A Very Lucky Girl

The first thing we learned in Venice was that the train doesn't drop you off in the midst of all of those canals because DUH.  So after we wandered (our speciality) and figured it out, we hopped on a bus to take us to the picture-perfect location. I went to Vegas last summer, and though the Venetian is spectacular, the real thing is a million times more amazing. Venice was extra special to me because it was the beginning of the fulfillment of life-long dream to travel to Italy. We got there on a beautiful Sunday morning, just in time for an early lunch. I thought I ordered spaghetti, but some weird yellow-looking pasta came to me instead with bits of ham in it. It wasn't too great so I stole bites of the rest of the squad's pizzas. Especially the Parmesan shavings on top of Gibby's. When I first tasted one I solemnly vowed to seriously go to a grocery store in Italy and purchase Parmesan.  I think Venice was made specifically for the cadet squad. It's a place...

Approximately 5 months ago Tyler asked me on what I consider our first official date. We had hung out prior to this evening, but this is the first time that he took me anywhere. He texted me on Thursday, May 3, "Victoria's tonight? :)" Before you ream him for texting an invitation, don't. I found it perfectly acceptable, especially with the smiley face addendum. It took me less than 3 seconds to say yes and I spent the rest of the afternoon finalizing an outfit, traipsing up and down the hall to Natasha's room to get feedback and snapping countless mirror pics to garner Sharbear's opinion. I bet he doesn't remember this, but I wore white jeans, a navy tank top with flower embellishments, and navy sandals speckled with multicolored flowers. He picked me up in his too-hot-to-handle Honda Civic and took me to dinner at Victoria's, an Italian place on Campus Corner. We sat at a little two-person table to the right of the door and I tried to cross my le...

Tyler and I made a meal of champions on Wednesday night. Seemingly simplistic fare, to be sure, but alive with flavor nonetheless: spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread. Vegetables? Uhh bread's a vegetable right? Wheat comes from the ground? Ehhhh. I've discovered my cooking forte in homemade garlic bread. This is going to be the crap-I-was-supposed-to-bring-a-dish-to-this-get-together!? recipe for the rest of my adult life. Tyler's roommate actually said "oh my god. This is amazing" for a solid 5 minutes. Want to recreate your own Italian night? Fine, twist my arm: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce: This is a back to the basics situation. Even Tyler could probably make this without supervision ;) I only minimally assisted. You'll need: Sauce from a jar. I chose Walmart brand meat flavored sauce. No complaints! One pound of your choice of noodles. Angel hair was the shape of the night in Tyler's kitchen. A package of ground turkey meat. You gotta go...