All Roads Lead to Rome

So we made it to Rome. In a nutshell? Way cool. We saw Pompeii, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, the Catacombs, the Colloseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps. We ate proscuitto, pizza, and pasta, pecorino cheese, and then more prosciutto. We ate gelatto EVERY SINGLE DAY, some days more than once. We drank some wine (those of us that were of-age) and we even paid John one Euro to pose with a Roman soldier.

Oh, I could talk about the bickering (Stop touching me!), the whining (This is too much walking!) the moaning (I'm STARVING). But I won't. I will only remember the special family time and the spirit of cooperation my children are known for.

Ciao!

Bing would never croon like this...

I'm dreaming of an open Starbucks
Just like the ones I used to know.
Where the lights are burning,
and coffee brewing,
and baristas have your drink to go.

I'm dreaming of the stores at the mall,
that stay open in the afternoon.
That don't close at 2ish,
"Come back at 7:30 ish"
so I can do things after school.

I'm dreaming of some nice pork products,
available in Roma, Italy.
Prosciutto and a pork chop,
and some salami on the top,
and real pepperoni if you please.

Yes, the song is terrible, I know, but

I am that desperate.
Life begins again on September 18.
Ciao, baby.

Scenes from Doha

Because every compound needs a pet peacock:

Disclaimer - this is not our compound, but one where several of our friends live)


And every patch of sand needs to be watered:

Those are water hoses running up and down the sand. Clearly not working, save for the sad Charlie Brown christmas tree plant, all alone in the sand.

And every tree must be scalped.

Because who needs shade in the desert?

And, as an afterthought, if trampoline springs rust and break in the heat, can the trampoline be considered "safe" anymore?

I didn't think so.

Well...

It's been a week since I last posted. There's so much that's been happening. Let's see if I can recap:


Ummm, the kids have gone to school, every day but Friday and Saturday, and... they've been watching a lot of TV and playing the Wii and playing on my laptop because, you know, it's 132 degrees outside. And, oh, we've eaten some meals and read some books, and talked about our trip in September. We are so very busy. You can see why I've not posted lately. Can't you?

No cute pictures of children - I know you are so anxious to see them, as they have changed much since school started. Oh - here are a couple from summer. Just because.





Oh yeah - Piano lessons start today! Woo hoo. And guess who is taking said lessons? I am. But if you ever ask me to play I will play from memory The Theme from Ice Castles (Please, don't let this feeling end, It's everything I am, and I want to reme-ember, dum dum dum, I'm a Pi Phi pledge now - Oh wait - those were my pledge song lyrics- never mind).

AND I'm taking Arabic again this fall. Wonder how I'll fit it all in.