Italy

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Italy was a continual transfusion of beauty.  It seems to push out of the ground wild.  Red poppies flushed across highways and crawled out of the rocks:

Calla lillies, wild and slightly transparent, grew under olive trees:

 and the breakfast table in the villa, where we were hosted by a family of winemakers, had this view:

So, after a full day of travel, walking baby up and down the plane aisles.

we arrived in Italy ready for the family vacation of a lifetime.

Highlights?

1. Walking through Florence with my Dad whose passion for life and compassion for people is contagious. 

2. A morning trek up to the vineyards and olive groves behind our villa:

3.Time to chat with my mom, truly one of my best friends. 

I enjoy any time I can get with this passionate woman:

Seriously, the truth is that I find my family so pleasurable to be with that I would vacation at Wasaba beach with them!  (Inside joke.  The truth is that we did vacation Wasaba, Canada when I was 13 until one sibling crawled under a bed and found a stash of beer cans:)  The only family-friendly restaurant was a open to the beach artery-filling McDonalds.  We found our way to Toronto within a few hours.)

4. Gorgeous, fresh food daily and one of the most beautiful dinners I've ever experienced as our vacation finale.  We dined in this 5th century tower until well after midnight.  The candelabra was just the beginning of the romance:

5. Time with my two handsome brothers:

This is Josh and I enjoying hot chocolate at the Rivoire on Florence's Uffizi Square.

This is my brother Aaron feeding Xavier over breakfast.  Children everywhere gravitated to him on this trip.  He'll make an amazing dad some day.  Both of my brothers have such a passion to see justice done around the world.  I'm extremely proud of them.

 

6. Watching my children's wonder and joy in a new language, new people, new customs.  The picture below was taken outside the Ammirable family home where we were invited to have a meal including the fascinating fried sage leaves.  This family runs a retreat ministry in the Tuscan hills.  I have a feeling we've will be seeing more of them in the future as Dad hopes to encourage their wine and olive oil business. 

 

The kids and I have been trying out new Italian words ever since we got home.  We ask them if they want piccollo or grande kisses before bed.

7. Caed was allowed to try on real midieval armor at Monteriggioni, a miniature walled city outside

Sienna: 

8.Prayer times and evenings chatting with my beautiful sister, Stephanie:

9. Climbing the Tower in Sienna:

For this view:

10. Cinque Terre for a day:

11. Time to gaze into this handsome man's eyes:

12. Time to enjoy one child at a time!  And the ability to have an 8 o'clock European dinnertime because of this lovely young woman:  Betty Jo.

 13.  Catching up with my best friend from high school and college, Jessica.  She lives in Pisa and is a youth pastor on the military base there. 

14. One of my dreams for the future was the Italian table full of family, passionate conversation and beautiful food.  With this vacation I can say: Check. Over and over, check.

Thanks for another fabulous vacation, Mom and Dad!