​Today, I am talking about our recent international trip.....where we decided to take out 6 month old on a 12 hour plane ride, 5 hour train ride, and halfway across the world. Are we crazy? A little. ;)

This was a trip of a LIFETIME and I wanted to do it right, but also be budget friendly. We were traveling with 9 other family members and so it needed to cost effective for all of us. 

With good planning and a budget, you can stroll the romantic streets along with us! Our travel guide is unfortunately not available right now, but you can see the places we visited below!

We flew in October, which was honestly the PERFECT temperature. It was breezy and warm.

Doing a 12 hour flight with 9 people wasn't easy, but we were all SO excited for what was to come. We landed in Rome in the morning and immediately headed to our train. We grabbed some croissants (the first of WAY too many) and coffees, and hopped on.

What ensued was the MOST romantic train ride ever. Picture riding through Rome, seeing glimpses of ruins through the sun soaked buildings, and then observing everyday life, children walking to school on cobblestones, laundry hanging out on ivy-wrung balconies.

It was a long train ride, so the morning sun turned to afternoon light, highlighting sun-dappled tuscan buildings and fields of wheat, vineyards and mountains. We napped and took photos and laughed at how surreal it was. I'm pretty sure it gave the Hogwarts Express a run for it's money.

​Venice

​When we finally arrived in Venice, it was evening. We came out of the train station on the grand canal, and were greeted by the sound of water and boats and fairy lights from twinkling bridges and buildings. We walked to our Airbnb over a glass bridge and then hopped on a vaporetto (a water taxi). Seeing Venice by night was magical and I felt like Angelina Jole in 'the Tourist,' albeit, a little greasier and gross from the plane. Eek!

We finally arrived at our stop and had to walk under stone tunnels to get to our Airbnbs courtyard. I vaguely remember one of my siblings saying "is this for real?" and "this feels like we went back in time and are in a Pirates of the Caribbean movie."

Our Airbnb's beds greeted us, but not before we enjoyed the ancient building, built in the 500s. Like whatttt?? It was perfectly outfitted with cute little bedrooms and a vintage kitchen. 

The next few days were a blur of activity. The Airbnb I chose was close to everything, St. Marks Square, the vaporatto stop, etc. So we walked everywhere. I carried Amelia, but my stroller did fine too. We visited the square, we ate gelato, we took a thousand photos, we rode on boats, we visited the islands. Venice is definitely more touristy, but it is just so darn unique that you can't miss out on it.

​I loved Burano, because it was so colorful and vibrant. We'd eat lunch in, and then every night, we'd find a new restaurant to visit. Check out my travel guide for the restaurants we loved!

​Florence

Before you know it, it was time to leave the City of Water and head to Florence. We stopped at a bakery on the way out and enjoyed the narrow streets and the friendliness of the people one last time.

Then, we jumped on our train. And Florence did not disappoint! It is the perfectly sized city, bustling with real life and history around every corner.

Once we got off our train, we walked to our Airbnb about a half a mile away. It was in the historic centre, which means half of our bags broke from carrying them over cobblestones. Whoops! It was worth it.

Our Airbnb was HUGE and perfectly located for our family. It was a Florentine palace built in the early twentieth century. It had a long hallway with grand beds in each room and beautiful balconies. (see us smooching on one below ;) 

Everyday we walked to the duomo, or the Ponte Vecchio, or the little coffee shop lined streets. It never got old. I loved the very real feeling of Florence and how much we had to do.....there was something for everyone. (Food, history, culture!). We even took a Hop on Hop Off tour at the end and though it seems touristy, it was actually a blast to spend the last rainy day learning more about the city. (and gave my baby carrying hips a break).

Perugia/The Countryside

I had been to Italy before and I knew that this time, I needed some time in the country. I LOVE cities, but there is something about a few days spent in nature that refreshes me. Italy has such a connection to the earth and I didn't want to miss experiencing that.

So on our last morning in Florence, we walked to a Hertz and picked up our car that we rented. Driving in Italy seemed really nerve wracking, but it ended up being WAY easier than we thought. 

We zoomed right out of Florence with no problems and started making our way to the inland area of Perugia. Situated in hills and vineyards, we arrived at our Bed and Breakfast at sunset, and I was in heaven. This was my FAVORITE stop. 

Our Bed and Breakfast was made up of little tuscan-style villas amidst olive gardens and vineyards. There was one main house and lots of little ones sprinkled over the hill. Ours was under a big oak tree and situated right by the beautiful pool. (also, it had an AMAZING bathroom and shower. Which was a big plus for me. haha)

Each morning, we enjoyed walking up the hill to eat breakfast. Eggs and bacon and croissants on croissants. We'd sit outside with Amelia and talk to people who came to visit from all over the world. One day, we explored the whole property and went to a nearby nature reserve where we found an abandoned farmhouse. Another day, we drove down the hill to visit the lake. And the last day, we visited a vineyard and winery....and learned how to make wine!

If I were to go anywhere again, this was it! Ryan and I had so many relaxing talks about our future on the balcony, overlooking the sun setting on the hills and and chirping birds. It was literally HEAVEN. 

​Rome

But alas, time had come to a close in our quiet, reflective time in the country. It was time to head back to the hustle of a city. And what city to end your trip than in ROME! Full of life and excitement.

We arrived at our inner-city Airbnb after a long day. There was no place to park in the city, so we dropped our rental car off outside and taxi-ed in.

Our Airbnb was 4 bedrooms....which was unheard of in downtown Rome. It was a mile or less to the Colosseum, Piazza Novena, the Pantheon and EVERYTHING we wanted to see. And it was so easy to run back to the apartment for a nap or for a quick lunch.

Rome was all the hustle and bustle. The day we arrived, we freshened up and quickly walked over to the Colosseum for a tour. And the days to come, we all split up and saw different sites. From wandering the suburb of Trastivere, to eating outside the Pantheon, to making a wish with Amelia in the Trevi Fountain....it was dreamy on dreamy. Mostly my Lizzie McGuire what-dreams-are-made of kind of dreams. ;)

We spent a couple full days here and it was the perfect city to end our trip. The last night, we ate out under the stars and the ruins...and it felt magical and ancient, all at once.
​

This guide is unfortunately not available at this time.

​We loved renovating our Lambert Avenue house with the intention to flip. It was a HUGE project - one where we added an entire room and ran into lots of fun surprises. Eek!

But it turned out so BIG and BRIGHT and AIRY. We wanted this home to be classic and calm, reflective of the buyers who generally are looking in this beach area.

We turned this 3/2 80s style house into an up-to-date 4/2 with a white kitchen and an open layout. We removed two huge walls, built a wall for an extra bedroom, and completely rehabbed the kitchen. It's amazing what new farmhouse floors and gray paint could do too! We also kept the existing bathroom cabinets and gave them a poppy blue update to bring some color to the white tile.

What we didn't expect is that my parents fell in love with the house so much that they ended up MOVING IN. 

We LOVE that we can see this house every week when hanging with them. Renovating this house wasn't easy.....but it was SO worth it and fun to see the end result. Creating a special space for someone to make memories is so meaningful!

Wall Paint Color: Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams

​
​Join Chelsie + Ps. Caleb as we chat about finding a healthy confidence and overcoming insecurity.

​Ps. Caleb is a family and youth pastor and works with kids of all ages to help them find that confidence in who God says they are. 

​
​
​Sharing our faith can be hard sometimes. We want to do it in love, but sometimes we just straight up offend people. It's a hard balance! We never want to be shy about our faith, but we also want to do it in a way that makes other people feel loved.

​Here's a few thoughts and experiences I've had at successfully sharing what I believe with honesty, while valuing and honoring other's perspectives. 

Listen in above.

​
​Putting people first is not common place in the business world. Working with different cultures is a challenge that typical business finds hard and expensive to keep up with. And yes, it requires sacrifice to promote people first. But by following this value, we see communities and cultures flourish in over 16 different countries, seeing over 13,000 individual artisans lives completely changed.

We work with these artisans to find creative solutions to some of our cultural differences, we help develop them as leaders, we work to understand and communicate better, and make sure that they win at the end of the day.

​I have been an avid thrifter for as long as I can remember. Rummaging through miles and miles of used clothes was one of the best skills my mom taught me....and I've saved so much money re-using clothes and furniture through the years. I also love that it is more sustainable, and I donate all of my clothes when I'm done using them so another happy thrifter can benefit from them.

Over the years, I've been asked, "how do you find cute stuff while thrifting?" It's true, thousands of items of clothes, often crammed together and lacking the right size tags can be super overwhelming, but if you're committed to getting a good deal and shopping sustainably, it can be a fun treasure hunt! (don't give me crazy eyes....it's true!)

Come along with as I thrift shopped last week and hear a couple tips that might help you too!

Here are some of my tips from the video (and a few more I added in!)

1. Have patience and look through everything!

Push all the hangers down as far as they can go. This way you can go through them one at a time. Move quickly....your eye can generally catch a cute color or pattern you like. This will keep you on time, but still seeing everything so nothing is missed. Allot a good amount of time for thrifting....you'll need at least a couple hours to find good stuff. Thrifting shouldn't happen on a day you feel rushed, because it takes patience!

2. Have intention when you shop

If you know what you're looking for, you'll be more apt to find something like it. I don't typically know exactly the style I want, but I usually know that I am looking for a certain color or a type of clothes (like a dress, shoe, or pant). This helps me intentionally go where those things are, so I don't feel super overwhelmed with all the stuff.

3. Find out when your thrift shop re-stocks or when their big drop offs come in

Big drop offs typically happen after holidays or Mondays after everyone went through their clothes on the weekend. And certain thrift shops re-stock or get things in on certain days. If you can find out when those times are, you can show up before other thrifters snag the great stuff.

4. Check out thrift shops in more high end neighborhoods

When doing this, you can often find name brands and higher end clothes. (But don't discount your thrift shop just because it isn't in a good area. There can be great stuff anywhere!)

5. Try on EVERYTHING and take risks!

You never know if something will look great until you try it on. So try on more then you would at a regular store! I also find that taking risks is more fun with thrifted clothes. I don't want to spend $40 on something that is a statement but I maybe won't wear all the time, but I will spend $5.99 on it. :)

6. Go on sale days!

You can find out by asking when your sale days are at your local thrift shops. They normally discount certain color tags.....and discounts on thrift clothes make them even MORE affordable!

7. Be creative, have fun, and buy sustainably or fair trade whenever you can!

This is my most favorite way to wear my hair! I've had friends ask how I get it so curly, so here's a quick tutorial on what I use. I feel like I channel my inner 'Mamma Mia' when I do my hair like this....and it's totally one of my most favorite movies. :)

Curling Wand Used Here
​I also used.... Not Your Mother's Dry Shampoo and Frizz Ease Hairspray ​