This last weekend was fantastic!! Mama flew in around 6 Saturday night with a big bag of goodies! I picked her up at the airport and then we went back and had Christmas in February! Daddy had worked very hard with the insurance company and had ordered replacements for the majority of the things that were stolen from me. He bought me a wonderful new laptop with the niftiest security feature - a fingerprint reader!! I am the only one who can boot up my computer! The 30 GB Ipod that was stolen is no longer made by Apple, so my replacement is a wonderful (scratch free) 80 GB! It has some fantastic features that I've really been enjoying!! My camera is the same as what I bought myself, except in a great new bag that can hold all my equipment! Man am I blessed! Mama brought much needed staples and some exciting surprises! I was thrilled to unload grits, muffin mix, oatmeal, Splenda, Valentine's Day candies, black beans and rice, red beans and rice, and gum!! What a treat!
That first night, Sarah, Mama, and I all went out to eat at the Dante restaurant I'd been hoping to try! We ordered pear and pistachio gnocchi, lasagna, and sweet ravioli to split between the three of us. MMM MMM Good!!
Sunday morning we got ready early enough to enjoy juice, coffee, and breakfast at the church. The service was wonderful! A visiting Scottish choir sang a few numbers and then had a concert after the service concluded. The choir sounded fantastic - they harmonized well! I particularly appreciated their Requiem. They had such an interesting mix of songs - from Mozart to Scottish folk songs, and hymns with a Southern flare. Their rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In was absolutely knee clapping! It sounded as if we were in a honky-tonk or old western saloon!
After church, we took a hike up to Piazza Michelangelo. The view is lovely! Rolling hills surround the city of Florence. Domes, steeples, bell towers, and turrets stood tall over the sea of terra-cotta roofs. We made a pit stop between the vista and the church to eat licorice chips and popcorn. Licorice chips and popcorn you may ask! Yes! The saltiness of the popcorn meshed wonderfully with the sweet, waffle cone-esqe quality of the licorice chips! Sitting on the steps looking over the city with our snack on such a beautiful day was one of the highlights of our weekend!
After our trek back down the hillside, we stopped for dinner at a touristy restaurant near our old apartment. The large salad with sheep cheese; tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese pizza; and spinach and cheese calzone that we split hit the spot! We walked our tired bodies back to the apartment to snuggle up on Mama's pallet and watch chick flicks! Durmot Mulroney was the man of the night (of course one Dermot movie was not enough! We had to see both The Wedding Date and The Family Stone.)
Monday and Tuesday were shopping days for Mama and me. Mama, ever the sweetheart, decided our apt needed just a few things to transform into a home! So, instead of seeing the David and other Florentine hotspots, Mama and I traversed every 99 cent store we passed by! On Tuesday morning, after a late night of playing Rook, my alarm clock didn't go off! So I decided that since I'd be counted absent because of tardiness, I would just skip class and spend the day with Mommie Dearest. We enjoyed walking aisle by aisle through Mercato Centrale (gosh I need to write all about that! The sights and smells are quite interesting!!), and then went to IKEA, on the outskirts of Florence, to pick up some home goods.
Mama and I did so well there! We outfitted both the kitchen and my room for 98 Euro (circa 150 dollars). We bought everything from extension cords to bold colored plates. We even created a couch! My new apartment does not have a living rooms - only a kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. When Sarah and I had guests over, everyone climbed on my bed to watch movies. But now, Mama and I have made a couch out of thick cushions for a seating area! We even made makeshift coffee tables out of placemats! I have already fallen in love with its comfy-ness! And it is so nice to sit at a kitchen table with pretty dishes and candles!
Mama left on Wednesday morning, and since then I have been on the move with a test, oral presentation, and afternoon classes!
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Loveyoulots...... AuntKaren