Assisi and Perugia through the eyes of my grandpa

 Welp, guess what, folks? I went all the way to Assisi with two dead camera batteries.

I know.

Woops!

Guess what else, folks? I'm really quite tired. This 12 ounce little bundle inside me sure does suck the energy right out of me. I don't remember ever feeling this fatigued when Graham was only 12 ounces.

Anyway, the point is that I don't have any pictures of my own and I don't have energy to write much, so I've taken it upon myself to steal pictures from my grandpa's camera, touch them up a tiny bit, and share them here with you.

Um, that just took about half a century to get these pictures on the blog, so I'm just gonna head to bed, now.

In the morning, when I have energy, I will actually tell you about our time in Assisi and the insane chocolate festival in Perugia. Also, remind me to tell you about my internet fiasco. And my license plate fiasco. And our ultrasound.

And, guess what else, folks?? Tomorrow (October 19th) is my grandpa's birthday! He's turning 72 years young.

To celebrate, I am taking him to the heart of Crazy Naples.

I better go get some sleep!

Bouna Notte.

love love love this kid

Last night, my grandparents were having a discussion about how I ought to go into the cookie-baking business, because I make some pretty good chocolate chip cookies. I don't know. It's a gift, I suppose. What can I say?

I told them that I'd never want to make a business out of doing something I love. With the exception of counseling, that is. I said something along the lines of, "Someday, I will be a professional counselor. Just not while I'm here, I guess." For a second, my mood started spiraling down as I thought of how difficult it will be for me to get a job after taking these three years off in Naples. As if sensing my sadness, Graham piped up and said, "Mom. I changed my mind. I don't want to be a firefighter when I grow up anymore. I want to be a counselor. Like you." Instantly, my mood was lifted as I imagined Graham and I running a counseling clinic together someday.



When he grows up...

Take your time, though, sweet boy.

There's no need to hurry.

snapshots of Rome

Just a little proof of all the adventuring my grandparents have been doing.... In no particular order, because that is the order in which they uploaded and I do not want to take the time to reorder them (type A I am not)...

See beyond all the golden hoopla and there is a piece of wood from the manger of Baby Jesus (if you believe). Located in Santa Maria Maggiore.

Having some fun on the famous Spanish Steps

A neat Roman moment.

An accidental neat picture of a neat Roman moment. Thank you sunshine and dirty lens.

Trevi Fountain with tourists.

Cute kid with a slinky in a crowd in Rome.

Cute kid with a slinky in a crowd near the Pantheon in Rome.

Long, crowded Deacon ordination mass at St. Peter's in Rome.

Christine!! With giant child and mother in St. Peter's in Rome.

School of Athens painting inside Vatican Museums. In Rome.

Ancient ruins at the Roman Forum in Rome.

Cute kid next to large doors at San Giovanni in Laterno, the actual cathedral for the diocese of Rome.

I am told that these are the original doors from Rome's Senate House.

Cute kid with parents inside the Colosseum in Rome.

Really great family outside the Colosseum in Rome.

Cute kid..... In Rome.

Trevi Fountain sans tourists in the morning.

The bridge where people lock their love and throw away the key in Rome.

On the way to Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome.

Cute kid with great-grandparents in St. Peter's Square. In Rome, of course. And, yes. Grandpa did wear the same clothes every single day. I told you they were light packers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rockstars

Well, folks. We made it.

When I told people that my grandparents were coming to visit, the fist reaction I'd get was, "Whoa. Wait. Your grandparents? Are they able to get around?" I'd laugh and respond by saying, "Oh, yes. They are quite young. But, we will probably have to change our usual pace a bit..."

I was right. We did have to slow down from our usual city exploration pace, but trust me when I tell you it was only a little bit. I am still in awe of the amount of "getting around" my grandparents did while we were in Rome.

I picked them up from the airport, drove them through the madness of Rome, and made them lug their suitcases (not many suitcases, though, because they are amazingly light packers) several blocks to the apartment I'd rented right smack dab in the middle of all the craziness. I woke them up bright and early the next morning and made them sit through a 3 hour mass at St. Peter's. Then, since I'm cheap and don't like to spend money on cabs, I made them navigate the Rome city bus system. They not only endured all the bumps, confusion, and standing-room-only on the buses, but they did so with smiles. Aaand, let's not forget to mention how much walking I made them do. Incredible. Almost unbelievable, actually.

Obviously, they impressed me with their strength and ability to get around a giant city, but what really puts the cherry on top is that my grandma was clever enough to bring several little gifts for Graham. We decided to let him earn one each day by cooperating and going through all the churches and museums. That kid will do anything for a slinky, I guess, because he was an absolute saint during the entire trip.

One of the gifts she brought for him was a snap bracelet with the word "Rockstar" written in large letters on it. I think I need to find two more of those bracelets so my grandparents can proudly wear them around, because when it comes to touring Italy, they truly are rockstars.

Stay tuned for more photos from Rome and more adventures to come. The plan is to hang out here in Naples for a few days and then head to Assisi on Friday.

So, rest up and get ready!

Ciao, for now!

roma

Pack your bags and saddle up! We're going to Rome today!

If you're not familiar with the story that goes along with the image above, you can read about it here. Gotta love Wikipedia, right?

I need to go get myself packed and make sure I know where in the world I am driving to. I'll be without Navigator 007 today, so please pray for me that I don't get stuck in some tiny avenue in the middle of the city. Or worse, end up in Florence or something.

Peace out, ya'll!

exciting week ahead

Today is the beginning of a very exciting week for me. First of all, in a few short hours, I am going to meet Tony Horton. You know, the creator of the P90X workouts. He's coming to the base where Tony (Blaine) works to promote something or another. Those of you who have experienced his workouts will understand why this is so exciting in a comical way. Let me know if you'd like his autograph.

On Wednesday, I get to drive to Rome and pick up my Grandma and Grandpa Kelly from the airport. Finally, some family is making it out here to visit us. They will be over here until the middle of November. They want to see Italy, so I am going to be their tour guide. That means you have to get ready to tour Italia via the blog. We'll start our adventures with five days in Rome. Get excited.

While in Rome, I am going to get to meet up with Christine, a good pal from Gonzaga! Another familiar face to help me combat this awful homesickness I've been feeling! Yay!

On Thursday (while in Rome), I will celebrate my 29th birthday. This means it will be time to start enjoying every minute of my last year in my twenties. It's gonna be a good year.

I guess I better go rest up, though, huh?

I think I'll leave you with a quote from the one and only Tony Horton:

"Do your best, and forget the rest."

17 weeks

I've asked around and the consensus seems to be that I should absolutely, most definitely, positively, please, please, please, put belly pictures on the blog.

Soooo, since I got a little dolled up for an afternoon birthday tea party and was actually wearing something other than comfy shorts and a frumpy tee shirt, I thought I'd take the opportunity to get some pictures of my growing belly.

And now, without further ado, I give a belly shot.



At my 16 week check-up, the doctor said I wasn't big enough to measure, yet. I beg to differ. I see a solid bump.


What do you think?