Fall 2016

When you've had a green light to brag because you travel to exotic locations and then suddenly you feel like there's nothing to brag about anymore because your travel destinations (or lack thereof) aren't Greece anymore, it's hard to get motivated to blog.  Of course I'm talking about Joey here who started and ended doing all the blogging back in Europe.  But I, the self righteous and lesser writer of the two will stick with this!  Even if we're not in Amsterdam our memories are important!! 

 Here's a catch all of all that I missed while I waited patiently, thinking Joey would eventually get back to the computer.  Bare with me while he's in mourning...maybe he actually will come back.

Watching the Super Moon

First on the docket this fall was a trip to Gatlinburg, TN.  We had a blast.  

The trip started with a car catastrophe.  Our Airbnb cabin in the deep woods between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge had a driveway that would make Filbert Street in San Fran look like Houston, TX.  

Car-ee, our minivan, got stuck about halfway up the drive and practically perched on the edge of a precipice.  Joey spent the better part of a midnight hour turning the wheels bald trying to get enough traction to at least move away from the edge so he could finish reversing down the driveway but it only glided our back end closer to the deep ravine and a large fencepost that prevented him from reversing at all.  

The mood was TENSE that first night.  We saw another few thousand dollars out the window in trying to get us out of this pickle.  I called USAA {24 hour service!!  yassss!!!} and was told towing was a free service...someone would be there in the morning!  Well, goodness me, the tow truck guy arrived on the scene at 6:30 am with a huge truck whos parking break happened to be no longer in service...it couldn't come up the hill either!  Ha!!  The guy vowed to get us out by driving the car.  We sat watching, sweating bullets, again, balding the tires further for half an hour.  He and Joey finally decided that together they could remove the fence post and try backing down the hill.   Millimeter by millimeter (honestly) he twisted and tweaked the steering wheel until...PHEW!!  The car came down the hill.  $0 (until we got home to replace our tires), no ravine, happy vacation, and (3-4 years down the road), funny story!!

Go Cart Driving

We ate fried chicken, chicken fried steak, donuts, biscuits and gravy, heard southern gospel country music, rode go carts twice, played laser tag, hiked, collected leaves, saw two bears and biked the Cades Cove Loop, 13 miles of gorgeous, amber hued Tennessee wilderness.  It was a really fun trip of which I have many more pictures but am having a hard time getting them from my phone.  

Playing in the leaves was a favorite past time this Fall.  The leaves here were all that you'd expect from New England.

 This is our tragic little foster puppy, Drew.  

 It is to be noted that we loved her immensely.  From Drew we came to learn that not all dogs are created equally and that 3 months is long enough to come to deeply, deeply love a living thing.  Drew was the perfect puppy...much because she was terminally ill which made her calm, sweet and incredibly snuggly.  Drew always struggled with eating, didn't grow much at all, began to be extremely lethargic at 5 months ish and refused to eat.  We brought her back to 4 Paws for a check up and they decided to keep her for a week to watch over her.  She was diagnosed with kidney failure and put to sleep on the spot.  The kids, 3 months later, still cry over her.  We all really connected with sweet little Drew.  We've had two foster puppies since Drew and while we love them, we miss her immensely!



I had the privilege of working with these two cool people on the Hillary Clinton campaign for a few months until the dreaded November day.  It ended in absolute and utter tragedy but I'm so glad to look back and know that I did as much as I possibly could do.  I learned that I need to be involved to feel good about what I'm doing in my life.

Halloween:

 Luna Lovegood, Padme Amidala, Ray and BB-8

After the trick or treating we had a candy swap.   We stole the idea from a neighbor down the street.  I hope there's not another Halloween without one because the kids loved it and got rid of a lot of their candy (except Juliet who walked away with 2X as much)!

 For Thanksgiving Gaga and Papa came up!  And the fall color held on so that we could share that with them.  Here they are at Carillon Park.

ANd here we are attempting to get a Christmas card photo.

Mom and I took Georgie to see Phantom of the Opera, a dream come true for G (and for me to share it with her).  I'm so glad Mom got to be there as well.

For Papa, we took him out for local Ohio fare at Skyline Chili

A bit about what the kids have been doing:

Georgie took two theatre workshops at The Human Race Theatre group.  Here she is with her second group.  She loved it and learned a lot about voice, diction, emotion and theatre groupies!

Isaac joined a robotics team and won first place for the project portion of their work.  They were pretty proud and happy!

Isaac is interested in keeping the robotics thing up!  He enjoyed working with and programming robots.   

Farewells and Our Most Used and Favorite Spots

This is a post of lasts and places I want to preserve:

The school bus, a unique fixture in our every morning 9 months out of the year.  

What view:

Isaac:
These are the people most significant to Isaac that he left behind in Italy.

 This Best Friend, Simone (See-mOnay).  They talk on the phone once a week or so still and exchange who knows how many emails.  May this continue for always!

 Farewell to Danielle, Isaacs guitar teacher. 

I didn't get a good shot of Payton and Isaac farewelling.  I think we all pretended like it wasn't the last time they would see each other (at least for a while).  But here they are, two good buddies who mean a lot to each other. 

I, for one, will always remember this last bittersweet view of the Dolomites, the feeling and mood as we soaked it in and watching my kids absorb all that they'd had these last four years and all they were leaving.  Georgie, Isaac and I took my dad for a day trip into the Dolomites to hike Cinque Torre two days before they left.  Every view felt tangibly holy to me.  The air was thick with it (Italy felt that way off and on in moments the last month or so that we were there).  On our drive home we caught this view from a little small village bridge and I pulled over to take a picture.  We sat on the little bridge overlooking this little valley in total silence.  When it was time to go Isaac said dazedly, "I'm staying here."  My Dad sat back down and said, "I'm staying with him. "

GEORGIE: 

Papa was able to be there for Georgies honor roll ceremony, which was cool.

Here she is saying goodbye to Emily and Jackie, two of her best friends at school.

And her much loved teacher Mr. England.

The biggest "moment" was her farewell with Samantha, who has been her best friend for over 5 years.  Georgie made her a photo collage of pictures of them from preschool to 4th grade.  Angela and I cried watching them look at it together. 

JULIET:

The day before she left Mary and Katie came over with some farewell gifts.  THey have been such good friends.  I have loved seeing them play together.  These two girls and the way their mom raises them remind you of The Little House on the Prairie.  I took a lot from their Mom. 

A few nights before the final farewell they had a sleep over together.  I keep thinking how fun it would have been to have had them all at the elementary school together this year.  ;(

My one little most important farewell with Daniella!

PLACES:

 The back of our house.  This yard has seen some fun times.

This is the grape vineyard across the way from our house.  This photo doesn't do it justice.

This is from the road leading up to the vineyard.  Joey and I took our runs here most days.  I will always miss the views from this trail...everywhere you look, breathtaking.  I can't imagine I will ever run anywhere as beautiful.

This is a view of the elementary school from the city playground pictured below.

The playground

A view of Juliets preschool from the playground. 

This memorial to WW1 fighters stood just outside of the elementary school.  Juliet would always play behind it while we waited for Isaac and Georgie.  

These steps are where I would come visit Isaac and Georgie during their recess after picking Juliet up from school at 1pm.  They also played around the gates often with their friends, especially georgie...collecting rocks and seeds and building little play places  with it. 

Their playground.

Where I would often find Georgie, making little worlds out of the rocks.

Isaacs school class.

This picture doesn't do it justice but its one of my favorite views on the road from our house to Aviano.  4 family houses nestled into this hillside and were just the perfect Italian villas.  This little piece of land never stopped amazing me. 

More of that view

Via Col de Rust 30

The backyard looking into Delores and Aldos yard.

One of Joey's epic bonfires still to be burned, the glorious bush of Sambuco flowers (the white ones on the left) that we made tons of schiroppo from, Joey's giant Walnut Trees, the fig tree in front and, of course, the garden. 

A view from one of the walks we would frequently take in our neighborhood. 

Another neighborhood view.  The owner of this garden hobbled around with a cain.  And yet, look.  Glory be!!

Some photos of the inside of our home:

The real wood fireplace.

The "sharp" stairs.

Our kitchen FULL of windows.

The front steps.

And the Goat Farm.  The kids will never forget the goat farm.

This last little tidbit is a photo of the woodshop and my two teachers.  I spent a significant amount of time here with these two dudes!

Man, that was painful to post.  I don't think my heart will ever get over this place.  I'm so, so grateful to have experienced it.  

xoxo

Ash