Italy or bust!

There is so much to write about and unfortunately, it is very late here and i need to get to bed at some point soon. So, this might be short and sweet but hopefully it will get me up to date so i can start writing about life in Santa Marinella!

Planning an international move is not easy but i must say, im glad it only lasted two weeks and im so grateful for the help from my family, especiall my bro-in-law, juan, my mama, my best friend's hubby, alberto, laura, and greg. Yall made it so much more bearable...thank you!

My cousin, Liz, moved to San Antonio at the same time as me so we were able to have a joint "goodbye" party. It was at this cool place called the T&P Tavern in Fort Worth...its next door to the building where my dad worked for 17 years so its very special to me. Man, so many people came and i loved every minute of seeing everyone! It was a great way to take off...having seen so many people that i love so much.

My flights were fantastic...i hope all of my future flights are as good as the ones here! My flight from DFW to London seemed so quick...maybe because i slept for all but about 2 hours of it! I had only slept about 7 hours in the 3 days prior to my departure so i was exhausted! Luckily, i was in a bulk head row and had it all to myself! When i wasnt sleeping, i had a table to prop my iPad and watch a movie (Office Space) and even had a ledge to prop my feet...i felt like i was in first class! And i cant talk about my trip without sharing a gift that i received from my good friend, Nicole. She bought me a book that i love (Postsecrets) and forbade me to open it before i got on the plane...she even tied a tight bow with ribbon to make sure i wouldnt sneak a peek. (She knows me well...ha!) well, i couldnt wait to open it so as soon as i settled in my seat, thats the first thing i did...open it! She had written notes for me throughout the entire book. It was so touching to me that she took the time to do this and so i (of course) cried. I read the entire book by the time i arrived to Rome...i was determined to! Thank you, Nicole. You made my plane ride so special! (Pics to follow soon.)

I arrived in Rome and after my luggage (yes, 3 large suitcases) arrived, i was greeted by Alvaro, the Genungs friend, who picked me up and took me to my new home! He was very nice and thank goodness for the little English he spoke or else we would have sat in silence for 45 minutes! When we arrived at the Genungs home, the kids were so excited! It made me so happy to finally see them! Kiki looks just precious pregnant and Matt still has "raspberry lips" (inside joke)! Alvaro's wife, Rosalba, was also waiting for me and had cooked a yummy cake and Kiki had bruschetta (my fav) and some other treats waiting for me. I couldnt believe that i was in Rome!

It has been so much fun being here...i just cant believe that this is my new home!!! I will wait until the next post to share about my time here. I am having trouble with the pictures too so i will add them later.

I love you all so much...thanks for sharing in my Roman experience with me! Ciao...for now!