A Reunion of Friendship
The reunion with friends… It all began back in May of 2019 when we were living in Italy. While in Florence, our youngest daughter Ally and her boyfriend Brett came to visit us for eight days. During this time, they had planned a special day for us; but it was a surprise right up until literally 20 minutes before we were going to leave.
This post contains affiliate links that help keep this website running. By purchasing through our links, we make a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for your support!
This day was unique and one Gary and I will never forget. We had a private car take us to two iconic Italian car factories and then a museum. You can read more about this here Iconic Italian Cars. But something else came of this day. The beginning of a friendship I never saw coming.
The Power of Social Media
After we got back to the apartment in Florence, I posted about Gary’s special moment when he got to drive a Lamborghini Huracan Evo through the Italian countryside. Okay, it was only for about 15 minutes, but it was the ride of a lifetime for Gary. I still remember his expression of splendor when he opened the door to step out of the car.
Meanwhile, back in Arizona, a woman we had never met commented on the photos and/or video as I recall. She and her husband were headed for Italy and she wanted the same Lamborghini test drive experience for her husband, Ed. One thing led to another and we exchange emails. I was able to get Susan the contact information that Brett forwarded to me from his surprise for Gary. I recall them having an awesome day and the photo she posted on Facebook.
We hope you will consider joining our journey. It started in 2019 with “Our Italian Journey,” and this part of the adventure has concluded with “When Your Heart Finds Its Home.” Both are available wherever books are sold.
Both our books have been awarded “Recommended Reads” by Reader Ready.
Please take a moment when completed to leave a written review. It truly makes a difference in ranking.
The Encounter – Again, a Reunion with Friends
Susan and I became good Facebook friends and we kept in contact. We learned we were all originally from New York and they also live in Arizona – about 30 minutes from where we stay with Gary’s daughter!
When they arrived in Orvieto in August, we had just arrived in Arezzo. We planned to meet them in person the next day. When we got off the little bus, Susan and Ed were there to meet us in the piazza. We spent the next 6-hours getting to know one another, yet it seemed like we were just catching up. We left later that evening to catch the train back to Arezzo with the understanding we would meet again when we returned to Arizona in 4-months.
The Reunion
The reunion of friends commenced as promised, Susan and I connected in December when we arrived in Arizona. Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle of Christmas, and illness striking both Gary and me, it wasn’t until the end of January we were able to reconnect and get together.
Friendships change as you grow older and they take on a whole different meaning from when you are young.
They invited us to visit their home for the day. We had a wonderful lunch and we just picked up from where we left off in Orvieto. It was wonderful to hear about the rest of their time in Italy and we updated them about ours. Then to our surprise, they had invited their “Italian” friends over for a get-together. Ed made the homemade dough for everyone to create their own personal pizza. They have an awesome pizza oven in their backyard and Gary helped Ed with forming the individual balls of dough.
New Friends
It was a wonderful evening meeting their friends in this beautiful backyard setting with the White Tank Mountains as a backdrop, red and white tablecloths, great food, and wine with lots of laughter.
Our encounter in Italy was a chance – Our friendship is now a certainty
Thank you, Susan and Ed, for contacting us on social media. We appreciate our blog subscribers and Facebook followers on our page. It’s moments like this post – we treasure most in life!
Oh Ilene! You made me cry this morning reading your beautiful recap of the development of our amazing friendship.
Here’s to many more fun times making memories not only in Phoenix but in Italy too. ?
You and Ed are truly a reason why we blog. We would not have met without this website and OIJ Facebook page. Thank you for taking a chance on meeting us and memories will indeed be abundant in Arizona and Italy for the four of us! Thank you for following and participating in our journey!