You should come back home, back on your own now.

Tell me anything you want; any old lie will do. Call me back to you.

Hello friends. Long time, no blog. My apologies. I just had to fit so much goodness into so little time.

I realize that I left you all hanging for the last month of my life changing experience in Rome. In order to tell you everything that happened in that time, this post would turn into a novel with various fragments and run-on sentences. I know that you do not want to read said novel on a computer screen. So, if you want the dirty details, I suppose you will just have to sit down with me so we can have a lovely conversation together. But I will take this time and space to give you the Reader’s Digest version of the final leg of the race.

I spent my Thanksgiving break in Barcelona with some wonderful people. The majority of our time there we were hopelessly and wonderfully lost. And I loved every second of it. We went to the market every day to buy fresh fruit, we danced like fools at Razzmatazz, and we were amazed by the artistic works of Picasso and Gaudi. Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia cathedral is quite possibly the most beautiful piece of architecture that I have ever encountered. The cathedral was started in 1882 and is still a work in progress. Crazy, right? You should check it out. It will blow your mind at least twice, if not more.

Back in Rome, I spent a lot of time on finishing up papers and preparing for finals, but I still found time to have some fun.

My dear sweet Maureenie Beanie, who is studying in Ireland for the year, came to visit one weekend. I was the happiest of all the birds when we reunited. It was weird yet wonderful to have my two worlds collide. During her visit, we went to the Vatican, hung out with my seminarian friends, took a tour below St. Peter’s Basilica, went to the top of the dome in the Basilica, got kicked off a bus, cuddled, went to mass at the Pantheon, got lost in Trastevere, and laughed. Taking her back to the train station was such a hard thing to do, because I didn’t want her to leave. Do you ever feel like everything is better when certain people are around? Maureen Brown is one of those people for me.

We had our final mass and God Squad with our deacon and seminarian friends. I must say, those men were extremely refreshing and their passion and love for God helped me to grow. They had a huge impact on me, and I am nothing short of thankful. The same goes to my professors, especially Hansen and Fr. Mark. What beautiful people. Geniuses, I tell you!

Finals came and went, and I owned them. Forty points to Gryffindor.

Sophia, Grace, and I went to evening prayer one night with the Sisters of Mercy. They were a hoot and a half, and it was a great experience. After evening prayer, one of the sisters helped Sophia and I acquire tickets to the papal audience the next day. The papal audience was awesome. Pope Benedict (or Benny, as I like to call him) gave a beautiful message and blessing to all that were present. And I got winked at by a cute Swiss Guard. No big deal.

The last few free days in the Eternal City were bittersweet. Grace and I were ready to go home, but we knew we would just want to come right back. We had a lot of challenging but good talks, and we walked to streets of the city in preparation for our goodbye.

The day before we left, the hotel provided a huge Christmas banquet. We got all dolled up, all of our professors attended, and we had an exquisite meal together. After the banquet, we reluctantly said goodbye to our professors and Campus Ministry. It was a heck of a ride. Later that afternoon, Grace, Sophia, and I went out for our last night on the town. We ate our last gelato at Grom, a gelateria that uses fresh and organic ingredients. We said goodbye to the Pantheon, met a sweet man who makes belts, threw in coins at the Trevi, bought roasted chestnuts from a street vendor, admired the Christmas lights on via del Corso, almost got ran over, said goodbye to the Colosseum, hung out at Trajan’s column, and spent the last of our meal tickets at Pascucci. Back at the hotel, we finished packing our bags and we hung out with friends. Grace and I had a really encouraging conversation with Fran, and it reaffirmed the fact that the individuals I encountered on this trip have changed me for the better and love me despite my shortcomings.

Grace and I made our way back home, but not without a few bumps along the way. Our travels were carried out in true Grace and Allie fashion. And I must say, we did quite well with the curve balls that were thrown our way. We may not always know if we are pitching or catching, but there is never a dull moment, and we get the job done.

I came back to a big momma hug, a dad with a beard, and a peanut butter and honey sandwich, with the Beach Boys crooning "God Only Knows" in the background. Not to mention all the beautiful friends and family that I came home to. It doesn't get any better.

It is absolutely marvelous to be home for the holidays. I miss Rome, but it’s good to be back. And who knows, mayhaps I will end up in the Eternal City again someday. But for now, I will continue to process and grow from the goodness of my trip. I am looking forward to Spring semester back at Narnia (South Bend) and I am ecstatic to be reunited with my smick chicks. I am also excited to see how I will bring my experience from this trip back to school with me.

So, a Happy New Year to you, wherever you are.

Ti voglio bene.

In the words of Grace Coffey, “Holla!”