it may have taken me FOR-EV-ERRRRRR but I finally got to posting the final stop on that Scentsy cruise trip I tagged along with.  if you missed the french riviera or pisa & florence, go check them out.  [no one paid me or threatened me to say this]  if you have EVER considered trying to make money with direct sales, you should stop.  Scentsy is the only company i would recommend…f’reals.  this trip was BANANAS and it was all because the owners/operators of Scensty are amazingly generous to their consultants.  highest commissions, best bonuses and hello?!  crazy, rad incentive trips like this!!!

enough plugging them (but can’t ever stop thanking them) before we get on to Roma, Italy.  it was our last stop on the mediterranean cruise and just made me want to pack up and move there for a few months.  of course, with only a day and a guided tour, it was a rush to see all the main sights within a certain walking distance but what we did see, I am forever grateful for.  the history, the architecture, the beauty and culture…the stories I have read about suddenly came alive before my very eyes.  it was overwhelming and amazing and I am certain I still haven’t processed it all.  one day was just a taste.  i dream of more Rome.

Moses by Michelangelo.  it is one thing to see pieces like this in photos but to see it before your eyes?  breath taking.  every vein and muscle and perfectly crafted human detail…truly amazing.   it was really interesting to learn that Michelangelo studied dead bodies, held in the church hospital, to perfect his work.  and how young he was, when he began some of the other amazing pieces of work.  at 14 I was…never mind.  let’s not embarrass ourself, Amy.

we weren’t on the bus very long IN the city but there was so much to see as we drove.

we happened to come on the day of pilgrimage AND the day the pope was holding an “invite only” gathering.  I left my invite at home [if I were Pinocchio, my nose would be longer now] so we didn’t go in but the masses of people were a sight in and of themselves.  even the barricades kept us pretty far back from the building.  someday I will return and see the inside.

Piazza Navona.  street vendors, sidewalk artists and amazing flats that overlook the square.

the Pantheon.  yet another structure I never imagined to see but in photos.

a wedding had just commenced and it is now on my heart/bucket list to photograph a real wedding in rome.  with a couple who wants photos all over the city.  and loves good food.  and laughs a lot.  all three requirements or none.  😉

is it just me, or is italian graffiti even beautiful?!

the amazing Fountana di Trevi.  my travel buddies and I all made wishes in the fountain.  I know you aren’t supposed to share your wishes but…my only wish was to come back some day.

for such a huge building, we sure had a hard time finding this.  even with the assistance of the locals, we had quite the time!  I wonder if the Spanish Steps are ever empty?

this entire trip would not have happened had it not been for these three (and my husband, and my parents, and Suzanne’s husband and and and…) amazing people.  Suzanne and the founders/owners of Scentsy!  such wonderful, generous people who treat their people so amazing!  thank you Orville and Heidi (and Scentsy in general) for allowing me to tag along and see what a fantastic operation you run!  and thank you Suzanne, for letting me invite myself on your trip as your “plus one” and for being so patient with me as I stopped every ten seconds to photograph something/anything.

we even made some sweet friends on this cruise and had the greatest time…but there is nothing like a “welcome home hug” from your four precious babes.  my rockstar husband not only held down the fort while I was traipsing through the Mediterranean but took the kids to a fair, helped them build numerous lego cities and played doctor on busted up noses.  he is kinda the best of all times ever in the whole wide world for always.

and of course, we had to play with our souvenirs that got packed home.  and our sweet Suzanne was leaving us for three months the very next day so we savored every last moment of our evening with her.  what a trip.  thanks for joining me on this trip!!   since then, we have gone on many more adventures!  are you even enjoying these photos or is this a kin to uncle bob and his kodak carousel projector and a white sheet on the wall?  let me know because, dear internet, I would hate to let you down!  😉