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Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

So it is that time of year to give thanks again. As many of you know today is the American holiday of Thanksgiving; it is not just a holiday where we eat copious amounts of wonderful home cook food (which we do!) or just sit in front of the T.V. and watch football and drink beer. It is a holiday that many of us take seriously as way to be thankful for what we have in our lives. It is a way to teach our kids to be grateful and to remind some adults to be grateful as well. So as we all gather around our love ones’ tables today we will also be giving thanks for all the things that we are blessed with.

    Now it is time to give my thanks to you, our readers, who follow our blog and our adventures around the world. We enjoy all of your feedback and your views and are the reason why we keep writing. So Ashley and I would like to thank you all for all of your support.

My Wonderful Family

    Next I would like to give thanks to my family for always being there for me and supporting me in all my adventures and crazy dreams! My family is the reason why I have the courage and the dreams to explore every nook and cranny of this wonderful and wild world. You raised me and taught me the importance of being adventurous and keeping an open mind and a love for new cultures and experiences. If it was not for my family I would not have been able to see as much of the world I have seen. You taught what it meant to be a good person and pushed me to be a good person. You are always there for me cheering me on, I am deeply thankful for my family and all their love.  I love you!

    I would love to thank The American University of Rome for accepting me into their family and now, as an Alumni, I realize how much of an opportunity they have given me.  They told me that the world is my classroom and to go and explore and learn about other cultures, to expand my mind and they taught me that we are not that different no matter what background we come from. I am thankful to the administration and professors of AUR. You pushed me to be a better student and a better person out in the world.

Stray Sheep, the Rome Family

I have met friends from around the world from my travels that are now my family. Adrian, Daniel, Rory, Quinton, Marielle, Zoe, and Lars I love you all so much. You all drove me crazy at times but  what kind of family does not? You were always there for me and helped me become a better man. I  am grateful for all of you and hope you are all successful in your adventures.

Like a Boss

The Ever Classy Lars

A few other people I would like to thank are David Hale, you got me out there and kept me in check. You made life crazy and taught me how to really dive into a culture and be like a local. I hope soon we will be able to meet again and share a case of Three horses together.  

Keep it Weird

Russian, my long lost brother from Russia. You and I are the definition of a bromance and I love you like crazy. We are always together in the good and the bad. We knew how to get in and out of trouble together. As you know I consider you my brother and would do anything for you. I love you and miss you very much; Russian you are a true friend.

Bromance with Russian

Space Dan, wherever you are, I would like to thank you for being an older brother to me. You gave me shelter (literally) when I had none and always had me thinking outside the box about life. Refat, you were just a ray of sunshine in my life. Your energy always made me smile even on the worst days at AUR. I am so glad I met you and glad that I can call you a friend.

Refat, Quinton and I

Refat, Zoe, Ashley and I. love my friends!

Liz Ray, you are my other sister, and probably my evil twin. I love you dearly and am glad that you are always there for me in my life no matter where you have wandered off too. You taught me a lot about myself and I thank you for that. You are one crazy kid and I cannot wait to argue with you once more. Love you ER!  

ER and I

Anna Mangiardi, you are the person I looked up to most when I came to AUR. you gave me a family and taught me how live abroad. You got me involved with school and got me out there in Rome even if it was mostly just to go to the Abbey. You showed me that I had a Family in Rome.  Thank you for everything. Now I can not name you all, these are just a few of the many people who have changed my life for the better.

Anna and I at the Abbey

    Now I would love to give thanks to Ashley, my other half, and my fellow adventurer. Over the last three years we have traveled together and could not be more thankful for having someone who I love and share in all of my adventures. She is my other half and is my support abroad and at home. She keeps me getting up everyday and believing that we can make all our dreams come true. Lets be honest as well, if it was not for her who knows if I could book a hostel or a flight without her. If it was not for her our trips would fall apart and I would never get off the ground. I sometimes wonder how I ever traveled without her. She puts up with all my oddities, she handles my fear of flying, my child-like attitude, and all of my crazy ideas. She is my support and and I am very thankful to have her by my side every time I step into the unknown. I love you very much Ashley Babin and I’m blessed to have you in my life (and thank you for being my editor).

Ashley and I on the Via Appia

    I have a lot to be thankful for in my life. I have had pretty good run so far at the age of 23 and I am just at the beginning of my adventure. There are so many people in my life who keep pushing me forward and teaching me that I have the ability to make the impossible possible. Thank you God for everything and thank you for creating this world and allowing me to use it as a playground. Today is a day to give thanks to the people who are there for you even when the tides are against you. So thank you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Alex and Ashley

We are Ashley and Alex and we're foodies and boozies who eat, drink and live local. Our goal is to scour the globe looking for inside local tips, the best places to eat and the best places to drink with the locals. We are also authors of a culinary guidebook, "Eat Local in Barcelona: A Guide to Catalan Cuisine." This guidebook is all about learning how what and where to eat and drink local in Barcelona. Follow along with our adventures, so that you too can eat, drink and live local!