ROME Rome is quite a beautiful place with lots of history, pizza, and pasta!  🙂  One reason I love Rome, is that everything there is very old and historical. When we flew into Rome, we arrived at a beautiful hotel that had a great view.  The Colosseum wasn’t too far either! One day, we decided to walk to the Colosseum and my sister and I ran over to the massive building.  But…we discovered that the Colosseum was closed!  wa wa wa wa…  So the next day we decided to walk over again.  This… Read More

Imagine…it’s the first century.  The hungry crowds are clamoring to catch a glimpse of the gladiators, sometimes slaves, more often criminals, or even prisoners of war!  Occasionally there were free men (and even women), who longed for the glory, the praise, the spotlight.  Wedged in tightly between 50,000 of their closest friends, the crowd erupts as the first animals and/or gladiators appear out of nowhere, emerging from hidden trap doors and a complex set of lifts, ropes, and pulleys.  The excitement is palpable! The Colosseum, completed in 80 AD, was used mainly for gladiator… Read More

Let’s take a moment to step away from Italy.  I promise we’ll return…and up next will be the Colosseum and more about the Gladiators!  I just wanted to share one of the biggest joys of being back in the States again!  For the first time, our oldest son had an opportunity to play football and he loved it.  The truth is, we all loved it. It was made all the more special, however, when his grandparents (who live 12 hours away in Pennsylvania) surprised him by showing up at the last game… Read More

Meandering through the narrow, cobbled streets of Rome late one evening, we stumbled upon this masterpiece of a location… Piazza Navona!  It is a spectacular piazza, filled with gorgeous architecture, open air restaurants, musicians, vendors, and “starving” artists.  It also boasts a beautiful fountain designed by the renowned Bernini, and named Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (aka the Fountain of the Four Rivers). The story of Bernini and his Fountain of the Four Rivers alone is quite fascinating, though there are several versions.  Bernini was one of the most talented artists of his… Read More

As we slowly say good-bye to the Middle East, to Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and Greece and head farther west, it’s impossible to not take time to reflect on the Syrian Refugee Crisis that has been intensifying over the past four plus years and affecting all of these countries and more. While in the above mentioned countries, we enjoyed the history, century-old traditions, the cultures, and delicious food.  And let’s not forget the fresh hummus, the lamb gyros and falafel, or the creamy Gelato.  Our memories are intense and we were at times overwhelmed by the… Read More

Santorini was just about as beautiful as beautiful can get. It is an island off the coast of Greece, and all of the building are white, with domes on top that are blue in color. The blue ocean can be viewed from every side, and you can even see other islands in the distance if the fog is not too heavy. We stayed in a condo with a gorgeous view of the sunset and of the ocean as well. There was a jacuzzi, a pool, and table and chairs outside on the porch…. Read More

We stayed in Santorini for about a week.  During that time, we met some really friendly people, toured a gorgeous island, and celebrated my 15th birthday! Santorini is a gorgeous island.  It feels so clean, white, and fresh!  The air is a little breezy and somewhat cool, the sunsets are spectacular, the shops are adorable, the food is pretty good, and the people are very friendly. My birthday was especially really special.  On the 15th (my actual birthday), I came up from my room and was greeted with several “happy birthdays”, a… Read More

Santorini…. Santorini is a beautiful island in Greece, full of beauty, adventure, and, you could say many magical moments. It is also a place packed with a lot of walking. Our days consisted of eating, walking, and resting. Of course, the entire time, we admired the pure blue of the sea, the color of the sky, the beauty of the island. We explored little valleys with hidden shops and restaurants, sampled many foods, and, just maybe, if we had been good that day, stopped by to grab a bowl of gelato at an amazing… Read More

Santorini is a beautiful place with lots of stunning scenery. It is actually on the rim of the top of a volcano with water inside the volcano (it’s not active :D.) The water inside Santorini is blue and green, and the houses are all mostly white, and some have beautiful blue domes as a roof. The setting is beautiful, and there are lots of restaurants and shops all over Santorini! Santorini is known for…I don’t know, but I would say for it’s beauty.  The food in Santorini is very delicious, and the small shops are… Read More

Celebrating Mikayla’s 15th birthday on the island was extra special this year!  Here’s a little photoblog to capture the moments. Just before sunset, we wandered around Oia, trying to capture the beauty. It’s been special watching Mikayla’s love for photography grow.  It’s a neat hobby we share together and I’m excited to see where it takes her. After exploring, Ryan and I took Mikayla out on the town for our traditional Dad/Mom two-on-one date.  We treasure this time alone with our kids as a couple. We chose a restaurant overlooking the Caldera and watched… Read More