Italy ~ Day 5 & 6

One of the things I love about mornings is, just about anywhere you are, they begin pretty much the same.  The quiet darkness being overcome by the light, piece by piece and the world slowly waking up.  Mornings in Bellaria were beautiful, peaceful...I think its always extra special when the sun comes up over the water.

Given that I enjoy coffee so, I thought it would be grand drinking it in Italy.  I was wrong.  I am in the minority here, I understand, but I just wasn't into it.  The cappuccinos are pretty, but I miss my Maxwell House with half-n-half.

Morning session.  Somehow Shaun ended up running the slides for the morning worship....such a talented man.  :)

Once that was over it was time to get to work setting up for the show that night.

Avery and I were "non-essentials", so we opted for the bus trip with the conference people to San Marino.

San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world.  San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe, with only Vatican City and Monaco being smaller. San Marino has no natural level ground; it is entirely composed of hilly terrain....the population is 30,000.

Avery and I did our own thing, mostly walking, taking pictures (me) and shopping (her). I took entirely too many, but it was just so beautiful and really just a special day of being together.

We got back in time for dinner and then the show!!

It was unexpectedly emotional to see the show actually performed on a stage in Europe.  So much has gone into making this happen....time, money, planning and prayer....and here we were, doing it!

The show went really, really well, with no major snags and it was received with great enthusiasm.

The next day, I let Avery sleep in late (until 10:30!), so we missed the morning session.  We were walking over to the conference center when we stumbled onto our group, who were already shopping.  Avery gladly joined in.  :)

Waiting for lunch.  Guess what was served?  You never would be able to, so I'll tell you.  Rabbit.  Pork stuffed with rabbit.  FYI...it does NOT taste like chicken.

These little pickup trucks are adorable, though I'm glad I don't have to use it for my dump and home goods runs.

The hotel we stayed in was so charming.  The owner, who just smiled and laughed with guests all the time was always there.  In the morning when I went out for a run, he was there saying Buongiorno!  Buenos Dias! and Good morning! to me.  Then when we'd come dragging in at 11 PM from the last session, he was there greeting everyone.

So charming, in fact, that this is where people left their room key.  There was only one per room and the key chain weighed about 10 lbs., so it just made sense to leave it there by the front desk.

Since the show was done and there was nothing happening until the evening, Shaun had his first time off of the week.  The three of us poked around in the shops and got some gelato.

Then Avery and I hit the beach for a bit.

The final session was moving and well done.

Then it was time to take down and pack up.  With lots of hands we did it in record time.

Tami's dad treated us all to gelato on the square, aka the cast party.  :)  It was nearly midnight and we were all tired, but so grateful for the opportunity we'd had...and the ones to come!