Birthday Blessings in Italy!!

I wanted to thank all of you for such wonderful birthday wishes and blessings, words of support and encouragement, and for just "going along" for the ride with me!!  It definitely makes it more fun to know I'm sharing my adventures with people who are interested since I'm usually alone when I travel! I had a wonderful birthday on Sunday, filled with new friends, wonderful food, lots of JOY and new experiences!! In fact, I had double the celebrations to match my double number (55)!! I went to Fano around noon and met Ketty, Francesco and the babies (who I will be helping to care for and speaking English with starting on the 16th)! Lunch was a delightful experience filled with delicious food, good wine, great after-lunch coffee and, of course, wonderful conversation!!

Ketty made a yummy cream-filled cake and a fun "birthday flag" to decorate it!! She was trying to keep the birthday cake a secret while she finished getting it ready in the other room, and Raquel (the 3-year-old) came in excitedly and said "There's a CAKE...for YOU!!!" with her eyes dancing with excitement!! What a cutie - full of curiosity and wonderful 3-year-old energy!! I think I will enjoy my time there as much as I'm enjoying myself with the family in Jesi, and I am grateful for the special attention they gave me on my birthday! 

And THEN, my darling family in Jesi had a nice dinner waiting for me when I returned (yummy homemade split pea soup - incredible flavor AND healthy!!), wine (of course), and a surprise dessert made by Marco's aunt (who owns her own pizzaria in Tuscany and is a "super chef" - according to Marco who is always coming up with one-word statements that make me laugh)!!  His aunt brought a (homemade, of course) Panna Cotta with blackberries on top (kind of like a creamy gelatin dessert similar to a creme brulee or cheesecake (but much lighter) which was VERY yummy; and the family sang Happy Birthday and sweetly filled my heart with love!!

The family here is so gracious and excited to learn and practice their English - to varying degrees, of course!  Maria Cristina (the mom) is a VERY committed, hard-working "student" - and it's fun to see how the kids and parents tease each other saying "Only English, please!!" Matilde LOVES nail polish as much as I do (maybe even more!!), so we bonded yesterday over painting our nails (my favorite way to bond besides coffee and conversation)!! She is a sweetheart and is always eager to learn, help and lovingly play with/help her younger brother (who is 6 years old and is a gentle-hearted little sweetie who isn't sure about this whole "practicing English" thing)!!

Marco (the dad) is gently there to make sure I have plenty of wine (we call it water as a joke between us), playing all sorts of music in the background including American rock ("oldies") and jazz; and last night he showed me some books on the history of Jesi - INCREDIBLE architecture that I'm planning on seeing tomorrow if it doesn't rain!!  I've included some pictures from his FB page that were taken from their balcony - shows how close the historic center is to their home.....so cool!!! Marco and I communicate mostly with Google Translator - I love that we can "chat" this way because I think he is a wealth of information about the city (since he is, after all, a city planner and studied architecture in Florence - wow)!!

And last but not least is Riccardo, the teenage, 15-year-old son who is also very sweet! He has an "ear" for English, so we can communicate pretty well, and I love hearing all about his "typical teenage schedule" (which was our English practice assignment yesterday). He is also very kind to the youngest - rough-housing with him, but oh so gently! It just warms my heart to watch all of them interact with each other with such kindness and Presence!! I'm kinda sad I'll only be here less than two weeks, but my goal is to help them feel more comfortable with their English before I leave - and the fun and JOY with which they practice makes me feel confident they will learn a LOT before I go! And in the meantime, I am doing my best to soak up every moment of this loving family's environment - and enjoy seeing the sites of Jesi and possibly some of the surrounding area if they have time to show me!

So - just as a pre-cursor to my sight-seeing of Jesi, I'll tell you what I learned from Marco last night!  There is the Roman section of town - with the typical Roman structure: 4 gates that lead into the center of town, then there is the Medieval part of town and the part that was built in the 18th Century. The whole historical section is built within these amazing walls that served to protect the city! The walls around the city are built at an angle (which I find so interesting and clever)! As a form of protection, when the enemy tried to scale the wall, the people inside would pour boiling water down the side of the wall to keep them away...yikes!!

I find it so fascinating to be living in a town with such HISTORY - interesting to think about how many people lived here and what their lives were like over the last 2000 years or more!! So that's just a "nibble" on what I know about Jesi, but I hope to know more as I explore more of the city!! But for now, it's time to put the water on the stove for pasta and get ready for the family to arrive home for lunch - yaaaay!! Sending lots of love and hugs "across the pond" and hoping all is well in your lives!!