top 3.

Oh, Italia...how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  Thou art more lovely than I ever imagined.  Thou art more enchanting than I ever dreamt.  Thou art more awe-inspiring than I ever anticipated.  To say it was the trip of a lifetime would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions.  I cannot even BEGIN to articulate the magic, the beauty, the outpouring of blessings I experienced...it was quite literally overwhelming at times.  Even now, I will be looking at pictures and will find myself on the verge of tears as the reality sets in that I was actually there and I'm not looking at someone else's photos.

My 9-day tour was an absolute whirlwind with an amazing sight, smell, taste, or sound to behold around every corner.  Suffice it to say, I will not even attempt to do a thorough posting of my time.  To give you an idea of what a feat that would be, Christy (my travel buddy), took over 3,000 pictures on her camera alone (not including iPhone photos).  I have sat with my sister on two occasions and have yet to get through half of my trip.  There is so much to share and so many stories to recall--it is a daunting task to be certain.

Be that as it may, I did want to at least share my top three moments in each city.  I know this is crazy as how can one really narrow it down to three when there were like three million?  Nevertheless, I am dying to share at least a few highlights in the hope that I might have time for a more expansive post in the future.

Rome

My first highlight comes from day #3 on my trip during our time in Vatican City.  Whilst touring St. Peter's Basilica, I came across the following side room for prayer:

I made my way into the chapel, knelt at one of the pews, and poured my heart out to God.  I began claiming very specific promises for each and every family member and dear friend.  They just were flowing like a spring of water.  And let me tell you what else was flowing, tears.  I was sobbing as the presence of the Lord came over me and was so very real.  I was also sobbing as the gravity of where I was began to set in.  It was such a beautiful and intimate moment--one I was never expecting, but was so grateful for.  It definitely was one of the top moments of my trip without question.

Side note: I am so thrilled our first trip to St. Peter's was on a less-crowded Monday as the room was not open on our subsequent visit the following Saturday.  Also, I have about 800 more pictures of St. Peter's, but I'm staying true to the heart of my post which is a top three list, not an onslaught of pictures.

Florence

Highlight #2 came on our last morning in Florence.  I woke up early (before dawn) to attend mass at the Duomo before we had to catch our train.  Since we had an early train, I had to go to the 7:30am mass.  If you know me, this is pretty incredible given the fact that I do not usually rise before 7:45ish.  However, it was totally and completely God-ordained that I attend this mass.  Reason being, as I was walking on the nearly deserted cobblestone streets of Florence towards the Duomo, I came across this:

  

Of course, pictures do not begin to do this sunrise justice.  I cannot even tell you how amazing and magnificent this sunset coming up over the Duomo was to behold.  It was so unbelievably beautiful and so very clearly painted by God.  I felt as though He was writing me a love letter via the colors of the sky.  The moment was surreal and holy.  I am forever grateful to have experienced it with my Savior.  Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.



Positano

While there are countless highlights to be shared from my time on the Amalfi Coast, the one that stands out the most is from our day-long boat trip to Capri.  First of all, I could not even process the fact that I was on a boat skimming across the waters of the Amalfi Coast.  Second of all, I could not process the fact that the color of these waters was unlike anything I have ever beheld.  Third of all, we got to actually swim in this glorious water and I actually wasn't too scared to be in the ocean.  Win-win-win.

That's where this highlight comes from.  My third highlight was jumping off of the boat into the crisp waters of the Amalfi Coast.

If the second picture does not provide the sufficient indication of sheer joy, I don't know how else to convince you that it was bubbling over to the nth degree.  As for the picture just above, yes, the captain of the boat did hand me wine to drink whilst swimming in the ocean.

As I mentioned, every single moment could be a highlight.  It was better than perfect and I could so very clearly to see the Lord's answer to all of our prayers.  He provided in ways that we could have never expected and at times, found hard to comprehend.  His hand was on us every second and I am hard-pressed to come up with one single thing that went wrong.  We made every train, had no flight delays or connection issues, didn't experience any issues with money or bill discrepancies, all of our hotels were in the PERFECT locations--it was truly the Lord. 

I feel so undeserving of this experience, but know that none of us deserve anything so I just remain grateful for every moment and I am more than happy to share it all with you if you have about 18 hours to spare.

**As mentioned, I will try to post more, but I make no promises.

make a wish.

As this post is going up much later than intended, I will forgo the novel I wish to write in favor of getting straight to the point. On this day, 33 years ago, my dear sister was born.

I am forever grateful for her life and that today we celebrate her day of birth because it means that I have had a sister to walk by my side for my 30 years.

She is the cheese to my macaroni, the coffee to my donut, the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly...well, you get the point.  She's my seester - my sissy - my blood.  We shared a bed together when we were little.  We fought over the back seat on road trips.  We watched TGIF every Friday night.  We have experienced the ups and downs with each other to lean on and we know each other better than anyone else.

I cannot imagine this life without her and thank the Lord for the blessing that is her life. 

Sister - I pray that the beauty of the Lord would rain down on you as you enter a new year in your life.  I pray that you would know the height, depth, and breadth of God's love. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

my cup runneth over.

Well...I have been a bit negligent at documenting my last few days of TDOC, but to put your mind at ease, there have been cupcakes, random coffee drinks from Starbucks, and other various serendipitous moments that have allowed me to celebrate each and every day in some way. That being said, this is the last email post regarding TDOC, so you will have to just imagine that my last few days of this series will be celebrated with pizza, gelato, vino, and beauty.

I did, however, want to write a short note that is in reference to this post's title. My cup does, in fact, runneth over. I have been overwhelmed by the incarnate love of Christ as displayed through my dear friends, fousins, and family throughout the past couple of weeks. I honestly do not know if there has been a time when I have every felt so loved, both by them, and by my heavenly Father. Every note, every word, every effort, every plan, every token -- from the big and small, it has added up to make this the best birthday I have EVER had...and I technically haven't even had my birthday yet. Wowzers!

To everyone, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea what it has meant to me and how the Lord has used you to show me His infinite love.

So what do I expect as I look ahead?

Lots of candles to be blown out and treats to be eaten.

  

Impromptu cartwheels whenever the whim hits me.

Bubbles to celebrate anything and everything.

Family and friends to walk beside me.

And light to show me the way as I move forward on this journey.

Cheers to life in the arms of the Beloved and cheers to what lies ahead. Until we meet again, may the peace of Christ be with you.  CIAO!!!

TDOC: day 21-24

Whew, let me tell you, it has been a whirlwind of celebrations these past few days. After this weekend, I very much feel like I have had my birthday and could "call it a day" at this point. The crazy thing is, it has only just begun. I have only seen the tip of the iceberg, but gosh, I feel absolutely spoiled knowing it's not over.

(**Recently edited to add a TON of pictures taken by my fousin, Elisa.)

Day 21

I celebrated day 21 with the "fab four" which happens to be the last four members of my first community group. We took advantage of our flourishing downtown art scene and strolled around the Nasher. They actually have a pretty sweet setup on Friday nights with a band and movie outside on their lawn. However, we did not stay for the movie and merely took a quick perusal of the sculptures. I must say that nothing really spoke to me, but I suppose I just don't have the vision.

The weeping willows, however, definitely did speak to me. How great are these?

We also took a brief stroll through the Crow museum before heading to dinner at Cafe Izmir. We enjoyed Greek tapas, but I think the highlight was their hummus and pita which was dubbed "the best in Dallas." I don't know about that, but it was pretty tasty.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
Philippians 2:3-4

Day 22

My 22nd day of celebration was a veritable bonanza, containing so much good and happiness, that I almost couldn't handle it. My dear fousin, Elisa, was in Texas for a visit, so Michelle and I took a little road trip to Waco to meet her for lunch. When she walked into the restaurant, it was apparent she brought the party with her. In one hand she was holding a giant bouquet of balloons and in the other, the most rockin' plate of custom cupcakes you have never seen. (No, that's not a typo. You literally have never seen anything like these.)

We enjoyed our lunch at the Olive Branch and also enjoyed a little side of Roma as I brought one of my maps for us to look at. Elisa generously pointed me towards the "best gelato place ever," so between that and the Vatican, I think we have it pretty much covered.

We shut the place down and proceeded to take our party outside. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and sat outside for a good 2+ hours. There was much laughter and overall celebration between the three of us. As if the cupcakes and balloons weren't enough, I was also gifted with flowers, lipgloss, nail polish, coffee (from Trianon!), cava, AND earrings and flats (also from China) I had pinned on Pinterest. Hello, much too generous. I was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and love that went into everything. I felt like the Lord was giving me a giant hug and His love was overflowing.

After ALL that, I got to blow out the candles on my cupcakes and we all shared in the deliciousness lovingly prepared by Elisa. (Not to worry that one of the decorations caught flame during the serenade, but we caught it before the whole thing went up in flames.)

Because Elisa has some serious photog skills, Michelle and I got to have a mini photo shoot right there in the middle of the Waco square. I absolutely love these pictures and couldn't help but sharing.

(*All photos above taken by Elisa*)

I cannot thank Elisa enough for each and every detail she put into my pre-birthday celebration. She went
ALL OUT and I was humbled by the love she showed me. The only thing missing was China (and Li, of course). Many thanks to her, as well, for the lovely earrings and shoes.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
Galatians 2:20

Day 23

My 23rd day was celebrated with my parents and sister. I spent the afternoon at my parent's house and my mom gave me a little early birthday gift. It was much needed makeup and very timely as I needed it for my trip. Many thanks to them for getting me exactly what I wanted! (No pics, but who needs another pic of me?)

"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete."
Colossians 2:9-10

Day 24

I got to celebrate the 24th day of my birthday month with my favorite 5-year-old in the whole world: the one and only Haylee Grace. Since I will be out of the country on her 6th birthday, I wanted to do something special with her before I left.

So...we went to "one of her favorite places" which happens to be the mall. She got to pick out her dinner and this girl chose Sonic grilled cheese with fries and lemonade. Can't say I blame her as their grilled cheese used to be one of my dietary staples.

After dinner, we headed to Forever 21 where I told her she could pick out any necklace she wanted. You would have thought she had died and gone to heaven and we spent a good 20 minutes on our knees in front of the display. But she finally made a decision, so we made a beeline for the register to make our purchase post haste as she could not wait to put it on. (If you look in the last picture, you can get a good look at her choice which was a chain with a large crystal heart pendant.)

Since we were celebrating, we obviously had to get dessert and she had her pick of any cookie at the Great American Cookie Co. She chose the one covered in sprinkles (without any hesitation, I might add). After that, it was time for the grand finale which was her birthday present. Her Mimi and Paw-Paw went in with me to get her the costume from Brave. Suffice it to say, the gift was a hit.

I'm so glad I got to celebrate with my little Pearl and hate that I will miss her birthday, but I cherish the time we got to spend together.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:21