Assisi and Rome, ITALY

hi family,
as you know, i spent two weeks in Italy (in rome & assisi) from the 27th of december 2010 through the 13th of january 2011.
it was a wonderful trip and a long overdue vacation that i really needed. i stayed at the monastery of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in rome and in Assisi, i stayed at their house there for the three nights and four days we were in Assisi. their hospitality was great - i felt very much at home. and, their kindness in acting as "tour guides" was another generous gesture. we went to the Vatican several times; saw the Pope three times; visited many special churches; saw the most amazing creche (nativity) scenes all over, in both Assisi and Rome, and much more.  also, just relaxing at times and sharing in the every day common life of the Friars was nice - i attended morning prayer, Mass and evening prayer at times, ate meals with them and we even went to nice restaurants on the Sundays and special days like Epiphany. i even had the experience of meeting some religious of other Orders, such as Fr. Clyde, originally from Maryknoll in Ossining, NY. one of the Saturdays was spent traveling to the other side of Rome to the Maryknoll house in Rome and we had lunch there with Fr. Clyde and visited with him for a while and took a nice walk in a beautiful park.  (he is the one who got us the great front row tickets to the audience with the Pope.) the three nights and four days spent in Assisi was very special and a very spiritual and inspirational experience. St. Franceso and St. Chiara are two very special Saints in my life (i'm a professed member of the Third Order of St. Francis.)  we went to all of the special places associated with them - the places where they lived, grew up, and where they prayed, where they died and where they are buried.  during the first night at the Friars' house in Assisi where we stayed (Bro. Joe & Fr. Brian live there) i met a wonderful family from England, who had been visiting for several days, too, and were still there spending their last night at the house when we arrived on our first night (yes, the house is big enough for the Friars who live there and the family of five and me.) it was great to meet Shami, Ramsey and their three school aged boys. we had a great evening getting to know one another and sharing a fun pizza and pasta dinner around a huge dining table and then enjoyed watching a movie together at the house. i made new friends and, so, my next trip may be to England! anyway, back to experiences in Assisi - one afternoon we had lunch with the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement (who also have a house in Assisi); we went to a special Mass and religious first profession of a Poor Clare nun (which is the Order of Nuns originally founded by Santa Chiara.) this was a truly beautiful experience to see!  being in Assisi has truly brought me so much closer to the two Saints that are even closer to my heart and soul than before.
anyway, i hope this post has helped you know a little bit more about me and my trip. photos will be shared soon - as soon as i get some help getting them from the disc on to facebook or somewhere you can all see them. PAX! (means PEACE in latin) PACE! (means PEACE in italian)
~tara t~

Wedding

Was that a beautiful wedding or what?  Holly looked so beautiful and Kosta so handsome.  Little Theo was just the cutest thing.  The ceremonies were beautiful and the reception was fabulous!  I really enjoyed experiencing a Greek wedding.  It was fun.  I also really enjoyed spending so much time with my family - especially in the hotel!  Love you guys.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures I sent.

Leigh

Hi

Hi everyone...I think this is a great idea!  What a great way to keep eachother posted on what's going on with everyone.  I really hope everyone takes the time to post every now and again (including pictures!). 

Have a good day.

Leigh

Welcome!

Hi everyone!

I created this blog in hopes that we can all better stay in touch with one another and more involved in what is going on in everyone's lives!  I will send you all an email with the login info etc. so we can all post to this.   I hope to see everyone this Saturday!  xoxo

Ashley