a solution to our problems!

living in a foreign country has its quirks.

and discovering those quirks makes expat life so very interesting.

so let's discuss our current 'quirk' that many of my teacher friends are contemplating.

unless you have a doorman or you are at home 24/7, you can not have packages delivered to your apartment.

so, we've been sending packages to our school.

and, we've been told to stop.

boh.

i mean, i guess it was getting a bit out of hand. i've heard rumors of a toilet seat and even a hot tub.

yes, you read that right!

and they are taking the security of the school seriously these days (of course) and hundreds of packages a week is a lot to deal with.

but how will we live without being able to order anything we want on a whim?

well, it seems that amazon has a solution for at least some of these first world problems.

part of their delivery options now include a service called amazon locker.

all around milan businesses have been set up with these bright yellow lockers.

amazon ships your package to the locker and you receive a code via email to retrieve your package.

i tried it out this week.

and it was AWESOME!

when checking out, look for an option under your stored address(es) that allows you to choose another location. it should look something like this:

i selected the amazon locker, named tamara (they all have names), at the pam supermarket on viale sabotino.

but there are plenty of options all around the city.

some locations in central milan

you can enter your code or scan the barcode off your phone.

and the locker with your package pops open!

it was so cool! and so easy!

#highlyrecommend

you have to pick up your package within 3 days or it is sent back to amazon and you're account is credited back.

so, while not everything comes from amazon, a lot sure does!

have you tried amazon locker? let me know what you think!

renew your US passport...by MAIL!

did you know that you can renew your US passport by mail in Italy?

considering how the bureaucracy runs around here i was amazed to learn that this was possible.

thankfully a coworker had done this before and was able to help me along.

and now that i've successfully accomplished this feat i can offer tips for those needing to renew in the near future.

you'll want to check out the consulate website for all the details, but here's the overview.

if you meet the requirements above, collect these items:

• form DS-82
• your current passport
• a new passport picture (make sure to meet the American requirements...photos from a photo booth aren't going to cut it)
• a money order from American Express or the USPS, or a cashier's check from an Italian bank (I got mine in US dollars before leaving the States in January.)
• form for the courier service to return your new passport (this is the one linked for Milan)

mail all these items to the Consulate nearest you. i sent them via Italian mail with the raccomandata, which means someone must sign for it. it cost just over 8 euro. 

i sent all this whole package off in the mail on january 10, crossed my fingers and said a little prayer. italian mail isn't known for its efficiency! 

two weeks later, on january 24th, i hadn't received the signature slip back yet from the post office and i must admit, i was starting to panic. 

had they received my passport? was it lost in the depths of the mail system?

i emailed the consulate. asked if there was any way to know if they had received my passport. this was their response.

and my heart sank.

and i started to imagine all the hassle i was going to have to go through to declare my passport lost and how many hours i would have to sit at the consulate. 

ugh.

and my old passport is full of all those amazing visas and travel stamps that i have collected in the last decade. 

double ugh.

i went to lunch and told everyone my nightmare. and they all decided they would send positive vibes to my passport!

and when i got back to the computer after lunch i had another email from the consulate!

bless their heart. positive vibes for the win.

deep sigh of relief.

so it took just fifteen days to get my new passport mailed to me. 

#happydance

your 'old' passport gets holes punched in it and then it's yours to keep

Have you ever renewed by mail? I wonder if this service is available at other locations overseas. If you have a passport success story, please share! 

lately...

seems i'm getting pretty good about blogging quite a bit and then not. at. all.

whoops!

so, let's see...

back in december i made "gingerbread" houses for both my friends and family to decorate.

when my friends decorated the houses here in milan we watched "elf" and i had to be fairly creative when i bought stuff to decorate with. it seems that italy and the eu have more restrictions on the chemicals allowed in food so there are not as many candies with bright colors like in the us, so i bought pasta, dried beans and peas, and the decorating sugars and candies that i could find.

Lindsay throwin' shade

Kyle taking care of Lindsay's attitude problem!

in the us, chemicals in food, bright colors, no problem. we eat it all!

Danielle won the family voting!

Kevin and Melissa took over for Cece when they arrived!

Cece and Dad getting started

Neal was a great sport and was quite determined to decorate his house thoroughly!

i ended up winning the facebook vote of my friends' competition! i swear i didn't rig it!

let's see...what else?

this adorable gingerbread latte was made at my local coffee shop. come and visit and i'll take you!

i loved this airline treat so much while traveling that i may need to order some.

danielle and i worked to color this gigantic poster from caravan shoppe over the christmas holidays.

my family and i planned our alaskan cruise for this summer. thankfully everyone survived.

We're spending 7 nights in Alaska on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. 

i bought these faux suede leggings and have fallen in love. i may never wear anything else again.

i've been cooking a bit. in january i made this (amazing!), this and these. so my spiralizer has been getting quite the workout. if you don't have one, i highly recommend it! makes eating those veggies much more interesting!

i also picked up this, this, and this while in the states. trying to make a little more effort in the makeup department from time to time and these three picks have all become favorites so far!

i have lots of travel planned in the coming months...so hopefully there will be more posts coming soon!