Last Night in Houston!!! - Sat 5/3

So, Liz is a dancer and Danny is a musician. Sometimes he plays his guitar and sings at this Italian restaurant in a very trendy part of Houston. It's called Grappino di Nino. I went to hear him play along with Tricia, Steven, Liz, and my new friend Amy.

They even let me onstage with Danny to play a song!

They didn't have a booster seat for me so I sat in Steven's pocket.

Liz and Amy were sad that I had to go back to Minnesota. Here they are giving me a kiss goodbye.

Houston, TX - Thurs 5/1

Besides being a professional dancer, Liz teaches dance classes during the week. I went to one of her classes to pick up some cool moves. Here I am with her class.

Houston, TX - Wed 4/30

Uncle Jeff and Auntie Janet had to go back to Italy but before they left the whole family went out to dinner. We went to a place called Sam's Boat that serves seafood but specifically crawfish since they are in season right now. Crawfish are very popular in the south. They are kinda like a really really small lobster.
Here I am with the YUMMY Food.This is the bucket that you throw all the shells in. I decided to play some Hide and Seek in there.

Houston, TX - Tues 4/29

Today we had some time to run around town a bit. Liz and I met up with a few of her friends for some coffee (I had tea).

There were no booster chairs so I had to sit atop the pile of purses.

After that we went to visit one of Liz's friends who was in the hospital after a surgery. We brought her this cookie bouquet. It's a bunch of cookies in the shape of cows that says "Be-Cows cookies are good medicine." Ha ha... get it... Be COWS... instead of Because = ) And I definitely agree... cookies are the best medicine aren't they?

Houston, TX - Mon 4/28

After Liz's dance show I stayed the week downtown with Liz and Danny. They are BUSY!!! Liz is taking a Chemistry class right now and I went with her so I could learn some stuff too.

When I got home from Chemistry class I got to study Anatomy and Physiology with Danny. I learned a lot of really cool stuff today!!!

Houston, TX - Sat 4/26

On Saturday I joined Uncle Jeff, Auntie Janet, Liz, & Danny and headed to the Winedale Historical Center near Round Top, TX which is about halfway between Austin and Houston. Round Top is a small town full of artists, antique shops, and bed & breakfast inns. We were here to see Danny's sister Beth in a play. Every summer students from the University of Texas perform Shakespeare's plays in a century-old German hay barn that has been converted into an Elizabethan-style theatre.

Here I am buckled in for the long road trip ahead.

Here we are picnicing beforehand

Looks like I got front row seats!!!

Here's a picture from during the show

Here I am with some of the stars of the show, Danny's sister Beth is in the middle.

Since I like to get on stage so much I made sure to have my picture taken on this stage too!

Houston, TX - Fri 4/25

Today I hung out at Tricia & Steven's house with Aunt Janet in the garden. Aunt Janet doesn't have a yard in Milan so she likes to work in Tricia's garden when she visits. After a long day in the yard we got ready to go downtown for Liz's dance performance. On the way down I got to see Minute Maid Park where the Houston Astros play.

Then we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant right next to the theatre, Birra Poretti's. The food was YUMMY!

Then we headed over to the theatre. On the way there I saw a neat sculpture.

In the theatre I found some people my size. They're puppets of famous opera singers Verdi & Puccini. Since they're famous, I wanted to have my picture taken with them.

Then we watched Liz's dance performance.

Afterwards I gave her some flowers and then she took me backstage to check things out.

Houston, TX - Thurs 4/24

Tricia didn't want me to have to stay at her house alone today so she decided to take me to work with her. I hopped in her bag and we headed out.

We spent most of the day at the dental office. I got in the chair and got my teeth cleaned. Then my cousin Tricia, the dentist, took a look at my teeth and good news, no cavities!!! I got a toothbrush and a timer to make sure I brush for 2 minutes.

Tonight I went with Tricia to her bible study. We had some good food and great discussions. I really learned alot. Then I got my picture taken with a souvenir signed by Acie Law IV who plays basketball for the Atlanta Hawks.

When we got home we just hung out on the couch and watched some TV with the dogs. Tricia and her husband Steven have two daschunds, Allie & Simon. Here I am on the couch with Simon.

Houston, TX - Wed 4/23

I left Italy on Tuesday April 15th and was supposed to arrive in Houston, Texas on Friday but DHL didn't manage to get me here until Wednesday April 23. After more than a week of travel I was exhausted so I just decided to hang out at my cousin's (Tricia's & Steven) house and watch some TV and catch up on my email and blogging.

My day in Milan, Italy

On Sunday April 13, I spent the day with Uncle Jeff and two friends, Ingrid and Ross sightseeing in Milan. I got to Milan by mail, but it took a lot longer than it does to get from Edina to other places in the United States. Milan is the largest city in the northern part of Italy. It is not a big town for tourism, but it has 4 really cool places to see. It has the Duomo, the Castle Sforza, the La Scala opera house, and it is home to the very famous painting "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci.

Milan is a busy city and there aren't a lot of places to park. Driving a car isn't very practical so to get around we either walk, take the subway, or ride a bus or streetcar. To get downtown we rode a streetcar.

First stop, the Duomo. A duomo (pronounce dew-woh-mo) is a cathedral. There are a lot of large cathedrals all over Europe. This is the 2nd largest church in Italy. They started to build this one in the late 1300's and did not finish it until the 1800's. It is made mostly of marble and everything is carved by hand because they didn't have the fancy machinery they did today. On top of each of the spikes there is a sculpture of a person. You can even take a tour of the roof.
This is a closer look at the roof from another part of the roof.

This is a view of Milan from the roof of the Duomo.

This is the inside. The stained glass was BEAUTIFUL!!!

LOOK, they even have McDonalds in Italy. And, yes, they do have happy meals.

Milan is the fashion capital of the world. A lot of famous designers have stores there. Shopping in Milan is really popular. Below is a picture of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. It's an early version of the enclosed shopping mall. It is a VERY expensive place to shop. Also, this Galleria connects 2 of Milan's famous landmarks, the Duomo and the La Scala Opera House.

The La Scala opera house was built in 1778 and today is one of the world's great opera houses. Below is a picture of a really cool restaurant near the Opera La Scala. Speaking of restaurants, I needed some food. In Italy they serve olives with almost everything! This is Sforza Castle. It was built in the 1300's for the ruling family of Milan. There are rooms here that were decorated by Leonardo da Vinci since he worked here for the Sforza family. Also, there is a famous unfinished sculpture that Michelangelo was working on at the time of his death.

That looks easier than walking but I think we'll take the subway to Jeff & Janet's instead.

This is a cool place to hang out near where Uncle Jeff and Aunt Janet live. It's a carousel in a park. Also, close to their house is a Gelateria. Gelato is Italy's version of ice cream except it's softer, has less air, and has less fat but tastes A LOT better!!! There's a gelateria on every corner and it's not uncommon to have a scoop of gelato every day.

Here I am with some of the things I collected; a newspaper, a key chain, a patch, and 4 postcards.