From Florence with Love

Well, we made it to Italy on the 16th as planned. In some ways it feels like we just got here but in other ways it seems like we've been here forever! Anyway, I'll start at the beginning and tell you all about what's been going on this week.

Our flight left last Monday out of Detroit so we spent the night before at my parent's house (even though they weren't there!). I promised my mom I would take some pictures of Colton at her place, just so she could prove that he had been there. This pictures represent the last time life felt "normal!"

On Monday afternoon, after a great visit with my friend from college, Robin, we packed all our bags and headed to the airport. We definitely had a lot of stuff - 10 large suitcases, the dog, the pack n' play, and a car seat all to be checked; plus two backpacks for Ross, a backpack and diaper bag for me, the cat, and a stroller to be carried on. We were prepared for the worst in every way as we entered the airport but, praise to God alone, everything went very smoothly. We had no problems with our checked luggage or the dog, had no problem carrying on the cat - shockingly he didn't make a peep in the airport or on the plane, and Colton did great in his airline provided bassinet - he slept the entire plane ride except for take off and landing when the bassinet could not be used. Ross and I were able to watch all the movies we wanted and sleep a little on the flight. It was great!

Once we landed in Rome, though, things got a little crazy. We had to rent a van to drive from Rome to Florence and make the 3 hour drive right after a 9 hour plane ride! Again, Colton did well but by the time we arrived in Florence we were all absolutely exhausted. Some of our new co-workers met us at our house to help us unload all our bags and welcome us with a few small gifts and a lot of love. After grabbing a quick (but extremely yummy) pizza dinner that evening we crashed at about 10pm. At 11:00pm, though, we were all back up with a screaming Colton! He was inconsolable until about 12:30 at which point he fell back asleep and slept until 10am the next morning! Needless to say, we got a late start on our drive to Salerno - a city 6 hours south of Florence where some of our friends from Orlando live and work. Long story short, we drove there to pick up some kitchen cabinets and appliances that our friends sold us very cheap. Colton was a champ on the drive - he was so exhausted he slept almost the entire 6 hours! We had a great time in Salerno reconnecting with Jutty and Abbey, Natalie, Jamie, the Waltons, and some of the summer project folks. Here are a few pictures we took on the drive of the Tuscan countryside.

...it's hard to tell, but this is a sunflower field!

Now we're back in Florence and have been for a couple of days. I'll try to summarize how we're feeling (well, at least how I'm feeling) right now but I must admit, it probably won't make much sense. Even in my own head I feel scattered and worn down!

I would say that we are all still adjusting. We're unusually tired, never seeming to be fully awake. Colton has been sleeping well at night, even with the time difference but that is probably mostly because we have been on the go so much that he has not gotten hardly any naps and has been going to bed very late - around 10 or 11pm! Today we finally stayed home most of the day and he got a good first nap. Let's just say, his mood was much improved! He has been very fussy (again, probably because of lack of sleep and so many changes) and not eating well but he seems to be getting back to normal again little by little. Ross and I are working hard to try to get life settled. Our apartment has very few light fixtures and no mirrors so we are starting there - putting in lights and adding vanities to the bathrooms. Our kitchen is still not installed as we need a few more things for it and have questions about the plumbing (Italian plumbing looks very different than American plumbing). Everything still feels very unsettled and probably will for awhile - that's hard for me to deal with. But, with lots of work and a little bit of time we'll make a home for ourselves here. I'm just praying that it doesn't take too long! On our list for the next couple of days is making a big run to Ikea (especially to buy closet systems so that we can finally unpack our luggage), buy a washing machine and refrigerator, and maybe spend a little time with the summer project from Salerno as they are ending their time in Italy with a quick visit to Florence. We also want to continue exploring our neighborhood, spending time with Matt and Mel (coworkers here who have been so helpful to us and are so much fun!), helping Colton adjust to a very different life, and baby proofing our new apartment.

All that to say, things are crazy! This does not feel like home yet - I'm not sure when it will - but God is faithful and we know He brought us here for a reason. It would be easier and much more comfortable to be at home in Orlando right now and, I'm not going to lie, sometimes I wish we were! But being uncomfortable is forcing us to depend fully on God and to rely on one another as husband and wife, and as a family. I feel like we have gotten closer through this experience and laughed more than we have in awhile, and that is a blessing!

Thanks for your prayers and for caring about how we're doing. I can't wait until we have Internet hooked up in our apartment so that we can share more about all the craziness that is going on here, and so we can talk to you on the phone! Until then, we'll update as we can and we would LOVE to hear how you're doing, too. We love and miss you all!