When Breath Becomes Air: Paul Kalanithi

First book of 2019! My goal is to read 10 books this year so yay for 1/10.

This book was great. It seemed a little unfinished because in a very real way it was. It talks about death and life and what makes life worth living. How to continue living when death is more "real" and less of an abstract future idea.

It is a true story written by the protagonist about a nuerosergon who is in his last year of residency and almost going to become a full-time doctor after about 10 years of schooling and training. He then learned that he has lung cancer at about 35. He questions what to do and what he wants and how to continue when death is a certainty but you still don't know when that death will come. Not knowing when death will come is the same for everyone but after getting a terminal illness diagnosis it is very different how death is thought about. It was a good read, it was pretty easy and quick. I would recommend it.
love, Carlee

Fez and Chefchaouen, Morocco

Both cities were lovely and quite different. Fez was busy and bustling and felt like an authentic Moroccan city! We had a tour guide to walk us around the Médina and we got to see all the cool shops and how people make silk scarves by hand and of course tan the leather. We got to see the oldest university in the world and a mosque where both men and women can pray together. (Usually only men can enter the Mosques.)

The locals were buying food and other goods. They were going to prayer. Where donkeys passed us in the walkways hauling garbage or luggage or other goods (no cars allowed in the Médina.) There was amazing architecture and wonderful food!

Chefchaouen was a little more touristy. The spaces were more open and lots of people spoke English. It also rained and was cold when we were in The Blue Pearl so there wasn’t as many people about. I had the best lamb tajine in Fez and again in Chefchaouen. One of the tastiest things I have ever eaten! 

Also so many kitties in the cities! Clark and I made a “song”...

Countryside’s are for the doggos

And cities are for the kitties

Love, Carlee

PS. And yes I know we went to Morocco in November and here I am posting about it in January. I honestly was kinda like maybe I don’t post about it at all but not because I didn’t enjoy it we LOVED Morocco but just because I have so many photos from it then it gets overwhelming but hey here I am with a post. Maybe in 2 more months I will post again about this trip… who knows. haha.

2019 Goals

1. Clean 20 minutes a day.

2. Get rid of one thing a day and donate to a thrift store.

3. Go on 9 new trips. One for every month we are still living in Italy.

4. Save $5 a day.

5. Read 10 books. I know .... only 10, less than one a month but guys I only read 6 books last year!

6. Get a new phone

7. Send birthday cards to all of my close family members.

8. Fix car door

9. Finish giant Europe photobook

10. Make DVDs for years 2017 and 2018

11. Make four homemade meals a week .. at least

12. Get my Bachelor's degree and walk in the graduation ceremony

13. Move back to the USA

14. Finish 2 DIY Christmas advent calendars by November

15. Take one photo a month of Knox, Clark and I

16. Travel to 6 new countries. Ideas: Israel, Egypt, Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia.

1 Second Everyday Video - 2018

They everyone, my 1 second everyday video from 2018 is live. It was a great year and I think this is a really fun way to document the years. However, I am not sure if I am going to continue this year. I love video but I like creating videos with music and such. I think that when I have children I will definitely want to start 1SE again because seeing a child grow from 0-365 days all within like 6 minutes would be really cool. Although I have been doing it for the last like 3 years and I am not sure if I can give it up that easily haha.
love, Carlee

A look back at 2018

Hi all, a new year is upon us. I don't know why but usually instead of feeling excitement and like anything is possible I just feel overwhelm in the new year. But it has been going good so far and I wanted to take a minute to recap 2018 month by month and also my goals for 2018 which are at the end of the post. I will my new goals for 2018 later this week! 

January- One of my really good friends from home (she was a bridesmaid at my wedding) came to visit she was in Germany and took a short trip down to see us! I went to Kraków, Poland and Auschwitz concentration camp with a different friend. I also started BBG and did 3 full rounds in 2018. I am gonna get back into it. I really loved it. And it also snowed in Naples!

February- Clark and I went to Barcelona for a long weekend (had some of the best cinnamon rolls) and hit up a another country Andorra. We also did a Whole30. 

March- I went to Brugge Belgium with a good friend and her daughter. Clark and I went to the Vatican to witness Palm Sunday with Pope Francis.

April- Clark and I took the train to Florence and then out to Pisa and Cinque Terre for a really long weekend! We had lots of fun with friends at a rooftop gathering and an 80s party. Also, poppies bloomed everywhere.

May- I had a long stop over on my way to the USA to visit family. I stayed for 3 weeks and got to watch my little bros play in the baseball state championship. I also got to see Taylor Swift on her Reputation tour in Seattle and it was amazing!

June- was back in Italy eating good Italian food. Clark and I went to Portugal and southern Spain for a week and even hit up Gibraltar! At the end of June my friend and I flew to North Italy and explored the Dolomites, Lake Siremone, Verona, and Venice. We also had a boat day with our friends on the Amalfi Coast. 

July- clark and I went to Puglia Italy for a long weekend. We ate in a cave (the most expensive meal of our lives) and we jumped into caves as well! We saw Post Malone in concert with some friends.  And I took myself on a road trip to San Marino for a few days.

August- celebrated Knox’s 5th birthday! I traveled solo to Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia. Explored naples with a friend.

September- had a couple of beach days. And I traveled solo to Nice France and Monaco.

October- my friend and I went to Paris France and it was amazing the second time too. Clark and I went to Capri, Italy on a day tour. And we had an epic Halloween costume as usual ;).

November- clark and I went to our first Napoli football (soccer ⚽️) game. We had some of the best pizza in the world at Pepe in Grani and Gino Sorbillos. And then we traveled to Morocco for 8 days and had one of the best trips ever!

December- I got to see a good friend that was visiting from Hawaii. We went to Berlin Germany and took our friends to another Napoli soccer game. And ended the year with our friends over looking the Mediterranean Sea in Pozzuoli watching fireworks and drinking champagne.

Goals revisited:

1. Read 5 books and add to my book collection. I know 5 books is so weak but I haven't read a whole book in forever so reading 5 seems like a do-able goal. Yes.. I read 6 books this year: 
The Couple Next Door
Smart Couples Finish Rich
Girls and Sex
The Green Mile 
I almost forgot about you 
Wild 

2. Go on 10 trips this year. 8 small 3-4 day trips and 2 big 7-10 day trips (not including back to USA)

Yes:

Krakow, Poland- 3 days

Barcelona/Andorra - 4 days

Brugge, Belgium - 4 days

Florence & Cinque Terre Italy - 4 days

Portugal/Spain/Gibraltar - 8 days

Venice, Verona, Lake Garda - 4 days

Puglia, Italy - 4 days

San Marino - 3 days 

Finland and Estonia - 5 days 

Nice, France and Monaco - 3 days 

Paris, France- 3 days 

Morocco- 8 days 

Berlin, Germany- 3 days 

3. Finish 2018 with a 3.5+ GPA in all my college classes. (YES!)

4. Go back to USA and visit family. Check

5. Go to one concert. Check (Two: Taylor Swift and Post Malone)

6. Turn hangers around in closet and only turn them back around when I have worn that item of clothing. At the end of the year the hangers still not turned around: donate those clothes. (YES)

7. Print more physical photos! No but I have a whole folder on my computer of just photos to print. 

8. Continue recording 1 Second Everyday. Check! 

9. Keep up with house cleaning better: i.e. washing sheets more often, vacuum more, mow lawn more regularly, etc. Still working on this. I did wash our bedsheets more often. 

10. Save money. Yes. We started putting more in our retirement account every month. 

11. Visit 6 new countries. (Kind of in line with the trips goal but want to make sure I go to new countries.) Portugal, Spain, San Marino, Monaco, Morocco, Finland, Estonia. 

12. Go on another solo Europe trip. Yes: I went to Helsinki, Finland. Tallinn, Estonia. San Marino. And Nice, France by myself. 

13. Take photos and share my living room makeover. I didn't do this.