Another Visitor, More Excuses to Travel and Drink Vino

Visitors are great! It's always nice to have a reminder of home. But, it also means you get to eat, drink, travel, and be merry. This was such a lighthearted, warm, friendly, loving visit. Not only did Terry (my mother-in-law for those who don't know) come, but her husband Charlie came this time, as well. It was so nice having the two of them here. They are absolutely precious. They found each other later in life, but they were most definitely "meant to be." Charlie went outside his comfort box many times on this trip. He doesn't like the taste of anything with alcohol in it, with the exception of a strawberry margarita...thanks to me, making him try it one time in the past. ;) But, boy, was he a TROOPER!!! He tried so many different wines and even REQUESTED to drink wine at supper on some nights. On the other nights, he just wanted his "dew" (mountain dew). He even went home with some wine that he LOVED. He called it grape juice, but I promise you...Marzemino is definitely not grape juice. We had a lot of adventures during their time here... lets begin...

I'm pretty sure the biggest adventure for them was the trip over here. It is such a long plane ride, but well worth it in the end (I'm sure) to see us. They even brought Thomas some brisket, tamales, and deer sausage. Yes... it was still frozen when they got here. Let's just say, our freezer is completely full. So, if I ever want something other than those above 3 foods I have to buy it the day of.

We did a lot of local things with them while they were here. Of course, in Italy, anything local is fantastic. I mean, come on, let's face it..it's Italy. It is amazing, no matter where you go. Period. If you don't think so, then you are just plain strange. We took them up to Monte Berico in Vicenza. There is a beautiful church that is surrounded by an amazing view of the city of Vicenza. Apparently, Monte Berico is known for being the site where a peasant man named Vicenza Pasini saw the Virgin Mary on this hill in 1426. At that time a plague had been going on for years and the Virgin Mary promised them if they built a church up on the hill she would get rid of the plague.The people had the church built in 3 months.

I was filled with excitement for our next event. I organized a wine tasting and carriage ride through an amazing vineyard that is close by, Le Pignole. These people are so welcoming and provided us with the best wines and foods. It was so nice to have some of my closest friends there with my family. It was also wonderful to finally have the boys at something too. The carriage ride through the vineyard was so surreal. How many times in your life do you get to experience something like this? Living here can feel so normal at times and then other times it's like living in a fairy tale.

  Our first big trip was to the town of Imperia along the Italian Riviera. We went some other close friends of ours. On this adventure, we got to eat some good food, drink some good wine...wait a minute...we get to do that on every trip. ;) We met some more interesting and friendly people on this trip. We even had a random man come up to the boys thanking them for their service. He found out they were in the military and immediately wanted to talk to all of us. He got stranded at sea and the U.S. military saved him. He was so thankful and appreciative. The girls did a day of browsing the shops while the boys boarded a boat out to sea for a fishing trip. Unfortunately, they got a few bites, but never caught anything. That night we had a beautiful meal and ended the night with listening to music from the piano by candlelight.

 After our trip to Imperia, we took a couple rest days and then we went for a day trip to Venice, Murano Island, and Burano Island. Most people know that Murano Island is known for glass making, but what you may not know is that Burano Island is known for lace and bright colored houses. While in Murano, we got to see a man blow glass. Its amazing that something that movable becomes a hard glass. It looked like he was blowing a bubble at first.

After Murano, we boarded the water taxi and headed to Burano Island. As you walk up the main path you immediately see the bright colored houses. They are stunning! I would love to live in one of them. The streets are lined with lots and lots of lace...lace dresses, lace scarves, lace umbrellas, etc. etc. etc. Then we found this little art place with some amazing, bright colored paintings of the town. So, naturally we bought one. It's big and very bright, but that's what the town is like...very bright. The man who sold the painting is actually the artist. He explained to us that the houses in Burano were different, bright colors because each family has it's own color. So, the color represents the family. How neat is that? I wonder what my color would be...

 Marostica is a province of Vicenza and is known for local cherries and a live chess game. Every other even number year, in September, the whole town puts on this festival that includes a live chess tournament. I went last September and it was a spectacular event. Here is a quick history lesson, compliments of Wikipedia, about how this event came to be...

 "After the First World War, members of the local chess club began playing chess in the main square and decided to play a game of chess using people as the gamepieces. After the Second World War, the comedy writer Vucetich Mirko authored a play in which "Two noblemen, Renaldo D'Anganaro and Vieri da Vallanora, fell in love with the beautiful Lionora, daughter of the local lord, Taddeo Parisio. As was the custom at that time, they challenged each other to a duel to win the hand of Lionora. The Lord of Marostica, not wanting to make an enemy of either suitor or lose them in a duel, forbade the encounter. Instead he decreed that the two rivals would play a chess game, and the winner would have the hand of Lionora. The loser of the chess game would also join the family, through marrying her younger sister, Oldrada. During the play the game takes place on the square in front of the Lower Castle with supporters carrying the noble ensigns of Whites and Blacks, in the presence of the Lord, his noble daughter, the Lords of Angarano and Vallonara, the court and the entire town population. The Lord also decides the challenge would be honoured by an exhibition of armed men, foot-soldiers and knights, with fireworks and dances and music". Needless to say, this literary account has nothing to do with factual history and the chess square in the city was built after the Second World War and after the writing of Vucetich's play. This fictional story is now re-enacted in the main square of Marostica every second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of September of even-numbered years. The orders are still given to the cast today in the local Language (Venetian) of the "Most Serene Republic of Venice".

Marostica is so close that it is always a must-see when people come to visit. After a hike, you get to see the city from a different perspective. It's another breathtaking view. After our hike, we had lunch down in town. All of the food was amazing!! I loved my asparagus risotto. Asparagus is in season here now and it is fantastic!!!

Our next trip was to Vidiciatico and Florence. If you have read some of my previous posts, looked at my pictures, or talked to me, you know that Vidiciatico is where Thomas' Poppoing fought during WWII where he helped liberate the Italians from Germany. The town of Vidiciatico, as well as, the surrounding towns have so many American flags hung and 10th Mountain memorials. They are all so thankful for America. We found a hotel in the center of town that served us massive amounts of delicious, homemade pasta. The owner, in true Vidiciatico fashion, was very hospitable. We took the hike up Monte Belvedere. This is where Thomas' Poppoing executed a mission during WWII. For his family, it is a special journey up to the top. We basically were walking where he once walked. Thomas and his mom told us stories that Poppoing had told them while on this same hike back in 2000. After a day in Vidiciatico, we drove to Florence for the day. We did all the traditional Florence things with them. Terry and Charlie were troopers climbing the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo. Their efforts were well worth it when they saw the view up top. After a full day in Florence, we headed back to Vicenza.

The next day was their last day here. It was spent packing and buying wine. We left the house at 430 a.m. the next morning to drop them off at the airport. It was a great trip and we were happy to have them here.

Suddenly, block leave was over...Thomas is back at work now and it's time for us to get back to a normal routine.

Slacking a bit? Oh yeah...

I am very disappointed in myself for neglecting my blog. It's been completely placed on the back burner. However, I guess it's for good reason. A little over a month ago, my Thomas finally returned from Afghanistan. The last few weeks went by extremely slow. His flight schedule kept consistently changing. Even though I've been there, done that, and picked up the t-shirt...it was still extremely disappointing. However, I have never been through seeing so many homecomings before getting to do my own. Homecomings are a wonderful thing for all involved. Words cannot describe it. You have to witness it to really understand the surreal feeling of seeing these guys come home. From the looks on the wives' and children's faces to the screams you here from everyone and the patriotic music you hear playing in the background. It's a truly inspiring, emotional experience.

Now, as beautiful and delightful as it is to be at someone else's homecoming, it is also a tad disappointing. As much as you are happy for everyone else, a part of you is selfishly wishing it was your turn... especially when your husband ends up coming home on the last day of homecomings. At that point, I was done...over it.

 I did remind myself though to remember those who weren't coming home. That is a feeling I cannot imagine. Those women are the bravest I know. I respect and admire them everyday.

 All in all, despite the stress, the tears, the heartache, the emotion, and all the ups and downs that come with a deployment, it is all worth it in the end when you have that first sighting of them walking through the door. I was a giddy, screaming mess. Everyone asked Thomas if he saw me or heard me first. Thomas says he could hear me screaming before he ever walked in the door. Once we reached the pray portion, I was shaking and fidgeting with excitement. I couldn't believe the moment was almost here. The ceremony was so much quicker than at Bragg. It was like bing, bang, boom, over...run to your soldier!!! Once again, words cannot express the feeling. Memories of homecomings are something I will never forget. It makes deployment seem like a bad dream, a distant memory that is soon forgotten. Life just falls right back in place.

Getting in Touch with my Inner Artist...

....well, I am attempting to do that. I don't even know if my inner artist is inside me. I always thought, "surely, I have got it in me...have you met my mother? That artistic gene has to be in there somewhere." One of my goals while Thomas is gone is to work on this. I have a book, "You can draw in 30 days." I started the book a while back and got through 7 lessons, but it's been so long since I last worked on this that I decided to restart the book. My first lesson was on spheres. I learned about cast shadows, as well as blended and scribbling shading. I started with a simple circle which didn't look exactly like a simple, precise circle. But, I guess that's okay. You have to start somewhere. The challenge lesson was to draw an apple. Seems simple enough. Right? Yeah. I have 4 stages of apples on this page. I will say they did seem to get progressively better, so maybe there is hope!!! Although, apple number 3 looks more like a pumpkin than an apple in my opinion. Oh well, I guess you have to start somewhere or in my case restart somewhere. Now, I will leave you with these words... Don't laugh at my drawings. You may slightly giggle, but that is it! :)

2013: Reflections, Resolutions, and Fresh Starts

Another year has come and gone. It amazes how fast time is flying right before my very eyes. 2012 went by in a flash. It has some good and bad moments. Let's recap, shall we? My year began in Paris, France...right in front of the twinkling Eiffel Tower. How many people get to say that they have had this experience? I started volunteering at Vicenza Midde School. Those middle schoolers have challenged me, encouraged me, and lifted my spirits. Thomas did the usual trainings in Germany. I continued being the Cubbie Director in Awanas. I love my Cubbies. They brighten my day when I need it the most. My parents were able to come visit and experience Europe for the first time. The early beginnings of summer were spent making trips to Croatia and Cinque Terre with friends. We relaxed and awaited the dreaded deployment that was looming over our heads. Eventually, July 12 came and off he went. I went through my moppy stage filled with junk food and sad movies. Then I got back to real life. I spent lots of time with friends and then headed off to the US for my first trip back home in over a year. Fall began and so did school. I spent most of my days at the middle school and the rest of my free time was spent with friends who are more like family now. I joined a bible study through PWOC. I was excited to work on this part of my life. I also got to experience the real Oktoberfest in Germany. It was one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences that I will never forget. I had already been trying to do the whole "eating right" and exercising, but in October I really seemed to buckle down a little harder. The scale has reflected my efforts. I still don't feel like Im 100% where I'd like to be. But, I got through Thanksgiving and Christmas and managed to keep my weight down. Im back at the weight I was around the time we got married...maybe even a little lower than that. I still have health and fitness goals I want to achieve. But, it makes me happy to know that I have been able to get started on the right track. I was fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family in North Carolina. It was wonderful to be with family, but after 6 weeks it was time to get back to normal life in Italy. I missed my little home, the country, and the people. Now, I am just waiting for everyone else to start planning their trips to see me. WINK WINK. I look forward to the rest of my friends coming back here. Thank goodness for Jackie. She is my right-hand lady! We rang in the New Year together. It was a much more low key New Year's Eve this year, but still just as good. We had friendship, wine, and food. Plus 3 little ones who kept us occupied. The evening ended with seeing some fireworks right outside her house.

Now, onto 2013!!

New Year's Resolutions:

1.) Continue on my quest to have a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ. I will begin PWOC again on the 15th! It's time to push myself a little further with this aspect of my life. I want to continue to put more time and effort into this time.

2.) Health and Fitness. I want to challenge myself to eat foods that are better for me and less processed. Yes, I am human and will still have the occasional junk food. But, I can tell already I can't eat the same foods I used to. I found that out while I was at home. ;) I want to experiment with new recipes. I also want to push through some new fitness goals. I'm still working on what exact steps I should take, so any feedback is always welcomed. :)

3. ) My Home. There are many things I want to have accomplished in my home before Thomas comes home. So many pictures to hang, bedding to find, things to organize and decorate, etc. etc. etc.

4.) Travels. This is probably a no-brainer. I want to travel to new places and experience new things.

5.) Gardening. I'd really like to get this skill down, but I am very doubtful of it happening.

6.) Photography. I want to improve on my photography skills and take more time to do it.

7.) Creative Juices. I want to get them flowing.

8.) Classes. I want to take more cooking classes and take a language course.

9.) People. Take more time for the people in my life. Whether that is sending a card in the mail or giving a quick phone call or taking new people under my wing to help them. It also means having LOTS more "girls nights" and when Thomas gets backs, more "fun/different dates."

10.) Writing/Reading. I need to journal and blog more. I also need to set more "me time" to relax with a good book.

There are probably more resolutions that I am forgetting to include. But, these are just off the top of my head. I love my life and the people who surround me, near and far. I've learned through my own experiences with others and from the experiences my friends have had to go through. People never cease to amaze me..in both good and bad ways. I'd like to think I have grown...not physically, obviously. ;) I wish everyone a very blessed 2013. I look forward to seeing what it brings.


PS: #1 THING...My husband comes home this year. :) [Insert really excited scream here] 

And with that she said, "I am a genius."

Yes, I did in fact just refer to myself in the 3rd person because I am feeling THAT awesome right now. So about 3 days ago I began to feel a tickle in my throat. In all honesty, I had read part of a book to a student for most of one of the periods at school that day and I had rocked out pretty hard to Taylor Swift in my car that afternoon. I thought maybe I had strained my voice. Then the next morning I woke up with a little worse of a sore throat accompanied by a tad bit of mucous. Yuck! I knew what was happening...this was the workings of a cold or really terrible allergies. I never am quite sure. So, I immediately went to my medicine stash to see what I had. The first day I took loads of Vitamin C, allergy medicine, and sinus medicine. I was trying to cover all of my bases. I even resorted to drinking a hot toddy!! Normally, when a bug like this comes along I just accept and enjoy the fact that I can be lazy, relax, and curl up in a blanket watching movies and sipping on hot tea and soup. But, no go this time!! I'm leaving in less than a week. There was too much to do. I could not let this cold defeat me. So, I went to my personal nurse and asked for advice. By personal nurse I mean my good friend Anna. ;) I had pretty much been doing what I needed to be doing for a cold. But, she told me to take Zinc, so I got a bottle of that too. I also immediately started "googling" home remedies. Pinterest was another source for me, as well. I found this one remedy for a sore throat. You mix 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of vinegar together and take a tablespoon 6 times a day. I did this yesterday and let me tell you my sore throat is still gone today! Coincidence or did it actually work? I don't know, but I will choose to think it was this home remedy. Now, at this point I was also starting to get the foggy feeling in my head. It's that feeling like your ears are clogged and you can't really breathe. I resorted at this point to drinking hot water mixed with cayenne pepper. I continued taking tons of Vitamin C, Zinc, cold medicine, and sinus medicine. I did not want this thing defeating me or worse, turn into a sinus infection (which usually happens). Now, we are at Day 3 (today). The day where I become a genius and refer to myself in the 3rd person. Again, I woke up with some congestion, mucous, etc. Knock on wood...still no cough though. I went to Pinterest this morning looking for more remedies. I have made my own humidifier by having warm water simmer on the stove with vanilla and cinnamon (a pinterest idea). A lot of other ideas tell me I need essential oils. I also need to soak in a bath in these essential oils so I can inhale the warm vapors. I have no bathtub. So, I don't have any essential oils or bubble baths with essential oils in my home. What's the point if I have no tub? But, I noticed I did have an unopened bottle of hand soap that contained...essential oils, as well as Jasmine and Vanilla. Hmmm, the wheels starting turning. I would turn my shower and bathroom into a sauna. I would also attempt to make my shower serve as a tub. I squirted globs of the essential oil hand soap into the bottom  of the shower and cranked the heat all the way up. Then I stood in the shower, letting the hot water run over me as I inhaled the warm Jasmine and Vanilla essential oil vapors. I took a seat in my shower and let the water run over me while I laid a hot washcloth over my face and I continued to breathe in all the warm goodness. My head began to clear up and so did my nose!! When I got out of the shower I blew my nose and my ear popped and part of my head opened up!! I am still a little stuffy feeling, but all in all a lot more clear!! It was at this point that I said to myself (but out loud for no one to hear)..."I AM A GENIUS." So, I have decided I will do this 3 times a day till I leave for the states. I cannot let this cold get the best of me. I have too much to do and lots of traveling ahead. I'll let you know how it works out for me. Hopefully, I'll still think I am genius by Thursday.

17 Weeks

As I near the 17 week mark of deployment, I find myself curious about when exactly time will slow down this time. Last deployment it was when we had about 3 more months left of a 12 month deployment. Time was suddenly at a complete standstill. I discovered during the first deployment that the first part and last part of the deployment were the worst parts. The first part your trying to figure out who you are without them. You are trying to figure out what you will do with all that time alone. You figure out quickly that something has to be done or you will end up eating a bag of Cheetos and drinking wine on the couch every night. Not exactly the best habit to have. I have found that it is okay to have a day or two after they leave to wallow. You sit and watch annoyingly unhappy, sappy movies...whether it be a romantic drama or depressing tear-jerker. And that's OK! But, then after that you have to pick yourself back up, set goals, and move on with life. Now, the last part of deployment is a bit like the days leading up to Christmas. You are nervous and excited about what Santa will bring to you this year. You can't wait for Christmas morning so you can dig into the presents. So, that's the last couple months of the deployment. Then the night/day before they come home is so much like Christmas Eve. Your sitting in your bed at 300 in the morning trying not to open your eyes for fear that Santa may in fact see you and then you will not receive your present. That's also what I like to call the waiting part. Waiting for a phone call as to what time they are coming home the next day or that night. You sit and wait, you can't sleep...you are just too excited. After that its Christmas morning, the day you get your present (or in this case your husband). You arrive at the designated location to greet them. Then you see them. The plane pulls up and they all start marching towards you. Then they STAND there and you have to listen to a speech, all the while you are going insane inside. Oh and if you have already made eye contact with your solider, then forget it. It's the best torture ever. This is just like Christmas morning because it feels like the anticipation of sitting on the top of the stairs waiting for permission to come down to see your loot. Anyways, those are the best moments. Homecoming is unlike anything you have ever experienced, which is probably why the last few months drive you nuts. So, again, I say..when will time begin to slow down. This deployment is shorter than his first one, so I anticipate that it could happen at any moment. It's like the worst and best thing at the same time. Time may be at a standstill, but at the moment it happens it's good because you know that your soldier coming home is right around the corner. Just breathe and know that he will be in your arms once again and life will be good. Tick tock, tick tock..when will the clock stop for you?

Oktoberfest

As your probably well aware, I am not a beer drinker. I do enjoy a nice glass of vino out on the veranda or a   bright, fruity cocktail by the ocean. But, beer? No way. Every single sip of beer that has ever been swallowed by me has always been followed by a very strong gag. So, naturally I did not think I would be able to get the full Oktoberfest experience. I mean when I went to the Guiness Factory in Dublin, I surely did not get the full experience. Yes, I learned how to pour the perfect pint of beer, but when it came to actually drinking that so called "perfect pint" I failed miserably. But, Oktoberfest is a once and a lifetime experience...especially when you actually get to go to Munich, Germany to celebrate it. I decided to have an open mind. I just new that the land of beer would have a type of beer that I could at least tolerate. Now, that you have a little background let me tell you about my first experience in Germany and at Oktoberfest!!

I went with a group of very good friends. Katie, Anna, and Kaitlin are all have husbands in Chosen Company. They are all also from the good ole state of North Carolina. Because we had waaaaay too much stuff we had to take two cars. Woops! So, on Wednesday we were off to Germany. It took about 4 hours to get there. At first we were pretty frustrated because the place we had booked had falsely advertised a few things that they did not actually have. But, the actual little house we stayed in was nice and had a beautiful view of the mountains. Oh! I forgot to mention that. We stayed in Garmisch, which is a magical looking place. There is nothing like the appearances of the houses in Germany. We grabbed a late night meal which included Weiner Snitchel, fries, and apple strudel. German food is comfort food. If we were stationed in Germany I would probably be as big as a house. This night was the night I was introduced to the Radler. This is a beer that is mixed with some sort of lemon drink. It should also win some sort of medal because it is the ONLY beer I have EVER drank more than a sip. Thomas would have been proud. Hahahaha!!! The restaurant was filled with German music. It was such a fantastic atmosphere! I had decided that Germany was the most magical place on Earth. :)

The next day was the big day! It was off to the festival of beer. Oktoberfest was so close, but we had one more thing to do before hopping the train to Munich. We had to buy dirndls! For those of you who don't know, a dirndl is the traditional German dress you see the German ladies wearing. We literally tried on these dresses and then wore them out of the store. The lady that worked there made sure that our bows were tied in the right direction. If you wear your bow the wrong way then you are screaming out that you are single! So, we had to switch our bows so we would be labeled as married. Of course, we soon realized once arriving into one of the beer tents that the men do not look at the bows. There was so much hootin and hollering. We must've been looking real cute in our dirndls. Ha! Another thing I noticed was the German men are extremely tall. A random German patted me on the head as he walked by. My friend Katie had brought her one year old, Carson, to Oktoberfest with us. He's only one and he has already been to Oktoberfest more times than me. He went last year too at the ripe age of 2 months. :) Everyone wanted to carry Carson. Italians, Germans, etc. etc. He was quite the celebrity, but then again, he always is. The beer tents were filled with beer (obviously), half chickens, and giant pretzels. Like I said before, Germany is land of the comfort food. The music played loud, people danced on tables, beer mugs were clanged together, and everyone was dressed in their best lederhosens and dirndls. The atmosphere was so much fun. Katie dragged me onto some fair ride. I squeezed her hand and screamed the entire time. But, it was soooo much fun. We ended up not getting into another beer tent and then got rained on, but we found another good place to eat where we made more friends and my friend Anna stood on a chair and drank her beer like a true German lady. ;) We missed our trainstop on the way back to Garmich because the door on the train wouldn't open!!! We ended up have to take a cab from the next stop. We looked like homeless people waiting for the cab. We were wet and wrapped up in scarves..seriously we looked homeless. Oktoberfest was definitely interesting...we met some nice people and some weird people, but all in all, we had a blast!!! It's an experience I will remember forever.

The next day we had a spa day at the Eidelweiss hotel. It's for the military. We all got the massage and facial package. It was a full day of pampering for us! It was nice and relaxing. We ended our long day of relaxation with dinner at this amazing restaurant. Snitchel and spazle were on the menu. It was amazing!!! Spazle are these little noodle things...I dont know they are so good, especially with cheese. When they have cheese they are like the BEST mac & cheese you have ever had. Kraft's got nothing on the Germans!!

On our last day we took a hike around Lake Eibsee. Most beautiful lake EVER!!! The mountains that surrounded it were rocky and the water was this amazing shade of teal and dark blue. After this, we had one last meal in Germany. Mmm, mine was goulash and more spatzle!!!  Super delicious!!!

We loaded into the car and made our way back home...to Italy. It was an amazing experience and a fun journey to have with such great friends. I am truly blessed. Guten Tag!!!!!