Italy - Part II

I forgot to mention our first lunch in Rome. After we had settled into our hotel, we went across the street to this cute little cafe and had lunch. Our waiter - Enzo - was really great. He wanted to teach Brenda Italian and we had so much fun with him. We had some wine with our lunch and just generally enjoyed the fact that we were in Italy and together. Enzo also made the meal a lot of fun. He gave Brenda the name "normal special" and it stuck with her almost the whole trip. LOL I had spaghetti carbonera and I would find it to be my favorite thing in Italy. It was sooooo good. After lunch we went for our site seeing bus tour. We wanted something that was not too much effort as we were pretty tired. The bus tour was perfect, we could just sit and see all the glorious things in Rome.
After the bus tour, we went back to the hotel and rested for a bit, changed our clothes and went to dinner to a seafood restaurant that we walked to. I had the biggest prawns for my dinner that night. After our walk back to the hotel, we had a great night's sleep. There was no rush to wake up, our next tour did not start till mid afternoon. YEAH!!! Night All!!!!!

Our Trip to Italy

On Thursday 10/21 we started our journey to Italy. Since Ed is living in Saudi, I had to meet him in Rome (I know - tough for us), but we did it. I flew to Philadelphia and met up with our friends Brenda and Tom and we all flew to Rome together. I actually flew to another country coach class, which is something I never had to do when Ed and I were jetting around the world. Anyway, the flight was uneventful and shorter then I am used to - 8 hours as opposed to 14. When we landed in Rome, we had about an hour and a half until Ed landed. Brenda and Tom waited with me as we were being picked up by the hotel.
It was so good to see Ed come walking down the hall. We found our driver and started out for the hotel. We arrived at Bailey's Hotel in Rome. It was a very quaint and pretty hotel, the desk clerks were helpful and attractive. Loved the Italian accent.
After checking in and unpacking, we decided to take a site seeing bus ride around Rome. I was so exhausted because I didn't sleep much on the plane, but I was also excited to see Rome. We saw many of the sites of Rome on the bus tour, but I also kept falling asleep. Poor Ed had to keep waking me up. He was in his time zone, only one hour off. We were six hours ahead and had been traveling all night. Anyway, one of the things I felt was interesting - the square at St. Peter's Basilica seemed smaller then it appeared on TV. I loved seeing the sidewalk cafes and all the old buildings of Rome. It was exciting to just be there and also to be with Ed.
I am going to write this in parts, as it would be too lengthy to write about the whole trip. Our pictures are posted and I will start labeling them. There are quite a few so it will take awhile. Stay tuned.

July 4th Weekend!!!

I just realized this week that it has been one whole year since we got home from Dubai. Time goes by so quickly these days. Life is good for us even though Ed is away, we are still finding ways to enjoy every day. We have decided to put an in ground pool in our backyard and they will be starting that in a week or two. Plans are with the town awaiting approval. Ed will be home for a visit next week. We are going to a BonJovi Concert and I am excited about that, almost as much as seeing Ed.
Ed and I have managed to talk almost every day and that makes his absence a bit more tolerable but I still miss just having him around. We all worry about him getting lonely and for the most part I think he is OK except for his days off. I am very lucky to have all the distractions of my everyday life. The job makes my days go really really fast and I am so tired at night, I fall asleep almost immediately. That is annoying at times because I don't get to see any of my favorite TV shows anymore. I am going to have to start taping.
Of course School is over for the summer and Greg and Alex both finished with great grades. I am very proud of how they handled all that has been thrown at them the past few years. They handled themselves well and are the better for all the experiences they have had. They have rejoined their old groups of friends and are enjoying great social lives.
I am happy I have an extra day off this next week and the following week I took an extra day off as Ed will be home. Yes, it is a great life and I want it to slow down and enjoy it all.

Summer Will Get Here Soon - I Hope!!!

Well, David is all graduated and his party was a lot of fun. Family and friends were here and I love having company, even if I did make my sister work while she was here. Poor Sue, I even had her vacuuming. Something I have never done to company before. But then again, I have not worked full time in a long time and life is different in many ways.
I love my job, just wish I didn't have to go to it every day during the week. I guess I should not complain. I don't have to work evenings, nights or weekends or holidays. It is a great job.
Jonathan is here to visit, picked him up at the airport tonight. I had to get a gate pass to meet Jonathan when he got off the plane. The security people did not want to let me pass until they emptied my purse of EVERYTHING! It was really annoying. I told them I was not getting on the plane, just meeting my grandson. I got a lecture about how I had to follow the rules just like everyone else. I didn't think to leave my purse with Alex who was waiting at baggage claim. Anyway, they almost wanted to take my expensive hand cream and I almost cried. Then they decided to let me keep it. UGH!!! Makes you not want to fly.............
We have many new pictures posted - feel free to take a look. I have a great family and it was fun having a photographer here during Dave's party to just snap away. Well, that is it for now. See you on facebook.

Update on our Life

Well it has been several months since I have written in this blog. I can't believe so much time has gone by. Ed has been living and working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and doing OK. We miss him a lot and I am sure he misses us. He does call every day to talk to me and the kids. The internet is a wonderful thing too as we can stay in touch with that. Greg, Alex and I flew to Dubai to meet up with him during spring break. We had a really nice week of vacation and visiting our old "home". It was fun going back to see our old "favorites" and eating the foods we missed since being home. Surprisingly, not much has changed in Dubai.
Tonight I am writing invitations for Dave's graduation party. Yes he will be graduating from RPI and we are very proud of him. He has done very well.
I also started my new job this week. I will be unit director in an assisted living facility for the elderly. It will be a challenge for me, and it will also keep me busy while Ed is away. This week I could barely get anything done after getting home from work and having dinner. I hope my stamina improves and I am not so tired in the coming weeks.
Amy will be moving into her very own apartment, all on her own, in the next month or so. She is really happy and excited. Greg has been working at Office Max and is happy with his girlfriend and the fact that he can drive and get around on his own. Alex is enjoying being home and reconnecting with his old friends. We have all settled back into our old life. The difference for me is the job. I really miss St. Clares and the wonderful job I had there. I would have gone right back there if I could, but St. Clares has merged with Ellis and I didn't want to work there.
Well, that is it for now. Ed will be home in a few weeks for Dave's graduation and I can't wait!

Ed's New Job

Well today we took Ed to the airport. He is going to be working for a company in Saudi Arabia as VP of operations. We are very proud of him and happy for him. However, we are a little sad for us as he won't be home much. He will be very busy for the next few years but we will get to travel to see him. Our first trip will be back to Dubai in April to meet up with him for a week. I don't want to be sad because it is such a wonderful opportunity for Ed. I just need to keep myself busy and before I know it we will be going to visit him or he will be visiting us here at home.
One of the first things I want to do is find a job. I really would like to work only during the week and days. No nights or weekends. That is turning out to be tougher then I thought. But I will keep trying.
Last week we had a going away/celebration party for Ed and it was really fun. The pictures are posted here for all to see.

Ahhhhhhh The Holidays!!!

I am feeling so guilty about not writing more on this blog. Ed finally sat down and emptied our camera of pictures and they included pics from last summer when we got home and our Wollyung family reunion. Many good times have occurred since then. Please look around. The pics are pretty good.
As I write this, the "boys" are all at the movies and I am home alone making more cookies. My pre-Christmas rush was too much for me and it has spilled over to the "after" Christmas rush and more cookie making etc. No problem though, as I enjoy it. I still have some work to do in statistics to finish the course but I have been making excuses and not working on it. I do have to get to it soon though as my time is running out. I am so anxious for that class to be over with. I can't wait.
I also am starting to look for a job. When the holidays are all over and everything is put away, I fear I may be bored out of my mind. So a part time or per diem job will be just what I need.
Well, time to go ice the cookies. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year toooooo.