Florence at Dusk

Florence at Dusk
Originally uploaded by catrberry

Ahhhhhh...today was a breath of fresh air.
The Sabbath day of rest was definitely much needed. I only went out of the apartment ONCE, and that was to get gelato :)
After I blogged last night, I did my nightly routine and headed to bed around twelve. I woke up this morning to church bells and couldn't help but smile. I rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke again to a single chime. Maybe it's chiming for the half of an hour? The huge widows in our room were covered by drapes, so the room was completely dark. I checked my phone. It was ONE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON. Both of my roommates were still asleep. Thirteen hours of sleep. Thirteen! I'm sad I didn't make it to church this morning, but I know that resting is also important to the body and spirit.
Next Saturday at 5:00 p.m. is English mass at the Duomo. The only real way for us to get in without paying. Think about what a precious time of praising the Lord that will be. I'm so ready for it. Then, Sunday morning is English sung mass at St. Mark's right down the street. I'm not sure if I'll do both in one weekend, but I plan to check them out.
After getting up, we ate yogurt, and Leyla made us doppio (double) espressos. I'm addicted. I get this everyday? Thank you, Lord! Then we chilled out, and the girls went to write in their journals and get cappuccinos at our favorite "snack bar" on the corner. While they were gone, I did a few things around the apartment to settle in even more. I'm nesting.
About thirty minutes after they left I heard a door in our apartment slam. "Ciao bella!" I yelled down the corridor. No reply. "Guys?" I went out into the hall and saw nothing. I went back in my room. About five minutes later I heard it again. "Hello?!" I shouted. Still nothing. Alright, so imagine you're living in a seven hundred year old building, and you are home alone. Then imagine this constant door slamming. I started to get creeped out.
Ten minutes later...I heard the door slam again. It's not just like a door shuts loudly. It's a heavy, booming door slam, and the sound reverberates through the whole apartment. "What IS that?!" I said to myself. Jess and I were talking the day before about how the place has to be haunted. So, I wondered to myself if this could really be some sort of outside forces trying to intimidate me. Praise God, Psalm 23 came into mind. I kept repeating those verses that I learned way back in Mrs. Stroberg's Sunday School class back in the day. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." I'm comforted knowing that the Lord surrounds me, and He will one day completely defeat the powers of darkness.
Sorry for the creepy/moral story, it just touched me today.
When they got home, it continued, and we think it's coming from the bathroom door. Oh well.
Jess made dinner, and it was SO DELICIOUS! We had a glass of Chianti with pasta. She made the sauce herself :) Tomatoes, parmesan, balsamic, salami, milk, bread crumbs, garlic, basic, olive oil...then the noodles. Then we had bread from a paneterria down the street and put olive oil and a tomato, then a little bit of balsamic. One of the best meals I've had yet! I'm so blessed to be living with two amazing chefs. Hopefully it'll rub off on me. Then I skyped Micah, which was fantastic. I've missed her face way too much. I chatted Emily, too, of course. They both seem to be doing well and very happy in their new environments. In a way, it's nice to know that we're all having these new experiences and can come back and appreciate each other all the more.
After that, the girls and I went to gelato (three flavors - tiramisu, crema, and peach -- for two euros! impossible to find around this place) and ate it laying down in front of the Pitti Palace. Florence at sunset is breathtaking.
Alright, I'm about to go read some of Lorenzo de Medici's poetry and head to bed. G'night, dear ones!