TJM: Total Jo Jo Move

Europe 2017 Trip: Looking Back If you've ever visited my site before, you might remember my stories and tips from a European adventure. In summer of 2017, I took a fantastic 3-week trip with Mary Pat, Lindsey, and Paul to celebrate our college graduations.                     Whether you have or haven't read any of my other posts, here's a little recap of the route we took. Just us girls  started in Madrid  3 days where I got to practice a lot of Spanish-speaking, and then we  hopped over to Marrakesh, Morocco  for the next 3 days— ask any of us and this was the most incredible part of our trip, which you can read about if you'd like! After a short 12-hour stopover in Valencia, we met Paul and our mom in  Palermo, Sicily  A relaxing 5-day visit with our extended family was the perfect middle portion of our trip. We lounged on beaches across the island of Sicily, shopped a little, did some sight-se...

2017 Europe Trip: Week 2, Part 2 Rome & Cinque Terre It’s been 2 years since I traipsed through Europe with Lindsey and Mary Pat (and Paul and Mom) and had the time of our lives. TWO whole years & I still can't believe how magical it was (& I still won't shut up about it— sorry not sorry) Every time I look up at my bedroom wall of postcards, I think of a special moment, sight, or food from our trip. When I glance at my postcard of the famed Coliseum, I think of our first night in Rome after a dinner that really was mediocre, but afterwards we stopped in a corner bakery for a chocolate dessert (of course) and walked right down the street to the Coliseum. We saw it all lit up at night, watched a group of teens take photos in their formal dresses for a school dance, and gazed up recognizing just how huge and ancient that seemingly-unfinished venue is. When I see my other Rome postcard, of a colorful sunset behind St. Peter’s ...