Busy, busy, busy...

Where has the past month and a half gone???

We've done a day trip to Ostia Antica, then a weekend trip to Firenze, followed by a wonderful visit from my mom. Then I had a week long trip to Canada (brrr...) to attend and speak at the 6th annual University Hunger Summit, and then I was off to Torino to attend the annual Inter-Agency meeting for the UN Heads of Youth Programmes. Then a visit from a family friend and finally we had a great visit from Jim's parents that included some much needed relaxation at a winery and agriturismo in Toscana with an impromptu trip to Firenze on the way back to Rome.

And, in the middle of all of that there were still errands to run, clothes to be washed (which takes days with no dryer), food to be bought and cooked. All with the two of us working full time. Yup, that's right! Jim started an internship at FAO (the UN Food & Agriculture Organization) in February. He is working in the forestry department assisting with research on multiple use forests in the tropics. (I'll let him elaborate on the details.)

In a few more weeks we will be off to Sicily for some much needed R&R. We're staying in a tiny little town in the north of the island called Cefalu. Our plan is to eat and relax on the beach. I can't wait!

Firenze

Jim and I took the first train to Firenze (Florence) on Saturday morning. Arrived around 8:30, dropped our bags at the hotel and headed to Il Duomo, the nickname for the stunningly beautiful cathedral in the center of the city. We headed in and climbed the stairs to the top. We were the first and only people for about 30 min. and we had the birds-eye view of Firenze all to ourselves.

Florence is beautiful. It is a compact city, but it is jam-packed with things to do. If you like art, this is your place. We only went to the Galleria Accademia, where the David is, but I'm dying to go back and make a trip to the Uffizi.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

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.