Roman Rambo: Episode II

Thrice I've tried to write a final blog on my Italian experience.
I simply don't know what to say.

I can't decide whether to talk about the amazing people I traveled with, the [without a doubt-- worth it] 10 pounds of tasty Italian food that resides in my hips, or the personal growth I experienced. 

So i guess I'll touch on all of those topics.

The People:







Paulette
Let me introduce you to one of the most beautiful people I know-- inside and out. She is a mother at heart, says what she means and means what she says, and this summer, she fell in love with Rome. I believe every person should have a place that just floods you with energy-- and I know that place for Paulette is Rome. I will miss her with every ounce of my being and I feel so blessed to have met such a fun-loving person.









Emily
When I think of Emily, I think of music, cleaning, gnocchi, and an unforgettable bike ride. She is about as down to earth as they come-- a quality I will forever admire. She thinks in music and lyrics just like me, and never takes life too seriously. I love that about her. As I said in a Facebook caption, I will miss her more than gelato.







 
Carlos
If everyone could see the world through the eyes of Carlos, I'm convinced they'd be a more cheerful person. I've never met somebody so expressive about how beautiful something is. I love his sass, his Disney smile, and his warm heart. Forever his Italian girlfriend, xoxo.

Max

I have so much appreciation for a guy like Max. Always there to save the day and give a helping hand. No matter what dilemma the group had at any point in time, Massimo to the rescue! A true gentleman. 

Sherrie
Sherrie is a saint. We'll start with that. From the very beginning, when I was checking out this program and attending the meetings, I told my friend Molly, "I just can't figure out this Sherrie lady; she's so cool." I am so glad I got to know such an inspiring woman. I forever wish I could be as fit and independent as her.








Gianfranco
Paulette and I joked that we should get "GF" tattoos on our wrists so that we can carry Gianfranco's spirit with us everywhere we go. This man has the best outlook on life. He is all about being happy and most of all, no stress. I will truly miss his enthusiasm, humor and charm.







Molly
Last but not least, my lifelong pal Molly. I am so grateful that she informed me of this trip and let me be her travel buddy! I realized how precious of a gift it is to still be friends with someone who you played with in diapers. I will forever be jealous of her natural intelligence. We shared so many laughs on this trip and we didn't kill each other! So I'd consider that a success :)







The Cuisine:

The food in Italia is impossibly perfect. They tell you gelato is heaven, and indeed it is. I had at least one cone every. single. day. And sometimes two!
With no regrets, I admit that I only had true Italian pizza (that is, not the take out kind) ONE night. That's right. The "pasta masta" (as some of my friends call me) ate pasta every. single. night. 
Fettucine Bolognese is the closest to Nirvana I've ever been. 

I could go on about the food forever; but I think these pictures do pretty good justice.

The "Soul Vacation":
Last of all, the soul searching side of Italy.
I came into this trip in no way expecting to find out who I really was; but inevitably I did.

I learned that alcohol tolerance is quite minimal for a girl my size. 
I learned that it's not necessarily about where you travel but who you travel with.
I learned that Bill Nye was right when he said, "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't."
I learned that the petty everyday problems of America are just that-- petty.
I realized that McDonald's rules the world.
And above all, I realized that when you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, he's with you everywhere you go. Even across the pond!

About mid-trip; my good friend and roommate Emily had asked me if I had found a song that represented this trip for me. I pondered that question for the next couple of weeks.
It wasn't until my very last weekend, on a plane to Paris--and oddly enough--listening to a playlist that Emily herself had created for me-- that I found my song.

It's a song that talks of living life to the fullest; but also remaining true to yourself. I simply could not summarize what this trip meant to me in any better way than it does; give it a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sENM2wA_FTg

Grazie for bearing with my long and rambling blog post.
This summer in Rome was simply the experience of a lifetime. 

Ciao ragazzi,
Miranda

Roman Rambo: Episode I

Ciao from Rome.


If you follow me on social media, I'm sure you're aware of my current location: la citta' eterna. That's right, I've been in the great city of Rome for the past 3 weeks for "school."But really, I've been having awesome experiences with awesome people while eating awesome food.
I went into this journey not giving much thought to blogging about it-- perhaps I was too overwhelmed with preparing for the trip in general. Then, once my time here began I decided I would simply journal once a week, so as to make my thoughts more personal and also to refrain from focusing my energy on social media whilst living a dream.

And now, I've decided to at least blog a mid-trip synopsis. But not of every ancient ruin and famous building I've beheld.
Instead, I want to fill you in on what it really feels like being worlds away from home in a completely different continent, country, and culture.


Things I've found worthwhile to talk about:

1) Massimo
My coffee man. Coffee in general is a topic in itself. 
A bar in America brings to mind beer, ESPN, and perhaps voluptuous women. 
A bar in Italy, however, is a coffee shop, usually located along the sidewalk of a lively piazza, complete with umbrella'd tables and accustomed locals. 
Massimo is a slightly-older-than-middle-aged man with curly locks and a warm smile. I know his name only through observation of his business' morning traffic-- he doesn't speak a lick of English. And I like that. 
I find our language barrier to be enjoyable--our smiles do all the talking.
And his croissants are out of this world. Cornetto con crema (sigh): a blessed buttery croissant, filled with Italian custard and lightly showered with powdered sugar-- I never dreamt I would ever have to make such a bold statement, but literally, these things are better than Krispy Kreme doughnuts. 

2) The Italian Mindset
I came here expecting every Italian to be out-of-their-way nice, warm and kind. I have no idea what gave me that expectation but, nonetheless, that was the standard I had set.
Not so much.
The grocery lady gets mad that I don't immediately know I'm supposed to bag my own groceries, the more popular coffee shop bartender gets agitated when I'm standing in the wrong place, and an Italian elderly woman cusses me in the middle of the street. 
What can I say? Can I blame them? I am, after all, a stupid American.
But something I have noticed that I admire about the Italians is their view on life. You don't have to speak to them for their values to be noticed. They take two hours off in the middle of the day to eat a multi-course lunch with their family. Most businesses are closed on Sunday. Dinner doesn't begin until 8 or 9. They're playing harmonicas outside my window at 2:30 A.M. on a Wednesday.
Everything that an American couldn't ever imagine being relaxed and acceptable is, in fact, relaxed and acceptable.

3) Conservatives & Preservatives
If you ever want to feel like a hoochy mama, wear a typical "I'm a Floridian" summer outfit in Rome. 
I have been here 21 days, not one day has been by any stretch of the imagination "cool," and yet all the locals are dressed astonishingly layered and covered. There is no cleavage, no knees, no curves. All clothing is flowy, layered, and long. 
I have mad respect for this.
Whereas conservatism is a way of live, preservatives are unheard of here. A concept I can't decide if I like or hate.
Pros: you know the food you get at restaurants is almost always the real deal, you don't have to scrub your apple before you eat it, you feel more wholesome about what you're consuming
Cons: the spaghetti you made last night WILL spoil within 48 hours, refrigerator and all.

It's been a great experience thus far.
My biggest piece of advice? Stop living life looking forward to something so much that you have these vivid expectations. Rome -- Italy in general--is nothing like I imagined, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.





Ciao, ragazzi
- Rambo

Why I Love My Mom

Ten years ago, I was a short, harry potter-glassed, long-haired fourth grade student. 

Ten years ago, I broke my mother's heart when I hopped into her vehicle and told her I had just wrote about my favorite person for the Florida Writes. I told her I wrote about my Dad. 



I can still see her face drop.

Ten years later, way overdue, I'm trying to make up for that. 

Here are ten things I love about my Mother:

1) She loves with all her heart. 
Our family is kind of like the Brady Bunch-- a "yours, mine, and ours" type of thing; but my Mom loves us all as her own. She would do anything to make sure that any one of us are happy. 
One of my favorite memories is when I was crying my eyes out in middle school over a boy. All her soothing words just weren't curing my heartache. But then she promised me that if I wanted to marry that same boy in 10 years, she would flat out pay him to marry me! Now that's love.

2) She is the Hostess with the Mostest
My mom can throw a party like it's nobody's business. We have a whole hallway in our house dedicated to fine china and tablecloths for such occasions. 
Anytime somebody around town announces an engagement or bun in the oven, she can soon be spotted plotting together a party with other girlfriends. 
I secretly love to watch my mom prepare for such things. It's a huge trip to Sam's Club, cleaning the house days ahead of time, a little bit of stress and a dash of yankee candles… And perhaps a few tears. But by the time the event comes around, she only wears the most beautiful smile you've seen.

3) Her Humility
Mom is truly one of the most humble people you will meet. It's a huge contributor to her great personality. In a family full of pride and arrogance, she is the meek and mild angel. She is tender and warm and never proud although she has so many reasons to be-- (especially regarding #4)

4) She is the best cook in town (Williston AND Cedar Key)
Yes, I know. Every child prefers their mother's cooking. THIS IS NOT A BIASED BULLET POINT-- MY MOM LITERALLY COOK'S THE BEST. 
Cooking is my mom's passion. Okay--scratch that. Hospitality is my Mom's passion but the best way she shows it is through her cooking!
Everyone love's Janice's cooking; they just do.
One of my favorite things is when one of us asks her what she thinks is in a particular dish at a restaurant. She'll take a little taste sit there and ponder for a moment, and then name off every ingredient, spice, and how she thinks they prepared it. It's awesome.

5) She was never one of "those moms"
Thank God for my Mom, really.
My mom never made me be in a pageant.
She never encouraged me into cheerleading.
She never pushed me into having a boyfriend.

And in earlier years,
She never restricted me from soda or junk food
… and that's important to me :) haha

6) She is my Dad's partner in life
My mom loves my [sometimes difficult] Dad-- and that's important. She works with him, and a lot of her energy is put into my Dad's firm.
She is a good wife. And even though I find it silly, when I come home, I often find her worrying about having some dinner ready for him when he's done with work.
Just the other night, she expressed to me how she never really wants to be anywhere without my Dad. That's just beautiful to me. 

7) She is an awesome "Mam"
I love seeing my parents with their grandkids. 
Mom loves to spoil them whenever she has the chance. I love when Easter comes around and she prepares the baskets for them. She goes ALL OUT.

Just the other day my nephew Ford was staying the night with us and all he wanted when his parents were around was a silly bag of chips.
Needless to say, once they left, Ford ate chips for dinner and breakfast the next morning :)

8) Her skin
Okay, yeah-- that title was awkward. But Mom's face is honestly flawless. This was a very superficial bullet point, but I think a middle aged woman without wrinkles deserves a serious applause. 

9) She is a tomboy at heart
I love that my mom can pull off this fancy attorney's wife facade, but really, she would rather be fishing!
I never inherited that gene from her, but I've always admired it. She is passionate about a simple life on the water. So much so that she wants to be cremated and have her ashes spread across the Gulf of Mexico… And we had a whole family discussion about it 2 weeks ago. :)

10) She is MINE
I was lucky enough to be the accident child of a beautiful marriage. I am so thankful to be the daughter of such an inspirational woman.
She has helped mold me into the young woman I am today and for that I am eternally grateful.
Imagine-- without her influence I'd just be a miniature Norm Fugate ;)

I love you, Mom-- Happy Mother's Day!

A Story I Should Have Shared 2 Weeks Ago

To begin, please pardon my excessive outfit of the day posts. Life has, as it often time does, become hectic.
The time has come once again to prepare for finals and I have been trying my best to just get my grades on the borderline of passing and thus, have had no time to post meaningful entries. Forgive me.

But this is something God has laid on my heart to share with you all and I hope you will be uplifted as I was when it happened to me.
Sometimes God gives us little treasures in our life-- and sometimes, He wants us to expose them to others.

So here's my story:

Two weeks ago I was worn pretty thin. I had just bombed an exam that I had felt I prepared for pretty well-- but it just wasn't enough.
During taking that exam, I was mad. I was furious. I wanted to quit after merely five questions, go up to the professor and give him a piece of my mind! I know some of you that know me could never see that happening, but please remember I am a Fugate.
By the grace of God I finished the exam-- thinking rationally and picking the best answer I possibly could. I left without a word.

As I walked across campus, tears welled up in my eyes. This was the third test out of four that I didn't do well on. My average in this class was already a D. This was a prerequisite course that I must pass to get into nursing school-- which I had already applied for. What was I going to do?
I finally made it to my car and decided-- against my hard-headed will-- that I would turn the radio to 106.9 The Pulse on the way home-- knowing, even if it went through one ear and out the other, I needed Christian music playing in the background.

By the time I made it to state road 121, my emotions had settled a little. I felt calmer, and I couldn't help but notice the beauty of the countryside. It was about 5:30 and the sun had just began it's decent in the western sky. As I noticed how beautiful this all was, Kari Jobe's song, "We Are" was playing in the background.

The words penetrated my heart:
So wake up sleeper, lift your head
We were meant for more than this
Fight the shadows, conquer death
Make the most of the time we have left

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world 
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

I knew at that moment that I had to let my light shine-- even through all my worry about my grade-- and even more so-- my future. 

I knew at that moment that regardless of the struggle I was in at that moment-- I needed to lift my chin up and praise God, because even though this situation was tough, He is still GOOD. (yes I meant to type good, not God lol) And that someone may benefit from my light shining-- because I, as a child of God, am the light of the world. 

So while processing this, and taking in the immense beauty of the countryside, I decided to take a picture. I realize it wasn't the safest idea ever-- but I used safety precautions, and kept my eyes on the road using my nifty side button to capture the pictures. I took several, with the intent of sharing one on Instagram with the above lyrics... After looking through the several snapshots, I found this...

My God is real folks.

And He is there and cares even in the midst of me freaking out over something as minuscule as a grade.

What do you see?

A cross?

Cross-heirs?

I will let you decide what this all means to you-- and hopefully you will be inspired and impacted by this in your own unique way.

I will fear no evil (or grades, or failures, or humiliation)

For my God is with me

And if my God is with me

WHOM THEN SHALL I FEAR?

May the Peace that only my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can offer, be with you

    - Miranda

Bohemian Rhapsody

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide-- no escape from reality.

Open your eyes....

Okay so maybe this isn't the most boho of outfits I've ever created-- but I thought this title was just irresistible.

So these boho-kimono-sweater things are really in style right now. 

Lol I have no idea what you call them.

But I feel like at least one could be very beneficial for your closet!

I got mine at-- in fact-- my least favorite store ever: Buckle. 

I have this huge thing against blingy hundred dollar jeans that girls think are the cats meow. They're just not. Haha.

But, I had a gift card so, dreadfully, I went in there... and found this steal!

My kimono thing is light grey with a pretty floral pattern and gorgeous beige lace embroidery. 

I've noticed on Pinterest, Instagram, and other social media that's it's super trendy to pair these what-have-you's with a crop top and high waisted shorts.

So that's what I did. 

My crop top is from Forever 21. It's long sleeved and super fitted. I just bunched up the sleeves so that they wouldn't peak through my dinglehopper. (I must admit, this was slightly a bad choice on a typical hot and humid Florida day.)

I created my high-waisted shorts from a pair of boy's Gap jeans from Goodwill. It's always best to get a size or two larger than your waist in boys jeans and then cut them off about 2 inches below the crotch. I'm lazy, so I just fold them a couple times until they look right-- but if you desire, you could play with the scissors and create a grungy fringe or even sew some lace to those babies. 

But...

#aintnobodygottimefodat

My Jesus sandals (Forever 21) are and have been my favorite pair of footwear since age 16 . The soles have fallen off thrice but I have kept supergluing them back on. I am not ready to let go quite yet lol...

This necklace is one of my favorites from H&M... $12.95 if I recall correctly.

I call this ring my brass knuckle-- don't mess with me when I have it on ;) 

You can find a pack of these from Forever 21 for less than five bucks.

My simple brown belt came with a dress I bought at Target last year. 

I went with Kylie Jenner-inspired makeup. Dewy face (got a little too dewy by the end of the day) with rose blush and lips. Matte nude colors on my eyes. 

You can barely see them but I do have super cool earrings on. They make me feel like Miley Cyrus-- in a good way. This one says "Free" and I believe the other one I was wearing said "Joy." They came in a pack for $4  (H&M) with about 10 different inspiring words: Soul, Love, Hope.... in gold and silver. 

Anyway the wind blows, nothing really matters to me ;)



Peace and Love!
- Miranda

Girly Grunge

With my new hair, I've been trying different styles to see which vibe suits my current look best.

I can't quite seem to figure it out-- but, I felt like today I came close.

I wanted to go a little more grungy with my makeup-- doing a smokey eye and contoured cheeks.

But my natural fashion instinct always desires a little bit of girly-ness.

So here's what I came up with:

My plaid shirt-dress is from my dear exchange sister Luciana from Brazil. Lu, if you're reading this-- I'm sorry I'm wearing your dress haha, can't remember if you handed this one down to me or just left it here!

I felt like this grey-blue color went well with my smokey eyes and gave the grunge effect I was desiring.

But, to make this look "girly grunge" I relied heavily on accessories.

My charcoal grey bag is from Forever 21. 

If you couldn't tell by now, I'm obsessed with rings. I grabbed several of my favorite gold ones and put them on my non-dominant hand. Layers of rings are really in right now so I figured why not?

My riding boots are from Forever 21 (imagine that)

I felt like boots were a great way to add the "grunge" effect; but also, riding boots are a more girly boot in my opinion. So it balanced out. 

My bronze pearl necklace is from Forever 21. I'm obsessed with long necklaces if I haven't made that clear already. :)

I chose to wear my big, rambunctious, fake pearl earrings-- because, YOLO.

Oh and we must not forget my simple tan waist belt-- came with a dress from Forever 21. Waist belts are great to make something baggy more flattering.

So the moral of today is-- be a little spontaneous with your style every now and then! If you wanna give off a different aura today-- do it! But remember to stay true to yourself too! Balance is everything.

Peace and Love!

- Miranda

Rain or Shine

Any Floridian knows that the term "sunshine state" is quite possibly the most misused nickname ever.

I feel like our license plates should say "rain rain go away" at the bottom.

-_-

Anyways, yesterday was a rainy day.

I thought.

Then it turned decent on me.

Luckily, my outfit worked either way. 

My olive green jacket is from Charlotte Russe. It provided just the right amount of coverage I needed for the morning drizzle.

I dressed up the jacket with my chic white blouse from H&M. This was a steal I found during my time in NYC. Love the empire waist and texture of the fabric. 

Because it was so hot and muggy, I figured leggings were a more "breathable" way to go. I chose my basic navy blue ones from Forever 21. 

I love to wear my rain boots when I feel like I can. Walking through puddles with sandals or flats is never fun. I also love the beige with this color combo. You can find a similar pair at Loehmann's.

I kept the accessories light; wearing a couple of bronze bangles and basic stud earrings. 

Peace and Love!

- Miranda