county and honor the loss of Michael Bratton. Every year this 5K has gotten a little bit bigger and almost 2,000 people ran this year!

And we're trotting...and we're TROT-ING.

We then headed home to watch the one and only MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE!  To be honest, it's one of my ultimate Thanksgiving-themed goals to be in the crowd or on a float at the parade and let me tell you, am I trying! After thoroughly enjoying the parade we got in cute(and cozy) Thanksgiving outfits before skedaddling to the kitchen to cook every Thanksgiving food ever....yams(marshmallows included), green beans, mashed potatoes, and of course the TURKEY!

23 pounds of tasty...PLEASE NOTE: the froggy chip clip, yes it stares into your soul.

Yes, Kenna this is stolen from you...so props but I didn't have a picture of everybody!

Dad carving up Mr. Turkey

My family: Mum and Dad, Kenna, and the grandparents all sat down to an amazing dinner and remembered how thankful we were for everything around us and each other(cue the 'awww's). We had a great time together and even enjoyed some musical stylings from yours truly.(no, they don't happen often and when they do....stage fright knocks on my door and invited itself in.) This year I was really thankful for all the great opportunities presented to me, that were taken and the memories that I've made. Whether good, bad, hilarious, scary, or beautiful, this year's memories have been great and I've been lucky to have such great people to share them with! I hope everyone had a great Turkey day! Share your experiences and thanks down in the comments, I'd love to hear about them! Jewel

The Gingerbread Incident of 2013

         Sometimes we underestimate our abilities, in this case, I overestimated them. Due to a wealth of gingerbread pictures online,my sister, Kenna, and I decided that if the internet could do it then we could obviously do it. For years we had wanted to build a gingerbread house and enter it in the Christmas Fair but she was never home soon enough so we could meet the deadline until....SURPRISE! I walked into my closet and there she was, hiding behind my jackets. She had come home early and finally we could build our fabled gingerbread house.
        We set to work brainstorming, looking up every picture and recipe we could find, and buying ingredients before finally deciding on the crown jewel of gingerbread.......buses? What could be more unique, never before seen, and wonderful as a London Tour bus complete with gummy bear passengers and oreo wheels. Sounds wonderful right? Well it started well, we sketched our picture(yes, I'm quite the artist)

           

          We got out our ingredients and...

Secret Gingerbread Recipe off the internet....

          mixed them up in not-so-record time...

We discovered molasses is terrible.

            And finally our gingerbread was out of the oven.....seemingly perfect. We were having fun, feeling good, and ready to start frosting. However, Problem #1 hit: London tour buses are red and you can't make red frosting out of pink-tinted food dye. So our gingerbread was put off until the next day, when we could acquire red frosting dye and thank goodness it worked!
           

It was then that the gingerbread montage began. from 7:00 to 11: 00 we frosted every inch of our gingerbread bus and then Problem #2 hit: The lights went out. Of all the nights for such a thing to happen! Mid-glue, we were swamped in darkness and left to fumble about as we tried to glue a bus together at 12:00 at night. Then Problem #3 hit: Our 'seemingly perfect gingerbread'? Yah, not so perfect and apparently too thick because frosting wasn't holding it together anytime soon. And that brings us to Problem #4: After two different recipes, and way too much powdered sugar,we had to give in, our frosting wouldn't stick. So long story short, at almost 2:00 in the morning we gave up on our gingerbread-coated dreams and went to sleep leaving a very sketchy gingerbread house bus left sitting on the table. 

Take note of the personalized license plate J & K

Our gingerbread bus at its best

 But by morning it had depleted to this...

     And when I got home from school, this...

     Now you would think we would be done with gingerbread but not just yet... we had gingerbread men to frost ASAP! Luckily, those went much better then the bus and we now have the 11th Doctor Who, Olly Murs, and all of One Direction because they are all ridiculously British of course! 

Little Frosting buttons almost as cute as gumdrops

From left to right: Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Lilac Niall, Liam Payne, Louis(the child) Tomlinson, Olly Murs, The Tardis, and Matt Smith: The 11th Doctor.

     Although, I have no idea about Doctor Who or the doctors, or the Tardis...we still had a wonderful and interesting time making way too much gingerbread and we've finally learned out lesson: We actually DON'T want to make a gingerbread house, we just want to keep thinking about making one with the skills we don't actually have... I hope everyone has had a wonderful December so far and I'd love to see your holiday creations! Jewel.