Friday Update - Taking a Break from Italy

It's Friday! And it is awesome because Luke is home today as it is his Friday off. That meant I got to sleep in :-)

Confession: I am really really struggling with writing these Italy blogs. There is just so much that we did! And even though I am breaking it down quite a bit, the initial go of writing them overwhelms me. We were gone for 11 days, and although it was a fantastic 11 days, I am having a difficult time reliving it. Let me explain: After a long trip, it takes some time getting back into the swing of things. We all have this problem. In order to get back into the swing, you must put everything you just experienced behind you and get back into reality. Well with blog writing, I can't do that. I have to stay connected with the trip. And it is exhausting to go through everything again! Does anyone else feel the same way after a long trip? #BloggingHousewifeProblems #FirstWorldProblems So I decided to take today off from writing about Italy, and fill you in on a few updates. Yes, things have changed in the last five days... crazy.

1.) We finalized the stolen bikes situation for the most part. I will tell you all about it after the Italy blogs are complete.

2.) Summer left without saying goodbye. We left for Italy, and it was in the mid-70's. We were sleeping with the windows open, the fan on high, and wearing short sleeves and shorts in the house. This week, the temperatures are in the 50's, and it's too cold outside to have a window open at night. Too cold in the house for a fan, and we are wearing long sleeves, long pants, and slippers. And I am starting the afternoon tea time again.

3.) Luke and I started driving lessons this week with hopes to take our final test in the next few months... and pass. During my first lesson, I learned that I am not allowed to put my hand inside the steering wheel, like when you grab inside when turning. I am also discouraged from crossing my hands when turning. And not supposed to "wax-on wax-off" with my hands when turning (think Karate Kid). It is so tough not to do all of these things. No matter what side of the road you are driving on and what side of the vehicle you are sitting, the way you use your hands on a steering wheel is still the same as you have always done. So almost 16 years (yikes!) later, I have to change my ways. Other than that, my first lesson went pretty well despite the fact that I hadn't driven in over 5 months.

4.) I am attempting to not wash my hair daily. I have been reading about how bad it is to wash your hair everyday as oil builds up and makes things worse, and also heat treating it is not good either. So as of this moment... I haven't shampooed my hair since Sunday. Hah! I used a baking soda mixture Wednesday in replacement for shampoo to "clean" it, but otherwise, I haven't washed it all week. And its actually not too disgusting.

5.) I think my dryer might be broken again. After hosting my folks, then Jill & Kasey, and then Italy, I have been running the washer/dryer machine nonstop for about 12-14 hours everyday this week. Some towels last night dried for approx 6 hours, and this morning they were still wet.

6.) iOS7 for iPhone and iPad?? I don't like it. I don't understand why there is a new keyboard, but the keyboard within the apps is still the old one. It doesn't make sense. And I don't like the Control Panel on lock screen... I feel there is too much that can be accessed from the lock screen. There is more, but those are some main things I don't like. On the positive, my phone was running pretty slow last night, but it seems to be doing better today.

7.) Just this morning, I used Feedly by downloading the app, and its better than BlogLovin'. For you BlogLovin' app users... have you ever noticed that sometimes the posts end when it isn't the actual end of the post (this happened on my post about the Roman Ruins)? Have you ever noticed that you can't comment through the app? Have you ever noticed that the various fonts and colors don't show up? Yeah, all of that doesn't happen on Feedly. So I think I am going to switch to the Feedly app. Maybe you should do the same?????

8.) Luke and I are on super diet right now! Well, mostly Luke. Italy was way too many carbs. Lots of wine and pizza and bread. It is unavoidable too. I eat carbs on a daily basis, and I even feel like a big blubber blob walking around. So this week's dinners consisted of chicken or fish sprinkled with a tiny amount of seasoning and some type of steamed veggie. Small, healthy, and easy! I like the easy part :-)

9.) I am home for a while! Can you believe it? No trips for a few weeks! It feels nice to know that maybe I can actually read a book which I haven't done since March... maybe one of these books that Jill let me borrow 6 months ago.

Do you have any updates to share? I hope all of you have a great weekend!