"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."

In November my wonderful friends, Jennifer and Eileen, came to Belgium to visit! We had lots of fun in Amsterdam, Ghent, Grande Place, Paris (remember the train robbery?!!) and so many other places. We even took a short plane ride to Venis, Italy. It was a rainy day but we pushed on and saw everything we could. To describe Jennifer and Eileen, is somewhat hard. "Thelma and Louise" is probably a good comparison! They finish sentences for eachother, laugh and listen. They are wonderful to me and make me smile.

In Venice we walked through the mazes of streets, drank coffee with pigeons and bought Murano glass. Our final destination was the Basilica of St. Mark's in St. Mark's Square.

Inside the Basilica, there are beautiful mosaics, alters, scenes from the bible and the famous lifesize bronze horses. But I couldn't get Jennifer and Eileen to look up. They spent the entire tour looking at the floor! They are quilters and were enamored with the designs and patterns all made from different colored marbled tiles.Walking on these beautiful floors almost seemed sinful!

Then tonight I received a surprise I did not expect...

Jennifer and Eileen handcrafted this beautiful quilt using marble-like fabric. The quilt looks just like the floor at St. Mark's!!! This must have taken months to make and the fact that they did it together makes every stitch very meaningful.

Jennifer and Eileen, I can never thank you enought for your kindness and hard work. I LOVE THE VENICE QUILT!!! Now you must come to visit again...We could go to London...drive on the wrong side of the road, eat fish and chips, heckle at the gaurds at Buckingham Palace...