Here it is in the middle of May, which I know only because it's my birthday! Otherwise, I'd be pretty sure it's the end of April and I have plenty of time to accomplish the many, many projects I have going on.
One reason that May got away is that we took our European vacation — the weekend after I had a speaking engagement in Seattle. This is not really me, to go bombing about in that relentless fashion… but there you have it.
I had a couple of posts ready for you while I was gone, so I don't know if you noticed. I tried to fool the internet bad guys and leave Habou with a sense of peace, and it seems to have worked, as the house and her well being are intact.
Here we are at St. Peter's, the very day of our arrival. The whole time we just dashed about, usually on foot, making the most of every day. I won't go on and on about it here, I think, but if you want to get a few more postings in the next couple of days, I'll be recapping on Instagram, so follow me there.
We went so many places at such a pace that we basically did the main tourist things, because those are indeed important.
Thanks to Nick and Natasha, we were gloriously accommodated everywhere we went. I recommend having kids with generous hearts and good taste and lots of hotel points. We also had the grace of occasionally being rescued from the mad walking enjoying the hospitality of friends, who provided a respite that cannot be too highly regarded and extolled. For us, the highlights were the meetings with these friends and the meetings with our friends the saints in the various and plentiful shrines we visited. Truly, the communion of saints, both living and dead, is the joy of life! The whole time, whenever I stepped into a church and went to a crypt or chapel of a particular saint, I was overwhelmed with a sense of loving presence and friendship.
I want you to know that I prayed for your intentions everywhere — especially at St. Peter's tomb and at that of St. Francis.
One day we left Rome for the little train stop of Santa Maria delle Mole to visit the University of Dallas campus nearby where faculty friends, the Glicksmans, gave us a lovely and traditional Umbrian Sunday repast.
We met with students who were taking a dessert break before their final push to their last exam. Then we had a little jaunt to Castel Gandolfo which is nearby. The weather turned brisk, so we wrapped up, but the view is amazing, is it not? We also met the family, the Assafs, who run the Thomas More College campus in Rome, who joined us there. (If you have the chance to send your kids to one of these schools, their Rome semester/year will be a truly amazing experience, I can assure you!) By this time, Bridget had already left for England, so we did not see her until later in the trip.
And so it went on in that delightful fashion…
(It wasn't all walking, either… later, friends treated us to punting on the River Cam, which if that isn't a dream come true, I don't know what is.)
Now that we're home, I'm hoping to tackle some good posts for you. You will be happy to know that the hive split has taken nicely and that the bathrooms are ready to be painted. I will keep you apprised. Bridget will be home tomorrow, yay!
The garden is calling me! Not to mention sewing… and quilting… and knitting…
What are you up to? Let's chat!
Cary S. says
Happy Birthday, dear Leila! Thank you for this wonderful blog, your book, and all you do to help us to continue growing in our Faith and build good families and the collective memory. God bless.
Lisa says
Happy birthday! What a wonderful trip you must have had. Glad you are back safe and sound. We love you.
Woman of the House says
It sounds like a wonderful, glorious trip! Loved all the pictures!
Happy birthday!
Lisa Irlbeck says
Lovely! My husband oversaw the construction of the Rome campus – it’s so beautiful, isn’t it? And the Glicksman’s are our dear friends! Happy birthday and God Bless!
Leila says
Yes — I enjoyed being there so much!
Regina says
How wonderful! I went to UD and wish I could do the Rome semester again as an adult to truly appreciate it! Happy Birthday!
Lori says
Thank you for your prayers! I’m glad to hear you had an amazing trip!
Elizabeth says
Auntie Leila, you look so stylish and beautiful in every picture! And crazy, but your husband actually looks younger with a beard. Happy birthday from Europe.
Angela says
I missed your online presence:) So glad you had a wonderful trip. Happy Birthday!
Sonja Maierhauser says
Leila, thanks for the lovely post. So happy for you and your husband. As always your writings are an oasis of sanity, good taste and loveliness. Welcome home and happy birthday!
Sonja
Mrs. B. says
Happy Birthday, Leila! I hope the sun was kind and let you enjoy Rome’s spring light and colors, they are special… And you are right: the abundance of churches does point to the Communion of Saints, and they remind us we’re never alone. And just think of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament everywhere! It’s a beautiful thing I dearly miss.
Curious to see the bathrooms when they’re done, if you feel like letting us have a peak!
Leila says
Mrs. B, our weather was amazing. It only rained once in Rome and once in Paris. We had sun and breezes for the most part!
Yes to the Blessed Sacrament… such a gift. Every church just felt like a haven, so alive.
… and to bathroom peeks 🙂
Melissa says
Happy Birthday!
These pictures make me look so forward to the time when my husband and I can travel like this when all our birds have left the nest!
🙂
Melissa
Amy A. says
It’s my birthday too, so happy birthday Leila! My chattiness includes that my 10 month old twins took a TWO HOUR nap AT THE SAME TIME this afternoon (which means I did the same 🙂 and I am therefore suitably elated and well-rested for the remainder of my birthday. Your photos from your travels are lovely and I hope you’ll be slipping more of them into many future posts. Best wishes for many happy returns!
Leila says
Happy Birthday, Amy! I too had a nap but you deserved it more 🙂
Lisa G. says
Happy Birthday! I’m glad your trip was so enjoyable! I figured that’s where you were. I bet those shawls came in handy there!
Kimberlee says
Happy Birthday dear Leila! I’m so happy for you getting to enjoy such a wonderful trip. You look beautiful in every photo. Many blessings to you in your upcoming year.
Stephanie says
Happy Birthday, “Auntie Leila!” What a lovely post with wonderful photos! I’m so glad that you enjoyed such pleasant and spiritually rich travels, and look forward to reading/seeing more “recaps” as they follow! I hope that you enjoy reliving and reflecting on your trip as you recap it! 🙂
And thank you for praying for the intentions of your readers. What a generous act to carry out throughout your travels, and much appreciated! I hesitate to ask this as we all have our concerns and I wouldn’t want to burden you by asking, but I have a dear friend who is going through a rather frightening and frustrating time of medical uncertainty through a lengthy diagnostic process. If you feel so moved, might you kindly pray for his health, strength, and peace of mind?
Thank you, as always, for all you do! I wish you a happy time settling back in at home after your trip, and welcoming Bridget back home! 🙂
Leila says
Stephanie, I will pray!
Stephanie says
Thank you so very much, Auntie Leila! I am grateful and moved, thinking of the verse that tells us that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man available much” and thinking of the power of prayer in general. Thank you, thank you, for this and for all you do!
Stephanie says
Oh, dear… that should of course read “avails” much, not “available” much!! Talk about an “autocorrect fail!!” I hope this doesn’t detract from my expression of gratitude – I really appreciate your prayers and all of the wisdom and encouragement you share with your readers! 🙂
Edelweiss says
Happy Birthday! So happy for your trip. The pictures are wonderful!
Barbaral says
Happy birthday and welcome back Leila …I’ve been checking in and wondering about you. Thank you so much for prayer intentions for us , your readers!!! Please share your packing tips for European trip …we have a trip planned in the fall and I want to be prepared but not bring too much…any tips??
Leila says
Ha! I am the worst at this. If you can find a few things made of Tencel, and some leggings that you can pop off or on from your handbag, and a jacket that is light, windproof, and waterproof, and a couple pairs of really good walking shoes that aren’t too heavy, you will be doing well. I’m in that phase of life (middle-age) where I get nervous thinking I might be too hot or too cold, so I packed too much. It’s ridiculous!
Above all, take a couple of scarves like the one I’m wearing here — big but lightweight scarves that can be thrown in your handbag but can be wrapped around you well. There are many for sale all around, but you need a companion who is agreeable to stopping for shopping 🙂
Mary C says
” I recommend having good kids with generous hearts and good taste and lots of hotel points”….
Thanks for sharing one of the up points of having a large family! So many people talk as if having lots of kids drain the life, fun, and money out of parents.
You paint quite a different and lovely picture. We have used our airline points to send my parents abroad for a nice vacation … They deserved it a million times over just like you!
Julie says
Lovely pictures. Happy Birthday! My husband is applying for a job that also has a campus in Rome….I would love to visit someday.
Donna L. says
Happy Birthday to you, Auntie Leila! I was one of the very fortunate ones to hear you speak in Seattle before your trip, and I’m blessed that you prayed for all of our intentions everywhere you went~thank you!
I think that was clever of you to “fool the internet bad guys” to keep your Mum safe–good on you–I’m relieved that she is safe, as well
Welcome back to Bridget and I cannot wait to hear all the posts you have ready for us! How about one that outlines the best way to train your children to pick awesome friends, and later husbands and wives….I wish I had that knowledge as I grew up, and I’d like to help my teens and younger ones pick those who will help get them to Heaven..ideas, please?
Caitlin says
That suggested post also sounds very interesting!
I was hoping there would be some public address in London, but of course assuring your mother’s safety and comfort is much more important
Libbi Johnson says
I hope you were in Cambridge when we got our rare glimpse of British Summer. We’re all in mourning now as it’s cold and damp again. Hopefully summer will revisit us but it didn’t visit long last year either!
Caitlin says
Oh my! Happy birthday and the trip looks like it was just fabulous!
I don’t know if you remember me, but I emailed a while back. Just wanted to let you know that we are now expecting another baby… #2 of hopefully many! I’m due at the end of Nov 🙂
It seemed for a moment that this blessing would interfere with a planned trip to Russia, my husbands homeland, but as long as I and baby are still normal and healthy in August we will be able to go! Half the trip will be fabulous and cosmopolitan and for half of it we’ll be in his grandmothwr’s village getting water from a well! I am excited! He hasn’t been back in 10 years. I’ve never been, and the toddler will meet his great grandma 🙂 But I will be doing a lot of traveling whole 6/7 months pregnant with a toddler… Then being a brides(matron) in another state the next week… Please pray for me! Mwah!
Caitlin says
Ack, typos, sorry. And that’s pregnant plus managing a toddler, obviously, not pregnant WITH a toddler. Hee hee.
Claire says
The happiest of birthdays to you, Leila. How touching that you thought to pray for us in those sacred places!
More pictures!!!
Ellen says
So delighted that you got a chance to visit UD’s Rome Campus! Such a serene little retreat.
María Gutiérrez says
I feel really moved that you, dear Lawlers, were here … closer to us, europeans followers. Thank you very much for your blog and everything you teach us.
Love
María (Spain)
Denise says
Oh, this all looks so fantastic!!!! I am living vicariously through you at this moment! Someday, perhaps….we will cross the pond.