Oklahoma to Italy 2010

Last Day, we made it home!! !

2010-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our last dinner was great. We had about five clubs attend and it was very crowded. Luciano was the main contact for Calgliari and did a great job with getting everything set up for us. We made it home on our 10.5 hour flight, then had about a five hour lay over in Chicago. We went to Morton's for a good American Steak! It was great, we even had bread and butter and ice in our water. By the time we got onto our flight to OKC, we were hitting a wall. We all made it safely back and are glad to be home. Bose's best friend was there to welcome us with a fancy sign. I am now going through all of my new stuff and sorting out the many memories before I head out and get the rest of my life in order. I can't wait to see my girls later tonight!!!! I think I get a welcome home dinner at The Boulevard tonight with my parents and the girls. Life is sweet. I will jump back into work tomorrow and am looking forward to it. Ciao.

Cagliari

2010-06-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Visited a company called Aborea in Oristano yesterday. A huge milk and cheese company and very impressive. It was a great tour. Went to a local farm where some of their milk is sourced from. The bull on the left was HUGE!! The cow on the right was his girlfriend for the moment. It was am impressive farm and the owners were very kind to our group!! Saw many other spots for vocation yesterday and ended the day with great pizza and friends!!! Went to the local market this morning and saw many things, mostly various parts of every animal in Sardania. It was so crowded with the locals. We fianally got a nice day at the beach to relax and enjoy. We are just about ready to give our last presentation for the month. We head home tomorrrow. It has been a fun trip.

Cagliari Day One

2010-05-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Tour of Cagliari with some new friends. Dinner with my host, his girlfriend and friends. We visited the largetst Radio Telescope in Italy, the second largest in the world!! It is under construction. Had more porcetta for lunch. Lacey did not like the pic face!! I ended up eating the ear, but not the brains!! More historic ruins. It is nice in Calgari on Sunday as most things are closed. Tomorrow we have more vocation.

Iglesias

2010-05-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Had a great dinner with Marisa Dessi (host Rotarian) and her family last night!!! Big vocation day today. Visted a very impressive meat company by the name of Salumitaliani (or Porro). They were very advanced with technology and had an amazing inventory system for thier products. Visited a small pasta facility, family owned. The plant was close to 40 years old, but had been updated with new equiupment and looked brand new. It was great to see this process. We had lunch and a tour at a wine factory and then visted Porto Flavio, an old mining area used here in Iglesias. We were underground in the mining tunnels with hard hats and flashlights.

Oristano

2010-05-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

Oristano was a very quick trip for the GSE team. We were able to take a tour of the city where most of the children were dressed up in traditional costumes of the area. We visited the Oristano museum, a few churches and a monestary. We later took a trip to the old ruins of Tarros, which were inhabited by the early settlers of Oristano and Sardinia prior to the Romans. Only one third of the area has been excivated so far and it has not been touched for close to 30 years. (due to funding) After our tour, we were able to relax for about one hour on a small beach next to the Mediteranian Sea. After a tour of the local fish farm, we headed back for lunch got ready to travel to Iglesias.

Ozieri

2010-05-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am with Diego and Jiovanna, my hosts in the small town of Ozieri. Sat next to Catarina at both lunch and dinner yesterday. ( I think we are dating!) She did not speak much English but we were able to communicate well. Is it possible my Italian is getting better?? Catarina and her husband were celebrating 50 years of marraige. The night ended with the traditional Sardanian love song. Got it all on video. Yesterday, we visited two cheese plants and a small knife factory.

Supramonte de San Giovanni

2010-05-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

RICOLA!!!!!!!!

Had a great time with both Italian and French Rotarians at the Super Mountains of San Giovanni. What a great day!! Not only did we have to practice our Italian, but they threw in some French. There is also another language spoken here in Sardania that is closer to Spanish. To many words to learn in one day, but overall, we are learning a lot!!

Porto Tores

2010-05-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

4 million pounds of corn can be stored here!!!

Left Siniscolla after the wine tasting competition. GSE OKC got to pick the 2nd and 3rd place wine for the Sardanian competition. There was also a huge Italian wedding in the same location and it was quite the experince! The team later went to Porto Tores and had another great experience. Antonio and Nina were so much fun and hosted most of the team. We were able to break away (quickly) for a trip to the beach, but later visited the fertalizer, feed, and seed plant of Antonio. It was very impressive!! He imports fertalizer from all over the world and exports feed and seed to areas in Italy. A true entreprenuer and self made man. He loved to kiss the GSE OKC girls on the cheaks!! A totally fun guy!! The team celebrated with a bottle of champagne after the tour in true Antonio style. Thank goodness for our few interpreters.

Tivoli, Rieti, Viterbo, Bolsena....4 cities/1 week

2010-05-22T01:22:00.000-07:00

In Viterbo I got to visit another geologist office where he gave me two presentations about the types of rocks in Italy and how they utilize seismic data. I even got to play with some of their geologic software and we discussed the differences between Oklahoma rocks and those in Italy.

In Bolsena we were blessed with a wonderful translator! Francesca is only 16 years old and she was absolutely amazing! At lunch she was even able to translate a conversation between her dad and I about wind energy b/c he is an engineer that builds wind farms (so interesting)!

In Rieti my host mom, Monica Palazzoli, was the best cook in the world! I can't wait to try her pastry recipe. I'm still missing her food. Although Giampiero and Monica (host parents) didn't speak English it was as though I could understand them perfectly. They're son Gian-Marco also informed me that he knew of OKC b/c he watched the THUNDER in the playoffs! So, OKC is officially famous!

While in Bolsena we toured an olive oil production company.

In Tivoli I spent a day with Francesco Poggi. Francesco is a geologist that owns a Travertin Quarie. The production process was pretty amazing and so was the sulfur water. The sulfur water is known for it's healing powers and I will say that my feet were SUPER soft for a couple of days after I got in it. He was even kind enough to give me a piece to take home!

Siniscola

2010-05-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Doing these presentations is getting pretty easy, but I need to practice singing OKLAHOMA. I keep getting the words wrong. We ate well and had Carpretto, which is goat in Italy. It was pretty good. We all got gifts from the club and the girls wanted to show off thier traditional Sardinia wedding rings. I got a cool pocket knife made out of a goats horn and Michelle got a fancy pendant. Earlier in the day, we got to go sail on the Mediteranian with Mimo our Rotarian Capitan. It was a great day overall.

2010-05-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

They actually serve sardines in Sardania! These little suckers were brought out with the wine and cheese at a pre dinner get together. Visited a local grocery store, more like a Wal Mart of Sardania. Food, clothes and everyday home stuff. Very nice. Finally visited a huge meat plant that makes Salame, Salsiccia, Pancetta and PROSCIUTTO!! It was very impressive. This is me with the owner's daughter and our tour guide. Great family business that started small and grew to the best in Sardinia. They supply Sardania and several parts of Rome. The team is staying in the same home while we visit Siniscola, Sardania. We are staying with Partizio and Orieta. We got to sleep in a little bit today and are actually having eggs and bacon. Eggs are right from the hen house (litterally) and we had chicken eggs and duck eggs. The "bacon" is really ham, Italian style. Very salty and very good! We are finally wearing shorts due to the nice weather and lack of piove (rain). Ciao!

2010-05-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

What a great trip with the Bolsena Rotary club. We did so much here and had wonderful places to stay!! We visited the town where the 1965 version of Romeo and Juliet was filmed (hence the death scene photo with me and Lacey). The team had a great lunch on day one with a ton of great food and wine. Many tours of museums and old Etruscan ruins, very interesting!! We also toured a sheep and lamp slaughter facility (Bose and Lacey could not take it). The olive oil company was way cool! Next time you are at an Italian restaurant, take a piece of bread and cover it with salt, apply the olive oil and WOW!! It is delicioso!! The wine cellar was the best!!!! We are now off to the island of Sardinia. Thank you to Francesca for being such a great interpretur for the team. Very smart 16 year old who will make it big one day!!! And thank you to Carlo and Lucia for being great hosts. I loved smoking your cigars!!!

Bolsena

2010-05-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Bolsena and have been touring most of the day. Got to visit a lamb and sheep slaughter facility today. Lacey and Bose had a tough time, but Michelle and Penny did great!!! We finally got a little gelato again today. I am staying with Carlo and Lucia and they have a beautiful home!! I am all set up in Bolsena (bit I am actually staying in a town called Moltanto). Having a hard time getting on wireless so I may not be able to upload pics for a few days. We are off to dinner now, Ciao.

2010-05-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

The team has had a great time in Viterbo. Stayed with Massimo and his family at thier little cottage. What an adventure!! Toured the Civita de Bangiorego and the Piazza de Papa. Had some great food, the antipasta was one to remember. The next day I was able to tour a cow farm and tabacco farm. The group was part of a major copo that serviced some very nice grocery stores all over Viterbo. More tours in the morning with a few young translators (Drew, Megan and Veronica) from the states. There were high school exchange students and they were very polished!!! Nice tour of Universita degl stud della Tuscia. I had dinner with Giuessppe and his girlfriend, Barbara. Grert couple. I sat between her parents and we all had a blast trying to speak Italian. Not one of them spoke English, but we made it by and made great memories. Thank you to Alberto (Club President) for organizing a great trip for GSE Oklahoma.

Reiti

2010-05-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Picture with my family in Reiti. Simonetta, Dave, Leonida and Matteo. Great family!!! Went to a bar and the first thing we saw was the OU hat, no other collgiate thing in the place. So cool!! Our team with Alfonso and Nikki at the falls. It was very cool.

Reiti to Viberto

2010-05-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

We left Reiti today and it was actually a sad good-bye ceremony. Last night's dinner was just our team and the families at a great restaurant downtown. We had a dish Saltambuca that was AMAZING!!!! Penny and Lacey actually got to make this in Tivoli. We continue to eat like kings!! Today we visited Cascata delle Marmore, which is a man made waterfall in Terni, just out side of Reiti. WOW, this thing was man made in the III Century by the Romans to help control the water flow into Rome. These Romans continue to amaze me! Now we are in the Viberto area in a small town called Celleno. (Sounds just like the mexican resturant). I am having trouble loading pictures, but will keep trying. So much to share, we have seen so much.

2010-05-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Had a busy night and day. Another awesome performance by the team and exchange of flags. We got to sit with the "younger people" some our age and some that were in Roteract. Today we went to the factory where they process the truffles. The dog actually digs them up from the ground. His name is Elmo. After this we visited the CLAR plant where they produce milk and cheese. This was great!!! Very good motzerella! More sight seeing of the town. It's been raining the entire time we have been here and everyone keeps apologizing. To funny, we don't care. My host family, Leonida and Simonetta are great. Thier son, Matteo is my age and we are having fun going out on the streets of Reiti, after dinner last night. It's been a fun day and I was going to take a nap, but have been downloading pictures and blogging and will run out of time before dinner. We eat so late here, but the days go by so fast. Earlier today, the GSE President, Felice was driving us around. He pulled over and said "Dave, you drive". My heart rate went up quick, but I did OK. It was great.

Rieti

2010-05-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Rieti is such a beautiful town!! We have been very busy running around and doing a lot of vocation!!! We visited Baxter, who manufactures plasma from blood for fighting desease. Very interesting tour!! We also got to visit with the Mayor of Reiti. What an honor! And of course we got to see a lot of wonderful sites in town. There is a lot of history in Rieti, dating back to before the Romans. The people here have been so generous. They also served us Truffles on toast, which is made from a type of mushroom like plant found under oak trees. Very rare and can cost up to $2,000 per pound!!!! What a special treat for the GSE team. More to come. I must download more pictures to share. What a great trip!!

Saluti di Reiti

2010-05-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

After some technical difficulties I finally have access to the blog site. Everyone we have met has been so nice, and they all speak such good English we don't have any trouble understanding them. After leaving the noisy yet historically overflowing Rome, we spent 3 days in Tivoli, which was quiet and peaceful and beautiful, now we are in Reiti, which is busier and cooler because it is surrounded by mountains. Today we met the mayor and ate truffles, tomorrow more adventures await! They keep us so busy I have a hard time getting any pictures downloaded, but I'll try to put up a few this weekend. Miss you all!

Goodbye Tivoli!

2010-05-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

We finally began the host family portion of our trip in Tivoli. I was lucky to stay with a journalist for the Il Messengario and his wife, a teacher. Raffaela and Caterina were such gracious hosts, as was their son Giovani and daughter Maria Carolina. X Their home was beautifully decorated. Unfortunately the paper wasn't open in the morning for a tour so we invited Lacey over and Caterina showed us how to cook carbonera and saltimbuco (jump in the mouth). So very cool! The kitchen is small by American standards, but we all fit in and she showed us how to roll the meat with ham and special cheese and how they like their pasta cooked. We discussed social media and health care in america over lunch, along with a million other things. Great conversation though confusing at times because of translation, lucky for me Lacey can speak spanish and that has been so helpful!!!
They let me relax and rest, which was much needed, but took me in as one of their own. We toured the town, ate pizza and drank a local beer (biera) which was VERY good.
We left this morning for Reiti, which is a beautiful town nestled in some mountains of which I can't think of the name. So green and gorgeous. The people here are very welcoming and excited to have us as we are the first GSE team to come here. We met the mayor of the town, toured a few historic sites, heard wonderful speeches about the town, and THEN!!!! Had a truffle tasting. Best part of the day!
My hosts here are also amazing, though they cannot speak English at all, and my Italian is very limited. We try to communicate, but their actions speak more than words. So kind! They have a son, but he left a bit ago to play Texas Hold 'em style poker. ( he can speak some english)
Tomorrow is another day and I can't wait to see what's in store!

Arrivederci Tivoli

2010-05-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

The Tenuta La Rosolina is where I stayed while in Tivoli. Emanuele was a great host. Carlo was also very helpful in getting me around. I'm sure the dog wanted to say Arrivederci to all of you as well. Looking forward to what lies ahead in Reiti.

Presentation in Tivoli

2010-05-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Team OKC GSE presenting at the Tiovli Rotary Club on Thursday night. We did another great job! The guys sitting with Bose switched her pages on her speach and thew her off a bit. I thought it was the best rendition of OKLAHOMA yet. Can you just see us singing the O in Oklahoma in one of these pics? Classic!! Tivoli was a beautiful town with many sites to see. Tomorrow, we are off to Rieti. Looking forward to our next adventure. We ended dinner at 11:30 again. This would be a normal thing here in Italy. After the second serving, I was so full, but the food kept on coming. Then dessert. They kept wanting me to say dessert and then desert. They thought it was so funny. We are tired and are getting picked up early for the next town. Time for bed. Good job team GSE!!!

2010-05-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Vocational day at GF Meat Company. They are not the same type of company as Lopez Foods, but it was great to see an Italian Meat Operation. Andrea Amici, the owner's son, took me and Emanuele on a tour. It was a very nice plant, and very clean. After lunch, we went to another Rotarian's Farm (with the Dairy Cows).

Tivoli Day 1!

2010-05-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

Tivoli is an amazing city! It is much like Oklahoma City b/c everyone knows everyone. We went to Villa D'Este yesterday. It is the most amazing garden I have ever seen and everything is run by the hydraulic system which is about a million and one years old. They even have an organ that is run by water power. It is incredible what the ancient Romans could do with water! Here's a picture of the gardens. I get to spend the day with an Italian Geologist, Francesco! Travertine here I come!!!!

Ciao!

Tivoli Dinner

2010-05-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

Our team with the Tivoli group. Penny and Lacey are getting a pasta lesson today. Bose is taking a tour of a travatine facility, and I get to head over to a small meat factory (about 80 people work there, I am told). Not sure what Michelle is doing. It's been poring rain here and the Italians keep apologizing for the bad weather. We really could care less, it's so nice. I did almost get locked out of the hotel last night (it's a bed and breakfast). It was pouring rain and it was past midnight. Could not get these old school keys to work, but I finally did make it work. Having breakfast, at the moment and I had time to update the blog. Looking forward to another day of good people and good Italian food.

Villa d' Este (Tivoli)

2010-05-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

After we arrived in Tivoli, we unpacked and went to visit Villa d 'Este. Built in 1550 by one of the Cardinals who wanted to be Pope. Made a fancy palace with a huge amount of natural fountains to impress his fellow Cardinals. By showing off his power, he wanted to influence thier vote. He never quite made it to the head of the church, but this place was pretty impressive! The tour of little Tivoli was awesome. This place is not flat like Rome and has many winding streets. We are worn out from climbing countless steps around the garden and fountain area. It was worth it!!

2010-05-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

We made it to Tivoli. It was a quick 1.5 hour drive from Rome. I am staying at a nice bed and breakfast/hotel. My host family owns the place and I got lucky. Emanuele is a crack up!! He also exports olive oil to the US, but only to the fancy stores that have not quite made it to Oklahoma (Sur la Tab was one of them). Tomorrow, he is taking me to a meat factory. Tivoli is a smaller town where everyone knows everyone. It is famous for the Villa D'Este (wait for the next post) and travertine. Most of Rome was built from the travertine from Tivoli. We had gelato at "the best place in town" and then stopped at Emauele's home to visit. It was very cool to see this old school Tivoli home. He also served us champagne during the tour. A really fun guy!! We later finished with another huge dinner (pizza) with other Rotary members. Great night!! Sono stanco!! (I'm tired!!) This trip is truly non stop and we are worn out!

2010-05-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Out team had thier second presentation at the North Rome Club. We once again did a great job speaking in Italian, so they tell us. I think think they are just proud we are doing our best. It was another nice event. This was our last night in Rome. We walked home and were able to walk down the Spanish Steps. We will miss Rome!

2010-05-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Penny, Lacey and I ate at the first McDonald's in Rome. It was very modern and beautiful!! Later that day, I ended up at the Coliseum, on the inside. It is so big. The inside is made of travertine. (made from Tivoli!)

Final Night in Rome

2010-05-12T02:23:00.001-07:00

We are sad to leave Rome, but excited to visit Tivoli!! This has been a wonderful experience so far. I cannot post pictures for some reason, probably due to the poor wireless connection in the hotel lobby. I promise to post once we get to a wire hook up. The team is a little nervous about the type of internet connectivity we will have in the other cities. I want to take these girls to the McDonald's here at Piazza de Spanga, it is very new and modern. I tried to hook up with the owner, but the manager told me that is was a company owned store. I will try and take some pictutres later today. I learned that the customers in Italy want more Italian type food on the menu. We can supply the beef and pork for the McPasta dish!! I'll get right to work on it.

We presented at the North Rome Club and did another fantastic performance. We are singing OKLAHOMA at the end of our presentation. The first time we did it, the music was nice and loud, but last night, they could hear our lovely voices loud and clear. The italians are always so proud of us after we present. I have a feeling out Italian will get better over the next few weeks.

AMAZING!

2010-05-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sisten Chapel...I'm in front of the most famous alter in the world!

Some dead Pope, I can't remember which one but he died in 1963. Still looks pretty good and preserved to me. Big Prize to whoever figures out which Pope he is :-)

The Collosium...it is HUGE!

2010-05-11T02:25:00.000-07:00

The team took a bus tour around Rome. Got to swing by the Coliseum.

Team members from Rotaract took us out for gelato. Rotaract is a group of younger Rotarians in Italy. They were still very professional!!! This place is one of the best in Rome, but most groups that take us for gelato have thier own "best place for gelato" in Rome.

Another club took us out for a great dinner in the Pizzia de Spagna. (close to the Spanish Steps) toranteThe restaurant was called Ristorante alla Rampa. We were given strict lessons on how to properly eat Bucatini (type of pasta). Don't mix the Bucatini with othe pasta! Twist the fork with your hand and open wide!! They also had great artichokes!! (Lauren, I did try and fried artichoke last night!!)

Lauren is living in Rome, but grew up in Oklahoma. Eugenio and Pialo are also in the picture. Bose and Lucciana were the silly ones, mostly talking about shoes and shopping. A great group of professional Rotarians in Italy. Thank you so much for a wonderful time in Rome!!
Most of us are now Facebook friends!!

Centro Nutrizionale Del Bambino

2010-05-11T02:06:00.000-07:00

One of the clubs too us to thier main project. The project is called Centro Nutrizionale Del Bambino and is desinged to help the less fortunate familes who need support. The facility had food and baby care items for new mothers. They also help young mothers learn to care for their babies. It was an amazing project! The team was very proud! What a great group!!

2010-05-11T01:30:00.000-07:00

GSE OKC was blessed with Maria, our tour guide for the Capital Museum last Saturday and the Vatican Museum /Sistine Chapel/St. Peter's Basilica. (Vatican City). She was a very special tour guide and we had such a great time with her!

The sites were amazing and we were all totally impressed. It took over 100 years to build St. Peter's Bisillica! Truly a work of art, as all of Rome is.

The team has been walking everywhere! We did try out some public transportation yesterday, including the metro (both undergrouud and street level) and the bus system. Roam is somewhat of a small city and it is very easy to get around. We get verey tired due to the busy schedule and somehow get through the day. There is to much to see and do. We agree that we will sleep more when we get back to the US. Rome is a truly acient city with layers of history. Small streets and small cars (smart cars) everywhere. There are more smart cars in Rome than in any other city. It makes sense.

The Italians keep aplogising for the "terrible weather" but we think it is beautiful. Just a little rain, which does not stop GSE OKC. In fact, we are all getting a little sun burn, but the Italians continue to wear sweaters and coats. It's interesting how we adapt to the climate of our own countries.

Dinner with some great Rotarian friends (Paola, Massimo, Corrado, and Niccolo). Great meal and fun conversation. We went to see thier project the following day. (will post later)

Having a blast!!

2010-05-09T02:03:00.000-07:00

The OKC GSE team is having a great time in Rome. The Italian Rotary club has been so good to us. We feel like roalty!! We have seen so many amazing sites in Rome and the weather has been great! The food is very good, especially the gelato. The team is walking everywhere around the city and our feet our tired. There is very little time to do anything and our schedules are loaded up. I only have 10 minutes to write this blog. Our first presetation was ealier this morning and we did a perfect job!! We presented the District President with an indian head dress from Oklahoma and the crowd went wild!! We are now off to see the Pope at the Vatican. Ciao!

2010-05-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

I got lost in Rome

2010-05-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to "tour" a little of Rome. I pretty much got lost. Had my little map out every two blocks to find my way and I eventually did find my way and saw a lot of amazing sites along the way. The small streets are so thin, made of mostly cobble stone. Most of the cars here are the little Smart Cars or other new types and look just about the same. Every once in a while you see a horse drawn buggy stoll by. I had breakfast at the little piazza next to the Pantheon. Great people watching, even that early. The Rotary event last night was very formal. We met some great people who spoke great English. They had guest speakers discussing the role of women in religion. One representative was Muslim, one was Jewish and the other was Catholic. It was hard to keep up, but we had a few translators helping. We were up pretty late and had a rough time towards the end of the program. The driving here is quite an experience!! Almost saw a fight between two Italian Drivers. We just found out our bus tour was cancled today due to weather?? It's beautiful outside. Looking forward to a fun day.

We made it!!

2010-05-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

My Italian sisters posing with the Trojans in the front of the Pantheon. We had a great flight over and met Salvio at the airport. (District Rotary Foundation Committee Chairman) Once at the hotel, we met Claudia and had a great lunch. We were able to tour around a bit and are now off to dinner and the beginning of the Rotary Conference. Today we also saw the Trevi Fountain (tossed the coins in!) and the Presidential Palace. The gelato is good stuff, but we need to keep trying more flavors for sure! I'm guessing we will hit a wall later tonight due to get lag. Italy is beautiful and we can't wait to see more.

Were off to Italy!!

2010-05-05T14:37:00.001-07:00

It was an interesting start of the trip for Dave. I travel all of the time, around the world, but today, I really screwed up. I got to the airport at 11:00, for our 12:24 departure time, and realized I left my backpack on the couch. Had to race home to get it, got a speeding ticket on the way back, and barely made the flight. To much stress for the day. I also had to much stuff in my suitcase. My Italian Sisters took out the extra weight and have distributed it in their luggage. That's called teamwork!! Saved me about $100 on the overweight charge. We made it and are waiting to get on the flight to Rome. Gate C15, check out the picture. We are all very excited and can't wait to get there. It's going to be a great trip.

Packing...

2010-05-04T23:14:00.001-07:00

Clearly, Penny Poo is WAY ahead of me! After a day of work, mani/pedis with Mrs. Penny, and a final visit with my bestie I'm still not ready. Ugh. Packing for a month is harder than I recall. Oh well, if I forget something I must not have needed it that bad :-)

We leave in less than 12 hours!
I'm up so late that I must already be on Italy time. Perfecto!

Bags are PACKED!

2010-05-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

The countdown clock only has one day left! Can't believe that my bags are finally packed and we leave tomorrow. So very excited for the adventure ahead!

Schedule!

2010-04-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for our departure to Italy!

Here's the schedule of cities we will visit:
5/05 - ITALY bound
5/06 - Rome
5/12 - Tivoli
5/14 - Rieti
5/16 - Viterbo
5/18 - Bolsena
5/20 - Siniscola
5/22 - Porto Torres
5/24 - Ozieri
5/26 - Oristano
5/27 - Iglesias
5/29 - Cagliari
6/02 - homeward bound

11 cities in 1 month...we're really going to moving along!

Click below to see where we'll be!
Lazio
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109755619176338402728.000484e70f25b7fe973ba&t=p&ll=41.129021,11.601563&spn=3.797928,7.064209&z=7

Sardenia
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109755619176338402728.000484e70e77bb7fe478a&z=8

BTW, I'm a beginner blogger so if those links don't work...ops!

Italian Friends

2010-04-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

I spent the day with the Italian team, we visited the Oklahoma Baptist Home for Children (one of the projects sponsored by my Rotary club) and Stockyards City, where they had a blast in Langstons trying on cowboy boots and western shirts. Northwest Rotary hosted a reception for them this evening, they were so proud everytime someone told them how much they enjoyed Italy!

McItaly

2010-04-19T05:30:00.001-07:00

Looks like we all need to practice our speaches, in Italian. I took a bunch out of mine to make it shorter. I am currently at the World Wide McDonald's convention and met some owner operators from Italy. They are from Napoli, but know the operator in Rome. Hopefully we can get formally introduced later this week. Hard to believe we only have a few more weeks left. We need to get that ash cleared up so we don't have any flight delays!!

Counting down the days...

2010-04-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

I am really looking forward to the whole experience and to keeping all my friends and family in the loop via the blog!

Going to Italy...

2010-04-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends,
I'm excited to be leading this Group Study Exchange to Italy from May 5 to June 2. Therefore, from mid-April to early June, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO:
A. break a hip,
B. have a heart attack or stroke,
C. have a baby to which I have naming rights,
D. schedule a wedding in which I must serve as a significant bridesmaid,
E. lose an eye, ear, arm, leg or other extremity in an auto accident, especially if you are at fault and I insure you,
F. need an organ transplant to which I am the only exact matching donor on the planet,
G. involve me in any shady business transactions that would prevent me from leaving the country while waiting to testify before a grand jury, OR
H. contract a fatal, icky disease, UNLESS
i. you can arrange to have your funeral completed by mid-April, giving me sufficient time to grieve prior to my departure on May 5, OR
ii. you can cling to life until I have returned in June.

Arrivederci!

Test

2010-03-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Hey, this is Dave and I am testing this out. I have never blogged before and want to make sure I don't screw this up.