Summer Crazies

June is almost over and it makes me sad. Tragically sad. I really love summer. I love watermelon and corn on the cob and barbequing in the backyard. I love the late summer nights where we stay outside until after 9:00 p.m. riding bikes and hanging out with friends and then we all fall asleep watching a movie. I love no school and no homework and no packing lunches. I love reading great books and doing fun projects and going on exciting adventures. I even secretly like sprinklers and the plastic dinosaur pool and rootbeer popsicles even though I hate the accompanying grass in the house and sticky patches on the kitchen floor. I really like summer. So in honor of the passing of June, here are some of the highlights...

Our adventures actually started last May before school even let out. J. made his acting debut in the school play entitled "Sunlight and Moonlight" where he played a demon bear. Yep, a demon bear. He was the 2nd to youngest member of the K-8th grade cast and he did a GREAT job. We had to laugh at the costume that gave him a HUGE wedgie in the back but he loved the face paint and the opportunity to act demonic and crazy.

Our second big event was the birth and then baby blessing of Hazel, one of my new and enchanting nieces. She is perfect and beautiful and I loved being there for her birth and blessing. She lives so far away now so it is especially sweet for me that I got to share those 2 significant events in her life. I really, really think being an aunt is the greatest job in the world!

M. is a preschool graduate. He graduated valedictorian in his class...well, no one came right out and SAID that but we feel certain this is the case. I can't believe my M. is going to be in kindergarten. Sometimes in the middle of the "daily grind" you feel like your kids are never going to be old enough to wipe their own bums or get their own drinks of waters or stop stealing Pop-Tarts out of the cupboard and then you wake up one day and 5 years have passed. It happens just like that and I don't like it. I'm so proud of him and the big boy he is becoming but I mourn at how quickly being "little" just vanishes. I made a secret promise to myself at his graduation that I wouldn't ever wish one single day away but that I would slow down and appreciate these amazing moments with my kids!

On Memorial Day, our family ran in a race to honor Ryan Cox, one of the young fathers in our ward that passed away last March. C. and the kids ran the 1 mile and I ran the 5K...finished in 34 minutes which was great considering I'd never run 3 miles in less than 40 minutes. It also explained why my entire body was screaming in pain and my lungs were on fire. Nothing like a little race adrenaline to cut 6 minutes off your time and almost render you comatose at the finish line. It was a really fun experience though!

Well, C. celebrated his 41st birthday at the very end of May. (Yeah, be scared. We're not even to June yet...) C. is the master cake maker in our house so it's always a little scary when once a year I'm in charge of the cake. This one was super-duper chocolate but I couldn't get the frosting to go on and stick without ripping chunks of cake off the side so at the end I got out a box of candy that I was going to give to a friend and tried to cover the whole mess up with chocolates. It was hilarious and probably a little pathetic but I didn't hear anyone complaining when it was actually time to devour the huge ball of chocolate delight. My husband truly gets younger looking every year...and more and more fabulous. C.'s birthday was followed by J.'s last day of school where we celebrated at Maggie Moo's ice-cream shop with some friends. My oldest is no longer a first grader...sob. (See above paragraph for all the emotions that repeated themselves that day. )

So now we have arrived at June...my darling brother Chip kept us all entertained for the first few weeks with weekly field trips to various local hot spots. He was doing a "Busy Bee School" with his kids while his wife was teaching her class at BYU each week and so we got to do a scavenger hunt at the Monte Bean Museum, had a dinosaur adventure at the BYU Earth Science museum, and a fabulous family day "Renaissance" style at BYU Art Museum. It was great hanging out with cousins and having someone else provide all the entertainment. Their family is now having Busy Bee School adventures in Sweden and France and I can't tell you how pathetic it has made our adventures seem now. But pressing forward...

We have gone swimming at the Rec Center which took all my courage. In the first 5 minutes we were there, a stray band-aid floated pass me in the pool, I picked a black hair off my arm, and when we tried to use the family restroom, we found a puddle of pee on the floor. I can't even write about it because I get light-headed and want to dry heave. We have since made use of the slip-n-slide and plastic dinosaur pool because I refuse to return to human wasteland at the Rec Center. My poor deprived children. We have been on a couple hikes and have discovered a passion for bike riding. We love to head down to the Stake Center and have speed racer races around the parking lot. I challenge any one of you to a race...I can't be beat.

Last week my kids went on a field trip to Heritage Park in Salt Lake City with some good friends of ours who let them each catch a chicken. Apparently my city slicker kids are a little "livestock impaired" but after a little assistance, they each caught their chicken and our friends are graciously housing all the pets in their backyard. J. still holds his chicken like it is a chunk of burning acid but in time we are hoping he develops a little less agricultural fear and embraces his farming side. They had a great time though...Heritage Park is one fabulous find here in the great Beehive State!

Other than that, J. has started piano lessons, H. has decided to start reading, and M. has discovered a passion for anything on wheels that can go really fast. We are enjoying the lazy days of summer that don't seem all that lazy and are gearing up for a ward trek that starts tomorrow. So let the REAL fun begin...stay tuned.

Celebration of Life

I feel like the Lord has been providing some intense tutoring in my life over the last 3 months.

It started last March when a young father in our neighborhood, Ryan Cox, was killed very suddenly and unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident. He left behind an amazing wife and 3 beautiful little girls. Then some dear friends of ours lost their sister/sister-in-law in a terrible car accident. She left behind a sweet husband and 4 beautiful children. This morning another young father in our ward passed away from leukemia also leaving behind a strong, courageous wife and 2 little boys. Erik Rudy fought a courageous battle for 2 years. He and his family aggressively fought the leukemia for a year before finding out he had gone in to remission. This was an absolute miracle given the chances they had presented him when the whole ordeal started. For the last year he has been able to live life with a whole new perspective and energy. But right before Memorial Day, they received the news that the leukemia had returned and last night he passed away peacefully at home with his family. But here is the sweet part of these tragic stories.

On Memorial Day, Erik Rudy helped organize a local race they called "Run For Ryan" where they raised over $15,000 for Ryan Cox's family. Erik said he saw it as a chance to "pay it forward" since this same race had been held in his honor the year before to raise money and show support for his family. On Monday evening, our entire ward met in the park behind the Rudy home where we ate together and took the opportunity to celebrate Erik' life and family. As part of the evening, each family had written their good wishes and blessings for Erik and his family and tied them to yellow balloons. As we sang Erik's favorite song (Army of Helaman), the balloons were released and floated heavenward in a display of genuine love and respect for this amazing man and his family. It was a sweet evening, made even sweeter by the fact that Erik was able to join the celebration for a few minutes despite being so sick.

My sister-in-law suffers from terminal cancer. She has fought an amazing battle for over 7 years now and continues to fight despite so many challenges and obstacles. I asked her once what her feelings were about this trial she has been asked to bear at such a young age and with so much of life ahead of her. She said she went through a very brief period of asking "Why me?" until she received a very strong, powerful answer that said, "Why not you?" She said she realized that of all the people in the world who suffered, she had the incredible blessings of the gospel and testimony of eternal principles that answered that question perfectly. She bore testimony of eternal marriage and families, the power of the priesthood to comfort and heal and sustain, of family and extended family and friends who continually lighten the burden and provide so much needed sustenance at times when life seems too overwhelming, and she bore testimony of the reality of God and our Savior Jesus Christ who see all things perfectly and know and love us with an intensity we can't begin to fathom. There is a plan. We are each loved perfectly.

And so I feel cause to celebrate the lives of these amazing men and women and their families. They have each shown strength, courage and faith that has been awe-inspiring and life changing for those around them. They continue to live life and celebrate the love and joy they have known. And they continue to rejoice in the love and joy that still exists around them. They reach out to others and have been willing to share their experiences that have truly enriched and blessed our lives. These women, men and children and their families are powerful and bring a strength to this world that cannot be matched. It is not a mortal strength but an eternal one and it is powerful. They radiate. I can only hope in my lifetime to emulate their example.

And so while I mourn today I will also rejoice that there is purpose and love and hope. I will celebrate the lives that have truly touched mine for good.

Italian Adventure...Part 452

Crossing the ocean blue on our way back to the mainland. I love ferries and oceans and wind blowing your hair dramatically. I especially love all those things "Italian" style.

My new shoes that I thought I had broken in were not so broken in. And when I went to bandage things up, I discovered I had bought a box of fabulous neon Band-Aids. I looked like a walking Vegas billboard.

Really...you are still reading. Bravo for enduring to the end. I've decided the rest of our trip might need to be summarized in this last blog because I have so many other things to talk about! So here you are...5 days of Italy in one blog.

I can't remember what day we are on...

We arrived in a little town called Cosenza that had been one of the areas C. served in when he was a missionary. He had some amazing experiences in this city that included the conversion of a wonderful man named Maurizio. C. has been back to Italy several times and has kept in contact through the years with this friend. He was anxious to see him and introduce me to this person who has had such an impact on his life.

Maurizio picked us up at the train station and drove us to our hotel. It felt strange to ride in a car after so many days of trains. And I have to say that this hotel took the prize. We ended up in a suite that really was pretty dreamy. I was terrified they had given us the wrong room or that we would discover it was the wrong room when we had to empty our children' college savings the next day to pay for it. It was really nice. We "freshened" up and then went back down to meet Maurizio again. He drove us to his little cafe/restaurant that he owns and fed us heaping mounds of delicious food. C. and he talked and I listened and nodded and just kept eating. It was yummy!

This picture is Maurizio is his "bar" (restaurant). Two days in a row he heaped mounds of food on our plates and kept us eating. I am eternally bonded to him.

Just a side note...I loved watching my husband speak Italian. Not only is he really good at it, but he talks like a real Italian. Animation, hands swinging, head nodding...it was really fun to watch. And occasionally I thought I understood a word or two.

This is me lounging in our "suite". It was a heavenly little place!

After a delightful rest in our "suite", Maurizio picked us up the following day and took us to church. It was "district" conference so it was a perfect day to visit. I think there were probably about 50 people there altogether including members, missionaries, mission presidency, and district leaders. It was probably my most favorite day of the entire vacation. I couldn't understand a word of the meeting, but the Spirit was so strong. Afterwards, because so many of them had travelled such long distances, they had a huge meal and we were immediately invited. I kissed more cheeks and shook more hands and felt more welcome than I have in many other meetinghouses. I admire these members so much. They are a small minority in Italy and many are first generation members. They stand steadfast and immovable in their families, neighborhoods and communities without alot of support. The missionaries we met were so impressive. I was truly impressed by their personalities and testimonies. It is obvious to see that the bar has been raised and the effect these amazing young men are having around the world. It was an amazing afternoon and I truly did not want it to end. I can't wait to serve another mission someday with C. and to have the opportunity to work with so many of the faithful Latter-Day Saints around the world. I love the church!

C. and I with the mission president's wife and an Italian missionary!

C. with his dear friend Maurizio.

I love Italy and I love Italian members and I love missionaries.

But all good things have to end and eventually they pushed me out of the church and back into the car. We spent a little more time with Maurizio at his bar and then he drove us to the train station. It was hard to say good-bye. Even though I couldn't speak the language, I felt a real friendship and connection with Maurizio and it was easy to see how deep and strong he and C.'s friendship is. It was a wonderful and amazing 24 hours!

C. and Maurizio in front of his cafe.

That night we took the train to Salerno. We weren't sure where we were going when we arrived so we dragged our suitcases down the main walking street, through the fog, and hoped for the best. Apparently Sunday evening is the time to dress up and promenade along the walking street. The primary objective is to be seen...it was a great night for serious "people watching". We finally arrived at our hostel and checked in. Now keep in mind...we had just spent time in 3 amazing bed and breakfasts/hotels where each night it just seemed to get better and better. It was bound to bottom out...and I think it happened in Salerno. Since I had been appallingly spoiled, the bare essentials hostel room was a little spooky. Cheap, but spooky. The walls had a little bit of mold here and there, the light in the room cast a strange greenish light on things and the toliet had a couple of assorted black hairs on the seat. The beds were metal cots with blankets we made sure not to touch with bare skin. We played some Uno, ate some beef jerky, and got ready for bed. Once the lights were out, I laid in bed and wondered how long it would be before that infernal dripping sound would put me over the edge. We both finally fell asleep in our individual twin metal cots and dreamed of ocean-side bed and breakfasts and hotel suites.

Me in our hostel accomodations that really weren't that bad except I'd been spoiled rotten in the previous quaint bed and breakfasts.

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast, we checked out and headed for the bus stop. We took a bus on an amazing, harrowing, breathtaking ride up the Amalfi Coast. I don't even know how to describe this experience. It was a 2-lane road that wound up and up and over and down the coast...literally. Most of the time the road was cut right in to the mountain and out the bus window was not only a fantastic, unreal view of the most beautiful scenery and water you have ever seen, but also a literal drop off the cliff. It wound through tiny village towns where sometimes 2 buses would meet and we would creep along and pray we weren't going to hit each other while trying to pass. I really don't know how this bus made it. It was heart pumping the whole way and truly unbelievable. We got off the bus in a town called Positano that is apparently the new "hip" spot for Hollywood these days. The town sits right on the Mediterranean Sea and is built into the mountain. We walked around town and ate at a charming little restaurant surrounded by lemon trees. It was a beautiful, charming town with the green, lush, fog-tipped mountains looming on one side and the crystal blue sea on the other. I've never seen anything like it but I would definitely sell a leg to go back.

Me on the hill overlooking Positano.


More amazing pictures from picturesque Positano.

After a couple of hours in Positano, we boarded the "Bus of Death" again and continued up the coast to the city of Sorrento where we caught a train to Pompeii. I loved Pompeii! It was so, so, so very, very, very cool! (for lack of more intelligent vocabulary) What was truly stunning was turning around seeing Mount Vesuvius looming right there in the background. I rented myself a little self-guided tour and armed with our Rick Stevens print-out, we set out. I loved walking through the ruins and up and down the streets with the imprint of chariot wheels in the stone. I loved hearing the history of these places and walking where these people actually walked. And truth be told, the brothel was utterly fascinating to me...right down to the fresco "menu of potential services" painted on the wall. Those ancient Romans were really creative! Pompeii was beautiful and truly fascinating. We didn't even begin to see all of it but we wanted to be sure we had something to do next time!

Me in front of the entrance to Old Pompeii (top) in the city of Pompeii pointing to Mount Vesuvius.

From top to bottom: A petrified Pompeiian resident, me ordering fast food from an ancient Pompeii fast food restaurant, me sitting on a stone bed in the brothel looking as sexy and seductive as a person with a backpack and no hair dryer on vacation can look, C. in front of more Pompeiian stone, and C. in front of the entrance to Pompeii.

We jumped on the train again and headed for Naples where we grabbed some yummy pizza and then caught our train to Rome. We arrived in Rome late at night and wandered through a choice area of town looking for our bed and breakfast. When we finally found it, the owner led us up and down some more choice parts of town to the room we would be staying in. It was a little scary but when we finally got to the room it was charming and perfect. We had a fantastic thunder and rainstorm the last night we were there which was a perfect end. I threw open the shutters and leaned outside the window and tried to take in this amazing moment! I felt overwhelmed with sadness that it was our last night and yet filled with joy at being reunited with our kids

The next morning rode the train back to the airport and got ready to leave. It was so bittersweet. This trip was amazing and wonderful! Not only was it a chance to see Italy, but it was an opportunity to reconnect with my husband and our relationship. We are a great team! I love being married to him. We are good complements to each other with our strengths and weaknesses and living life with him is sweet. He is an incredible man and our time together is sweet and fun and filled with great adventures and experiences!

So to C., thank you for sharing this beautiful country with me! It was a grand adventure and I love you for all the hard work and effort you put into this trip to make it perfect. I can't wait to see where we end up next!


Ciao!

Italian Adventure...Part 3

Is this starting to feel like the eternal vacation blog?

Day 4:
Well...after a splendid stay in the charming fishing village of Cefalu, we boarded a train and sped along the magnificent coast to another amazing town called Taormina. We arrived at the most charming train station that had this very distinctive 1940's feel to it...I immediately announced to C. that he may just have to leave me here and go on without me. I hadn't even seen the town but I was pretty impressed with the train station. We had to board a bus that drove us up a very narrow, 2-lane road up the big mountain to the amazing place on top. Taormina is breathtaking and absolutely quaint and beautiful. I don't even know how to describe it and the pictures don't begin to do it justice. I guess we'll just have to make do...

Apparently Taormina used to be THE swanky place for all the big Hollywood movie stars back in the 1940's. Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable...it sits on top of a mountain and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Etna, the active Italian volcano. The little town is filled with charming cobblestone streets lined with lemon and orange trees, a million amazing places to eat, little shops and stores filled with every trinket imaginable, and a magnificent ancient Greek amphitheater. We started our Taormina adventure by checking in to our hotel. It was wonderful! We had a room that overlooked the main shopping/walking street and after admiring our iron bed frame and quaint antique wood furniture, I threw open the shutters, leaned out the window and did some serious people watching. The room was so fun!

After we bounced on the bed, touched all the beautiful furniture, leaned out our window and played with all the samples in the bathroom, we headed out to explore. We started at the huge ancient Greek amphitheater. It had experienced many different phases over the last few hundred years but was beautiful to look at. I was constantly amazed by the history in Italy. Their history dates back so much further than our American history does and on Sicily you find evidence of so many ancient civilizations and cultures. It never ceased to fascinate and truly amaze me. The only negative part of the experience was all the school groups that were there...everything from the pink, peppy, chain-smoking Italian cheerleaders, to the french school group that couldn't stop going down and performing "shows" for each other to the downright bored-out-of-their-Italian-middle school mind students with their long-winded tour guide. There were so many groups and they were all so loud that it was a little distracting...but the views were breathtaking. (I hate to use the same adjectives over and over but really...I don't have the vocabulary to describe this little paradise!)

After the ampitheater, we set out exploring. We found the most charming, beautiful, tranquil park that we spent a good couple of hours in. It had little paths through the most diverse, beautiful gardens, teahouses, fountains, trees, and overlooked the crystal blue ocean. We sat on a bench and breathed the citrus scented air, held hands down the flower lined paths, and danced on the cobblestones by the fountain. Sigh. It was a glorious afternoon!

(These are both pictures from the amazing park...one overlooking the ocean and mountains and the other is the Roman goddess sunning herself on the stone steps!)

Everywhere we walked we were bombarded by fragrant orange and lemon trees. After a little searching, I decided to settle for a little house on this street. Charming stone steps leading down the street, abundant citrus fruit, and charming balconies. "I'd like to buy your house. Do you take Visa?"

After an amazing day exploring, we chose a little cozy restaurant for dinner where we ate more magnificent pasta (really, those Italians have totally mastered the whole pasta thing!) and then we held hands and strolled along the main street with all the other Italian lovers. I think we cuddled in a piazza by a fountain and snuggled on a cliff overlooking the ocean...couldn't have been more romantic. And then my Italian lover bought me MORE gelato on the way back to the hotel and the deal was sealed. I was staying!

The next morning we explored town a little more including another harrowing ride down another perilous 2 lane road in a bus where we dashed to the beach, took a couple of pictures, and then had to race back to the bus in order to get back to town in order to get back to the train station in order to catch the next train! I think we spent more time in our favorite park, got lost in a swanky hotel's gardens and verandas, ate more gelato, and had a delightful time. The best part of all the dashing was that it was just 2 adults dashing...much simpler than 2 adults and 3 children!

Late afternoon we caught the train and headed back to the mainland. We rode a ferry, met a very, very nice Australian couple from Melbourne that we talked to on the train for several hours and arrived in our next town late that night. But enough for now...my eyelids are drooping and I need to go ask C. what the name of the next town we were in was called.

Ciao for now!

Italian Adventure...Part 2

DAY 3
After a delicious breakfast of chocolate croissants and very fresh squeezed orange juice on the piazza, C. and I caught a train to the nearby city of Palermo for a little day trip. Our first stop was the Palermo catacombs, a site I was "dying" to see. I can't even begin to explain how fascinating it was. You enter this building, walk down some stone steps, and are inside the catacombs with corpses and mummies just lying out on wooden planks or hanging by wire from the wall. C. and I have decided that it is way creepier looking at pictures of it on the internet than being there in real life but for those who are itching for a look, take a moment and go explore.

Palermo Catacombs

Despite what I would have thought, there was no odor or stench in the catacombs and it was really amazing to see the clothing and other artifacts so perfectly preserved from the different time periods. The most fascinating and heartbreaking is the little 2 year old girl named Rosalia Lombardo who died and was laid to rest in the catacombs in 1920. She is so perfectly embalmed that many people refer to her as "Sleeping Beauty". It was a fascinating place!

Next, we caught a bus and headed up past Palermo to a little town called Monreale, one of the areas that C. served in on his mission. I have to pause and insert an observation here. Italy is not a particularly "clean" place. C. and I joked that basically Italians do things one time and that is it. Preserve an artifact one time, clean a street one time, fix a statue one time...Palermo and Monreale had the potential to be beautiful, charming towns but they were actually quite dirty and run down. Here are these amazing artifacts, landmarks, and relics and they were mostly pretty dirty and unkept. It was a little depressing. BUT...we had delicious pizza on the piazza in Monreale while we waited for the cathedral to open.



This is me standing very piously in front of the cathedral.


And this is me PRETENDING to even think about going down in to the hole in the ground to use a toliet with no toliet seat. I honestly think I would have wet myself right there on the piazza rather than venture underground to relieve myself.

We finally made it inside the cathedral and it was absolutely breathtaking! The entire inside is made of mosaic and gold and the depictions are unreal. I wish I could do it justice but you are simply going to have to take my word for it and if you ever have the chance to see it, go.




On our way back to the train station, we met 2 sister missionaries on the bus! We had previously seen 2 elders at the train station when we arrived that morning. It just seemed so safe and happy that we kept running into missionaries!

On our way back to the train station, we stopped to purchase souvenirs for our children. J. had asked for an Italian dictionary so he could learn Italian and M. had asked for Italian candy, "something different than I eat here". H. didn't realize people were asking for gifts or I'm sure she would have asked for something. So we bought J. a children's Italian/English dictionary book and if I know our son, I'm sure he has been studying it and has it mostly down. We bought M. a Disney music CD in Italian and he now loves to wave his hands wildly around and speak in a deep voice with an Italian accent and then ask, "Mom, is that how they sound in Italy?" H. ended up with a little tamborine that has a scary sun man with lots of legs on it and ribbons hanging off the side. It had to be put in a "special" place after the first day from all the banging.



This is the special Sicilian sun man. I believe it is the universal symbol for Sicily. C. just informed me the scary man might actually be a woman. Somehow that makes it even scarier. And because it was so charming, I bought a pendant to wear on a necklace with this creepy little creature. I just truly hope it isn't the international symbol for the Mafia.

We took the train back to Cefalu and wandered around town watching the beautiful sunset over the water. We ate dinner at a charming, delicious little restaurant outside under the stars. Back to our bed and breakfast where we watched the Simpsons in Italian before falling sound asleep.


Delicious dinner in Cefalu.

The beautiful Cefalu cathedral at night. There was a gelato shop off to the right that had the most scrumtious flavors of gelato...chocolate orange, chocolate cherry...we savored all we could.

On the mountain above Cefalu. Good bye beautiful, scenic, charming town. I hope to see you again soon!

Reflections of Christ

I was reading a friend's blog tonight and she had a link to this beautiful photography exhibit about Christ that has been at the Mesa, Arizona temple visitor's center. It is an amazing exhibit and the photography is breathtaking. It truly captures the essence and spirit of Christ and some of the key events in His extraordinary life. Take a minute and enjoy!

Reflections of Christ photography exhibit

Fun in Italy...Part One

We are home! Our trip to Italy was amazing! I loved having 9 glorious days alone with my husband in a country that truly took my breath away. Here is the very, very abbreviated travel log. If you are itching for more, please come see our 254 digital pictures or 4 hours of video!

Day 1: We got up at 4:30 a.m. in order to arrive at the airport by 5:30 a.m. so that we could catch our 7:00 a.m. flight to Rome, Italy. We flew through Chicago and then on to Rome where we arrived at 11:30 p.m. our time but 7:30 a.m. Rome time. Our plan was to push through the day in Rome and then catch a night train to Sicily that evening. While it all sounded smooth on paper, it got to be pretty brutal at a couple points during the day. I couldn't look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel without swaying and feeling a little dizzy. I cat napped at some pretty impressive fountains and then cried over my gnocchi at dinner that night from sheer exhaustion. But in between the cat naps and tears, we saw some AMAZING things! Vatican museum, Pantheon, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, other beautiful fountains and piazzas whose names I can't remember, tall towers, old buildings, a million scooters, charming apartment buildings with gardens on the roof or on the balconies...I just had to stop and close my eyes and take it all in. It was beautiful and charming and unbelievable that we were there!



Our visit to the Vatican museum. We saw mummies, lots of naked statues with fig leaves covering their privates, and the amazing, breath taking Sistine Chapel.


We averaged 2 gelato stops a day. There is NOTHING in this world to compare with Italian gelato. You could spend a year in Italy eating gelato 2 times a day and never taste all the intriguing, exotic flavors. We did our best though!


The beautiful Trevi fountain. Notice the bags starting to form under our eyes.

That night, we caught a sleeper train that whisked us through the night down to the island of Sicily. The train ride was about 12 hours but we slept through most of it. I had never slept on a train before so it all sounded rather intriguing and "Orient Express" like...we had bunk beds, a little sink, and plenty of pillows. The only down side was having to lurch down the train in the middle of the night to reach the potty. All part of a great memory!





Day 2: After our night on the train where we even crossed ocean on a ferry, we transferred to another train that whisked us to a beautiful sea-side city called Cefalu. We walked from the train station through the old town to our quaint bed and breakfast. It is a beautiful city! Our little room was perfect and after examining the view from the balcony, I crawled in to bed and slept for 4 hours! Perfect.

After waking up, we went out to explore the town. The ocean is an unreal color! It was clear and the most amazing shade of blue. We just took our time that day and enjoyed the town, explored the magnificent cathedral, climbed the mountain to look out over the whole view, and ate a delicious dinner followed by amazing gelato. It was a perfect day!

Twilight Trailer

I really thought I was over this little obsession. Guess not. Mark your calendars...December 12, 2008 is the opening. Does anyone else feel like you might not make it til then?

Twilight Movie Trailer


Or check this out for more fun:
More Twilight Fun