After months and months and months of waiting- we finally have orders. They are printed and in my hand this very minute- I am so excited! We will be leaving Italy mid July and moving to Newport, Rhode Island! We are thrilled. We have heard so many wonderful things about Rhode Island and have always wanted to live in the North East. Of course, we are also excited because Robert's schedule should be much more predictable and should allow for a lot more family time. Overall we are really please and feel very blessed. We know there are many great opportunities and experiences awaiting us in Newport.

This is a picture of the breakers in Newport, isn't it beautiful?

I can do this kind of beautiful in my life!

I just wanted to let you know that I have not been blogging much on this site becasue I have been busy with a few other sites I have created. Check them out for some of what we have been doing these last few weeks My Life in Pictures and Naples Homeschool Group.

I have loved living in Italy becasue I feel like I have learned so much about the people and culture here. It has been fun to explore Europe too over the last few years- I have learned a lot about each country's history and culture. I feel that my perspective on life and people and what makes a nation great has grown leaps and bounds. I have learned that we all have strengths and weakness and that while we are diverse in many ways we have more in common than we have in difference.

Anyway, my reason for mentioning any of that was to set the stage for the humorous e-mail Robert sent me a few days ago. I hope you appreciate it as much as I did.

When a German doesn't know something...
HE LEARNS IT.
When an American doesn't know something...
HE PAYS TO LEARN IT.
When a British doesn't know something...
HE BETS ON IT.
When a French doesn't know something...
HE PRETENDS HE KNOWS IT.
When a Spanish doesn't know something...
HE ASKS FOR AN EXPLANATION.
When a Greek doesn't know something...
HE CHALLENGES YOU ON WHO IS RIGHT.
When an Irish doesn't know something...
HE DRINKS ON IT.
When a Swiss doesn't know something...
HE STUDIES IT.

When an Italian doesn't know something...

HE TEACHES IT!!!

Telling and true, hu? I am grateful for it though. The world would be a terrible mess if we were all the same, don't you think?! I guess diversity really does make the world go round!

I had the most startling experience today with Spencer and I just can't stop thinking about it.

We found out that the reason our orders have not yet arrived is becasue Spencer's EFMP statis has not been updated in 3 years. So this morning I called the hospital to make an appointment. I was on the phone explaining the situation to the receptionist when Spencer burst into tears and ran out of the room. I finished the appointment making process and then went up to find him. He was in his room sobbing- literally, he could hardly breathe. I tried to talk to him and he got really angry. I tried to explain to him why we needed the appointment and assured him it would not involve any invasive procedures but the more I tried to help him understand the worse it got. He said he would not go to the doctor NO MATTER WHAT! I decided to give him a chance to cool off since our conversation was making him angry and me sad.

I feel terrible becasue I don't know how to help him. I want to be compassionate and understanding but I also want to be honest with him. I want him to understand that everyone has limits and problems and trials and heartache and that this just happens to be one the of his. I want to teach him to be educated and informed about his food allergies. I want to teach him to deal with his feelings in a positive way. I want to teach him to be proactive about any problem he faces and not wally in sadness or anger. I want to teach him all this things but I can't becasue right now the hurt inside his hear is bigger than any kind of logic I can put in his brain. It is just so hard to watch.

If anyone has ideas or references for helping kids understand and deal with their own disabilities / limitations- I would love to know!

There is a great little section of the book, "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss that I have been thinking a lot about lately. It goes like this,

You'll come down from the lunch
with an unpleasant bump.
And chances are then,
you'll be stuck in the slump.

And when you're in a slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Because un-slumping yourself
is not easily done!

I guess I have been thinking about this a lot lately because I feel like I am in a slump and I am really struggling to know how to deal with it. I mean, I have had my share of bad days but this is different- I can't seem to shake it. I feel emotionally worn out and frustrated. I feel isolated and alone. I am physically tired and can't seem to find the motivation to the things that I need to do. I've been in this place for a while now and it is really starting to concern me. Have you ever felt this way before? What do you do to un-slump yourself? I'd love to know!