Long overdue ...

Finally, finally, we're starting to know what normal married life it all about! Well, as normal as it can be for people like us :D Before we get to the juicy stuff, we'll give y'all the down and dirty of the past 6 months.

• After our glorious 2 weeks in italy, I started classes for the fall semester and Patrick had to go back to Tallahassee until he FINALLY started working for Tampa Bay Shipbuilding as an engineering planner in October.
• Less than 6 weeks later, he got a promotion to Assistant Supervisor.
  
• Beginning when we moved to the new apartment before the wedding but in increasing frequency in the coming months, we had a lot of visitors. Unwelcome visitors. We called an exterminator to come to get rid of the visitors. But they didn't want to leave! The exterminator, who we got to know on a first name basis, came back. Our little palmetto bug visitors still didn't want to leave. They wanted to climb up on the couch and watch TV with us. We, on the other hand, were not quite comfortable with that. Ramon came back again, with the heavy artillery this time. But our little friends were persistent. So, we cried "uncle"high tailed it outta there. We found a 2 bedroom (with a FIREPLACE!) in a better location for less money.

• We moved mid-December/mid-final exams. But it was worth it!
• We had an amazing first Christmas together as old married folks.
  
• Came back to our new, visitor free (except those who were invited) apartment. Patrick worked and I did nothing. Not a thing. Oh, except for 4 pages in my scrap book!
• We finally used those tickets to Busch Gardens Mom Goebel got us in April and had an absolute blast feeding the giraffe! We're buying year long passes in the spring!

I turned 23 on January 29th. It was sad, I've heard it's all down hill after 23. EXCEPT that I got a Wiiiiiiiiiiiii Fit! And I looove it! I actually got it the weekend before my birthday and when I turned 23, it told me "Don't get down about your age. Just keep working hard to stay in shape." Apparently at 23 you start losing muscle function, coordination and bladder control.

Now it's February 5th. We've made it past the 6 month mark ... longer than most marriages in Hollywood! We are enjoying every minute, literally. Except maybe the minutes that we're asleep. But those are nice too. Oh, and except those minutes I was stuck on the side of I-275 after being the lead car in a 5 car pile up! I'm fine but the Green Goblin got her butt spanked by a CRV. Thankfully, she has a little extra padding back there (just like her owner) and the spare tire absorbed most of the blow.

On February 14th, I'm running in my first race ever. A 5k that runs along the water in Downtown St. Pete. And Patrick has promised to be waiting for me at the finish line with an oxygen mask and flowers for Valentine's Day.

We took a break, pondered over dinner, and can't think of anything else that needs to be said except that every day, we realize even more how extremely blessed we are to have each other. We are having the time of our lives and intend to keep doing so until we are no longer living!

Love to all,
Pat & Ri

Reunited and it feels so good!!

We were reunited for 5 whole days! We spent the weekend getting our apartment together (or at least trying). But, as Patrick packs up to head back to Tallahassee we thought we would post a little update. There are three major (or, as major as they can be in our simple little lives) developments worthy of a blog update.

First, and most importantly, Mr. Nole Gnome survived Gustav. We are praying that those in Gustav's direct path were as lucky. As you can see in the photo, it was a close one but he was able to pull through in the face of severe winds and the massive waves in the canal on which we live :)

Second, but almost equally important, we got a new car! Thanks to Mom & Dad Landy, Patrick was able to replace the gallant Ford Ranger, who sacrificed his own life to save Patrick's. Big Red will be missed, and could never really be replaced. But, the rental car was only for 30 days so our grief had to be brief. To help us move on with our lives, Dad Landy was able to find a 2005 Honda Civic, and Mom Landy was kind enough to meet Patrick at I-10 and I-75 to swap out the rides. As difficult as it has been, riding in the new car has been quite therapeutic and we believe that, in time, our wounds will heal. Although, we will never forget Big Red.

Lastly, and almost as important as the first two is that on Friday, August 29th, Patrick had an interview with Tampa Bay Shipbuilding for a position as a junior engineer. Patrick feels that the interview went well and is very optimistic! We should hear more word next week so we will definitely keep everyone updated on that development. On a less important note, I also have a few interviews coming up for summer associate positions for next summer. Although I'm at quite a disadvantage against the other candidates, being that they are are 2 & 3Ls, I'm still hopeful that someone will want me. But if not, I'll just take classes next summer and graduate a little bit sooner than expected. Neither are bad options!

I suppose that's all the excitement that we have to offer for now. Patrick will soon be heading back to Tallahassee as I sit in St. Pete, cry, eat chocolate and read criminal law ;)

Until next time, buona giornata e tanti baci!!

Love,
The Landys

Little Ole Me

This time it's just me. All by my lonesome from St. Petersburg, FL. So, you'll have to forgive me if this post is lacking in amusing quips. Patrick really is the brains of this operation but unfortunately, he's up in Tally-Ho without a computer and I'm alllll the way down here!

Pat and I talked and decided that we were going to keep up this blogging business. Not because we think people are all that interested in our regular lives (as opposed to our lives when were gallivanting around Italy), but because we are both amused when we go back and read it and thought it would be a good way to document all the fun stuff that happens.

I figured that I oughtta do a little round up of our trip. After our last blog in Florence, we had one last very emotional (and not just for me, whether he admits it or not) night in Rome. We ended up staying out waaaaay to late, just walking around the city, taking tons of pictures and trying to pretend that our honeymoon wasn't over. The tallies are in and I believe the count of pictures we took is over 3,000. You can check my FB but Patrick took the majority of them, and he's becoming quite the photographer! I hope to post some of them soon once he gets done working his magic!

So, as I said before, I'm back down in St. Pete getting ready to start school on Monday. Patrick's up in Tallahassee working and looking for a new car to replace the truck tried to spar with the semi. Honestly, it blows. We're newlyweds and don't even get to enjoy it ... yet. But, we will and the time apart will make October 1 and the following months and 80+ years of wedded bliss that much sweeter!

I suppose that's all for now. Hopefully the next installment will contain some of Patrick's wit!

Coming to an end ...

Our honeymoon is coming to an end, and way too quickly.

The ride back from Venice to Florence was much more pleasant than the one there. Our seats were actually where we had chosen, the train wasn't packed, and there were no stinkies. It was quite a feat for us to make it to the train on time, since the previous night, our last night in Venice, we had 1.5 liters of the house wine. It was delicious but we are lightweights and it was interesting trying to get back to our hotel that night. We'll share some pics of Pat in a state of uncontrolable laughter upon our return.

Once we arrived in Florence, we found our hotel which is suuuuper nice. Even better than the one in Venice! We are definitely 4 for 4 on picking the accomodations. We're right on the Arno river and have our own little balcony with a river view.

After checking into the hotel, Patrick wanted to walk to the Fortezza di Belvedere. It's a fort that supposedly has a great view of the entire city. I say supposedly because we never made it. We walked, and walked, and then we climbed for about a mile at about a 45 degree angle UP a HILL. When we finally reached the base of the fort walls, we saw that it was closed. We tried walking around to find a sneaky back entrance, but that place was bunkered down like a keep. It was probably a very effective fortress back when that was its purpose! We went on this hike to avoid having to pay the 10 euro/person for a ticked into the gardens that led to the fort. After walking that far, our calves were on fire so we gave in and paid to enter the gardens from the top instead of the bottom. I wasn't a very happy camper. Because Mr. Cheapo over here didn't want to pay 20 euro, we climbed ... and ended up paying the 20 euro anyway. But, I'm glad we did because the view from the Boboli Gardens was AMAZING. We took lots of pics but the weird indian guys who own this internet point won't let us download anything onto the computers. At least they don't smell bad.

Today, we saw the David. Patrick and I are two people of the same heart. We know how to do the museums right. One lap, no stopping (except for The David itself) and out. Museums are for the boring. And the weak. The David was pretty cool though.

After our brief stent in the Accademia, Patrick drug me around town. In all we counted we walked about 8 miles and saw a wholelotta nothin, which is just about everything there is to see in Florence. This is definitely our least fave city yet! Ok, we see the crazy indians approaching .... I think our time on the computer is up.

Ciao!!!

Stinky Frenchies

Yesterday we traveled from Siena to Florence to Venice. We've decided that it was, without question, the worst traveling experience yet. The train from Siena to Florence was 25 minutes late. But, we had 40 minutes in between connecting trains so, no big deal. When the day turned sour was when this french couple sat down behind us. And they smelled of rancid old onions mixed with sweat. UGH. The highlight of the ride was a man we lovingly referred to as fashion designer man, as he was dressed in a white linen suit, a neon lime green shirt with an orange scarf to accent. He did not appreciate anyone sitting next to him, especially the stinky frenchies. We thought that would be the worst train ride ever, until we boarded the train from Florence to Venice. We weren't sitting together nor were any of the passengers near us very courteous. Basically, it sucked. But, that just made our arrival in Venice that much sweeter! Especially once we found the hotel and learned that we had the nicest room in the place, complete with a glass chandalier and fresco on the ceiling. Niiiiice.

Venice has the best weather out of any city we've been to, if you can ignore the occasional stench of fish wafting through the alleyways. The streets are packed but that's nothing new compared to Rome! We took a Gondola ride last night and that was absolutely beautiful! Pretty much out of a movie: The Newlyweds take a romantic gondala ride on their honeymoon to Italy. The Gondalier - or Gondola Man as we like to call him - talked about all the architecture and different spots along the ride, and honked before we rounded a corner by SHOUTING some Italian that we couldn't understand. Every shout followed by 'This my horn.' Today we visited Palazzo Ducale which is a palace that was occupied by some important people. We didn't care enough to read all of the signs around the place to tell us why it was so important, we were too busy sneaking picutres in the 'No Foto' area, for which Patrick got reamed out by the Italian museum federale.

An interesting competition that Patrick and I have begun since we've been here is who can take a picture of the shortest, tightest man shorts in Italy. I am currently winning with a sexy little white number, complete with the bottom of the cheeks hanging out the back. We will definitely post all of our competition photos for your viewing pleasure at a later date.

We're off to dinner at a restaurant recommended for its authentic Venetian food by our hotel's front desk clerk. Yum yum.

Tomorrow we head to Florence to see The David! On top of our exhaustion, we're beginning to feel bummed that our trip is coming to an end :( But, we're trying to look at is as a beginning instead!

Buona Sera!

Pat & Riley

Un giorno interssante

This picture illustrates what you may look like after consuming 1 liter of red wine and wandering around the city for two hours. However, we weren't exactly wandering on foot. We got on bus No. 10, the bus our hotel told us to take. Little did we know that bus No. 10 has two different routes. One that goes outside the city, to some little town called Bellverde. Another that stays around town and stops at Via Orlandoi, the road on which our hotel is located. Well, as you can probably tell, we went to Belleverde. Then, after returning to the city (where we started int he first place) and riding for about another hour, we decided to take our chaces, pressed the "fermata prenotata" button and hopped off. Hence, the look of confusion and anguish in our faces. Actually, not anguish because we were just laughing at ourselves by the this point.

Our obsevation about everything in Italy running late still holds true. After a half day in Pisa taking goofy pictures, we made it to the train station at 15:42 when the train back to Siena was scheduled to leave at 15:38. We decided to make a run for it and made it in plenty of time to hop on, take a seat, and a nap, and have a snack, before departing :) But not before validating our tickets - which we neglected to do on our way from Siena to Pisa this morning, when the train driver just made a "tsk tsk" noise and said "No stamp." How is it that they know we're American?? He was nice enough to leave a little note on the back of the ticket for the next conductor so we didn't get kicked off.

Oh, and one more even of note. Patrick and I tasted the best thing of our entire lives today. And it wasn't the roasted rabbit sauce Patrick ordered on his pasta (which was not so delicious ... poor Ryan Seacrest) It was la pizza Italiana from La Speranza restaraunt. Pizza with buffalo mozzarella, baked cherry tomatoes (Yes, I loved it even WITH the tomatoes!) and basil. Yum yum! Patrick says That alone was worth the trip :)

There are so many other things to note but, we're exhausted! We're headed to Venice in the morning for some shopping and a Gondola ride. Sorry that this edititon of "The Life of Riley (and Patrick, I guess :)" didn't contain any witty remarks. We're too tired to think and will try to be more entertaining in our next episode.

Until then, Buona Notte!!

Baci!!

Pat & Ri

p.s. For those who have been inquiring - my Italian has been ... sufficient. Better than I expected it to be since it's been over a year since I've had to use it, but not as good as I wish it was! Pat likes putting me into positions where I am forced to speak Italian. I don't know if he likes to see me squirm, or really has faith in me. Either way, I'll thank him for it later since it's given me a chance to practice!!

Day 2 a Roma e Day 3 a Siena (so far...)

Buon Giorno,

We've all heard it said that you can't conquor Rome in a day. Well, we just about did. We saw every major monument in the city, along with some not so major sights, with the exception of the Pantheon yesterday. We toured Il Colloseo with those neat little audio guides that you hold up to your ear and tell you what you're looking at. Then we moved on to Il Foro (The Forum) and then some big white building that we think may be the Capital Building. It's one of our favorite things to see and we're not even sure what it is! Next we rode our City Sightseeing Bus (THE best idea on the trip yet ...) to La Capella Sistina and Musei Vaticani. And of course, we spent LOTS of time in Bascillica di San Pietro (The Vatican!!) You should have seen Pat's face. Well, you will because I took a picture!! Pure amazement.

Towards the end of the evening we went to Piazza Spagna (Spanish steps) on our way to which we also passed Chanel, Dior, Armani, Baby Dior and MAC - where I bought makeup remover for TWENTY EURO! But, it was a necessity! Last but not least, we went and threw a coin in La Fontana di Trevi. And somewhere in between all that we also saw Castel di Saint Angelo, Piazza del Popolo and the rest of the city by bus.

Whew!! Needless to say, we were ready for a break. But, breaks are only for the weak so we woke up early this morning and jumped on a train to Siena. And of course, it was running 31 minutes late which put us arriving in Florence 11 minutes after our bus to Siena was scheduled to depart. However, for those who know of some of my adventures from my last trip, we know that everything in Italy is slow, and we were able to make it to the bus, load the luggage, take a nap and have a snack before it ever departed for Siena ;) Today in Siena Pat and I have just spent the day enjoying the city and seeing my old stompin' grounds. And let me tell you, we were feeling adventurous!! We stopped by the Duomo but sleveless shirts aren't allowed, so we couldn't go in. Hopefully tomorrow!

In the morning, we head to Pisa for a few hours to get the obligatory pictures of us trying to hold up the leaning tower. We have some exciting variations in mind so hopefully ours won't be just yur run-of-the-mill Pisa pictures :)

So far, Pat loves Siena and I am remembering why I loved it so much before! Keep checking in and we'll post when we can!

A presto,
The Lovely Couple

p.s. please excuse the typos. I'm on a European keyboard and am trying not to waste money to fix the mistakes! Hopefully you get my drift!!!