Buongiorno!

Holy hot dang! The last three weeks we have RV'd to Texas, spent a week with family and friends, flew to and spent a week in Italy (the country!), flew back, spent another week with friends and family, and now we're currently RVing back to Nashville so I can start back to work in TWO DAYS! I'm already putting it out there that I am not...NOT getting out of my pajamas tomorrow. This has been one of those breaks that was amazing and fun but extremely exhausting. We never slowed down. On the up side of things, I think I can say I've officially switched back to a normal day sleeping pattern! Woowoo! It feels amazing! Lalalalalallaalalalalalala!!

We have a brand spankin' new nephew! Easton!

Our first morning in back in Texas

One of my best friends got ENGAGED!

Did some cleaning out of the boxes. Well. One box. Let's take a moment and appreciate the bedspread, visor, I ❤️Dylan t-shirt, and Garth Brooks poster. Oh, and mouthful of cake. 

Okay! So we're super stoked to be spending another three months in Nashville. I think we'll be getting a whole new experience. This time around I'll be on day shift and we'll be staying in a different RV park. Plus, the weather will be amazing. I'm hoping to spend a lot more of this assignment outside. Who knew Tennessee was so humid?! I guess everyone but me. I'm anticipating lots of grilling and hiking in our future.

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I want to jump back real quick and share a little bit from our trip to Italy. Oh. my. gosh. Y'all. I had ideas of what I thought Italy would be like - the scenery, the food, the wedding. Nothing I created in my mind could even compare to reality. We were in Italy for 6 days and every day we went somewhere new. Each day I found myself declaring, "THIS is my favorite day!" Ugh! And the wedding! Getting to watch our friends say their own vows with the Italian countryside as the backdrop was just the most romantic thing I've ever seen with my own eyes. I'm actually tearing up again just thinking about it. It was the perfect climax to the week.

In an effort to keep this post from being a 30 minute read, I'll do my best to only share the highlights and not get too longwinded.

View from our Tower window. We stayed at Torri Di Bagnara which is a restored castle dating back to the 11th century! 

ASSISI

Walking to the city center of Assisi.

Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, the town's patron saint, who founded the Franciscan order. Assisi dates all the way back to 1000BC!!

Basillica di San Francesco - this church is HUGE and was built in the 1220's-1230's. The crypt with St. Francis' sarcophagus is in the lower level and people can walk by it and pray. 

FLORENCE

The Duomo - another huge church. The outside is made up of pink, green, and white marble. It was built in the 1290's. I know this photo does not do it justice but I had to share.

View of the Arno River from the Ponte Vecchio 

Apartments along the Arno River at sunset

ROME

Y'all. I saw the Colosseum. I was in it. Just walked all over it. History. Mind blown.

View from the Forum

Part of the Forum, where ancient Roman government and daily life happened. NBD.

Trevi Fountain

Beautiful hallway to the Sistine Chapel - not a single inch of ceiling was bare.

Courtyard in the Vatican

Our little group at the Collosseum

GUBBIO

Gubbio is a small medieval town that dates back to as early as 20BC. Here we had lunch, ate gelato, and rode a small gondola to a hilltop church where they have their patron saint (who died in the 12th century) preserved in a glass coffin at the front of the altar. Didn't know that was a thing. 😳 It was quite fascinating to see.

WEDDING DAY

 PERUGIA

The day after the wedding everyone spent the day in Perugia for their international Eurochocolate festival. 

Beautiful restaurant where we ate lunch. I had a plate of prosciutto. It was glorious.

We ate (and drank) a lot of chocolate - and it still wan't enough.

Looking out over Perugia

Recreating the festival's logo 

I just cannot put into words how thankful we are to have been part of such a beautiful experience. I came back from Italy feeling like a different person. We got to witness two of our friends commit themselves to one another and they gave us the opportunity to see a part of the world that they love. It was truly unforgettable.