So here they are in no particular order, just the way I saved the pictures.

Thank you my first love, my furry baby. Through thick and thin, you drove us crazy, and still do, yet we love you Monty. You’re not so young anymore buddy, but you’re still a puppy in our eyes, both in looks and behavior, my friend.

Tiny, well, what to say about you? Not much in terms of appearance, but you’re one loyal dog. We love you girl.

Thank you to my girls. You’re more than I could ever write or speak about because you’re the essence of my life.

Nina

Livia

Eva

Anna

Luisa

And then there’s you, big guy.
You’re my companion, friend, lover, husband.
You push and challenge me, but in the end, no matter what, you hold me at night, and I overlook your annoying habit of undoing the sheets on my side of the bed.
Still, you’re the one who tells me that I look good when my hair is sticking up like a bad rendition of an 80’s perm.
The one who tells me that I’m funny despite the fact that I’m a woman – seriously, you say that with a straight face.
The one who chokes up when you see me hugging your mother.
The one who after a bad fight followed me with your car and flashed a giant sign through the windows telling me ‘I love you’.
The one who packs the five kids in the car when I tell you that I need your support so we can get the best training for Anna’s gymnastics.
The one who puts on desert gear, packs heavy black bags, goes to Iraq and breaks my heart every time we say goodbye.
The one who makes me a better person, even though I most certainly make you an even better person, so we’re even.
The one I want and hope to be with forever.

The same one who’s camera shy…

Despite my failure to deliver a decent home made mac and cheese (and I’m Italian) I’m thankful that photo editing made it look better and my dogs really, really enjoyed it…..

I haven’t forgotten you Zoey – I’m thankful for your ‘catness’ baby.

Then there’s my FAMIGLIA – no mafia relations – just my family back home.

Thank you for my strong and charming father. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him. I wouldn’t be the woman I’ve become, I’d have given up on moving to a new country on my own, learning a language, getting through the tough times.

Thank you for my angel on earth, my Mamma, my lovely and always so important Mamma. She’s all that a daughter could want and she comes with an added bonus, professional listener, or psychologist by trade. Sometimes I think that she must have developed calluses on her ears from listening to me talk so much on the phone

Thank you sister. I don’t even have to say it, and you already know it. TVB Luisa and off course TELLA.

Thank you to all of you for making my life so rich and beautiful.