Life in the wild world of Texas has been busy. Busy enjoying my time with our great friend's the Rice's; most importantly meeting little Ms. Carly. Who knew that a house filled with 3 adults and 3 children could be so much fun! = ) Kennedy and Caleb, Lexi's little boy, spend most of their time wearing each other out by running around in circles. I don't really understand the joy they get from chasing after one another, but the joy I get from hearing children's laughter is probably along the same line. Baby Carly is at the eating and sleeping phase of her 3 weeks in this world, so it seems like we are always stopping to feed her. We do a lot of potty-time, diaper, and food breaks....goodness, everything takes longer with kids.

The winds have been horribly strong since I arrived at DFW; 60 mph the day I flew in. We have braved the weather everyday to go shopping. I have failed to find the inspiration to buy things for myself this trip. Maybe God and Brian are speaking to my self-conscious while I'm in the stores or maybe because every place has sleeveless stuff out and its still 40 degrees outside. Either way, I've had no problems shopping for Kennedy. Today was our most productive day. Kennedy got her 3 year pictures taken and I finally got new glasses. I will try to post pics later. Right now, my internet connection is horrible and things just can't be uploaded.

hmmmmm...tomorrow is Lexi's post baby baby shower since Carly decided to come a few weeks early. It should be great fun chatting with the women from her church, eating lunch, and opening baby gifts. Who doesn't like baby girl clothes? I have failed to get the baby fever since I've been here; I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing. Sooner than later, I'll have to decide if Kennedy gets a sibling or not. Maybe God will send a burning bush as a sign; there are lots of those in the DFW area right now....high winds + dry air=brush fires. Anyways, enough rambling. I should go to bed. Miss everyone in Italy!

Visiting with family has been wonderful! I have tried to shop to the best of my ability, but negative temperatures and snow have put a damper on my activity. Thoughts of going for a run outside went out the window the moment I stepped off the plane. I don't think my body has ever felt negative temps and 5 inches of snow...oh is it cold. I have some great pics of Kennedy in the snow that I will post once I get a USB cord to download pics of my camera. I have been eating some excellent food! Sending Mexican food thoughts back to Italy.

The longer I live overseas, the more I realize that Americans (in general) are just self involved. People are constantly asking me how Italy is, but as soon as I start telling them they can't seem to understand how I could live there. Granted I do miss some American luxuries, but I have learned about so many other cultures. The sightseeing stuff is wonderful, but I truly love watching people from other countries in their day to day life. Eating habits, the way they raise their children, philosophies about heat and air conditioning, etc are just so interesting. So, as much as I love running to Target, I love travelling that much more. I can't wait to get back to Italy and our trip to Paris!