Aba ginoong Maria
If the last 2 weeks will be my gauge as to how hectic our summer will be here at the "Casa Guerrero", then I'll say it will be fully booked with fun outings, BBQs and entertainments!
I vividly recall those glorious days when I was sweet 16 myself ... my simple life revolved around home works, church activities and endless chatting with my high school best friend Tey.
That's me (second from left) and my bff Tey (second from right) when we were 16
16 or not, I love my simple yet sweet life!
my laugh lines are more pronounced, which I guess represent the smiles and laughter I shared with family, friends and acquaintances all these years
On another happy note, as I celebrate my natal day, the entire nation is also celebrating Canada Day {oh yeah, there's always fireworks on my birthday!}. Like most Canadians, my hubby and I went to the local park and celebrate Canada's 142nd birthday.
Good, eh?
Over the last 2 weeks on different occasions, I had 3 lunch dates with some of my BFFs. For whatever reason all of them gravitated towards Japanese restaurants. Oh I do love sushi and other Japanese treats {including cold sake} but to have them 3 times in 2 weeks was a bit too much. I was just "sushified", if there is such a word.
With or without sushi, I still love this my Japanese doll stamp set. They are just adorable! To all the Hero Arts stamp designers ... Arigato gozaimasu!
Here's the BEFORE photo of the card I just did....
The lighting is not perfect, as Lisa puts it ... it's grey and blah! Applying the "level technique" from her tutorial, here's the AFTER photo ...
Can you spot the difference?
Wave of petunias for the hanging plant boxes ...
which my hubby eagerly planted.
Bright pink dianthus ...
attended by hubby's green thumbs.
Ahh, the fruit of Jayvee's labor! Thanks dear ... you are the best!
Looks like a lot of showers {yes, literally and figuratively} are coming our way this June! Whose complaining? I love the rain and the shower parties are good for my card business!
The fountain is located at the junction of 3 roads {tre vie} thus, the name Trevi. Construction begun in 1732 and was completed in 1763. Fontana di Trevie as the Romans say, is the most famous and arguably the most beautiful fountain in all of Rome. You bet, I threw coin in the fountain but not three because I have to save my Euro!
On our way to the Forum we passed by the Piazza di Venezia, the hub of Rome. Officially known as the "Altar of Fatherland", this impressive square was built between 1885 and 1905 to celebrate the unification of Italy.
Not far from the piazza is the start of "ancient Rome". As soon as my feet touched the Roman Forum, I realized why Rome is called the "Eternal City"! According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 BC. The Forum Romanum became the political, religious and commercial centre of the city.
Hubby and I at the Temple of Antonius and Faustina. Notice how small we are standing in front of these massive ruins!
One of the arcs inside the forum is The Arc of Titus. This arc was built in 70 A.D. to commemorate the victory of Rome over Judea {Israel}. One can spend the whole day just inside the Forum!
Strategically located across the Forum is the world-famous Colosseum. My hubby's favorite movie is Gladiator so this part of the trip was on of the highlights for him.
The Colossuem can accommodate 50, 000 roaring spectators. It took 200 ox-drawn wagons shuttling back and forth every day for 4 years!!! just to bring the stones from Tivoli to this place!
The walking tour worked up a hearty appetite and there's no other way to quench it than a delicious Roman lunch at the Taverna de Mercanti. It was like stepping back into 17th century ... cobbled stones, medieval building with torches out front, flower boxes and inside were copper pots and pans hanging above the dinning tables.
A simple yet tasty Rigatoni Amatriciana with bacon and selection of Pizzas {I wasn't able to take pictures of the pizzas, they are gone the moment they hit the table ... simply delicious!} baked in century old stone oven satisfied our taste buds. Their house wines were equally excellent!
Jeff, one of our friends who was with us on the tour said it perfectly ... "Molto molto bene!"!
I missed my craft studio and everything in it! Good thing, I had an opportunity to create something yesterday after 2 weeks of absence.
Congratulations Miguel! We pray that you will continue to grow in the love and light of Christ!
We arrived in Rome on Saturday morning and checked-in at Westin Excelsior Hotel which will be our "home" for the next 6 days. It's a beautiful hotel located on Rome's most celebrated avenue, Via Vittorio Veneto.
The room did not disappoint. We were one of those lucky ones who had a king size bed which is a rarity in European hotels! The gold, red and mustard yellow decor and heavy drapes made us feel like Chinese royalties!
Jayvee checked if there's an English channel and he was a happy man when he found CNN and Sports channel!
Rome is home to at least 500 churches/chapels and we wanted to see as many as possible so as soon as we had our breakfast cum lunch we headed to the nearest one for a short thanksgiving prayer for this wonderful gift.
Who would ever thought that this beautiful church was transformed from a thermal bath to what it is now. Michaelangelo initiated the construction in 1563.
While walking aimlessly, we stumbled upon this gorgeous white heavily guarded palace which turned out to be the Palazzo del Quirinale the official residence of the the Italian President.
We went back to the hotel around 4 PM to prepare for the welcome dinner which was held in this magnificent gallery of the Palazzo Colonna.
We feasted on delicious authentic Italian cuisine and fine wines. The mood was definitely that of a celebration accompanied by laughter, exchanging pleasantries blending with the music from 3 violinists.
This was just the beginning of a very memorable week. Can't wait to tell you more! I'm going back to work tomorrow with a big smile on my face!!!
