You Need to Meet Tara!

I would like to tell you about my sweet friend Tara...  

Tara is quite possibility the happiest person I have ever been around.  She just exudes joy!  Her love for Jesus is contagious and you feel encouraged just by being in her presence.  She is 40 years old, and has never been married.  She does not have any children of her own, but thousands of her previous students consider themselves to be hers.  She is an fabulous teacher here in Northwest Arkansas, and her students LOVE her.  She is so much fun to be around!  You cannot be around Tara and not smile from ear to ear and spend a majority of the time laughing.

Aside from teaching she also leads FCA, is involved in several Bible studies, mentors young girls and enjoys playing tennis and volleyball.   Oh… and I can’t forget to mention that the way to this girl's heart (aside from having a true passion for the gospel) is through mexican food, Chuy's to be exact ;)

Our Italian Honeymoon: The Colosseum

Update:  I also never got around to posting this one about visiting the Colosseum on our honeymoon!  One of my favorite parts!    

I was the most looking forward to seeing the Colosseum.  Having read about it in books, I couldn't wait to see what it really looked like today and learn the history surrounding it.  Previously, the Colosseum was in the center of the city.   Now, I would say its on the far side of the city just outside of the Roman Forum.

We ate lunch right outside the Colosseum that day.  Yes, it was very touristy and overpriced.  But sometimes you just need to do all the touristy things.

After lunch we headed to explore the Colosseum.  Jeremy is super-responsible and an incredible planner (that's one of the many reasons he's perfect for my unorganized self :) )  He ordered our tickets to everything way in advance.  I was so grateful because the line for tickets to the Colosseum was super long.  We just got to bypass everyone :)  Think Fast Pass at Disney World :)  So if you ever visit Italy, order your tickets in advance!

The Colosseum is so much more than I imagined.  It's huge.  Huge!  It's amazing to think of how incredible the Romans were.  They were WAY before their time.  It could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.  That's as large as most football stadiums.  

The Colosseum served as a source of horrendous entertainment for the Romans.  They would hold gladiator contests, mock sea battles, executions, animal hunts and classical mythology.  Aqua-ducts ran to the Colosseum not only to provide public restrooms, but also to flood the stage for the mock sea battles.  Can you imagine?  When they would do animal hunts they would bring in vegetation to portray the animal's natural habitat as the hunters would hunt them.  

Beneath the stage, they housed prisoners and fierce animals who would participate in the events.  A series of pulleys and levers would bring the animals up to the unsuspecting captives to fight them off.  

Later on, the Colosseum served as the scene of the re-enactment of the Passion of the Christ.  Ironic, isn't it?  There are drawings on the walls of scenes of Christ's death.  If you look very closely, you can see the place of the three crosses etched in the wall.

In it's splendor, the Colosseum and the rest of the buildings of Rome were covered in marble.  These buildings were later stripped of their marble to finance costly wars.  The holes that cover much of the building surface serve as a reminder of the marble that once graced the exterior.  

The stairs were extremely steep!  They were a workout to walk up and down.  I picture the ancient Roman women walking up and down them in their long dresses and sandals.  I don't know how they did! 

We could have easily spent multiple days walking around the Colosseum, there is so much to explore.  It's a shame that a large portion of it has been destroyed by natural disasters and wars.  I'm sure it was beautiful in its time.  

A friend had studied abroad for a summer in Rome and urged us to visit the Colosseum at sunset.  We made sure to make our way back near the end of the day and were so glad we did.  If the Colosseum is beautiful in the day, it is purely magical at nighttime.  

Photographers line up in droves, hoping to catch the perfect image.  This will probably forever be my favorite picture of our honeymoon.  I love this man!

Although it was and still is beautiful, there is a feeling of eeriness that surrounds the Colosseum.  It's impossible to walk around a not feel it.  A place of splendor, representing the greatest Rome had to offer that was also the scene of such torture, such barbarism is hard to imagine.  Christians were martyred there.  Innocent lives were taken from them, all for the pleasure of the entertainment of the Romans.  A cross now stands were paganism once ruled.  Part of the beauty of God's grace.  

What type of society existed, so shortly after Christ walked the Earth that found pleasure out of murder, out of torture, of misery?  Found entertainment in other's meaningless deaths.  It is hard to picture such a time, but I feel it is a part of what led to their demise.

Our Italian Honeymoon: Florence, Italy

Update:  Well, a year and a half later, I am just now realizing I never posted these posts on our honeymoon.  So the story continues....


After spending time in Rome, we hopped on a train and 3 hours later arrived in Florence, Italy.  Traveling by train is so simple in Europe.  I wish we had the same type of rail system here in the states.  I would love to jump on a train and be in Chicago a few hours later!

First, lets take a minute to talk about this picture.  That's Jeremy carrying my suitcase and his.  Mines the black one.  Luckily, you can't see his expression because I'm pretty sure at this point he might have been reconsidering our marriage ;)  Before we went on our honeymoon Jeremy urged me to consider bringing a backpack like his, but I argued with him saying that my clothes would get all wrinkled, my stuff wouldn't fit...blah blah.  So then he told me he would NOT carry my suitcase for me.  Well.... obviously you can tell he stuck to that by the picture!  

Florence was truly beautiful.  Much more scenic than Rome.  The train ride to Florence through Tuscany was gorgeous.  Above is the hotel we stayed at.  We stayed at all Hilton properties while in Europe which I would highly recommend.  It's just nice to know exactly what to expect.  This hotel also had television stations in English, score!  No more BBC for us!  

This was a park right across the street from our hotel.  We never did figure our what the large buildings in the background were.  I would love it if one of you reading knew!

As soon as we got there we headed out into the town exploring.  We had to stop for gelato, since you know, we hadn't had it in at least 12 hours.  

One of the main attractions of Florence, The Duomo.  Another beautiful church.  Very different architecture in Florence than what we saw in Rome.

Also in Florence is Michelangelo's's statue of David.  This is a replica.  The original is housed in the building directly behind the replica.  

Florence was my favorite city to explore.  It was smaller than Rome, with less tourists and beautiful scenery.  It was truly romantic to get to walk the streets and venture to wherever our feet may lead.  Very serene.

Ponte Vecchio (pictured beneath) is a unique shopping district featured on a bridge that spans the river.  It houses jewelry stores full of beautiful antique pieces.  I wish we were wealthy enough to buy pieces to bring back!

At the end of a curvy drive, Michelangelo's plaza sits at the top of the city.  It is stunning.  Truly breathtaking.  You can see views of the entire city of Florence and houses nestled in the hills.  Tourists and locals alike flock to take in the sunsets each night.

We hadn't known about the overlook but wondered why everyone was cramming on a bus that only had one stop.  I'm so glad we did.  It's one of my favorite memories from our trip.

There was also a quaint restaurant at the top of the hill offering spectacular views while you dinned.  Does this not just scream Tuscany to you?

We ended the night next to the Duomo having one of the best Italian meals of my life and my only glass of wine while in Italy.  I know, I know.  I'm probably the only person who travels to Italy and doesn't take advantage of the freely flowing wine.  I'm just not a wine girl.    

The Cookie Crumble by Sha

Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner to introduce you to my sister's cookie business: The Cookie Crumble by Sha.

She makes the most amazing cookies.  Not only do they look good, they taste SO good!!!  If you're from Northwest Arkansas, you know of Rick's Bakery sugar cookies.  I would say The Cookie Crumble's taste just as good, which is HUGE for this cookie lover :)  

They ship very well and last!!  That is.... if you don't eat them all the first day.

She does any type of custom order.  Weddings, Baby Showers, Birthday Parties, Fundraisers... you name it and she can do it.  If you have no idea what type of design you want, she can help you with that too.  

The best part is....she is VERY reasonably priced!  

You can find her on Facebook HERE.

Instagram Name:  TheCookieCrumblebySha

Please send inquiries to thecookiecrumblebysha@gmail.com

British Accents and TCBY

Last weekend was crazy busy but so much fun!  Although it was cold and pouring down rain, Jeremy and I went on a date on Friday night.  We went out to dinner and to see "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".  I LOVED this movie!  We will probably watch it again once it hits Netflix.  It had a great plot, very little cussing (this is huge for us), and who doesn't love Ben Stiller??  Honestly, I was refreshed to see a movie that isn't the same typical story line....Go see it if you can!

Oh and how could I forget our little trip to TCBY.  This is my favorite yogurt place.  I always get the same thing, White Chocolate Mousse with a TON of sprinkles.  What can I say?  I love sprinkles on ice cream!  As we are eating our ice cream a group of young college students sit down next to us.  A little side note:  Jeremy and I always goof around with each other and do fake accents.  Well.... I asked Jeremy what time it was and he responded in the most ridiculous British accent.  The kids beside us heard him and started laughing.  Not the kind of "we're laughing with you" but the "we're making fun of you" kind of laughing to be followed with whispering and trying not to look obvious that they were talking about us.  Ha ha!  I about DIED.  Jeremy was just encouraged to keep it up.....  oh boy.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to spend my day with 87 k-7 kids.  Yep....  EIGHTY SEVEN LITTLE KIDS.   32 of those were in kindergarden.

The Varsity cheerleading squad is competing at Nationals in Orlando, FL in a couple of weeks and they hosted a cheerleading clinic as one of their final fundraisers for the year.  We had a great turn out and the kids had so much fun, but oh my gosh was it exhausting!  I have SO much respect for Elementary teachers who do this on a daily basis.

The cheerleaders had fun and I know all went to bed super early that night :)

One of the things I absolutely love about our church is the many opportunities to learn, grow and serve.  They offer SO many classes!  My teacher heart just loves starting new classes to learn all I can.  ha!  We started a Discovery class to become members, finally!  So Sunday morning we started off with Discovery and then headed to the worship service.

I helped coach Varsity practice Sunday afternoon so I invited my SIL Megan to come too!  She coaches cheerleading at another school near by and is amazing at it!  It's always nice to have an extra set of eyes.  After practice Megan, Jeremy and I went to the gym and then out to dinner.

The weekends always go by so fast!

Friday Confessions

It's another Friday!  Although, it doesn't seem like a Friday to me considering I have only worked ohh....1 day so far this week.  But more on that later!

Here we go!

1.  This past week Beth Moore gave away many of her ebooks for FREE.  I confess that I downloaded every single one.  Who doesn't love a free book??

2.  I confess that... a week in I have stuck to ALL of my New Year's resolutions! Woo hoo!  This is the farthest I've gotten...ever.

3.  I confess that in the past 6 1/2 weeks, I have only worked 9 days.  Thanks to Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and EIGHT snow days.  I am perfecting the art of stay at home wife and becoming quite good at it :)  It is going to KILL me next week when I work a full week without a snow day.  It's going to kill me even more when we are still in school come July!

4.  I confess that my extensive time off will not prevent me from complaining about the plight of a teacher probably later this month when I am tired and cranky.  I'm apologizing in advance for that.

5.  Finally,  I confess I cried when I saw this video:   100 Day Transformation

Our Italian Honeymoon: Vatican City

Vatican City sits within the city of Rome and is the world's smallest State.  It is home to the Pope, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum.

We spent nearly an entire day exploring Vatican City.

The Papal Swiss Guard, who protect the Pope and Vatican City.

The Sistine Chapel

"Without having seen the Sistine chapel, one can form no appreciable of what one man is capable of achieving."

-Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 1787

The Sistine chapel is absolutely breathtaking.  Everywhere you look paintings grace the walls and ceiling depicting historical events, primarily, historical Biblical events.  It was inspiring to view these events as the artists who lived before viewed them.  

We were not allowed to take any pictures once we were in the chapel, so I had to steal this picture from Google so I can remember the magnificence of the place.  When you think of the Sistine chapel, the famous Michelangelo's paintings "The Last Judgement" or "The Creation of Adam" might come to mind, but there are so many other marvelous works that also line the ceiling and walls.  You neck starts to hurt from looking up so often.  

One of the aspects that I loved about Italian culture was the respect they have for the many chapels and churches that dwell in the city.  In the Sistine chapel, you are forbidden to talk.  Even whispering will draw an angry eye from the guards that line the room.  You also must dress modestly, girls cannot wear shorts or have their shoulders showing. 

Would you believe that every time, I mean EVERY TIME we decided to visit a church that day I happened to forget my cardigan.  I bought several for the occasion and left every one of them in the hotel room (and one I accidentally left in the seat of a Taxi)

So that's why I'm wearing lots of lovely plastic "shawls" in all of our pictures.

The Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum leads the way to the Sistine Chapel.  It houses many great pieces of art, sculptures, artifacts and other regalia.  It's beautiful.

Mummys in the Vatican Museum

The crazy thing about Rome is you become so accustomed to seeing God's creativity.  It's present in the architecture, the people, the sculptures, paintings.  It's everywhere.  God is an artist.  I think I took it for-granted while I was there, because, like I said it was everywhere.  Now looking back on pictures, can I really appreciate the beauty we were allowed to see.  

  

This is a picture of the many Bibles that have been used throughout the centuries by the various Pope's.

This is a painting by Raphael called "The Disputation of the Last Sacrament".  It depicts many historical figures such as popes, cardinals and Dantes.  

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Bascilica is considered one the of the largest churches in the world, and one of the holiest Catholic sites.  It is the burial site of St. Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.  

  Us, in St. Peter's Piazza

Can you imagine the excitement to stand in St. Peter's Piazza this past March when Pope Francis was announced as the newly elected Pope?  What a day to be in Vatican City.

To say St. Peter's Bascilica is huge would be an understatement, it's massive.  I've never walked into a church anywhere near as large.  

This picture does not do it justice.  Each hallway on the side goes into another area that is just as large as the first.  

Known as the "Apse".  The golden clock behind it is magnificent.  

Behind us, in the distance is the altar where St. Peter is believed to be buried beneath.  

What is absolutely amazing about Italy is that everything holds historical significance.  Every piece of art, architecture, and ruin.  The Italians live among history and do not bring attention to it.  They leave it be, and let the history speak for itself.

For example,  Jeremy knew the "Pieta", Michelangelo's famous sculpture of Mary holding Jesus, was housed in St. Peter's Basilica, however we did not know where.  We were determined to find it and as we turned a nondescript corner, there is was.  Simply named "Pieta".  That's all.  No description.  No pomp and circumstance.  Perhaps one of the greatest sculptures we will ever experience, and the Italians just let it speak for itself.

Everything in the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Basilica was truly heart-stirring.  The grandeur and splendor was like nothing I had ever seen.  It really made me think about heaven.  If places this spectacular exist on Earth, what will Heaven be like?  How beautiful and awe-worthy will the place where our Lord dwells be?  I know it will lead us to worship.  

“You are worthy, O Lord our God,
    to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
    and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

Revelation 4:11