The End

venerdi

It's nearly time.  More packing and cleaning and recycling to do, but the end is nearly here.  Final sleepovers and playdates.  Some goodbyes.  Beautiful farewell letters for each of us from Cristina and Marco.  Cristina's tiramisu at Lago di Vico today.  A final birthday party for a classmate of Hannah's on Sunday.  A sleepover for Connor tonight.  Laundry laundry.  We are here and we are home.  We are eager to go, and I miss here already.

It's 98 degrees today in Viterbo.


sabato

Hair cuts.  Final errands -- washing of duvet covers, more suitcases, a few gifts.  Lago di Bolsena with kids plus two friends.  The heat and my lack of sleep have caught up with me.  I feel sick, a few times today on the verge of passing out.  I lie in bed some, but I can't fall asleep as easily as Connor can; he can sleep anywhere when he's wiped out.  Sebastian stays home to watch the World Cup games (Italy lost to Netherlands -- che triste!), and I stay home to rest, but I putter because it turns out that it is a lot of work to move us across the ocean.


domenica

Coffee at Red Rose Cafe with Pat and Linda and their girls.  Mass at Sacra Famiglia.  The last trip to Emme Piu before they close at 2pm on a Sunday, walking out with Esta The and Nutella, of course.  We play Memory and Old Maid, and I'm reminded of playing Old Maid with Mary, my aunt Margo, and Hannah when Hannah was about 2.  Hannah put the Old Maid above all her other cards before Margo picked from her to make it stick out.  Margo and I laughed for minutes straight.  But it's years later now, and we don't stick the Old Maid up high, and when I'm the first one out, the kids tell me that I'm not actually the winner; I'm just not the loser.  We clean and pack and pack and clean.  We take recycling down to SYA, and I fret a little because yesterday when I went I forgot to call the Vigilanza first and apparently I didn't set the alarm when I left (though I swear I did, and Hannah backs me up), so the alarm company called the director at 2am Sunday morning (though I'd been there at 10:30am).

Alessio's mom Sonia picks up Hannah for a birthday party.  Sebastian goes to play basketball at 7pm for a couple hours at the campetto with Simone.   Daniel buys more suitcases.  We say more farewells when we pick up pizza at Sale Pepe and get gelato at Sacco Buono.

When anyone asks, "When will you return?"  I tell them, "Dieci o dodici anni."  On the one hand, I believe this; on the other hand, I can't imagine that we won't get back here before that.