Italy 2010 - Day 3

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Jean and I hit the town for some gelatto and ended up in tiny art shop. Jean purchased some wonderful sketches, and as a "thank you", the store owner gave me and her prints of a sketch of Asolo. Score!

 In the evening, we all hung out together and had some delicious wine.

And here are some of my friends. This is Jared, my classmate from Des Moines. We are celebrating our last class in the MBA program. Yay us!

And here is Jared's lovely wife, Kate. She is a high school Biology teacher. I bow down to teachers.

And then there are Brian from Delaware and James from New Orleans. I traveled with these guys from the Venice airport to the campus. They are also our next-door neighbors.

We are so cool, we deserve two pictures. And then of course there is Kim from Kansas City. She is a fresh burst of energy, and super-helpful. We are planning on taking the Venice gondola ride together.

And here is one with Sarah from New Mexico. She is one of the most caring people I've ever met. I have no idea what we were trying to do here.

And then there is my buddy Steve from Des Moines. He also works at the same company where I work. By some weird coincidence, he ended up sitting next to me on the plane ride from Philadelphia to Venice, although we bought our tickets months apart.

And then there is the world-traveler Mike. He currently resides in Ames. We did Enneagram test in our class, and he and I both ended up being achievers with very similar personalities. He is my twin.

And then of course there is my roommate Sarah from Delaware. She is a hottie (and Italian by origin, so of course). I look like a Zoloft blob next to her.

And finally, there is Brad - he is the rough crowd. This is his second or third session here. He is known to make trouble.

I miss my family and friends, but these guys are making it all easier. What a fun, intelligent crowd. I hope I stay in touch with them. But if I don't, I will still have these fond memories.