Brasil!!!

I travelled to Brasilia, Brasil for 10 days to see my extended family (my mom is originally from Brasil) and to be a bridesmaid for my cousin, Tatiana. It was an amazing, unforgettable, fun trip! It had been almost 7 years since I had been there last- way too long! It was tough being away from the girls for so long but they loved being with Chet and my mom who came to help (thanks!!).

Even though I have always been thousands of miles away from my Brasilian family, they have always been such a huge part of my life. My sister and I had the BEST time spending our summers in Brasil! Every time we visit Brasil, we condense years of memories into a few short weeks. I cherish every moment there and have such a hard time leaving (seriously, I make a spectacle at the airport with all my tears!). No matter how much time passes, I will always consider Brasil my second home.

I landed in Brasilia at 7am after a long multi-flight trip. After getting settled in at my aunt's house and showered, I wasted no time in diving right into my trip- I went to a BBQ at my cousin's house, visited another aunt and uncle, and still had time (or the appetite) to go for Brasilian pizza (yummy!). My mom has 7 brothers/sisters and there are 20+ cousins so there are a lot of people to see! I was so happy and exhausted when I finally fell asleep that night!

First night in Brasilia- eating pizza with my cousin/sidekick Andrea and our friend Melanie.
I love Brasilian pizza- especially the banana and cinnamon/suagr (without sauce)! Sounds odd but is so good!

The rest of the week was spent visiting family, walking around, eating every favorite food of mine (twice!), and helping my cousin Taty with her wedding. No matter what country, there are always bridesmaid duties! :-)

Let the pre-wedding festivities begin!
Taty (the gorgeous bride) and I

Andrea and I... again (we are connected at the hip so lots of pics of us together!)

Standing at the beautiful ceremony site! It is also the place where my parents met. My mom and her friends knew where the cute American service men hung out- one of them happened to be my dad. :-)

At the ceremony site- isn't this an amazing tree?!

Andrea and Maria Clara (Tatiana's daughter, and adorable flower girl!).
Camille looks exactly like Maria Clara did as a baby.

Eating one of my favorite foods (pastel) with a few of my cousins.

This blog post could easily be titled "How I ate my way through Brasil" since many of my pics are of us eating!

More cousins (with my Aunt Maria Emelia who my sister used to call Amelia Bedelia) and more pizza!

I LOVE walking around Brasilia- it's such a neat city and so green! This is the apartment building where I stayed (with one of my aunts) and would walk back and forth to my other aunt's house every day. Sounds corny but I love how comfortable I am in a city that is miles away from home but still feels like "home".

Wedding pictures to come....