23 years!

Today is our 23rd wedding anniversary.

With so much sadness in our hearts at the moment... losing our dear Buddy recently and now with Aruba terminally ill... we're just not in a celebratory mood, to be honest.

No big plans.  Just enjoying time together today, as a family... life is so uncertain.

Happy anniversary Sal, I love you!

3... 2... 1.... gone!

We had a wonderful evening out celebrating Sal's birthday of one of our favorite restaurants, Buca di Beppo. Sal indulged in their cannoli dessert and I had fun documenting it... time-lapse style! Love you, Sal !!

it's Sal's special day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to the love of my life! Have a fabulous day, Sal !!

(here he is enjoying a banana during the Super Bowl).... yep, he bought FRUIT as game day snacks, LOL .... um, no Cheetos?

Love you, sweetheart!

tracking the autumn splendor

As of October 2, here's the status of the fall foliage colors in Vermont... can't wait to get my first glimpses there on Friday! Until then, we're finishing some business in Boston (including a visit to a huge foreign language bookstore in Harvard Square --- Heaven for Sal !!).

I still can't believe that I won !!!

Hi everyone ~ whew, trying to catch-up on everything (including sleep!) after a whirlwind 5 day get-away to attend Inspiration Unlimited (IU).  Had a blast, loved it!  And I have amazing news to share.... during the Closing Ceremony, a ticket was drawn from a basket containing thousands of tickets.  The lucky winner received free tuition for next year's event --- it's a MEGA prize!  Guess who won it?  ME !!! yes, I WON a free seat to the 2013 IU !!!!!!  OMG, can you believe it ?!?!?  I still can't !!!  Everyone said that my face was frozen when my name was called, that I looked totally stunned.  I was -- and thrilled too!  Thanks to all my IU pals who shared the excitement with me --- your hugs and high-fives and Facebook comments made it all the more fun.  See you all next year, yay!

As soon as I get caught up at home and at the lab, I'll post all about IU.... for now tho, I did post some glimpses from the event back on September 22.  

I'll barely get unpacked before packing again for my next adventure--- Sal and I are heading to New England for some world-class "leaf peeping".  I've wanted and waited to go there for many years to see the incredible fall foliage colors, particularly in Vermont; I'm ecstatic that this year we're finally making it happen.  Along the way, Sal will also be presenting his amazing research at a few prestigious universities.  First stop -- Yale University in Connecticut!

Adding to the chaos that is my schedule this week, I had an appt to see my surgeon as soon as I flew home yesterday.  You might recall that back in May I had gallbladder surgery.  I've unfortunately been experiencing some pain related to that (not sure why 4 months later??).  I'm not in agony, but it's uncomfortable and has me worried.  So, I'm scheduled for bloodwork and an MRCP (a specialized MRI for the digestive organs) later this week.  Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of it.  Hoping I don't need any more surgery!  {fingers crossed}

Be back soon... I've gotta sit still (and stay home!) long enough to share about my journeys.... I owe you posts about the National Parks, IU, and the soon-to-happen leaf-peeping in New England.  Back soon, promise!  (Again, a special thanks to so many gals at IU who said that they enjoy following my blog and asked me to post more often --- you're the best!)

Thanks for stopping by,

Susan

congratulations to Sal !!!

I have EXCITING news to share!

 

Sal was recently named the 2012 Researcher Of The Year at the Full Professor rank in FAU's College of Science!  I couldn't be more proud of him!  He is a dedicated and distinguished researcher and is so deserving of this honor!

The Dean of Science presented him with a beautiful engraved plaque (and even more fun --- a check, LOL) at an awards ceremony:

I joke with Sal that he has won the "entire collection" of the Researcher Of The Year awards now, since they're awarded at each level of professorship ... Assistant, Associate, and Full.  And he has won all 3 !!

Congratulations, Sal !!!  I love you sweetheart !!!

happy Valentine's Day!

Looking forward to a romantic evening out with my "Salentine".....
XOXO,
Susan

it's Sal's special day!

Happy birthday today to the love of my life, my darling Sal !!! (and today's SuperBowl Sunday too ... how cool is that??)

Sweetheart, I wish you a day full of smiles and a new year filled with happiness! :-)

Buddy & Aruba & I love you lots!


XOXO,

"appy" holidays

Whew, we're already a week into 2012 !! Before we get too far into the new year I'd thought I share a few scenes of our Christmas festivities....

Sal and I had some fun with fellow faculty, staff, and grad students at the FAU Chemistry Dept's holiday party:

Santa brought iPhone 4s's to my parents, woo hoo! We all had fun downloading apps and stuff over the holidays ... I got them addicted to the Word Warp game, LOL:Buddy & Aruba had a blast opening their gifts!

Thank you, Grandma! :-)


Hope 2012 is off to a great start for you!

Susie snowflake

I've had the Silhouette Cameo electronic cutting tool on my wishlist for a while ... and on Black Friday, I found a totally irresistible deal and now one has a home in my scrapbooking studio! It's the latest & greatest version, enhanced with the capability to cut up to 12"-wide designs and to cut... FABRIC !!! :-)

I decided that my first Sil project would be for Sal. I programmed the Silhouette to cut an intricate, 3D snowflake that I thought would be perfect to hang in his office, especially for the holiday season. I'm still getting the hang of the blade depth settings, but it came out great I think! And of course, I coated it in glitter ... a snowflake must glisten!


I have a myriad of "white" glitters (LOL), so I let Sal choose the one he liked best ... he went with Martha Stewart crystal tinsel glitter. A perfect choice for the snowflake since the "tinsel" texture of the semi-opaque glitter mimics a frosty look. I added a festive red ribbon and it's ready for hanging ... enjoy, sweetheart !!

XOXO

My "Salentine" and I already have {{romantic}} plans for Valentine's Day! awww....

Andrea Bocelli will be performing his mesmerizing Italian love songs RIGHT HERE in SoFla (of all places!) that night, and we've managed to score tickets! Our seats aren't exactly front-row (even the nosebleed tix are expen$ive, ouch!), but it'll still be such a special date night! Love you, Sal !!

I often have his Con Te Partiro cranked-up on my iPod. Good stuff!

21 years ago today....

....I married my best friend & the love of my life!

Happy 21st anniversary to Sal, my endless love !!

I love you so much, sweetheart!

XOXO,
Susan

Greek yummies

I guess Sal can tell that I'm missing Greece!

He went grocery shopping yesterday and surprised me with these Greek delights... thanks sweetie!

I remember after the first time we got home from Hawaii, he had a fresh yellow plumeria lei (my favorite!) shipped home to me from the islands. Sal is always so thoughtful.....

Susan

congratulations to Sal !!!

Hello (yassas!) from the island of Hydra, Greece! Our hotel room opens onto this pretty garden terrace:

We've been so on-the-go that I haven't had a chance to share some wonderful news ... effective in August, Sal has been informed by the President of FAU that he will be promoted to the highest rank of professorship! From "Associate Professor" to "Full Professor", often abbreviated as simply "Professor". CONGRATULATIONS, sweetheart !!! :-) I'm so proud of you !!!

This honor is so well-deserved ... Sal is such a dedicated, hard-working, and talented chemistry professor and researcher!

So nice to be able to celebrate this incredible achievement while here in beautiful Greece.....

Susan

Eat. Pray. Love to Travel.....

"You don't speak Italian with your mouth, you speak it with your hands."
---from Eat Pray Love

Well, finally.... hello! Or make that yassas! since we've now arrived in incredible Athens! Already caught our first glimpse of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis... spectacular!

But first ... we made a couple of stops on our way here, so I'll post a bit about those. I plan to blog from the road as we continue our odyssey through Greece tho. I think the frequency will depend more on my energy level than on my internet connectivity, LOL. So far, we've had great WiFi access, but as much as I enjoy sharing, most nights I'm just too wiped. And please forgive typos or any photos that aren't 100% edited....

Anyway ... our journey began with a few days in Philadelphia ... the City of Brotherly Love was just that! Sal and his brother Paul got a chance to visit and catch-up. And Paul's sweet family, his wife Ruth and daughters Gina & Dana, were such hospitable and generous hosts. Ruth even put together a "goodie bag" for me containing my favorite snacks and some travel-themed scrapbooking supplies, OMG! how thoughtful was that??? Thank you so much, Ruth, I'm enjoying some of those Skittles right now! They sure showed us a good time, including a stop at their neighborhood Philly pretzel store ... OMG, so authentic and yum yum yum!

I went with Sal, Paul, and Maria (Sal's cousin) on a day-trip to New York City, we had a blast! Maria & I bought tickets 6 months ago to see Mamma Mia! on Broadway, it was spectacular! The Winter Garden Theater was so elegant. Our seats were on the orchestra level, 2nd row, center....awesome!Maria & I both loved the movie (which we also saw together back when it was in the theater), but the live show was so full of energy, very entertaining.

And of course we had to indulge in some NYC pizza....

We purposely planned to be in Philly for the Memorial Day weekend so that we could attend the annual Lepore Family picnic/reunion. So Sal got to see lots and lots of la famiglia, all at once!Sal and his cousin, Gioelle:

Sal's Aunt Mary & Uncle Roy:

Sal's Uncle Samuele playing the accordion while his Aunts Tina, Lidia, and Michelle sang Italian songs:

Sal and his cousin Danny ... don't they look alike? they both have such strikingly beautiful eyes!

Me with Sal's cousin Claudia (she's perhaps the most faithful reader of Where In The World? !!):

Sal's cousin Susan and her husband, Wayne (she's the owner of Susan's Decorated Sweets!):

Sal and his cousins enjoyed a friendly game of horseshoes:

Our nieces Gina & Dana:

And Gina's fun patriotic feet!I'd like to send a belated Memorial Day "thank you" to our military and their families, for their sacrifices past and present. They make our freedoms possible, including my ability to travel the world, which I so appreciate!

......A Rome With a View......

Then came the tough good-byes to everyone in Philly ...and we were off to Rome, Italy. Sal gave a seminar and met with research collaborators at the University of Rome's Chemistry Department. He had such a successful and productive visit, and his host professor invited me to join them for lunch. That's so like the Italians ... even in business: include the family and take time to get to know one another over a meal.

Our hotel (actually a charming guest house) was Relais Maddalena and our big window opened onto the quaint Piazza Maddalena. Here's a quickie video tour of the piazza from our window:

And if you loved the Eat Pray Love book and/or movie, you'll be interested to know that the author's favorite gelato shop, Il Gelato di San Crispino, was right outside our window! Apparently, EPL fans show up there clutching copies of the book, wanting to check it out. And our hotel owner remembers seeing Julia Roberts and the film crew in Rome. And like Julia's character in the movie, my jeans were starting to feel a bit tight from all the Italian treats. {wink}

Some more glimpses of Italian gastronomic delights:

(that's raspberry gelato I'm eating ... OK, I also had lemon, mango, banana....who can resist?)

We had some time to stroll around the city too. This was our 3rd visit to Rome, so we've been to all the famous "biggies" already ... the Vatican, the Colosseum, Piazza Navona, etc. With work to do at the University, we didn't have much time for sightseeing, and that was OK ... we just enjoyed taking in the vibe of daily Roman life. We did, however, make a point of re-visiting one of our favorite places in Rome, the Trevi Fountain.It's a spectacular work of art; the incredibly detailed sculpture appears to be oozing from the hulking mass of marble. When you visit Rome, be sure to visit La Fontana di Trevi in both the daytime and at night....it's lit up beautifully and is so romantic! And don't forget to toss a coin over your shoulder to assure that you'll come back to Rome...we did!

A few more glimpses of Rome:

Hangin' with Rome's finest....

Dinner with local Romans:

The Spanish Steps:

Since gas is the equivalent of $8 (U.S.) per gallon in Italy, there are scooters galore!...(that's the Pantheon in the background):

I really gave my Italian language skills (if you want to call them that?) a workout this visit! I'm getting better, I can feel myself improving since our first visit to Italy back in 2000. Sal is fluent, but I summoned the courage to order our meals, buy postage stamps, even hold short conversations. A taxi driver even complimented my Italian, I was beyond thrilled! But at times, I'd start a conversation and the Italian resident would reply SO rapidly, or with an accent that I'm not accustomed to, and I was a total deer-in-the-headlights. A blank stare ... Non capisco, mi dispiace. I've got some more learning to do! Or maybe I just need to wave my hands around more when I talk ??

Whenever I travel, I really make an effort to become a "temporary local", to open my mind to new ways of thinking and living. But I have to admit that in Italy, and elsewhere in Europe, I really miss having a COLD beverage! OMG, they never use ice! They serve soda, sparkling water, etc. ever-so-slightly chilled or even at room temperature. I just can't get used to it !!(I've heard Italians complain that when they visit the U.S., the restaurants put so much ice in drinks ... so I guess it's whatever you're used to). But after a long, often hot day here, I really crave throwing back a cold Coke. So, my polite requests for ice (vorrei un Coca-Cola con molto ghiaccio, per piacere) were often met with a waiter's curious wince (why do you want that?)...to say that Italians are expressive is an understatement! Then he'd go off somewhere (not sure why, but sometimes it takes a while to locate some ice --- perhaps they're chipping it out of a freezer that needs defrosting? LOL)...finally returning with my cubes of frozen delight "presented" in a pretty bowl with a spoon. As if it's a dessert! Makes me chuckle every time .......

We saw a scary incident while in Rome...it began to rain, the cobblestone streets were slippery, and a woman fell off her scooter while turning a corner. We ran over and Sal lifted the scooter off of her and I moved it out of the road while he helped her get up. She seemed OK, her ankle was sore though. A waiter from a nearby restaurant came running out with an ICE pack for her ankle ... go figure! I'm still wondering where they found that ice so quickly ??? ....kinda funny!

Not sure that I've ever mentioned how I love to wear what I call my "travel jewelry" ... my dual timezone watch (that I bought in Venice 11 years ago, LOVE it!). With a quick glance, I can see what time it is wherever in the world I am, and back in Florida. And my lira coin charm bracelet (the lira is no longer the currency of Italy; instead, they're using the euro, so my bracelet is quite a conversation piece):

I'm missing Buddy & Aruba terribly ... but I know that they're having fun at "Camp Grandma & Grandpa", LOL. I hear that their fur got a nice brushing this morning. XOXO to them!

While in Athens, Sal gave another seminar and discussed his research with the chemistry professors at the University of Athens. Tonight we talked all about his wildly successful day on campus while lingering over a delicious Greek dinner. Before we arrived at the restaurant, I looked-up how to say "ice" in Greek....

Ciao,

Susan