The Arrival of Emily

Taking care of someone’s house brings along with it a ton of responsibility, especially when its for one year! Over the past ten months we have been fortunate to have our good friend Emily living in our home. She has been taking care of our elderly dog Tasha, receiving the mail and making sure that all is in order.

Last December, we decided to give her a trip to visit us as her Christmas gift.

Emily arrived two days after my mom. For the kids it was like Christmas having both their grandma and their first babysitter visiting us at the same time. Olivia in particular was so excited to have another “Girl” in the house.

As was the case with my mom, I was bed ridden for a great portion of Emily’s time with us. In her five days here she was able to see a decent amount of the city, but her highlight was likely the trip that we took to the Prada outlets! Emily is a notorious shopper and lover of fashion, so it was like a dream come true for her to visit such a place.

It was funny to see the look in her eyes as she was clearly overwhelmed by all of the possibilities and like anyone limited to a budget for purchases. She spent nearly two hours trying to decide which Prada bag to buy and even at the checkout was emotionally drained over what to buy!

As was the case with my mom, I will let Emily tell you more about her time with us…

An Interview with Emily:

Q1: This was your first time to Italy, as you get ready to leave, what are your fondest memories?

EA: “Obviously spending time with you guys. I just loved spending time in the park at the castle. There are so many hidden treasures at the castle (The greenhouse, the church of Marignolle, the chapel on the property) are all amazing. I also just loved seeing David, he was amazing!”

Q2: You had heard a lot about the castle, how did it compare to what you were expecting?

EA: “Oh my God, I expected a castle, but I didn’t expect something so extravagant. You had always spoken about the 360 degree views but I didn’t comprehend it until I saw it. The views were better than I could have ever imagined. Also, just the fact that Pope stayed here makes it so amazing.”

Q3: Would you like to return to Italy again? Why?

EA: “YES, in fact I would love to live here. I didn’t have time to see all of Florence and there are so many other surrounding cities that I would love to see as well. To come here for a year would be perfect. It would give you the time to explore it all in detail.”

Q4: You were Trey’s first baby sitter and have known the kids since they were only weeks old. How was it for them to be so excited to see you?

EA: “It’s so exciting to see them. It made me feel good that before I arrived, Olivia was waiting downstairs for me. While she was waiting, Marcella “The Chef” showed up and asked her what she was doing outside. She said “I’m waiting for a very important guest to arrive!” When I heard that, it made me feel great!”