diggin for roots & growin old in home sweet Italia

Some might say that I am bit over-zealous about birthdays. It's sort of, like, the most important celebration for an individual personally though...seeing as if you didn't have a birthday, then you weren't actually born (seems obvious, right?). Which is why it's so great--we all were given the opportunity to LIVE (this really has nothing to do with us anyhow) and thus why not go the extra mile to have a stinkin blast on the anniversary of your screamin, cryin entrance into the world?! It's a celebration of life, yo... So, a HEARTY thanks to God who gives life, to all of you who understand the importance of birthdays, and to those who made mine so special this year. :)

So now that I've stated the obvious I'd like to make documentation of probably the best b-day ever...that is, December 27, 2005...the day I turned 2-dozen.

This year I got the opportunity to spend my birthday exploring the land of my ancestors--that is, (the few, the proud) Cernoia's, in the north east region of Fruili, Italy. It was pretty convenient to travel there considering myself and 5 teammates along with my best friend Mar, spent Christmas in Slovenia--a mere 2 hour drive from Cernoiaville.
Some highlights of the day include the following....
*driving through the Julian Alps past tiny villages and car-dancing (i.e. wildly thrashing about to Jeff Buckley and Bloc Party)
*getting soaked by ridiculously large snowflakes (as large as cottonballs) falling from the sky
*exploring the towns of Cividale and Udine, Italy
*enjoying one of the most delicious meals to ever to grace these lips--three hour long, three course meal complete with Tocai local vino...candle light...sigh. (Italians understand food like no other culture I know.)
*the spirit of my ancestors pulsing through my veins--haha, just kidding
*practicing my Italian--and recieving a "bravissima" from a local
*experiencing such unconditional love from my teammates & Mar--I'm undeserving. You teach me what the body of Christ should be. (Nothing speaks love to this girl like a tiny porcelin fawn in a baby cradle.)
*skipping down cobblestone streets
*falling asleep to "About a Boy"--one of my fav. movies ever

Some visuals from our travels...

Mar and I
The beautiful town of Cividale del Friuli
Melissa & this hat were meant to be!
The Parma girls meeting up in Venice!
Van rides are sweet
The guys and me in Udine, Italy












Sadly, I didn't actually get to meet any Cernoia's, but I did speak on the phone to some befuddled relatives with poor English. Better luck next time. It is worthly of mention that the restaurant we ate at in Udine was owned by (a) Fabio (look-alike).