Carnival in Venice

I'm convinced there's no place on earth like Venice. History, culture, food, romance... it was awesome. We went during the Carnavale celebration... which might not have been the best time to visit, but ended up being fun. Thousands of people rushed to St. Marco's Square where most of the festivities took place. Fire shows, costumes, incredibly long lines, great vendors, fun shopping... and of course amazing food! Valentine's Evening was spent enjoying complimentary Champagne at our Bed and Breakfast which was about a 5 minute walk from the center of town. Everything in Venice was elaborate and expensive, but still very romantic.

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East Coast Winter Wonderland

We traveled to Washington D.C. in late January for some meetings at the Pentagon and I was able to bring Sara with me! American soil was more wonderful than we we would. DC is such a great city. Needless to say, there were lots of visits to Starbucks and a wonderful stay with friends in Annapolis :) We spent the weekend playing games watching the snow fall and exploring Annapolis. We had lunch at the Sly Fox (a favorite for both of us) and even got to enjoy a burger at Cheeburger Cheeburger!

We were planning to drive to North Carolina to visit Sara's Aunt and Uncle, but it snowed almost 14 inches on Friday night, so we were pretty much got snowed in for the weekend. Sara flew to North Carolina on Sunday instead shortly before I departed for Bahrain that evening. We're hoping to get back to the East Coast soon to see family and enjoy some more time exploring.

I love America

Grant & I are both in Washington, DC right now. Grant came for work and I tagged along. Joy!

Even though I've only been in Italy for three months, it feels great to be back in the US for a few days. I love my country!

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Another beautiful day at the Amalfi Coast. With such a beautiful coast line just an hour away, it's quickly becoming our favorite place in Southern Italy. We went with our friends, Kirk and Nicole after all the Christmas fun. We decided to take a trail known for it amazing views of old bridges, creeks and churches.

Christmas in Paris!

What can we say... it doesn't get much more romantic than Christmas in Paris. The highlight of the trip was the Christmas Eve Candle-light service at The American Church in Paris. Beautiful music, a huge Christmas Tree and most importantly a Christ-centered service. We missed family and home more than ever before, but had a blast exploring Paris! We spent Christmas morning in a coffee shop and enjoyed staying at a Bed and Breakfast just outside of Paris. Then for our 2nd Anniversary, we had an amazing dinner at a little bistro near the Eiffel Tower. Bike rides, boat rides, carnivals, delicious food, beautiful museums and time together was such a blessing!

For more photos of Paris, click here.

Merry Christmas!

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices
O night divine, the night when Christ was born.

Thanksgiving in Tuscany

Our first stop: Florence

The capital of the Tuscan Region, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance... which means lots of amazing paintings (Venus) and sculptures (David) without clothes. Florence was the birthplace of Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli, most of the ninja turtles (or at least Michelangelo and Donatello) and had lots of amazing Piazzas, restaurants, bakeries and shops all over the place. One of the highlights of our trip was an amazing view from the top of the Duomo (Florence Cathedral) in the center of town. While enjoying the view, we bumped into some friends of ours who we later had Thanksgiving dinner with.

Next stop: Siena

One of the oldest cities in the Roman Empire, the first capital of the Tuscan Region, thought to be the birthplace of Romulus and Remus (founders of Rome), though it's probably just really old. Like Florence, parking is a luxury in Siena, so we walked everywhere. There were lots of shops throughout the city center, but with late openings, noon-time naps, and restaurants not even opening until 7:00 pm, there was plenty of time to walk around and hang out at coffee shops (although we don't usually like hanging out in coffee shops). The Duomo of Siena was spectacular. Rivaling even the Sistine Chapel, this cathedral was covered top to bottom in amazing artwork, mosaic floors and ceiling's painted by Raphael. The Piazza del Campo was at the center of Siena with the Mangia Tower (another amazing view) overlooking all of Siena. Amazing food, wine, deserts, coffee, Irish pubs and history all around. A great way to end our Thanksgiving adventure.

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