This happened...

So last night around 3:30AM we were woken up by dripping water in our bedroom from this...

You see the A/C guys came out yesterday to just check up on our HVAC. They cleaned a few things, but everything was working great!

Well after being woken up by the dripping of water, we went up to the attic to look at the HVAC and we found this...

Those PVC pipes aren't connected! Apparently when they flushed our drain line yesterday, it looks like the pipe came apart and no one realized it until we had water coming through our ceiling!

Kevin popped the water bubble in our room and water just came streaming out! A/C guys came back out bright and early this morning and fixed the pipe.

Then they had their sheet rock guys come out and repair the ceiling. This what our room looked like after that...

YIKES big mess!!! So much of that insulation was just soaked to the core!

They have been here since 11:45AM and it is now 3:30PM....I'll let you know how it turns out!

Father's Day Weekend

This past weekend we went up to Possum Kingdom Lake with my parents, and Ashley and Patrick! We stayed at the Cliffs Resort and just had a nice relaxing weekend. We went out on the lake Saturday and had a lot of fun! Minus my lack of skills when it comes to water sports!

It was nice to get away and relax with the family!!!

We had the best time...

So that was our Italy trip! We really did have the best time! If you have the chance ever to go to Italy, GO! The culture there is so different and it was neat to see that. We loved learning more about history, art, and architecture! We learned to even more appreciate God's beauty that he created in Cinque Terre and Tuscany! The food was amazing and the wine was to die for!! Actually thinking about the wine and food right now makes me want some!!! We bought a few bottles of wine that are being shipped to us, but they probably wont' make it here for another few weeks!

I think I decided next time we go to Italy, we're going to go stay at a B&B in Tuscany and just relax and visit wineries, etc. We then may take a trip up to Cinque Terre and relax for a few days there too!

If you are wanting a relaxing vacation to Italy I would do the whole Tuscany/Cinque Terre trip. We loved Rome, Florence, and Venice but it was a ton of walking and standing. Our legs and feet were so exhausted! We felt like there was so much to see so we were constantly on the go in those cities. So relaxation would be found more in Tuscany and Cinque Terre because there isn't as much TOURIST  things to see; it is just a great place to enjoy life!

Day 8- Back to Rome

So on Friday we loaded up and got back on the train for a trip back to Rome! We got into Rome around lunch time and found our hotel and settled in! That afternoon we went and found the Baths of Caracalla. Back in Roman time they had these baths that men came to. It was more of social club type thing or a gym membership. But what is left of this one shows how HUGE they were.

After that we walked by the Circus Maximus or I guess what is left of it! There isn't much left but a big hole where it once was. They are doing some work around there so I wonder if they are going to try and rebuild any of it?? we'll see!

We then just walked around a discovered other stuff we hadn't seen in our first 2 days in Rome! We went to this huge Piazza and then walked up to the Villa Borghese and saw some amazing views of the city!

Looking down from the top of the Spanish Steps!

The rest of the day was a bit more leisurely. No plans, just enjoyed our last day in Italy!!

Day 7- Venice

So on Day 7, Thursday we woke up and went on a SECRET tour of the Doge's Palace. The Doge was kind of the leader back in the day. This palace housed him and all the government rooms and offices. On this tour we got to go behind the scenes and see some secret places that aren't just open to the public. Apparently Venice had kind of a "SECRET SERVICE" and they had hidden rooms in the palace where they met and did work. It was sooo interesting! We learned so much about Venice and their government and the rich history there! Very different than anything else we saw while in Italy. Highly recommend going on this tour if you're in Venice and enjoy history! While on that tour we also got to see Casanova's jail cell! We also saw where he escaped and learned more about all of that. Again, very cool!!

We got to cross over the Bridge of Sighs, which for the most part is covered up by scaffolding right now! :( The Bridge of Sighs connects the Doge's Palace and the jails. So we got to tour that too. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures inside :(.

 Doge's Palace Courtyard

 Ceiling of the Grand Staircase

  Ceiling of the Grand Staircase

 Looking down from the Bridge of Sighs. See all the people trying to take a picture of the bridge (or of the little bit that wasn't covered up right now.)

After that we walked around some more, stopped and had some lunch! We really really just enjoyed walking around Venice and seeing what we discovered.

We finally made our way to a water bus to take us over to Murano Island where a lot of Venetian Glass is made! It is such a cute little island!

 That is made up entirely of GLASS!

We then headed back on the water bus to the train station and took another water bus to just tour the entire Grand Canal!! So beautiful!

We just spent the rest of the day walking around discovering new stuff. That evening we had another great dinner and maybe a little too much wine! We ended our night again out at St. Mark's Square to enjoy the evening and music! We really loved Venice!!

 I love Bellini's and I found a wine cooler Bellini! YUMMY!!

Day 6- Venice

So we woke up on Day 6 and headed to the train station and rode the Euro Star out to Venice! This ride wasn't as fun as we were in tunnels a lot of the time! But we finally made it to Venice late morning. After we arrived we waited in the LONGEST lines ever to get a water bus pass. This was by far the part of the trip Kevin hated the most! After what seemed forever we finally got on a water bus and got our first glimpse of Venice! GORGEOUS! I just love this city on water! We checked into our hotel and had some lunch and then headed to St. Mark's Square!

 Rialto Bridge

 Grand Canal

 Grand Canal

Grand Canal

When we got to St. Mark's Square we walked around and took in some sites! We then did a walking tour through Rick Steve's Audio Guide again of St. Mark's Basilica! We weren't allowed to take pictures inside unfortunately! I just loved the architecture in St. Mark's Square! We pretty much spent the day around that area and walking through the streets of Venice just exploring!

 St. Mark's Basilica

 St. Mark's Square (doesn't the building in the background look fake??)

 The entry ceiling of St. Mark's Basilica before going in!

That night we had an amazing dinner and GREAT wine! We may or may not have a little too much wine ;)!!

After dinner walked to St Mark's Square again and just enjoyed the ambiance! They have 3 restaurants there that have live music. It was nice to just sit out there and listen to it! We really loved Venice at night, it was so peaceful and romantic! THEN after that we decided to do a night time ride on a gondola. I know some people think it is ridiculous to spend that much money on something like that, but that was one of the best things I've ever done! It costs more to take a ride after dark, but I think it was sooooo worth it! Being on the gondola and going through all the small canals; it was so quite and peaceful and romantic! Best single thing we did the entire trip!