Hello all!
I felt like it was time for another update!  I have been here for almost 4 weeks, and things are going great!  Italy is exactly what I thought it would be...I am having such a great time!
This past weekend was a definite highlight - I did lots of fun things!  Friday night I went out with the fam and we met another family for dinner at this fabulous pizzeria.  I had the Cuatro Formaggi (Four Cheese) and a coke!  (My first since leaving the US!)  It was such a great meal, and to top it off I was (practically) forced to order dessert, which was also very good!  We then made our way to this fair that comes to Venturina that has everything a person could want.  Rosy told me that people come from all over Italy to sell their goods - the best cheeses, meats, leather, cars, etc.  It was so cool to walk through and just look at everything, as well as sample some of that yummy cheese!  I was also "force" fed Italian cotton candy (it was okay), these dessert chip things (not so good), and an Italian donut (VERY good).  There were so many people there and the atmosphere was just so exciting and fun!  I absolutely loved the experience.  If that wasn't enough, we also made another trip to the Luna Fair with the fun rides and games!  It was a blast to enjoy the carnival with the other family as well.
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that night...so I don't have any pictures.  I'm very sad about it, but I do have other pictures to share with you all!
On Sunday, my friend Marianna and I went to the beach to soak up some sun!  We spent all afternoon there, and since the sun doesn't go down until around 9pm here...we were able to stay until 7!  It was such a nice day to get away from the kiddos and just relax.  It was much needed and I am excited to go back soon!  It's still so weird to me that a beach is so close to where I'm living...it's practically a dream come true!  I plan on spending a ridiculous amount of time out on the beach.  :)

Marianna and I at the beach!  (Couldn't get the pics to flip - sorry!)

So the other day I was really wanting to play a card game.  If you know my family, then you know how much we love our card games...and I missed it!  So I decided to teach the boys some games.  I wanted to start out simple, so I taught them a game my Aunt Mindy and I love to play - Go Fish!  They absolutely loved it!  The only rule I added was that they speak only in English (it was our English lesson for the day) - and they did great.  We've played almost every day since I taught them, they really can't get enough of the game.  So here are some pictures of us playing our very first game!

Gioele

Elia

We had tons of fun playing together...and Gioele has pretty much beat us every single time.  We play this memory game as well - and I feel like I have a somewhat good memory.  But even though I really do try to win, Gioele has beat me almost every time!  (I've won twice out of around 15 games)  He is one good game player.

Overall, things here are still going great!  I miss home, but haven't been homesick since the first few days - so that is a huge blessing!  I feel like the Lord really prepared me for this trip over the last couple of years.  He's taught me a lot about how I need to rely on Him and not always on the people around me, and that has definitely come in handy this summer.  Coming here and not knowing a soul was extremely scary - but I knew that the Lord was still with me and that is a comfort I really can't describe.  He is so good to me - He brought me to this beautiful country AND is here with me to comfort and protect me...how cool is that?!

Lastly, I have a prayer request.  I have gotten a tad bit frustrated with the boys lately - silly tantrums over silly things...you know how it goes.  I just really want to show them love, patience, and to not lose my cool over their behavior.  They are such wonderful boys, but I need them to realize that I expect more than that - more than tantrums, yelling, disobeying.  Being in classrooms for school the last couple of years, I have found that when a teacher expects the best out of her students, they are more likely to work harder and try to be the best version of themselves.  That's what I want these boys to realize, is that they have the potential to be obedient and kind and helpful.  So just pray that I can communicate with them and have patience with them.  :)

Thank you all so much for reading and for praying for me!  I appreciate it so so much!  I love love love the emails and comments I have gotten - keep it up! :)
Love you all,
Maddy