This week is the Platte Woods United Methodist Church annual Trash & Treasure Sale. Since we only joined the church a few months ago, last night was my first time experiencing the sale. All I can say is…WOW! I’ve never seen so many “treasures” in my life! The only sale I know of that competes with this one is my former high school Band Garage Sale, which raises around $10,000 annually. All the proceeds from this sale go toward the church’s mission trips.
Yesterday I got together with a couple of friends at ingredient for lunch. $5 pizzas – can’t beat that! (Although I had my fair share of pizza in Italy so I got a salad this time.)
I need another pet. Maybe a puppy. Or better yet, I need to borrow someone’s child once in a while. Then maybe I would have something cute to take photos of besides my cat. Here she is again, this time getting ready to attack [a pipe cleaner] from behind her favorite hideout.
There’s something very inviting about going to the library. I’m not sure if it’s the smell of the books, the vibrant children’s section, or just the way everyone seems to slow down their pace when they enter. Or maybe I love it because I can get almost any book ever written … for free. Am I ready for a Kindle or Nook? Obviously not.
Ok, ok. It may have been more wet than wild. And it may not be summer yet, but it definitely feels like it with the 90 degree temps.
I’m sure you’ve all been sitting anxiously by your computers waiting for these photos, so without further ado, here are my daily photos from Italy. Please be patient while I work on the other 1100 or so. I’ll post the best ones on Facebook. If you aren’t on Facebook and you’d like to see them, shoot me an email and I can send you a link.
I saved the best souvenir for last. It’s a handmade wooden inlayed music box/jewelry box from Sorrento. It plays the Italian song, Funiculi, Funicula. It’s a catchy little tune, but we’re finding every time we open the box it gets stuck in our heads…for days!
If you aren’t familiar with it, Venice, Italy is known for their Venetian/Murano glass. We went to a glass factory with figurines, glassware, and sculptures for hundreds to thousands of Euros. Needless to say, we didn’t buy anything there. We did find another authentic Murano glass shop with these beautiful earrings that I just couldn’t resist. Jerod actually convinced me to buy them and helped me pick out the color.
Thanks to the bubble wrap we packed in my suitcase, we were able to bring home four bottles of Italian wine!
After temporarily losing my wedding ring, Jerod’s passport, our luggage, and our insanity – we’re back from our trip to Italy! Besides those emotional incidents, we had a wonderful time. Italy is such a beautiful country! I will post photos in a few days. In the meantime, I have to brag about how great my family is. Our flight home from Chicago was cancelled, so instead of getting in at 7:30 p.m., we arrived at midnight. My parents, sister, and nephew were all patiently waiting for us at the terminal. Best of all – they had done a thorough search at our apartment and found my wedding ring! (My cat had taken off with it and apparently dropped it under a bed the day we left.) They also went grocery shopping and bought us some essentials – including FRUIT! Fruit was in short supply in Italy, and I was craving it by the time I returned home.
Photographic Rhodes 