One Day at The Vatican (PART TWO): Sistine Chapel + St. Peter's Basilica + St. Peter's Dome

Ok, so let's finish out our "Day in the Vatican" with Part Two. Part One got so long and photo heavy I thought it was better to break it in two. 

So picking up where we left off: walking into Sistine Chapel! 

101 in 1001 Completion and Recap

How have I been so remiss as to not post about my 101 in 1001 progress?! 

Seriously??

You guys might remember how a loooooong time ago I created a list of 101 things I wanted to do over the next 1001 days. I found the idea over on Pink Champagne Problems (which is now The Champagne Edit by Dana) and she got the idea from Mackenzie Horan on Design Darling. I think Mackenzie is the originator and she is on her third list now.

Anyway, 1001 days ended...on September 16, 2018. Lol. So ignore the fact that it has taken me OVER A MONTH to actually post about how I did. How did I do you're wondering??

One Day in Vatican City (PART ONE): Vatican Gardens + Necropolis Via Triumphalis + Vatican Museums

Our third day in Italy was spent touring the Vatican, the smallest city-state in the world, and taking wayyy too many photographs. My favorite highlight had to be the the Sistine Chapel. No surprise. It also felt like a pilgrimage many years in the making--I went to Catholic grade school for 9 or so years. I can't wait to share everything we did on this very long day.

Christina Aguilera's Liberation Concert

To be honest, I am a HUGE fan of 1999-2010 Christina Aguilera. Turn on Dirrty or Genie in a Bottle and I am immediately transported back to my pre-teen/teenager days singing and dancing along with my girl, X-tina. Her newest albums were just okay but when I heard she was going on tour first the first time in a decade I knew I had to be there. She was stopping for a show not too far from my home so I called up my sister and asked if she would join me on my trek down memory lane.

The concert was at the Mark G. Etess Arena in the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

I didn't get too many good shots because I have no idea how to counteract the intense tour lights but here are some:

Her concert gave me some Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift vibes. And here costumes were crazy! We had so much fun. And here are a  few videos:

We ended the night with some gelato from inside the casino. Not going to lie, it was nice having gelato and it was so tasty. Maybe not as good as the gelato we had in Italy but it was a good solid second.

It such a nice way to kick back after a stressful week. Can't wait for the next concert!

Visiting Historic Rome - Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill + Pantheon

On our second day in Rome we explored its most ancient bits, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon. 

How to Use Your Cell Phone in Italy - You can. And it's EASY!

A working cell phone while traveling is pretty much indispensable. To me, it's like comfortable shoes or clean underwear. And while you can try to get by updating your Instagram by using the many places you can get free WiFi (I did that on my honeymoon), having a working cell phone eliminates a lot of stress by enabling you to make calls, use google maps, communicate, update your Instagram, and just feel like you are still connected to the world even though you may be a world away from home.

Suspended Google+ Account?? What do I do?

Hi everyone,

I was notified today when I went to sign into my blog here that my Google+ account has been suspended for violation of Google policies because it appeared my account is a spammer? Unless I have been hacked I have no clue how my account could be a "spammer" because I never even post to Google+.

I have not violated any Google policies (that I know of) and am super confused. Until I get it resolved I have to use a "limited blogger profile" and I don't know what that means.

Anyone with Google+ experience or experience with your Google+ account being suspended can you please email me or comment with what the heck I should do??

Thank you!

UPDATE: Account reinstated. PHEW! That was bizarre. Now we can return back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Italy Tour 2018 - Rome Day One

Let's get this Italy visit recap party started. This morning I woke up at 6 am so it seems the jet lag is wearing off and I'm coming back to American time. 6 am is much better than 4 am for sure! So where do we begin? Rome!

Swatch: OPI Italian Love Affair

I'm up at 4:30 AM this morning because apparently I am still on Italy time but that is perfectly fine because it gave me the opportunity to post a swatch here on the blog! This is possibly the most animated pink I have ever used and the name is so perfect to kick off a stream of posts about all things Italy.

Celebrating Our First Wedding Anniversary + Sneak Peak of Our Trip to Italy