Rome 2013-2014 Instant Replay Part 1

As always, click to view larger. More coming soon!

Pictures taken by me or my sister Midge. 

Editing done at PicMonkey.

Happy New Year!

Rome Bucket List #1 - St. Agnes of Assisi

In exactly 6 months, I will be going to Rome, Italy for the second time, and this time, I get to go with my younger sister! I am ridiculously excited, so I'm starting a bucket list of things I would like to do to make this trip even better than the last one. 

Number 1 on the bucket list is very important to me, because I totally missed it last time.

A few months ago, I learned that there is a saint called St. Agnes of Assisi, who was the youngest sister of St. Clare of Assisi. I was shocked and wondered how I'd never heard of this before. I mean, I love St. Clare and St. Francis! Worse, I was IN Assisi, and I pretty much walked right past St. Agnes' tomb! She's buried in the Church of St. Clare, along with Clare and their mother, Blessed Hortulana and their other sister, Beatrice. 

St. Agnes was one hardcore saint. Sixteen days after Clare left to form a new order of nuns, Agnes (who was only 15) followed her. Well, her relatives were not pleased about this, so they went after her to carry her home by force. But when they tried,  her body became so heavy, they couldn't move her. The family decided this must be a sign from God, and to let the girls be. But you can read all about it here!

When I go back to Assisi, after I freak out over seeing the incorrupt body of the saint I'm named after again (St. Clare is seriously very beautiful), I am going to find St. Agnes' tomb. I am going to kneel in front of it and pray that nothing will keep me from following God's will for my life. She fought for her vocation, and I will fight for mine. Although I'm called to marriage, not religious life, and I think its unlikely that my family would come after me and try to carry me off on my wedding day, I really admire St. Agnes and I want to imitate her. She followed the holy example of her sister, and wouldn't let anyone pressure her into doing something God didn't want her to. 

That can be very hard to do. 

(Sts. Clare and Agnes of Assisi)

source

Bucket List: officially started. 

Feast of St. Clare

Incorrupt body of St. Clare of Assisi

Assisi, Italy

2012

Today is my Feast Day! My parents named me after St. Clare of Assisi, the foundress of the Poor Clares and BFF of St. Francis of Assisi. 

St. Clare, patroness of television, bless this blog and pray for us!

Things I Miss About Italy

Image

I want to go back to Italy. So much.

 I want to walk on cobblestones again, and I want to walk everywhere. I want to hail taxis in the pouring rain and hold umbrellas up like we're in Mary Poppins. 

I want to go to the Trevi again, and not make a wish, but just stand there, when there's no one else there (this is an impossible dream) and look at it. 

I want to eat gelato out of a little paper cup with a colored plastic spoon.

I want to say 'gratzi' and 'scussi' and then eventually just learn to speak Italian.

I want to cross the Tiber every single day.

I want to ride on the scary subway, and get off at every stop just to see what is there. 

I want to sit on stone steps that are thousands of years old and eat potato pizza. 

I want to find a way to go into the Sistine Chapel before anyone else is there, lie on the floor, and just stare up at it for an hour. I seriously wanted to do that, but believe me, I would have been trampled. And no one would have noticed. 

I want to buy way more Italian candy. 

I want to get my own espresso because it is amazing. 

I want to buy a phone card for every person back home and talk to them for hours and not worry about sleep, because seriously, when there's coffee, there's a way. 

Eat the breakfast on the plane because your next meal could be at 4 pm. 

I want to go back, knowing everything I know now, and not be so worried about everything. I want to go back and have an even better time than last time, because I know I'll live through it, and because I know exactly what I don't want to miss out on again. 

I want to find a way to meet Pope Benedict XVI.

I want to meet real Italians and become friends with them.

I want to take the train all the way to Pompey and back.

I want to live in Assisi for a year.

I want to go back. So. Much.