Juliet Turns TWO!

Juliet Turns 2

2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2

  The other night Isaac came in to lay down with Juliet and I as I was putting her to bed.  We spent some time goofing around (getting her nice and calm for bed...;) and loving on her until we couldn't love on her any more. I put her in the pack and play located in the closet of our hotel room, laid her blanket over her entire body (she likes it covering even her head) patted her little bum, scratched up and down her back and we both told her that we loved her.  We went back to my bed to "lay down with her" ("lay down wis me" she says;  Isaac turned to me and said, "I think we have the best Juliet in the world."  Of course I agreed.  He went on, "I think we have the best baby in the world."  Amen, brotha:) We spent the next several minutes talking about the funny, sweet, bazaar and awesome things that she does that make us love and admire her so much. 

Here's one little video that you should watch so that you know what we're talking about!  

Early Friday morning I woke up before anyone else and was getting dressed when I heard suddenly from the closet a little Juliet voice saying "Hi-yah!!  Hi-yah!!"  Apparently she was in there fighting her own little ninja.  I couldn't stop laughing.  Isaac went breathless he was laughing so hard when I explained to him later what she'd said. 

But today, Juliet, our best baby in the world, graduated from babyhood.  She's officially a toddler.  Boooo!!  Juliet turned 2 today. And boy is she sweet.  She talks a mile a minute, has hundreds of words, remembers everything, jumps off of two feet, throws a ball pretty well, loves babies, give kisses at random and loves "friends" (anyone around her age).

I got the feeling today that she remembers celebrating Isaac and Georgie's birthday but never imagined the same thing would be done for her.  She seemed absolutely shocked to have her own birthday crown, her own special breakfast and, most importantly, her own birthday cake complete with a song that had her name in it.  She talked about that birthday cake all day long!  A few new friends came over who speak Italian so she was serenaded in Italian as well. 

For her birthday presents she received Play Doh and an Italian book.  Joey made a Nemo fish and those cute balloons with her this afternoon.  We're still looking for a play slide to put in the back yard for her.  She likes those;)

This evening we took she and the big kids along with a couple of friends to see Ice Age.  She lasted for about 8 minutes sitting still, 10 more before I had to take her out for a drink and then back in again and maybe 10 minutes after that before I gave up entirely and brought her home.  But it was enough to show her that we were celebrating.  Happy Birthday my sweet baby Tiny, 
Ju-B, Sweet Peet, Baby Beebs, button...

xoxo

Mom

Venice: Our first Adventure

Venice:

Our First Adventure

From our house in Sarone we can be at the Sacile train station, parked (for free;) and on a one hour train ride to Venice in 12 minutes.  When we say we're going to "the city" we will be referring to Venice.  Yea, that's pretty cool.  

Riding the trains are pretty cool because we really get to hang out together as a family.  Joey did magic tricks with the kids, we played games, learned new Italian words and just hung out.  Car rides don't offer that same opportunity.  So, even though we could probably drive their faster (it's about the same price) we think the train ride is worth it.  

 When we first arrived in the city the kids eyes grew really large.  Georgie sat with her head between the columns, watching the Gondolas go by underneath her for 4-5 minutes.

We enjoyed crossing bridges and were glad we had an umbrella stroller vs. a large heavier one.  You have to carry your stroller a lot here because of all the stairs.

 This being our first trip we followed the main course toward the Rialto Bridge and then San Marco's Square and the Basillica.  The kids were really good but they still are not used to walking this much.  Joey and I felt the reality of what its going to be like traveling with three little ones.  It's doable but the trip really has to revolve around them quite a bit so they will enjoy themselves and want to keep traveling.  We stopped a few times to check out the tourist shops filled with ornate Carnival masks and costumes to get their attention.  We found a disney store (it was packed), people watched and tried to find the tiniest alley ways that we could and walked down them.  Some of them are just wide enough to fit a person...a thin one and they liked that.

We hear there are amazing restaurants off the beaten path in Venice.  But we're learning that amazing restaurants means 4-5 courses, slow service (Italians live at a much slower pace:) and lots of money so we figured we'd save that for a date night for Joey and I.  Besides, on this trip we stayed on the beaten path.  We found plenty of little Deli's along the way and bought sandwiches and pizza.  

San Marco square was CROWDED and a little bit disappointing actually beccause they are doing a bit of construction.  The last time I was here it was at night so I just remember the emptiness, the cafes and cafe tables, the lights, the beggar musicians playing lovely violin music and an air of total romanticism.  This time their were crowds of people, billboards and scaffolding.  The good thing is we get to come back in September or October when the weather is cool and the crowds are down.  We still enjoyed ourselves though.

 The Doge's palace is off to the right of the Basilica and it is absolutely LOVELY.  I love the colors, the geometric design and the gothic marble work (I think its marble...the basilica is?)  We didn't go inside this time but the outside was enough.

 The girls enjoyed playing with the pigeons.  Can you see Juliet back their kicking one?  Ha!

 The pigeon bully;)

Proud of her conquests...

 We took the bell tower elevator up to the top for 8 euro and were glad we did.  There were some amazing views.  Here are some of the government buildings that line the side of the Basilica:

 The city

 The island of San Giorgio Maggiore

 The waterway and a monument

Be sure not to go to the top on the hour because you're likely to get knocked out with the sound...the bells are RIGHT above you.

In the Basilica cameras are not allowed.  Every corner is impressive so if they were aloud the Japanese tourists would be BUSY.   This church leaves an impression in every way.  The entire sealing is covered in gold mosaic fresco/tile pictures.   Statues and carvings are everywhere and the patterns in the marble walls really jump out at you.  Even the kids were silent, their eyes drawn up and their arms reaching out and touching everything. 

 Goofing off with the lion that guards the Basilica

 After a lot of walking we found the one green spot on our path and sat down on a bench while the kids played in the grassy shade.  Joey left us to hunt down some gelato for the kids and said that was his favorite part of the day, exploring Venice, childless.  We're going to have to take turns on Saturdays exploring!

We headed back to the train station on a water bus (Vaporetto) that toured the Grand Canal.  YOu could travel that canal a dozen times and still be amazed at the homes (it feels wierd to even call them that...these are not your average "home" and I'm not even sure they are lived in anymore) that you didn't even notice the last time you traveled down it.   The next time we go we look forward to seeing some of the islands.  Burano and Murano are tops on our list.

So here's to Venice, our "big city";)!

xoxo

Ashley

Ciao, from Italy (I pinch myself every morning!!).  

I have been very poor about taking pictures this week because most of our travels have been flying by in our minivan, gazing out the window whilst running errands:)  Here are a few of our hike in Gorgazzo from last weekend to entertain you as I jot down some of my thoughts:

 For starters,  this town is how I picture heaven only I didn't know that I picture it that way until I walked through it.  Some of the homes here, or estates rather, cause me to moan outloud "Ohhh", "Ahhhh" as I gaze at them.   

 Up the mountain...

Driving here has probably been my most intimidating task.  As I dreamt of Italy I never considered that that would be the case.  The most frustrating thing is not that people drive crazy but rather that there are no road signs that tell you the names of the streets.  So, you map out your course before you get in the car, depending on knowing your turn by the street name and then find there is no street name!  The learning curve is steep but I know I'll catch on eventually.  I'll just have to get lost a dozen times before I do.

 An acorn in my eye;)  

Things are definitely more expensive here, from the food to the clothing.  We have to keep reminding  ourselves that we are only here once and we don't want to short change our experience in order to further pad our saving account.  I think that's smart logic, no?;)  We'll see how we continue to feel as time goes on.  We get paid more here so maybe that will make the difference.

In our local grocery story there is a small label posted by each fruit or vegetable telling you where it was grown.  The Fuji apples grown here in Italy are $1.29 per pound while the Pink Ladies grown in South Africa are $2.30.  Avocados here are from South Africa as well and are $2.36 a piece (ouch!!)  They are a different variety from the kind you find in the states.  They are larger and lighter green in color and their flavor, in my opinion, is not as good.  The Asparagus is grown here in Italy but is $6.32 per bushel...double ouch!  And all the tomatoes are from Italy.  It is tomato season here and most people don't have to buy them from the market.  It seems that every house has at least 2-3 tomato plants growing up a tall poll with 8-10 tomatoes ripening on every one.  If I can't produce tomatoes in my yard here than I might as well dye my thumbs black.

It is "Saldi" season here in Italy.  In the states we have a few things on sale in the back of every store all year round.  It Italy it only happens twice a year; late July, August ( the prices dropping every week) and then again in January.  I am scoping out some cute little Camper shoes in Pordenone that will be great for traveling.  At 30% off they are still 69 Euro (80 bucks-ish).  Italian style is just different enough that it is obvious that we are Americans.  A lot of people  from the states have asked me how people dress here, if they wear mostly black etc.  No, they don't wear mostly black.  And yes, it does seem like people are a little bit more fashionable here.  It's just like the states in that not everyone is decked out in awesome clothes but the people that are are really good at it.  It's fun to stare at.  They're funkier here than in the US.  Only in Venice have I seen people (other than Americans) wearing flip flops out in the city and I think that's because in Venice there are so many really casual tourists and back packers.  Italians dress up quite a bit more.

 The View

Gorgazzo, an underwater cave.  

It is very famous here (as our landlord Michaela tells me:)

The local people here have all been soooo kind.  There are a lot of locals that work on the base and help you get situated after you first arrive.  They have been our biggest cheerleaders about sending the kids to Italian school.  Christina and Sergio, the two Italians that took us on the Bienvenuti tour (you should have seen this huge tourist bus make it's way down the tiny Italian streets...amazing!) gave us their cell phone numbers to call anytime we need anything.
We haven't moved into our house yet but we've been by to look at it a few times and our neighbors to the right have come out every time to chat with us (only one of them speaks English so there is a lot of smiling and nodding;)  A Mom, Fernanda I think, her adult son, Roberto who speaks English, her adult Down Syndrome daughter Alessandra and a blind grandmother named Anna all live there (so far).  I got such a good feeling from all of them, like maybe we can become good friends.  Although Anna is blind, she is definitely with it.  I liked her immediately.  Our landlord, Michaela is only 24 and darling.  She has bent over backwards for us and when I asked her about clothing and furniture stores in the area she said she would take me shopping.  Yes please;)

Pressing on here in Italy, still feeling out of place and at home all at the same time...
living la dolce vita!

Cena, gelato, e un'escursione

It feels as though so much has happened and yet nothing has happened. On Thursday morning I went to my new clinic/hospital for the first time and started meeting people and checking in. Everything looks great, but everyone gives me a knowing smile when I tell them that I am the new chief of Pediatrics. And parents of patients that I have met all tell me that I have big shoes to fill. Wonderful.

After having Lisa O'Keefe, the family health chief's wife, run us all over everywhere later that morning, we decided to rent a car. We can't pick up our minivan, which is sitting here, somewhere, until we receive our air force licenses on Monday or Tuesday. But we can rent a car on the economy and drive it everywhere, even on base. Doesn't make any sense. Military madness reigns supreme, even in Europe.

In order to get cell phone access (or rent a house, or do anything, except rent a car), you have to have a codice fiscale, sort of like an Italian social security number. But to get one, you have to drive to Pordenone, which is the biggest city around and located several miles south of the base. So, armed with our blue Peugeot wagon and some directions, we ventured into the unknown. Street signs are rare, which is to say nonexistent, but having looked at the map several times, I sort of just knew where to turn and where to park. Ashley was pretty amazed, but those that know Ashley's driving prowess won't think much of that. Of course, we forgot to get the codici (plural) for the kids, which they need to attend Italian schools, but let's not detract from my driving victory.

On the way out of Pordenone, we saw a gelato place. Mandatory stop. First of many, I am sure.

That night, we drove out to see our new house from the outside. The previous tenants had locked the keys in the house, which they thought is what they were supposed to do. The place is huge. More on the inside later. We met the O'Keefes there and they took us to dinner at Vecchio Caffe, a well-known pizza place in Polcenigo. The pizza was great, a thicker-crust, American-style, but you could tell that the sauce was top notch. Behind the parking lot was a kid's swing, a beautiful river, a bridge over the river, and steps leading down to the edge of the water where the kids could throw rocks. All with the backdrop of green hills and gorgeous old Italian buildings. Are you kidding me?

Friday, I went back to work for a while, blah blah blah, and then we ran errands for a while. Finally, we got the chance to meet our landlord's daughter, Michaela, at our house. Again, the place is huge! The layout is bizarre, however. The downstairs hallway is enormous, easily twice the width of normal hallways. The big room downstairs, which we will probably use as the game/TV/computer room, has a small fireplace (nice) and a huge, long, narrow sink (?).

The guest apartment has a nice-sized kitchen/dining/living room, one large bedroom, two baths (one with a shower, one with a bath) and a smaller bedroom. Downstairs in the apartment is a large room with an old refrigerator, sink, and stove that haven't been used in years. I guess that Italians would sometimes have a kitchen upstairs and downstairs, depending on the season. Sorry, we forgot to take pictures.

On the way home, we saw a caffe called "Alla Trota Blu" (roughly translates as "Blue Trout Style") and again made an impulse stop. We had the signature dish as an appetizer. Wow. Smoked local trout garnished with arugula and fresh nectarines. The main course was eggplant dumplings in a tomato sauce. Again, wow. The only downside was the pace, or lack thereof, of the service (we had to ask for our cheese plate to go), but they were very tolerant of our kids. We sat outside on a peninsula that juts out into a small pond. We taught the kids the words for duck (anatra), table (tavolo), and others. Hopefully it will start sticking.

We decided to stop for gelato, again, on the way home. This place we had seen across the piazza from Vecchio Caffe, so we hung out in downtown Polcenigo again, this time with a camera.

On Saturday we slept in, finally got some exercise, and had a great home cooked meal that we ate outside at the TLF (temporary lodging facility) playground.


Sunday was adventure time once more. Ashley had heard about a beautiful hike near Polcenigo. We parked just off the highway and walked past some stunning Italian homes before we hit the trail head. Wild cherry trees grew everywhere, and they tasted fantastic even though they weren't quite ripe. From higher up the trail was a great view of one of the neighborhoods of Polcenigo.

We were the only Americans there that we could tell. There is a natural spring that rises up out of a cave at the base of the trail, with a caffe alongside, and there were a lot of Italians stopping there for an evening meal. After several unsuccessful attempts at communicating in Italian over the past few days, I didn't have the guts to try and talk to any of the young families there. Hopefully that will change as well.

Siamo arrivati!

It's four o'clock in the morning, or maybe it's five
I think I'm alive, and I think I'll survive
I'm finally cutting through this haze...

Cake, "Haze of Love"

And so it begins. We arrived in Aviano, Italy yesterday just after 4:00 pm. We flew on the rotator or "freedom bird," a Boeing 777 operated by Omni Air International (who?) out of Baltimore-Washington International Airport exclusively for military members and families. There were a lot of deploying airmen and soldiers on that flight. It didn't seem right, their heading to Afghanistan for 6-12 months and our heading to Italy for three years, but such is life. None of them had been in Altus, OK for four years.

The seats on the freedom bird were terrible. No leg room, lousy head rests, nothing more than the standard recline angle. The service was fine, with refreshments, two meals, hot towels, etc. They kept the cabin lights on for about two hours after take-off, which was at 10:30 pm local time. That seemed excessive. They did seem a lot more lax about all the routine airline rules, which was nice. I didn't watch any of the programming, but Ashley says it was lousy as well. The best part of the video screen in front of every seat is that you could pull up a map that would show you where the plane was in time and space, with multiple zoom levels and the local time, outside temp, and altitude. It felt so surreal to be passing near Iceland at 2:00 am local with the sky already starting to brighten.

Juliet slept in her car seat from almost from takeoff to landing. It was beautiful. Other toddlers on the plane, not so much. Ear plugs were a must, noise-cancelling headphones would have been great. Isaac and Georgie slept really well, considering the accommodations. They did not seem any more tired or irritable than usual after the flight, which astounded me. I really have great kids.

The welcoming committee here was amazing, almost too much. My squadron commander, the family health element chief with his wife and kids, another Major (whose role I wasn't clear on) with her minivan, and my sponsor, Elizabeth. The temporary lodging here is awesome. Beautiful buildings and rooms, a huge playground and picnic area in the center, both 110 and 220 volt outlets with built in plug adapters, and located right next to the exchange and commissary with a food court, which is where we ate last night. Standard American fast food fare, just with a slightly higher price and employees named "Ines" and "Katia" that greet you with "Buona sera!" But I was willing to sacrifice my palate on the altar of my exhaustion last night. Good gracious. I feel asleep just after 8:00 pm, which is why I am up this morning writing this.

I am including seemingly boring details as this is the type of stuff that I would like to know prior to enduring this type of move. I promise that pictures and much more interesting details will follow. But after lying in bed for an hour not being able to sleep because I am just too dang excited (!) I had to get up and do something. This is my journal of our experience, for me, for the family, and for people that want to know what this type of experience is like, for whatever reason.

Jet Lag:

11am and still asleep 

after a 1am-5am awake period