Thankful - "four"

#4. I'm thankful for my health. This is an easy one to say, especially for those of us who are healthy. I know I won't be able to fathom what it mean to NOT be able to say this until an awful wake-up call hits me to make me feel otherwise. But I do truly try to give this some think time now and again. I should actually say that I'm thankful for my healthy family genes. I think I'm holding up pretty well for being 40, and love that I'm still able to hang with the 'youngsters' for the most part. Running, biking, water-skiing, hiking, exercising in general....I'm happy to say I can still do them all with a relatively small amount of pain. Most of the time. :)

Skiing at Lake Thunderhead this summer. (This also makes me
thankful for my brother's lake house and boat) :-)

Hiking an hour or so outside of Seattle this past summer.

Thankful that I can experience nature like this, on foot.

Extremely thankful we were able to make it to the top of this climb without having a coronary episode. The view of the alpine lake made it all worth it!

#2 and #3

  

2. I'm thankful for opportunities that I'm presented with, and the ability to make the most of them whenever possible. Behind many of the aforementioned opportunities are some really great people. They definitely go hand in hand. The opportunity to spend a beautiful July day sailing around the Puget Sound this summer with one of my lifelong best friends, and two of my newest best friends, was not lost on me. Cherri, and Jim n LuAnn - thank you for being part of my lovely day.


Laugh, laugh, and laugh some more. That's Cherri and I together. :)

 

LuAnn, Jim, and me. So fortunate to have them in my life.

 

(left to right): Mt. Rainier, Seattle Ferry, Bob (our Skipper)

 

   "Look! I'm sailing!!"

3. I'm thankful for my favorite candy bar (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) and favorite candy (Hot Tamales). When living in a foreign land where your two favorites are not readily available without a trip to Rabat and the U.S. Commisary grocery store, it's both good (waistline) and bad (they're so yummy). However, on the occasions you DO get to have them, life seems a little happier. :) 
Side note: I'm also thankful for hilarious conversations (again, in Seattle) that make you aware that there is a difference (candy vs candy bar). 

Ever so Thankful...

 

...for so many things. Let me count the ways. Many friends on facebook post something they are thankful for every day during the month of November. Which is cool. In order to get my butt in gear with this blog again, I'm going to kind of steal the idea, but make myself do it on here. And then try to keep things going on here more frequently.

1. I'm thankful for my family. Always. Immediate family, extended family, and everything inbetween. I'm so overwhelmed every time I'm back home at the love I get from this amazing group, and how they also support me when I'm away living this fabulous life I have. My cup runneth over.

Cousin Jeff and Brother Ryan (Barney). Two of my favorite people.

The W & K Junge crew on vacation this summer.

With the nieces n nephews. haha. We're special. 

When in Rome...

(Apologies for slacking off on this whole blogging thing since February. I honestly don't know where March went. I know it was here and I did some stuff, but man, it went by quickly!! And now April has disappeared as well. I love it, because it means I'm closer to summer and getting to see my family and friends. In the meantime, I still have a lot to do over the next 6 weeks!)    Anyway...

In February we get a week off. Being an international teacher, I took advantage of this week and went to Italy with teaching friends Danni and Mel. The majority of our time was spent in Rome, with a side trip of a couple of days down to Pompeii and Naples.

As the saying goes, "When in Rome..." and we tried to hold up to our end of the bargain by doing all things 'Roman'. Or, at least the touristy stuff. :-)  We also took in as many Italian delicacies as possible. Pastas and gelato in Rome. Fabulous pizza in Naples. And many delicious meals in between.

With that said, I'll do a 'picture post' of some of the highlights of the trip.

At the base of the 'Spanish Steps'

 Joyfully tossing my euro coins into the fountain for good luck and a promised return to Rome!

Spanned out view of Trevi Fountain. Really stunning when you take time to look at all of the details!

The Colosseum. I can't take credit for the photo though. I copied it from a friend of mine. He has a better camera. :)

 Inside the Colosseum. Looking at what would have been floor level and below.

Pretty much at 'floor' level here.

Arch of Constantine

Pasta... So, so good

Confessional in St. Peter's basilica with Mel. It was calling to me... :)

Pontifical Swiss guards at St. Pete's. Love those outfits!

Gelato from San Crispino. If you go to Rome, you have to go to this place. I believe we were there 3 (maybe 4) times.

In front of the Pantheon. It is such a gorgeous building, especially the inside!

Big, bad Mt. Vesuvius in the background. I'm standing in the middle of the old city of Pompeii.

Plaster casts of bodies from Pompeii. 

Me being...me. :)  Had to shake things up a bit with the touristy photos.

So, in Pompeii there was a brothel back in the day. And it is amazingly well-preserved. Or, at least some of the fresco-style paintings on the wall. There were all sorts of paintings of  sexual positions. We were listening to the audio guide along the way and they referred to the wall of positions as a 'menu or possible inspiration for patrons'.  HaHa. 

Some of the 'options' on the wall. 

Beds didn't seem like they would have been very comfortable, made out of concrete and all.

Da Michele pizzeria in Naples. It was the one written about in the book Eat, Pray, Love. There are pictures of Julia Roberts eating there as well from the movie.This place was packed with locals when we went there for lunch. We had to wait outside for at least a half hour. Once you are in, it's quick and easy (see the menu above). The pizza was huge, fabulous, and I ate the whole thing!! I even got to get  a pic with a couple of the pizza guys. 

 

Back in Rome for one last night.

My fabulous travel companions and friends...Danni and Mel.

 I had some excellent meals on this trip, but this one might have been the best. Some truffle mushroom pasta dish. My mouth is watering just thinking of it. 

If a trip to Rome is not on your list of places to see in your life, I think it should be. Those Romans didn't mess around. If nothing else, it's worth it just for the gelato, pasta, and pizza. :)