Thanksgiving in Florence

Happy Thanksgiving readers!

This year was a tad bit difficult for us but we made the very most of it and I have to say...we enjoyed it so much! This was the very first year both of us were celebrating one of our favorite holidays without our families. I'm not going to lie...I was sad thinking about thanksgiving leading up to it.  How will this work? Can we get a turkey in Italy? What do you mean I have to work Thursday and Friday? Will we get to make a wish with the wishbone????

We were invited by a group of lovely people to a dinner on thanksgiving day. After work Brandon and I brought over our dishes we made and had a great night with new friends. It was the best feeling celebrating a holiday with others going through what we were. Sure we are all in Italy for different reasons and lengths of times...but we all had one thing in common...being away from home. We are so thankful to have been a part of the amazing dinner!

Saturday was our turn to host a friendsgiving in our new home. Brandon ordered our 14 pound turkey from a local butcher, made the most amazing mashed potatoes and a sweet potato casserole that was to die for. literally i f**king died. I made cinnamon sugar cake balls and each guest brought a dish. It felt like home but with new friends and it was so nice!! We went through 10 bottles of wine and tried to understand as much Italian as possible. Success!

I am so thankful for my amazing husband. He does so much for us to make sure our lives are perfect. No matter where we are in the world he is doing everything and anything to make sure we are both happy. I am madly in love with that man and I can't thank him enough for everything he does.

I am thankful for my family who I miss more than words. Sometimes I feel so weak being so freaking homesick. "Brandi, it's only been 8 months...SNAP OUT OF IT". but I can't. We went from seeing our families all the time to niente. nada. nothing. so strange. BUT in 18 days I will be jumping on everyone!!! I am dying. My mom said it's not too early to wait at the airport. ;)

I am so thankful for our friends! Our LA friends and our Italian friends who have made Italy home. We love you all more than words and we are so thankful for your support! We honestly have some of the greatest people in our lives!

Oh ya, and if you were wondering...Brandon and I made a wish with our wishbone. :)

From my family to yours...we hope you had a happy thanksgiving and got to spend time with the ones you love.

Baci!
b

Halloween in Firenze

Happy [late] Halloween lovies! This year was special for me. Well...difficult and special. let me explain...

If you are a Blicious reader you know Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday of all! I love to dress up and be silly and especially because of this magical day. So, naturally I will do my best to go all out every year. I love to be creative and try and find the coolest couples outfit ever! My husband is the best trooper on halloween and I love that he dresses up for me...errr with me. :)

Italian's don't really celebrate halloween. Sure there are a ton of American bars around the center that did celebrate for us foreigners but it's not their thing. I am missing my friends so much. so much. and I just couldn't imagine a life without halloween. Not even for one year...so Hubby and I did what we could to make it one amazing night! We had costumes in mind but being that there are zero costume stores in Florence or even a party store for that matter...we had to lose our ideas and get creative. The local sex shops had the usual skanky costumes but for 80 euro and above. No grazie! We went to the tutto 99cent store, an art store and our closets to put together these awesome costumes. ha! we DIY'd and boom...clowns were made!

We clowned around all night and had the best time! We partied at Monkey Bar with our amici! My goal when we moved was to meet people who would be lifers and we have been so lucky to become friends with some amazing people. It's not easy meeting people in Florence and all I wanted was to make friends in our new hood! I loved that our Italian friends were in to dressing up like we were. ((with our encouragement of course...chanting BE AMERICAN!)) It was so fun dressing up with the cool Italians who did celebrate! Running around Florence in a clown outfit was awesome! [can we do that more often?]

I hope you all had a happy halloween!

xx
b

La bella vita- More Siena!

In addition to this post with our trip details through Siena...I just had to share some of our favorite pictures with ya'll. There are no words to describe how beautiful this place is. The colors are out of a pantone book. perfection!

and...AND we went to a castle!!!!!!! gahhhh

Most pics taken by my talented hubby.

xx
b

Venice Vacation!

Brandon and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary by hopping on a train and going to Venice. I have heard the ups and downs about Venice prior to going but we were in for such a treat. It was the first time for both of us and I have to say we LOVED it so much! I know we 100% lucked out with the weather! We really did. But there is something so amazing about that wonderful city. The fact that it's all water is insane! I couldn't stop saying "Babe, it's all water" or "Babe, the ambulance and buses and police are all BOATS"!! BOATS people!

We visited the glass factory in Murano which was insane! Took a private boat to the isalnd. HEAVEN! And, we ate the best pasta at Alfredo's pasta to-go. YOU MUST TRY THIS!

I always dreamt of being in Venice with my husband and it came true! We stayed at the most amazing hotel and drank delicious wines. We ate on the main channel and just got lost on those tiny little romantic streets. The one thing I really really wanted more than anything was to find an older gondola guide who would sing to us in Italian. All of the guys looked so young and didn't seem to say much on the rides. I wanted that perfect Italian man and Brandon spotted him from a mile away. He was perfect! We got on his boat and he started talking about the history and pointing at different ancient buildings...and then...and then there was that awkward silence. Brandon and I were staring off and just full on goofy smiling and he started to sing. He was singing in Italian and my heart melted!!! Brandon and I squeezed each others hands and just died. It was so magical! If I could, I would want to go back to Venice every weekend. We loved it!

 Have you been to Venice??


I love being married to you Brandon. You're my favorite person and it's a blessing to be your wife.
happy two years!

 xx
b

48 hours in Siena

Ciao!

I am so excited to share this post with you guys. If you ever have 48 hours in Italy we highly recommend the trip below.

These are some for the best 48 hours I have ever spent with this guy. We had the most amazing couple of days in the following order:::

1. Rented a car (first time doing this in Italy and it was AMAZING!) We got our car at Maggiore and it was so easy. It was brand new and we had unlimited miles. We didn't need to get gas once in 2 days. So nice! We were able to drop it off at any time the next day which was so convenient. 
2. We started our journey by driving out of Florence. We went through a couple toll roads which was so cool. Italian toll roads! We admired the open roads and it felt so nice to be in a car, blasting the radio and staring at my husband. This is what life is all about! Having fun! We drove to the Terme San Giovanni hot springs and relaxed our faces off. This place was a natural water park. It was 15 euro per person to get in and so worth it. 
3. After the Hot springs we drove to our hotel Borgo Casa al Vento which was magical. It is set on a hill in the middle of nowhere. Dirt roads and all. The scenery is to die for. Pure heaven! We had dinner at our hotel in a romantic cave. Did I mention to.die.for.??
4. We woke up and took a morning walk around the property and fell in love. The colors in Siena are like nothing I have ever seen before. It all seems like a big painting! All we did was point in different directions and "oohh" and "ahhh". dreamy.
5. We checked out and ended up at Castello di Brolio which was by far the coolest site to see. An 800 year old castle! A CASTLE. I repeat a CASTLE!! On a hill that had the most beautiful views we have ever seen. I seriously couldn't have dreamt up a more beautiful place! I wanted to time travel back and live there looking over the walls waiting for my prince Scarpelli to come and scoop me up. Wearing a flowy dress and dancing around the castle with my hair in braids and my white horse and my own wing of the castle...ok, ok...... I swear there was a feeling in the air that I will never forget. Just magic! 
6. We headed to Officina della Bistecca where we had the best meal of our lives. Dario Cecchini was so nice and the whole experience was incredible. This place is for meat lovers only. The unlimited wine, 7 courses of the most delicious meats, the atmosphere, the people, the salt mixture...ALL of it was perfection. Bravisimo!

There you have it! 6 amazing ways to have the best 48 hours and to fall completely in love with your husband all over again. I didn't think I could love that guy any more but renting a car and going on a beautiful adventure was perfect. I loved every second.

 
48 HOURS IN SIENA from Brandon Scarpelli on Vimeo.

Thanks to my sweet husband for making this special video! ti amo fino alla fine!
We hop you enjoy it!!!

baci!
b

3 years ago he proposed.

THREE years ago this happened..




B'Squared - The Proposal from Brandon Scarpelli on Vimeo.


sighhhhh. I was asked to marry my favorite person in front of our family and friends...dressed up as Barbie and Ken! Truly a dream come true! Halloween is my favorite holiday of all and I'm a lucky girl to have this amazing man in my life! He is always a trooper on halloween and I love him so much for it!

Brandon,
Thank you for making me the happiest girl in the world. I don't know how I got so lucky to have you in my life. You are the sweetest husband and I love how you make everyone around you smile. You are the reason I love life so much. I love every day that passes with you as my husband. Three years ago I yelled YES, YES, YES (just incase you didn't hear the first two) and here we are...two years later happily married and living in Italy. pinch me.
I love you till the end Scarpelli!

Details from the magical day in my B'Squared Love story tab.

I hope you are having the best week!!
xx
b

La Bella Vita- Clueless.

Ciao, ciao!

Prior to moving to Italy, Brandon and I were pretty much clueless about life abroad. We didn't know about the expat life we were about to experience and it slowly hits us in waves. The first few weeks/ months felt like a vacation. Sure we had to work but it wasn't the work we were used to. We didn't sit in a car on the busiest freeway every day and waste 3 hours going to work and going home. We didn't see familiar faces or speak English. We didn't really understand how different this life would be. I decided to write this post about all the things we were NOT prepared for… ;)

1. The h u m i d i t y ….I know I sound like a big baby when it comes to this topic but GUYS it was brutal. The weather app should not give the percentage of the humidity but instead tell you the hours during the day of when you can breath. No.joke. 
2. Tourists. Ok, so clearly we knew there would be millions of tourists since we moved to Florence but they are intense. Tourists walk around as if everyone here is on vacation. No people! We are not on vacation. I'm trying to walk to work with my coffee and breakfast and these tourists will bump in to you, stop in front of you and my favorite…take your picture. I mean what is that? Will a picture of me be printed and put in your house? It better. I may have broken several tourist rules in the past but living here has shown me that tourists think the world revolves around them and we should all cater to them because...well because they are on vacation. Wrong! Have some respect!
3. Speedos. Ok, ok call me childish but there is one piece of clothing I will not ever be able to get used to and it's speedos. Sure when you vacation in Europe you're bound to see them here and there. But when you live here…oh my. It's just awkward and weird and I can't. Sorry.
4. Paying for drinks…It's the weirdest thing to us Americans that when you buy a drink you have to pay right then and there. There is no 'put it on my tab' talk. It's simply...you drink, you pay…now.
5. The lack of mexican food is rough. Withdrawals rough. Being from Cali and being a teeny part mexican and being married to a half mexican and being obsessed with mexican food…ughh it's just so hard. The tortillas, the beans, the enchilada sauce, the burritos, the CARNE ASADA…ugh. Vallarta, I miss you… Tears! Italian's don't know what they are missing and I do. Merda!
6. Chap stick is locked up in glass at the grocery store. Swear to god. Not the alcohol or the olive oil or the tic tacs. Chap stick. No capito. 
7. Americans being so obnoxious. There have been more times than not where I have actually been embarrassed to be American. In the states we have the crazy age limits to drink, drive or go to a night club. You can drive a vehicle at 16 but can't drink until 21. You get carded everywhere if you look a day under 40. What!? Here it's a free for all unless you get out of hand of course but you can really do what you want. Drink in the street, party at 16, etc. We (Americans) would drive to Vegas to be cool and drink in the street. Here it's natural. Brandon and I still feel weird to this day walking around with a drink on the street. But when we see the loud/ crazy/ obnoxious/ screaming people who are throwing up during lunch time…they are 99.9% American. I'm sorry Italy. I am. Americans come to Italy and unleash these inner beasts that wouldn't exist if the laws weren't so backwards in the US!
8. Food to-go. Oy…in the US we always always always ask for our leftovers to go. Can we get a doggy bag please? I miss Gladstone's and their foil swans. sighhh. Here in Italy…it's considered rude. We asked for some of our pizza to go when we first arrived and they were mortified. They asked us if it was ok, what's wrong, why, why, why? They didn't understand. Italians take their time and don't rush 24/7 so if they get full at dinner they can sit there until they finish. In the US you eat in record timing and take half your dinner to go. 
9. Bacon. There is no bacon here. and by bacon I mean BACON. The legit fatty bacon that smells like heaven bacon. BACON people!
10. Hours of operation. I knew coming here Italians had siestas and coffee breaks and cigarette breaks and mental breaks and gossip breaks and potty breaks and snack breaks...but one night Brandon and I were hungry and went to this place since they stayed open late. We still had about an hour or so and when we walked in, they said they were closed. We said...'oh but the sign says 12 and it's only 10:30' and they responded "well, today we are closed early". Oh, ok. cool. Wait what?

There you have it. 10 things we were not prepared for. Sure I can go on and on but 11-100 will come soon. :)

Dear Italy,
I am not complaining, just adjusting. You have changed my life and I am grateful.

xx
b

Dancing is the key to happiness!

Here's a preview of our amazing Venice trip for our two year wedding anniversary! Dancing in Piazza San Marco was just what the Dr ordered! :)

I hope you all have a happy hump day! Dance your face off!!

xx
b

What happens in Greece...

August Vacation.

What can I say? Why are you already gone? 

It was simply divine. I love using the word divine…

Brandon and I ran around Florence the first week of being off work. We went to Pisa and helped hold up the tower. ;)

We rode our bikes to Cascine Park and went to the Le Pavoniere pool to stay cool from the awful Italian heat. just horrific. But our real vacation started when we were off to Mykonos, Greece. It was perfect!!!

The actual island is a desert and doesn't have much. And the wind is out.of.control. There are 26 beaches and all are amazing! We rented a scooter for 8 days and explored the whole island with the crazy drivers! There are no driving rules in Mykonos. Pretty sure stop signs mean speed up to the Greeks. pretty sure. I just love love love being on a scooter with Brandon. Laughing the whole time and just being so happy. It's the best feeling and I just can't explain how happy it makes me! Takes me back to my favorite day on our honeymoon...I tried to drive it a couple times and let's just say...it's not my thing. :) 

We rented beach cabanas and sipped cocktails all day long. We discovered the best dessert known to the human race::::vanilla cream something baklava without nuts:::: To.die.for. We went to the Komninos bakery every day to get it. The lady was so sweet and we will forever remember how kind she was. Kind=giving us a free slice at 4am when we were stumbling back to the hotel. Kind=going on our last day and to find a new guy working. We were bummed and missed our kind lady but then we started talking and he goes "OHHHH you're the couple she was telling me about" and then treated us to free vanilla cream something baklava without nuts! Simply divine! You MUST visit them if you are ever in town. 

We went to Cavo Paradiso to see Steve Aoki and let me just say I discovered I can't hang like I used to. Brandon and I danced the night away at the most beautiful club I have ever been to. It was amazing and by dance I mean jump up and down because I have no clue how to dance to that kind of music. ;) We got on our scooter to go home at 6:30 am. It was insane to watch the sunrise but we managed to stay alive! We loved Mykonos and spending 8 wonderful days in the sun! I can go on and on but I'd rather show you through photos! Cheers!

Ciao!!
xx
b