Vivere Il Sogno: Storia, Cucina e Lingua: I'm back!

After a few months I am now back in Italy. I meant to write while I was in the States but I was too busy! I'm even busy now so this will be short and sweet!

My road in Michigan

This summer, I transitioned from being a resident of Michigan to a resident in Florida. My mother retired and moved to Florida. We spent the summer packing, moving, and unpacking boxes. We did however manage to squeeze in some fun.

My view from my house in Michigan

A boat ride on my lake with neighbors

Precious

Sunset on my lake

Tessie

Visited Lake Michigan

I threw my mom a surprise retirement/moving away party. Many family and friends came to the party, as well as, a lot of people who I hadn't seen in many years! I'd say it was a success. Plus the after party was a packing the U-Haul party. :) We had a lot of fun with that too!

The morning we left...

Then another fun moment came when we had to move to Florida. We drove a 26 foot U-Haul truck plus our NON-air conditioned van across the country. We had only a minor episode when the U-Haul got a flat tire in rush hour traffic in Indianapolis, otherwise it was smooth sailing.

The flat tire

Once we got to Florida we had to unpack the truck and vehicles. I forgot to mention we had the air conditioned car on a trailer behind the U-Haul as well. Our backs were getting a work out/strain.

We took a break from the unpacking to visit some relatives at Disney. We had a nice time with family and Mickey. :) Lots of laughs! I even ran through Epcot again expect this time I wasn't competing in a race, I was running to make our dinner reservations in a skirt and flip flops! :)

I'm back in Napoli!

My traditional French onion soup from France at Disney World

After our nice visit at Disney, we headed north to Jacksonville to visit my aunt. We had a great weekend that consisted of seeing the city by drinking and eating our way around town. My favorite way to see a city! :)

Bottomless Mimosas!

Once we returned home, we continued unpacking but would occasionally go out and visit with my aunt and uncle and our neighbors. One particular dinner experience was going to a restaurant called "Gatorz." I always say I like to experience different cultures and this was definitely a different culture in itself. It was this little bar/restaurant that had a lot going on. It is hard to describe but for those of you who understand, I would call it a Florida version of Morley. It was full of culture! Alligator heads hanging on the walls with a mixture of rock-n-roll memorabilia. It was a night I'd never forget! :)

Sweet Potato Fries

25 cent wings

We also had a fun making Italian sausage. We made about 15 pounds of sausage and decided to have a party in honor of my grandpa. We had a great day cooking, drinking, laughing and stuffing ourselves with food, the Italian way.

We also enjoyed watching the Olympics every day. We would even watch the live coverage from my computer so that way Mom wouldn't be a nervous wreck at night. She could watch it in peace and know what was going to happen :)

After watching the Olympics, it made me motivated to swim...

I had a memorable time at home. I was fortunate to get my filling of most foods that I can't get in Italy and I was able to visit and see many people, which was a blessing. Thanks again to all who helped make this summer memorable!