back on the bike!

I'm SO happy to be riding my bicycle to and from school again! That is one piece that I've missed from when I lived in Opera. I haven't ridden to work since being in the city this school year because there has been construction along the way and I'd have to be on a busy road for part of the ride. Now that the bike path (shown in the first picture below) is complete, I am absolutely loving the ride!

The ride is about 5 miles each way and takes me less than 25 minutes. It's faster than taking the bus! I miss my reading time on the bus but am enjoying the exercise and the ride even more. Because I'm on the path and don't have to worry about traffic, I listen to music along the way too. It's just a very enjoyable way to start and end each work day.

(There has been one day so far that I've forgotten to pack my work outfit! Ha! I ended up in leggings and my jacket all day. Thankfully, they actually looked like a decent outfit together.)

Some days are foggy... super foggy...

Last Saturday morning I rode past school and out to Opera to go to the morning market! I was hoping to pick up some curtain material for my mom but they don't have the specific style anymore. I still enjoyed the ride to and from... 

The past couple of weeks have been fabulous with the trees blooming... and poppies along the way too!

The set of four pictures below is from my ride from school to IKEA on a Saturday after keeping score at a basketball tournament. I took a bit of a detour to go by an abbey in Chiaravalle called Santa Maria di Rovegnano. It's gorgeous!

Mostly recently -- just this past Thursday, the two pictures below show the difference in weather between my ride to work in the morning and my ride home in the afternoon (not everyday is like this... but sometimes!) --

It's not often that I'm gifted with the lovely view of the mountains... not many days are clear enough to see them. ...But then a day comes along that is clear and the mountains are amazing! A picture really doesn't do it justice.

Funny enough -- I've been seeing the same people on the bike path each morning. As I'm heading to school they are heading into the city, presumably to work. We are on the same morning schedule. There's one man that bikes past me in the morning... and in the afternoon! Haha. Last week I smiled and waved a couple times -- it's funny to see each other every day to and from work.

When I rode the bus each day it was kind of the same thing -- seeing many of the same faces. There's a difference though, being on the bike path instead of public transport. It's ok to be more friendly and wave, acknowledging that we see each other every day.

A photo from a usual morning on the bus to work a month ago or so:

this little light of mine...

Also from IKEA?  -->

...This cute little lamp was a great purchase last weekend. 10 euro!

I moved a nice floor lamp into my bedroom to have better lighting when I'm reading each night... but that left the living room a bit dark... this little guy shown above helps fix that problem AND makes the area feel cozy.   : )  WIN!

IKEA... "But I don't have a buddy with a pencil..."

The third piece of furniture that I bought at IKEA is the one I was most excited about! I went into IKEA looking for something that I can keep sweaters and clothing in... I wan't sure if it would fit in the bedroom or have to go in the kitchen... I found a great piece that is narrow and tall enough to fit in the bedroom - Hoorah!

...When I opened the directions booklet... I saw the following:

...I have a carpet to work on ...but I don't have a buddy with a pencil to help me build! Uh oh.

I don't want to end up being the sad guy.

Not sure if the job would just be a bit more difficult... or if I would need four hands for the building... I decided to go ahead and see how far I could get with it...

After two hours of building...

and building...

and building...

I DID IT!

I even made the drawers with handles... and they roll along wheels and all. 

I was feeling pr-etty proud... and pr-etty fancy!

I'm really happy with the piece. I've already stocked it with sweaters and things. Each time I walk into the bedroom, I feel happy about it.   : )

IKEA

The orientation committee at school set up for another trip to IKEA for the new teachers that wanted to go again.

My first time to IKEA, about a month and a half ago, I had just moved into my apartment in Opera and was able to find some great things.

This time at IKEA... my focus was mostly: storage!

I came out with a few goodies... but was most excited about 3 big boxes... a bookcase, a metal cabinet, and a wooden cubby-like piece with 4 drawers. Pretty stoked!

My Sunday afternoon was spent building.

(Lenny... as you're reading this, are you thinking back to when I put a huge hole into the lovely wooden cubby-bench that I bought some years ago?! ...I was thinking about that! ...and telling myself I better NOT dare do that again.)

I'm not exactly a professional at building things... but I do have 2 screw drivers and a hammer... and figured that if I went step-by-step and took my time... I could do it!

The whole time I was building, I was wishing that my DAD were here with me! He used to always put together our birthday and Christmas gifts that needed any construction. He's so good at these kinds of things. ...And I kept thinking that it would be nice to be able to do this together. ...In the end... I know that if he were here, he'd have helped me -- even though it would have killed his back! AND... in the end, I'm proud of being able to do all of this on my own.   : )  LOVE YOU, MISS YOU - DAD!

The first two pieces went pretty well:

Shown below are two views of the completed first piece...

The metal cabinet above is in my bathroom now...
perfect size for the spot... and great for storage!

The clear/white plastic container under the sink is no longer there...
and can now hold some clothes instead.   : P

The second piece is a bookcase to match the one already in the living room area...
my goal in buying another one was to stack them!

Mission completed!

(Although... I do hope no one bumps into it.)   : P

Pretty good with the first two pieces...

...Of course, I've saved the toughest one for last! ...Onto the next post...