Home---Finally!

We got home late Monday night.

After sitting on the runway for 4 hours, we finally took off. The flight was 10 1/2 hours. I watched 4 movies---Cloud Atlas, Hitchcock, The Great Gatsby (the 1971 version with Mia Farrow and Robert Redford), and Pearl Habor---11 hours of movies. I stitched for the first 5 until I ran out of the fibers I had brought.

Of course we missed our connection and another flight. When we finally made it to Atlanta, we had a 2 hour wait until the 11 p.m. flight. When we got home---at 11:30 p.m., we took a shower and went straight to bed.

Today, I feel great!!

My trip wrap up:

 Here are all the souvenirs I brought home---many are gifts. I can't tell which ones or who they are for.

This was the hand-painted platter I had shipped home from Positano. It actually got here before I did. I was afraid they might have sent it back since the door tag said it was the last delivery attempt.

I had to bring home many holy cards for family and friends. Pope Francis is going to be good for us! I got to "meet" him along with 3,000 other Catholics. Basically, he was a dot on the stage---but I was closer than I was when I "met" Pope John-Paul II in St. Louis. I got the little pink holy water font for my scrapbook room. Growing up, we had these in our bedroom. If you look close you can see the Jerusalem cross in garnets.

 Real stones and shell jewelry---mother of pearl earings.

 More shell jewelry and coral bracelets. Lemon olive oil from Amalfi. I loved the lemon oil I got in Greece and quickly used it up.

We had to get Lemoncello from the factory we visited in Rivello. We plan to take the fish down to our beach condo. Lava from Mt. Vesuvious. You can see the Jerusalem cross a little better.

 We went to St. Paul's Cathedral for our very first Mass. This was the program waiting for us.

Inside the program was a first day cover that was released by the Vatican Post Office just for out event.

We are part of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem---an organization dating back to the middle ages charged with protecting the Holy Sepulcher. Today, the group is responsible for protecting the interests of education in the Holy Land. Pope Benedict called us all together for this pilgrimage for the "year of faith." We met people from all over the world. Although it was fun, we decided that we're not the "type" for these huge events. We did some really awesome stuff, but we spent way too much time waiting and on the bus. Luckily, police escorts helped to move 31 buses around Rome in the congested traffic.

I'm still playing "catch-up." I have so much to do. I'll get back for my "Italian Observations" post soon!