Vacation

Ahhhhh.... Italian sunrise, birds chirping, wAves crashing far below, the occasional scooter buzzing somewhere way off in the distNce, church bells, and glorious fresh coffee. Oh, and free wifi. It is a peaceful, magnificent morning. I watched the sun rise up over the coast as the first fishing boats headed out this morning, as an old woman swept her patio in her housedress a few terraces below me. Lush olive and fig trees coed the hillside above me. Even the milky white pigeons are gorgeous here. In this space, I feel incredibly relaxed and peaceful-a nice chAnge from the whirlwind travel and sightseeing of the pAst few days.

I feel so incredibly lucky and so blessed. It has been almost a year to the day since I left my old life. We have in some wAys come so far so fast. It's hard to believe that things could improve so much in such a short time. 18 months ago, I could have never imagined that so much was in store for me-so much goodness and light. The sweet, chatty, giggling firecracker thT is currently sleeping peacefully inside--the amazing new job that always throws something new at me--my kind, patient husband, who has gone from running his own business to running our household and done a fab job of it--and the travel! So much joy.

I'm so thankful, too, that we have been able to share all of this with family and friends. So many people have visited us in person and virtually. My stepsister is on this trip with us, and I'm having a blAst wAtching her experience this trip. I will never forget the look on her face our first morning in Rome, when we stepped inside the Pantheon. The awe and wonder and excitement...priceless. She's only Ned Broad once before, to visit us at Christmas. It is such a joy to watch travel perform its magic on her. I hope we are instilling lifelong lessons about the possibilities the world holds. The trip is ostensibly our college graduation gift to her, but really, it's the bigger lesson about spreading your wings and exploring the unknown, which I hope to impart.

Excuse the typing-iPhone errors! Someone is stirring inside, so I'm off

PS. High on the monitor on CD9. Clom.I'd seems to be working!