This is how I feel tonight.

It has been a month now since I arrived back in the States and I haven't yet written in my blog for a variety of reasons. I wasn't quite sure how to even begin describing all of my feelings about being back home. I was also very busy getting my applications sent out for graduate programs and wasn't able to focus on much else. On top of this, I had shipped a large box home from Italy with many important possessions that never made it onto US soil. I must admit, I have been very stressed over the past month and haven't been handling it very well. There are so many things that are hanging in the air for me at this moment; there is really no telling how they will fall. Because of this, I have complained...to several close people in my life. Today, however, God has been humbling me and teaching me (yet again) to keep faith through every situation. Through this faith and complete trust in Him, we can handle anything that comes our way with dignity and praise for the Almighty, not complaints.

I had an amazing night of worshipping God tonight back in Nashville at Fellowship Bible Church and realized once again how very blessed I am. God is so good and has reminded me of that time and time again. It's amazing that I still find myself sometimes doubting what God is working in my life. My good friends and I were able to lift each other up in prayer and I'm so thankful for that. Showing love to others, and loving well, is my goal. How could I possibly do that if I am being controlled by my complaints against where God has currently placed me?

To pull a quote from the Oscars tonight: "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." Lena Horne

Ps... at least there is one happy ending so far. My box, after having circled throughout Italy and eventually being marked as containing 'dangerous materials', finally made it back to it's origin: Alba, Italy. Yep, it's safely in the hands of the shipper now. So at least I know who has it, and I should be able to reclaim my things one day soon. Note to self: do not ship finger nail polish overseas.

So the time has come for me to bid farewell to this land that I have called home for almost 8 months now...

There are no words to describe feelings like this. I will miss it here for sure. Alba has become my home and these people are my family. I have spent the past few weeks trying to do as much as possible and say all of my goodbyes to my friends here. I was able to try out snowboarding a couple more times with friends which was very fun! I want to go back. :) I am also eating my full share of Italian cuisine (and everyone else's) before I head off. It has made me laugh that everyone here thinks that Americans only eat hamburgers, fries, and coca-cola for every meal. We all know that's not true...but the food is certainly different and my taste buds will miss certain small pleasures. I think 'the basics' are my favorite things here...good olive oil, tomatoes, parmigiano, gelato, fresh cheeses and hams, focaccia, etc.

My family here had a very nice 'going away meal' for me last night and gave me their wishes. I am trying to finish up last minute packing now and the kids will get home from school in about 1 hour. Then I will say my last goodbyes and head out for Milano. Will I cry? Yes, I think so. It will be so hard to leave these little munchkins. They don't even fully understand right now that I'm going away. Isabella, the oldest, understands, however I'm not sure about the younger ones. Ginevra is constantly asking me to stay and live with them forever and be her momma. :) It breaks my heart. And little Claudio just says "perche vai via?" and "sei bellissima!" This is a big improvement from what he used to call me. They are like my children and I will miss them very much!


In any case...this is it. My future in the states is still quite undetermined so it's very weird going off into the 'unknown'. At least my good friends back home have been giving me many exciting things to look forward to upon my return. I love you guys and can't wait to see you. Just try to bear with me if I start getting too nostalgic about Italy.

Real world...here I come!

Prato Nevoso, Italy

Wow, time is flying by. I hardly had time to even miss Christmas in the States with all of the activity going on here. I was busy working with the kiddos all the way up until Christmas. We, as usual, had a huge Christmas feast with the whole family here on Christmas Eve and then spent the rest of the evening with my friends. Christmas morning was like a blur with the three little ones tearing through their gifts in about 10 minutes...all of which were deemed to be from Babbo Natale. Then it was my turn (as the resident 'handyman') to learn how to open and operate everything they received. We're still working on this. That afternoon the family left for the mountains and I joined them the next day. We were lucky to have perfect sunny weather and tons of snow all week while I was there. I skied every afternoon and was also able to spend some quality time with Isabella who loved skiing with me! The mountains were so beautiful I was wishing I had my camera with me every moment of the day. I met some new friends that are living in Prato Nevoso for the winter season so we were able to experience the thriving nightlife to be had there, haha.


On Sunday I was off to France for a few days of skiing in Briancon. It was a fantastic and much needed getaway. The mountain was huge and connected to about 4 other mountains which we couldn't ski all of. The town was small, but beautiful with a castle on the hill surrounded by great French bistros, live music, and crepes!

Castle/Fortress above Briancon, France

After this too-short vacation, I was back to the mountains (Prato Nevoso) with the family for this past weekend. No skiing for me this time, but instead I spent my time playing in the snow with the kids...sledding on the 'bob', having snowball fights, building snowmen, etc. I love being a little kid again! But man is it exhausting! Now, I'm recovering in Alba for the next few days before heading back to Prato next weekend to do it again.

Currently, I'm trying hard to find out a way to watch my Auburn Tigers in the BCS National Championship game tonight on my computer. I can't believe I haven't watched any games this year, and I'm so out of the loop. But I'm planning on making the sacrifice tonight and watching online from about 2:30am-6am my time. We'll see how long I can make it. WAR EAGLE!


News report on me: I'll officially be back in Tennessee on January 26th. Only 16 more days here in Italy.  My thoughts on this right now would be a whole separate blog so I won't go into that. Just wanted to give an update. Looking forward to seeing everyone back home soon!

Probably everyone knows the one main reason that I love winter so much...skiing! For me, there is nothing else like it. It's the perfect combination of a great workout and the most exhilarating thrill you can find next to actually flying. I love it. It's the reason that I'm spending my holiday season here in Italy. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity a few weekends ago to try out the mountains here for the first time with some good friends. God smiled on me and gave us the most beautiful weather we could have asked for. Relatively warm, super sunny, and lots of fresh snow. I know this is not likely to happen again for the rest of the time I am here, but I still can't wait to go back. In less than a week, we'll be back in the mountains again for the holiday season.

Yesterday, I had the immense pleasure of going to Isabella's school to watch her 2nd grade Christmas production. Mind you...it didn't really have anything to do with Christmas or the story of Jesus' birth. The theme was all about the life of a little boy named Ciro. Guess what part Isabella played?! Yep, the baby while it was still in mommy's tummy. Haha. It was the strangest children's production I have ever seen. I loved it!

Christmas is, of course, the biggest event of the winter season and should be celebrated in all of it's glory.  I know it's become almost cliche to say, but I really do hope to remember the reason I celebrate and to serve as a reminder to others. I often joke here with the Italians because there are so many religious holidays and no one ever seems to know what they are actually celebrating. Literally, I ask everyone, and no one can tell me. At least with Christmas we all know, but let's really celebrate what a wonderful gift we were given on this day two thousand years ago. My current environment is drenched with nativity scenes and reminders of Baby Gesù, and yet it's so easy to completely overlook.

Well...I'm back. After trips like this and so much time away from my blog, it's hard to really find the words to sum things up. I should start by saying that I am so blessed and grateful to have such amazing friends that would fly across oceans to come visit me and spend their holidays here. Thanksgiving at home is typically my favorite holiday because of the delicious food and great company, so I knew it would be hard to miss out on. However, thanks to my little vacation, I hardly even realized I was missing anything. We did try to find a traditional American feast in Firenze (Florence), but were somewhat unsuccessful. So Italian food it was! Oh well. I've really been learning to fully embrace the Italian culture, people, and food lately while I'm here instead of complaining about the things that I think are different or that I don't agree with. This includes learning to love eating only Italian food...every day.

Our vacation was fairly standard for the most part: complete with museums, shopping, sightseeing, climbing lots of stairs to see views of each city, pictures, gelato, wine, and some great Italian discoteca dancing. Of course, we personalized our trip as well by adding in some flooding waters, some football games, missed trains and flights, driving a rental car all over Italy, and of course protesting and rioting in Rome. We also met some fabulous friends along the way. Bruno and Suzie from our B&B in Firenze really made our stay there very special. They were some of the nicest and most helpful people along our journey. After Firenze and Roma, we drove up to visit the smaller towns of Siena and Orvieto. Both were definitely worth the visit and I wish we could have stayed longer. By chance, we arrived in Siena on their patron saint's day, December 1st. So when we walked into the main town square there was a parade in honor of Saint Ansanus, the protector of the city, leading to a townwide mass in the duomo. In the hilltop town of Orvieto, we experienced some incredible views of the Italian countryside and toured the underground caves and taverns built centuries ago below the city, but still in use today.

Friday's journey back home for both Eric and I was a bit of a disaster, but we eventually made it to our respective homes and can now (maybe) laugh about the situation. I had to work Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, but was completely exhausted and slept until about noon on Monday. I think I may finally be caught up now. We'll see.

On a separate note, the holidays are fast approaching and I'm already getting tastes of how things are celebrated here in Italy! Last night we had a Christmas feast with some of Sara's side of the family. Really, you think I would have learned after 6 months here how to pace myself with the food. But of course, after about the 4th DELICIOUS course, I thought we were about done and helped myself to seconds of pasta. Ooops...there was still about 3 more courses. I didn't eat anything today until 4pm. Aside from this, there was the traditional fawning over the children. Grandparents scrambling to squeeze the little ones who only wanted to be held by their mom (mammoni is a very important word here). Then the children were promptly fed first and sent off to watch cartoons in the separate house while the adults cheerfully ate, drank, discussed very slang terms and sayings in a dialect I don't understand, and got into heated (they call it 'passionate') discussions regarding proper wines and methods of production. I love it!

As it stands, my plans are to stay here through the holidays. I'm sorry to everyone that was hoping to see me over the Christmas break, but Italy calls! I can't pass up the chance to see babbo natale visit the children and take a few ski trips in the Alps. :) But don't get me wrong...I do really miss you guys!

Time for another vacation! Tomorrow morning (yes, Thanksgiving day) I'm heading out on a 6 hour train ride down to Florence where I will be meeting some fabulous friends from the good ole US of A! I will be gone for nine days on a little Italian adventure through Florence, Rome, and maybe one or two still undetermined places. I can not wait! I've been to these cities before, but it was a very long time ago...maybe around 10 years. So I am very much looking forward to seeing them again and staying a bit longer. Of course, I'm most looking forward to seeing my friends, Rachel, Eric, Steph, and John, who are coming from all over the US and Canada just to see ME! Ok, they may actually be coming to see Italy, but I like to think it's just for me. :) Good times are sure to be had.

Right now, I'm in superdrive mode trying to finish cleaning my room and bathroom, doing laundry, emailing contacts, booking last minute trains, working, and eventually packing at some point tonight. So I've got to run now. You won't hear from me for a little bit. But I hope everyone back home has a great Thanksgiving holiday! I'm still looking for someone in Florence that can serve me some turkey...but so far no luck. Oh well. Ciao!

I had my first ever dream about my teeth falling out last night. Not gonna lie...it kind of freaked me out. It was disturbing. They were just crumbling in my mouth at the slightest touch.

I know this is supposedly the most common type of dream, so I've always thought it was weird that I've never experienced it. I also never dream about being naked, falling, or being chased. No, my dreams are generally much, much stranger than the norm.

In any case...what is this dream supposed to mean again? Any theories?

So I've taken up this new hobby of going rockclimbing at Vertigo in Pollenzo about once a week. The only problem is that I am not very good. I'm not saying this as an insult to myself...I'm not terrible. It's just that I've never really tried this sport on a regular basis before. However, after my first or second visit I was a little discouraged because almost everyone else at this gym is a very, very talented climber. They practice and train in their spare time, visit the gym every time it's open, and go 'real' climbing or bouldering on the weekends together. This is not my goal - I only go for the exercise and socializing. So what reason is there for me to be discouraged?

Instead, I have found lately that climbing is a very motivating activity. I don't have to be able to conquer every course in the gym. My goal is simply to improve, little by little, each time that I go. To reach that next block. To finish a course that I couldn't the week before. I push myself at my own pace and according to my personal aspirations. It is very rewarding. I don't have to compare my path to the paths of others, or my accomplishments to theirs. It's a personal journey.

I have found this to be a very meaningful analogy to life and how I want to approach it. Each of us lives his/her own life story according to their personal goals and direction. Why compare? Why look at what someone else is doing and wonder if we should be doing the same? We are all different. I want to take my life one step at a time, continually making small improvements, and following where God is taking me personally. Not being afraid to fall. Always moving one step higher...

God is with me...still...even here. I love the way He works.

Torre Pellice

Tempio Evangelica Waldensian

Thus brings me to the topic on everyone's mind. You have no idea how many times per day I get asked how long I will be here in Italy, if I have made up my mind about staying, where I've decided to go to school, etc. Those of you that know me best know that I hate making decisions...especially big life decisions that shape my entire future. It is very difficult for me and these topics are a source of major stress in my life right now. This is partly why I have not been blogging nearly as much as usual, because every moment of my free time is taken over by online research on various topics and schools, as well as getting some much needed counsel from loved ones. Ironic that I'm the one wanting to go to school to become a counselor. 

Ok, I must apologize for the lack of blogging lately. It's a long story, but I've been very focused and caught up in the mess of trying to plan my entire future. It has taken up the majority of the little bit of free time that I leave myself here. However, that is all another story for another day.

Our prized white truffle

For now, I wanted to update everyone on how the truffle tasting went! I know the suspense has been killing you. We had quite the feast, as typical here in Italy. 'If you're not going to do something the BEST, don't do it at all'. There were many courses to our meal as well as very expensive drinks. Although, the main event was the truffle. First it was brushed off and examined, then passed around the table for each person to individually examine and smell (as if the odor wasn't strong enough for our neighbors down the hill to pick up). Finally it was carefully sliced over everyone's egg pasta noodles, and next thing you know...it's gone. Just like that. Devoured. Verdict: I thought it was actually quite good. Better than I expected based on the smell. I was told that it is a bit of an acquired taste, but the taste is not very strong. From what I understand, you are mainly paying for the 'aroma'. Anyway, I would eat it again anytime that it was served to me, but I don't know that it's worth it to me to spend that kind of money on something. You guys know me...practical and cheap.

Fishing for wine

Sunday, October 3rd marked the start of the 80th Annual Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba (International Festival of the White Truffle of Alba). For those of you that don't know anything about what a truffle is, and it's not a candy, please go to the link and check out the info. It's basically a type of underground funghi that 'truffle hunters' use dogs to sniff out in the woods. My town, Alba, is obsessed with them. This festival is well-known throughout Europe and people have come here from everywhere. Every Sunday in October (and into November) there are events, markets, parades, shows, and all kinds of food. The town is packed to the brim with tourists from all over the world. It's quite crazy, but I'm loving hearing some more English speakers come to town. :) 
The first Sunday, I ventured out on my bicycle into town and, after navigating through an entire main street that was shut down due to the market, I ran straight into the Renaissance Parade. This was no ordinary parade. It was everywhere. Various parades through all the different streets in the main center of town hosted by different 'borgs'. There are 9 borgs here in Alba (which are like different neighborhoods or sections of town) and they each have their own names, traditions, colors, foods, etc. So the whole day was a competition between the borgs - who had the best costumes...who gave the best parade...who showed the most entertaining exhibition...and lastly, whose donkey won the race. That's right, at the end of the afternoon was the 'Palio degli Asini' (aka...the donkey race). It was one of the most ridiculous things I've seen the Italian people do. A bunch of men dressed as jockeys and riding these extremely slow and stubborn animals who proceed to stop and go the opposite direction, or better yet to jump over the hay bail barriers or buck their riders off. Yet, this is what the people of Alba live for each year. The winner of the Palio degli Asini is a very big deal.  

1. I heard a statistic this week that the average age for Italian 'children' to move out of their parent's house is now 31 years old. I think the average marriage age is about 30 years old, so this corresponds well.

2. I weighed myself for the first time since I've been in Italy (4 months)...Verdict: I have gained 7 lbs.  :(  I was really hoping that all the walking, hiking, biking, swimming, and playing I have been doing was counteracting the Italian food. Guess not.

3. Even though technology here is sometimes very behind, in my opinion, there are still many places with high-tech, systematic processes, and I often do not know how to carry out simple functions...like paying for food. Here are two examples from last week:        

Coppa Gelato

What am I doing here? What am I doing anywhere? Am I loving people? Am I showing God's love? Am I a disciple?

Matthew 28:16-20

This is God's call to ALL of us as Christians...not only the foreign missionaries. Thanks to a tip from a good friend of mine, I decided to download and listen to Michael Easley's message on the Great Commission at Fellowship Bible Church. It was very straightforward in showing how God has commanded us to lead our lives. It's not just a favor that He's asking politely for. It is an order from the Highest Authority.

This message came at a great time for me. I have been given the opportunity to share deep parts of my faith with three very key people in my life right now. There is, of course, much more to all of this story than what I will write in my blog, but this week has been such a great challenge and eye-opener for me regarding how I want to live my life. We are always commissioned to be His disciples. We, as Christians, are all very much sinners - saved by His grace. However, we can't let that (our imperfection) keep us from sharing what God did for each of us on the cross and the unconditional love that He has for us!

Through this, I have also been forced to back up my beliefs in many ways. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to my 11th grade Apologetics class. The witnessing of the Catholic system here has been part of what has allowed me to open up and pose questions to some people. We took Isabella (6 years old) to sign up for Catechism classes on Saturday. These will be held every other week throughout this school year to prepare her for her first communion. On Sunday, I attended mass with the family. I was able to understand a bit more than when I first moved here, but most of it was still over my head. This was mainly due not to the fact that I can't speak Italian, but that I'm not a part of the Catholic faith and don't know any of the movements, sayings/repetitions, songs, etc. For reasons I don't know, I was forced to sit in the very front row, right on the center isle. I was about eight feet from the priest (whom I have met several times), and it seemed like he was glaring at me the entire time for being there and not participating in anything. I'm sure this feeling was just because I felt so out of place. The only thing I did participate in was at the end when everyone shook hands and said 'Pace', which means Peace. The whole experience opened up many doors for me to learn about others and ask/receive stirring questions.

People here are born into Catholicism. However, many people that I've encountered so far (Catholics included) do not actually believe in a God. When I ask why they are Catholic, they respond something like "because my parents raised me this way", or better yet, "because I'm Italian". I have also been asked recently "and what about you? Are your parents also protestant Christian?" To which I respond, "Yes, my parents raised me in the Christian faith", but I hope that we all have better answers than that. I believe that I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that also believes the Truth! It was my decision to believe what I do, and I want to share this faith with everyone. I want to be the disciple that God has called me to be.

Many people here can tell that I am very different. I stand out for sure. My prayer is that this won't be just because I'm American, but because I'm a follower of God. I hope this has been the case so far, but I want to make it clear. I have to pour out God's love.

I have finally gotten to start experiencing life here in Alba, and already I've had quite a few adventures. However, I have come to realize that life in Alba doesn't really take place in Alba. It seems like even though Alba is considered the 'big city' around here, we are always going out to other towns for various things. The best kebabs are found in Bra. The best shopping is in Torino, Serravalle Scrivia, or Milan. The best discotecas are in Saluzzo or Cavallermaggiore (actually, I should say they are outside of these towns...in the middle of nowhere). Alba, of course, does offer all of these things, but we wanted the best! So I took last weekend off from going to the beach with the family and ended up visiting all of these places instead.

Friday night I ventured out with my other American friend in the Smart Car. We went first to Bra, then continued on for a much needed night of dancing at Evita near the town of Cavallermaggiore. We had a GPS system, but still had to stop and ask for directions to both places. After finally finding the first spot, we were forced to sit in the car for another 30 minutes while trying to figure out how to turn off the overheard light of this little toy car. On the way to our next stop, we mistakenly asked directions from a group of males from Palermo...bad idea for two American girls! Finally we escaped with the knowledge that we had driving about 15 minutes too far. Backtracking, we were both convinced that nothing could exist this far in the middle of absolute darkness. But finally, neon lights appeared out of nowhere. Heather mistook it for a water park. But sure enough, we had found Evita (one of the biggest discotecas in Italy). I am used to our American way of putting the nightspots in the center of town, but here it seems that only the most knowledgeable and determined people receive the prize of good night of dancing. The only dancing spot in Alba is frequented by the swarms of young high school children making an effort to grow up way too quickly. It took even longer for us to get around because Heather was driving like a grandma to avoid any accidents or getting pulled over in a borrowed Smart Car with no Italian documentation.

Saturday night was spent in Torino and I was able to experience a real western American steakhouse (Italian style). They had the peanuts on the floor and everything! Then Sunday I spent the afternoon shopping at the outlet mall in Serravalle Scrivia. The stores were definitely cheaper than in Alba, but it turns out that even on sale Prada and the other Italian designers are still out of my price range.

It finally happened. I knew it would eventually...as predicted early on in my blog. Today, I had my first run-in with a car while riding my bicycle, hahaha. Only me. I'm still not exactly sure what happened or whose fault it was, but basically I collided with the passenger side door and mirror of this guy's car as we were both trying to squeeze through a tight space in the lanes. Maybe I was a little off balance due to my shopping bags on one side and purse on the other. I just couldn't react quickly enough. Oh well, no harm done except for the humiliation caused as I tried to run off and hide afterwards (and he may have a little scratched paint).

Just when I thought I was getting really good on bike riding in the city! I even answered and talked on my cell phone while riding just this morning. And then this happens...

I guess I should have saved my last post title for this one, because now I really am 'back in business'. Since we have finally returned to Alba and I will have a lot more free time on my hands with the children in school, I started another part time job at a large manufacturing company here. I was unexpectedly offered a very flexible position in my host family's company as a kind of 'English consultant' among other things. So I went in this morning for the first time just to get set up, but we'll see how it goes. At least this way I can earn a little bit of extra spending money. Once again, God is good. :)

Anyway, as mentioned before, we went back to the beach this past weekend for some more time in the sun. Sailing is something that I've been wanting to experience for a very long time and I finally had the opportunity to do so on Saturday. We could not have asked for more perfect weather! Well...yes, we could have asked for a little bit more wind. We were able to use the sails for a little bit and enjoy the serenity of quietly being pushed off into the sea. However, we moved just a bit too slowly to stay on schedule (even with our help of manually blowing into the sail), so we had to also incorporate usage of the motor.

It was an all day adventure in which we embarked early in the morning towards a little private island off the coast of Alassio. We had an aperitif on the way and then enjoyed some swimming/snorkeling around the island along with great people watching from the various other boats anchored there. Afterward, we had a very typical, but nonetheless excellent, Italian lunch with three courses and multiple deserts and wines. Sailing home alongside the dolphins, I couldn't help but think that to do that full time wouldn't be such a bad way to live. Back at the port in Finale Ligure, there was an Inter-European competition of sailing vessels, some dating all the way back to the late 19th century. All in all it was a great day with great company.

Yes, I did learn to love the beach this summer. However, I'm glad that it has come to an end and I can finally get settled in one place for a bit. Alba is now my home for at least the next three and a half months.

No worries, I'm back in Italy. All is well. My night in London was certainly an interesting one, but unfortunately no pics to show. It was great to meet some friendly English speaking folk! 

Our time here at the beach is up. It's true that after the first week here I was sick of the sun, but after two and a half months I have grown to love living in Spotorno, Italy.

I ended my last day here the same way that I spent my first. Each day is the same. The uniformity and regularity of everyone's lives amazes me. We get started at the same time every morning (we're usually amongst the first ones on the beach). Every family has the same net bag full of shovels, buckets, and trucks. Each beach is a pristine mix of the following: a row of smooth pebbles covering the sand along the water's edge, next the evenly spaced lounge chairs and multicolored umbrellas to be rented out, behind the last row of umbrellas lie the children's plastic jungle gym contraptions with slides and the inflated rafts, and lastly the bar and changing cabins. People's actions can be tracked like clockwork along with the timing of each vendor that walks by. I think every coastline in Italy has the same coconut boy with his cowbell that he rings to announce his presence, shouting "Coc-c-c-co, cocco bello!" We come inside for lunch around 12:30pm and feast on fresh foods and fruit. Isabella then does her summer homework, Ginevra plays semi-quietly by herself, and Claudio sleeps. As mentioned before, this is the time when the city sleeps as well. Later, everyone's back at the beach by 3:30 or 4pm (after our snack) and we spend the afternoon playing and swimming or 'doing a bath' as they call it. By around 7:30pm the sun finally starts falling behind the buildings and we pack up to head inside, shower, dinner, and out for the night. The town comes alive after 10pm.

Of course I have my free time and days off that I spend doing things a little different. I travel with friends or explore by myself, read, and go on hikes and bike rides. This is a very peaceful, yet energetic place. There are so many quirky things about this town that I laugh at; however, as with any new town you explore, that's what makes it unique... The Italians who show up at the beach fully dressed with makeup, hair done, belts, and jewelry over their costumes, and equipped with about 4 different costumes (swimsuits) to change into throughout the day each time one gets wet. The constant public 'canoodling' of the adolescents. The showy lifeguards...all the same. The abundance of kid's shows and games all geared towards the masses of families that want to keep their children occupied so they can relax. Good times. Yes, I'll miss this place. Of course, I think we're returning next weekend. :)

For now, I'm off to London this morning, only to return back here tomorrow afternoon before heading back to Alba. It's going to be a long two days. Every say a little prayer that I make it back in the country!