It's a FREAKING good life!

Last year Aria was a teaching assistant in several high schools in Cagliari, the capitol city of Sardinia. Besides assisting the teachers she was able to work with the students directly giving them the opportunity to converse with a native English speaking person. She also developed written and oral exercises and games for the students to practice the language and to learn about American culture and history. During the time I was visiting her she shared with me some of her students work. There was one particular assignment: to write about your favorite English word, which resulted in some poignant results. I will share two of my favorites.

Dolores wrote: "My favorite english word is "wake-up" because the sound of this word is more beautiful than "svegliati."* If my mother speaks English, she could wake all my awakenings happy only with two words "wake-up". When I heard this word I think about a sunny beautiful day. Nothing can be wrong."
*svegliati (wake-up)

Gianluca wrote: " My favorite english word is an American one, it comes from the American slang language and it could mean a few things. The word is "Freak". The English dictionary says about it that in italian it means "capriccio", but this is not the way I use it. I like to say Freak a lot because it reminds me the first time I said something in English, in fact this is the first word I've learnt in that language. It was matched with another funny word that combined sounded so crazy like the meaning of it, it was "freakin' nuts", that mean "so crazy." In fact, Freak, means as I said before lots of things like, crazy, damn, ouch, lot of and so on....I love the sound of it I've always used to subsitute it instead of some bad words...it sounds like something stronger, something you must to say! When you want to say something very, very, very far away. Instead of saying three times very, you just say...its freaking, far away and it sounds good! There's something special between me and that word, it's weird to say I know, but it reminds me about a good friend, the one who taught me this freaking word. I think I'll it in my dirty English vocabulary for the rest of my life."

This is something I'd tell Gianluca if he were with me today. "Gianluca, guess what? Tomorrow is my Happy Freaking Birthday and I hope its the start of a freaking good year!

VENICE City of Dreams and Obsessions

The very first time I ever set foot in Venice was the summer of 1971. I kept a journal on that trip... "August 13th, Friday Venice, Italy. We started on the road at 8:30 and made good time to Venice. We are camped on an island called Lido. Shopped in Piazza San Marco-this is one of the happiest days I've ever known...pigeons in the piazza-bells ringing-music everywhere-artists painting in the square..."

Years before my mother had taken me to see Katherine Hepburn and Rosanno Brazzi in the movie "Summertime". It had left a clear imprint on my heart of how life changing this trip was for the woman in the movie. I remember the camera panning toward Venice as the train that she was riding got closer and closer to this city on the water. She had this look of longing and discovery and complete and overwhelming joy on her face. When I first saw Venice I finally understood what that look meant. I felt it in my heart. I fell in love with Venice completely from the moment I arrived there.

Christmas 2006 Aria was living in Italy. She sent me a beautiful book of photographs of Venice. The title "VENEZIA Citta` di sogni e ossessioni" (VENICE City of dreams and obsessions). She wrote this: "Dear Momma, The author's dedication in this book reads "A mia madre...spirito mite in un mondo instabile"--"To my mother...warm spirit in an uncertain world."

Thank you for always being such a warm spirit in my life, for encouraging me not to be afraid of each new adventure..."

I suppose everyone has some special place that touches them in unforgettable ways... for me Venice is one of those places...magical, mysterious and beautiful.

It's a brand new year! "DREAM ON"

"...the dreamer and the dream are the same...the powers personified in a dream are those that move the world."
-Joseph Campbell

"I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind. "

-Emily Bronte

The beginning of a new year is like a second chance. It's an opportunity to try again for something that we want and a chance to dream new dreams. I once cut out a small, little blurb that someone had placed in the classified section of the Daily Bruin (the campus newspaper at UCLA). This was a long time ago. I stuck that clipping on the wall by the typewriter in my office in the 1970's. I'd look at the words on that little piece of paper often. This is what it said:

"I always dreamed of the brightest and the best. How could I ever settle for less."

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009! Dream On...

"Oh The Places You'll Go"

"Slowtravellers Unite" Savannah Georgia

Another great party at Palma's desert Slowtrav GTG

Athena's summer in NYC

Angel's stadium, Anaheim California

Athena in London

Cliffs of Mohr, Ireland Athena celebrates her "20th Birthday" September

Athena in Paris

Top of the Duomo on Aria's 24th birthday, February

Firenze: Stefano, Barb, Aria and Daniele "Fancy meeting you HERE!"

We did alot of traveling this year. Sometimes it felt like Grand Central Station with bags packed, making reservations, discovering the "how to maneuvers" of new cities, but all in all it was a year of many adventures.

This is how 2008 stacked up for the us:

January: Recuperate from the holidays and gear up for travel

February: Barb to Italy

March: Re-Opening Ceremony for the Jingu Family Japanese Tea Gardens in Texas

April: Barb's "Slowtravel Get-together" Savannah Georgia

Aria and Daniele to Paris for Easter break

May: Athena to NYC for summer Penguin Publication internship

June: Aria finishes her Fulbright in Sardinia. Off to Rome, Florence and southern Italy

July: Barb to Bay area

August: Everyone's home to celebrate Daniele's 1st visit to California

September: Aria starts graduate school, University of Wisconsin, Athena to Ireland

October: Barb and Mike to Charleston, South Carolina

Palm Desert "Slowtrav" Get-together at Palma and Brad's

November: Cleveland Ohio family visit

Thanksgiving in Las Vegas

December: Athena to Paris

Everyone home for the Holidays!

There Will Be Signs

Laguna Beach Aug. 2008...a stranger left us a nice note in the sand

My normal morning routine is to rise pretty early and go straight to the computer. I check email, I read blogs, I spend far too much time on my favorite internet site "slowtrav.com". The first thing that caught my eye today was on my slowtrav friend, Kim's blog. She quoted a piece of writing entitled, "Footprints". It's something that seems to come along every now and then with just enough time between readings that when you re-read it, it is meaningful all over again. I love things that seem to come along just at the right time. It's soothing, comforting. What it feels like is that your questions are being heard and someone is listening to you and is answering you. The thing is sometimes you don't know if anyone is hearing you and then a sign pops up, or a quote on a blog or something obscure appears in your path written in the sand and you feel like you are not alone and you are certainly being heard. I was reminded of a time in my life when I felt particularly stressed, feeling torn and overburdened with responsibilities for my mom and my children and work and taking night classes. That morning I was driving along filled with anxiety. The light turned red and I slowed the car to a stop. I glanced down to the bumper sticker pasted on the car in front of me. This is what it said: "Don't worry, it's in God's hands."

Sometimes that's all you need to remember. There will be signs.

Here is the "Footprints" passage.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, "You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there have only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?" The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you." Mary Stevenson

Our Annual "JINGU Bells" Family Christmas Party

We all know Jeff's line, "Ciao Bella!"

Great to have Aria and Daniele home with us for Christmas!

Cousin Ann baked all the cookies.

Everyone wanted to steal Sonya's diamond studded glasses...

....except ME!

Merry, Merry Christmas Everyone!

Holidays would not be complete without our annual JINGU family Christmas party. Cousins, aunts and uncles, grandpas, grandmas, nieces and nephews gather from far and near. This year Daniele shared his first American Christmas with us. The "white elephant" gift exchange was the hit of the night. Everyone wanted Sonya's diamond studded sunglasses. Sorry Aria but I had to steal your pedicure set but good thing you have a nice boyfriend who stole it from me and gave it back to YOU! What a lot of laughs we had. Everyone wanted Sonya's diamond studded butterfly sunglasses but no one wanted your piece of COAL. Buon Natale-Merry Christmas!!

Speaking of Thrill rides

I think this picture that I found from 1995 will tell you how everyone in my family feels about thrill rides.