the cheese to my macaroni.

I love my family.

I don't have that much to say here, but do you get much better than this "stone cold pack of weirdos." How did I get so lucky?

~ciao~

explore.

Sometimes you need to just get out & explore! Life is so much more fun when you're seeing, touching, hearing, smelling & living in the outdoors & mingling with the natives.

Whether you're in New York preparing for a new step in your life, backpacking through Europe on your own after college, moving to another country with a one-way ticket or just traveling with your family, make the most of it! Have a little or a lot of fun & get out there & EXPLORE!

This holiday break (this is a bit belated), my parents & I traveled to Peru & the Galapagos. We met the people, we walked the streets, we learned how to make colors out of bugs, we trekked on ancient ruins & cities, we swam with sea lions, we got our hands dirty, we played local bar games, we watched Sally Lightfoot crabs' mating dance, we ate the food (guinea pig & alpaca) & drank the drink, we listened to the music & we (attempted) to talk the talk! It was an experience to remember & something I couldn't even try to forget.

We started off in Peru with our "dear friend," Guido & became engrossed immediately in the city of Lima.  Sometimes it's hard to get out of a geocentric mindset. I visit a city in another country knowing it's not permanent, knowing that in a few weeks, I will be back at home sleeping in my own bed.  I forget that for millions of other people, this is their life. They walk these streets every day, they wear these clothes & they pass those buildings. For me it's travel, for them it's life.

Lima was a bustling city. There were cars everywhere, tall buildings, shopping malls, museums & even a coast line. There were parks & homeless people, bicyclists, stray cats & litter on the streets.  There was graffiti on the walls, street art being sold, bus stops, Starbucks & Subways on the corners & restaurants everywhere. The city I'm describing doesn't sound that different from Chicago or New York, but let me tell you... it was a whole other world.

Something interesting about Lima is that it never rains. EVER. Lima averages less than 1 inch of rain per year & it shows too. The city is dry & the roofs of all the buildings & homes are flat. Who needs a slanting roof when there's no rain? Another different aspect is how Lima itself is broken up into several different areas. When driving in the city, you can cross an invisible line & the city goes from clean & neat to trash piled everywhere with dogs rolling in anything they can muster. That invisible line is the difference between a governor with money & a good following & a governor with no funds on the brink of being booted out. The city was a checker board of safe & sketchy areas.

Once in the country, there was no questioning where you were. The people dressed in the brightest colors, wore the coolest hats & lived the most interesting, yet simple lifestyle. While nothing seemed to be actually going on... everything was happening. Little girls would sing to us for petty change, small snacks or stickers, women would sell everything & anything they could get their hands on & kids would scream in excitement over a small bracelet or trinket. They were a crafty bunch & it was cool seeing different ways people use their skills. Every skill had a purpose.

Now it's time to talk about Machu Picchu... It was crazy. I literally (yes... actually literally) have goosebumbs as I am even thinking about the place. I can't even imagine what Hiram Bingham thought as he pushed aside the overgrown Amazon bushes & saw that he was standing on an ancient Incan city from the 15th century.  How did this society build & sustain a life on the side of a jagged mountain in the middle of nowhere? Seriously... how? It was so incredible that it is hard to explain. I would love to return one day & hike the four-day Inca trail.  I would love to walk up to the Sun Gate once again, but this time from the other side, & see Machu Picchu sneaking out from behind the fog. I know that would just taste so good after four days of hiking & waiting.

We did tons of other stuff in Peru too, but if you've actually made it this far... you're probably about ready for me to quit writing; however, I haven't even talked about the Galapagos yet & you don't want to miss this! It will be quick... I promise!!!

This was our friend, the sea lion... he just wanted to play & luckily he invited us to join him! This little guy had so much personality & it made our adventure awesome! He swam with us in the water, barked like a dog, chewed sticks & practically played fetch.  He is the dog of the sea & for good reasons too!

 
The final most incredible part of this adventure was the group we traveled with. We went on a tour to these amazing places with a company called, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) & we were lucky enough to have the most dynamic & incredible individuals traveling alongside us. It was great getting to interact with people who have done such amazing things, have lived in incredible places, have traveled to the strangest locations, have been through crazy experiences & in the end, all ended up on a dusty road in the middle of Ollantaytambo with a huge smile on their faces & a taste for adventure.  I know this experience could have been 100% different & 100% less thrilling if the group had been a dud. But the group was awesome & I wouldn't have wanted anything to change; not even 1%.

Anyway, now is the time to explore. Now is the time to go outside. Now is the time to travel. Now is the time to follow the wind. Because there just isn't a better time than now.  Whether you do it now, or do it in 5 years... guess how old you'll be in 5 years? You'll be 5 years older... (good math, I know).

This is cliche, but I love it, because it reminds me of my aunt... so here it goes.  "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years!"-Good ole Abe Lincoln. So I'll say it again, get out there & EXPLORE today!

~ciao~

senioritis.

I thought high school "senioritis" was bad, but let me tell you straight... college senioritis is 3735735 times worse.  & it's not that I am anti-work, rather I am itching to get out & take what I've learned & turn it into something real.  It's a scary thought though... this REAL WORLD enigma.  Most would probably describe it as a love/hate relationship.  You see... we don't want to go, but we don't want to leave.  We are in a state of limbo, caught between the comfort we feel in our (most-likely) paid-for apartments, with our close-by friends, our Nike shorts & big t-shirt combo, our "free" guidance counselors, the proximity we have to "pizza by the slice" & Chipotle, our weekly allowances, our flexibility to do as we please & 24/5 libraries with a Starbucks!

But the real world isn't this comfortable.  There are bills, there are the numbers 9 & 5 that become awfully repetitive, there are real consequences, there are scary (Sigourney Weaver-esque from "Working Girl") bosses, there are new people... & lots of them, there's actual commitment & there's real rejection.

For me, I am in denial.  I am denying the fact that in a few short months I will be turning (or feeling *Shout out to T-Swift) 22, that I will be signing up for my final semester of college, that I will be graduating from the University of Florida with a real college degree, that I will (hopefully) be leaving Florida & starting a career.

Although I am ready & I have stretched my wings in preparation for my flight out of "The Swamp..." I am scared.  Everything I know is here.  It's so scary stepping out of my comfort zone.  I know I'm not the only one who feels that way, but sometimes it just feels like a #personalproblem.  (Yes... I did just hashtag on my blog. "NO RAGRETS").

Anyway... there are a couple things that I feel lucky enough to have as I reach my final months of childhood (& I say child because... let's be honest) & they are:
1. My Mom
2. My Dad

The parents... aka, the rocks.  I know no matter where I go & what I do my parents have my back & will be there for me.  I am so lucky to have them in my life, especially now as I take the biggest leap of all... REALITY.   

Thank you so much for being more than just motivators & figures of respect, but also my friend.  I love you both so much!

Now I just need to get past the "slowness, the procrastination, the... blah blah blah... too lazy to write it all... blah blah blah... apathy" symptoms of sEnIoRiTiS!

~ciao~

spontaneity.

There is a well-known expression, “not all who wander are lost,” but sometimes you just are.  

This week, my mom & I flew to St. Louis to visit my grandpa after his heart surgery.  We spent the 3 days showing him the much-needed love & hanging out with other family members until returning home to Stuart. 

On the way home, our flight to Chicago was delayed & therefore, our connection home was missed.  If you know the Harvey clan at all than you know we have had zero luck in airports lately, stuck in a land my mom likes to call “airport hell.”  In the past 2 years, every storm across the country & every issue a plane could have left us in another lovely airport hotel.  (Shoutout to AC for providing Marriott love when the going got rough & the airport wasn't able to help a sista out).  

Anyway… here we were, “Mommy & Rachele together at last without those icky boys” stuck in Chicago for the night with a 9:20 am flight.  After the initial disappointment of landing in Chicago after our flight home took off in front of us, I came up with the most brilliant beyond brilliant of plans.  What if we took advantage of this sucky situation & spent the following day exploring the city?  Make lemons out of lemonade, right? 

Now I know everyone approaches their moms differently because moms are known to self-destruct at any time, especially when under unnecessary stress, but for my mom, you just have to work that pros list, mix in a little chutzpah, smile uncontrollably, & make her laugh.  It only took me 4 hours to work my argument until she was calling American Airlines herself to change our flight to 6 pm the following day.  She may have whined along the way in her little exasperated struggle that usually gets me to stop heckling her, but I didn’t budge, & if I hadn’t, this blog wouldn’t exist.  

When moms go rogue take 1.  

Of course when I called AA at first, a woman answered, who could smell my fear & lack of domineering chutzpah, & told me changing our flight to a later departure time would cost us $200 a person.  I hung up feeling defeated after fighting my mom for 4 hours to simply consider the idea of “spontaneity,” but I convinced her to use her feminine wiles to change their minds.  The truth is… my mom’s got talent.  I am pretty sure she could smell the fear on the operator and he had no choice but to give the woman what she wanted.  6 pm flight, no charge, plenty of seats, badabing badaboom.

We ate a deep-dish dinner at Gino’s Eastside to maintain our figures & then woke up to a day in Chicago.  We began our spontaneous adventure with an architecture boat cruise through the city, a trip down memory lane for my mom & a practically brand new memory for me (I had visited Chicago once before circa 1998, but due to recent budget cuts in memory & in iCloud storage, I have very little space in my brain for vacations pre-2001.  They gotta be there somewhere though, right?).  

Anyway, the water cruise was beautiful & the city has buildings like no other.  Apparently after the 1871 fire that Ms. O'Leary's cow started, Chicago created an architecture competition to rebuild the city.  Therefore, it is a relatively new city that grew right alongside Lake Michigan.  The buildings tower alongside the river that snakes through the heart of the city & what is even more special is that a walking path has been preserved all along the river for pedestrians & joggers to enjoy.  

After the end of the tour, we walked along the river walk & up to the street level on Michigan Avenue where we explored.  The eclectic architecture between modern, classical, & impressionism was fun to look at & the size of everything around us was much larger than anything we’d ever see in Stuart, obviously.  Fun Fact: the only hill in Stuart used to be a landfill…  

Once we walked up & down the “Magnificent Mile” a few times, we crossed the river toward Millennium Park to see “The Bean.”  This strange curvaceous structure is fairly new to Chicago, but is an interesting sculpture because it reflects the view of the city & yourself & it is shaped like… you guessed it, A BEAN!

Our walkabout Chicago was short-lived, but definitely a positive compared to being stuck in “airport hell” with a displeased attitude.  We felt like Ferris Bueller for the day… skipping out on reality to a day in the city.  Maybe we didn’t have a random parade to “twist & shout to” or a visit to the impressionist museum to stare at tiny dots for hours, but we did have our spontaneous outing that was 100% out of character… maybe not for Ferris, but for us!  

I have known my mom for a little over 21 years now, & I will admit she is pretty fantastic all-around, but specifically what I can say about her is that she can plan.  Whether it is a safari in Africa, a RV adventure through Alaska, a Spring Break trip to Costa Rica, a ski trip to Colorado, a summer getaway in Europe, a tour through China, a road trip up the east coast, a casual visit with Daniel, or my Bat Mitzvah in Israel, my mom has an itinerary planned out & sent to family, friends, pets, the police station, & any acquaintances in the tri-state area.  She is more organized than most people I know & can plan a trip like a ninja on steroids.  Her keen sense of travel is what has made my childhood such a perfect adventure & has given us all such wonderful lives.  

So… I guess what I am trying to say is that my mom has always been a planner.  This, of course, is not a negative, but is an attribute that I believe highly describes her motivated self.  That is why this spontaneous layover in Chicago was a wonderful surprise to me.  I have to admit I did not think I’d win the argument, but I guess that is what is great about my mom… she always puts myself & Daniel & Scott first because she loves seeing us happy.  

I don’t remember where I heard this story… it may have been a question Daniel asked or just some oral tale passed down among knowing mothers, but I was told that a child turned to his or her mother once on Mother’s Day & said, “why isn’t there a kids day?”  The mother than replied with, “because every day is kids day.”  & it’s true.  How lucky are we kids to have a day devoted to us almost every day of the year?

But today is her day.  Happy Mother’s Day to the most devoted & wonderful MAMA BEAR around.  I know I have written posts before about how lucky I am to have a mom like mine, but sometimes she just goes above & beyond… like all the time really.  I love that you can laugh at yourself & your stupid questions, I love that you call me “Baby Bear,” I love that when you smile your face does too, I love that you listen, I love that you are sensitive like me, I love that you have specified “off duty” times of the day, I love that you recycled that vest that you loved so much (you know what I’m talking about), I love that you like to travel, I love that you can talk to anyone & to walls, I love that you have chutzpah, & I love that you love me (PS: Everyone else out there who is reading this should be SUPER jealous that she is not your mom because she is awesome & you’re missing out!!!).  

I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU LOVE ME! (& it is possible…).

-Ciao

pictures.

I have been having a blast the last few days snapping pictures of some of my favorite people!  Just look at these beautiful people! 

__________________________________________________________________

Let me know if you need any pictures done for graduation, or applications, or for fun, or for just a good 'ole smile!

~ciao

bahama mamas.

Usually during Spring Break I hit the slopes in Colorado with my family, which is always super fun, but as promised, I come back pale & with dry skin, while everyone else is perfectly bronzed & sun kissed.  Not this year ladies & gentlemen... I decided to switch up my tactics a little bit & fall under the spell of the "college spring break."  A vacation to me has always been the opposite of that typical "paradise."  The snow is my happy place, but sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet & cruise with the rest of them.  So I jumped into Spring Break 2014 with a cruise to the Bahamas to become a "Bahama Mama!" 

So my roommates & I set out on an adventure to Miami to set sail on the Norwegian Sky for 4 glorious days with crystal clear oceans, white sand beaches, tropical drinks, & relaxing.  It's like that song... "I like sipping piña coladas... & getting caught in the Bahamas with 368357247254 other college students... blah blah blah... & getting caught in the rain." Those are the lyrics, right?  Well, if not all those things happened anyway.

Well anyway, this week was quite the experience.  Compared to my casual family Spring Breaks, this crazy cruise ship was crawling with college kids drowning the pain of failed midterms in $9 drinks at the bars.  I am not lying when I say the ship had about 90% college students & 10% families.  & boy did I feel bad for that minority group.  The American families were aware of the college cruise phenomenon enough to steer clear of the ships, but the foreign families just looked shell-shocked at all times.  I don't know what they were saying, but the facial expressions said it all.  It's like they have never seen American students fighting over college football while double fisting a beer in one hand & long island ice tea in the other.  Seriously though... 

On our first port of call was an island owned by the cruise line called Great Stirrup Cay, where we took a tender to the island & snorkeled in the water.  There was a ship wreck in the water for us to look at & we took sweet underwater pics with my Gopro.  The only thing that is rough about the Gopro is that you can't view any of the pictures you've taken so it is legitimate torture waiting to see what you captured.  Especially on a cruise since I didn't carry my laptop with me!  But when you do it's comparable to "The Hangover," except with laughs, because of the attractive angles taken with the fish eye lens.  Kerry understands...

So after spending the entire day in the sun & swimming & barely finishing A SINGLE piña colada (really I drank about half & Rebecca jumped in to save me from Spring Break embarrassment), we returned to the tender.  I know... I am pretty crazy.  

Anyway, it was one of the last tender's back to the ship so we got some of the rowdiest leftovers.  At this moment we learned that the 3 main colleges aboard the Norwegian Sky were UCF, FAU, & then the smallest third, UF (Go Gator), which is important because "Drunkie 1," an FAU Owl in the flesh, was stirring up some real fights with his negativity on this past Gator football season.  I forgot how well those Owls did... oh wait. They didn't...  The best part of this encounter was when "Drunkie 2," a UF Gator gal, pushed "Drunkie 1" to the ground & the boat roared with claps.  & this was just day 1. 

Señor Frogs.

I literally don't know how they do it... they drink all day, they drink all night, & I am the one taking naps & falling asleep before the 11:30 pm dance party on Deck 11.  Are they robots?

On day 2 we traveled to Nassau, where we walked around the city for a bit.  We walked up & down the main drag before making the trek to Fat Tuesday right on the beach.  I was all about drinking the Bellini flavored slushee that tasted like smiles & laying out with my favorite roommates.  

By this time, the college students have been drinking for almost 3 days straight.  Still standing, slightly comprehensive, no recollection.  I think I may have been doing Spring Break all wrong... that's okay though because I still had a blast. No rAgrets (not even just one letter?).  If you don't understand, watch "We are the Millers," than you might laugh. Maybe. 

Day 3 on Grand Bahama Island, our last port of call, was a great wrap up of the vacation.  We tanned on that windy day, climbed some trees, played with babies, got flashed, had blue tongues, & danced like no one was watching.  You may or may not have caught the "got flashed" portion of that sentence... everything I say is true.  For real.

Overall the week was a blast!  I am so glad that I succumbed to the cliché college adventure & that I have some great side kicks to keep me going.  A big shout out to my parents for funding my strides, Caitlin's & Michaela's parents for their driving generosity, & for Kerry's family for the welcoming stays! I hope everyone had a fun & safe #sb2014.   

        

-Ciao

my best friend.

Let me tell you a few things about my best friend:
1. he is the cutest,
2. he has beautiful blue eyes,
3. he has the most loving heart,
4. he is super funny,
5. he loves his cereal,
6. he is beyond stylish,
7. he is in love with my grandma,
8. he is 88 years old,
9. he is my grandfather, &
10. his name is FRED.

Grandpa Fred has obviously been in my life long before my life even existed, but as long as I have existed, Grandpa Fred has been my best friend.  I blame him!  He turned to me one day & said, "Are you my best friend?"  & obviously the answer was (& still is) YES!  To this day he knows who his best friend is. We are just 2 peas in a pod! 

See! Best friends since the beginning!

He is a man of many habits... habits that have defined him practically my entire life.  He ALWAYS wakes up wearing his pajama shorts set, he ALWAYS showers & gets pretty right away, he ALWAYS blow drys his hair, he ALWAYS eats his "Grandpa Fred's cereal" of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, & half a banana, he ALWAYS has a glass of water with him at ALL times, he ALWAYS wears his white tennis sneakers, he ALWAYS gets coffee at McDonald's (pays sometimes with "refillable" cups & makes friends with the managers), he has ALWAYS been a neat freak (napkins in the car, garages cleaner than bedrooms, & cabinets shut before you have a chance to look up), he has ALWAYS been stylish & devilishly handsome, he has ALWAYS been active & he has ALWAYS been a man who everybody loves to be around.

It has always been a running joke in our family that my mom once said, "I'm so glad WE married Fred" because he bought her a brand new car.  But in reality, that is far from a joke because Grandpa Fred is the best.  I mean what would we do without him?  Heck, "I'm so glad WE married Fred."  He is good to everyone; good to my adorable Grandma, his three children, my mom & her sisters, & of course ALL of his grandchildren, like me!  Also, he makes everyone feel like you are HIS favorite, like you're the only one that matters (but I know the truth... I'm the favorite! Shhh, don't tell anyone!).    


Anyway, this past semester I had the pleasure of spending a whole (surprise) weekend with my grandparents.  It was a quick decision, but one weekend I packed up my bags & headed toward St. Pete for an impromptu visit.  I called their house phone as I pulled into their driveway, walked up to the front door with my grandma on the phone, knocked, & waited for the surprise.  She walked up to her frosted front door & said, "who is it?"  I responded with "me," which apparently was not enough information because she retorted with a "who's me?"  It took her a few minutes to register the name Rachele because coincidentally she was on the phone with that same person.  She cocked her head in confusion & yelled out to grandpa that his best friend was here (he didn't need any other explanation  because he only has one best friend... Duhhh).  I walked into the kitchen & he just stared at me like, wait... what?

Heist complete! I foiled the grandparents!  They never saw it coming!  But the weekend was a success & my favorite part was seeing that grandpa's "wit & wink" tactics were still going on strong.  He was always a jokester & sometimes my grandma just misses the punch line (we love her that way!!!)... & when that happens, I get this knowing wink from my best friend (we tricked her again!).  His secret is safe with me!  There is so much youthful energy in my best friend!

But I will tell you, one of the fondest memories I have of my best friend was the time we took a pit stop at Publix for a few provisions.  My grandma popped in while my grandpa & I hovered around the lot waiting for her.  We were parked in front of the store when she walked out & headed for the car.  My grandpa stared for a moment & looked back at me with pure love in his eyes & said, "Isn't she just the most beautiful gal you've ever seen?"

I don't think I will ever forget the day he said that to me.  Somehow it was moving & made me think back to the "I'm so glad we married Fred" because I know my life (& everybody's lives) wouldn't be half as perfect without Grandpa Fred!  We aren't just glad he's in our lives, we are lucky! 

To end this post, I would like to show off more of his charm with a story my Aunt posted on Facebook: He was sitting in the hospital when the CEO walked in to make sure he was comfortable.  He asked if there was anything else my grandpa would like & he responded with a joking twinkle in his eye, "you could bring me an ice cream sundae."  Can you guess what happened?  Yep.  My grandpa won over the hospital staff too & dined on a perfectly good hot fudge sundae.

Life is good when Grandpa Fred is part of your life. Love you BEST FRIEND!