Hello Again...Hello

Where has the time gone? Amazingly this week-end is Memorial Day Week-end, the official kick start of summer. I couldn't be more excited. Last summer was so busy, but fabulous, with our wedding that I truly felt like we did not have a summer. We were bombarded with to-do lists, scavenging for money and time and exhausted. As this summer was approaching I vowed that we would have more lazy days, more outings in nature and more time to do anything we like.

What really made me feel like "summer" was our time in Italy. I could blog for days, and I will definitely do some recaps of places, events and drama. What struck me was the beautiful flowers everywhere. Pots, flower beds and hanging from small windowsill boxes. It was so bright, so lively. This does describe the flowers, but it also describes the country. I loved it. I could do without the smoking and the crowds of school kids (more on that to come later). There is an energy that is very addictive, one that I hoped I could bottle and bring home for us. I loved the tables of families dining on huge volumes of food in the most stylish of clothes. Dining at 10pm, the start of their mealtime. Playing with babies and showering toddlers with attention and teaching them the English language at very early ages. When women are out together in a pair or small group, they lock arms as they stroll the city streets. Cheek to cheek kisses are dished out by the 100's. This sort of "love" that the people have for one another was very refreshing. Seattle does not have this love. It could be the rain, the drizzle, the constant grey sky. It is annoying though. I personally have become that weird lady that wishes people a good day on the elevator. Do we not all need to hear this once in awhile? These are some of the beautiful things I learned from the people of Italy.



This was one of the best days we had in Italy. I found a tour based out of Florence that had us rent these awesome Fiat 500's. The owner of the tour was in front of us and she used walkie talkie radios and gave us a tour of Florence, while Kent was driving this crazy little car. We drove through Tuscany and to a villa where we had a wine and cheese tasting. It was awesome. Plus the locals were literally applauding and yelling with cheer when they saw the convoy of us.


In our amazing adventure we went to Rome, Siena, Florence, Venice, Positano (we took the night train) and back to Rome. We did the country and we did it well. More to come!