Life Gave Me Lemonade: From a Different Perspective

I'm tired of blogging.

I hate summing up my experiences and memories 1 by 1, step by step.

Plus, it means I'm missing out on other memories and experiences because I'm stuck in my room blogging.

Lame.

So - here's to trying something new.

I spent 4 days in Rome.

I went everywhere.

I'll post my favorite pictures, but words aren't enough to describe everything I saw.

However, in church on Sunday, I sat next to this incredible woman...

And, being the snoop I am, I saw that in her journal she wrote down a list of things she'd learned from her travel week...

and I thought to myself...

What did I learn about myself while I was in Rome?

Here's my list:

1. I function on levels of high stress, so being surrounded by people who take 3 hours to sit down and eat and talk and just celebrate life was unusual for me. But I envied it. I want to be able to sit and relax and not think about everything else I have to check off my to-do list that day.

2. I take pictures with people in mind. Sean/my parents/Matt/my roommates/Emily/the world would love this, I think to myself.

3. Speaking of pictures, I'm not as good of a photographer as I would like to be. I attribute most of it to my sad excuse of a camera, but that's one of my goals - to learn more about the art of photography and practice it! I don't think I had even taken a picture for several months before I came out to London.

4. I'm a control freak, but only because I love people. There were several times I called out at Ellie like her mom would when she started walking into the street and I saw a car coming. She was really cute about it afterwards and pulled me aside to say, "Cali, I know you love me but sometimes I feel like you think I'm seven." She's so right. I don't know if I have a lot of faith in other people to take care of themselves. I want to care for them myself or just do things myself because I have more confidence in me than I have trust in other people. Part of me thinks that transfers in my trust with the Lord - sometimes I fail to turn to Him and put my trust in Him simply because I think I have a better handle on the situation or that I can take care of it myself without troubling Him. Why is that?

5. I'm really low-maintenance in terms of physical needs. I don't need to eat often, especially when there's lots of things to do. I don't need a lot of sleep to function. I don't require daily showers (though I do notice a difference when I don't!). I don't care about putting makeup on everyday. I like to wear comfy clothes over cute ones - bonus if the comfy clothes are cute. I don't do more to my hair then get out of the shower and scrunch my natural curls with my towel.

6. I'm emotionally moved by expressive art, more due to my awe of human ability to create such beauty. In visiting the Borghese Gallery, I saw this marble statue of Apollo and Daphne, sculpted by Bernini.

I walked around this statue probably close to 50 different times, just mesmerized by the detail and the lively activeness of somethings so still and hard. To think that this was created from a single large block of marble rock! With every chip and cut of stone, this vision slowly came to be...much like the happiness of our lives. Sometimes I feel like my future is a lot like a large block of marble and I just can't see the vision of the potential this block has. I guess that's why God is the artist. ;)

7. I know who my Savior is. Walking through what felt like miles of art museums where each artist had a different perspective of Christ and His life, I came to know my Savior a little better. Patient. Kind. Just. Forgiving. He is everything I strive each day to be. He is my brother and my friend. I may not be Catholic, but in my visit to the Vatican, I felt the spirit as I saw the love so many have had over these hundreds of years for my Savior. Take Michelangelo's Pieta for example:

There is no scriptural reference that states that Mary held Christ's body after he had finished his mortal ministry and ascended to Heaven - but can't you feel the love she has for her Son as she cradles Him in her lap? I was reminded then just how grateful I am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His personal sacrifice for me. I praise Him in all I do.

8. I am a hopeless romantic. Spending the day in some one of the most beautiful places in the world, and all I could think was, "I wish Sean was here with me." The world is more beautiful and wondrous with him by my side...

9. I'm not as patient as I could/should be. But I have wonderful friends who remind me and teach me to be better and more understanding.