What started in Italy didn't end in Italy...

I started the piece on the left, in the Studio in Orvieto.  I didn't finish her because I was really struggling with the acrylics, it was one of the first times I had ever used them and I was determined to learn.  When I got home I hid her away with my acrylic paints because I was so frustrated.

In the 2nd image I had discovered beautiful neocolors, so I took her a step further.  I was much happier with her but I still packed her away.

 I eventually overcame my fears of Acrylic paints and have been practicing with them for a good year now, together with practicing my faces and working on my proportions etc... And I finally ready to call her finished.  It was a 2 year journey with me and her but she was birthed in Orvieto... I called her my Italian Queen.

60 more sleeps...

Seriously... 60 more sleeps.

How fast are these days moving... not that I'm wishing they slow down at all...

I remember when it was a year to go... and now the days are running out.

I stumbled across my Italy 2012 pics this morning while I was re-registering for Flickr.

Wow - such beautiful reminders when you aren't looking at them everyday.

Kristi and Bill have been sending us weekly updates about beautiful Orvieto.  And today she shared about the bells, the constant little reminders that you are, in fact, in Italy!  It was seriously one of the highlights of my trip last time... If I remember correctly these were the bells I could see from my humble little room, with the most incredible view.

Another highlight of my trip last time was the walking!

We walked a lot everyday - it was incredible... as you can see.

As I walked, I kept thinking about the history that lay in these cobbles.

I can't wait to see beautiful Lorraine and her hubby Ted.

To share these moments again.

I didn't get to climb this tower last time - but it's on my list for this time.

I have dreamt about this pizza for 2 years now.

I don't eat pizza generally - but I do eat this!

Those are zucchini flowrs on pizza.

We don't get them here (we do get zucchini so why no one stocks the flowrs is a mystery to me still).  But it's the most incredible thing I have ever tasted!

Oh yes and truffle mushrooms - I'm definitely going home with some of that.

It's all official - I got my visa today... 2 months to go!

I didn't want to post here until I had everything officially in place.  And that all happened all at once.  I handed in my visa papers on Thursday afternoon late.  This weekend past, I got my beautiful Welcome Pack from Bill and Kristi from Adventures in Italy.  And first thing this morning, I got a message that my visa was ready!  WHAT!!!! That was record time!!!  But now I can relax into the next two months of waiting... all I have left to do is get my travel card, art supplies, luggage and packing!  Eeeck!

But I am happy to say all the major things are done!  All the big things that make this trip possible or not.

I'm celebrating tonight!!!!