Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: family

  • Peonies Make Me Think Of You

    Peonies Make Me Think Of You

    In the Spring the peonies pop up from the ground in vibrant greens. As their big leafy stalks appear, I think of you. Memories come unbidden of sitting on your front porch in the Spring rain. I would rock slowly in the old iron chair that used to sit in your Dad’s lawn. Generational history…

  • Another Christmas….

    Another Christmas….

    I am up early this morning. Another Christmas when I can’t sleep. Waiting in the glow of Christmas tree lights, I give thanks for the family sleeping under my roof this morning. Another Christmas Eve is in the books. Everyone gathered and all the cars in the driveway, I finally relax. My version is to…

  • Regroup: Travel Goals Italy

    Regroup: Travel Goals Italy

    The only thing stranger than receiving company while traveling abroad is sending them off while you remain. After our whirlwind week together with the extended family, we are exhausted. Everyone (except me) sleeps late. We start the day slowly, sharing coffee and pastries. And we reluctantly say our goodbyes. The siblings are headed to Milan…

  • Grand Torino: Travel Goals Italy

    Grand Torino: Travel Goals Italy

    With only one more day to spend with the siblings in Italy, we decide to head to Turin (Torino). This often overlooked town was the capitol of the Northern Roman Empire and the domain of the Savoy dynasty. There are more palaces in and around Turin than you will find in entire countries. The Palazzo…

  • Unsupervised: Travel Goals Italy

    Unsupervised: Travel Goals Italy

    The minute our Milano walking tour guide left us, we were unsupervised in Milan. Relieved to be on our own, I gladly trade in my earpiece speaker. Maybe we won’t know quite as much as a tour guide but we can enjoy sights at our own pace. Our first order of business is to buy…

  • Milano At a March: Travel Goals Italy

    Milano At a March: Travel Goals Italy

    It was a priority to see the Last Supper at the Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan. To get the tickets for Last Supper, we have to take a tour. I may have mentioned that I am generally not a tour person. I actually hate them. The Walking tour of Milan started at 8:15 am.…

  • Sharing the Love: Travel Goals Italy

    Sharing the Love: Travel Goals Italy

    Sometimes I just enjoy things so much I want to share them. European traditional market days are some of my favorite travel days. Whether it is a giant flea market or small stalls, I am all in! So it was a delight to take my brother and two of my sister in laws on a…

  • Retracing Our Footsteps: Travel Goals Italy

    Retracing Our Footsteps: Travel Goals Italy

    Sometimes you encounter a place you can’t wait to share. I was captivated by Orta San Guilio and couldn’t wait to share it with my family. After excitedly sharing the virtues of a visit, we drove over on a bright Monday morning. The destination did not disappoint. First we trekked up the mountain to visit…

  • Valley of the Castles: Travel Goals Italy

    Valley of the Castles: Travel Goals Italy

    We are up at dawn. This is the first real adventure with my extended family. My brother drives us over the mountain in his rental car. I am now in the backseat. No longer the driver or the navigator, I am left to look out the side window. I try not to be a backseat…

  • Anticipated Arrivals: Travel Goals Italy

    Anticipated Arrivals: Travel Goals Italy

    I love hosting company, especially if the company is family. Today my siblings, minus my youngest brother are coming to join us at our Italian retreat. The house has been cleaned. Groceries are bought and now I wait impatiently for their arrival. I take a walk around our quiet neighborhood waiting for their plane to…