Sciopero!

I met my first sciopero this trip. Well, not exactly. Sciopero means "strike", as in a worker's strike, and anyone traveling to Italy must be careful, just in case the train workers or library personnel go on strike, just when you plan on getting there. Last Monday, my 10am train from Biella to Torino was 15 minutes late - an extremely rare occurence, according to the elderly gentleman awaiting the same one. Finally, after 20 minutes, we heard an announcement that said the train had been "suppressed", or cancelled. Just like that. Forget your schedule, or the people waiting to pick you up... He invited me for a cappuccino while we waited for the next train at 12:30, and I sadly declined. You know, because I'm married and all. Anyway, that's Italia!

Smart cars?

Most Italian cars are VERY tiny, as it were, but the Smart car is tinier than them all! So, you'd think they'd cost less, right? My Italian friend Ruben bought a brand new Smart car 3 weeks ago and it cost him €15,000, which is nearly $23,000! Only two people can ride at a time, but inside, its surprisingly spacious. As for gas consumption, they do consume much less, so it might save money in the end. He reports that a smart car on diesel fuel gets about 60 miles to the gallon. Obviously, parking the smart car is a DREAM, its facilissimo!

Cinque Terre

Five years ago, my sister Meredith and I went to Cinque Terre (five little lands connected by the sea), but we lost many of our pictures. Here are a few from Ruben and Cecilia's visit there last month. It is GORGEOUS!

A layover in Phoenix!?

A great big GRAZIE to my family members who came to see me at the airport on my 2.5 hour layover at the Phoenix airport earlier this month. I love you guys soooooo much! Di, thanks especially for making the effort to bring your three small, lively children to see me at 6:30 in the morning. It was fun to see everybody and catch up. When we arrived on the 2nd floor, Livvy exclaimed, "This is BUUUU-TIFUL!" I almost missed my connecting flight because I underestimated the security lines at Sky Harbor. A big shout out to the FABULOUSNESS of the Omaha airport where you're in and out.

Marcy's wedding

Marcy Player got married to Brandon Skinner on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Here are some pics from that trip.

Italian housing

Here are some pictures of Italian housing, all very colorful and different from each other. No cookie-cutter houses here! These shots are from just outside Biella, where Ruben and Cecilia live. The ONLY dry, sunny day in a week.

A practice proposal

My Italian friend Sara Tonon, with whom I am staying in Torino, is dating a fantastic guy named Marco Massano. Here, they are practicing a proposal using my wedding ring, after their priesthood leader kindly and strongly encouraged them to tie the knot. Priesthood leaders are the same everywhere.

Eccomi in Italia! (Here I am in Italy!)

Well, I brought the rain from Omaha to Italy. Its been POURING for over a week now. Ugh. I've been studying Italian and thesis stuff, with a couple of intermittent trips to smaller cities with my friend Sara, who lives in Torino. Yesterday, I arrived in Biella, a gorgeous, mountainous city up north in the Alps, almost to the French border. I lived here for seven months when I was a missionary, yes 12 long years ago. I'm staying with Cecilia, a friend whom I randomly met in Omaha last fall. She and her nephew Ruben are giving me the royal treatment. Today we went to Oropa, the sanctuary of the "Black Madonna" -a black version of Mary that is very special to this region. There is a long hallway filled with momentos of thanks, pictures of "grazie ricevuta", or grace received from the Black Madonna. People who have been saved in car accidents, healed from diseases, etc. Upon our departure, Cecilia blew her many kisses. Then we had a big cup of hot chocolate (which was beyond divine because and it was FREEZING outside) and finally, we went shoe shopping! I bought an exquisite pair of white pumps (pictured here). What, were you expecting pictures of Italy? Ciao for now... more later.

My hottie husband

Here I am in Italy and I didn't bring any pictures of Peter to show my Italian friends.
So, for those of you who already know Petie-baby and his bellezza, this will be a non-

blog event for you. I'm posting pics for my own use here in Italia! Ciao tutti!

Book Tag!

My friend Kimberly recently tagged me, so now its my turn. Here's how to play:
1. Select a favorite book or the or the one you are currently reading (at least 123 pages)
2. Turn to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog
5. Tag five people
Here's my sentence: "Someone obviously doesn't want you-me-anybody checking out that book," I observed. .... from The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2005). Its about Dracula and vampires and is written in the historical fiction genre. Not typically my style, but its fantastic and I absolutely can't put it down! Thanks, Kim, for recommending it. I'm supposed to be studying Italian 24/7 while here in Italy, but obviously I am dividing my time.
I tag:
Meredith Reynolds, Abbie Cope, Tara Kay, Cassie Nelson, and Amy Makechnie