ShawnandTobe

Moving in with my boyfriend has made a tremendous difference. Now I cook dinner 5 or more times a week – and that doesn’t even include making breakfast all the time and an occasional creative lunch (like crepes)! As much as I wanted to cook more when I was on my own, I never realized that I’d probably spend the rest of my life cooking every morning and night (and doing the dishes too! blarg!) but I’m glad I started cooking at home instead of eating out. I loss 10 lbs without even trying.. I guess eating out isn’t healthy at all! I would probably have lost even more but my boyfriend doesn’t believe it’s a meal unless there is meat on the plate. Publix recipes save the day sometimes when I have nothing to cook at home I’ll stop at publix and grab one of their recipe cards and pick up the items. Tonight I cooked some small steaks in a little olive oil with Montreal Steak Seasoning rubbed on them first, I heated up some green beans and made betty crocker scalloped potatoes. Tomorrow I’m making shepherd’s pie for a potluck I’m throwing and I’m also pre-making and freezing some bisquick mix sausage and cheese puffs for breakfasts this week so I don’t have to wake up early and make pancakes or eggs or anything. Now that I cook all the time I kinda wish I didn’t have to! Maybe he’ll cook for me when I’m in law school.. :)

this will be my new hobby. once i move at the end of the week i’ll set up space in my bedroom and i will begin fabric shopping and designing clothing.

i’ve vistied briefly before, but i am going to rome for 2 weeks in february (this time of year starts at about $525 roundtrip, by april it is over $1000.), and plan to find a person to stay with through globalfreeloaders.com. hopefully i can learn enough in those two weeks about the city, and what area i want to live in to make the arrangements to move there when my lease runs up, here in america, in august.
things to think about: taking out loans to fund it, getting a work, student or freelance visa (for those want to stay more than 3 months in italy), insurance, learning enough italian to get around before you go, bank accounts, apartment/utilities, transportation (which is easier to deal with than in many cities), weather, and what to bring, bringing a pet overseas, applying for a european union pet passport (any vet in italy can set one up for you), getting your pet all required shots months in advance to be taken overseas.