Mailbox reno

So we've had tons of work done around the house lately- new roof, painted the trim, replaced gutters (all from insurance- Thank you very much!), and stained the front door.  Since we replaced our door hardware from Brass to Antiqued Bronze, I figured our mailbox needed an update as well.

I looked at a couple at Home Depot and they were $30-$50 for something that we're interested in....Boo...Jerad has me on a new budget.

So instead, I bought some spray paint to transform the one we currently have!

Before:

First coat of spray paint

After a couple coats, I put it back on the wall

Much better! 

More outside pics of the house to come....  (this is the BEFORE stain of our front door, by the way!)

Back tracking a bit

A couple weekends ago, Jerad and I drove to Austin for a quick weekend getaway.  Jerad's buddy, Kyle, lives there now and is in a boat club.  What a perfect opportunity to soak up some of this Texas heat!!

Some pics from our weekend

First stop, Franks for well...franks!

Nothing like some fatty food before having to be in a swimsuit!

Can't forget the cheese fries!

Relaxing on the lake

Jerad and Kyle

Now, some wake-surfing pictures.  It's similar to wakeboarding except your feet aren't strapped in.  You just push yourself up on the board, reel yourself in close to the boat, then eventually toss the rope onto the boat and surf on the boat's wake!

Jerad getting up!

Getting close and tossing in the rope

Surf it Cali boy!!  I was so impressed- he's such an athlete!

And falling of course!

My turn- I was shocked I could get up! 

Okay this is kinda fun...

Look at those guns!

Thanks Kyle for a great trip!

Barcelona

We got off the ship in Barcelona for our final day in Spain.

The most fantastic monument that was a must-fee for us was La Sagrada Famila.  The construction on this church began in 1882 by a famous architect and artist names Gaudi.  He worked on this church until his death in 1926.  Since then, other architects have contributed to try to complete his original plan.

The church has so many outstanding facets that it was impossible to enjoy them all.  We sat on a bench for a while just trying view all it's different eccentricities.

After enjoy La Sagrada Familia, we made our way down to the port to see the land they developed for hosting the Olympics.  We rested on a beach for a while and took a snooze in the sand.

Then we made our way to the Gothic Quarter to enjoy some tapas for lunch and some SANGRIA at Venus, a hippie cafe!  WOW did it hit the spot!  It was the best Sangira I'd ever had...should have asked for the recipe...

Finally, we ventured to Las Ramblas-  basically a large street with vendors, farmers markets, and shops.  I loved this area!

Herbs for sale-

Candy stations-

Bread bars- 

Eventually we had some tapas for dinner.  YumYumYum!  Jerad and I could definitely live in Spain.  The culture is infectious!

Naples & Capri

Our final destination was Naples, Italy.

 Naples was the only place that slightly dissapointed Jerad and I.  It was our last port stop, so we were getting depressed about our trip being almost over and we just wanted to soak up every minute possible in Europe before we had to come home!  Naples (to us) was dirty, crowded, and the people were rough and acted like they were 'up to no good'.  So after about an hour and a half of walking around streets like this....

 And we knew we had to eat pizza because this is where it originated...

 We decided to hop on a taxi boat to the Island of Capri!

So off we go to try to make the best of our day...

Capri was FANTASTIC!  Just check out the views...

In Capri, we browsed the shops for Lemons, Limoncello, Olive oil, and Lavender.  Check out the size of those lemons!

We finally got to eat some true Italian pizza!

And sit at the cafes enjoying the scenery while drinking some Peroni's

Then back on the ship, we celebrated Jerad's birthday!

Picture of the guys from our table

Then we converted the piano bar into a karoake bar.

We spent the next day at 'sea' travelling from Naples back to Barcelona.  Here's a pic of us from the following evening at dinner. 

Details from Barcelona to follow!

Rome

First stop, Vatican city-  so amazing it's literally jaw-dropping!

Mass was going on while we were there, so we got to see the Pope on the big screen!

So amazing for our faith!

Bridge where the Borghese family traveled from their residences to Vatican City.

Next up, the Colosseum!

Unrivaled architecture!

Fountain that provided fresh water for all spectators to drink- ironic that it's in the shape of a cross?

Arc de Constantine

Jerad throwing a coin in Trevi Fountain to ensure he comes back to Rome!

Borghese gardens and Borghese Gallery

Back on the ship for some nighttime fun!