Spring Break in Italy

It's a really long, boring story...but through a twist of fate, Roger and I were able to go to Italy last month. I went with my girlfriend last year, and I was able to go back and take Roger with me. We were there over spring break...5 nights and 6 days. We had a blast! I was able to be a "tour guide", and I loved it. Our hotel was in ancient Rome, so we just walked out the door and down the block to visit the Colosseum, the Forum, and all the ruins of ancient Rome. We visited the Vatican and went to the top of the dome in St. Peter's Basilica. We went into the basement of St. Peter's and walked by the crypt of St. Peter himself! Ok, this man knew Jesus! And his remains were right there! Behind the rope, behind the glass, behind the security guard... We also saw the casket of Pope John Paul in the next room. Anyway, it was a fabulous trip.

The one thing we did this time that I didn't do on my first trip was take a train down to the city of Pompeii. Pompeii is about 2 1/2 hours from Rome by train, so I was tempted to just skip it. But, my 6 year-old actually studied Pompeii this year. When he found out that we were thinking about visiting Pompeii, he said, "Mom, all I want is something from Pompeii." Oh brother! I could have picked up something from Rome and faked it...told him it was from Pompeii...but I just couldn't do it. So, off we went. 5 hours round trip! It was the town that was buried about 2000 years ago from a volcanic eruption. The volcano, Mt. Vesuvius, is really there!! And the town, well, it's really there too. It was completely different than I imagined it. The town of Pompeii is about the size of Siloam Springs, not some little, tiny village that you can just look at and see the whole thing. It was really quite big. We were there for about 5 hours and still didn't see it all. I took a few pictures, but eventually, they all begin to look the same.

This is at temple in the Pompeii Forum, where they did all the government stuff. Sort of their version of Washington DC. Their worship of gods was intricately interwoven in their government. Imagine that!




Below is a picture of their small amphitheater. There are 2 more, and one of them is about the size of a football stadium. They had their own version of gladiator events.


This picture is to prove that we were actually there :-) I'm holding the Rick Steves guidebook, like a true tourist.

The museum had the plaster casts of the people that they found buried. When the volcano erupted, it spewed so much soot and debris that most people were killed when their roofs caved in on them. If they weren't killed by that, they suffocated. When they excavated the city, they would send small sensors down into the ground. When they would find a pocket of space, they would send plaster down into the tiny hole to fill the space. They would often find that the space was in the shape of a person, which meant that the person had been covered, and then had decomposed, but the shape of his body had been left behind.

I wonder if this person was praying when he died? Or trying to cover his mouth so he could breathe.

This person's skull was still intact when they recovered him.


Fabulous trip. Fabulous time.

When In Rome...

Well, I have news... the Colosseum is real!! So is the Vatican!! I went. I saw. I was moved...
I will refrain from giving you all the details that are only interesting to me, but it really was a fabulous trip. The only thing that would have been better is if my family had come with me. But, going with a girlfriend comes in a close second!

I won't bore you with all the pictures that you could easily find online or in a book. Plus, they really don't do Rome justice. Do you remember when you visited a historic place in the US? Perhaps you've been to Washington DC, or to Gettysburg, or to Philadelphia. When you visit those places, you often have this feeling...almost a solemness of what occurred on the place you're standing. The idea that you're standing on a piece of history is quite awesome. Well, imagine that history being multiplied by about 20. Where the US is about 200 years old, Rome is about 3000 years old. I stood on the place that the apostle Peter was martyred. The apostle Peter!! He knew Jesus for goodness sake!! I stood in the cathedral where Peter's remains were right under my feet. I saw the place where Julius Caesar was stabbed. I walked the halls of the Colosseum where the gladiators fought. I walked under to ceiling of the Sistine Chapel where Michelangelo painted the most important piece of art in history. When I stood in the Sistine Chapel, is was so moved by the gift that God had obviously given this man. We just don't see art like that anymore. I'm not even a real "artsy" person, but I know an incredible gift when I see one.



This picture shows a small portion of The Pieta, a statue which shows Mary holding the crucified body of Jesus. Yes, I know that this didn't really happen, but look at it! Michelangelo did this when he was 24 years old!! Anyway, I was moved.

And...the food was amazing. The driving was frightening. The language is beautiful. Now, I'm going to say something here, but I'm depending on you to not read anything into this...but, I could listen to a man speak in Italian all day! I don't need to know what he is saying...and he doesn't even need to be speaking to me... Actually, watching Italians have a conversation is as entertaining as the language itself.

OK, I lied...just to prove that I was actually there, here are just a couple of pictures :-)

Here's me on the way to the Colosseum.



















Here's the inside of the Colosseum. I was right...a picture just can't do it justice... It had a seating capacity of about 50,000. The magnitude of what went on as "entertainment" was very sobering.
























Here's me next to a big marble bathtub. A girl could really relax in this. This is in the Vatican Museum, the place that houses the Sistine Chapel. We weren't allowed to take pictures in there, but it was amazing.























Here's the view from my hotel room balcony. That long blue thing you see going across the picture is an awning that covers seating for a parade they were going to have the next day. Just past the awning, you can make out some arches, which are a tine bit of the ruins of The Forum. This is like the "Washington DC" of Rome. It's the center of ancient Rome's government, trade, etc...





Here's a picture of me sitting in front of the famous Trevi Fountain. I believe that is a statue of Triton...he's huge! Tradition says that if you make a wish and then throw 3 coins in the fountain, your wish comes true. The city takes the money in the fountain and gives it to a local orphanage. All the water in all the fountains in Rome is fresh and clean. You can take your water bottles to any fountain and fill up! This is one of the largest and most beautiful fountains. During the time we were at the fountain, we saw 3 wedding parties taking their pictures there.












OK, that's all. I don't want you to fall asleep at your computer!

Summer Transitions

Do you ever have one of those days when all is right with the world? As the kids are finishing one subject in school after another, our homeschooling time is less and less. And, with the beautiful weather, it's a good thing that we're spending less time on school, because then I would be very grouchy! I have finished some major, time consuming projects in the last week, and I can really feel the weight lifted. It's funny, because I don't feel particularly weighted down during that time, but when it's over, it's obvious to me that I've been a little stressed. And, my family thinks I'm a lot nicer afterwards :-)

Anyway, there have been some afternoons where I actually didn't really have anything to do, or plan, or ponder, etc... (except of course the regular household stuff, which I promptly put off!). I've been doing less driving too, which I LOVE to not do...OK Becky, I'm certain that is NOT the way to write that, but I'm going to go with it...you all know what I mean. One afternoon I took my magazine and my drink out to the chair under our big tree and sat there for a full 30 minutes. The dogs slept at my feet while I looked at a couple of outdated magazines and catalogs. Then, I threw them away! The weather has been glorious...perfect in my opinion. Not too hot, nice breezes...wonderful.

I got my suitcase down last night. One list that I have enjoyed making is what to take on my trip. I'm so very excited, but I'm already missing my family. I've never been away from all of them for this long...8 days. And, I must say, I feel a little guilty for being so excited to do something they aren't going to be a part of. Not guilty enough to stay home, mind you :-) I'd classify it has a healthy guilt. I figured the kids wouldn't really be too excited for me to leave, but they've entered into all the preparation. And, they're excited to get to visit some of their friends during the day while I'm gone. ...I suppose they have no idea what it will be like with me not here to do all the dishes and laundry. But, I know they all know how to do it, so they'll all just have to pitch in. Perhaps this will be a double blessing... I get to go on a great trip, AND perhaps they will be VERY excited, and VERY appreciative to have me home.

My Birthday Present

Well, I promised I'd tell you more about my birthday. Roger was in Dallas for a conference for the week leading to my birthday. He got home late on Thursday night and my birthday was on that Friday. Friday morning, I got breakfast in bed. Now, don't tell my family, but I really don't enjoy breakfast in bed. I mean, come on... who wants to eat cold eggs and bacon in bed? While everyone is watching? But, I would never dream of letting on...so, I eat my breakfast in bed in front of everyone. Then, Roger let me know that he had taken the day off work so I could have a day off too! He planned to do school with the kids, do all the driving, make lunch and dinner, etc... I could go to Fayetteville, lock myself in my stampin room, read in my room...anything I wanted! So, I went over to Fayetteville. I went to the mall. I hadn't been to the mall in about 3 years! I had a real nice time...I just browsed and took my time. No one to keep track of. I could stay in one store as long as I wanted. I at lunch in the food court and read a magazine... it was lovely!!

I thought that was the gist of my birthday, and was very happy and relaxed when I got home around 3:00. Roger said that the kids had gifts for me, so we picked up Zack from school and then I sat down to open my gifts. Sam got me a toothbrush. Nate gave me a huge bottle of Aussie Shampoo. Katie gave me a package of 8 bars of soap. Zane gave me hairspray. It was very sweet, but I must say, I was thinking, "You didn't pay full price for this, did you?" Then, Roger gave me a bag, and in the bag was a book....Italian for Dummies! Then, he gave me an envelope with an airplane ticket! I am going to Italy!!!! Our dear, dear friends live in Germany and I'm going to fly to Germany and meet my friend Toni. Then, she and I will fly over to Italy for 4 days. Then, back to Germany and home!! Can you believe it!! I leave on the 25th for 8 days. The first thing I asked was about the kids. Roger has been working on it for about a month and has pretty much gotten everything covered! I can't believe he was able to keep it a secret from me for almost a month!

I can't even tell you how excited I am. You see, if I had unlimited money, I'd travel. I love traveling, but don't get to do it very much. Roger, on the other hand, is somewhat of a home body. He enjoys vacations and being with us on trips, but if he has extra time or money, he'd rather work on his hobbies at home. So, his gift really is a blessing to me. Two girls on the town in Italy!!