Lowlights

While we had an incredible time, there *may* be a few things that were less than ideal or that I'm not missing from our trip to Italy.


~Surprisingly, figuring out the bathrooms could be challenging. Starting with just getting directions to the bathroom could be confusing. Then, the pictures weren't always quite as telling as one might like to discern male and female. Even the 'Escito' signs show someone running up stairs, which doesn't necessarily denote "exit" to me in all situations. Perhaps, emergency, "get the heck out of here!" but it's a bright green color, not red. Anyway, then once in the bathroom, I had the lights cut out on me! They are on a timer and I just went in after someone, so clearly my time was up, who knew?! Luckily, it was a small place and I was able to reach over and cut them back on! The toilet paper sometimes can out like Kleenex a sheet or two at a time, which was kind of cool, in a conservation kind of way, but still different. Then, flushing the toilets does not involve a handle. It's either a button you push in up on the wall behind or a "button" you depress on the top of the tank lid. They had two different sized ones, too, but both seem to use an incredible amount of water every time. Then, the sinks - there are no handles or nozzles, are they automatic? Wildly waving hands in front. nothing happens. Are they broken? Now that I have covered my hands in soap? Ahh, there is a pedal on the floor to turn on the water! Actually, very cool - you don't have to touch anything, which is nice and sanitary, but just unexpected. Then, the paper towel holders are like real towels that rotate around. You pull them down like you do our disposable paper towels, but they loop back up, so you can't actually take it off. It's very hard to describe, obviously. I should have taken pictures, I suppose, but with all the scenery and all, guess I wasn't thinking about capturing the workings of the bathrooms!


~I have some guilt about not knowing the language better and relying on people to know English. I don't want to be that pompous assuming tourist, but beyond a very few basics, I was at a loss. A lot of the places we went were so touristy, that most knew some basic English to get by, but I still felt a pang when I couldn't communicate better in Italian.


~Smashing my perfume bottle on the tile floor. Not only was I picking up glass shards all week (trying to describe to the maid to be careful of the broken glass in the trash can and randomly still in places on the floor was a challenge) but I am also without "my scent" I loved my perfume - Greg got it for me one year for Christmas and I've really enjoyed it and miss it. Thankfully, he also got me some sparkly lotion in the same scent, so I have been putting that on, but it's not quite the same. And Wyatt and Dellaina end up with glitter on them as well from me holding them. tee.hee.


~Morgan gave me this really awesome bag as a bridesmaid's gift. It's a roomy tote that's brown with brightly colored flowers on it (not unlike the scheme I have going here on the blog) and I carried it instead of my purse for a week before leaving for Italy and then used it as my personal carry on bag. Well, I had it LOADED down with all kinds of things. And then, I carried it around when we went to the different cities away from the villa, so I can actually say, I was relieved to get home and not have a 30 lb bag on my shoulders! I still LOVE the bag, but was glad to give my shoulders a reprieve and not have to haul quite as much on a regular daily basis. Although, I guess it kept me primed to lug Wyatt around.

As seen on TV

Doll baby

Wyatt absolutely lights up when Dellaina is around. When he's fussy, we call her to come talk to him to help distract him. Even when she does this to him:

I've been told more than once that he's too beautiful to be a boy.

Per request

It's really hard to get detail pictures of them, because they are so small (I like small ovely dangly), but here are my bee-uuu-tiful Tuscan Sun earrings:

[I don't know why you can click on some pictures and they open up larger and then some don't. I thought it might be that if you upload it Large size, it won't open up any larger, but it does it randomly even when I normally upload in Medium size.]

Time marches on

Wyatt turned 8 months this week. It's amazing how time flies by. You want to keep them little, but each new phase is so exciting. This phase is really exciting, but takes A LOT of work and CONSTANT VIGILANCE as they start to move and get. into. everything! With no sense of danger or right and wrong. It gets a little easier as they get older and become more aware - or at least Dellaina has always been one to please and does not like to disappoint and wants to follow the rules. That *may* not be the case for Mr. Wyatt. we'll see. . .

He has been blowing raspberries a lot lately. And he seems to do it in response or mimic you - we can go back and forth for a while with him and it's pretty entertaining. Greg was asking him something the other day and he spit out his pacifier and went, "pfft" and it was just too funny; like he was telling Greg, "don't be so silly, dad!" My dad told me when they were dropping them back off that Wyatt seems to be very responsive and make noises or verbal attempts at the appropriate times or even sometimes with sounds you can almost understand what he's trying to say.

He's still a sweetie and I absolutely love how he flops around and will lay down on me, like he's just so worn out. Even when he's waking up at 5:00 in the mornings and I have to bring him to bed with me and he's bouncing around excitedly for a while. It's still irresistibly sweet when he'll just flop his head down on me or the pillow. He just lays out for a few brief seconds and then is going again, but those seconds are precious. And eventually, he might actually stay put and go back to sleep.

I think it's so cute when he crawls to get something and thinks he can reach it, but by the time he pushes himself back to his sitting position, it's out of reach again, so he gets frustrated and has to start the process over again! I may be cruel to laugh at his predicament, but it really is adorable.

I never really understood why those taggie blanket toys were so popular, but Wyatt definitely goes straight for tags on everything and puts them in his mouth to chew on, so I finally get it!

He's been grabbing the spoon during meals and can actually navigate it pretty well to his mouth. And he's getting much better with getting the puffs to his mouth, too.

He crawls over to the air vents and feels the cold air coming out. He's definitely a curious little creature. He also goes to the plants to dig in the dirt a lot. *sigh.

He repeatedly throws things off his tray on the high chair. Whatever he can get his hands on, ends up directly on the floor, so it's best not to leave anything on it.

Just in the past day or so, he's been rejecting his pacifier!! He's even been seen sucking on his thumb and fingers! His index finger had a red mark on it that I thought must have been a cut or scratch or hang nail/cuticle issue, but I think it's actually from him sucking on the fingers, much like N.Lo! Hopefully, it won't get quite that bad, I'm not sure I could stomach him sucking his nail off!

This morning, he was sitting on the floor at day care and Mrs. Juana would roll a little ball to him and he was actually picking it up and throwing it back! I mean, it's not like he was accurate or getting it far or anything, but he clearly knew the motions and the action! I was seriously impressed.


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Dellaina busted out with a cute song the other day:

I have a teeny turtle,
his name is Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub
to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water
He even ate the soap
somethingsomethingsomething
about a burping a bubble I can't quite make out
"POP!"

It was just cute to hear her actually sing a full song, and one I didn't know. I asked where she learned it, expecting "Purple Hands" but she said, "at Granny's" I asked Granny and she said Dellaina had sung it to her and she thought it was so cute, they kept singing it all week, but I think she must have learned it at school. I've been trying to think of what the "original" song is so I could tell you, "sung to the tune of" but no one is able to help me remember the words. Maybe I'll try to capture it on video and post so someone out there can help me recall the other song that has the same tune.

Our neighbor gave us a book called Olivia when Dellaina was born. It's really a cute book and we read it before bed sometimes. There is a part at the end where Olivia says, "Only 5 books tonight, mommy"
"No, Olivia, just one."
"How about 4?"
"No, two."
"3?"
"Oh, alright, 3, but that's it!"

So, at night, Dellaina has been pulling out books and saying, "only 3 books tonight, mommy!" [clearly, she doesn't quite get the bargaining tactic yet and just goes straight for the number she knows she'll be able to read] So, I respond, "oh, alright, but that's it!" It's really very cute.

Also, at night, during our bedtime routine she will exclaim, "I'm going to eat your nose" and grab it and put it in her mouth. She does give it back though, which is very kind. There is a song on one of the CD's Pen sent us that says, "Don't you push me down" and we play a little game at night where we push each other over in bed, singing the refrain. She's also added Leap Frog into the routine. It's all gotten quite physical and perhaps would be frowned upon as "proper" bedtime, winding down rituals, but I think get that last burst of energy and giggles out and you're golden.

Once she got the hang of a concept like colors or shapes, I would often "test" her by casually commenting, "those sure are pretty red shoes" when they are actually yellow and she'll smile and say, "noooo! they're red!" Or when reading a book she knows really well, I will change words to see if she's really paying attention. Now, she'll even do it to me. Sometimes she does it just to be funny or to assert her will, but it's pretty amazing to know she grasps the concept of sarcasm so well, even in it's most basic form.

Dellaina was making her laps the other night and Boss & Hank were kind of blocking her way into the kitchen. I see her start to go around them, when her eye catches something. She's looking at a glob of slobber on Hank's back, pause [I can see the wheels turning], "Boooss, did you do that?"

Dellaina was whiny yesterday morning. She was sitting on the potty crying and fussing and I was trying to keep up with Wyatt in the living room and help her and quickly getting frustrated with the screeching and lack of productivity when I tell her "Wyatt's eating a golf ball!" It was amazing the immediate effect of cease crying and the face she makes while processing this statement is hilarious and then we both bust out laughing.

Tyler got her some fuzzy bedroom slippers for 25 cents at Wal-mart. He thought she'd enjoy playing with them and indeed she did. . she was sliding all around the kitchen floor with them, having a grand ol' time.

Mama Megan and Miss Ella sent us another box full of great clothes! And shoes! We've really been diving in and love getting those sweet packages. Thanks again!

I think in the excitement of new clothes and shoes, she actually let me do her hair. Two days in a row, this week! She requested not 1, not 2, but 3 ponytails and actually sat still long enough for me to do them without changing her mind and whining to take them out halfway through! She liked them so much, I built up doing them again for "water day" at Purple Hands because it would help keep her hair out of her eyes when it got wet. She agreed and allowed it again! I was amazed. And even got some little hair clips at the store in my excitement.

She fell down the stairs today. Thankfully, she's old enough to stop herself before she fell all the way, but it was still a little scary for us both. I was holding Wyatt and all I could do was stick my leg out to try to stop her! She just got tangled up, I guess and kind of did a face plant and ended up sprawled across 3-4 stairs. It really wasn't bad [kind of more humorous now thinking back] and she shook it off and kept going after getting a hug, but it was a little alarming at the same time.

We need to be eating more apples

Monday, Dellaina had her 2 1/2 year check up. She weighs 32lbs (81st percentile) measures 36 1/4 inches tall (61st percentile) and her head is no longer in the 99th percentile! 51cm around, it's now in the 97th!

I had been told repeatedly that Wyatt had been pulling on his ears and he had woken up a few times during the night crying, so I decided to take him with us. Dellaina is like a totally different person at the doctor now with Wyatt there. When things happen to him, it's funny! She is amused it's not just happening to her. She used to be scared, whiny and shy - even of just getting her temperature taken. Now, she's like, "it's Wyatt's turn now!" and she's being the big sister showing him how to do it all of a sudden. She went running out into the hall excitedly following the nurse when we went to get Wyatt's weight - 20 pounds 10 ounces - without hesitation and hardly a glance back at me. She was even chatty! Telling the nurse how "he laughs at me when I jump up and down!" The doctor checked them both and said they were both "perfectly healthy!"

Tuesday morning, he woke up with a rash on his face! It was about 5:45 and I had him in the dim light of the bathroom while I, well, went to the bathroom and I noticed the side of his face was red. I called Greg to look at it before he left. It almost looked like he'd been sleeping on it, but it was really warm to the touch. I got him back to bed with me and when we woke up, it was still there and still warm. It was almost like sun burn, but we couldn't come up with anywhere he would have gotten sunburn. It was on the wrong side to have been from the car and it had been 2 days since he'd been at the lake and we didn't even take a walk in the stroller the night before. He'd eaten guava and squash for dinner the night before, which, admittedly, so sound odd, but he's had them numerous times without problems. Now, the first time I gave Dellaina squash, she got a rash, so I never gave it to her again! I don't really know if it was the squash or not, but it was too much of a coincidence to me. I gave him some Motrin and took him on to day care. After lunch I got a call that it was spreading across his face, so I called the doctor and scheduled to bring him in. When I went to get him, I actually thought it had gone down a lot! There were some splotchy marks around the corners of his mouth, but overall, it looked a lot better. But, I had the appointment, might as well take him. I felt like it was disappearing while we waited on the doctor. She looked a little and asked a few questions and got a book to show me pictures of hives to see if that's what it looked like and I was like, "not really, it was solid and warm like a sunburn" and she was like, "it can take any shape, but did it basically look like this?" and I still thought, "no, not exactly" but said, "ok, sure." Either way, it's probably hives and not to worry. That'll be another $40 and she laughed, "See you tomorrow?" haha.

He got better for a day, I suppose, but then yesterday when I went to pick him up he was sleeping and they said had been since 3:00! And he'd already taken an hour nap before that one! He looked so out of it most of the evening and so tired with red rimmed eyes and was pretty warm. I gave him Motrin before bed and then again when he woke up at 3:00 (he also was up at 1:30 and then 6:30) But he slept pretty good, when he was sleeping and even slept pretty late this morning. He's got a snotty nose, but still seems fairly happy overall. He needs to get some more teeth, so I can give him an apple a day to eat.

Highlights

Perhaps a bit more succinctly and more pictorially:

*The Villa.

picturesc. Amazing grounds and views. Just peaceful and serene. Love the smell of honeysuckle. Roses, wisteria, Potted lemon trees, Fig tress - with figs the size of small pears, I kid you not! Olive trees, potted hydrangeas, which I LOVED! Lots of other things I don't know, but they were gorgeous. Italy is all about plants! All of the buildings seem so beautiful and personalized, because the decks are covered with plants! It's such a wonderful way to live. (square in Sarteano)

*Meals - starting with the very first "snack" they prepared for us when we arrived at the villa - which included massive platters of cheeses, meats, breads, bowls of olives -- all the way to the very last supper of fresh fish and shrimp, incredible salads and appetizers and of course, vino! lots. of. it. And being able to eat one leisurely and enjoyably without distractions.

*My "Tuscan Sun" earrings obtained in Cortona. In gold, even! I am NOT a fan of gold, but I still love them. It's hard to do the sun properly in any other color, I suppose.

*"Hiking" to the top of Cortona with Greg.

*Laying my head in Greg's lap while he plays with my hair in the amphitheatre of the Public Gardens in Cortona while we wait on the rest of the group to meet up. Ah, Amore! (Honestly, I was tired and cold and those steps were really warm!)

*Going with the flow and going on to Florence, when we'd planned a day in Rome, but couldn't get there thanks to the "strike."

*Playing cards on the train to Firenze - teaching the kids and everyone to play BS and King's Corner.

*Climbing the 467 (tight, spiraling, steep) steps up AND down of the Duomo in Firenze. (overcoming my fears and claustophobia - again!)

*The train ride back from Firenze - getting to put my feet up and retreat into my book!

*The scenery - never ceases to amaze. There is just so much. . Texture! I wonder if you live in it you become a bit desensitized? I'm not sure how you could. . .

*The idyllic weather that was warm in the sun, but still cool air, so not stifling hot or humid. (In the beginning it was perfect, but it would get pretty chilly at times - especially in buildings made mostly of stones and marbles! But, by the end of the trip, we were sweating. I preferred the slightly cooler weather, but still sunny! We were searching for extra blankets and layers the first few nights and barely slept with *ahem* anything the last)

*Hanging clothes up to dry in the early morning Tuscan sun. On a clothesline, with clothespins that have probably been used for generations!

*Shopping in Moltepulciano. Even in the rain. And the great little "bunker" we had wine and cheese in.

*Being at THE Coliseum with Greg. Coming around the corner and catching a glimpse of it, still awe-struck.

*Sitting down on the cold marble floor, inside the cool, shaded Pantheon and taking in the history while we rested and got a reprieve from the sun. Also, I really liked approaching it from the back/side - it was very cool looking to me.

*Getting our portrait done at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome.

*The Express train back from Rome which cut out a full hour of the ride!

*Jumping in the FREEZING pool at night after a long, hot, sweaty, dirty day in Rome.

*The Tuscan moon was just as beautiful and awe-inspiring as the Tuscan sun.

*Getting to read multiple books! It really felt like summertime and vacation. I left the one I brought and took 2 others that were at the villa, because I knew I'd finish one on the plane. I'm still working on the 2nd.

*Meeting Franco Biandi-Santi after touring his winery and learning about his impressive status in the wine world. He was super suave and friendly - giving us 2 free bottles of his wine!

*Spending our final day relaxing at the villa - swimming, reading, playing ping pong, eating outside.

*Playing Lottery tickets we had to get Franco, the gardener to help us understand.

*Highlights. Every night at dinner, we'd go around the table and each person would give their highlight of the day - and couldn't repeat anyone else's! It was such a great thing Caroline started early in the week and I truly loved that part of each day - hearing everyone's adventures or how things impacted them. Even when we were together, different things held more meaning for different people. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was great their family let us be a part of it.

*Getting home, getting some sleep and then having the kids and dogs brought to us. Seeing them again was really incredible.

More from Italy

So I got up through Day 4. . here's the rest (clearly you benefited from me being on vacation when I wrote the bullet points before, because now I flush everything out!):

Day 5: We make it to Rome! It's a 2 hour train ride and the sun is really shining today. It's hot, sweaty and dirty, but it's the city with so much history and things you've got to go and see and check off the list! First, we grab a bite to eat and then head on to the Coliseum. Jess is attacked by young pick-pocketers, but manages to catch them red-handed and prevent it from actually happening. He's military trained and the wrong person for them to have chosen to mess with. It was very well played, looking back on it - coming down the steps trying to get across the street to the Coliseum, so you are staring up at it and there is an old woman sitting on one side and several young kids on either side, and they swarm in on you and one was holding a piece of cardboard out, like they were asking for money, but underneath she had her hand and had it actually in his pocket, when he felt it and grabbed it and held on tight to it until he could check and make sure he had everything still in his possession. They really didn't like that he was holding her - it caused quite a commotion. Around the Coliseum there were all kinds of salespeople trying to get you to sign up for their "tours" claiming the "que" was a good 45 minutes to an hour to get inside and you just pay them a little more and get a tour and no wait in line. We declined and the wait was maybe 15 minutes and moving through security screens, so it wasn't bad. The ticket included walking through the Roman Forum and then we walked around to the "typewriter" building, which I just love. I know it's a "newer" building, but it completely epitomizes the grandeur of what was Ancient Rome to me. I still remember the first time I got to Rome, we arrived at night and drove around the town and this was the first building we saw, all lit up, and I cried. It was magnificent and beautiful and just awesome in it's size and spectacularness. Our camera batteries died, so I don't have any pictures of it this time, but I'm sure other will have some to share eventually. We paid 10 euro for a 4-pack ($15!) to continue on. [I usually carry an extra set, but when Jim had tried to plug in my rechargable battery charger with the adapter earlier in the week to charge my back up set it had popped/exploded and killed the batteries - and fortunately no one else!] Then, we split from Jess, Lynn & Dave who were headed on over to St. Peter's, which we decided to forgo since we figured the lines would be really long, it was a really long walk and we're not Catholic. Also, I had seen it and was glad to get the chance to go do some other things. We walked around the city to the Pantheon -coming up from behind, so it wasn't as obvious what we were approaching. It was very cool inside, and we sat down on the cold marble floor and rested for a bit. Then, we went over to the Trevi Fountain (again from the side) and the Spanish Steps (from above!) All the main, crowded, touristy places. We had a good map that we'd gotten at the train station, but somehow kept missing things and coming differently than we intended to. We'd get there, but lost some of the awe in the approach. Also, we laughed that we were on the McDonald's tour, because whenever we'd start to question if we were going the right way we'd see a sign for McDonald's that said "1 m to Pantheon" in one direction we'd just come from or "2.1 m to Trevi Fountain" that we were trying to find. Then, we wandered around aimlessly for a long time, trying to find food and ended up settling on a place that was much too expensive and not as good as it should have been. Then we climbed some steps up to "St. Peter in chains" and went in a little church. It was really beautiful. Then, we headed back to the train station and stopped for some wine just before getting on the Express train that got us back in an hour!! Before the train left, a black man got on the train begging for money and I guess Jim had told him no or to go on, but he just started yelling and going off. It was very unnerving and unsettling. After a long, hot, sweaty, dirty day, we jumped into the pool under the Tuscan moon! It was absolutely FREEZING, but I managed to stay in and swim around enough with the kids that it was bearable. It was a great end to the night and definitely very memorable.

Day 6: We decide to try something more "local" and do a winery tour. We had a late morning with the kids swimming and just lounging and reading by the pool, so didn't really get going until early afternoon. The men drove down to the main square to get Cafe Lattes, which was fun for them. We took a more scenic route (ie dirt road! "oh, so that's what the white roads on the map are!") which did have incredible views and we passed by this little cemetery, which was pretty cool. The tombstones had pictures of the deceased on them. That was a little unusual, but quite an endearing custom. The oldest one we found was from (born in) 1873 I think. Then, we eventually made it to Montalcino and tried to eat, but were unsuccessful at a few places that were closing up or just served wine or snacky food, and just went to find the winery we were touring to make sure we knew how to get there. And happened to find a restaurant right next to it! Ugh, they were closed, but "perhaps it is possible" and they let us stay! We ordered wine and appetizers because we were in a hurry, but made reservations to come back for dinner since they were so kind. The winery tour was really amazing. It was a private residence which was really beautiful. We were supposed to be going with another group/family, but they didn't so up, so it was a very personal tour! The tour guide, Laura, seemed a little cold at first, but she warmed up. It was very informative and interesting to hear all about their wine and process - they take a lot of pride and care in their wine! Their wines are made to last - and they have Riservas for sale that go back to the 1940s and 50s! And he still has bottles in his personal cellar dating back to 1888! Every year, on June 1st they have a "topping off" where collectors of their wine can send their bottles to be examined and if the wine has evaporated below the neck of the bottle, they will open it, test it to make sure it's still good (including tasting it if need be!) and then refill/top it off, recork and send it back! They open one bottle of the same year to top off multiple bottles. They had lots of accolades and impressive accomplishments - including their 1955 Riserva being chosen as one of the Top 10 wines of the Century by Wine Spectator - the only Italian wine chosen of the 10! And the owner, Franco Biandi-Santi is 86 and still very active in the whole process. He is the 3rd generation and his grandfather is basically the creator of the Brunella variety of wine; it's very regional! in 1974, he did an article for National Geographic. He was a very debonair and handsome man. He looked a little like Arnold S. the Govenator, very suave. Then, we were ending the tour and coming back through to sign the guest book and saw an older man disappear around the corner. Our interest was piqued and he did come back and it was indeed, Franco Biandi-Santi, the owner. He stopped and talked to us (he doesn't speak English, but Laura translated for us) for a good 10 minutes. It was incredible. He's still such a distinguished looking man, with an easy smile. Very Charlton Heston-esc. Others took pictures of the group with him, that I hope to get copies sent to me soon. He made great jokes and was very kind asking us about our trip and time in Italy and if we were going to be having dinner together that night - he gave us 2 bottles of his "family" wine for free!! During the tour we learned that he started making the "pink" wine because his wife got tired of the red staining so much and it's what they have at dinner and for family meals for the past 40 years and they have just started selling it on the market in 2004, I think! The wine was not cheap, so it was extremely generous. And enjoyed immensely! After the tour, we went down into the little city and saw the fort and Greg & I walked around a bit and did some shopping, but the shops were closing up, so it was rushed. Then, we enjoyed more wine and gelatto before meeting back up with the group to head back to the place for dinner. It was really yummy. Greg & I shared the Wild Boar! A regional dish, which was actually quite tasty, like a pork pot roast and not as gamey as we were expecting. It was a long, late drive back to the villa.

Day 7: It's our last day and we're all tired of driving around, so we opt to stick around the villa and just soak it up. Swimming, reading, ping pong, lunch outside. Jim had bought everyone lottery tickets and we had to get Franco, the gardener to help us figure out how to do them properly. Greg was the only one that won anything - 5 euros, and we just gave it to Franco for helping us. He stuck around and continued to cut the grass, so we don't think it was really a 500 or 500,000 euro winner or anything or he'd have been out of there! The men had bought some fresh fish and shrimp down at the market that morning in Cetona when they went for their espresso and cafe latte shots, so we fired up the outdoor fireplace/grill and cooked it up. Dave was in charge of appetizers for the night and had a nice little set up for us by the guest house (we were in one side and he was in the other, so it was in the little area behind) He impersonated Franco Biandi-Santi in the National Geographic article, which was amusing for pictures (if you'd seen the NG article, I guess - I searched a little, but didn't find it, sorry.) We did manage to break 2 wine glasses - one with a pole and one with a soccer ball, but I think had already met and settled up with the owner of the villa by that point! Dinner was fabulous in the big dining room again. Every night, we'd been going around the room telling our "highlights of the day" and tonight we did "highlights of the trip" and tried to not repeat. Those were some of my favorite moments, to relive everything and hear everyone's take and experience on the day. It was a late night, despite knowing we'd need to get a super early start in the morning. We all had to be packed up and ready, too.

Day 8: Wake up feeling a little rough - possibly still drunk? Know I'm going to be up for the next 24 hours before I'm home. Thankfully, get to sleep some in the van on the 2+ hour drive to Rome. Airport is quite the experience. We thought we were there super early, because the others had to catch a flight to Paris that left a couple hours before ours, but it ended up being just enough time. We had to take a shuttle to a separate terminal to check in and it was like a prison. seriously. We were in the bottom open area and there were armed guards, walking around the perimeter above us. Weapons aimed! And every couple yards there were full sheets of bullet-proof glass they'd be able to get behind if they needed to. It was very unnerving. The Continental Airlines booth wasn't even open yet, so we just say in line and watched the Delta line move through. Finally, we got through into the next room and got back in line and then got our Boarding pass. Then, we ate lunch and then went through security - sooo much smaller lines than in Atlanta! Then, went through customs where we actually got our first stamp in our passports, thank you very much! Then, back on a shuttle back over to the main terminal area. We walked around and did some duty free shopping - Lynn & Jess & Dave bought some wine and other things and Dave just stuck it in his carry on bag. We got to Newark at 5:45 and our connection to Atlanta was scheduled to leave by 7:15. We had to get off, go through customs - Lynn & Jess had checked luggage, so they had to claim it, take it through customs and then recheck it! Greg, Dave & I just had carryons so went as fast as we could, but we were rerouted to a separate terminal and actually had to go back through a security point. Well, Dave's wine bottles were no longer ok. So, they made him go check his bag! They did escort him over there and let him come back through, but if our plane hadn't been delayed Greg & I probably would have been the only 2 to make it. Instead, it was delayed until 7:45 and Lynn & Jess finally made it. They ran into all kinds of other issues as well, with their bags being searched slowly and meticulously. We ended up not boarding until 8:15 and not leaving until nearly 9:15! Fortunately, once we were in Atlanta, all the checked bags showed up fairly quickly, we found the shuttle to our parking place and the truck was still there. We dropped Dave off and made it home by 1:00AM and crashed. What an adventure!