Come along with me . . .

I feel as if I have already experienced so much and it's only been a few days. I want to capture everything but I know that pictures don't do the real thing justice. Life is so wrapped up in sounds, smells, feelings and everything else that without those things sometimes pictures don't tell the whole story. For now, however, I have to be content in you seeing only part of the story, part of the adventure . . .

I had Cristina turn around and let me take a picture of her shirt so that you would all know just where I am - Vicenza, Italy.
This is me, FINALLY on the plane in SLC - I went to the airport waaaayyyy early so I was excited to finally be on my way.
And that is my "finally face".
Wow - my hair and face looked good in those first two pictures, what could have happened? Oh yeah, I know - 8 hours with a screaming baby and a chatty Kathy next to me who wouldn't let me sleep on the OVERNIGHT flight - it was alright however because foreign airlines ROCK! I have to say that a little of my patriotism went out the window when fresh hot towels, nice flight attendants and Toblerone's (best chocolate in the world for those who don't know) became routine - gotta love Lufthansa air! This is Frankfurt, Germany, by the way!
Nice shot, right? The lady next to me was a little interested as I stretched my arm over her for this little bit of self photography - I will sacrifice anything for my art, even a little self respect:)
Somewhere over Germany.
Now what you can see above is the beginnings of Venice - so cool!
Here is a better shot of the city as we flew over to land at the airport.
Love the water and the greeness of it all!
That's my "finally here" face as I am in the car with Celeste and the girls on our way home:)
Yup - that's Italy. Beautiful.
Now would I really be visiting Italy if I didn't make an apperance at a pizza joint my first night? I think not, so this is where Der Platz comes in - such an awesome place, unfortuantly they don't really all walk around playing accordians and singing:)
Such. Good. Pizza. I may never come home:) JK, but it really is that good - oh yeah, and each pizza is meant for just one person - crazy! We did share however, there was a mushroom with artichoke and prosutto, another with french fries and sausage (very good by the way) and the last had spinach and ricotta cheese:)
This is the street that I can call home for the next few months - Via Uvo Foscolo
This is Lisa - Celeste and Johnathon's youngest and such a doll - notice the cute headband made my Wendy! They loved them!
Cele, also clad in a stylish headband as we wait for Cristina to come back from school.
Just four good lookin gals off for an Italian adventure . . . we were going to walk around their town - San Pietro In Gu!
Cele's street
Road leading into the center of town - - -
There is ptetty much the center - the church, a small store and not pictured but across the street - the municipal building.
Cool chrurch, right? "Domvs Dei" acorrding to google means, "God's Lord"
The entrance to the cemetary.
Beautiful headstones with photos on almost every one.
The walls are lined with vaults that are wonderfully kept up.
This is Cele's house, and Cele's van, I love that it's pink - most of the homes are cool different colors - reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, etc.

Again, you will see a lot of these faces because they are just way too cute - Cristina in red and little Lisa:)
Yeah - those are lucious cakes that are at the ice cream shop - before I leave I have to try one!

Me and my cone - sooooooo good! It was like a vanilla flavor that had chocolate covered pistachios in it, seriously!

The shop and us enjoying a little slice of Italian heaven!

Here is the biggest church in Vecenia - it's at the top of a large hill that overlooks that town that is located about 10 minutes from Cele's house.
The view from the top- - - - -
I was going for an artistic interpretation of the view from the top, did it work?
Me in front of the map of the city.
Cool carving that was on the church - - - -
That whole passageway belongs to the church and there are doors that lead into other buildings or beautiful courtyards.
The passageway
Just a little thirsty . . .
Another view -check out those clouds.
Ending with the best - so beautiful. It had been so great and I can't wait for more but right now it's 12:30 in the morning and I need some rest so . . . . . . arrivederci!

Arrivederci . . .

See you in Europe . . .

The old art . . .

. . . of Postcard writing. I think the last time I heard from someone by that form of communication, he was a sailor in the Navy and I was like 10. I think it is such a wonderful way to keep in touch with people and so I am planning on doing a lot of PCW (us writers in the know call it that:) while I am in Europe. I'd love to write to YOU! Leave me your address in the comments or send me an email - mianchard@gmail.com - and you'll be a hearin' from me:)

Not smart . . .

My desk candy jar at work was empty and it has been for quite some time. Usually it has crap candy - that strawberry wrapped thing, taffy, gold wrapped mystery stuff, atomic fireball, non-descript peppermint circles - you know, the usual - the not tempting usual:) Friday I decided I needed to get something and happened to be in Walmart for lunch and in a weak moment thought I should grab my favorite candy ever - Hershey's Hugs! Big Mistake. Bought the bag Friday afternoon, it's Monday morning and . . . . wait for it . . . . half the jar is now gone. Seriously bad idea - what was I thinking? Why did nobody stop me? I should have bought me a nice giant supply of will power - what aisle is that in? is it by the cleaning supplies or is it hiding in the produce? It's probably sold next to intelligence which I seem to have none of which is why I have come full circle and now I must leave - - - I still have half a jar to go . . .

They came, they saw, they conquered . . .

Mars and Wendy and little Ethan came to see us this month and it was so great to have them here:) Here are a few pics of all the fun . . .

Reading time with Lela! Ferdinand the Bull . . .

Ethan and Lela are so into the book:)

Swinging time - too fun

Mason is excited that they are here

So - we tried fondue and everyone went a little nuts! It's like we had never see chocolate before:)

oh, and, we couldn't figure out the pot thing so Gabby had to hold it for us

oh yeah!!!!

too cool for school . . .

we're comin for ya -

Someone needs to tell mom that is NOT a relaxing pose!

Lovin' this face!

Bird feeding with Lela is where it's at!

Grrrrrrrr!

Recreating an old favorite - I need to find the original:)

So cute!

Our picture after our long night of crazy face drawing!

So many great pictures . . .

Mine are the best!

I love this cute spiderman and I gotta say, I'm rockin those glasses

Kind of an anxious spiderman

Pancake photo action - so artistic right?

Loved our time with the Harris family:)

I love this shot - I love that my brothers are such great dads:)

Ethan is such a cutie!

We love you guys and miss you and you need to come back to U - TAH!

being quotable . . .

Hello all. Now, I have debated for years whether the information I am about to divulge is something that the world is ready to handle; I have come to the conclusion that yes world, you. are. ready.

Now that I have you on the edge of your seat, I must prepare you that this is big, people! I'm talking huge - Eiffel tower stacked on top the Empire State Building with the new world's tallest building in Dubai holding them both up, kind of huge!!! With that in mind, here goes . . .

Through the years people have quoted each other and found power in what language can do - it makes us laugh, cry, become violently angry and sometimes if we are lucky - it motivates. That is where "quotes" come in and become the reigning force behind inspiration. For years now it seems that the best quotes always come from someone mentioned simply as author unknown - without a doubt I know that at sometime, somewhere you have been listening to a quote and waiting on pins and needles for the originator to be divulged, only to have your dreams thwarted when the speaker reveals . . . "author unknown." I am here to make your dreams a reality by saying, "world - I, Mia Chard, am the infamous author unknown!" Wow - it feels great to get that out there. Humility can now be thrown aside as I take my place on the chalkboards of history!

Take this gem for example, "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same." - yup, that was me.

How about this one, "Wind is to fire like distance is to love; it extinguishes the small and enflames the great." - yet again, me.

Lastly, one of my more deep proclamations, "The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it."(too true, Mia Chard, too true) Some may ask, "How do you do it?", my answer to those individuals is, frankly, I don't know - inspiration is like breathing - it comes in then goes out. The flow of genius is rarely able to be identified.

Now, I think that we all should be quotable. Go around for a day or two quoting yourself and trust me when I tell you, life gets good. Here are some quotes that I have recently caught myself saying:

"Eat Dirt!" - Mia Chard (one of my best and longest running quotes)

"I do believe that the lawn is in need of a trimming." - Mia Chard (pure poetry)

"Thank you for calling State Farm, this is Mia, how may I help you?" - Mia Chard (this one's a show stopper - I get a response every time)

Last but not least, "Whoever I am, I'm better than I was before and tomorrow I can be ever greater than today." - Mia Chard

There you have it. I have disclosed a huge part of my life and boy, do I feel better! Now for my challenge: Go out and BE QUOTABLE!

La familia Vargas . . .

It was a beautiful night in Salt Lake. I was with my parents and we had gone to see a family from my mission. One benefit to a stateside mission is the ability that I have to go back more often than my foreign counterparts and for people that I knew to make their way to Utah. Halfway through my mission I was transferred to an area of El Paso called Montana Vista. While there I met the most incredible member family that helped us more than anyone ever had or did. They understood what they had and helped us to share it with others. I was in that area 6 months with four different companions - the Vargas family were consistent and powerful and without them I would never have met Andy. He was their neighbor and friend and we taught every lesson in the Vargas home. I remember every moment distinctly and with fondness. Andy was doubtful and combative but also willing to be taught and with the help of the Vargas family and us he was able to come to know for himself that the gospel is true. He was baptized by Hermano Vargas a few months after we started teaching him.

Here we all are with Andy and a few of his friends at the baptism

And here is the Vargas family - - - - AMAZING!

I got to see Brother and Sister Vargas as well as their oldest daughter Dania. She is going to be attending BYU and they brought her up from El Paso. Tonight we were able to go eat, walk around SLC and get lost in Deseret Book. It was such a neat night and it was wonderful for my parents to meet some of the people that touched and changed my life as a missionary. Te queiro familia Vargas!

Did I mention I had learned something after 28 years? . . .

Well, if I did - - - I recant! I take it back, I was amiss, I withdraw any previous held idea of knowledge, I retract, I nullify the previous statement, I backtrack - I back down, back off and back out! Are there enough different ways to say I take it back or should I consult Thesaurus.com again? Enough - okay then, moving on.

I guess that what I have thought about this past little while is how little I truly do know and just when I think I'm on the path of getting it right, something comes along and thwarts that idea. I'm okay with that. My own ignorance is something I accept but along with that comes a deep desire to overcome. I want to learn everything! I want to see life for the teaching opportunity that it is and stop taking it for granted. If these past twenty-eight years have taught me anything, it is how hard this whole business of living really is. We, as human beings, are complex and we live in a world that adds to that complexity. I think of all the really great people I have come to know or learned about in life and it makes me want to try, to be better, to do hard things and witness what can come from that.

There are, however, certain things that I know - I know that there is a God, that he has a Son, Jesus Christ and that He loves us. I have often found myself afraid to attest to this knowledge for fear of being seen as odd or a little over zealous, that stops now. Why do we allow fear of others to overcome what we are and what we believe. My life has not been easy and I know that had it not been for this knowledge I could not have overcome some of the things that I have.

Most people set goals at the beginning of the year, for me I set goals on my birthday. This past year has been one of great failure but also of equally great success. I am grateful. If there is one thing that I wish for you, it is that you can find something to be grateful about too!

(p.s. - how funny is it that my picture looks like I have a shoulder above my ear - great right?!)