From Positano to Pompeii

From Positano to Pompeii…With a Little Sephora in Between 🇮🇹

From Positano to Pompeii…With a Little Sephora in Between 🇮🇹❣️

Our Italy Girls Adventure continued as we sadly said goodbye to our beautiful Amalfi coast Positano and boarded the ferry back to Napoli for three more days of adventure 🇮🇹❣️



We were definitely sad to leave those gorgeous Positano views — although I’m not sure GiGi was quite as sad to leave those 211 steps 🤪 — but we knew there was much more adventure waiting for us in Napoli…and then ROMA❣️

And, of course, our wonderful friend Vinnie was waiting for us in Napoli too 🥰❣️

🇮🇹 Back to Bustling Napoli

Napoli is a busy, bustling, LOUD, lively Italian city, and this time we finally had the SAME hotel as Blue and Great Auntie Shawna 🥳❣️

Not only the same hotel…

THE SAME FLOOR❣️

Oh dear.

Four girls on the same hotel floor for three days?

There were definitely some pranks waiting to happen 😅❣️

But first, Tyla and GiGi had something very important on our list.

We were going to Pompeii.

🌋 Walking Through Pompeii

We booked a private car and tour and were blessed with the most amazing guide.

As we walked those ancient streets, he made Pompeii come alive for us.

This wasn’t just something we had read about in a history book anymore.

These were REAL people.

They had homes.

They had families.

They had businesses.

They ate meals together.

They laughed.

They worked.

They went to sleep at night.

And then, in A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted 🌋.

The city was eventually buried beneath volcanic material, preserving pieces of everyday life for nearly 2,000 years.

We saw things that made us realize just how much these people were like us.

A wall mirror they used…



What looked like an ancient “cash register” system — holes used to help check the size and value of coins when paying for meals…



And a door that had been locked…



But the hardest part was seeing the plaster casts preserving the positions of people who died during the eruption 😢❣️



Suddenly Pompeii wasn’t just ruins.

It was PEOPLE.

People whose ordinary day became their last day.

And standing there with my Grand made me think about something God’s Word reminds us of:

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12

We don’t know how many days God has given us.

But we DO get to decide how we live the one He has given us TODAY❣️

Love your people.

Take the trip.

Say the prayer.

Give the hug.

Make the memory.

And thank God for another day 🤩🙏❣️

💄 And Then…We Got Very Deep and Spiritual at SEPHORA 🤪❣️

Okay, perhaps not EVERY moment of the Italy Girls Adventure was quite as profound as Pompeii 😅❣️

Because we had some very important business to attend to in Napoli.

SHOPPING❣️

You see, on our first trip to Italy, we had accidentally discovered this huge, beautiful Italian-style shopping mall.

We were running up some steps trying to get out of the rain when…

TA-DA❣️

A wonderful mall appeared before us.



So naturally, on this trip, we needed to go back.

And what exotic Italian treasures did these four adventurous American girls spend their time discovering?

SEPHORA AND STARBUCKS. 🤦‍♀️🤣❣️

Yes.

Stores we have AT HOME❣️

Our routine went something like this:

We would all go into Sephora and shop for a while.

Then one or two of us would get tired and wander across the mall walkway to Starbucks for a drink or snack ☕️.

Pretty soon all four of us would be sitting there showing each other what we had purchased.

Then somebody would say…

“Ohhhh! I want that!”

And BACK TO SEPHORA she would go 💄🏃‍♀️❣️

Then someone else would follow.

Then we’d all end up back in Sephora.

Then back to Starbucks.

Then Sephora.

Then Starbucks.

SEPHORA ➡️ STARBUCKS ➡️ SEPHORA ➡️ STARBUCKS 🤪❣️

This pattern was repeated SO MANY TIMES that we finally decided we had probably spent at least 1½ days of our 16-day Italy adventure inside stores WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE UNITED STATES! 🤣🤣🤣❣️

Oh dear.



But we sure are BEAUTIFUL now 🤩💄❣️

And obviously our makeup is much more special because…

IT CAME FROM ITALY. 🇮🇹😂❣️

We had so much fun having our eyebrows done, trying lip liners and picking out special perfumes.

I especially loved that each of us chose a fragrance that could remind us of Italy whenever we wore it back home 🥰❣️

Isn’t it funny how a scent can suddenly transport you right back to a place, a person or a wonderful memory?

God gave us so many amazing ways to remember the beautiful moments of our lives❣️

😍 And Then There Was Vinnie…

Next stop…

ROMA❣️🇮🇹

But first we needed our wonderful friend and tour guide from last summer’s Italy trip to make sure these four girls actually got to the train station AND onto the correct train 🤪❣️

His name is Vinnie, and he is truly one of those people God places in your path who becomes part of the story.



Vinnie made our trips to Italy feel like we belonged there.

We knew that if something happened, we could call him and he would do anything he could to help us.

That gave four girls traveling alone in Italy a wonderful sense of security 🥰❣️

And Miss Tyla was VERY excited to finally meet the famous Vinnie she had heard so much about.

Well…

It didn’t take long for that teenage brain of hers to start working 🤔😂❣️

After meeting him one evening in the hotel lobby, Tyla apparently decided that Vinnie and Great Auntie Shawna should become an ITEM 🥰🤣❣️

Watching her teenage mind try to figure out how she could get this relationship “on the books” was quite entertaining❣️



Sorry, Auntie Shawna 😅❣️

Vinnie eventually delivered all four of us safely to the train station.

And in true Vinnie gentlemanly style, he didn’t just drop us off.

He helped get us settled, made sure we understood how to read the train schedule AGAIN, and made sure his four American girls knew exactly what we were doing before he left us 🥰❣️

Thank you, Vinnie…WE ALL LOVE YOU❣️😘🥰😘🥰

What a beautiful reminder of:

“A friend loves at all times.” — Proverbs 17:17

Some people are part of your life for years.

Others God places along your path for a particular season.

Either way…

Good friends are PRICELESS❣️

🍛 Indian Food…In Italy? 🤔

And because apparently we were determined to experience all the traditional Italian culture we possibly could…

We had ONE MORE DINNER at our regular…

INDIAN FOOD RESTAURANT.

In Napoli.

Italy. 🇮🇹

🤣🤣🤣❣️

Sephora.

Starbucks.

Indian food.

Yep.

We were really immersing ourselves in Italian culture 🤪❣️



And just like that, our Napoli adventure was coming to an end.

Next stop…

ROMA 🇮🇹❣️

And FIVE MORE DAYS of GiGi, Grand, Sister & Niece Italian Adventures were waiting for us❣️

🇮🇹 Things We Learned in Napoli

1. Life is precious. 🤩🙏❣️

Pompeii reminded us that tomorrow isn’t promised, so LOVE BIG and treasure TODAY.

2. Apparently US stores are better in Italy. 🫣💄❣️

At least that’s what we’re telling ourselves.

3. Indian food tastes perfectly wonderful in Italy. 🍛🇮🇹🤔❣️

Who knew?

4. Friends like Vinnie are PRICELESS. 😍❣️

God puts special people along our journey exactly when we need them.

And maybe the biggest lesson of all…

The adventure isn’t only about WHERE you go.

It’s about WHO is standing beside you while you’re there❣️

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” — James 1:17

And these girls, these friendships, these memories and these precious days together were most definitely gifts from God 🥰🙏❣️

GiGi Will L💝ve You Forever & Like You for Always❣️

Proverbs 17:6 — “Children’s children are a crown to the aged…” 👑❣️