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!

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...