...the time has come...

Just a quick post to let you know that......I'M IN ITALY! Gotta get some more z's....ciao!

...a note from Antonello

3 months are passed!!! I can't believe it..she is almost here... one more day. I can't wait. I need to see her... The last 20 days have been very hard for my mind, I have studied like I have never done before. I took another test today, one of the hardest, but more the things are difficult, greater is the pleasure to overcome them; I need to thank God for supporting my brain, and giving me the ability to not go crazy!!! Anyway, I'm done for awhile, done with my tests and especially done with the garbage, I hope things will get better, Naples is a extraordinary city but needs to get "clean" in all the ways...soon I will see the most beautiful ever, Sarah.. Thank God for this opportunity, vacation house we are coming...

Busy...busy...busy

Man, I have been busy. I thought, after leaving my 40 hr/week job, that it would leave me more time to just sit and breathe but it has been GO GO GO since I arrived in Seattle two weeks ago! I guess this is what happens when you are getting ready to move out of the country!!!! :)

Aside from getting some last minute goodies, my mom and I traveled to Olympia to see my aunt, who I haven't seen in years. It was so good to see her beautiful face.

AND...mom and I have been very busy not only with packing but with getting the house in order and that includes the front yard as well...it was a total jungle when you walked out our front door and it took me 2.5 hours to mow the lawn but I gotter' done! My mom, on the other hand, was the trimming queen...look at how savvy she is holding that weed wacker! Did I mention the safety goggles?

I wonder what it's like to be so cool... :)

Girls Night Out!

Being away for 6 years has not diminished my love for downtown Seattle! My beautiful best friend from college for almost 10 years, Kristin, and her friend (my new friend), Jen and I all went downtown last night and had a blast laughing and talking about life. We ate delicious pizza and an "out of this world" artichoke & crab dip...I'm still excited about my upcoming Italian food though!!!

Right now, it's time for my mom and I to get on our walking shoes and travel around familiar streets and soak in my wonderful neighborhood where I grew up. I see the sun...I better go!!! Ciao!

Back to the rain!

Yesterday, I was in sunny Santa Cruz. As I write this, I am back in cloudy, drippy Seattle...but with much joy in my heart. It took 6 people at different times during the day to jam 15 boxes, 4 suitcases, 1 t.v. and many other knick-knacks into the back of a Ford Explorer..it was an amazing sight I tell you.

After meeting my beautiful friend, Yolanda, at Surf City at 6:30 a.m. for a large cup of coffee, my mom and I headed out to find I-5 which would lead us to Seattle. The trip was full of talking, singing, laughing so hard we both had tears running down our cheeks, 2 gas breaks, seeing the aftermath of a horribe accident in Oregon, driving through numerous slow-downs from road work, getting lost on a 405/I-5 interchange, and trying to just survive the last 3 hours in the pouring down rain to get home at 1:30 in the morning. I can't tell you how happy we both were to get out of the car and into our beds. I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

2 weeks until Italia! I have to go through all my stuff now...CIAO!

3rd time is the charm!

I woke up at 7:45 a.m. this morning, drove to my dear friend Susan Hurley's and borrowed a more dependable car for my THIRD trip to the Italian embassy in San Francisco. I found a friendly-staffed garage to park in and walked boldly to the front door of the Italian embassy, with a stuffed folder in hand.

After waiting an hour and a half and having pleasant conversations with two women from India, who were trying to obtain visas as well, my eyes saw an answered prayer- the man who helped me during my second round of my visa process. During that visit, he shared vital information with me and truly helped me see the possibility in traveling to Italy as a student to be able to stay with Antonello for a year.

He was on his smoke break and my heart was lifted in hope as I saw him, knowing that the Lord was there with me. As I was first in line, he came up to me, smiled with his eyes, and asked me if I was ready. I walked to the window, stood before him, handed him my paperwork and waited in anticipation. He went through all of my 11 documents that are needed for obtaining a student visa, and asked me if I wanted some good news. I said yes and he gave me the nod which meant the process was complete. After a "grazie mille" (thank you very much), and a "prego" (you're welcome) with a wink from my Italian embassy angel, I danced out the door. Literally.

On June 19th, I will have my student visa. Watch out Napoli, here I come!

It's coming to an end...

thoughts from Sarah...

I'm sitting at my desk on a beautiful, sunny Thursday evening, knowing I have 3 more weeks left in California before I head up to Seattle for another 2, and then off to Italy for I don't know how long...my life is surreal and there are days I truly believe it should belong to someone else. As of right now, I am in the process of obtaining a student visa where I can stay for a year in Italy and enroll in language classes. Knowing the Italian embassy can be a little difficult to work with, God has truly provided the right people, the right information, AND the right parking spots as I have traveled around San Francisco! So now, I am getting all of my 10 documents that I need for that visa and praying I receive it before I leave in June...this is quite a ride to say the least.

There are many times in our life where we will have to say goodbye and although I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to Twin Lakes Church or California/Seattle or all of my dear friends or most of all, my beautiful mom...I truly know this is my next step in life and I will embrace the unknown. I will embrace the questions that will get answered in their proper time. I will embrace living life and I will embrace following God. I want no other choice. (...and my mom said she would disown me if I didn't go!)

I am so stinkin' excited to see my beautiful fiance face to face again and just be able to sit in the same room as him, which means we would be in the same time zone! He will pick me up from the little Capodichino airport on June 25th at 11 am and I will cry and laugh and snort and be the happiest maialino (little pig) ever. Grazie Dio per Antonello e per tuo amore.

The sun is getting ready to set and I am getting ready to head home on this Thursday evening. I am grateful for this journey...this scary, amazing, overwhelming, joyous, nerve-racking, incredible, growth-filled, what the heck am I doing journey. Aren't we all on one?