La città eterna

I have officially been in la città eterna for 3 full days! They have been packed full of fun and many surprises. The first surprise was that there is NO air conditioning. No window units. No fans. And just in case you were wondering it has been over 90 degrees everyday since I have been here. Fa molto caldo! 


However, the family is wonderful. I mean how could you not love these kids?

They family is so welcoming and it is amazing how comfortable I feel here! I am also to have Jess (their girl whose place I am taking) here to show me around the city and how life works here. I have eaten a crazy amount of carbs and am pretty sure I have already gained about ten lbs, which does not bode well considering the amount of time I have left.

On another note, I really cannot believe how amazing Rome is. Its a mixture of old and new all together. I literally walk past the Colosseum every day, and there are ruins of old buildings everywhere. Here is just a sampling of what we have been update! There will be much more to come later. Oh an sorry no pics of the Colosseum yet, but I promise I will get some soon!

Not All Who Wander...

I cannot believe that I head to Italy in two days!! The time has flown by. I originally intended to have chronicled my preparation for the big move on here as well, but life pretty much got in the way of that. There are so many things to do before you pack up and move across the pond for a year.

I had to see so many fun friends in Birmingham,

Spend time with family,

And of course....pack. I spent days and days organizing my clothes and trying to decided what I should and should not take.  As you can see this was not and easy task.

Finally, after 5 times of packing and repacking and pulling out item after item, I finally got it down to 3 (the goal was 2...oh well) big suitcases (now weighing 49, 46, and 47 lbs. respectively, thanks to the scales at Publix) and one small one. Of course this took me holding up an item and Meredith and then my sister voting "yes" or "no" on whether or not i should take it. 

Well enough about packing, now onto the point of this blog...ITALY!

For those who do not know the details, I will be living in Rome, Italy for approximately one year. I am going to be an au pair for a wonderful Italian family. Alberto and Lilli have three gorgeous children, Cecilia, Francesa, and Giulio (pictures to come), and I will be responsible for taking care of the girls on a daily basis and helping out with Giulio occasionally as well. Of course I will also get to explore the Eternal City every day as well!

Tolkien wrote, "Not all who wander are lost." I believe this is true, and pretty much describes me. Sometimes those who wander simply want adventure, a new scene, and a chance to see the world.

Hope you all enjoy wandering with me!

And please come visit; I would love to be your tour guide!