Soccer, Romance & Sunshine

It's been a long time since my last post I know, but in my defense I was taking a couple of trips abroad.
First I went to my family in Rome for a week and enjoyed the World Cup final! We celebrated all night with my sister and friends and it was a great feeling. I have always been interested in soccer (as you say in the US), but it's mainly something that I love to share with my dad.
Still I wouldn't watch any game just for the sake of the sport, it has to be my team playing, Rome or Italy.
Here in London was great to follow the World Cup but to enjoy the final in Rome among my fellow italians, was 100 times better, as when we won it last, it was 1982 and I was too small to remember.
Here is a photo from the celebrations in Rome:



After I came back from Rome I had about 5 days before I took my husband on a surprise weekend to Paris! It was his birthday on Sunday and two months ago I booked a trip to Paris with the Eurostar , with 1 night in a 4-star hotel. I had to keep it secret for two months and it was so difficult, was just dying to tell him! So on Friday night, I gift-wrapped a Paris guide and gave it to him! His look was priceless as he quickly realized that his gift was not the actual guide!!
So we left the next day and had a great romantic weekend in Paris, it was wonderful. It was our third time there, but it still amazes me how beautiful the place is and what romantic and passionate mood it puts you in.

But the heat was unbearable, could hardly breath, let alone think rationally. Couldn't wait to get back to London for that, because even though this year the heatwave has hit us too, it's not as bad as Paris. It's ironic how I have always complained about the British ''summer'' and now I am longing for a bit of refreshing rain!!


Happy summer wherever you are!

.....and my tip is: keep fresh and cool with lots of ice creams!!

On top of the world...

I have finally passed my driving test yesterday!!!!
I cannot believe it yet, but it is true.....the words this time were: I am pleased to say that you have passed, congratulations!!!!!!

Now I have to wait 3 weeks for the license to turn up, but it doesn't matter, I just wanted to have it, and it has taken longer than I thought, more pain than I thought, more strength that I thought I needed and had.
I had to analyze my attitude, my confidence and my strength, I bought self-help books about optimism and never giving up, I went into driving forums and spoke to people that failed a lot and then passed, I spoke to many friends, boring them with all the details of my fails. Even I was bored of listening to myself talking about it.

Each time I failed, it destroyed me, I would be depressed for a week and then pick myself up from the floor and start all over again, with lessons and so on.
I had put my life on hold for this, when I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it, I just wanted it out of the way so that I could get on with life. Than I thought, this is life, and so get on with it, whether is failing at something or being upset, this is life, there is no other life and you better live it now before it's finished.
So I joined a gym and changed my driving teacher, two things that made a world of difference. Exercise made me feel better about myself and gave me energy and my new teacher gave me all the tools I needed to pass my test, while the previous one just didn't care at all.

Now, not only I have a driving license, but I have gained new confidence in myself and found strength I never knew I had. And I feel a much safer and better driver that if I passed first time around.
It probably all meant to happen like this, so that I could learn a bit more about life and about myself, I am not sure, but in any case, I am glad to be on the other side finally!!

A big thank you to all the people that supported me, still believed in me and never let me give up.