Midterms are here which only means one thing...

It means Spring Break is next week!! Before I flood this blog with my excitement for the weeks to come, let me catch you up.
My cooking class I had last Wednesday was not what I was expecting and I was disappointed. The class was jam packed with people from my school and we didn't have much time with the chefs. One of the chefs was hilarious but there wasn't much instruction and most of the actual cooking was done for us. We didn't need to measure or prep ingredients, we just mixed them together and they were even cooked for us. We "made" Potato Brocatelle, Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci (Spinach & Ricotta Filled Ravioli), and Panna Cotta. Making from pasta from scratch was actually really easy. I got the recipe for it and will definitely be making it at home. All of our raviolis were cooked in the same spot as the other groups so we didn't get to eat the ones we made. I was only bummed by this because the ones I got were so salty I couldn't finish them. The Potato Brocatelle was delicious.
My weekend was very mellow but wonderful. Friday Erinn and I slept in and did homework and chores for most of the day. Done with a majority of our homework and all our chores, we left the house to get dinner. We went to a bar called Off The Hook. It's one of my favorites so far. The food is delicious and the bartenders are hilarious! We talked and laugh throughout our meal and for two hours after we had finished. On our walk home we stopped to get gelato at one of our favorite gelato places. We are trying to try new gelato places as often as possible but we've found such good gelato its hard to try a new place that may not be as good as the places we've found.
Saturday morning, Erinn and I woke up early to go to a celebratory breakfast. We met and became quick friends 1.5 months ago! 45 minutes after we met our first days here, I asked her to be my roommate. She said yes but as we both walked back to rooms the first night, we both thought we just made the biggest mistake! We only met 45 minutes ago, what if the other person was crazy?!? Thankfully, neither of us are crazy and this could not have worked out better. Erinn and I spend almost all our time together and yet we never run out of things to talk about. We've become such good friends so fast and I wouldn't want it any other way.
After our 3 hour breakfast, as we talk so much we never have short meals together, we headed home to get our textbooks and laptops before heading out separate ways to do homework. Erinn had a project to start with our friend Adiera, so she went to her apartment and I headed to a cafe down the street.
The cafe is so cool! The first time I walked in, I instantly loved it. Each of the rooms has different colored walls. There are two lofts and there are HUGE windows that cover the walls on the front of the cafe. I usually sit up in one of the lofts. They play really interesting Italian music that surprisingly really helps me focus on homework and studying. For a few hours, I stayed there and got the homework for both of my business classes done. I dropped my school supplies off at home and headed to meet my friend Gavin for dinner.
Gavin and I met at Off The Hook for dinner before going to see La La Land with some other friends. We met Olivia and Micheal at the movie theater. This is my second time seeing La La Land here and Gavin's fourth. Olivia has seen it five times here and Michael's seen it twice. Needless to say, we all really love La La Land. It is a fantastic movie and the soundtrack has been on repeat in my room since I got it a week or so ago.
Sunday morning, Erinn and I got up to do homework at the cafe down the street. Once we arrived it didn't open for two hours so we explored the neighborhood until it opened. We just wandered the streets and found some Harry Potter graffiti! It was so cool! We went into the side of our neighborhood that we haven't explored much and just walked for two hours. I found a purple car for my mom and dragon shaped torch holders!
Before we went to the cafe, Erinn and I got gelato at a new place. It was delicious!! We walked into the cafe and one of our roommates was there as well. We all sat for hours, working on homework and school projects. The sun has set before Erinn and I headed home, with our projects still not completed. We planned to make dinner at home but with next to no groceries, we walked down the street to Gusta Pizza and got the best pizza we've had so far. There is always a line at Gusta Pizza and it is worth the wait.

During one of my business classes on Monday, I went on a tour of Palazzo Medici Riccardi . It was one of the homes of the Medici family and it was beautiful! The fresco covered ceilings were breathtaking. There was one room, which is now used as a meeting room for city council, that looks like the ballroom from the Von Trapp mansion. I stood in that room and imagined being in The Sound Of Music. As I was staring at one of the ceilings, Erinn came up behind me and scared me. Thankfully I didn't scream.
On the way home from class, I bought something Erinn and I have been eyeing for a while. We each have our own rooms that are back to back, which we love and are thankful for. The only downside is that when we need to talk to each other, we have to get up and go into the other's room. We do have a knocking system; four knocks to see if the other is awake, three you need to come to the other person's rooms, and quite a few more. It would be nice to be able to stay in our warm beds late at night or early in the morning and be able to tell the other person something. So, we got walkie talkies! They are pink and wonderful! We both agree, that they may be the best purchase we'll make the whole trip.
Tuesday I don't have class till 1:00pm so I usually sleep in a little. This Tuesday I was up and walking to school at 7:15 am to make sure I got a spot on a trip my school is taking in April. The sky over the river and getting a spot on the trip were worth getting up early for. I will be going to Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii, and Capri with my school in April! The rest of the day was filled with school and homework. And goofing off with Erinn while we cooked and ate dinner.
Wednesday morning was an easy day of classes. Both classes we watched a movie and our teacher decided she didn't want to have us take midterms. YAY! I went home after class to work on more homework. I'm trying to get ahead so I don't have to worry about homework while on Spring Break. After a few hours of homework, I met up with my friend Megan on Ponte Grazie to head up to Piazza Michelangelo to watch the sunset over Florence. We could not have picked a more perfect evening to go. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and as the sun was setting, there was a proposal. Once she said yes, everyone at Piazza Michelangelo erupted in cheers and applause. It was so cute and she was so surprised! Her now fiance did a good job.
After the sunset, Megan went home and I went to my friend Olivia's to study for our Intro to Political Science midterm. I met Jericho, Gavin, Brady, and Michael there and we studied for awhile before we all started to get distracted and just ended up watching Aladdin. It was a great evening. I've now finally finished this blog post, though I've been trying for days and am going to study for my Italian Language midterm. Wish me luck!