Driving to the Trevi Fountain

It's really not a good idea to drive to the Trevi Fountain. 

Most people in Rome know that, and even we know that, most of the time. 

On this particular Sunday, Ron and I were going to visit a new friend at the Greg. Somehow Ron thought that, since the ZTL was not activated on Sunday, we could drive there. 

But you have to pass the Trevi Fountain to get there! Not sure how we missed that. . . but suffice it to say that Ron saw the 7,000 tourists, and made the excellent judgement to turn around. How he did a 180 in a one-lane cobblestone street, I do not know. I think physics were against him. Somehow he always manages. 

Merry Month of May

Blessed by a visit from Jacob and Gabrielle--Ah, Rejoice my Heart!

Forno Party for the Seminarians

Taco Press for my Birthday from the kids (which I bought myself in advance!). . . Homemade tortillas are a whole new horizon!

Birthday dinner--You guessed it, homemade tacos!

What Monti looked like the morning of May 25th

I stopped in a little Church, plopped down next to Jesus and His Sacred Heart, and prayed my heart out for about 3 hours--Now THAT'S a great birthday morning!

Dinner out with Clare, Leigh, Sebastian and Ron--Braving a new seafood restaurant. Is it marvelous or does it miss the mark? We are still wondering. How I TREASURE my family and where God has brought me on this life's journey! I could not be happier or more blessed. 

 

13!

Annie is 13 years old! I'v never seen someone enjoy their birthday more than Annie. Leigh, Sebastian and I were home all morning decorating the dining room with streamers and making her a cake (that is Leigh's special creation!). Leigh put on music videos from Youtube, and Annie danced ALL MORNING LONG. Italian "Happy Birthday" anthems, German pop songs like "Eins, Swei, Polizei" (!?!?!?) and the staples like Footloose and Uptown Funk. There was substantial dancing by the whole family and Annie never even sat down! 

From start to finish all day, Annie was delightful, grateful, thoughtful, and thanked us a hundred times for making her birthday so special. I've really never met anyone quite like Annie. She has the most robust sense of delight, the fiercest commitment to happiness, while being humble and keenly aware of those around her. I love that girl and hope she never changes! Don't lose that magical personality, Anne Therese! 

Eucharist

Holy Thursday might be my favorite day of the year. The Mass is so palpably life-changing, soul-repairing, and world-mending. The Institution of the Eucharist is impossible to recognize sufficiently. 

The Magnificat readings for today are so moving, so right. 

Becoming Catholic, for me, was mostly about the Eucharist. The Gospel of John chapter 6 is so clear: Christ intended a literal, not figurative or metaphorical interpretation of his words about eating his flesh. 

I am humbled and in awe that God has given me the greatest treasure of my life: the Eucharist. 

Adoration of the Eucharist after Holy Thursday Mass at a mission church in rural Italy

I could have stayed until they locked the doors

My Angelicum Friends

 One of the best aspects of studying theology at the Angelicum is getting to know my classmates. They are seminarians, nuns, monks, religious and laity from all over the world. Sr. Marie Linn, Sr. Lucy, and Sr. Therese are from a congregation in Vietnam. These women are the chosen few who get to go to Rome to study. They will return and teach a generation of sisters, teachers and formation instructors back home. 

Another group I love are the Brothers of Divine Charity. They serve the poorest of the poor around the world. Josamir was my first friend from this group. We sat next to each other in our course on Grace among others and got through a year of studies together. Now I am friends with his confreres Etienne and Gilbert (both from French-speaking Africa), Francisco and now Jorge. They have invited my family to a play they are putting on in a couple of weeks. The cast includes monks as well as the homeless people they serve. I love it! 

Simon is one of the most joyful people I've ever met. Regan is humble and kind. All in all, I am a much better person for having met these saints-in-the-making, They are all people who have dedicated their lives to God in the most radical way they knew how. I am blessed by their witness, the intensity of their faith, their courage and perseverance. I aspire to be as holy as they some day. 

It's Settled

Annie is the reason we went to Vienna. She wants to look into the University of Vienna for her college years, and living in Vienna some day is a main motivator for her to learn German right now in middle school. It positively amazes me that her seventh grade is in German and Italian, and that she is doing so well. She often does better than the majority of her classmates on tests and assignments, even the ones in German! She has been studying it for 8 months, while many of them have been studying in German at this school since Kindergarten. Way to go, Annie! 

As she and I explored the city center on the first day of our trip, she "Ooooo!"-ed and "Aaaaaaaah!"-ed the whole way through. Finally she announced, "It's settled. I am going to live here someday." 

Every day, Annie and I walked past the College of Applied Arts, where she recognized Athena Parthenos and explained all the imagery to me, including the Nike in Athena's hand, the rod and the owl. 

Annie, Sebo, Clare and I had enormous Wiener Schnitzels, and the penny dropped for Annie when she realized the "Wiener" means "Viennese." Meanwhile, Clare went nuts over the rolls. I think Clare had two plates of goulash and as many rolls as they'd serve us. Hilarious. 

Their version of frizzante or sparkling water is "prickelnd." That seemed so funny to us. Prickly water.

A couple asked us to take their picture. Annie understood their German and answered back in German without hesitation. When they walked away, she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, "I can speak German!" It was one of those moments for both of us that you wouldn't give anything for. 

Here is Annie doing an impersonation of one of the really sweet girls in her class. Super cute. Annie gave me a lengthy description of her classmates, whom on the whole she adores. I also set out to memorize the names of all her teachers and what subjects they teach. She has more teachers than the average 7th grader, because many of her subjects she has in both German and again in Italian, with different teachers. While Italian schools get out around 1:45pm, Annie gets out at 4:05pm. She is in an intense prep school and she really pays the price. It's a lot of work. I am very proud of her! What a smartie! 

Isn't Annie awesome? Yes. It's settled. 

Hundertwasser

It was an incredible unlikelihood that cannot be coincidence that when we traveled to Vienna we rented a flat that was across the street from the Hundertwasser Museum and Village, given that Sebastian had just studied Hundertwasser in school. Sebastian introduced me to this modern Viennese artist and showed me Sebastian's favorite paintings, which were all hanging in this gem of a museum. 

Our mini-spring break trip to Vienna was paradisiacal. We ate apfelstrudel, went to the opera, breathed the Austrian air and walked on pristine streets. I planted myself at the Cathedral of St. Stephen and studied the architecture and sculpture with the help of a book for many hours. I am not sure which knocks me off my feet more, the interior (with its lacy Gothic pointed arches) or the exterior (Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements can all be detected). 

After hours alone at the cathedral (while Ron took the kids to the zoo), Ron met me for a date in the old town. It was a magical day and my Viennese blood was re-oxygenated. Friendly reminder: I am not Italian! It is astonishing how disconnected these two lines are, the Austrian-Germanic and the Italian. There is virtually no point of intersection. While the EU connects Austria and Italy and that gives the impression that they are kin to one another, they are not. It is helpful for me to remember that appearances can be deceptive, so that I do not feel so crazy when in Rome. I am not Italian, and that's okay! God bless Italy. And God bless Austria. 

Blessed by the old and new

 Ron blesses me more than I can say! We had a wonderful day in Rome celebrating his birthday. 

Re-living the OLD: We went to our old favorites--the tie and pocket square shop on Campo Marzio (our kids have spent HOURS in there over the years! We know the owners!); the paper/art/fountain pen shop off Piazza di Spagna (a family favorite since our first summer here in 2011); the pizza restaurant across from the art shop where 7-year-old Clare "sniffed out" the anchovies on the Pizza Napoli that Ron accidentally ordered. Now we order spritzes and take IG photos!

Enjoying the NEW: We discovered an authentic Mexican restaurant in Rome! Casa Sanchez. Although they serve food on plates that my grandmother would call "dinner roll plates" (meaning they are very small!) and although every TINY plate of food was VERY EXPENSIVE, we basked in the authentic Mexican fare. They served salsa in bowls a little larger than thimbles. We enjoyed every *drop*! An "only once-a-year" treat!

Happy birthday, Ron!

To be Divine

     "God became man so that we might become God." St. Athanasius summed up Christianity in this short sentence. 

      I ask myself: 

• Do I really live this way, aware of my status as a member of the family of God? 
• Am I as generous as God, pouring himself out in total humility for the sake of others? 
• Am I willing to be misunderstood, as Christ was misunderstood? Ridiculed? Rejected? Disapproved of? Mocked for the sake of the Kingdom of God? 

    I have an uneasy feeling that I am nowhere near where God wants me to be in taking in and living out this calling, the call to divination. It's a tall order. 

Mardi Gras--Carnivale

 Annie and Leigh went to school dressed up for Mardi Gras--Carnivale: Leigh in 70's style and Annie as Disney's Anastasia. Annie wrote a rap for her friend Martina (how cool is that?) and Leigh won (unofficial) best costume. 

American flag sunglasses and hoop earrings

I spent the day making shrimp etoufée and king cake. Both were very involved recipes, both took all day (8 hours or more per recipe), and both turned out great! Helped assuage my homesickness. Being an adopted New Orleanian is one of my points of pride. 

Sha!

Aphorism by Ron Rombs

 Daily life with Ron is such a wonder. Today's passing comment that is worthy of the status of an aphorism is: 

"There is nothing like working your way through Athanasius and Arius to re-calibrate what you think it is to be a Christian." 

Firenze

 We had such a wonderful time in Florence!

Ponte Vecchio at night

Botticelli

Filippo Lippi

Fra Angelico

Our resident photographer

I learned how to use a Moka pot--Desperation leads to discovery (and the coffee was GOOD)

 

Clare in the Piazza della Signoria

Annie got a haircut

Dave gave Sebastian a prize for winning their tic-tac-toe competition

Fun with Aunt Swanee and Dave

Asleep on the way home--played too hard