European Adventure

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--After Party

2007-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

Behind every successful married woman is a wonderful, supportive husband, at least that's the case for us. Don't they look handsome in their tuxes. In Europe a tuxedo is called a "Smoking"...maybe because a tux makes a man look smoking hot.

Kim from DC has moved many times because she and her husband serve in the US military. She had some interesting stories about their travels.

Kim (DC), Heather (AL) and I get together one more time before we head back home after an exciting week at the Mrs. International Pageant.

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--Coronation Ball and After Party

2007-08-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasure to meet Mary Richardson, the pageant director. She's a great lady who operates a wonderful pageant.
Caroline (CAN), Kecia (OH & 1st runner-up to Mrs. Int'l) and I enjoying the after party.
I had the chance to meet Holly Ernst who competed at Mrs. International a couple of years ago as Mrs. Minnesota. She is gorgeous and funny too!
Having fun at the coronation ball with Kimberly, Mrs. CT.

I love this woman! Donell (MN) was so much fun to be around and really kept me laughing.
Pamela (SD) is a beauty inside and out. She has a good heart and passion for helping people. Love you Pamela!

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--Thank you for all of the support.

2007-08-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have wonderful friends and family who sent me lots of love and support. I had 25 email messages of encouragement (which I saved) from friends all over the US and Europe. I even got flowers while I was in Chicago. These beautiful flowers are from my pageant sister Kim Takla. Thanks Kim!
And these are from The Boss--Dee Dee Brant, director of the Mrs. Oregon International pageant. She is a great lady and so sweet to have sent me flowers too.

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--Pageant Competition

2007-08-29T05:06:00.000-07:00

Tamara and I are ready for the show to begin in our opening number outfit. Everybody loved these beautiful dresses.
Heather (AL) and I are ready for evening gown competition.
And so is Tamara. We were near each other in the dressing room so were able to support each other.
And the winner is Rebekah Negrete from California.
I got to know Rebekah a little bit during pageant week and she is as beautiful inside as she is outside. I was really happy to see such a great woman chosen as Mrs. International.

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--Interview Day

2007-08-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday was interveiw day. This is my interview suit--my very first St. Johns knit--with my cool, pointy shoes that I bought in Brussels. I felt fabulous in this outfit!

Heather and I were in the same interview group and had fun together all week. We decided we look like sisters but--as it turns out--I'm old enough to be her mom. :)

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--Rehearsals, Rehearsals, Rehearsals

2007-08-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Heading off to rehearsals with Ori Ann (HI), Tamara (OR) Christina (IN), Me (EU) and Heather (AL)
On a break from rehearsal--Southern Belles representing the South.
We rehearsed A LOT so we were glad when we could sit down for a few minutes. Here I'm taking a break with Melissa (Gulf States) and Robin (FL)
Just chilling with the girls while we wait our turn to go on stage.
Two of my favorite people I met during pageant week--Pamela (SD) and Kerri (ND).

MRS. INTERNATIONAL-Formal Dinner

2007-08-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

L-R: Randa (IL), Tamara (OR), Me (EU), Ashley (NM), Heather (AL) Sarah (AR), Sarah (GA) & Angela (NC)

Yvette and I are feeling gorgeous.
Two Portland girls: Me from Portland, Oregon & Amber from Portland, Maine.

Robin (FL) and I are close to the same age--just like Demi Moore, we make 40-something look hot!
And Ashley from NM makes 20-something look extra hot!!
Janine (SC) and I have very good taste and really know how to choose a great dress!

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--St. Vincent dePaul Appearance

2007-08-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

This precious little girl is one of the many children who are well taken care of at St. Vincents.
Maila is one of the directors at the school who showed us around and explained the services provided at this wonderful facility.
Julian (above) and the young prince below are shown wearing the crowns they donned in anticipation or our appearance. They were all so darling and it was nice to do our small part to brighten their day.
Every contestant provided much needed school supplies and backpacks for the children. St. Vincent Paul is a clean, safe, well-run facility that provides education and childcare for low income families.

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--Mall Appearance

2007-08-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

On our 2nd day at the pageant we all went to the Gurnee Hills Mall. Here I am with the beautiful, graceful Suzy Bootz, Mrs. International 2006. After meeting her and having the chance to talk with her, it was easy to see why she won the title last year.
We got to sign autographs and meet some great people at the mall. Here I am with (L-R) Tamara, Mrs. OR, Randa Allen, Mrs. IL and Donnell Rank, Mrs. MN.
More fun with my pageant sisters at the mall, Randa (Mrs. IL) and Tamara (Mrs. OR).
My gorgeous roommate Yvette Ludwig, Mrs. New Jersey was so much fun and the perfect roommate. I love her and I'm sure we'll see each other again.
Lunch was provided for us by the Rainforest Cafe at the mall. Jessica Smith, Mrs. CO, Pamela Johnson, Mrs. SD and I are all smiles after lunching together.

MRS. INTERNATIONAL--First Day

2007-08-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

I also had a chance to meet 2 great women who I know will be lifelong friends--Pamela Johnson, Mrs. South Dakota and Yvette Ludwig, Mrs. New Jersey (my roommate). We had fun shopping and having lunch together.

At the contestant orientation I got to meet all of the contestants. Above are just a few of them(L-R): Mrs. Oregon, Tamara; Mrs. Ohio, Kecia Pringle; Mrs. Australia, Poonam Mehndiratta; Mrs. South Dakota, Pamela Johnson and me, Mrs. Europe.

Weekend in BRUSSELS

2007-08-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most famous street's in Brussels with restaurants galore that serve the world reknown "Mussels from Brussels". Ours were delicious!! This is the view from our hotel room in Brussels. The thing that's interesting about this is that the picture was taken at 11PM at night--there's still light on the horizon in June.
Here we are in the main plaza in the middle of Brussels--a beautiful city.
Date night in Brussels. We're so lucky to have each other and we do our best to have dates and romantic getaways to keep our relationship alive. <3

2007-06-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

In Germany fireworks are as prevelant on New Year's Eve as they are on the 4th of July in the USA.

One of the great things about our European adventure is the opportunity to make new friends in other parts of the world. We feel incredibly blessed to have moved in next door to Ina and Rainer who have become good friends. They rescued us when we first moved to Germany by inviting us over for New Year's Eve '05-'06. In this picture we had them over to our house for New Year's Eve '06-'07 which was a much happier ocassion for us.

2007-06-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here are our good friends Kim and Tony Nethercott--phenomenal people. Unfortunately, they're not with us in Europe in this picture (I think they're in Washington) but I had to put a picture of them on this blog. They have been the most wonderful friends who have helped us in countless ways to make the transition to life in Europe. We love you guys and we WILL see Kim here in September. Kim and Lesley will be having a girls trip to Rome and Positano. Italy here we come!!

2007-06-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Lorenzo and Steven at the Louvre in Paris, Summer 2006

2007-06-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

We had good luck when our friends from Lake Oswego--Nadia, Noor and Laila Sheikh--passed through the Frankfurt airport (on their way to Paris last summer) the same day that we took Lorenzo to the airport to head back to school in LA. Even though it was a very short visit it was wonderful to see friendly faces from home.

WORLD CUP 2006

2007-06-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get tickets to the opening game of World Cup Soccer in June 2006. In this picture Carlo, Cara and her friend Davide stand in front of the stadium in Munich.

The game was Germany against Costa Rica and the German fans went crazy. It was so exciting!
This is a giant flag that the fans helped to display. The opening ceremonies were impressive.
Yes, we were sitting in the last row. Even from this high up it was still worth being there.

London Trip, May 2006

2007-06-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last spring we took a trip to London for 4 days. This was one of the 3 hours of sunshine we had while we were there. It was cool to see some of the famous sights including the London Eye. It's behind us in the first picture and we're at the top of the Eye in the 2nd picture.

2007-06-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

LONDON: Here we are in front of the Tower Bridge which is sometimes, mistakenly, called the London Bridge. It's even prettier in person than it looks in pictures.

2007-06-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

LONDON: Here are Carlo, Cara and her friend Thassie at the fountain in front of Buckingham Palace.

2007-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

LONDON: As you can see we had the chance to meet some famous people. Well, they ARE wax figures at Madame Tussauds, but it was fun to pretend.

Mom & Dad Nardini in Europe

2007-06-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Carlo's parents came to visit us in September, 2006 and we had a wonderful time together. We got to meet Mom's cousins who drove down from Holland to visit. One picture shows Mom with her 2 cousins, Ad and Cis. The other picture shows the cousins and their husbands in front of the world's largest cuckoo clock.

Our home in Germany

2007-06-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our house in Germany. Top to bottom: Front of the house; front yard & patio; 1/2 of the living room; the other 1/2 of the living room; kitchen; dining room; master bedroom; Lorenzo's room; master bathroom; one of Cara's 2 large rooms.

Paris road trip, Summer 2006

2007-06-02T04:51:00.001-07:00

I adore my gorgeous daughter Cara and cherish moments like this.

Carlo & Lesley in Paris

2007-06-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Here we are, my fabulous husband Carlo and me, in the beautiful city of lights.

First trip home to Oregon April 2006

2007-06-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

On our first trip back to Oregon we stayed with our good friends Bruce and Molly Studer. The Studers are some of the best people in the world and they were wonderful hosts who made us feel very welcome. We love you and we miss you!

2007-06-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

Our first trip back to Oregon was last April (2006) for the wedding of my niece Summer and her amazing new husband Mike. They are perfect together and their wedding was full of love and joy. Our trips home are an important part of our European Adventure. We value our family and friends above everything else and being away from home reminds us how important these relationships are to us.

Our first visitor from America

2007-06-02T03:37:00.000-07:00

Our first visitor in Europe was my fabulous friend Ginger Gene. It was so nice to see a familiar face from America. We were incredibly homesick the first few months and Ginger was the perfect person to cheer us up.

She and I went to Rome together for a few days and here we are in front of the Trevi Fountain--it's unlike any other fountain I've ever seen. I have a hard time deciding if Rome or Paris is my favorite European city so I'll just call it a tie.

Family from California

2007-06-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

Last October (2006) Carlo's sister, Chiara, and her family came to visit us. That's her in the front next to her husband Gianni whose brother lives near us in the Stuttgart area. Their son Franco (our nephew) is in the red hat with his awesome wife Anna. Our gorgeous niece Margherita (Ghita) is behind Chiara with her boyfriend Kenny. We all think Kenny looks like Sting! They are all great people and we loved having the family stay with us while they were in Europe for 2 weeks!! You can also see Milo, the wonder-dog, who hiked up a trail with us to see the tallest waterfall in Germany. It's hidden behind us but you can see a little bit of it near Franco's feet. Milo is getting older and we hope he stays with us long enough to move back to America in August of 2008.

Road Trip to Paris, Summer 2006

2007-06-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

Here are our beautiful children, Lorenzo and Cara in front of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. While on his summer break from university in L.A., Lorenzo came to visit us last summer and we took a road trip to my favorite European city.

2007-06-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

2007-06-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blogspot. Now that we've been in Europe for a year and a half, I'm finally figuring out how to make a blog (with the help of Cara) to record our European Adventure. I'll post pictures and comments of our travels to stay in touch with our friends and family in America and let you know what we're up to. This first picture is of the 4 of us in Paris last summer.

I also plan to post pictures of my journey as Mrs. Europe. From July 15-22, 2007 I'll be in Chicago for the Mrs. International pageant so stay tuned for pictures and comments during pageant week.

Love and hugs,
Lesley