Focus Katie Focus

I realized today that I need to focus on my dream. I keep getting distracted by what my friends are doing. My younger sister got a job right out of college and will be get paid more than I got when I worked at Motorola. I am proud of her. But that is not me. I am not a corporate girl. I hated being under all those rules. I always broke the rules there. Mark and Terry know that very well.

I got a phone call from my great friend Maggie the other day, I was happy to hear from her. She told me "Katie just go to Italy now." I'm like, "I can't, I need to save more money."

She replied back "Don't give up, you will be there soon".

She is the only one I can talk about my dreams and she knows exactly how I feel. I met her back in February 2005 when I visited Florence for 2 weeks by myself. I stayed at the Villa Bonelli in Fiesole where I studied when I came in 2002. Bob, the director, was happy to see me and promptly invited me to the dinner that evening with the new students. I sat next to Bob and a few other students from SMU. As the started serving dinner to us, here flys in a dashing, gorgeous girl and sits right at the end of our table. She looked nothing like the Minnesotan students sitting before me. I had to ask. "What school are you from?"

"I go to Lewis University, outside of Chicago" she said smiling. "I am from Crystal Lake."

"Excuse me??!!" I said, wideyed. "I am too!"

"Really, what is your name?"

"Katie Greenaway."

"OH MY GOD, you are Emily's sister. I played volleyball with her!"

Since then we have been inseparable. She is a great confidence in my life. We have such a connection when we are together. She once told me, 'anytime I am around you, I see more Italian things than I would normally see.' We were walking downtown one day and she noticed this Italian sign that she never noticed before, and she walks down that street all the time. I am obsessed with anything and everything Italian. If there is a special on the Medici family on PBS my Dad knows to tell me.

a presto!