Finding Christine Marie: Sorella Alley turns 22...

Buon compleanno a me!!! Tanti Auguri a me!!! Well, ya'll know me, and I believe in birthday week celebrations and not just birthday day celebrations. Luckily for me, my sweet companion and the other sorelle caught the fever! The sick details follow....

Get it, sick...fever......oh I am funny.

"Sunday Birthday Lunch! Quintonator made the
cake and it was delicious! Sono una mamma fiera.

Well, we started off Friday with celebrations. The cutest couple in the world since Gordon B and Marjorie Pay, Remo and Edda Ramini, invited us over for a birthday lunch. Remo, who has been blind for about 10 years, made the meal. Blind chef. Cool. After, they brought me a gift - a beautiful silk and woven yellow scarf, swiss chocolate and 2 pictures of themselves. I was so completely surprised and overwhelmed that these little weird things called lacrime - cioè a foreign liquid that accumulates in the eyes, fell down the smiling cheeks. I have a moment every transfer when I am completely overwhelmed with a confirmation of "Yes Sorella Alley, this is where you are supposed to be." It's the Lord confirming His choice to little ostinata Sorella Alley. It was a wonderful day to start of the celebration!

"Birthday picnic in the shade of a castle!"

Then on the 29, a day to be celebrated most fully, I woke up and wanted to hit the gym. So naturally, I hopped on a stationary bike (hahaha Sorella Haslem lugs it around Italy instead of clothing...) and got in a nice long workout. Felt good to get the old bones a movin! Well, I enjoyed a banana and granola for breakfast while watching the sunrise on our balcony and reading from Il Libro di Mormon (alma 7 is better in italian!) and then my companion joined for companionship study. At approxiametly 9:44 I broke the mission rule of no dancing. I welcomed in the big old 22 with a hootin and hollerin and body rockin dance. I opened a package from home, literally have never been so excited for a white cake mix! We promptly made cupcakes! Then we did some missionary work. My birthday desire was to have a picnic so we packed a nice buffet and headed to CastelVecchio. You know it is old when it s named - Old Castle. Well the silly rules said no, we cant eat or walk on the lawn (guarantee the old inhabitants didnt follow that rule) but we settled for a picnic at the side. We ate lunch at the side of the Castel and behind an Arch built in the first century! J Cesear walked under it himself and the stones still have the tracks of ancient carts... My mission is cooler than yours!

"Buon compleanno a me! Complete with cupcakes and gelato!"

"Birthday Cheers to 22 Years!"

After lunch, we did some birthday exploring! We had graciously given away pday hours to win souls to the Kingdom of God, and those hours needed to be made up....so Saturday was the day! Turns out Verona was celebrating and brought in a flower and bread festival in centro. Really, pulllin' all stops to celebrate my day of birth!

We then did more missionary work. (This is for Dad's conscience.)

"the birthday culprits"

But After, we came home and I open my door to find a disaster! Sorella Haslem and Miller had turn our room into a fort and planned a movie! But to my surprise, they gave me a chocolate man! hahaha Yes, literally they built a black man. hahaha "You are getting up there in years, so we found you a husband!" His shirt was even sprayed with the huskiest cologne my nose has smelt in a very long time. They spoiled me rotten with gifts! Together they combound (?) forces to gift me a watch I fell in love with but didnt buy (i am too cheap), socks, and a bracelet! Literally, these sweet sorelle gave me the best birthday celebration of all time, and I can honestly say it was the best birthday of 22!