Final week of BLISS!!!

As of today I have 6 days left in Italy, only two more days left in Cortona. We leave Friday morning for Venice!!! I can't believe I've been here for almost 3 months! It's truly insane that it's been that long since I stepped foot on American soil! I miss so many things but I'm starting to get really sad about leaving Italy. I really do love it here and I have enjoyed this experience thoroughly! I finished all my classes on Friday and got all my grades back yesterday. I ended up doing really well... helped out my GPA for sure. DEAN'S LIST BABY!!! haha. All my ceramics have been shipped off.. sad part is I won't get them until January after the exhibit in Athens... speaking of which.. you are all invited to that exhibit... come see all the art work of the students here!!! I also made my final book!!! I LOVE IT!!! It's the one I mentioned earlier about the people in my life who have impacted me positively... It's so beautiful and special to me. I titled it "Surrounded by such a Great Cloud of Witnesses" because of the verse that says "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The last part of that verse is tattooed on my side and it means a lot to me because I see life as a race. The Lord has marked a path for us to follow and wants us to run through it all with perseverance. There will be hard things, sad things, wonderful things, but through it all we must keep our eyes on the goal and push through. We can't do this without the people in our lives that support us and encourage us.... That is our great cloud of witnesses. These are the people who help us to persevere through this race of life. Those are the people that this book was about. There are 18 people in the book and each one is special to me in their own way. People who have taught me something or loved me a special way or been through something hard with me... these are my witnesses!!! It's a great book and my teacher loved it. My teacher is not saved and it was great to share this book with her because I was able to write a lot about the Lord in my life. It was a very honest book that talked a lot about the hard stuff in my life but through it all I got to speak about how the Lord blessed me through every bit of it. A lot of people read it and I hope that it somehow affected them in a special way. I can't wait to share it with people at home.

I went to Rome this past Friday for the third time... We just spent one night there to say goodbye to a friend that left early. Then on Saturday we went to Siena which wasn't amazing in my opinion. It was nice to see but nothing too special... I have to say my most favorite cities have been Cinque Terre, Rome, Vico Equense, and Florence. There are no words for Cinque Terre and Rome just has so much to see and do.... Vico was on the coast and it was beautiful.... It was also our first city and that might have had something to do with it. Florence had so many markets and shopping and leather.... It was beautiful too... Cortona is amazing in it's own special way.... Emanuele took me to Rimini Saturday evening... we spent the night on lawn chairs on the beach and then spent all day Sunday laying out and just enjoying the beach. I don't think I've told you guys much about Emanuele... a little over a week ago my friend Stefanie and I met these two Italian guys who have taken us all over the place... it's been really amazing to see this whole area of Italy from a hometown perspective... They took us to Arezzo and to the lake and to Rimini... They took us to two discotecas and to eat and out for drinks... We were with them every evening for the past 8 days.... I really enjoyed having to use my italian and I got so much better at it... I think I just felt more confident when I realized that Emanuele actually understood what I was trying to say and we could have complete conversations... mind you, they took much longer than they should have because i would have to sit and think through every sentence I said... but it was really great to get to know him. We talked about the differences of Italian culture and American culture. He was so sweet and such a gentleman. I'm so glad I met him because I feel like I truly experienced what italy is like by spending time with him. Italian boys are a little clingy though... and those of you who know me well can attest to the fact that i run away from boys who seem to need me too much or even just like me too much... sad i know... but Emanuele definitely liked me too much... and so I don't think we will hang out again before I leave... but I'm thankful for the experience.

So I'm really looking forward to being back in Athens and moving into my new apartment. I am even excited to get back to work.... I miss everyone in my life and I've realized how much each and every one of them mean to me... If nothing else Italy has helped me not take things for granted that I love. I really can't wait to see my dad!!! I dunno I've just really been missing him these past few days!!! and I REALLY REALLY REALLY can't wait to see the video of my little niece/nephew that Brittany got this week.... It's impossible that anyone else is more excited than I am about this baby... This will most likely be my last post until I'm back in America but I'd really like to keep blogging once I'm back to normal life... It might not be as interesting but I've really enjoyed it... so stay posted... BE HOME SOON!!!

La mia ciotola è bello!!!

HOLY COW!!! My first glazed bowl just came out of the Kiln and IT'S BEAUTIFUL! I'm in love. I finished my pieces for the class... I now have 3 large serving bowls, 1 decanter, 2 goblets, and 3 wall pieces. I'm not in love with the wall pieces... All three of them have been fired twice now... second time with glaze and they are ok. They aren't beautiful though. My decanter and goblets are still very wet since I only made them at this weekend. They aren't ready to be fired yet and probably won't be till this weekend coming up. Two of my bowls will go into their first firing this evening. My first bowl that I am putting into the exhibit this Friday came out this morning and I'm totally pleased with it. It's perfect. If you remember I attempted to make a texture on my bowls that was something like the hill cities here in Italy. They are jagged and multi dimensional. I decided for the first one to use green and turquoise glazes. I poured them on thick and without any brush strokes. Glaze is so unpredictable... you can never tell how the product will come out but I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to show it in the exhibit. I've got the glazes planned out for my next two bowls as well... I can't wait to see how they come out. I havent yet decided what to do with the decanter and goblets... I'm gonna cut it really close getting them ready in time to box up for the group shipping. I might end up having to carry the goblets home myself and shipping the decanter (which would be expensive and I really hope I don't have to) Our final critique is Monday and I believe that everything but the goblets and decanter will be glazed... I can't wait to have all my stuff back at home!!! I also got back my midterm project in book arts and thought I'd show you several pics of those... I started my final project for that class yesterday... I'm doing the book of people who have affected me positively like I mentioned before. I rounded up all the pictures I need... thanks to facebook... and got those printed off and then I started writing the bios for several of the people. The book will have 22 people in it... or that's the plan if I can get that many done. I think I can though. It will be a thick book though... I plan to leave space to add to it in the future. Well I can't believe we only have 11 days left in Cortona and then we leave for Venice. I can't wait for Venice... AND HOME!!!

Ho andato a Firenze!!!

AHHH Sunday! True day of rest in Italy... and much needed. This past week was something of a whirlwind. I got back Monday night from Rome with mom and dove right into to my studio work. I finished my midterm project in book arts. That's the two books I have mentioned before... they were both journals using Japanese binding... the covers were made of materials found in Cortona... images that will remind me of my home here. I really ended up loving both of these books. Our critique went well and I'm sure I will receive a satisfactory grade for them. Those were due on Thursday. I also had a lot to do in ceramics... I did a three piece series of large serving bowls. Each a little different in size and all three using a texture that reminds me of the hill towns here in Italy where the buildings sit on the cliffs... I really love these three bowls... One of them is going to be my exhibit piece in the closing exhibit for all of Cortona which is this coming up Friday... so soon! The first one to be fired will come out of the kiln tomorrow so I'm anxious to glaze and see how it finishes. I've now started a set of goblets with a matching decanter. I finished the decanter for the most part Friday and Saturday. It just needs some smoothing out but I think I'm going to love it. I started the goblets today... not really sure how those are going to turn out. They are the pieces that I've been waiting to have a chance to make. I REALLY wanted some goblets but the one I made this morning wasn't that beautiful and still has a lot of work to be done so I might be experimenting more with size and shape this evening. I will be spending most of this upcoming week glazing pieces and finishing everything up for my final critique which is next week after the exhibit!!! ahhh... I think I'll be fine in ceramics. I've really kept up my pace in that class. I am super nervous about book arts though. We have our final project due in 1 1/2 weeks and I still have no idea what I'm going to do for it. I'm still contemplating the small biographies that I mentioned. I think that would be special to have and something I can add to in the future. I'm gonna need some pictures though of each person and Im not sure how I can obtain that while in Italy. I guess I haven't mentioned my Italian class much haha. It's really been a breeze. I thin our prof knew we would be spending all our time in the studio and therefore didn't challenge us much... which I appreciate. We have our final this thursday and an essay due Tues... but I don't think either will be very difficult.

Yesterday we went of a field trip to Florence and I loved it. First we visited the Academia which houses Michelangelo's David sculpture and it was amazing. This thing is huge in person and I didn't think it was possible for a statue to be sexy but DAVID IS HOTT!!! haha... It was an amazing piece of art to see. After that we had the day free... of course they proposed hundreds of museums and cathedrals to see but I am just museumed out so we shopped haha. Florence has great shopping and amazing leather markets... I wanted a leather jacket sooooo bad but i refrained. I got a lot of business type skirts and blouses though for my internship that starts in August since I have no business casual attire in my wardrobe. I really enjoyed the freedom to walk around and explore without a schedule. Today I spent a few hours at the pool working on my tan that has faded terribly since my Florida trip in May. I only have two weeks left in Cortona and then we're off to Venice... it's surreal to think that I'll prob never see this place again. It's become like a second home... I know this place like Douglasville... scary! I guess I have a paper to write and goblets to make so I must be going.

the count down begins!!!

Wow it's been too long since I posted! Mom was in town for a week and we were traveling the majority of that time and before that I was trying desperately to finish my projects so I wouldn't stress about them while she was here. I failed at the latter. I can't believe I've been here 6 weeks. Mom's visit was exactly what I needed to get "un-homesick" and power through the rest of the program. I can't believe we only have two weeks of classes left. I'm sad already. 

So mom stayed 3 nights here in Cortona and I got to show her my stomping ground. The first day I took her to everything worth hiking for in Cortona... bramesole (the house from under the tuscan sun) , Margherita (the cathedral at the top of the mountain), the park, and several really great lookouts with amazing views of the valley. I think we walked for 3-4 straight hours that day. 

It was nice to stay in the hotel too because the bed was soft and the shower was all my own!!! Mom brought me reinforcements in clothing. I was getting tired of the same 5 outfits.... we ate at all the best restaurants in Cortona...  and had the best gelato from Snoopy's and Cocoa. Mom preferred the cafe... so predictable. Mom and I became regulars at Cafe Signorelli... had to have her coffee lol. 

So then we left for Cinque Terre early Friday morning... 

it's a stretch of five cities on the northern coast in Italy.... We stayed in Monterosso the last of the five cities... It was amazing and beautiful. It was nice to lay out on a beach and get some sun. The cliffs and rocks on the coast were breathtaking and the colorful homes on the hills were like a painting. We only stayed one nig

ht but we really got the monterosso experience. We ate at a restaurant over the coast with an amazing view, ate seafood, saw a live concert on the beach, danced to italian music, learned a few line dances, and stayed in this sketchy hotel haha. The next morning we hopped a train to the next city over, vernazza.

 It was beautiful but really small... we left for Rome that day and sat on a train for 5 hours. Ate some McDonalds in the Rome train station that night!!!! I'm telling you McDonalds has never tasted so good. I had been craving a hamburger for weeks... The next day in Rome we saw everything. I'm telling you we walked for 6-7 hours that day. 

I showed mom the coliseum, the forum, the pantheon, the spanish steps, the vatican (and got to see the pope), campo di fiori, piazza nevona, the trevi fountain, the four rivers fountain, the fountain of triton, and piazza republica. We were worn out... all this by 3 in the afternoon and without any busses... that is impressive. Later that evening we went out for dinner at ROADHOUSE GRILL... yes, i wanted another hamburger ok... back off. Then  we went to see the trevi at night and attempted to walk to campo di fiori but got lost. Slept amazing that night... Till 10 the next day... went to the market at campo di fiori on monday and bought souvenirs for everyone back at home... got mcdonalds one more time before i left and then headed back to cortona... 

as soon as i got back there was a meeting about the last TWO WEEKS of classes.... holy cow panic attack struck at that moment. Pieces for the exhibit are due in less than a week.... and my midterm project for book arts due today!!! Needless to say I've practically been in the studio since I got back that night... Non stop every day... I literally missed lunch yesterday trying to get a book done... But it's cool to see pieces coming together and looking beautiful... I'm really liking the bowls I'm making and I finally finished my two part book series yesterday... I like those pretty good too. I'm still not sure what I'm putting in the exhibit... I kinda get nervous for other people to see my work. I wish I was exempt from the show altogether... I started reading Wuthering Heights on the train to Cortona and I have to say I'm loving it. It's making me want to write more... So maybe when the storm is over I can get back to the book. Until then I have a lot to do and not much time so I must go... See you all in 3 WEEKS!!!!

LET FREEDOM RING!!!

It's the fourth of July and I'm in Italy. haha... I'm kinda sad that I'm missing out on the grilling out, laying by the pool, listening to country music, watching the fireworks, possibly even going to the beach or lake.... there are some people going to the pool today. We are having a huge celebration here though. All of Cortona is invited and we are roasting a huge pig over a fire... and there is free wine and music and dancing. It will be fun... I need to get a book made before the festivities though, so I am stressing out a little bit... I'm just scared I won't get much work done once my mom is here... who is coming in TWO DAYS!!!!! holy cow I'm so happy. I can't wait to see her. Everyone be praying for her travels... we are both a little nervous about her treck from Rome to Cortona... she has to take several trains and we don't really know how it will all work. I had my first one on one critique in pottery yesterday. I teacher says that she really like my ideas but that I need help putting depth into my projects. Right now I'm working on these two wall pieces... they are called reliefs... It's where you have a tile that you build a picture onto with clay. I think I just limit my own possibilities because I don't know how to make things work but she helped me see how to do some things I had been thinking about. I think they will really look good eventually. I also proposed to her my idea for the rest of the semester. We had to show her what kind of work we want to do and what theme we want to follow. Kind of like a style I guess... first of all I chose hand building... I really do not like throwing on the wheel. I just was not a natural and it would have taken me all summer to get to a place where I could actually make good stuff. I'm going to work on different types of vessels (goblets, large bowls, etc.) by hand building and then add different dimensions and textures to them... I would show you a sketch but i dont know how to do that on here... the idea is that the textures will somewhat mimic the hill cities of italy... where the buildings are coming off the mountain side. As for book arts my first project is due in 1 1/2 weeks and I have the idea concrete and I've gotten all my materials but I havent started making the books... I don't have long and I have a feeling it's going to be a tedious process so I need to get started. Thats my plan today and tomorrow even though everyone else is going to the market and the pool. I have psyched myself out to be disciplined!!! yay me. This time next week I'll be in Cinque Terre with mom, laying on the beach or hiking, not even thinking about my projects!!!! For now though I need food and studio time. I hope you all have a great fourth of july. Enjoy the hamburgers and beer!!!! 

YAY per amici!!!!

I've made some really great friends these past few days. There are some really awesome girls here who I can relate to and whose company I really enjoy. I think I struggled at first because so many of the students already knew each other before the trip and came in groups. It was hard to shove your way into a group and honestly I didn't really want to be involved with some of the cliques that had formed. But there are a few girls who like me don't necessarily fit into a certain group and I've really enjoyed getting to know them. It really makes the experience more enjoyable when you are sharing memories and adventures with other people. So I have the Lord to thank for sending me companionship. I know His ways are perfect and his timing is always right. The lesson I've yet to learn is patience in waiting on the Lord. I have to say I was pretty miserable socially there for a while. It's not like I was withdrawing away from everyone because I was lonely. I would go out with everyone and walk with groups on field trips and eat dinner with different groups each night but it was lonely being the one who obviously didn't fit there. It's so funny to stand back and watch though. It's kind of pathetic how similar it is to high school. There are those groups of girls who are the life of every party, go out every night, and hook up with the few boys that are here. Then there are the sophisticated girls who are too good for every one else. I'm sure in high school I would have been a mixture of both but never was I the outcast loner... haha... I guess my assholish nature in high school is finally coming back around to bite me in the butt... Just one way the Lord has been able to illuminate me about my past from other people's perspectives... I really love where I'm at though. It makes me jealous of the people in high school that figured all this out before I did. Now I see why D'rea Shiver hated me haha. Wow, never thought I'd say that. Speaking of high school, I had about an hour long conversation with an old friend from my graduating class two days ago. Jessie was my best friend through the later years of high school and because of my own pride and embarrassment we "fell out of touch" but we had a great conversation and it was full of forgiveness and love. It made me really miss some of the people in the other chapters of my life that have flown by. I've really been blessed throughout my life with some awesome friends and mentors. Maybe I'll make a book about that... That's actually a great idea... I can write little biography things about each person and how they affected me and how they loved me.... devote a page to each one... ha that would be cute... and special to have.... anyway, it's funny how I'll be talking to someone or reading something and all the sudden I'll have an idea for a project in my book arts class or ceramics.... Ill have to pull out my journal real fast and write it down before I forget.... because we all know I forget everything. My mom is coming in SIX DAYS!!! She is so great you guys... I really can't wait to spend some time with her. I'm not going to get any work done while she is here though haha. Well I have an italian test in 3 hours that i haven't studied for so I'm gonna go do that. Hope your weeks are going well.

Italy seems to produce a permanently purple tongue!

We had a blast at dinner last night! The local people came to pick us up. It was the first time I've ridden in an actual car since the taxi ride in Rome. It was one of the most scary car rides I've ever been in... except for maybe the one on the way back up. Dad, if you think I'm dangerous, you should come ride with some Cortonese people. We were going down a very steep mountain and doing it very quickly... I saw my life flash before my eyes several times. The dinner was such a cool experience. There was karaoke.... which to my own surprise I did not participate in.... well I kinda did near the end but that doesn't count.... some man was roaming through the crowds of dancing people and holding the mic up to their mouths... haha... I was just screaming the words and I'm pretty sure no one noticed the difference... there were bottles of wine every three seats and if it got even close to empty a new one suddenly appeared. It was 5 courses and each one was amazing.... I was full by the second one. You would all be so proud... I drank red wine the whole night and didn't spill ANY on me... I did spill the dessert wine all over the table though. haha... speaking of dessert wine... this stuff was amazing. It was so sweet and it was a really weird color.... one girl got it poured down her throat by our waitress. We made great friends with our waitress Hermania.... I think she was enjoying practicing her english but she kept coming over and telling us how she had a crush on the karaoke guy who by the way had an amazing voice and sang in english like he was american... He sang a lot of Elton John haha. The dinner lasted almost 4 hours and then the locals drove us back up again. As I mentioned before... scariest experience of my life. Our driver Thomas was in love with us haha. He played "I will Survive" all the way back up which we were screaming at the top of our lungs. Becca who was in the front seat had a much more scary experience and was yelling at him around every turn. I think he thought she was singing... but she was legitimately freaking out... haha... I'm really glad I went. I think it was an awesome chance to see how Italians celebrate and to experience a little bit more of what real life is like for them. 

Classes are going well. I've realized that I do not have the ability to envision something and then make it happen. I have to have instructions and guidelines. I was freaking out about book arts there for a while because most of the assignments required actually filling the books with prints and pictures. I can't do it. I spent an entire afternoon in the studio trying to make some prints and they were awful and none of them turned out how I was picturing them. I think my idea of the book is so much more traditional than my teachers. I see the book as a reading experience with text. I love books. I love to read. I love to journal and write.... so these are the kinds of books I want to make... I want to replicate the reasons I love books.... not make up books that aren't really books in my mind. So I told my teacher how I was feeling and I think she understood that my mind works differently than art majors... I think she saw how hard it would be for me to push the limits and create something totally original... so she is going to let me focus my projects on structure and the binding of books. My first project is going to be a series of sewn books. I'm going to use lots of different types of sewing techniques to bind the paper and covers and hopefully use a lot of exposed stitching so that there are cool patterns on the outside of the book made from the thread. She has a whole book of stitching techniques and she said I can just pick out my favorite ones and then find some cool material to bind with and then just make as many as I can. I'm so excited about because in my mind I'm thinking I'm walking away with a bunch of new journals!!! i love journals.... sometimes I buy them even when I already have two or three at home that I haven' t started writing in yet. I can picture what it will look like with my writing in it and sometimes I won't be able to not start writing in one because I'm so excited about it. haha. I know I'm a nerd! 

Ceramics has been frustrating. I spent this whole week throwing on the wheel. We had to cut our first twelve bowls in half so that we can learn from our mistakes by viewing the interior and the thickness of the walls. I didn't even get to twelve. I think I got to nine. I was much slower than some of the other girls and when I did finally complete a pot, she usually had a lot to say about what to change about it the next time. So it's definitely going to be a slow learning process... I don't expect to be coming home with a ton of dishes.... I'll be lucky to finally get to twelve haha. Next week I'm on hand building all week. I'm kind of excited to get off the wheel for a while and to actually have something to fire by the end of the week. At least this class isn't stressful. We don't have assigned projects with due dates. We just have a certain type of work assigned to us each week and then on fridays we go around and look at everyone's work and critique... which is always interesting haha. 

MOM IS COMING IN A WEEK!!!! we are planning some traveling while she is here. I think we are going to spend a few days at the Amalfi coast and then a few days in Rome... and of course she will be staying here in Cortona a few nights as well.... it should be interesting to see how mom and I survive all the trains and metros on our own... I'm definitely going to need to journal about that haha. I'm just so excited to share this experience with someone. It think Italy is magical no matter what but having someone here to share it with makes it that much more amazing! Mom is going to love it here!