Deep blue -- one color of love

Once in a blue moon or in this case once in a a blue sky, someone gives you a generous gift of place that tingles every sense and you wonder if you have arms, ears and eyes big enough to take it all in. Steve gave me this gift for our 23rd wedding anniversary... he took me 23 miles off the Lazio coast to the island of Ponza, a volcanic crag in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

We took the train to Anzio and then a ferry to this harbor so quaint and colorful that my eyes watered, and I had to blame it on the bright sun. Never mind that I normally get sea sick, THIS TIME my stomach was doing flips of joy.....
I was in the throws of missing Italy and this wonderful 20 mile island was a great parting gift.
I couldn't help but marvel that it was possible to love a spouse more over time than on your wedding day when you think you have reached the summit of love.
We climbed a hill above the harbor to the cemetery, the best view on the island, and it looked like we stepped into Greece with the white washed buildings and sapphire sea and cloudless sky.
Truly this is where they got the phrase "died and went to heaven."
The cute lighthouse was built by the Bourbons in the 19th century when they colonized the island.

Looking around at the simplicity, Steve commented that we only need a space this big and the immense sunny sky to truly be happy....

He's probably right.... the view, flowers and a supple Fendi handbag..... (I am still a far cry from only needing 100 things)

There is a Dolce and Gabbana commercial on Italian TV that shows this couple making out in a boat in this cove below, it's no wonder, mother nature set the perfect romantic scene.

Steve eventually coaxed me up and out and we had a great lunch perched up on a mountaintop. We finished up the afternoon with a winding ride around the steep island, with a belvedere around every bend where the boats looked like tiny toys below.
The end of the day came too fast and we had to head back. I hate the end of things--- and I think that is why I hate to throw things away, or say goodbye or eat the last bite...because I want to savor and hold onto the moment....
Said arreverderci we did, but this memory, like love, is only one summit of others to follow......

The higher power of flowers

What mother doesn't melt at the sight of flowers? It makes all the thankless hours of scrubbing dirty laundry, ironing, picking up mess and playing taxi service all worth it.

For Homecoming this last week, the Senior boys on the Football team lined up on the field with these long stem red roses. Isn't that the most tender sight -- teenagers who turn back into boys?

Yes I had to wear sunglasses to hide my tears after Trevor hugged me when they called the parents on field.Guam High won their Homecoming game against Southern High Dolphins 42 to O and sent a couple poor opposing players to the hospital.The cheerleaders do pushups to correspond with the touchdowns. Trevor and a few football players join in to keep the girls motivated.Here is Trevor holding the corsage he will give to his date Allison for the Homecoming dance. He didn't seem to understand the fuss of flowers since all the boys weren't bringing corsages for their dates.

Trevor did understand after looking at Allison's smile when he put the corsage on her wrist and while hearing several girls comment to their date "Where are my flowers?" Suddenly he understand the power of flowers to make a woman smile.

This ad brought to you by WWF (Woman Want Flowers) :0)

It's a Shore Thing

Everyone asks me these days what I miss about Italy...well that is a earful and a post for another day. Can I just tell you 1 thing that I missed about Guam when we lived in Italy----

Vibrant Sunsets and enormous clouds over a thousand shades of blue ocean. Obviously in Italy we lived near the ocean, but access to the beach with all the traffic was frustrating and so water sunsets were few and far between.

I grew up near the mountains, and I love hiking and the smell of pines,

but there is nothing so soul invigorating as seeing the reflection of sky on water, with the briny smell of ocean and soothing lap of water on the shore. I have decided that purple and pink sunsets are up there with dark chocolate in making me feel good.

One obviously makes me look better in a swimsuit as well... Swimsuits after dark--it's a "shore" bet everyone looks good.

First time for everything new

New school, new school year, and brand new sports... this has been the latest buzz word for Brendan and Trevor the past few weeks. Brendan put on compression tights and tiny running shorts and joined the cross country team. He came home with huge bloody burst blisters the first day of practice. They ran 5 miles--the furthest Brendan has ever run. I was proud of him for going out again the next day and the next in the rain and wind for more punishment. He even got up at 4:45 am with me and ran two Guam Running Club road races. For a sport he is only doing to get in shape for wrestling, he has gone the extra mile.
Guam High's course is through the jungle, through the mud and almost all uphill. It is a tough course and all the island schools dread running races on it.
Since Brendan was new at the racing game, he found out the hard way that everyone sprints into the finish and you can't coast in or you get passed. It almost looks like he wants to grab the kid passing him (above).

He is tired but he isn't hurling his lunch like the kid to the left.

They call Brendan "white lightening." You think he needs to get rid of his farmer tan and get some color?
Here he is talking to Trevor in the tan shirt to his right who is passing out the completion sticks to every competitor.

For Trevor, FOOTBALL is his new sport.

As a senior he came out to play football for the very first time! (They don't play American Football in Europe so he didn't have an opportunity to play) Since he didn't have enough practices under his belt (we got here too late in the summer), Trevor had to be the water boy or "hydration specialist" the first game.

He took this "job" very serious and ignored all the girls that were standing around taking his photo. (I did get him to turn around once during the last few seconds of the game during a time out) The next day he had several Facebook requests from girls hoping he would add them to his accepted Friend list. Sometimes it is nice being the New Guy.

First look all decked out in pads. You are looking at the new Guam High middle line backer, and various other position they decided to rotate him into.
This was big game against their main rivals GW (George Washington). GW was the island champion last year. because the home stadium doesn't have lights, we play during the day in the brutal sun. It was 100 degrees out there with the 100% humidity. Can you say sweat?

Trevor is the player furthest to the right. He is the only one with his socks all the way up.
Here he is coming to help with a tackle. This game he helped recover a fumble in the 4th quarter, resulting in a win against GW.

Guam High School has a great team this year. We were all proud Trevor made the team and wasn't cut during tryouts. He worked hard, even doing workouts after the team went home. One of the coaches praised him for all his hard work and for giving 110% on the field. He also said to Trevor "Guess you are more than a pretty face." He has also been blessed this year to have an assistant football coach to teach him football while using wrestling terms that Trevor understands. This has made all the difference in the world. " Ma, Ma Mama says... mama says" (WaterBoy movie) the alligator is so angry because GHS has sharp teeth and dominates this year.

My NEW sport? Racing to pick up three kids from three sports after school and see all their matches and games. I am also competing in laundry olympics. It is rainy season right now and everything comes home covered in red mud that is horrific to clean. A lot of Shout , Oxyclean and elbow grease.