Come Sit By Me: Volume 102

Inside: Welcome to the weekend and our weekly catch-up, Come Sit By Me. I’m spilling the sweet tea on what’s happened this week, what’s inspiring me, and a few things that have caught my eye that I think you’ll love too!

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Welcome to “Come Sit By Me”! It’s our chance to catch up on the little things I’d share with you this week if we could chat on the porch over coffee (or wine depending on the time of day).

Life Lately in a Nutshell.

Well, I’m finally back home after 17 days in Europe! It was an absolute dream trip for me, but I promise this is the last report on it. We got home Tuesday night, and it’s bizarre that I left in September and now everyone’s outdoor Halloween decorations are out in full force. I feel like I missed a whole chunk of October.

We also brought home an unwanted souvenir…a nasty cold. It didn’t slow us down one bit until we got home. Coupling that with not being able to sleep because my body clock is 7 hours ahead has been a bit of a challenge.

We spent our last few days back in Rome seeing some of the big sights, including the Colosseum. One of the more interesting stops for me was actually the Mamertine Prison, where tradition holds that both Peter and Paul were imprisoned. Paul is believed to have written 2 Timothy during his imprisonment in Rome, so it’s possible he wrote it right there. It’s easy to overlook and not as crowded, but I found it amazing to stand somewhere with that kind of biblical history.

And then there was our bike ride along the Appian Way. I pictured a lovely, leisurely ride through the Italian countryside. And parts of it were! The other parts involved nearly getting hit by a bus and me hurtling down a steep, boulder-filled path on my bike. Safety is not as much of a thing in Italy apparently. But we survived, and at least we have a good story to tell.

My favorite part of our last few days was a day trip to Orvieto, a beautiful hilltop town about an hour and a half from Rome. Its magnificent cathedral dates back to the 1200s, and the outside is covered in elaborate mosaics and carvings. The inside is just as incredible, with soaring striped columns, frescoes, and beautiful stained and alabaster glass. We attended a church service there, which gave us a chance to sit and really take it all in instead of rushing through with the other tourists.

Afterward, we wandered around the charming cobblestone streets and walked along the cliffs that surround the town, with gorgeous views of the countryside below. Orvieto was such a wonderful surprise and such a needed break from the crowded streets of Rome.

And now it’s back to reality, catching up on everything I missed while I was gone, and hopefully getting my sleep schedule back on Texas time!