Last night was a hoot!!!! I'll tell you what! My friend Ann had a dinner party, and invited me. I guess she kinda had to, since I went with her to the market to buy the fish, etc. for the meal she was planning, and I kept saying, "Wow! I sure bet that will taste good!" Subtle? :)

Anyway, I scored another home-cooked meal at Ann's, and here was the guest list:
Kojo from the Congo (didn't catch his last name)
A darling doctor from China (never could understand her name, so I just called her "Doc")
A Philippine woman, raised in the States, living in Rome named Suzette
Her daughter Mia, who is enrolled in the Music Conservatory, and is also a guide
And, little ol' white-bread me!

All of them, except Mia, work for the United Nations in the Agriculture/Food department, and boy was it interesting listening to then talk about their impressions of the US, our economy, our relationship with the world, etc.

I took notes and will be submitting them to our President, as he clearly needs all the help he can get, bless his heart.

It was a fun evening all around.

Today, I awoke to a power outage in my building, which did not resolve itself until around 6, but I had lots to do....a meeting with a potential business partner, a couple more churches I wanted to look at before leaving, last minute gifts, etc. And, of course, Ann invited me over for left-over fish soup, and we watched "Do You Want to Be A Millionaire", the Italian version, and I got LOTS of questions right! Yea me! Can't believe how much Italian I have picked up in a month.

So, tomorrow is church, then the Herculean task of finishing up packing. It will be a Candid Camera moment on Monday when I drag my two super-heavy suitcases down the cobble-stone street to meet my driver at 7 am.....seriously....comedy gold.

I'll be homa from Roma on Monday night.....who's up for a Mambo Taxi with me?????

Tanti baci from Roma!!!!!

Alarm at 6:30.....am!!!! Why? Because I got one more opportunity to walk with my friend Cathy, wife of the pastor of Rome Baptist Church. Can't tell you what a cool chick she is! We hauled our fannies around Roma, and ended up at her favorite coffee spot....near the cat sanctuary, for all of you who know Roma well. So, two cappuccinos and 2 crostinis (these particular ones were whole wheat croissants filled with honey....warm out of the over....serious heaven!). We sat down, made a joke about the only thing that would make the moment better would be candlelight....and what happened? Power failure. The whole block! And out comes of of the barristias with candles for our tables. We were howling with laughter, and wondering why we didn't wish for piles of gold coins to rain down on us. Such a memorable moment. Anyway, sweet Cathy took the opportunity to pray over me once more, and we had a grand morning. On our way back to her piazza, we ran through a couple of churches I had not been inside, and marvelled at the interiors....just amazing the splendor of each and every church!!!!

Home to begin packing.

So, why is it that stuff seems bigger when you are going home than when you came....oh...could it be the one or two or twenty new Italian goodies I picked up during my month (did you REALLY think I would not be coming home with some fabulous fashions?????). I did draw the line at shoes. No shoes. Or boots. So there. I do have some semblance of self-control, however undetectable it may be.... :)

Hugs to all of you!!! Can't wait for guacamole.....Whataburger....margaritas....babies...family...friends....nothing better than what's waiting for me in Big-D.

And, if you were worried that I had become too Italian-ized to hang with, I did locate the Dollar Store in Roma. Yes, sir I did! Dad....you can come back to Roma and rest assured that you can buy yucky candy and batteries for a dollar...or a euro....whatever.

Baci!!!

My dear friend Lucy gets credit for the following two fabulous events.....

Late yesterday afternoon, I sat down to see if there was anything I had not seen in Rome that I was REALLY dying to see...of course you could spend a lifetime seeing all that Rome has to offer, but I found an article Lucy sent me....so off I went in search of the Galleria Doria Pamphilj....and guess what.....it's about six blocks down from my apartment on via del Corso. And if you are making notes of places to visit in Rome, this is IT!!!! The Doria-Pamphilj's family has opened the "state rooms" of their family palace to the public, and I just thoroughly enjoyed every minute of what I saw. The audio guide is conducted by Prince Jonathan, in a fabulous British accent, and his anecdotal stories of his family are great.....especially about the hedge manicured to spell "Mary" by her dead husband.....now that's true love spelled out in botanical glory! There are also some very famous paintings housed in the family collection, so you can see decorative splendor, as well as art....I have included a picture of the interior courtyard for you to enjoy.

The second amazing thing that happened to me occurred this morning. I attended my final Bible study at Rome Baptist Church, and the pastor's wife, Kathy, announced to the group that I was headed back to Texas, and she prayed for me as we concluded our meeting. Can we ever really have enough moments where a group of Believers is offering up your personal life in prayer....I can't! I need all of those moments I can get.

A precious older lady named Anna, I am guessing between 75 and 80 years old, whose English is so thick with her Italian accent it's almost impossible to understand her, found me after class, embraced me and gave me a kiss on both cheeks in the true Italian style, and told me "come back to Roma." Well....OK! I will!!!!

After lunch, a group of us decided to go to lunch, so I suggested "Gusto" (thank you Lucy), so off we went. For 9 euro, we gorged ourselves at the fan-tab-ulous buffet, sitting outside in the crisp October air, blinding blue skies overhead. And the topic of conversation.....not God's love for us (which is infinite), not prayer requests (which we all have....in spades), but......how do we make our Thanksgiving/Christmas stuffing. And where to get a whole turkey in Rome, and could I send them dried cranberries......

How great is life? I loved that moment so much!!!!

3 days and counting and I am back in Texas!

Ciao!!!!

One of the luxuries of being in Roma for a month is the ability to get off the "tourist-beaten-path" and just see Rome quietly (kinda) and slowly.

This morning I woke up to 55 degrees and sun, and decided the morning was MADE for a stroll in the park.

So I pulled on my exercise gear, grabbed my camera, and hiked up the hill to the Villa Borghese. Man, what a magical two hours! I had my iPod on, listening to some of my favorite tunes, and just strolled around, enjoying each new vista, twist and turn.

I loved seeing the joggers, the older couples strolling together arm-in-arm, the groups of teenagers who might have been skipping school to hang out in the park, the grandparents taking their grandbabies for a stroll....the whole scene filled up my soul and recharged my spirit.

I have included a few pictures of some of the "moments" I happened upon.....

Bella Roma!

Tuesday was a food-lover's paradise!!!!

My friend Ann took me with her to the fish and produce market near out part of town, and boy was that fun to see! Tuesday is the day the fish comes in, so it's very fresh, and there are LOTS of people buying squid, octopus, shrimp, clams, eel, etc. Fish with the heads on, fish with the heads off...quite a site!

The vegetables and fruit section looked a lot like the farmer's market we are used to in Dallas, but inside a building. And, you can also buy every kind of dried bean, rice, spices, etc. That was interesting! I bought some tomatoes, and sliced them on my white pizza with cheese for lunch. Yummy!!!!!

We also stopped in several small Asian grocery stores in the area. I found some great snacks to drink with my evening vino, and Ann found peanut butter at a good price.

Later that evening, my friends Erin and Luca Scordari invited me over for dinner. Luca is a chef, and for years they ran a B&B in Palestine (East Texas), and had a catering company, so needless to say I was excited about tasting Luca's cooking.

Let me say, that I have not had a meal as fabulous as that in ANY restaurant I have eaten in so far....Luca is the bomb! I brought prosecco (of course), and we started off with a bitter green wrapped in a kind of prosciutto....and you should have seen the beautiful way Luca arranged the plate, with sliced tomatoes, and lemon.....gorgeous and tasty.

Dinner was grilled raddicio, sauteed mushrooms, and white fish in a white wine cream sauce with garlic, tomatoes and basil. Is your mouth watering? Let me tell you what...I was a PIG, and didn't even care.....so good!!! Sooooo good!

Dessert.....try this. Pears poached in white wine with a kind of marscapone dolloped in the center....by this point, I was worried I would explode.....truly delicious!

And, Erin and Luca are some of the kindest people I have ever met. It has been so great to spend time with them this month!!!

So, my tummy stuffed to the brim, I waddled home.....as soon as I am finished with this entry, I'm taking my fanny on a walk in the Villa Borghese.....

There will be NO fat jokes when I return!!!!

Rain, rain go away.....I think I jinxed myself....it has rained on and off all day today! I got caught quite a ways away from my apartment this morning, but made myself a HEAPING plate of pasta, and felt much better! :)



Then, in my bloated state, I took a long nap, and then hit the grocery store...I am starting to ratchet down my grocery purchases, as I am leaving in one week....I may end as I began....pizza by the slice for every meal.



This morning was the jewel in the crown. I walked with Cathy, the pastor's wife at Rome Baptist Church. She was so fun to be with, and took me walking in the Villa Borghese....kinda of Rome's answer to Central Park, but without all the crime! It was beautiful, and I will probably go walking up there again tomorrow. So many pretty little "vistas" with ponds, and swans, and cool old buildings...and NO TRAFFIC noise! That may be the best part!



Anyway, Cathy was so kind and encouraging about my month here and what plans God has in store for me. It was good to be encouraged! We are going to have lunch with a group from Bible Study on Thursday at a hip place in our neighborhood called "Gusto". Should be fun!



That's it for today, fellow blog-sters.....I'm settling in on this rainy evening to continue work on the next great American novel....



Ciao!

Happy Sunday friends! I hear it's cold and rainy in the Lone Star State...in Roma, it's beautiful! Blue skies, about 78 degrees....couldn't be nicer!

I had the most fun day yesterday. My friend Ann, who is also my leasing agent, let me tag around with her checking clients into apartments, so I got to embrace my inner voyeur, and see the interiors of some really cool places. One apartment in particular, overlooking the dome of the Pantheon, with a terrace that was to die for!!!!

We had lunch in the Jewish ghetto, my favorite spot, enjoying artichoke carpaccio and salmon risotto...yum-o!!!

Then we cruised around the area called Prati, looking at a couple of nice apartments, and strolling through all the street vendors. Fun day!

This morning I went to church, and sat with my precious friends Erin and Luca Scordari. Erin is from Dallas, Beaumont, and Palestine (that's East Texas) and Luca is from Roma. Erin and I enjoyed a LONG lunch together on Friday in her neighborhood of Cornelia, and she and Luca have invited me to their house on Tuesday for dinner. Luca is a chef, and promised me to wow me with his favorite Roman dishes.....can't wait!!!! It has been such a blessing to get to know Erin and Luca, and fun to have a buddy while here.

Erin is going to put me in touch with a free-lance writer friend of hers who can give me the scoop on getting in front of some of the English-language magazines in Rome. I would love to submit some pieces to them while here...say a prayer that God opens that door for me.

This afternoon Ann and I will go see a movie together at the English language theatre that is down the street from me...I think it will be the Woodstock movie....

What I continue to love about this city is how it teaches me the value of seeking out the similarities between people I meet, and not the differences. Particularly related to friends I have met at church, there is such an international flavor to the congregation (even though I have gravitated to my fellow-Texan), and I love seeing God at work in people from all over the world. There were visitors at church this morning from Wales, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, and of course different places in the US, and God brought all of us together today to worship.

I think that's pretty darn cool!!!

I have included a picture I took of the Trevi Fountain last week.....bella Roma!

Observation for the day.....in Italy, sequins and rhinestones are not just for the weekends....in fact, if there is an unadorned part of your outfit, it can radically be improved by adding sparkly embellishments. And, the more the better.

I saw a woman on the Metro today who had covered every seam on her second-skin tight jeans with rows of rhinestones. Robert Redford in the Electric Horseman did not rock his Las Vegas strip outfit as well as this lady did. I was so transfixed, I missed my stop, and had to double-back. But it was worth it.

So, here's what I think we need to do....in order to underwrite the cost of future trips to Italy, please everyone locate your Be-Dazzlers. You know you have one, and it's just collecting dust in your closet. Bust it out, and ship it to me. I'll set up a "stand" next to the black-market fake designer purse dudes, and bank the cash!!!!!

I will strive to document such outfits in photographs......can't promise, but I will try. In the mean-time, do enjoy the picture I have included of the view of St. Peter's via the top of Castel Sant'Angelo.....it's also bedazzling....but in a more sublime way! :)

Sorry for the "radio silence"! I spent a solid week being nothing but a tourist, and seeing some of Roma that I have never seen....what an incredible week!

But, I want to share one particularly amazing moment. On October 3rd, I spent the day with a friend traveling to each of Rome's 7 Hill to express 7 Gratitudes for my life. And, in case you have mental picture of a "climb every mountain" moment, Rome is a VERY built-up city, so we decided to choose an important church nearby to be the "top" and use those settings to pray and express our Gratitude to God.

So, the 5th Hill on our list was the Palatine, where the Forum is. I knew I would be going back there in a few days, and it's a HUGE place, so we decided to find the closest church...and we saw one down the street that was kinda high up, so that seemed like the best plan B.

We climbed the stairs to the front of the church, and saw that there was a really pretty garden off to the side, and since Roma is not the quietest place, the garden seemed like a more peaceful fit. We walked through the gates, and there was a HUGE wedding going on, and lots of people standing around, and we didn't want to invade their private moment, so we saw a door with some steps in front, and it was screened off from the rest of the garden by some trees, so we sat down there and began to begin our Gratitude.

A man walked up and rang the bell at the door, and said he was going inside to pray in the chapel. My friend, who was a LOT bolder than I, asked if we could go inside too to pray. He kinda hesitated, and said we could ask the nun for permission.

So, this little nun opened the door, and my friend asked if we could come in and pray. She said yes, and let us follow the man inside. She disappeared into a room which was clearly the private residence for the nuns, and he beckoned us to follow him down the side walk. He stopped and told us to look inside a door, where there was a small room, with a plain cot against one wall, and a wooden crucifix. He told us that this convent was where Mother Theresa lived before she went to India, and this room was her particular room. WOW!

He showed us the way to the chapel, and told us to take off our shoes before we went in. So, we followed his directions, and sat down on the floor (there were no benches or chairs) to pray. When we finished, we walked outside into the garden. And just stood there for a moment.

My friend turned to me, and asked if I would mind sharing what my gratitude had been. (We were not sharing those private thoughts with each other throughout the day). My gratitude was for my health. My friend smiled a HUGE smile, and said the same for his....and, what was Mother Theresa known for? Healing and ministering to the sick.

Really?????? I bet God got a HUGE kick out of that surprise.

Needless to say, that moment was total confirmation that spending the day expressing our Gratitudes was precisely what we were supposed to be doing that day.

This picture is the door in the garden leading into the private chapel beyond.

How good is God? He makes me smile at my life every day!!!!

Happy BELATED Birthday MARY!!

Happy Belated Birthday Mary -- hope you had a wonderful day there in one of the world's most beatiful places!! I loved your comment on a "girl's trip" -- what a blast to be taken by our own expert! I know your new friends and you had a great time, and we will have another party or two when you get home!! Been thinking lots of good thoughts and prayers for you & can't wait to read where you have been next!! Lots of love and hugs, Becky

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Mary...Happy Birthday ....Hope it is the best ever....love reading about your adventures in Rome...love you and miss you!!!
Pam

Mary, Buon Compleanno!......xxoo, Helen