This week..not much

This week in the James household....yeah, not much new here. Emma has all of her braces on now (see picture), we can't wait to see what her final smile will look like. She's officially registered and enrolled for (gasp) High School next year. I would complain about how quickly she's grown up if it weren't for the fact that she's just continued to become funnier, smarter, and sweeter each and every year.



Liz is busy with basketball, school.....



and friends.... Here she is with one of her favorite friends at the base Easter egg hunt this past weekend.



She's keeping pace with her sister in the growing department. Sports physicals were just done for next year. Em is topping 5'5", and Liz is doing her best to catch up at 4'3". I have the feeling that it won't be too long and I'll be short man out in this household!

Chris is, well, he's just busy as always. Me... studying, having fun going to dinners, studying, wine tastings (yumm), studying, running, studying, and most of all just sitting on our porch with a cup of hot tea watching spring happen in our new yard, and yeah...studying.

The flowers that we planted this past fall are coming up and oh so pretty. A full garden is next on the agenda.



This is the week that we were going to be back in the US visiting, so more than ever you are all on my mind. Wishing you all a happy spring, and lots of love.

Umbria

A few weeks ago a shopping trip was arranged for Umbria. I, of course, left my camera at home. Luckily a few of the gals brought theirs and were nice enough to share these photos. I'll add more as I get them.

We started off by touring one of the oldest ceramics studios in Deruta. The owner, descendant of the original owner, took us through the building and we were able to see the entire process that goes into making each one of these pieces of art. I have been forever spoiled by these pieces, and am now hoping, planning, and saving for what I want to take home.

http://www.ubaldograzia.it/home-en.html





A fantastic lunch and plenty of shopping was also done in the town of Deruta.







It had been arranged for us to stay in a local agriturismo. For anyone who is planning a trip, I would definitely recommend this place. They provided a wine and olive oil tasting for us that evening before dinner, the rooms were comfortable, and the views were incredible.

http://www.lafornace.com/website.asp?lang=en

The next morning we took a tour of some of the local towns including Assisi. St. Francis was a fascinating person, and it was amazing to see the architecture and history surrounding these towns he was from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi

This is the 10th largest cathedral in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Santa_Maria_degli_Angeli





This is the Basilica of Saint Francis in the town of Assisi. There are so many frescoes, pieces of interesting architecture, statues, etc. that it becomes difficult after a while to focus on how fascinating and amazing each of them are individually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Francesco_d%27Assisi



Pax, or peace, was the message of St. Francis. He was a vegetarian, since he would not harm any living being. In Italy that's a difficult lifestyle, in the time period of his life it would have been almost impossible. You can't help but respect someone so committed to peace and kindness.

Times that feed the soul.

The girls and I recently took a trip to see our best-est friends in the whole wide world..... Amanda tends to think my blog is too wordy, so just for her I've restricted myself (painfully) to this (love you hon ;-P) :