Gnomies in Italy

Of the many adventures and crafts Karla and I have done together, Rome has to be one of the silliest! I was living in Florence at the time, when karla came to spend a few weeks with me. At the time I wouldn't know how important this visit was, but Karla said something to me in Rome that I now realize how powerful this adventure was.

She said, (something along these lines) "being here with you is one of the most important gifts I could give to you. You are having an amazing, life changing time living in Italy. You are creating relationships with these people here, but, you will go home and so will they. When you get home, I'll be there, and I'll have a little bit better understanding of what you have been doing, and how you have changed. I will be able to relate to you, and you will be able to revisit that magic with me because I was a part of it, even if only for a short time"

We spent time in Florence where I showed her all my spots that were a part of my daily life. Places I would walk by everyday to school. The spots where I would sit for hours and paint while secretly people watching. My favorite corner markets where my daily bread was bought. And she met the people I was living with and going to school with, my friends in Italy.

We took a few trips around Italy, spent a few days in Rome. We had gotten these funny little gnomes at a 1 uro store who joined us on our adventures. We took photos of them in funny place, we posed them in all the touristy places from a street vendors mini-Colosseum statue, to the mouth of a staute in the Vatican (how we didn't get kicked out for that is shocking). We got funny looks from Italians, shunned from nuns in churches for giggling to much, pictures taken by tourist and a lot of smiles from passerby. We plucked some leaves from an olive tree and made crowns and posed as Julius Caesar in front of the Colosseum. We had an all-around silly time. Like we do.

And Karla was right, like she dose, these moments have stuck as some of the most treasured moments of my life and more specifically of the growth and adventure that the time living in Italy did for me, helping me grow into the woman I am today!

San Luis Obispo Farmers Market

One thing my dad and I would do together, almost on a weekly basis, was walk to the cute little down town in San Luis Obispo. The farmers market took place on Wednesday nights and was an easy walk from our house, though as a kid walking home always seem to take forever! We would pick up some veggies, dried flowers, pistachios, and have a bite from one of the booths selling teriyaki chicken and rice. I always loved walking down to the creek and watching the water, tossing in a few rocks, then we would get frozen yogurt and walk home. Some times my dad would get me a special present, I loved sparkly things even then, so I would pick out a ring or necklace... but one time I got to pick out the best present ever! Someone was giving away baby kittens out of a box at the farmers market. There were a handful of them, but I chose a tabby, who I carried in my sweater home. I named her Tiger, but she was lovingly refereed to as 'Guggamister' mostly.

Easy Bake Oven

The ’80s version of the Easy Bake oven wasn’t pink, so that’s something. This could easily have been a gender neutral toy and I’m sure many parents who wanted to break down gender stereotypes purchased an Easy Bake for their sons as well as for their daughters. Just not in my family. I grew up with all the kids my age being boys in my family. While they were fun and all, I found myself off playing alone or hanging out with the adults during family events. Because my Aunt Nancy had 5 boys and my mom lived in Colorado, it was natural that we enjoyed spending time together. She was the one who gave me her old Easy Bake oven. I had so many wonderful baking afternoons with my light bulb oven. My dad and I baked together often, we loved making cakes and i loved decorating them, but the Easy Bake was something 'safer' to use by myself, no surprise that independent nature came to me at a young age.

I did have a lot of fun with this toy, and I’m still baffled at how it bakes a cake with a light bulb.