Happy Holidays!

Was it really August when I last updated this blog? Guess we have been busy!

Back to school for some

Dinner in the garden with cousins

The cousins came to visit in late August - lots of splashing at the pool, visiting the DC sites, zip-lining, solar eclipse watching and pasta making and a fun evening watching the Nats...loose that week. We then squeezed in a fun week-end in New York at the beginning of September where we saw Federer on court at the US open.

Girls in New York

London baseball fans!

School has been keeping the girls out of mischief, Isabella very focused on her IGCSE's next summer then it's IB and perhaps medicine beyond that. It's only 2.5 years away and she'll be flying from the nest! She applied to be a volunteer at Children's National Hospital - it's very competitive to get in, but she did. She has been helping out at the week-ends and is thoroughly loving seeing the hospital from a different perspective. Hopefully next year she will actually shadow a doctor or two - well she knows one or two there who are only too willing to show her the ropes. Next year she will also begin driving. Cue knowing nod from all you grandparents out there as I say "where did the past 15 years go already?!" Isabella continues to sing with her choir, last week they were caroling at the new in place to be in DC -  at the Wharf for the lighting of the Christmas tree, complete with surprise guest appearance from ...none other than Father C. Yesterday was the annual Christmas concert and I was in awe when she and one other girl sang the soprano lines of one song - beautiful but also incredibly impressive for a somewhat shy solo performer.

Christmas tree lighting at the Wharf

The singer!

Meanwhile Mati still lives in pajamas or swimming costumes. This week-end she's been swimming in a regional competition, four days on the trot and she's exhausted. Cue sick day today! A couple of weeks ago she was with her school down in Florida for a big sports meet and won three swimming medals. Unless there is swimming to get up for there's no way of getting Mati out of bed willingly before the sun is high in the sky.

Both girls have a new piano teacher this term who seems to have inspired them both to practice voluntarily on a daily basis, even to the point of fighting over whose turn it is to play! Sitting by the fire looking at the Christmas tree and listening to them play the other evening was lovely.

Casablanca

Emma meets a camel

Majorelle gardens

We have had a few visitors from across the pond in the past couple of months to keep us entertained. Gregorio and I have also been busy traveling a fair bit for work. He didn't enjoy his trip to Barbados as much I enjoyed my jaunts. I had a magical trip to Marrakech in September which was a feast for the senses. This was followed a month later with a trip to Europe - I was a guest on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. An indulgent and glamorous trip. We were with a fun group and were truly wined and dined in style and saw some wonderful places beginning in Budapest and then on the train to Paris. We even saw some celebs including Nadal in our hotel but I didn't have the guts to get a photo or autograph in my sweaty disheveled state! 'As if he hasn't seen sweaty people before ' was Gregorio's comment.

suppli al nero di seppia

It was fun to then embrace P & J in Paris and take a mini trip down memory lane before heading north to Normandy to suss out hotels for some D-Day trips complete with an indulgence of French cheese. And a day trip to Strasbourg completed a wonderful autumnal time in France - with perfect weather, some shopping and a couple of morning runs along the Seine and through the Tuileries gardens to try to work off some of the extra calories gained!

Cooking (and eating) continues to be a big family passion. Mati and Bella competing for master baker, while Gregorio continues to perfect his pasta making skills and other carbohydrate delights and Emma cooked the traditional roast turkey and trimmings for our annual Thanksgiving gathering, even if the numbers were rather depleted this year.

We are looking forward to escaping to the Colorado mountains over Christmas and just hoping that the snow does finally fall for our arrival. We had the first snow here this week-end and I know that much of England and Europe has also received a heavy dusting of the white stuff...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Isabella continues to be off treatment and is blossoming. The last MRI in November showed that all was stable, long may it continue. There will be another MRI in February. In the meantime we wish our friends and family far and wide a magical Christmas and a brighter, happier and healthier 2018.


Lots of love,
Emma, Gregorio, Isabella & Mati xxx

Summertime fun!

As the summer holidays draw to a close I realize I have been remiss in updating the blog for some time. A good sign! Isabella had another MRI at the end of July and all continues to be stable. We move forward for another three months. Another MRI is scheduled in early November.

Meanwhile we have had an action packed summer - featuring a lot of water. Isabella enjoyed a two week sailing course in Italy. She loves being on the water. She had a blast, made lots of friends and is already planning her return next summer. Before and after the sailing camp she was royally treated to a very special vacanze romane with the nonni. I think Gianna took Isabella to every corner of Rome by bus or on foot, experiencing the art and food of Rome at it's best. Isabella feels she really knows the city and I know how special it was by the enthusiasm she told me about the Caravaggio's she saw or the details of the different churches. Then there were the evenings out and the musical evening at Parco della Musica. Bravi nonni! Isabella also enjoyed some fun evenings out with Gregorio's friends and their children, including Mamma Mia in Italian! And the goodies - wearable and edible that she returned home with were received very enthusiastically!

Back in DC Mati joined a summer swim league. She enjoys being in the water - she trained most days during the week and swam in competitions most week-ends. Gregorio and I loved watching and cheering our "dolphin" on. It was a lot of fun, even if the locations were in the back of beyond, up to an hour away from home - and we needed to be there by 7am or earlier! Mati did very well and enjoyed the team camaraderie that a summer swim team provides. She is now looking forward to getting back to winter training but already planning on joining the summer league again next year. When she wasn't swimming (or sleeping or eating - she does a lot of both) she took a culinary camp  - cooking some impressive dishes.

After a month apart - we had an idea of what the future will be like - the girls were desperate to see each other!

As I write this, we are wrapping up our family summer vacation - seaside on the US Atlantic. We began with a very relaxing week at the beach in Lewes, Delaware. We stayed in a lovely little beach cottage, opposite the ice cream store and enjoyed morning runs or bike rides into the state park and relaxed by the shore later in the day. We sampled local craft beer and had some retail therapy when it rained. We then crossed the Delaware Bay and spent a week in Cape May, New Jersey, a delightful seaside town, with plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants and quaint victorian architecture. Fun and lively but tasteful. It was a very pleasant discovery. Despite some wet days (providing time for Monopoly and lots of reading), the sunset cruise around the island watching many dolphins was magical, the seafood and local produce everywhere were delicious. We had some great food - cooked at home and  sampled at delightful restaurants and a local farm. We found some great beaches and had endless fun in the waves or flying the kite. A pure simple quality family vacation.

We are returning to DC refreshed and ready for the "new year". The English cousins will arrive the afternoon we get back. School starts again next week and so I will probably add another update this week.

Despite all the terrible events that continue to happen around the world, we hope you are all well!



Lots of love,

Emma, Gregorio, Isabella & Matilde xxx

Spring in DC

Short version: last week's MRI revealed that all is still stable, three months without treatment. Great news, we move on for another three months. Tune back in, in early August for another medical update.

Longer version: of course we have been keeping busy since we last updated you. We had a fabulous week skiing in Steamboat Springs Colorado in February. Nine days on the slopes was amazing, a real treat even if old bodies couldn't keep up. Gregorio and I are dreaming about retirement and how we can insure extended periods of time in the mountains... We had all weathers with the last two days of powder being pure magic, if a little chilly - 1F at the summit or -18C in some people's language!

In April Gregorio celebrated a half century!

I nonni joined us from Rome on a musical tour of Tennessee. The graphic designer in my office had turned the itinerary, planned by yours truly, into a rockstar magazine which Gregorio loved. See photo. We began in Memphis with a memorable gospel church service, quasi rock concert on Palm Sunday ("put your palms together for Palm Sunday") followed by a Love me Tender tour at Gracelands, to singing the blues on Beale Street. We learnt about the birthplace of rock n roll with studio tours and several great music museums and a tour of the Gibson guitar factory. We had tunes ringing in our ears or were constantly tapping our feet. In between we cruised down the mighty Mississippi on a paddle steamer, drove around in 1950's cars visiting Elvis haunts, saw the duck march at the Peabody hotel, climbed a pyramid, visited the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jnr was assassinated and dined on delicious BBQ food and hot fried chicken. Then onwards to Nashville for the final few days, the home of country music - where there was music oozing out of every bar and museum in town. The songwriter's round at the Bluebird Cafe on Gregorio's actual birthday was particularly special. We had quite the best spare ribs we have ever tasted and the most original and indulgent donuts (bacon flavored?!). We even had a surprise visit to a small artisanal pasta factory that Gregorio has been following on instagram! It was certainly a memorable week. Back in DC we had an Easter birthday lunch to round out the celebrations with friends and family.

Oh but wait that was not all the birthday celebrations. He was 50 after all! Just last week-end Gregorio enjoyed one of our gifts - a drive in a Ferrari - all 5 minutes, but still he said it was pretty cool! Later this spring he is going to take an one hour flying lesson.

While the grandparents were here, we have been busy enjoying the sites of DC, including the hot ticket in town  - the Yayoi Kusama Infinity mirrors exhibition at the Hirshhorn. After several attempts we were lucky to get tickets, apparently most Mondays there were about 57,000 trying to sign up for for the 6,000 tickets that were released each week! A fascinating fascination with polka dots.

This past week-end we had the largest team ever for the annual Race for Hope. A cool start but it turned out to be a glorious afternoon and we had nearly 60 friends back in the garden for a celebratory BBQ. Isabella was reluctant to join the Survivor's tribute at the start of the race but Mati offered to join her. The team were surprised when we hadn't seen Bella stride by but they were delayed and suddenly made a dash appearance on their own at the end. Rather entertaining. Isabella ran her best time ever and was very happy. It is always a very emotional and moving event, so inspiring to see the survivors and as a family we draw great comfort from the support that our friends and family give us. Two friends flew in especially for the event, one from Italy and another from Belgium. The latter was a total surprise (that I still can't believe I hadn't cottoned on to) we were all truly touched that they wanted to join us for this special annual tradition.

The grandparents have returned to Rome and our home is a little empty! Meanwhile the school year continues at a fast pace with exams looming. Isabella is taking her maths IGCSE this year and both are getting ready for their piano exams. We shall be looking forward to slowing down in the summer. The plans are still coming together but we have booked Isabella's ticket to Italy (on her own) to see the nonni and take a two week sailing camp.

Lots of love to you all,
Emma, Gregorio, Isabella & Mati. xxx

New Year - NO treatment!

Last week-end's MRI shows that the tumor is stable. It is smaller than it was when we started treatment last February. We have decided to stop treatment. Isabella is happy and positively beaming at the news. After a three week break over Christmas and New Year, she was rid of the darn side effects that had been building up and now she can enjoy the freedom from the treatment.

Next MRI will be in three months to monitor the tumor.

Till then we are free of medical visits. YEAH! We discussed treatment options if/when the tumor regrows. We will cross that bridge when it happens.

Brace yourself world for the event that really is happening in DC tomorrow...

Lots of love,
Emma & co xxx