Osteria del Arco and T-bone Station

Josh went on a long ride with Stefano around Lago Bracciano this morning; I went to the gym. When I returned, I made some lunch while Josh picked Olivia and Avery up at school (today was a half day ahead of the Easter holiday). When they came home, we all sat outside in the garden and ate lunch.

Charlotte went shopping after school with some friends to buy a gift a birthday party she was going to this evening. Mission completed, she went to swimming. While she was at practice, I was able to organize the kids clothes for our upcoming "giro d'Italia." I also had some time to relax and read for a while out on the terrace -- it was such a beautiful and sunny day. Shortly, Avery woke up and joined me out on the terrace, he was blinded by the bright sun; but he laid down in the chair next to mine covering his eyes.

I am loving Rome; it is going to be so hard to leave -- the weather, the food, the people, the history. I'd love to live here longer.

Morris came over to babysit the younger kids. Charlotte was going to a dinner party and so were the adults. After I got dressed, Avery came upstairs and said "Mommy, you look beautiful!" That just made my day.

Josh and I joined Stefano and his wife, Elena, along with another couple we'd met previously through them. I didn't feel at all out of place at a table with Italian speakers...and I wasn't shy about trying to join the conversation -- in Italian. The restaurant, Osteria del Arco, is owned by Elena's cousin, so we really had special treatment. It is a small establishment and the ambience is very cozy. Josh and I had a great time at dinner; our companions are all such nice people. Before we knew it, it was 11:30pm.

Charlotte had called around 11pm saying that she was getting a ride home from her dinner, so we relaxed a bit. But, when we checked in with Morris at 11:30, Charlotte still wasn't home. It was her classmate's 13th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, she had invited twelve friends to dinner at T-bone station. We (Americans) love Italian food; they (Italians) love to have American food like steak and burgers as a treat. The kids had a table to themselves and whiled away the evening in conversation and revelry which included birthday cake. Just as we arrived home, Charlotte was dropped off as well.

We all went to bed around midnight.