Two Worlds

Maria takes a nap on her papa's chest. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Maria Regina, the daughter of my brother John and his wife Jaci (and more importantly my parents’ first granddaughter), finally met her father’s side of the family last week. The family was overjoyed at her presence — and no one was more excited to meet six-week-old Maria than her little cousins, who held her and loved her as much as they could in the short time she visited. (To check out the images from Maria’s visit, you can click on the “Maria Meets the Family” photo album.) We still can’t get the sweet new baby smell out of my parent’s house. Who doesn’t love that?

Amy smiles brightly at her First Communion. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Yesterday was a proud day for my family. My Goddaughter and cousin Amy made her First Communion — and she looked like the perfect little bride. When she took the Host, which represents the body of Christ in the Catholic religion, our hearts swelled with love and joy. The best part? The girl who didn’t want to wear a dress because they were all “too itchy” dressed like a girlie-girl, loved her flowers, and smiled brightly all day long. You can see for yourself by viewing the “Amy’s First Communion” photo album. I made Amy’s bouquet, which will probably make an appearance in Wednesday’s blog on the About.com Newlyweds site, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, I think we should all give Amy a round of applause for reaching this milestone and doing it all with such class and maturity. Jesus loves her — and so do we!

Nieces Laura (l.) and Giulia (r.) pose for a wacky photo using iPhotoBooth on the MacBook. © Photo by Laura and Giulia

When I was in Italy for five months in 2009, my nieces spent a lot of time in my room with me. We made cards and pictures, played Sorry, baked muffins, and played with my computer. One of our favorite things to do was use the iPhotoBooth on my MacBook to create wacky photos like the one above that has Laura and Giulia looking as though they’re fresh out of a comic strip in the Sunday newspaper.

Lately, I’ve been on a photo kick. I put some new pictures around my house, and I’ve been carefully storing all my images (even the ones my friends and family send to me) in iPhoto. As the Guide to Newlyweds for About.com, I’ve been inviting people to share stories and photos from their wedding, honeymoon, home, and personal blogs. I’ve even asked them to share their baby stories and photos with readers. A few people have done just that.

There’s something magical about seeing people’s photos. After all, they are sharing an important and beautiful memory — one of the reasons we enjoy living — with all the world. A special photo is inspiring and even motivational. Indeed, just looking at Laura and Giulia above makes me want to laugh more. Feel free to share your photos with my About.com readers and continue to inspire pure and lovely emotions.

Papa gets ready to blow out the candles on his cake April 27, 2010. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

I am sorry that I haven’t posted anything since my husband Antonio left for Italy. I’ve been swamped with work since we said our good-byes. I wrote a few stories for Bloomberg Businessweek, including “Dream Jobs: College Students Get Real“, “Haas Launches New MBA Curriculum“, and “Summer Reading List: The B-School Edition“. I also convinced at least one blogger to share her thoughts with my readers on the Newlyweds site for About.com, and I hope others will follow (so spread the word).

The last few weeks have not been all work and no play, however. Today, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day, and my own mamma deserves some serious props because she’s been taking care of me all my life (and she keeps on keepin’ on). Back on April 27, we hopped in the car with the Golden Girls (Zia Concettina and Zia Antonietta) and their dates (Zio Raffaele and Zio Vincenzo) and took a spin to the Dynasty Buffet, where we pigged out and celebrated my Papa’s birthday. Setting loose a bunch of Italians on a buffet featuring shrimp, crab, Chinese food, and carving stations takes a whole lotta’ courage.