Happy Holidays from Roma!

Before heading to Michigan on Friday, we were able to spend a few free days in Rome after Lynne had to attend a meeting there on Tuesday.  We spent two full days just wandering the streets, eating delicious foods, and enjoying the holiday lights in downtown Rome.  It was really nice!  

Happy Holidays to all from Italia!!

With sadness for the loss of our sweet Janet Rose

I am sorry to offer up a sad post on these pre-Christmas days, but I want to share some of the other events going on for us recently.  A couple weeks ago, we lost someone very dear to our hearts.  Someone who saw the world for only the good it had to offer, someone with unending optimism, and someone with a bigger heart than anyone I have ever known.  On December 8 our dear friend Janet Rose O'Connor passed away after a 7 month battle against colon cancer.  She was taken from us all too soon, and I cannot help but think that there is now this huge hole in our lives, a hole that was once filled with her laughter, friendship, and love.

I met Janet in 2000 during my first year at the University of Michigan.  Along with 6 other very special ladies, we became the best of friends.  We lived together at 1140 S. Forest, a place which we lovingly call the Brothel.  Janet, also known amongst the Brothel as Janet Rose, Rosie, or J-Ro, was a central member the group.  She loved doing things all together and did not want to miss out on one moment of fun, laughter, or debauchery, even if it was just a trip to the grocery store.  She made her name amongst our group as the leader of Goodness Day, a true Michigander, a lover of all things pink, and master of the scarf dance.  The friendships that we all formed during our four years of undergraduate life have stayed with us beyond our Ann Arbor days, despite us all moving to places like Chicago, LA, DC, NYC, St. Louis, Wichita, and even Cosenza.   Distance cannot break these bonds. We spend a weekend together every summer in some convenient beach location, laughing and drinking and just being who we have always been since we were 18 years old living in the dorms.  We have attended each others weddings and other major life events, and when life gets hard we drop what we are doing to be together.

Earlier this summer when we learned that Janet was sick, the girls decided to have the annual reunion in Michigan to spend time with Janet.  We enjoyed a great weekend of swimming, bbq-ing, and just plain old Brothel fun.  Since that time, Janet fought her fight with strength, determination, and the eternal optimism that we all love her for.  In early December when we learned that Janet was terminal and her time with us would not be long, the girls all traveled to Michigan again to visit Janet.  I joined them via Skype to look at old photos, do silly Mad-Libs, tell stories, and remind Janet of how much we love her.  It was so hard for me not to be there, but it was also so nice that I was able to see everyone and watch them all take care of our girl.  They were so strong for her, even though I know they were all hurting so much inside.  I also was not able to attend Janet's services when she passed away, but the Brothel was there and I was with them in spirit.  Being far from home in a time like this makes me feel so helpless and so disconnected, but the girls did such a great job of keeping me a part of everything.

At the time when Janet's funeral was starting in Michigan, Tyler and I along with his mom (who arrived for her visit the same night that Janet passed away) put some flower bulbs in the ground.  We planted pink tulips, white lilies, and purple hyacinth at the end of our front walk, and in the spring when the flowers appear we will think of Janet.  We will remember what a great friend she was and we will know that in some way she is still with us.  She will always be with us, in spirit and in everything we do.  Because of Janet, I hope that I will always know how to be a better friend, how to love more deeply, how to see the good in other people, and how to give of myself to others before worrying about my own needs.  That is what Janet did, and it is my responsibility to live my life how she would want me to live it.   I am forever thankful that I had the good fortune of meeting Janet, because my life would not be the same without her.  I miss her so much.

Happy Holidays from Calabria!

This Christmas we'll be traveling to Michigan to spend the holidays with the Gratz family. Lynne and I can't wait to get home, to have some great food, to play in the snow, and most importantly, to play with our nephews and nieces! If you are in Michigan, drop us an email and perhaps we can stop in and visit! Happy Holidays!

Tyler's Mom Visits Italia!

In early December my mom came to Europe to visit Jamie (in Bavaria) and Lynne and I, in Calabria. We she arrived we headed north, to visit Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Lucky for us, the weather cooperated and we traveled in comfort, taking in the sights and sounds of one of the most beautiful areas of Southern Italy.


Mom really enjoyed seeing the orange and lemon groves, the terraced agriculture along the pennisula, and the ramshackle layout of the cliffside villages. I really enjoyed the fact that we were in Amalfi off-season: the restaurants were pleasant, the shopping less-crowded, and the views spectacular.


We chose to stay in Atrani, a picturesque village that just happens to have one of the best seafood restaurants around (sly grin). We also managed to visit Pompeii, where we walked the ancient streets only slightly leery of mighty Vesuvius. Our time in Amalfi was relaxing. Italy is by far better in the off-season, people.

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Leaving Amalfi we traveled inland. The highway looped around stony outcroppings and seemed to move in and out of tunnels every other mile. We eventually came to Matera, a town famous for its ancient cliff dwellings - where early inhabitants lived side by side with thier donkeys and their slaves. And their donkeyslaves.







This Donkeyslave no doubt wishes he weren't.


The landscape in Matera is grey and stark, but fascinating. Unfortunately, mom was feeling none too well, as she contracted some little stomach bug (from Germany, no doubt) and had to suffer through a longer-than-planned canyon walk.



Despite feeling poorly, mom strolled the Sassi (stone valleys) like a champ. We were happy when she was able to rest and relax in our apartment in Cosenza, her home-away-from-home.








Lynne and I want to go back to Matera again. Please come visit and give us an excuse.



We concluded our vacation in lovely Cosenza, where Mom rested, went for long walks, and tried her best not to eat all the great Calabrian food being put in front of her. She also did some mighty-fine shopping. Thanks for visiting, Mom - we loved having you!

Our Italian TV Debut

Recently Lynne and I traveled to Mormanno, to enjoy a festival celebrating the debut of the new wine - a cause worth celebrating, if I might say so myself.

We suspect we were the only two non-Italians in the village. Perhaps confirming our suspicions, the local TV news reporter asked for an interview. A transcript is below:

Lady: Where do you come from?

Tyler: We're Americans, from the United States.

Lady: And you're here to take in this spectacle?

Tyler: Yes, to try all this food, to be with friends, and for fun.

Lady: What Calabrian food do you like the most?

Tyler: The hot peppers, no doubt.

Lady: Mormano, with a little more than 3000 inhabitants, has more than 100 that work in making artisinal foods: Traditional meats, lentil soups, and the most famous, bucconotti (jam-filled cakes). And the menu at Mormanno this night was great.

Lady: What is a typical dish from here?

Woman with cool hat: The schiattelli (homemade pasta), and what else, the baccala (cod), and the (other dish, in dialect)

Lynne: Ahhh the pasta, the pasta is fabulous.

Below is a the longer video, if you want to see more of the festival.