Many of you are aware that I will be traveling to Sicily in September to meet Christian. He gets there in August and won't actually be finished working until September 20th but I want to see the place so hopefully he'll have some down time while I'm there so I don't have to wonder around aimlessly in a country who's native language is not necessarily my strong point, to put it lightly. :) We'll be in Sicily at least until the 20th and then we'll both fly to Salzburg, Austria to stay with his grandparents and then ride back to Frankfurt, Germany with them in order to see the rest of the family. I'm super excited about this trip!!! I LOVE Europe... so much.
However, I'm a little anxious about something.... I just booked my flight from Philly to Catania, Italy (actually on the island of Sicily). I booked it because it was at least $300 cheaper than ANY other flight we've seen. First, we though $750 looked like a good deal but could only find that rate on one particular day. Any other day, the cheapest ticket was $1200. Did I mention this is just a one-way ticket?? So, finally, I logged onto Orbitz.com today and found a flight with only one layover for $425!!! I called Christian and he said "BOOK IT!". So, I booked it. However, here's the thing I'm nervous about: I have a friggin' NINE hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland. Yeah, they don't speak English there. What the heck am I going to do for NINE HOURS in a country that speaks German? Ok, yes, I know a little German from studying it last year before we went to Germany but according to Wikipedia (the ever reliable source), their German is a Zurich German... a different dialect, if you will. So, I'm just going to get back on studying "normal" German and hope that I can make it through the nine hours alone (plus the two weeks after Italy when we spend time with Christian's grandparents who only speak German!!!). YIKES! It's all an adventure, right??
Well, on to other news. I finished my book "Eat, Pray, Love" this morning. At the end, I was in tears. Not sad tears, just tears. I know, I'm ridiculous. I can't help myself. And since finishing the book, I've watched the trailer for the movie about four or five times (link below for those of you who'd like to see my obsession). Again, I can't help myself. The book was so moving.... changed my view on a lot of things. Interesting how certain things change your mind and others don't.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZzmqHJ0gPU
Last night, I had an hour and a half phone date with my best friend, Alison. We chatted about all kinds of stuff. Some very important (relationships) and some not so important (why I couldn't seem to find the garlic that I had, literally, JUST pulled out of the cabinet- and I still can't find it, by the way) topics were discussed. One of the rather important topics was my quest for spirituality. I brought it up. Alison said she wasn't even going to discuss it because she knew I didn't want people offering up unsolicited advice. Alison is what I would call a "good Christian". She's caring, has a good heart and is open. She also has conviction. I envy her. Whoops, envy's one of those seven deadly sins, right? Ugh, obviously still a struggle here. ;-) But, the truth is, I think I'm making some head way. I already feel a little more at peace and I'm taking time every morning to have my quite time on my back deck with a cup of coffee and a casual chat with my God. It's kind of neat. I was telling Alison some of my funny thoughts.... for instance, the first time I "prayed" was Saturday when I went to Peace Valley Park (name of the park is a little ironic, I know) to go for a run. After my run, I walked down to a bench next to the lake and sat down ready to give it a whirl. So, I sit there and I have no idea what to do next. Do I put my hands together? Should I be on my knees? Do I have to close my eyes? Can I do this silently (oh, I really, really hope so)? Does my speech have to be formal or can I chat like I'm talking to my mom, dad, husband or friend? I went with the latter option. Alison told me it doesn't matter, just as long as it happens. So, I'll take her word for it. So, this is where I am. I'm just taking it as it comes, really.
Anyway, that's about it. I'm heading to the book store in a little bit to find something else to occupy my time and mind. I hope everyone has an amazing day!
Love,
Chrissi
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