Ciao Italia!!

Tim and I just took a 10 day trip to Italy for our 5 year anniversary...amazing is all I can say!! I am not exageratting when I tell you it was the best trip of my life!! It was so fun to go and explore and see new things with Tim--we had so much fun together. I am here to tell you after 5 years--marriage is fun!! And we consider ourselves extremely blessed!!

So we started our trip in Venice--it is so picturesque!! This is the Italy of the movies -- the beautiful canels, the sweet homes...I told Tim that if we could ever build our own house, I would love for it to be an Italian style villa!! We celebrated our anniversary on Sept 14th by taking a Gondola ride and eating at a canal-side restaurant--Tim gave me a pair of beautiful diamond earrings and 2 beautiful roses!!

While in Venice, we also saw all the major sites, St. Mark's Square, the Basillica, etc., and we went to this amazing Modern Art exhibit with art from around the world. It was cool.

We left the quiet of Venice and took a boat, bus, plane and train to get to Rome; we felt very well traveled when we arrived in a very noisy Romeat 10 am. We found our hotel, checked in, and then we were off for 2 full days in Rome--thanks to our friend Naomi Marvin who put together a tour of Rome for us--we walked our butts off and saw EVERYTHING--St. Peter's, the Vatican, the Borghese Park, The Coliseum, the ruins, the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps...and more!! We ate amazing food--the pizza and the mozzerella cheese was the best I ever had--we loved Rome!! Tim and I both were very inspired in this big city!! We already want to go back!!

From Rome, we again tool a train, boat, taxi and a bus to get to Positano, Italy. This little beach town is in the South of Italy, on the Amalfi Coast. Positano is what I hope heaven looks like!! Our walking tour of Rome wore us out a tad, so the timing of Positano was perfect--we had a full day on the beach, we toured the island of Capri, and we went to see the ruins in Pompeii. The whole trip was amazing, but this part was my favorite.

We went back to Rome for our last night, enjoyed our favorite Pizza and Gelato, and came back in time to watch Georgia beat Alabama last weekend!! Go Dawgs!!

I SO recommend a trip to Italy...check out our pictures here:
Italy Pictures!!

The trip was so fun--I had a hard time coming back to reality!! Poor Tim has had to work all week, and I have had the pleasure of a week off...thank God!!
Hope you enjoy the photos!!

still learning...

I am still learning. surprise surprise, I just don't know it all yet. you see, that is a tough lesson since I come from a family that prides themselves on always "knowing"...always being right, winning arguments, saying the last word, and basically being on top. I love my family; and much of my success is due to those characteristics that have been bred into me...the desire to win, compete, do my best, strive to be great...but I am still learning.

This summer can be summed up in that sentiment; learning. I am in the process of learning some of lifes great lessons, and boy is it a struggle for me to be in this process. I definitely am not an "enjoy the journey" type of gal...I like the completion, the final note, the end. So being in the midst of learning lessons, and then having to make choices while in that season, and having those choices affect what you are doing...gosh, my head is spinning.

And the struggle!!! I was running tonight and I was just angry because I feel like I have handled some things poorly and wish that I had communicated some things clearer. But how would I know how to do that until I learned it? I have to go through these things so next time I might get it right...I might be better next time, and know how to handle it with the wisdom I gained in this season. But I just want to know it now and get it right the 1st time!!!! AHHHHH. frustration sets in.

I sometimes wish I could learn as fast as I could eat. This is silly, but wouldn't it be cool if all the lessons I was supposed to learn could come in an ice cream cone, and I could just eat it and have all the knowledge (maybe the calories can be different based on the size of the issues I needed to learn about :) )...

Well all this reminded me of a Switchfoot song...Learning to Breathe...

Hello, good morning, how ya been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never thought I could fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad

I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

What complicates things even more is this unfair expectation I place on myself to get it right the 1st time, with no practice...that's when I feel like "my head gets kicked in"...

So here's to life, and all the lessons we are learning...

Leigh

The attack of the Wii

So I bought Tim a Wii for our 5 year anniversary and gave it to him on Friday night...now you know this is a BIG deal, because I am the one in the family with "Addictive" behaviors and seriously in a 1 year period, played over 450 games of NCAA Football on our old Gamecube (yep...that was before I started all this exercising!!)...so I only decided to get Tim the Wii after much thought about how I have overcome my gamer addictions, and YES I could handle it, and just say "No" when my game playing started to take over my life.

So we have had the Wii set up for 24 hours now, and all day yesterday I didn't play it...but this afternoon, Tim asked me to play Wii Tennis with him. Begrudgingly I complied, thinking that it is his "gift" and I need to let him enjoy it with me, and a few games can't hurt.

And for those of you who don't know, the Wii is different then other gaming consoles where the controllers are motion senstitve, and you use your arms, and all the motions to make moves; not just your fingers. So the plot thickens..

So we played a few games (I won), and I am starting to get excited about it. Kobe, our dear sweet giant of a dog, was laying on the couch the whole time, interested in what we were doing. All of a sudden, he gets pretty excited about how I was playing, and jumps off the couch, starts biting my wrist, and trying to tackle me. So we are like chill out, tell him to lay down...for the next 3 games, he repeats this pattern...

Then on the 4th game, after we have put him back on the couch, and he listened and he is laying there, I go for a backhand, I wind up and swing my arm across my body...and at the same time, Kobe is trying to get off the couch, and at the perfect timing, I smash him across the face...I hurt my hand I hit him so hard! He ran out of the room and I followed him, totally consoling him, apologizing, etc...it was tragic. Tim was cracking up.

So after we made sure he was ok, we went back to playing...a few minutes later, Kobe walks back to the den and starts to enter the room...he saw my hand go up in the motion of the serve, and he turned, tucked his tail between his legs and BOLTED from the room.

Tragedy I must say...NCAA Football Video games ruined me, and the Wii Tennis has ruined Kobe.

Hilarious.

good news since yesterday's post...I slept 11 hours last night!! Bedside Baptist had a mandatory meeting this morning, and we all attended!! :) It felt good.

Have a great day!

Leigh

sleep deficit...

sleep deficit...
Have you ever been so tired, that you can hardly think, move, breathe, comprehend...but no matter what you do, you can not sleep? That has been the story of my August...I am glad it is now September!!

This past month has been a crazy one...we have been particularly busy at work, planning all of our fall events, and hearitfirst.com has continued to grow like crazy, so opportunities have been coming out of the woodwork...or web I guess :) ...

And I have had some heavy things on my mid, decisions I had to make...weighing out the consequences of these decisions...sorting through my guilt about some decisions, and understanding that...and trying to answer the question: what is the best thing for Tim and I at this point in our lives. We are coming up on our 5 year anniversary...what are my hopes and dreams for the next 5 years?

So basically, my mind has been slammed, working in overdrive the past month, so full I can't manage it. I am the type that has to wring something out ENTIRELY and weigh every option and analyze EVERY detail before I make a decision...that is exhausting. For me, but for those close to me as well.

So anyway...I am this stressed...but I can not sleep!! I have been up every morning at 4:30-5 ish...and not to work out!! I usually don't work out until 6:30 am!! Then I can't take naps, because my mind is racing...it is ridiculous!!

So it is Saturday morning, and I went to bed at 2 last night, and I am up ready to go at 6:45 am!! No plans to work out until 9:30 this morning!!

So all of this combines to a very "slowed down" state of Leigh...I feel like my comprehension levels are at an all time slowness, and my reaction to everything is skewed.

So there. No point to this rambling except I am so tired!!

But on the brightside...FOOTBALL starts today...this is my favorite day of the year.

I love college football. Go Dawgs.

Leigh