Mardi Gras-Circus Birthday Party!

Our friend Giulia's birthday was on the 23rd and she decided that she wanted to throw a "theme party"! Since it was mardi gras time, she decided to have a CIRCUS party! At first I didn't know what to wear, then I fortunately found a place where they rented costumes and managed to dress up as a Majorette! Enrico had ordered a ring master costume from e-bay, but it hasn't arrived yet, so he and a friend had to improvise and were quite creative in making posters so that they could be poster boys! We had a fun time and everyone had great costumes!!!!

The Whole Clan!

Trapeze Artists

Pregnant Trapeze Artist!

Strong Man

Fancy Dancers!

Dog trainers! And they really brought their dog, Regal!

Majorette Me!

Poster Boys!

Another group Pix

Ring Master, birthday girl and Circus Lady "Moira Orfei"

Moira Orfei (born Miranda Orfei) is an Italian pop-culture icon. A member of the most famous circus family in Italy, she can compete in fame with any Italian music or movie legend. She is undoubtedly the only circus owner in the world who could get away (for forty years, no less!) with advertising her circus using posters that prominently displayed only her head shot and her first name. Much of her reputation is due to her long movie career, which coincided with the golden age of Italian cinema. But it is also due to the quality of her circus.

Can't read blogs today!

So I've opened up my dashboard on blogger.com, and each and everyone of you has posted some sort of touching story today! Stories of mothers who rubbed daughters legs to soothe growing pains, unbelievable fathers and sergeons, mothers whose children grow to fast and grandfathers who come to the rescue! I'll stop opening my dashboard for the day! I can't cry my day away! Love you guys! ;-)

xoxo Christina.

Mardis Gras Time .....

It's our "Halloween" this time of year... Mardis Gras or Carnevale.

This year I dressed-up as Alice in Wonderland!

Mardis Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the French-language term for the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, a traditional day for eating rich foods made with sugar, butter and other fats, and meat. This was because it was the last day before the start of Lent, which in Christian religious tradition was associated with ritual fasting. The term has come to stand for related celebrations, which in some areas take place for several days or even weeks before Ash Wednesday.

Carnevale is the traditional pre-Lenten celebration in Italy. This is a time of merry-making, masquerade processions, masked balls, parades, pageants, jugglers, magicians, stilt walkers, elegant costumes and opulent masks, singing and dancing, fireworks, and outdoor feasts in the weeks prior to Ash Wednesday.

Carnevale occurs all throughout Italy, where every city, town, and village celebrates its own traditional customs. Places such as Viareggio, Ivrea, Sciacca, Napoli, Roma, Calabria and Venezia have unique and elaborate celebrations that are world-famous.The festivities of the last days of carnevale are the most intense as they culminate on Martedí Grasso (Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday).

There are traditional foods and dolci (sweets) distinctively associated with carnevale, including fritelle, crespelle, sfingi, castagnole, cenci, nodi, chiacchere, bugie, galani, fritole, berlingaccio, sanguinaccio and tortelli, among others.

Let it Snow!

I know that it doesn't seem like much but, from a gal who comes from San Diego, California and lives in the Mediterranean, to see snow flakes fall is a treat!!!

1.8° C = 34°F

I RAN OUT MY WINDOW ON TO THE BALCONY!

"Last Day" With My Nephew

My month babysitting my nephew is over.... here are just a few pix of our fun times together! Isn't he a cu-tie??? I'm gonna miss our mornings...... XOXO Love you!

Update

So, I've been busy in the mornings all last month and this first week of Feb. babysitting my adorable nephew Gabriel. He is truly one of the best one-year-olds I have ever had to sit! He's normal routine is I get there at 8.30am has a bottle, plays a little, then we take a bath and that triggers a nap!(by this time it's anywhere between 10 and 10:30am) He'll sleep forever so I need to wake him up to play a little more before noon for lunch time. He loves pasta (go figure! he's Italian isn't he??) and then some meat. He goes nuts for a bit a squashed banana! His latest words/sound have been "ca-ca-ca" (I think for Carlotta his sister) "broom broom" for cars and "arrrr" for Lions (he has a cute lion book). His daddy comes home around 1:30p.m. and then I go home.

The rest of the day I've continued teaching English and am happy to report that the school is happy with my work and has asked me to continue working for them at moment. I'm teaching individual and group lessons. The group lessons are actually part of a Master's degree in 5 star Hotel Management, so that's good to put in my Resume. I've also been asked to direct their summer school at Forte Village Luxury Resort, so I'm looking forward to that too (I hope!!)

Married life is great! Enrico is wonderful to me! We have already made some new travel plans for the year! We're going to Venice in March, and back to Indonesia in May. This year my Mother is coming with us! How Exciting! She's excited to come expecially after reading EAT PRAY LOVE that I lent her because the last chapter is all about the Island of Bali in Indonesia where we'll be going!

Keep on blogging everyone!