Pitti Gola e Cantina

Perhaps one of my favorite places I've discovered thus far. It is a tiny wine store with about 5 tables in Florence. They specialize in wines from the best of the best "micro-wineries," the ones that have a very limited production and are extremely hard to come by. We did a wine tasting meal with 3 courses and about 10 different wines.

Great food, even better wine, and knowledgeable owners. Add it to your list and definitely go when you are in Florence.

Something I love about Rome

The produce.

It's cheap. It's abundant. And it makes me extremely happy.

Citrus is in season right now. That means oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, clementini and arance rosse (clementines and blood oranges). I'm still waiting for the blood oranges, they are late comers in the citrus season. But clementines, oh man, I think I've just about eaten my weight in them.

My obsession, or maybe better stated, addiction, started while Jim and I were in Nice in November. I saw these beautiful little gems piled up in the Cours Saleya market and I bought a few. It was love at first bite. They were so sweet and delicious. When we got back to Rome we started buying them buy the kilo. One Saturday we bought un kilo di clementini for only €1.50. The entire kilo was gone by Monday morning. We went back to the market shortly after and bought 3kg more...a mere 6.6lbs. of fruit. We're still keeping up the habit and will for the foreseeable future.

I'm dreading the day when my beloved clementini are no longer in season, but I know there will be a whole new crop of goodies to get hooked on - like fragole, mirtilli, lamponi. Can't wait!

Villa Pamphili

Villa Pamphili is a little slice of zen in the city. It is the largest public park in Rome and it is just a quick 5 minute walk from our house.

It was my escape when I was here as an intern and it is still my escape today. It is where I go to clear my head, it is where I go to think and pray, and it is where I go to enjoy the fresh air. And, not to mention, it is where I go to combat my never ending battle with pasta and cheese. It has been so cold and unbelievably rainy here that I actually forgot, well almost, about the sense of peace that a little fresh air and sunshine can bring. But, thank God, I rediscovered it.

The past 2 weekends I have found myself power-walking to the park, running a few miles, sitting and soaking up the sun and fresh, cigarette-free air and just being still. This is where I feel like I can belong. No one in the park knows that I don't speak Italian, no one knows I'm scared out of my mind because I have no idea why I moved myself and my husband 5000 miles away from home, and there I feel a million miles away from the everyday annoyances of living in a new and foreign place.

The past 2 weeks have been so hard. Jim is still in the US, and won't be back until Wednesday. I've cried a lot, I've almost packed up and moved home, and I've cursed at Rome for being so complicated and frustrating - I've completely broken down. And, while all this is happening to me, Jim gets to be at home with his family, friends & pets. He gets to enjoy non-Italian food and good 'ol American football...Auburn-style. What can I say, I'm extremely envious.

But now, looking back on this time alone, I think it needed to happen. I think I needed to be broken and reminded that I am not in control - He is in control and He has a plan. I'm still trying to adjust to life as a non-planner, and it is not easy.

War Eagle!

Today for me, yesterday for everyone else, was the day that Auburn won the national championship game.

Jim was the lucky tiger (can't say lucky duck...) that got to stay in the US and go to Arizona with his mom, dad, and sister to watch the game. I've never been more sad, or jealous, or homesick, or excited to watch a football game in my entire life.

But, I had a big taste of home all the way in Rome. First of all, our new apartment came equipped with a huge flat screen TV and the complete Sky satellite package, including ESPN America. Thank God for ESPN America (and that is the first and last time I will ever say that!) The game started at 2:30am Rome time, so my plan was to come home from work and go straight to bed, getting 6.5 hours of sleep, then watch the game, then get a few more hours of sleep, then get ready and go to work. In theory it was a great plan, but in actuality there was no way it would work.

I left the office at 5, got home around 6 and started trying to wind down. At 7 I went to bed, well attempted. I tossed and turned for 2 hours, called my mom crying because I was so frustrated with being in Rome, then laid on the couch and watched Food Network on Slingbox (thank you Drew!) I caught up on Giada at Home, Down Home with the Neely's, and Cupcake Wars, then finally dozed off around 11. I woke back up at 12, moved back to my bedroom and got 2 good hours of sleep. At 2:00am, I jumped out of bed, ran to the living room and turned on the TV and my computer. I called Laura on Skype and me, her & Dustin ended up Skyping the entire game. It was amazing to get to "watch" the game with someone and I actually don't know if I would have been able to stay up if I was all by myself.

The game was one of the best games I've ever seen. It was fun to see the best of the best go head to head. It was well played on both sides, but Auburn of course was victorious! The score was tied 19-19 and in the last seconds (literally with only 2 seconds left) we kicked a field goal. At 6:30am a mere 2 shots of espresso, half a box of Cheerios con miele, and 22 points later Auburn won its first national championship title since 1957. It was a historic event and I'm so glad I was awake to see it.

After the game there was no way I could get any amount of sleep. So I watched Toomer's Corner get rolled, courtesy of the fabulous City of Auburn webcam, called my hubby and then got ready for work. I'm sure I'm going to crash in a few hours, but it is well worth it. I'm so proud to be a member of the Auburn family and even more proud of our Auburn Tigers!

War Eagle!

Becoming a Non-planner

I have no idea what the future holds for Jim & I. We have no idea how long we will be in Rome and every time friends and family ask I get stressed out. I tend to blurt out 3-5 years, just because it is far enough away that I don't really have to think about it. But, in actuality, I can only plan my life in short 6 month spurts because I am only a consultant. So for now it's Rome, then in July it's back to Auburn for contract break, and then in August, who knows? Maybe Rome again, maybe someplace new. There are so many things that the decision depends on. Will Jim find a job? Will we be able to finally feel like Rome is our home? Or, will we succumb to the intense feelings of homesickness?

I came across this verse that gives me comfort as I try to adjust to my new life as a non-planner:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but everything through prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ." Phil. 4:6

It reminds me that I don't need to stress about where we will be in 6 months. I need to pray about it and keep focusing on the tasks at hand. God's plan is perfect and it will be made abundantly clear the direction we need to take.

A New, New Year's Resolution

This year I'm trying something different for my New Year's Resolution. It isn't to loose weight, it isn't to eat healthier, and it isn't to get organized.

Nope, this year I'm making my New Year's Resolution to fall in love with Rome. To really enjoy the city and make it my home. To seek out those hidden gems in the city and explore every nook and cranny.

I spent the fall being stressed and picking out every flaw Rome had to offer. From the over crowded and unreliable transportation to the dog poo covered sidewalks - I was letting it all drive me crazy. I can't control any of that, but I can control how I let it effect me.

Rome is a beautiful city steeped in great history. There are amazing sites to be seen and yummy food to be eaten. I can't wait to see what I discover!

It's been a while...

Apologies for the lack of communication over the past 2 months. There just hasn't been time. Work has been hard and time consuming, and we have had massive housing problems. But, the good news is we are finally settled in Rome, completely unpacked, and having fun making our 'first' home. (Even though it is technically our third)

Our "oasis in the city" and our "escape from all the stresses of living in a foreign country" turned out to be the biggest stresser of all. After about a week of being there and waking up wheezing every morning I knew it wasn't good. There was muffa, or mold, in our apartment. And to top it off the toilet didn't flush properly. It just filled up with water and slowly drained, which isn't a romantic way to start a marriage. We had to get out. We waited until the end of October then moved in with a good friend, her roommate, another colleague from work who was staying there while her in-laws were in town, and Dante & Bob, the cats. For those of you not counting, that is 5 people and 2 cats. While there Jim made it his full time job to find an apartment. We found a great place in Testaccio, but the owner at the last minute decided he wanted a year's worth of rent up front. Yup, a mere €15,000. Obviously that wasn't going to work. The next day Jim went and looked at another apartment in Monte Verde. He called me at work and told me a little about it. I asked him if he liked it and could see himself living there and he said yes. So I said take it. The next day we went and signed the lease and paid the deposit and moved in. It is a great little find. It is on the ground floor, so we have a nice patio, about 40 sq. meters. And it is 2 bedrooms, so we have plenty of space for guests to come join us.

We've been living there about 4 weeks now and we are loving it. Having a place to unpack our stuff and settle in to has made all the difference. We've even made a journey to Ikea, and when I say journey I mean it. To get to Ikea you have to take the 8 tram to the Trastevere Station, then take the #3 bus to Piramide, then get on the blue line metro to Termini, then switch to the red line and go 15 stops to Anagnina, then take another bus that stops near Ikea. That's about an hour and a half one way. And going home was even worse because we had 2 big blue Ikea bags full of stuff, plus is was pouring rain. But, it was worth it because we now have sheets and pillows and a few other necessities. We've also had out first official guests. Mariah and Matt came and stayed with us for about a week and a half and we had a blast! It was so nice to have family here with us.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the States for 10 days to regroup and recharge. I think it is funny that I've spent about 14 years trying to get out of Auburn, and now I want nothing more than to be home with my family in Auburn for Christmas.

And, I promise from now on to do a better job of updating this blog. :-)