ending this chapter.

well the time has come for me to say goodbye to my Roman home.

today was my last day to walk my streets of Trastevere.  

tonight will be my last night to sleep in my Roman apartment.

I'm feeling so nostalgic it's not even funny.

after dinner, my roommate and I walked around our neighborhood just taking it all in one last time. 

I cannot believe that my time here has actually come to an end.

4 months ago, I arrived in Italy, not knowing anyone, scared and excited about the next months and what they held for me.

I had no idea it would be this amazing.

everyone tells you it goes by fast, but I seriously did not think it would be this fast.

I have met some amazing people and saying goodbye to them this week has been so hard.

everyone has blessed me in some way and I could not be more thankful for the people that God has brought into my life during this time.

this adventure has been the most amazing decision of my life. 

I would not take it back for the world.

I have learned so many things about myself and about life that I could not have learned just staying home.

I know this time here in Rome will forever change me. 

the things I have seen and been privileged to do is incredible. 

I'm in awe thinking about it.

yes, there were those bad moments, but even in those I learned something and knew that I was here for a reason.

honestly, I am just really sad to leave.

and now I will put a small, random selection of pictures from this semester just for fun. 

my beautiful city. 

 

chilly in Tuscany.

birthday dinner with the roommates. 

my first night in Rome and my first gelato.

my first cappuccino. 

the church of Santa Maria in my neighborhood. 

cobblestones.

having confetti thrown on me in Venice for Carnivale. 

listening to the Pope's resignation speech.

 and watching the new Pope get elected.

sending postcards from the Vatican. 

mommy came to visit.

 the beach in Cinque Terre.

 my amazing roommate.

riding this thing in Villa Borghese.

 my dear friend Kelsey.

last cannoli in Rome.

I cannot believe this is over and that I fly home to America tomorrow. it's crazy just thinking about it. 

but I will continue blogging about my semester because you still have not read about my final couple of trips. 

until then, this is my last post from Italy.

the next time you read my blog, I will be on American soil.

mom in Italy part 2

as promised (even though very overdue), here is the second part of my mom and I's adventure in Italy.

we ventured down to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast for the rest of her trip here and had the most wonderful time just exploring each little town on the Coast, eating, and soaking up the sun when we could. 

the Amalfi Coast is gorgeous and I am so thankful that I got to share that with my sweet mom.

I am so thankful that my mom was able to come visit me in Italy! I had such a wonderful time with her. 

more of my recent happenings to come!

lots of love.

honesty

it's important to realize that life is not perfect.

you're probably thinking, "duh, Katherine. everyone knows that." and yes, I know we all know it, but it's not until something happens that you truly realize it.  it's not until you get disappointed or hurt that you realize things really don't always go your way.

it's so easy for us to just sit back and make everything look perfect. I mean, that's what social media is for, right? no one puts the ugliest picture of themselves on Facebook  or chooses the bad filter on instragram. it's all about appearances. 

however, that's not life. life is messy and disappointing. people let you down. things don't turn out the way you want. 

and yet, God never lets us down. 

this was made so evident to me last week. in the midst of a disappointment, God brought me encouragement and peace.  did it make the hurt go away? no, but it did soften it because I know that my Father is in control.

I get so frustrated with myself sometimes because I forget this truth constantly.  it takes something to happen for me to remember it, which of course is no fun, but that's what makes us grow.

a seed has to die before it can grow into a beautiful flower. 

a piece of marble has be chiseled away before it can be a beautiful statue.

just as God has to break bits of us away before we can become the masterpiece He created us to be.

life will give us disappointments, but it's what we do with those and where we run to for comfort that build us into who we are meant to be.

Romans 5:3-5 

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance,  character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

mom in Italy part 1

a couple of weeks ago, my mother came to Rome to visit me.

how lucky am I?

unfortunately, the rest of the fam could not make it, but nonetheless I was so excited to see my sweet mommy.

we went to all of the sights and I showed her around my town. we had a blast. I especially enjoyed listening to her try to speak Italian....let's just say foreign language is not her cup of tea. 

we were also each other's photographer for the week with the help of strangers who snapped some shots of us together (we were sure missing my daddy who is the camera man on vacations). 

 

we had a photo shoot in the Colosseum. typical. 

we conquered Rome together while laughing, eating, shopping, and the likes.

part 2 is coming which includes our adventures in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.

lots of love.