Buongiorno Hodgepodge!

Hello Hodgepodge! I am happy to be joining Joyce today for the Hodgepodge, which she hosts every Wednesday. She writes the questions, we answer on our own blogs, then link up for some fun and fellowship. Be sure to click on the button to pay her a visit.

Here are her questions and my answers:

1. The month of July was named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. He's quoted as saying, 'Experience is the teacher of all things." So what has experience taught you lately?
Experience has taught me lately that little 11 month old boys are into everything. I know that since this little guy stayed overnight with Granny and Grandpa for 2 nights this week. In this photo, he was learning to open the freezer. Lookin' for ice cream, Noah?

2. Where did you last 'roam'?
We recently roamed the streets of Chicago, under the expert guidance of our map-reader grandson Matthew.

3. Speaking of 'Rome'...pizza, pasta, gelato...you can only pick one, which would you choose?
I'm an ice cream girl through and through, so I would choose gelato. Yum.

4. 'Rome wasn't built in a day', 'All roads lead to Rome', 'When in Rome...' which 'Roman' idiom have you most recently encountered? Explain.
Well, I recently encouraged my non beer drinker son and his fiancé to try some Irish beer while they visited Ireland by saying, "When in Dublin…"
They tried, they hated. (But aren't they cute?)

I do think that 'when in Rome' is a good motto when experiencing the places, tastes, and adventures of this big wide world.

5. What's a movie you've seen or a book you've read, that makes you want to book a trip to Italy?
I thought really hard. I googled. I learned that I have not watched many movies set in Italy. The only one I came up with was Romeo and Juliet, 1968 version. A long, long time ago. And I'm guessing most of it was actually filmed in Hollywood.

**Last minute addition to this answer: Everybody Loves Raymond goes to Italy! My favorite show in a beautiful place. The Barones, in all their wonderful dysfunctional glory, would definitely make me want to book a trip to Italy. Ha! Smile, Raymond, you're having fun!

6.  Walt's original Disneyland opened almost sixty years ago, on July 17, 1955  Have you ever been to the California park? How about any of the other Disney parks around the world? What's your favorite amusement park ride or attraction?
I have not been to Disneyland California, but I have been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, once as a child, and once with our kids, which I wrote about here.
My favorite amusement park ride? I'll vote for the classic, 'It's a Small World After All.'

7. It's that time of year...when were you last bitten or stung?
I haven't been stung in quite a while, knock on wood, but I do seem to attract mosquitos, especially at the lake. Part of enjoying the great outdoors.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 
We have a new pastor at our church as of July 1. Changes in pastors are part of being a United Methodist, at least in our little town. 
On Sunday, he challenged us with this thought: