Blessed

Over the last few weeks I have felt sincerely grateful for all things in my life.  For the opportunity and experience  of living in Italy, for Ryan and the kids,  for new friends we've made here, for our family members who have come to visit and all the cool things we've been able to do this summer.  For a long time, my life here felt, well, hard. Really hard. And maybe I have grown accustomed to the 'hard things', maybe I've gotten stronger, or maybe it just takes me a long time to adjust to change. Whatever the reason, the important thing is that I don't feel that way anymore. Life here is just my life. And while there are still challenges living in a foreign country - Italy is home. 

So here is a re-cap of our summer and all the many reasons I feel so blessed. 

When Ryan and I started tutoring with Giuseppe, we wanted to be integrated not only in the language, but the culture also. We've made it a habit to go out to dinner about once a month and speak only in Italian the whole night. When we first started, I didn't understand half of what was said, and didn't say much, but now it is something that I look forward to and participate in. I feel very blessed to have such good friends as Benedetta, Alessandra and Giuseppe - who have opened their lives to us. 

 One of the first things we did this summer was Lake Bracciano. There is a famous castle overlooking the lake. We tagged along with Brad and Laurie Hurst and their kids. We explored the castle, ate a picnic lunch lake side, skipped rocks and ate gelato.

Erin, Rhett, Natalie, Clark, Allison, JR, Kate, Charly and Clark

Another blessing we had this summer was Mac N' Cheese!                                                               It has been A LONG time since my kids have had mac n' cheese, and they were very excited when one of the accountants working on the temple came from Utah and brought some for the kids. They asked me if we could have it for Sunday pranzo , which is our nicest meal of the week. It was a very fancy addition to our meal. Next my sister Aimee and my niece Hannah came to visit.  They were our very first visitors! I was so excited to have people to show around,  that I think I ruined my kids experience with going downtown. Oops. The first day I think we walked at least 5 miles. The kids we're troopers, and we saw lots of cool things! Piazza Navona, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Venezia, and Campo di fiori.               

While we were walking around downtown , Clark received a tender mercy. We happened to run into his best friend, Alon, who was downtown with his family. (which is crazy! of all the places downtown- we were on the same street at the same time) This was the last time Clark saw Alon, as his family moved back to Israel the next week.  

One of my favorite places in Italy is this little city on the hill - Civita di Bagnoregio.  I went last year with some of the other wives of the temple team. Since Ryan and the kids hadn't been yet, we all went together with Aimee and Hannah.

Aimee and Hannah also wanted some beach time, so we spent 3 days in Sperlonga. I feel very blessed to have the beach so close! When we lived in Arizona, we took Kate and Clark to the beach once when they were 4 years old. It was just too far and too expensive. With it only being and hour and half away- it makes for an easy getaway!                               

I very much wanted a new family picture to put up in the house and figured I'd have Aimee and Hannah help us take pictures at the beach. (Family photography is not a "thing" here) The only time we could take a picture without a million people on the beach was early in the morning. I knew the lighting wouldn't be ideal, but i wanted to try. Well, as you can see, they did not turn out very well. Every one squinting in the sun isn't our best look. Oh well. 

We went up to the "old town' of Sperlonga for dinner and had this beautiful view of the beach. 

Next we did a day in 'Ancient Rome' or the Colosseum and Roman Forum. This was the first time the kids had been in the Colosseum, because I figured we'd go a million times over the course of living here, and wanted to go inside when we had visitors who wanted to go inside too.

One of the benefits of traveling with Aimee and Hannah was having someone to take pictures of me with the kids. I'm always the one behind the camera- which is A-ok, but sometimes I want proof that I tried to be a fun mom and take my kids to cool places. 

These pictures are from our visit to Villa D'Este, which is the 'Villa' or estate of an old royal, wealthy family that has now been turned into a museum and attraction. I didnt want to bore you with posting the hundreds of pictures I took of the amazing gardens on this estate, or make this post longer than it already is, so two pictures it is. It really is beautiful though. There were fountains all over the gardens. Apparently it is where Walt Disney got his inspiration for Walt Disney World. 

Aimee left after 2 weeks and Hannah stayed behind for another week, and Ryan and I took full advantage of having a live-in babysitter and went to Lake Como for 3 days. I think Lake Como is my favorite place I've been to in Italy. There is not a whole lot to do or see there - which was perfect. We went just to relax and have some time together. On our second day there the clouds covered the mountains and it was rainy the whole day. For anyone that knows Ryan, this was a blessing from heaven. And it made it very easy to be lazy the whole day. We did visit some of the small towns around the lake, and one night went to Bellagio ( one of the more famous towns). It is a cute little town with lots of shops and restaurants. Needless to say, it was a great weekend.

The last few days Hannah was here we tried to fit in some more sight seeing. Hannah and I took the kids to Castel San Angelo and San Giovanni church.
Ryan also took a day off so we could go down to Pompeii. It was so cool! It really was amazing to see how well preserved everything is. Again, I wont bore you with the hundreds of pictures I took.
I loved to see all the artifacts that were preserved and even these casts that were made by filling in 'pockets' in the ash when they were excavating.

Almost done.

Just a week before school started, the last family here for the Rome Temple made the move.  I love to see this group of people who are all working together to get this temple built. Now, there are so many more people that should be in this picture. There have been many over the last 5 years (yes, the temple has been in construction for 5 years) who have been here and contributed.
I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of this temple family and experience. As I look back over the last year and half, I can see how the hard times have made me a better, stronger person. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. Honestly. I really do love living in Italy. And I thank my Heavenly Father every day that we are here.

On August 29th, much to Ryan's dismay, we celebrated his birthday. I know he hates being in the spot light, but I do it because I feel he deserves it. He does so much for me and our family, without any thought of reward. He is the most selfless person I  know. He is always giving of himself to others. He is an example to me in so many ways and always keeps me grounded. He is my best friend, my better half and to say that I love him is an understatement. As I list the things I am grateful for, I have to put Ryan at the top of my list. I feel very lucky to be his wife.

The day after Ryan's birthday, Grandma Johnson and her two sisters came to visit. Grandma wanted to go to Venice, and I had been wanting to take the kids ever since Ryan and I went last summer. Kate and Clark also did a whole semester unit on Venice, so I very much wanted them to see the things they had been learning about.  It was a quick trip, but Venice is always worth it! There is no way to describe it, except that it is just cool. There is no other place like it. The kids had a great time shopping on Rialto Bridge and visiting Doge's Palace and Basilica San Marco. Kate and Clark loved the sights and city, Charly loved the Carnivale masks and JR loved the boats and the water.  And Ryan and I loved having an apartment with air conditioning! (That is a big deal here people)

First day of school!! Well, technically the second day for Kate and Clark. So why did kindergarten and Pre-K start on a different day? I don't know. But, it was very hard for me to drop of JR at all day Pre-k (it is our only option here, as the school is heavily guarded and it is not an option to open the gates half day) I started to tear up and had to just walk out of the class room. However, he loves going to school and being with kids his own age and having friends! Something he hasn't had for a year and half.                                                                                               

On Saturday we took Grandma to Villa Adriana, the 'country estate' of Hadrian. It was basically a city he had built for himself so that he could leave Rome to his summer home, but still have everything he needed right there.

With the kids in school, Grandma and I took a day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio. (sound familiar? Yes, I went there with Aimee and Hannah too. Yes. It is a favorite)
We had a lovely day exploring the little town on the hill, ate a yummy lunch in the shade of some beautiful trees and enjoyed seeing all the private gardens and plant lined staircases and porches.

I am truly grateful for Ryan's mom and for her spending so much time with us. It was a blessing to me to have her around to help me with the kids and transitioning back into the school schedule. And it was so good for the kids. They have really missed having family around, and having Grandma at home after school with a piece of candy and a hug was exactly what they needed.

On Grandmas last Saturday we took her to Orvieto , another one of our favorite little towns. The city is up on a hill and after we explored the Duomo (church) in town, we walked down the outer wall of the city. There is a path that circles the outer wall, and we found this moss covered stairway. I just love to see that much green in one picture!





I know when we first moved to Italy I had a hard time seeing all the good, and focused on the different and difficult. And even though I am a slow learner, I now see the good. Even the good in the different and difficult. Italy is our home. I am especially grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the opportunity to be here long enough to change my perspective. And grateful that I still have time here to enjoy it. I am starting to understand and embrace the teaching of the Apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin - "Come what may, and LOVE IT"

Smorgasborg

The last week has been full of fun things- the way summer should be! Too many things to give them each an individual post- so I'm throwing them all together here.

First up- 4th of July

Ryan was the grill master 

We are lucky enough to have a pool for our apartment building

Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. Swimming, BBQ, fireworks. Last year we flew back to the US on 4th of July, so we didn't do much celebrating. This year I wanted it to feel like 4th of July, so we decided to have a big BBQ at our house with friends. My friend Angie came over with her kids and we swam all afternoon, and then that evening we invited the other Americans that work on the temple to come over for BBQ.

And we can't forget our Sister Missionaries! 

I was quite impressed with what we were able to put
together with our limited resources.

Everyone gathered around the table

Kate, Ellika and Charly

Next on the list- A day downtown. Angie lives in downtown, so we drive to her house and then walk/bus to the sites. This day we walked to the Colosseum and had a picnic lunch at a park across the street. 

Clark and Owen

Lunch time! (wow- thats a cheesy smile!)

Not a bad view from the park

Gelato is a must when you're walking around downtown

We visited the San Pietro in Vincoli church. ( St. Peter in Chains) Supposedly these are the chains that Peter was chained with in Jerusalem. How all these artifacts fromJerusalem made it to Rome - I have no idea.

Also in the church is this sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo 

After our afternoon downtown we rushed home for Kate and Clark's Italian lesson.
They are doing tutoring with Flaminia two days a week

This is a little view of some of the shops lit up at night.

Friday night Ryan and I went out with Brian and Angie for a date night. During the summer, along one strip of the Lungo Tevere (Tiber River) there are shops and restaurants set up and open in the evenings. We walked up and down looking at all the little shops and finally settled down to eat at a hamburger place.  There was also live music.

Saturday we drove to the Cascata delle Marmore. It is a man made waterfall, made by the ancient Romans and it one of the tallest waterfalls in Italy and the tallest man-made waterfall in Europe. It was beautiful! And the perfect way to spend a hot summer day. The mist coming off the waterfall kept us cool all day.

Oh, did I mention the Merx family was with us again? They are pretty much family now. Traveling with friends makes it funner for everyone!

We did a silly picture because I can't get JR to do a serious one at all

We made the 800 stair step climb to the top. 

Had to add a picture of our favorite expat family

They stop the flow of the waterfall from 1pm-3pm, so here's
a before and after.

It was so beautiful! I could not get enough of it!

There was a fish pond down at the bottom and we had to stop and feed the fish whatever was left from our lunch.

Last but not least we took another little trip down town to see the canon firing. Its been a tradition since the 1800's - they shoot the canon everyday exactly at noon, to alert the churches to ring their bells. It was a HOT day and we were sweating buckets, but it was fun to watch! We had a picnic lunch and of course had another stop for gelato on our walk back home. 

Thanks Angie for getting us out of the house and putting up with my rowdy bunch! We feel lucky to have such good friends to adventure with!!