See you on the 23rd!!!
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
February Newsletter
Can you believe this is our last one before we depart? WOW . . .
See you on the 23rd!!!
See you on the 23rd!!!
Top 5 Gifts to bring home from Italy
Zia Carol, this one's for you . . .
While our trip is short, that doesn't mean you can't bring home THE BEST gifts to your loved ones at home! Yes, there's an endless list of things you COULD buy (and, yes, I will strongly discourage you from buying tourist "crap"), but here are some great gifts which would give your loved ones a taste of your experience:
1. Food products - what greater gift than showing someone you care about them so much that you'd make a meal for them? Packets of spices, soup mixes, pre-packaged meats, and cookies are some easy, low-cost gifts you can bring home. What fun to bring home something which you enjoyed eating in Italy, and making it for your family! And they're not breakable! Of course, you want to stay within Customs policies, but most things which are vacuum-sealed are good for transporting home. I'll take you buy some really great local-product spots while we cruise around town.
2. Print products - in Tuscany, stationery and linens are a great gift (even to bring to someone who lives there). Consider buying napkins/tablecloth or special stationery for someone you love!
3. Perfume products - in Florence is my favorite perfumeria - the monks at Santa Maria Novella (not just a church, not just a train station) have been making their products for centuries. Their Officina Profumo, located just behind the church (which is across the street from the train/bus station), offers amazing products. They're not cheap, but easy to carry!
4. Maps/posters/Calendars - Mom will attest - these are great gifts which carry well (pack them flat in your suitcase). And what is neater than having a gift which reminds your parents all year of your experience in Italy??? On this note, I'm a big fan of buying postcards for views which I can't capture with my camera. Consider that!
5. Religious Articles - seriously, guys, we're visiting the center of Christianity. Pick up a medal of an important saint/pope, get a small icon or statue of a favorite religious character for your parents . . . If anything, send Mr. Poore and your teachers a John Paul II postcard!!! 900 Coit Rd. Plano, TX, 75075 Maybe you'll get a pencil out of the deal . . .
Hugs,
Laura :)
While our trip is short, that doesn't mean you can't bring home THE BEST gifts to your loved ones at home! Yes, there's an endless list of things you COULD buy (and, yes, I will strongly discourage you from buying tourist "crap"), but here are some great gifts which would give your loved ones a taste of your experience:
1. Food products - what greater gift than showing someone you care about them so much that you'd make a meal for them? Packets of spices, soup mixes, pre-packaged meats, and cookies are some easy, low-cost gifts you can bring home. What fun to bring home something which you enjoyed eating in Italy, and making it for your family! And they're not breakable! Of course, you want to stay within Customs policies, but most things which are vacuum-sealed are good for transporting home. I'll take you buy some really great local-product spots while we cruise around town.
2. Print products - in Tuscany, stationery and linens are a great gift (even to bring to someone who lives there). Consider buying napkins/tablecloth or special stationery for someone you love!
3. Perfume products - in Florence is my favorite perfumeria - the monks at Santa Maria Novella (not just a church, not just a train station) have been making their products for centuries. Their Officina Profumo, located just behind the church (which is across the street from the train/bus station), offers amazing products. They're not cheap, but easy to carry!
4. Maps/posters/Calendars - Mom will attest - these are great gifts which carry well (pack them flat in your suitcase). And what is neater than having a gift which reminds your parents all year of your experience in Italy??? On this note, I'm a big fan of buying postcards for views which I can't capture with my camera. Consider that!
5. Religious Articles - seriously, guys, we're visiting the center of Christianity. Pick up a medal of an important saint/pope, get a small icon or statue of a favorite religious character for your parents . . . If anything, send Mr. Poore and your teachers a John Paul II postcard!!! 900 Coit Rd. Plano, TX, 75075 Maybe you'll get a pencil out of the deal . . .
Hugs,
Laura :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Another Gift for Priests at NAC
GOLDFISH!!! Yes, the baked crackers. :) A student mentioned that the priests miss the yummy crunch of those tasty little crackers!!!
Look forward to our February Newsletter to be posted later this week - our LAST ONE before we depart!
Please mark your calendars for February 23 - our departure meeting!
pax,
Laura :)
Look forward to our February Newsletter to be posted later this week - our LAST ONE before we depart!
Please mark your calendars for February 23 - our departure meeting!
pax,
Laura :)
Friday, January 20, 2012
Special Opportunity - Gifts for NAC
What a fun time we had making arrows! Anyone like gummy hearts? We can't GIVE these things away!
I should share with you where the "special opportunities" came from . . . every year, I look for chances to experience Italian culture, or to perhaps come in contact with celebrities, during our stay in Italy. I've been pretty successful so far: met the cast of Ocean's 12 as they were returning to their campers for lunch, posed on all the walkways set up in honor of Versace's birthday in Rome, been in the filming of "Casino Royale", which happened during a practice run of the Palio (and saw into Daniel Craig during his visit to Siena), etc. When the Opportunity to have the pizza cooking class first arose, I jumped on it, since it was the school where we were studying, anyway. (Have done it for six years, now - trust me, it's fun!)
THUS, we have another Special Opportunity which is really no cost to us during the trip! On Tuesday, our "Free Day" in Rome, I'm booking your day up (unless you have other plans). In the morning, we're going to go down and tour Ostia, a city deserted in the 2nd century, A.D., due to plague (Saint Monica died here at that time). In the afternoon, we're coming back to the center of town, and will do a walk of Quintessential Rome: Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona. Nearby the Trevi Fountain is the Pontifical North American College (more familiarly known among Catholics as "The NAC"), where seminarians and clergy study towards their graduate degrees.
I personally know a family whose eldest son was just ordained this summer (two days before JD was born - his picture is in the center of the Diocese of Dallas Seminarians poster - it's a pic of him being ordained by the Bishop). His mom wants to send a few care packages to him, which are shoebox-sized. I'll be asking a few of you to help me with this . . . and asking the rest of you to consider bringing gifts for the Diocese of Dallas seminarians! Nothing too big or expensive, but things like a box of Girl Scout Cookies, Texas pecans, or Tex-Mex snackies are great ideas.
Please consider packing a gift to take to the NAC! This will give you that much room to pack gifts home, too!
Don't forget to mark your calendars - Departure meeting on February 23, at 6:32 PM, in the Junior Presentation Hall!!!
Hugs,
Laura :)
I should share with you where the "special opportunities" came from . . . every year, I look for chances to experience Italian culture, or to perhaps come in contact with celebrities, during our stay in Italy. I've been pretty successful so far: met the cast of Ocean's 12 as they were returning to their campers for lunch, posed on all the walkways set up in honor of Versace's birthday in Rome, been in the filming of "Casino Royale", which happened during a practice run of the Palio (and saw into Daniel Craig during his visit to Siena), etc. When the Opportunity to have the pizza cooking class first arose, I jumped on it, since it was the school where we were studying, anyway. (Have done it for six years, now - trust me, it's fun!)
THUS, we have another Special Opportunity which is really no cost to us during the trip! On Tuesday, our "Free Day" in Rome, I'm booking your day up (unless you have other plans). In the morning, we're going to go down and tour Ostia, a city deserted in the 2nd century, A.D., due to plague (Saint Monica died here at that time). In the afternoon, we're coming back to the center of town, and will do a walk of Quintessential Rome: Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona. Nearby the Trevi Fountain is the Pontifical North American College (more familiarly known among Catholics as "The NAC"), where seminarians and clergy study towards their graduate degrees.
I personally know a family whose eldest son was just ordained this summer (two days before JD was born - his picture is in the center of the Diocese of Dallas Seminarians poster - it's a pic of him being ordained by the Bishop). His mom wants to send a few care packages to him, which are shoebox-sized. I'll be asking a few of you to help me with this . . . and asking the rest of you to consider bringing gifts for the Diocese of Dallas seminarians! Nothing too big or expensive, but things like a box of Girl Scout Cookies, Texas pecans, or Tex-Mex snackies are great ideas.
Please consider packing a gift to take to the NAC! This will give you that much room to pack gifts home, too!
Don't forget to mark your calendars - Departure meeting on February 23, at 6:32 PM, in the Junior Presentation Hall!!!
Hugs,
Laura :)
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