The Simple Life

Friday afternoon my beautiful new cabinets were installed in my kitchen. I am so thankful for all the people in Italy who made that happen as well as my supporters in America. I really am pleased with them.
But... somehow I'm already missing the old kitchen. The one with the ironing bored set up as the counter. The one with the little outdoor plastic table that wobbled when you looked at it and was too low to sit at as a "table". The one where Giacamo knocked over a bottle and spent forever mopping the floor. The one where Yuko quickly and diligently rolled her sushi. The one where I demonstrated the art of making an Italian cappuccino via Skype to San Antonio. The one where I sat on the floor on a rainy day picking out furniture.
It's like when my parents reminisce about being so poor that they could only afford beans when they first got married. And how their early apartments were so very tiny...
Because those memories are so very sweet. They are the first ones - the ones that make you realize that it will be OK... the ones where you are so in love nothing matters except being together... the ones that make you realize that you don't need a utensil drawer to have a great evening.
You just need great people... and a little bit of slowing down to enjoy what is around you... and a heart that's ready to dive into every experience that comes your way.
And the truth is that those things still can happen with a kitchen full of beautiful cabinets.

Augustus' Holidays

Tomorrow is a holiday in Italy. It's a big one. In fact, it is often coupled with the fact that it is the end of summer and people take lots of vacation in August. August 15th is called "Ferragosto". It is also known as "festa dell'assunta", or Feast of the Assumption (of Mary). The catholic church believes that Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not die, but instead was "taken up", from the Latin word: assumptio).

Before the catholic church however, the Roman Empire used this day to honor the gods and the cycle of fertility and ripening. The name, Ferragosto, comes from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti (Festivals of the Emperor Augustus).

I walked through town today and noted all the shops that were closed and/or closing for Ferragosto. Most stores that were closed, did so for more than just Saturday. Several took the week off and many took two. I saw two places that closed for one whole month. In Ancona, one of our favorite restaurants closed for two months!!!

Tonight, Angie went into the 'centro' (main center of town) and strolled. There were people everywhere which was not terribly uncommon on any given night of the week. We did catch a Rockabilly/Blues concert in one area that was part of a two day holiday celebration. After walking around some more, we stopped and had a crepe. So delicious. A crepe is like a very thin pancake and they put all sorts of wonderful toppings on it. We tried a new place. Angie had a crepe with a chocolate nut spread and bananas. I had one with berry jam, bananas and cream. Good stuff. Happy Ferragosto everybody!

For more on...
The Assumption of Mary

On the Street Where I Live

I love the street we live on. It is a pretty tree lined street. The trees reach up from both sides and cast a cool shadow over us on hot summer days. You don’t even need to wear your sunglasses as you walk! The trees have a mix of yellow and green leaves and most days yellow leaves are on the ground. It has a feeling of fall with leaves falling and it is a constant reminder that cooler days of my favorite season are just around the corner. We try to take our dog, Brinkley, for a walk each day and lots of days we walk up and down this street. We are almost always stopped by someone who wants to pet him or play for a minute. Sometimes we run into a neighbor and we stop for a chat.

There are a few little coffee shops and as you walk by you get a whiff of rich Italian coffee. The tables outside are almost always full of people sitting and chatting. It is a neighborhood street and so everyone is out either running errands or just out for a nice walk. You see moms with their kids and strollers, other dog walkers and others carrying home their groceries. I always feel revived after our little walks. I always come home feeling part of a community. God knew what He was doing when He chose this apartment and this street for us to live on!