So I have so enjoyed reading Carly's blogs and I decided to try to give an update on our lives on bloodspot instead of taking over our family Facebook page periodically. So here's a glimpse into the past year:
In May Jon and I went to Vienna to attend my college roommate's wedding. I went a few days before Jon to spend time with Lauren before the wedding day - because we all know you can't spend a lot of time with the bride on the day of the wedding. Jon had Ellie at night and Kelly kept her during the day (thank you, Kelly!). After Jon came to join me, Ellie spent four days with Mimi and Pops and four days with Nana and Poppop.
 |
| Look how little Ellie was when they dropped me off at the airport! |
We spent a lot of time in Vienna, which was a thirty minute or so travel from Lauren's home. Lauren lives in Klosterneuburg, a city outside of Vienna and is the third largest city in Austria.
 |
| The monastery in Klosterneuburg |
 |
| Weiner Schnitzel |
On Friday Lauren had a civil ceremony because Austria does not consider a church wedding a legal wedding. The town hall has a special room all decorated and a very specific ceremony that they do for everyone. The officiant even had a whole speech about marriage and love (it was in German - one of Lauren's sisters translated it for me).
Jon arrived after the ceremony in time for the celebratory lunch. Lauren and Suraj's wedding was on Sunday and was held at the Belvedere Palace - a place I had actually toured with Mom, Dad, and Katelyn back in 2006 when we had traveled through Austria and the Czech Republic.
 |
| The Civil Ceremony |
 |
| The Bridal Party |
 |
| Outside of the Belvedere after the rehearsal |
 |
| The Belvedere |
 |
| The bridesmaids & Lauren's mom with the Bride |
It was a beautiful wedding! We had a great time and I am so glad that we were able to attend. Following the wedding we toured Vienna for a day (and actually ran into Lauren and Suraj on the streets there!) before we went to ride a train overnight to Florence, Italy.
 |
| Yummy yummy Viennese food! |
 |
| Sleeping on the overnight train |
 |
| Duomo |
 |
| Santo Spirito |
 |
| Our view |
We hit up a lot of art museums and historical sites in Florence. It was so neat to have advice from Caleb and pointers -- we stayed in the district that Caleb had recommended, made sure we hit up his favorite museums, and made sure to eat plenty of ice cream. We loved spending time at the Uffizi, Accedemia, Pitti Palace, the duomo and cathedral, among other things. Jon was really struck by Michelangelo's the David.
Then we spent a few days in Rome! We definitely preferred Florence over Rome but it was really awesome to see the Colosseum, Pantheon, Vatican City, and the Trevi Fountain.
 |
| Colosseum |
 |
| Trevi Fountain |
 |
| Pantheon |
 |
| Spanish Steps |
 |
| Look familiar? Michelangelo's work in Saint Peter's Basilica |
It was definitely the vacation of a lifetime. We loved it! Maybe we will be able to go back to Europe and hit up other cities.
